The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1878-06-07
THE SUGAR PLANTERS.
AN INTERESTING MEETING AND EM.
PORTANT SUBJECTS DISCUSS ED.
The Outlook of the Years Crops, and the
Relative Merits OF Fertilizers


ton.
The president ID. f. Kenner, on calling the
meeting to order at o'clock, stated that he
would request the Governor TO appoint DR.
Mccullough commissioner to the Paris Expo
stiOn.
Mr. KennGr then said that he would
like to call the attention Of all mem
bers of the association to the fact
that Gen. lie Due had sent from
Washington some quantity of Japanese sugar
cane, which will arrive horO Saturday. He
recommended that every planter should try
this cane and see, practically, whether it
could be pTofitably introduced in Louisiana
The chairman Of the executive committee
being then called upon to report, stated that
nothing OF much Importance TO planting in
terests had TRANSFERRED since the last monthly
meeting; however, he had read, in different
papers, very able articles Of some interest
In the Sugar Cune he had read that In Cuba
the planters are far ahead of us in mechani-
cal improvements to their plantations.
Everything almost is done by steam, even
the blowing in tho fields, but the cane is far
better cultivated and cared for here than In
Cuba.
In the Boston journal Is shown the great
advantage and usefulness Of the tenant eys-
tenn in Massachusetts, and the speaker had
no doubt that the system could be introduced
here generally with profit
THESE REMARKS
were listened to with much interest, and
when the chairman had ceased speaking the
president requested the secretary to read q
tabulated statement of answers sent by plant
ers in different parts OF the State to printed
questions mailed to them by the association,
showing the greater or smaller percentage of
crops as compared with 1876 and 1877
The following is the report:
Seventeen parishes responded to the inter
rOgatOries sent out, viz Plaquemnes, st.
Charles St James, Ascension, IberviIIe,
Baton Rouge, Pointe COupee Assumption,
Latourehe, Terrebonne. st. Mary, iberia
Ayoyelles, st. Landry, Rapdas and ST. Tam
many. The effect OF the freeze on the last
crop was not wholly the cause of the loss. but
the statement Is universal that the chief
cause of disaster was the immaturity of the
cane, the result of a second growth occasion
ed by the storm OF September last, followed
by rain, the yield being far less than the
tonnage OF cane crushed warranted.
The average of the extent Of the loss from
these causes was, as reported, 81 per cent
compared with the crop of 1871.
The acreage Of plant cane for the current
year is decrease in the following parishes
from the acreage of 1877: St. Charles, % per
cent less; st. James, 80 per cent less; AsCen-
sion, 25 per cent less; 1bcrville, 30 per cent
less; Baton BOuge, 10 per cent less; Assump-
ton, 40 per cent less; AVOyelles, 20 per cent
less.
In the following parishes tho acreage is re-
ported the same: PMqunmines Lafourcho
Terrebone, St. Mary, St Landry, and q slight
increase In st. Tammany
The stand OF plant cane this year, compared
with that OF last, shows an inferiOrity in the
following parishes: st. Charles Is per cent
poorer, st. James 80, Ascension &c. Iherville
33H, Baton Rouge 25 Pofnte Coupee 3d.. AS
sumption 25, Lafourche Is, Iberia Is,
AvOyelles 90
In st, Mary out Of fourteen answers received
eight report the stand Of plant Is per cent
poorer. and six report the stand about the
same as last year.
st. Landry and Rapides report the plantn
so good, Plaquemnes as good Tcrrebonnp,
Jefferson and St Tammany better than last
year.
The general report Of the acreage in stubble
this year shows an increase over that Of last
year: Plaqueminc8 d per cent greater, st. |
Charles "a, st. James 25, Ascension %, her
vile 30, Baton Rouge 33H. Assumption 80, !
Terreb0nne 30, st. Mary IS, Iberia As st. |
Tammany 80 Jefferson 30
In st. Landry the same as last year
In several individual instances the acreage |
is reported smaller in some Of the above
parishes, but these are isolated cases
The stand Of stubbln is rverywhGre reported |
better than last year, the average being 80 as
per cent. Only four planters report their |
stands Of stubbl0 bad.
Seventytive per cent Of the bad seed this |
year was Occasoned by the wet rot having
suffered In windrow, in which way most of |
the seed was put up-nt least IS per cent.
The seed put mp in round mats rs a general |
rule kpptthe best having been less exposed |
to mQ8 ~, though i'll several cases this was
not iriialible.
Mr.. Joseph Anger, of Tbcrvilc, advances
the theory that he disturbance Of the green |
seed in planting started fermCutatiUSad |
caused the decay in the ground after It was |
planted, which may be substantiatcd by the |
fact that cane planted i'm the fall which was !
equally as green when put down. was not dis |
turbed, is universally pronounced the best
stand.
The cultivation of two-vear old stubble
seems quite general this We IT. more from ne
eessity than any other cause. The statement
Is unanimous that it does not nav to cultivate
it, except on new and very rich lands.
In Plaquemines, out Of five answers all cul-
tivated two year old stubble; average acre
age, % per cent.
In st. Charles, ont Of two, two cultivated
two did not; average, IS per cent
In st. James, out of eight seven cultivated
one did not; average Is per cent
In Ascension, out OF seven, five cultivated |.
two did not; average, is per cent.
In lhervillp, out Of eleven, ten cultivated,
one did not; average, Is per cent.
In Baton Rouge out of three two cult
waited, one did not; average. 10 per cent.
In Pointe COupee, out of two, none cult
waited.
In Assumption out of five, three cultivated
two did not; average, 10 per cent
In Lafourchc, out Of five, all cultivated
average, Is per cent.
In Ierreb"nn", out Of four. two cultivated,
two did not; average, l2% Uer cent.
In st. Mary, out of fourteen, seven cult
waited, seven did not; average, s per cent.
In Iberia, out of six, three cultivated, three
did not; average, 4 per cent.
Reports from POInte Couprc, AvOyeIlcs, St
Landry and st. Tammany state that no two :
year stubble is cultivated.
Less fertilizers hav" been used this season, .
and that only on stubble Out OF eighty-twO
who make replies TO this question forty-three ,,
meal alone in small quantities., two meal and and I
ashes, one meal and tuperphOsphate lime one i,
meal, ashes and ground bones, two meal 1
and crystal phosphate one CRYSTAL phos- +
phate, one bone phosphate, one ashes and 9
tankage, one ashes tSnkage and phosphate, s
one meal, tankage and Pine Island guanO, two :
4 4 III