The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1875-03-13
Successfat Sugar Planting.
(Frsrs tke' v. q. Yimcs.l

The sugar yield Of the past season
has served tO taispel the error wl,icl
had begus to prevail as to the profit
ableness Of that culture and the pru
tlrInne ~ h+rge Investments therein
Large easpitaists who had embarked
in this rultnte have been twitted viii
their folly ayA lack Of sagacity. Whel
they could have realized 81 rnuch more
surely by stoeis Investments, Or BY
trade, ls,ilroad bonds, State OF Gov
eminent securities, what ra>hscs. and
improvjtlence to bsrtlep thems.lvc,
with the cares and uncertainties of 8
large plantation : Evt1, at the reeept
prices Of plantations, the large capital
Deeded to operate them, and the great
personal care and vigilance required
il, the direction and administration III
them, have been regarded by tht. barge
class Of capitalists as insuperable dis
couragements to any such ventures,
/ The results Of the past season must
have considerably shaken this opinion
of the capitalists who place their ac-
cumulations il, stocks and commercial
enterprises, and for some time exulte.l
IN their superior foresight, over the
rash ventu,cr i'll the pcrilous effort to
wiring from the soil Of I.onisiana u
fair return upon large Investments.
We might cite several illustrations Of
tht truth Of this conclusion, but there
is Il notable aud conspicuous one, which
'c.a>F <.tnsc tor the present, the facts
Of wl1tta 6s1Dng to our agricultural
/ history, and notwithstanding the ex-
trcme disinclination of the gentleman,
to whom reference is made, to any
public ;llusion to himself aud his af-
fairs, We feel justified in recounting
these interesting facts, relating as they
do to :" important Il branch of our ill.,
dustry.
The product Of the several sugar
plantations located at various points
along our river banks, within dis
t:snce of eighty miles above New Or
leans. hrlonging to Mr.. John Burn
side, exhibits the following results:
Refined and clarified sugar, hhds. aver
aging l9W pounds. Observation-Disclosures. 4l20
MOlassts, barrels 1900
Of the quality of sngar manufactured
by Mr.. Burnside, we pr..sua.c it would
be fair to estimate the vsl,,e per hogs
head at one hundred dollars. This
would give the grand total "f the
whole crop Mt $4l8.NDO. Estimating
the price of the ,noaasscs At twenty
cents per gallon or less, the total would
SUM up over q hundred tl,ousaud dol
lars. The grand total of the value ..f
this sugar and n,Olassrs therefore
would exceed II half a Million of dol
lars, or ten per cent ~, FIVE millions.
Is not this a splendid return for these.
times, upon 80 large IN investment I?
1t is not believed, regarding tho prices
1T which, he purchased the majority
vt Ills plantations, and even with his
liberal and entt.rprising Improvements,
that Mr.. Bnrnside's Investments have
reached this large sum, or indeed have
exceeded half Of it. Conceding the
largest reasonable estimate Of the in
vestment and cost Of production, we
doubt if during the last twelve months
there has been any investment of cap
ital in agriculture, commerce, or man
ufactnres, or in any legitimate indus
triMl enterprise in the United States,
which will exhibit better, or even
equal results.
The achievment. under such dis
collraglng circumstances, is one of
which Mr.. Burnside may he Justly
proud. 1t is good illustration OF
what may he achieved by capital, en-
terprisc and management, under the |
most unfavorable conditions, and is IL |
valuable suggestion Of what may b..
accomplished by u general infusion Of
the same spirit. A retired merchant,
residing in the city, he embarked tif-
teen years ago in sugar culture, with
the ambition tu he the largest sugar
lrotlucef on the continent. Before the.
war lie had reached the large pro,luc- !
tion of 1000 l,ogsl,eads, and the next
season his aim aud resolution were to
swell his crop to 10000 hogsheads.
The war interrupted his operations,
swept away his slave property, and
would have driven away almost ANY
'Aher man of adequate means, to some
safer Investment. But so far from
producing these discou,aging effects,
Nj. Burnside, after the war, Increased
his area of cultivation, donbled his
and embarked his whole
large means i'll repairing and placing
il complete productive condition and
sqnipment plantations which had been
acaaly Abandoned, and left in waste.
md decay. In this, he has set Il grand
example Tor our other large capitalists,
,nd has established strong claims upon
he gratitude and esteem Of all who
iesire t" sec Louisiana resume the
position she. oace occupied, as one Of
.lse richest and most enterprislng of
he agricultural States.
The number OF. Journals, daily, week
y, etc, published in Paris amounts
q 754. OF these, SO refer to the
'logy 63 t" Jurisprudence; 10 to
and history; Sc to light
-:.tling; 25 t" public instruction aud
53 toliteature, philosophy.
aud photography IL to