The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1903-01-17
THE SUGAR CROP.

1HE SCUAk NNOF'
The end of the present week
finds the sugar crop about harvest
ed. or the harvest is sufficiently
advanced to consider the crop en-
tirely saved. This has been q
magnificent season for the sugar
harvest, a cold snap having come
on early in the season, which
stopped the growth of the cane
and began the ripening period.
And after this, the weather may
be said to have been ideal,
barring a few unimportant inter-
ruptions to the hauling, owing to
the rains. 1t is great pity that
this season did not find the plant
ers with n good crop and profit
able market. AS it is: only about
two-thirds of the usual crop was
grown and the sugar market very
low. But with all this, some
money will be made, owing alone
to the favorableness OF the grind
ing season.
1t is hard to ascertain at this
time of the year what percentage
of the usual cane crop will be put
down again for the coming sea-
son. During the growing season
Just past a great many planters
were inclined towards rice culture
upon an extensive scale, and some
few went so far as to put down a
few hundred acres of it, from
which they received splendid re-
suits. But we don't know but
what the profitableness of the
present cane yield will dampen
the rice ardor to some extent, al
though it is certain that the gen.
eral rice acreage will be greatly
increased the coming season.
The present cane and rice crops
in st. Mary prove two things. One
is that money still may be made
at cane cultivation with the right
kind Of season; another is, that
when cane ceases to be profitable,
we can resort to rice with greater
profit to ourselves than have the
so-called ideal rice parishes.
These rice parishes lost this year
thousands upon thousands of doll
lars-losses that many of them
will never recover from; while we,
with the identical same season,
and within thirty miles of them,
made q splendid success.
They complain that irrigation
with well water is impossible,
upon q large scale, because of the
mineral deposit found at great
depths beneath the surface of the
earth; that irrigation with surface
kater In their neighborhood is also
apostolic unless the mouths of
De waterways are locked, so as to
prevent the approach of the salt
sea after the trench has been ex-
hausted to q certain degree by the
pumps; and that the harvest itself
is impossible during prolonged
rain periods, on account of the
want Of slope to the land, render
ing It's drainage either too expen-
siye or impossible, and which,
With the slightest wind, bends
down the heads into the water,
, causing them to sprout.
But the natural conditions sur
sounding US 'obviate all this. Our
fresh water supply is absolutely
inexhaustible, being, as we are,
directly connected with the Mis-
sissippi river, and at the same
time beyond the reach of the over
dow; and all our land is sufficient
ly slo ped TO guarantee the most
perfect drainage at all times of
the year. Added to this, our soil
produces more than ninety per
cent. OF the best crop that was
ever recorded in the rice parishes,
which shortage is more than COM
pensated for by either the favor
ableness Of the harvest or the Ger.
tAinty thereof.
The homeseeker or capitalist,
searching for rice lands, makes q
great mistake in overlooking a
parish like st. Mary-one of the
pioneer rice producers of the State
and q "proven field" at that.
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