St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1891-02-21
Speech of Hon. John Dymond.
TIE GROWING OF SUGAR CANE BY SMALL
FARMERS.

TIE GROWING OF SUGAR CANE BY SMALL
FARMERS.
The substance was as follows:
The life of the tiller of the soil is some
what hard, whether he conducts the bust
ness on large scale or small one. 10
successfully produce cultivated crops is to
carry on constant conflict with nature,
and while availing of those advantages
that nature gives, yet to resist and modify
those conditions that are unfavorable.
Louisiana offers to the agriculturist fer
tile soils, warm climate and ample rain
fall. These three things granted to us,
we have only to avail of them in the best
known manner to be as certain of su ccess
as we can of any undetermined event.
Continuing, Mr. Dymond said: Daring
the past hundred years sugar cane has
here suffered under a peculiar disability.
Cotton, rice, wheat, corn, oats, hay and
potatoes, q market could always be found
for them, but sugar cane is not market
able product, and whoever cultivated 1t
had to become sugar manufacturers as
we'll
The knowledge essential to successful
manufacture is considerable, and pos
sessed by but few. Cane culture becomes
sectional, even in our State, and thousands
of acres of lands better adapted to it than
to any other culture were not avalled OF,
but kept in other crops that are of as ready
growth and reader disposal The lux
uriant crops, so far as quantity is con-
cerned, were found in lowlands, while the
uplands, hills and prairies were by some
thought i'll adapted to cane culture be-
cause of the smallness of the agricultural
yield.
In these later days science has taken
hold of sugar industry and solved many OF
it's problems, and we find that what sugar
cane needs most we have in ample supply
all over Louisiana, and those chief re-
quirements are warmth and moisture.
1t would seem the part of good agricul-
ture 70 avail of every natural advantage,
and no crop known to the planters of
Louisiana does this more forcibly apply to
than sugar cane.
If, then, the problem of successful sugar
manufacture can be solved, we shall have
for our sgrculturist full crop, better
adapted to their wants than almost any
other.
The object of this paper is to show that
the manufacture of sugar may be success
fully carried on in small way. Let US
once learn Just what we want and we
shall have the way well prepared to sup
ply the want. During recent years the
Louisiana bureau of agriculture has given
much attention to cane culture and sugar
manufacture, and the three experiment
stations located at Audubon Park, Baton
Rouge and Calhoun have doue much good
in this direction. The recent experiments
at the Calhoun station in growing sugar
cane on our poorer hill lands, and success
fully manufacturing those canes into
sugar, are but the beginning of an enor-
nous development in cane culture in Sec
tons of our State not hitherto much &C
customed to it.
There is another point that has some
bearing upon this matter, and that is a
fact that has been ferreted out during re-
cent years. Very rich fertile lands are
not essential to successful sugar cane cul-
ture. 1t has been found in France and
Germany that twenty-hv tons of sugar
beets could be produced per acre, but in
seeking better varieties they have found
that yield of about fifteen tons per acre
is the best. Russia now produces about
as much sugar as Cuba, and yet only aver
ages seven and half tons of beets per
acre.
1t has been found that many of the
lands of this State-hill, upland and prai-
rie-that have not been considered the
most fertile, produce the sweetest sugar
canes and give the best results from com
merclal fertilizers. 1t would not be sur
prising in this State if the culture of
sugar production shifted from the alluvial
lands to the prairie upIands, owing to this
fact.
At any rate, there is room for all, and
with such crop that Utilities to the high
est degree the most of the advantages that
nature gives US, it is now best for US all
to avail of what we have as best as we
can, and hence the propriety of the advice
to 90 into the culture OF sugar Gaze.