The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1877-08-25
Our Future Sugar Interest.
Louisiana Sugar-BowI.1


No country in the world to day of
fers more inviting field to capital
lists than Louisiana. With a sugar
famine staring US in the face, in con-
sequence of the partial failure of the
beet root crop and the devastation by
war of Cuban sugar estates, if every
acre of Louisiana soil was cultivated
in cane, we could not supply the de-
mand for sugar.
Once "a luxury, sugar has now be-
come prime necessity of life in every
household of the civilized world, and
hence the consumption increases with
such rapid strides that it is impossi-
BILE to supply the demand. AS high
as sugar is selling now, we predict
that the price will annually increase
| for some years to come.
Beet root culture has proven very
exhaustive to the soil, and the cult
vators, finding that the decreased
yield of roots left them no profit, have
turned their attention to other crops.
AS a result, beet sugar factories are
reported closing in both Germany and
France, so that this once dreaded
enemy of the cane sugar interest is
being gradually shorn of its proper
| lions.
Hitherto Cuba has been the prin-
cipal rival of the Louisiana sugar
planter, but little doubt now remains
that the war in that unhappy island
will close only after the almost COM
plete ruin of sugar planters and the
freeing of the slaves, which will be IL
blow ten fold worse to them than it
was to Louisiana planters, for here
necessity compelled the blacks to re.
turn to labor, while in Cuba the eli
mate is SO mild and food so easily OBJ
tanned that the freedom of the slaves
will result entirely disastrous to the
sugar interest.
For these reasons, all of which, it
must be admitted, are we'll grounded,
we have high hopes for the future of
Louisiana sugar interest. While we
would not have planters go wild over
their brilliant prospects, and make
improvements beyond their means,
yet we do think that every one should
seek, by all safe means, to increase
his sugar crop-enlarge fields, open
more bitches, fertilize more thor
oughly, improve machinery so as to
overcome all waste-in a word, ac-
lively prepare to safely meet the
golden opportunity now at hand.
! We need millions of capital to de-
yelop our idle country, and thousands
of industrious farmers will here find
greater profits than they ever dreamed
of in their most sanguine moments in
other States. All will find room and
hearty welcome. Capitalists, who
in some countries find it difficult to
realize six per cent. for their money,
will be surprised to learn that fol
long years, since the war, many Lou
isiana planters have paid upwards oi
twenty per cent. for money to conduct
their places, aud even got out of debt
at that. Certainly no other agricul.
tural interest could stand such Il
drain. We want the capitalist par
ticniarly, to erect central factories
for nothing is more needed in oul
State. Thousands, millions of acre:
of good sugar lands are idle because
of the want of machinery at hand tc
grind the cane which should and viii
be grown thereon as soon as thu
manufacturing facilities are given
Come capital, come labor-we are
suffering for want of both.