Sugar planter. [volume] (West Baton Rouge [i.e. Port Allen, West Baton Rouge Parish, La.]) 1856-1925, 1866-10-20

SEED CANE.-The only SALVATION tor
this section of country, says the lberotAe
South. is to return to the culture OF cane
at the earliest practicable day.
The South tells the whole story in a
paragraph Of four lines. This season has
settled the question, We believe, in the
minds of our planters. Cotton don't and
wont pay, when cultivated on the ~alluvial
lands of Louisiana. The reasons for this
are TOO welEknown to need repetition here
The main difficulty with our planters has
been that they thought the freedman
labor was not sufficiently reliable, and
that if they succeeded in stocking their
plantations with cahe, it might be lost
for want of laborers to preserve it. There
is much in this we must admit, but not
enough to prevent an attempt OF The ex-
pertinent. We have seen our lately Ii
berated slaves toll patiently throughout
the season On cotton plantations, engage
ed in far more difficult work than cult
waiting cane, and yet they seem contented
with The result Of their years labor, IN
less where lost by the caterpillar or
worm. Sugar cane is almost a certain
crop in this State, yielding at the present
time a greater remuneration for labor
than cotton, taking everything into consi-
defation. There f.-diversity OF operations
on a sugar plantation that is far more
pleasing TO a freedman than the dull and
dry details of making a cotton crop be,
sides in The cultivation of cane there is
aB attraction to the negro which seems
to be lost sight of by our planters. All
negroes like " sweets which they must
have as N Offset to the vast quantities OF
salt they consume in their picked pork.
To furnish this now is an item in their ex.
penses, it not being given by the
planter as part Of their r~ations. On a
cotton plantation he gets neither sugar
or molasses unless be buys it. The diff
ference lies in this !: when making sugar,
he can eat as many canes as be pleases +;
he gets his sirop. his sugar, and his mol
asses at a trifing cost, if anything. And
# The planter is willing to do SO, be can
make The entire rolling reason " one of
frolic and amusement. The negro objects
to working on Sundays. No necessity
for that unless inperativsly necessary in
order to save a ciop, and then a little ex-
+ pay and epcoubagent viii do won
Iers. The lowe are cnltiyat-
ing cane extensively this year. Surely
those planters must have assurances that
heir labor will be reliable or they would
not have attempted it. We can do the
same in West Baton Rouge if lhe trial
be made. Another point Merchants
will hereafter but make little advances
upon cotton crops. Tue reason is obvious.
AS before stated, cane is almost a certain
crop in this State, and the merchant will
feel perfectly secure in furnishing such
supplies as are waited, well knowing that
be runs but little more risk now than be
did before the war. Here is where mer.
chant and planter can play into each
others hands with benefit to both, and Of
course to the whole country. There is
not seed a enough in our parish for
planting next year, but with what there
is, properly cared for and r~eplanted, many
will be enabled to make sugar the year
following. Besides seed cane can be
bought to assist planters | Consider well
this matter and at once decide.