The San Saba news. [volume] (San Saba, Tex.) 1873-1966, 1881-09-10
sugar.Growing in Louisiana.

Tho subject of changing the sugar
producing business in Louisiana so rs
to separate the agricultural from the
mechanical part is again attracting at
tention in that state. 1t is Il little
strange that the Louisiana planters
should be so slow to adopt II reform
whose advantages are manifest, There
is no more reason why every cane
grower in that state should make his
own sugar than why every Illinois
farmer should manufacture his own
cream into butter. This is what the
Illinois farmer actually did ten years
ago; but when it was proved that CEN
trail creameries run by machinery and
provided with labor-saving appliances
could make better butter and Mt a small
Ter cost than the individual farmers
could, they ut once gave up their home
dairies and adopted the practice of sell
ing their milk to their creameries, or
central butter factories. Tho lesson
ought to be studied by the Louisiana
clnc-growers. A farmer or planter
makes clumsy mechanic. II is his
business to produce the raw material,
and when he goes beyond this and en-
cages in manufacturing, particularly
such expensive and difficult manufactur-
ing MS sugar making, he does an unwise
thing One reason why sugar planting
in Louisiana falls so far short Of being
rs profitable as it ought to be is that the
planter extracts SO small proportion
OF the saccharine matter from the cane.
1t is stated that this proportion is only
fifty per cent. that is, one-half the SUI
gar is taken from the cane put into
hogsheads and sold, and the other half
put into the bagasse fnrnaoo and burn
81. The excuse for this waste is that
the machinery now in use will not eX'
tract more than one-half the saccharine
matter. But this proves the necessity
for abandoning n system which is so in
effective and resorting to better one.
If there were large central sugar mills,
provided with improved machinery and
appliances and operated by experts, es-
tablished in the cane growing districts,
and if the planters would limit them
selves to raising and selling cane, II
more thorough economy would attend
the business. The planters would raise
more and better cane, and the mills
would make more and better sugar
The bagasse, or pressed cane, instead
of being burned with nearly half its
valuable properties, would be treated SC
as to yield all, or nearly all these prop
critics, and the planter would thus ge
the whole fruit of his labor. And still
another advantage would attend thu
central mill system. Tho large planta
tions. instead of being rudely cultivated
by hired hands. would be let out to ten
| ants animated by the ambition to &c
. from the soil all it could be made Il
, yield or, the larger estates would b.
! divided into small iarms and sold t.
! an industrious, thrifty, aud Independent
, class of cuitiyators. 1t has been SAT-
s shat the soil of Louisiana is capable Q
: yielding sugar enough to supply th
i United States. Whether this be tru
z or not, it is certain that it is capable {
s yielding twice or thrice as much as
r does now The Louisiana sugar Gro
Q is now about 10000 hogsheads-nc
= one-hfth the amount consumed in tn
}, country, II the business were reioIme
d ON the central mill plan, there is reaso
|, for believing that the crop wonld, in
7 few years, rise to 100000 or 10000
@ hogshoads.