New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1876-09-01
Date of the receipts of the first bale OF
new crop cotton, at New Orleans, for five
THE receipts this year were up to the event
of August 30, the thirty first being Sunday.

of August 30, the thirty first being Sunday.
SUGAR-The year 1915 closed with
better feeling both among planters and the
trade. The energy and good management
of the former had enabled them to over
come many obstacles, and turn out the
largest crop since lS7l-2, showing an in
crease over 1884 of 36,369 hhds or over
forty five per cent, while the value showed
an excess of 81, 572, 962, or nearly thirty per
cent. The situation coLse quently presented
a striking and cheering aspect over the pre-
vious year, which was increased by antlcl-
pations of still more liberal yield. The
preservation of the second year stubbles
had made up for the curtailment of plant
ing caused by unfavorable weather in the
winter Of lS74-5. The result has fully justi-
fed these views, the crop of 1886 showing
an increase over 1915 of nearly 81 600, 600
lbs. The nominal excess in hhds was %, 634,
hut the actual excess in weight at 100 lbs
" hid, would be equal to about &c, 800 hhds.
Compared with 1884, this shows an excess
of 81, 2225 hhds, or about sixty per cent. AS
might be inferred from this steadily aug
menting product our sugar interest has
been prosperous and the culture received
an additional stimulus. In our last annual
we specially noticed the recent improve
.nents in manufacturing which it was hoped
would result in saving of thirty to forty
per cent. This seemed to be an extrava
giant estimate, but we argued that even if
the scientific and practical men who held
such views were too sanguine and the saw
ing ultimately realized would be only ten
per cent. the large profit would in
many cases insure remunerative results
to the Planter, who, under the old system,
would have met with ruinous failure.
1t has long been reproach to many of
our sugar planters that they have been slow
to follow the example of those who have
ho6 int ino0 nd n
pertinent in improvements, some OF which
have proved fruitless, while others are OF
permanent value. In writing upon this
subject thirty-0ne years ago, Judge Rost
remark ed that I'VE ought to be thankful
for every effort of that kind, and encourage
to reasonable extent those persons who,
in trying to benefit themselves. desire also
to benefit US. But planters can not be OK.
pected TO incur the great expense which the
adoption of most of those methods require
till they have satisfactory evidence of their
entire success" The expense of introduce
ing improvements, even when their value is
fully established, is undoubtedly the great
obstacle to their general adoption. This
evil necessarily arises from the large invest
ments already made in engines and ma
chinery, which have absorbed the capital of
the planter and left him without the re-
sources to substitute for them new and
costly improvements. And yet it is only
by such means We can expect to maintain
sugar making in Louisiana as a leading
branch OF industry. The evil threatened
by the Hawaiian treaty inculcates that we
should spare no Hort to reduce the cost Of
cultivating cane and manufacturing sugar,
SO "a to enable us to compete with the for
eign product, even if it were admitted free.
We must here repeat what we have pre-
viOusly urged, that to accomplish the end
in view We must look to the reducing the
cost of production by Improvements in
cultiva ton. including more efficient and
labOr-saving implements; reducing the
wages of labor by even greater reduction
in the expense OF the laborer's subsistence,
80 that from two thirds of his present in
come ne will be able to lay by more than
at present for rainy day; tightening the
burden of transportation to distant as we'll
as to the nearest markets; and finally
adopting those improvements in manufac-
turing, the value Of which has been estab-
Gshed by successful experiment.
In considering the sugar culture it must
not be overlooked that within the compar-
atively limited area OF the improved and
unimprOved sugar districts Of Louisi-
ana, we have all the lands necessary to
produce more than q mOiety of the quantity
necessary to supply the wants of the Amer
lean people. In 1875 the consumption of
cane sugar in the United States was put
down at 62l ,S52 tons foreign and 63, 500
domestic, making q total of 6S5, 1852 tone,
or in round plumbers, 200, 900 hhds. With
only aportion Of our sugar lands in cultiva-
ton, we made 459, 400 hhds. At the same
time it was estimated that had it not been
for certain obstacles the yield would have
been SOC, 900 hhds. We think there can be
little doubt that we're our supplies of for
eign sugars entirely cut off and the price
raised to point which would make the
culture sufficiently remunerative to attract
the necessary capital, with the new lands
which would be drained and opened, our
State would afford the whole amount re-
1. ouired. But this no one anticipates, and
the practical question is how the cost Of
making sugar from Louisiana sugar lands
can be sufficiently reduced to enable us to
compete successfully with the foreign
product, so that the entire consumption OF
the country will be pretty equally divided
between the foreign and the domestic
product. This We have shown can only be
accomplished by the improvements IN
sugar making and division of labor which
we have already discussed.
The year opened with . limited STOCK IN
tas sheds, mostly held by dealers :. ana
spec nj ators, common to fair ruling st on
9Ac, against 8h a 90 in 1874, and prime 10
chnica Mt 10 a JOAc. against the same In the