The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1886-06-12
SUGAR.

SUGAR STATIsTIcs.-Th worlds pro-
duction of sugar is probably well toward
eight million tons year. Of this, British
India and China produce and themselves
consume over million tons each Of cane
sugar, their exports being small, and these
Of very low grade sugars. The estimated
product of all countries available for export
was, in 1884-5, year of large production,
2,162, 900 tons of cane and no less than
1851 800 of beet sugar. 1t is estimated
that the cane-sugar crop marketed this year
will increase to 2,218,00O tons, and that
the beet-sugar crop will fall off 520,750
tons-partly the result of lower acreage
resulting from the low prices of last year.
Cuba produces more than quarter of the
whole export supply of cane sugar, last
years product being 627 900 tons, while
this years will probably equal her largest
crop (1875), which was 699, 1000 tons. Of
this, more than half On 1885, 339, $50
gross tons) comes to this country, which
gets nearly half its total supply for refining
from that island of revolutions. Louisiana
produced last year but "a, 900 tons, but its
normal product is nearer 125,000 tons, 10
which Texas, our other chief sugar grow
ing State, adds 10000 tons more. Five
other States contribute some cane sugar.
The Sandwich Islands crop, under the
stimulus of the treaty which permits its
sugar to enter duty free, reaches $4,000
tons, but it is said that the use of all the
available land, and the poor quality of ma
tive labor, the prohibition of Chinese, and
the high price of white labor, fix the limit
at the present figure. OF the beet-sugar
supply, Germany produced last year ], ,155,-
900 tons, Austria 557 900, Russia $780,
600, France 325,O0O, Belgium $1,000, and
Holland $4,000 TONS Our chief contribu-
ton to this crop is from factory at Alva-
RADIO, California, producing about 1000
tons, but it is believed that this will become
an important Pacific coast industry. Beet
sugar is largely imported into this country
for refining purposes, and we get also some
date-palm sugar, called commercially ''date
jaggery.'' Our yield of maple sugar, in
which Vermont still leads, was about 25,-
900 tons last year. Sorghum, although
large quantities of syrup are made from
the large acreage of the West, has not yet
come into the market as an important COM
mercial source of crystallizable sugar, the
largest crop having been but 5000 tons;
our scientific agrieulturists, who give good
reasons for looking to this as one of the
great American crops of the future, have
yet to justify their faith by their works.
The manufacture Of commercial glucose, or
artificial starch sugar, has of late years
reached enormous proportions in this cpun-
try, amounting in value to third of our
cane-sugar crop.
LOUISIANA SUGAR PLANTATIONS
The sugar planter requires for his cane
plantation a warm, moist climate, with in.
tervals of hot, dry weather, with little
danger from frost; soil not too rich, con-
tanning lime and magnesia, and of good
drainage; and the benefit of sea-breezes,
salt in the air being better for him than
salt in the soil. The sugar plantations of
Louisiana find these conditions in the allu-
vial soil Of the lower Mississippi Valley In
laying out an estate, drainage must be care
fully provided for, and in some countries
irrigation is much used. From one to
four cuttings are set out together in holes
about two feet apart. AS the canes grow
they must be well weeded and Htrashed,"
l. e., all dry, dead leaves removed They
begin to grow in Louisiana in February,
and are harvested from October to January.
After the first cutting of the new plants the
stole or stool left sends up another growth
of cane, called 'tratoons, which with each
cutting grow smaller in size and closer in
Joints, and are said to yield sweeter juice
and finer sugar. The one planting will last
many years, but Louisiana sugar growers
reckon only on three years product, plant
ing a third of the sugar ground anew each
year. Rats, white ants, lice, s'borers, and
some minute animals producing "rust'' and
''must," fight against the growing plant, as
also do wind and frost. When cutting
time comes, the cane is cut with hatchet
close to the stole, the top is chopped off,
and the leaves stripped; the canes are then
bundled up and carried to the mill, often,
on the large plantations, on narrow donkey
railways, or placed in windrows, on the
field, SO that the juice may not ferment
until they can be handled.
Louisiana plantations, when the crop is
in full vigor, are indeed lovely sight, with
their broad expanse Of leafy cane Some
of them are of great extent, the Magnolia
Plantation, now owned by Ex-Governor
Warmoth, which claims to be one of the
banner plantations of the State, having 1872
acres in cane last year. In 1884 over
172 400 acres of cane were harvested in
the State, the total crop of 128, 900 tons of
sugar being one of the best ever made in
the State; but in 18S4-5 floods spoiled so
much of the crop that only 1860 acres
were harvested, producing 1900 tons Of
sugar. The crop of 1886 is estimated at
10000 TONS About 10000 freedmen
are kept busy in the sugar fields and mills.
The plantations are expected to yield from
20 to % tons of cane per acre, though
the average of the State in the short crop
of 18S4-5 was but seventeen tons. A good
crop should produce 100000 tons of cane,
and be worth to the State from S12 $780,
900 up, To this Texas and the five other
States which dabble in cane-growing add
little over ten per cent.
The census returns of 1880 reported
227, ,776 acres in sugar-cane, of which 181,-
592 were in Louisiana The crop was
17S, ,S72 hogsheads of sugar and 16,573,-
273 gallons Of fmolasses, of which Louisiauas
entire return was 171,70 hogsheads of
sugar and II ,696, ,24S gallons of molasses.
The cane is ninety per cent. juice, and the
juice contains about fifteen per cent of SUI
gars, so that hundred pounds of cane
hold about thirteen and half pounds Of
sugar. These figures vary greatly, how
ever, with the variety of cane and the
character of the season. The Otaheite
cane, requiring much longer hot season
to ripen it, and therefore grown only in
the tropics, contains much larger proper
ton of juice, much richer in sugar, than
the Bourbon cane, commonly grown in
Louisiana. 1t is seldom that as much as
half of this sugar is utilized The MagnO-
LA Plantation this past year indeed pro-
duced 1854 pounds per ton, but the aver
age for Louisiana was, with the vacuum
process, 100 pounds, by other processes 81