The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1894-11-08
AMONG SUGAR
PLANTERS.
Interesting Points About the Now
Conspicuous Industry.
BELLE TERRE PLANTATION, La.

BELLE TERRE PLANTATION, LA.
ENRON NATIONAL TRIBUNE: Just now the
great sugar plantations of louisiana are astlr
with the work of taking of the crop Tor the
eurrent wear. As August is the harvest month
in the North, so the latter part of October and
the succeeding months are the harvest periods
of the sugar country. There is uncommon IN
terest throughout the country as to the WORK
of these sugar plantations, for the recent tarlH
debate on sugar, the Congressional investigation
of the sugar trust the bolt of the Louisiana
sugar planters from the Democratic party, and
the certainty of another free sugar" battle
ms soon as Congress reassembles in December
have combined to draw conspicuous attention
70 the sugar industry.
1t will be worth while, therefore, for Wash
tnptonian who has been employed Oh the
Louisiana plantations and understands the
sugar industry TO tell OF thls sugar COuh'iy
and its people.
The houses on a plantation consist Of hrst,
the owners or managers mansion, which Is
fine old-fashioned, low, c0mmOdious structure,
old Spanish or French style OF architecture,
large airy rooms, with freplaces for the rainy
season, flor, while the climate is seml-troplcal,
some of the Winter nights and mornings are
quite cool. and an air Of plenty and luxury
peryading throughout. On the spacious We
randas the Spanish senoritas are often seen re-
elinipg in hammocks and inhaling the smoke
of fragrant cigarets with lazy satisfaction.
Surrounding the mansion is often grove OF
orange trees, blossoming, fragrant In Summer
and identifying the scene with their golden
fruit in Winter. Three or four overseers'
houses are grouped around-comfortable low,
plain structures, with a garden in the rear.
The negro quarters consist OF little houses oil
two rooms each, all neatly whitewashed and
lined up Oh either side of the entrance-road TO
the plantation. Their cooking IS done chiefly
on open fires, and both it and their fare is
simpie-cornh bread and strip. beans, bacon and
coffee being the principal articles of food. All
the shanties swarm with children and cur
dogs.
The last and great feature is the sugar MILL
with its gigantic brick chimney seen for many
miles, as the country is perfectly fiat, the only
thing in the nature of hill being the levee
banks along the Mississippi River and the
bayous. The plantation forms lite village
by itself. having its own store, blacksmiths,
carpenters and mechanics, and often Catholic
church for the white and Methodist for the
negro population. An important factor is the
mules some plantations having at least 300,
many Of which are very large and valued at
$500 pair. They are presided over by
special man, the "muie boss" and assistants,
whose only duty is to care for them, aud when
mule gets sick it creates greater disturbance
shan when a niger" dies. Many of the
beasts are chronic kickers and impossible to
shoe in the ordinary manner. For these are
!.
which the mule is driven. The foot to be shod
is pulled through hole in the side of the shed,
the smiths assistant taking twist on the nose,
and the job is soon accomplished.
The manager and his overseers are constantly
on horseback, and seldom leave the saddle ex-
cept for meals. The former issues orders to be
executed by the latter in old-fashioned planta-
ton style. Their costume consists of loose
fitting trousers and coat, big light felt hat, and
low boots with big spurs attached; and during
the hot months a large green umbrella is car
Tied, for without it they could not remain out
in the fields in the hot sun directing the gangs
Of negroes. All of them ride fine horses and
are excellent judges of good whisky.
Sugsr-csne is Parental grass with solid
stems, from six to 20 feet high, though it never
sttains the latter hight in Louisiana, as il does
In Cuba and the Sandwich Islands The leaves
are about three inches wide and from two to
three feet long. The cane is cut and its top
and leaves trimmed about Oct. Is by negroes.
The implement used is cane knife, similar to
9 butchers cleaver only much thinner. The
cane is hauled to the mill in immense carts, six
times the size OF an ordinary cart, and pulled
by four mules abreast al is activity on the
plantation from about the middle of October.
The great bell rings al hands up at a. M, and
each one has his particular work. The mill
runs night and day for three months, and only
stops for break in the machinery. The first
place the ne goes to is the weighing shed,
where ii is weighed and entered on the books
OF the cane wcigber, after which il is dumped
under the cane shed adjoining the MILL 1t is
then ready to be loaded on the carrier, a wide
path of boards on an endless chain, carrying it |
up 10 the giant iron rollers to be crushed. Negro
women are the workers here, trimming tie
cane aud placing ii by armfuls lengthwise on
the carrier. They make weird and rather
picturesque sight at night in the fare of the
torches, with their gay handkerchiefs round |
their heads and constantly singing some song
In chorus. The greater number of these women
are nearly SIX feet tall aud become very strong
from Open-sir work with the cane, many hav-
ing shoulders Washington City dude would
be proud Of.
When the cane reaches the rollers it Is
crushed 10 pulp termed "bagasse," and car
ried away TO be consumed in the "bagasse"
furnace. The juice runs down into troughs
10 the sulphur-bex, where IL goes through a
bleaching process, and fermen tation is delayed |
Alter leaving there it goes TO the Qualification
tanks, where skilled man is in charge. The |
Qualification is effected by means Of lime OF
known strength and carefully graduated, so
that exact quantities may be used, just enough
being used to neutralize exactly the juice which
fay lie known when litmus paper indicates
neither 2n acid nor alkaline reaction. An ex-
cess Of limo is particularly guarded against, as
II involves loss of sugar. Now it is heated ia
these tanks just short of boiling, till white
froth gathers on the surface The heat is then
stopped and the liquor left to repose for an
hour. the skimmings being run through an ar
rangement of cloth sacks, termed the filter
press" to leave all cane FIBER behind. After
this il is forced up into great, square iron
box, tho " double effect" Here it goes through
more heating, and becomes strip. Again it
passes through big pipes for the last process by
boiling in the vacuum pam" a large conical
o. oval vessel, heated by steam, and exhausted
with airpumps, by which the air and vapor
are rapidly removed.
The vacuum pan ho'ds 10000 pounds or more
o. taw sugar. aud is in charge of the sugar
DO LEI and his assistants one or the other of
whom IS constantly on the watch both day and
night looking alternately at the thermometer
and sleam-Rage. or examining the boiling mass
through thick glass window; often draw
ing out little slide tube 10 test a sample OF the
boiling mass by pulling IL apart and holding
u up 10 the light. to ascertain when it has