The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1898-11-29
LOUISIANA CANE cRop.
,rbe Quality Poorer Than since the
storm of 1877.

storm of 1877.
louisiana Planter.
The poor quality of the Louisiana cane
crop is something startling, even to those
who are the most familiar with the LOUIS
lana sugar industry In actual experience
there has been nothing similar TO II since
1877, and that date is now so remote that
our knowledge of it is based only upon our
recollections of the great storm OF Sep
TENDER, which blew the whole cane crop
OF the State fiat, and started 1t to sprouting
trom the roots and eyes, in which condi-
ton il was found at tho beginning of the
campaign In October, many planters fa.l-
ing entirely TO make sugar the. eirem "A
notable inci-ent OF that season WAS the
enormous moley loss resulung from the
crop, and the TACT that the following sea-
soa, 1878, some fifteen or twenty vacuum
pans were erected N the State, some OF
them by the creditors of The very planters
whose losses made them unable to pay
their debts and boiling sugar in vacuum
was then thought TO be the only plan and
the desirable pIan by means OF which the
difficulties in crylstathZing low grade cans
juice could be avoided.
Since 1877 until LOW the cane crop has
never been in as bad condition. At the
same time tina manufacturing si4e of the
industry has progressed wonasrfully, and
we have lear.Ied how TO avoid many oI the
difficulties that formerly e-avironsd us. The
cane crop of Lou. siana today is Aobably in
as bad a coalition as was that of 1877, but
our better methods OF Qualification and our
almost exclusive plan OF boiling in yacuo
at low temperatures now enable us to sue
cesSfuhy crystallize even grearer per-
centage OF the sucrose contained in our
canes that We could in normal years. The
TACT Is that The large amount OF glucose
now present permits the securing of about
70 per cent oil the sllcr'oso containei in the
iu1ce by the iirst boiling, which can not
well ba done With ftusl-class cane juice, as
a considerable amount of the sucrose must
then be held in solution TO permit securing
the rest in the shape of crystals. We be-
lieve that the work row doing in our sugar
houses IS better than ever done before IN
Louisiana. and pet from all quarters we
hear of the extremely small yie.d, few
houses securing as much as one hundred
pounds of first sugar per ton of cane
Another singular feature Is the fact that
since the opening of the season the canes
90 rot seem to have improved TO any ex-
tent and while the planters are still hoping
LOT improvements, it would seem that some
phys logical change in the condition of the
cane has occurrdi, permanently injurng t.
ana the advent CT the colder weather does
not affect the rlpening of it as is ordinarily
the case in thgs Staue
1t is Wei known that sugar cane in which
COW peas have been planted is not fit for
the mill, tha cane showing a tendency to
sprout at the eve and being very difficult
and unsatisfactory TO handle in the process
OF manufacture. The whole cane crop III
season seems to be affected in a similar
manner and we can only conclu%y that the
srowth of the crop which was held back or
hegeated by the lorg drouth which pre-
vailed from the middle of March to the
middle of July, become exceptionally rapid
with the advert OF The July rains and the
long continuance OF this rainy season. that
is from July TO November, some four
months, have produced in our cane crop
THIS active growth and disposition to sproul
at the eyes that is now so seriously and
unexpectedly tndur,ng 1t. We do not want
10 be prophets OF evil, but rather to hope |
for the bert ana We still have some hope
that the advent of the colder season now |
upon US will hrlgg some improvement in |
the cane crop in some degree compensat- |
ing for the low yields thus far realized.