The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1897-08-29
No. 4Io Main Street, Corner Prairie Avenue

ceiving most generous protection is tina
Oh sugar, a staple of Southern production
! believe IL our farmers were fully in
formed as to the opportunity offered them
they would turn their attention to tn,
slo"ihg OF sugar cane and within a few
years the THOUSANDS of acres Of and lyin.
within seventy five miles OF Galveston
would be converted from almost yacan
lands to one vast field OF sugar farms
me lana along the Brazos, Colorado
Cahey and oyster creek have long sine,
demonstrated their superior adaptability a.
cane lands and are beyond the stage of ex.
pertinent. Some very satisfactory results
nave been obtained In several experimental
| tests on lands between Galveston anc
Houston, and it is largely to this sector
that | address this communication
| If the farmers of the main land would
| plant, say ten or twenty acres. in cane
| they would find a ready market for 1t (as
| cut from the field at either Sugarland
Sartartia or Arcola refineres, to which
point the railways would no doubt give low
rates OF freight TO encourage the industry
and build UP the territory.
In Louisiana there are many planting
sections, which have no refinery near them
that sell their cane to refineries which are
located from twenty to 100 miles distant
and 1t is a common thing during the grind
| cember TO see train load after train load
OF cane scattered along the Southern Pa
cific railroad
In my opinion there is no farm product
/ in this country which will pay one half
the result obtainabl from the growing
of cane under present and prospective
conditions. 1t is more certain crop than
cotton. 1t costs no more to produce it.
1t does not require as many days work
Now fhn rpSnAE. nj
land will produce seventeen to twenty
five tons per acre. say 10 tons OF cane
worth So per ton. less freight to refinery
OF 90 cents. which would make 1t $3.50,
equal to s405 On the same acreage of land
an average yield of cottNl would be, say
one-half bale per acre. or five bales,
worth, say cents per pound, equal to $lI5.
In arriving at the value of cane
have applied the system prevailing In Lou
isiana, viz: The refineries make contracts
during the summer with the growers to
buy their cane as rendered, paying there
for so cents per ton for every cent or frac-
ton of cent at which prime yellow clari-
fled sugars are quoted from day to day
on the New Orleans sugar-<xchange.
''The above estimates are based upon
the present value of prime yellow clarified
sugar, SIC, in New Orleans. 1t is ex-
pected that about &c will be the market
value for the next crop, and the price to
Texas refineries should be based upon nc
to Nc per pound more than New Orleans.
No doubt our mainland farmers could
make similar contracts with some of
the three reiineries within thirty to forty
miles of them.
IF the experiment proves satisfactory,
as believe 1t would, in one or two sea-
sons central refinery could be built at
some convenient location on the mainland.
Sugar being a revenue producing article.
will for many years have liberal protec-
thon. regardless of what party may have
control of the government.
why not lake advantage OF our oppor-
tunities, raise sugar for the Eastern man.
ufacturer and make the deal mutual by
having them pay back for our sugar some
of the taxes which they collect from us
on manufactured goods Quit kicking. and
accept the protection offered US as well
as to the East; and possibly the same road
which has given them so much prosperity
may lead us on TO fortune as we'll.
The Tribune means to take this subject
up and place before the public all the In
formation II obtains. 1t will print the
views of practical sugar men, OF trans
portation men and of farmers generally,
IL such can be reached 10 obtain their
opinions, and II will from day TO day lay
before its readers the result OF its re-
searches.