Raftsman's journal. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1854-1948, 1861-04-10
LoUIsIANNA:


louisiana affords another illustration of tn
successful migration of the world IS great sta
pies from one locality to another. Two YES
sells on their way to that colony with troops
stopped at Hispaniola in 175l. The Jesuits o
that island obtained premission to put oil
board of these ships, and to send to the Jesu
its of Louisiana, some sugar canes, and some
negroes familiar with the cultivation of the
plant. The canes were planted on ground
which is now densely populated portion o
New Orleans, where they grew and hourished
for many years, but no effort was made to ex
tend the cultivation, or TO produce sugar in
large way. The canes were retailed in the
markets as an article of luxury. Here they
attracted the notice of DubreuiI, one of the
wealthieSt planters in the colony, who culti-
waited them to some extent, built mill fol-
grinding them, and attempted to make sugar,
bnt failed entirely. This failure confirmed
the general impression that sugar could not
! be produced in LouiSianna, and no further eff
fort was made on large scale, until 1894,
when the widespread destitution of the colony
drove the people to the Introduction of some
new agricultural staple. Up to this period,
| the result of agriculture among the coloniss
| had been very insignigcant, notwithstanding
the extraordinary fertility of the SOIL Rice
| and corn were raised in quantity sufficient for
| home consumption, but none for export ; and
the supplies of produce of other kinds which
| decended the Mississippi constituted the great
| dependence for food. Indigo, then staple
! production of all Southern America, had been
! suddenly attacked by an insect which devour-
/ ed the leaves with incredible rapidity and
| left nothing standing but the naked stem of
| the plant. In t793 and '94 the ravages of this
| insect were general and complete, that the
! whole province was thrown into state of con-
| sternation and despair. Cotton was then un-
| known as commercial staple, the gin had
not been invented. 1t was evident that some
4 al,
! The sugar-cane had been extensively cultiva-
ted near New Orleans only on a single planta-
| ton, where, also, every attempt to produce
| sugar had failed. In this emergency, Etenne
| de Bore undertook anew the hazardous enter
prise. Though OF moderate means, and past
middle life, and though warned by wife and
friends of the danger of becoming impoverish-
ed, the strong resolve of his energetic mind
could not be shaken. He planted canes, built
mills, and in 1895 his first extensive trial Of
the sugar culture reached a demonstration.
His neIghborS, both far and near, had visited
him and watched his progress and preparations
with the keenest interest. Every discourage
ment had been set afoat, because all doubted
his success. When the grinding of the
was to begin, the inhabitants gathered around
the Sugdr-houSe in crowds, to be present at the
failure or success of the experiment. They
waited with impatience for the moment when
the man who watched the coction of the juice
IL
granulate. When that moment arrived, the
excited spectators held their breath, apparent
ly conscious that it question of ruin
prosperity for them all. The sugar-maker
suddenly announced that granulation had ta-
ken place, when each one of the impatient by
standers pressed in to witness for himself the
long doubted but anXiOnsly desired TACT The
most perfect granulation had taken place, and
the great problem had been successfully solv-
ed. Bore was overwhelmed with congratula-
tioDS, and the sugar culture of Louisiana es-
tabished as staple which Immediately revo-
tionized her pecuniary condition This first
crop of sugar Bore sold for Sl2, 900, large
sum in those days. Such is the narrative CIV
en- by Gayarre, defendant of Bore. Other
accounts allege that sugar had been previously
produced in considerable quantity. But it is
certain that only eight years after Bore's great
experiment no less than eighty one sugar G.
states were in operation on the delta alone,
and that the export from NeW-Orleans had
grown in 1884 to 100,0 900 hogsheads,i worth
Sc 900 900, all of which, as the tables inform
us, went to ports within the Union. 1t would
thus seem that to Bore is due the honor of
showing that the great West India staple
could be profitably domesticated in Louisiana.
Our acquisition of that region undoubtedly
gave enormous and rapid expansion to the
business. In 1858 and 80, Louisiana receiy-
ed S29 000. coo tor her sugar crop. The fact
of this great staple being thus permantly do
mesticated among US affords additional evil
dence that human energies will ultimately
triumph when directed to provide for human
wants-that no region can maintain the world
in bondage to it for its producton-and that
the cultivation even of cotton will in a few
years become so diffused over free-labor
countries that those who now produce it by
expensive slave labor must in the great con-
test be driven to the wall.