Washington telegraph., 1865-09-20

SUGAR CANE-ITs CULTIVATION IN
LouIsiANA.-Our State has been for ma.
ny years familiarly styled the ".Sueay
boaol Of the Union" 1t was within our
borders that the sugar cane was first In.
troduced into this country, little more
than century since. Here it has been
most successfully ma msnufactured; and, at
this day, our sugars are acknowledged to
be superior to any others. A brief sketch
OF the rise and progress of its cultivation
may not be uninteresting at this time.
Its early history is involved in consid.
cradle obscurity. Several ancient his.
torians allude to a sort of "honey ex.
tracted from canes or reed"-that "reeds
in India yield honey without bees''-.a
So, sort OF concreted honey. in consistence
like salt"-"a honey collected like gum,
white and brittle between the teeth; the
largest is of the size of hazelnut; it is
used in medicine only" etc. When it
is known that sugar is never found native.
and can only be obtained from the cane
with the aid of art, and then subjected to
a variety of processes, these references
to 1T IN the earlier ages of the world
must be received with many grains Of al
lowance. There can be but little doubt,
however, that the Saracens, in the ninth
century, introduced it into Europe, and
manufactured itwith success. The Cru
saders spread a taste for it's use wherever
they marched. The Saracens introduced
its successful cultivation and manufacture
in Spain. The Spaniards carried it to
the Canary Islands and Madeira, and in
troduced its cultivation in the West In
dies-more successfully. however, in St.
Domingo than in any other section
Europe was almost entirely dependent
upon St Domingo for supplies Of sugar
until its devastation. in 1890, previous to
which, according to McCulloch, to whom
we are largely indebted for data on this
subject,) no less than 65,OOO tons were
exported from the French portion of the
island.
An old correspondent himself one of
the largest and most experienced sugar
planters in Louisiana--has kindly favored
us with historical sketch of the intro
duction of sugar cane into this State,
from the pen of Avequin, gentleman
well known to many of our old citizens,
and around whose grave cluster many
pleasant memories 1t appears to have
been published in one of our papers. As
it will, doubtless, prove interesting to
most of our readers, we condense it.
From this paper it appears that sugar
cane was first introduced here in 1851,
under the administration of Marquis de
Vandreuil, Governor of the Colony of
Louisiana. On the 18th Of April of
that year two hundred troops were sent
from France to completes the forces Of the
colony. The transports touched at St.
Domingo, when the Jesuits of Leogane,
in the Bay of Port-au-Prince, obtained
leave to send on board, for their branch
establishment in New Orleans, supply
of cane and few negroes used to its
cultivation and the manufacture of su-
gar.
These canes were planted in the spa
cioas gardens of the reverend Fathers,
where now stands the first District of
New Orleans. At first their efforts a.
either its cultivation or manufacture,
were abortive. They. however, persist
ed in the work.
In 1853 Dubreuil, a wealthy planter
in faubourg Marigny. now the Third Dis
trict. procured few plants from the Jes-
uits, but he also met with but little sue
cess.
In 1854, the Chevalier de Mazan tried
the experiment, on his plantation on the
opposite shore, with more success. In
the following year Destrehan, then Treas
urer of the. King of France in the Colo
ny, and several other planters put up
works below the city, on the left bank,
but with the same result. The planters
were disheartened, and in 1863 the man
ufacture Of sugar in Louisiana was en-
tirely abandoned. and our planters turned
their attention to the cultivation of indi-
go, cotton, tobacco, rice, corn, etc. A
few small gardeners continued the plant
ing of sugar cane in the neighborhood
Of the city, which they retailed in the
market for the use of children, or ex-
pressed the juice, making syrup, which
they sold in bottles More than twenty
five years elapsed before further efforts
were made in IT'S cultivation i.e
In 1871, A. Mendez, of this city, pur-
chased the apparatus, land, etc. which
now forms part ef the Olivier Planta-
ton, at Terre aux Beufs, below the city,
and, nothing daunted, resolved to carry
on the manufacture of sugar. He Sc
cured the services Of II. NORM, who had
gained some experience in the manufac-
ture at St. Domingo He was more sue
cessful, and at grand dinner which
Don Rendon, then Spanish Intendent of
Louisiana. gave to the public authorities
of New Orleans, he exhibited as curl
osity a.few small loaves of refined sugar.
the first ever produced in Louisiana. 80
In 1892, Etienne Bord, planter liv-
ing few miles above the city, finding
his indigo crops failure, determined as
a dernier resort to try the cultivation of
sugar. At length, in 1885, his success
was partial, and in the following year.
under auspices of NORM, it was rendered
complete. He was induced to make fur
ther improvements. and essay new exper-
iments until he fully established this one
of the most productive branches in Lou
isiana. -..6 =. .-e,+sr -, -. --.-f b.. al
His success induced many others to
follow his example. Among the earliest
to do so were the Piseres, the Cabarets,