The sun., 1893-11-08

still using open kettles and open pans
| Fifteen years ago nearly or quite oil the
sugar was manufactured by methods still
In vogue with those producing 20 per cent.
OF the product.
| The adoption Of improved methods ena-
bles the manufacturer to recover nearly all
the saccharlne contents OF the cane. Hence
comes the increased product an acre which
our estoomed contemporary inadvertently.
we are sure. attributes to an intensive cul-
ture. which seems to have had an opposite
effect upon the yield OF cotton and cereals.
Here we desire to direct attention to the
following from recent number OF the
American Of Lake Charles:
Prom the United State, internal revenue report
which We give elsewhere 1t will be the sugar
du,try In this state making remarkable growth The
report shows that the Federal year
closing June 80 1898. paid $685. 900 bounty on
Louisiana sugar an Increase Of 25 per cent 1892
- There is no doubt the bounty law has stimu.
lated the production OF sugar The acreage has been
Increased and the Yield per has been largely In
creased THIS latter comes principally from improved
manufacturing machinery. - In this report 1t
is shown that new processes of making sugar
Gus to the mola,ses product, - which, according
the report is only At to dump the river after all
the sugar is extracted. a. now"
Improved processes OF milling the cane
enable the operator to recover the entire
sugar contents Of the plant. and this ac-
counts for the increased product an acre
which we have no reason to doubt our
esteemed contemporary stated correctly at
152 per cent. but which a too fervid
imagination seems to have prompted 1t to
credit to an improvement in modes OF cul-
ture that is mostly in the future.
Louisiana's crop area, other than as de-
voted to sugar and rice, increased 81 per
cent. as against population increase OF 10
per cent. showing that not all the additions
made to the working force we're engaged in
harvesting products augmented by the sub
stituton of intensive for extensive culture;
nor were those made to the working forces
Of Arkansas and Texas. these three States
constituting that trans Mississippi region
where we stated there had been a material
increase Of the area under cultivation dur
ing the ninth decade. and where would
probably continue such an increase as was
likely to result in the founding Of many
more new homes upon the farm than else
where ut the South.
If west OF the Mississippi the acreage in
creased faster than the working force. how
little is 1t likely that east Of that river.
whore the yields an acre are very much
less. the added population has been pre-
vented from making like additions. because
OF added acreage yields resulting from the
adoption OF (alleged) intensive methods OF
culture2 Our esteemed contemporary GER
tainly knows that the harvesting Of crops.
even in the sunny South. employs agricul-
tural labor but a fraction of the year. and
that while waiting for these intensively
augmented crops to mature. a part Of the
added laborers must be idle, that labor not
used in passing is forever lost, and that
this Is a grievous economic sin.
The following table shows the aggregate
value Of the staples. other than sugar and
rice. produced at the South in 1874, 1879,
1884. 1899. and 1892. cotton values being
shown separately from those Of other sta
pies dealt with in the reports Of the De-
partment OF Agriculture:
Nine staples. $3.50. 78o 900
Cotton. toh...........".......1s74 25e2lbooo
Totala $3.50 y45 900
Kline staples. s29s.55s. 900 |
Cotton n.....................-1s7e 242.141. 900 |
Totals. s535 69e. 900
Nine staples......-.......lss& sseI. .7o7. 900 !
Cotton ..............lS84 253ss3 600 |