St. Landry democrat., 1882-02-04
Tenants.
TThibodeauX Sentinel. ]

| Last week we had a pleasantinterview
with one OF the most practical and eX-
perienced Planters in the Parish of La
fourche, who cultivates large planta-
ton, partly by tenants and partly by
hired labor.
Doubts having arisen whether it paid
as well to lease land to tenants as to
work it with labor hired under the
usual custom, close and careful in
vestigation of the subject, made from
the records of the plantation, disclosed
the fact that more net profit was de-
rived per acre from land leased to their
| tenants than from that cultivated 10y
hired labor.
The consequence is that, instead of
doing away with tenants more have
been placed upon the plantation.
The rule under which the tenants
work is about as follows:
! The planter furnishes the land, at
tends to the fencing aud main bitches,
supplies one half of the seed cane and
requires two thirds of the ground to be
planted in sugar cane. He also sup
plies the tenant comfortable dwelling
and garden spot, and requires the
tenant to cultivate the cane and corn
properly. II he neglects his work the
right to send laborers into the field to
perform the work and charge all ex-
penses to the Tenant is reserved.
The Tenant furnishes his own teams
and agricultural implements, plants
and works the crop until it is laid by in
June or July.
The Planter cuts, hauls and manu-
features the sugar cane into sugar, for
which he receives one half the sugar
and all the molasses.
The tanant has the other half Of the
sugar and all the corn he raises, and
for the five or six months that his time
is not occupied in the culture of the
growing crop he can work as a laborer
or seek occupation elsewhere.
In 1881 there were on this plantation
two tenants each Of whom had about
80 acres of land apiece. Each rolled
about 30 acres Of sugar cane and each
crop yielded 4S hogsheads of sugar.
A little calculation will give the re-
suits to the planter and the tenant.
The tenant had "a hhds Of sugar
which weighed net each 1906 pounds.
Sold at seven cents per ID. would
give $s4.O0 per hoghshead, yielding
100000, as the amount OF money OBJ
tanned for his corn, potatoes, hogs,
chickens, &c and the product of his la
Dor for some five months.
haul and manufacture hogshead of
sugar, will cost $4,000: consequently
each hogshead that he has for his share
will cost him $4,000.
Now "a hogsheads each giving a net
profit OF $24.0O will yield $4,000, and
so bbls of molasess which the 48 hhds |
would probably yield would give at so
cents per gallon $4,000 making $2O76.
90 as rent for 30 acres OF land. |
One of those tenants estimates that |
his expresses in making his crop was
about $4,000 all told.
Here we find the tenant working 80 |
acres deriving an income of $1500.0O
net, his corn Sc, and daily labor for
which he is paid, for one year, whilst |
the planter obtains from, the same land
as rents q net profit of over $4,000 per
acre. @ a.- rtv
Other tenants on this plantation did
almost if not quite as we'll.
! The tenant system as the Sentinel has
been advocating, Judging from the
may, be said that this planter has ex-
tenants. 1t is true that he
has good men, but when such an open
ing as that is given to farmers, the best
in the world will come by hun
dreds into the sugar country, and fill it
up with population Of industrious,
intelligent and moral citizens. School
houses and churches will be built and
q new era will dawn upon southern
Louisiana, that will start her forward
in career of prosperity that she has
not seen for 10 ! these many years.
In concluding this article the Senti-
mel wishes to disabuse the minds of
some of its contemporaries of an er-
ror into which some of them, notably
the James Louisianais, has fallen.
Whilst we have advocated the idea
that, if the negro wishes to go to Kan
sas or anywhere else that he desires,
ne should be permitted to go on his
way rejoicing, we have never advocated
my idea Of driving or forcing them
lway. II they wish to remain and OBJ
ain an honest support by their indus
ny, let them remain and no one wishes
hem prosperity more earnestly than
We do: but if they want to leave, why
n Gods name let them go in peace and
quickly. The fact that progress enter
rise, and increased crops are produced
d any section of the southern country
ry which the. negro has left, and given
% to the white man is as plain to the
yes of any candid observer as the sun
D midday. We know several colored
aen.. who are doing well, who own