The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1906-11-17
SUGAR sQulBs.
Items of Interest from Field and Factory
Progress of the Grinding Campaign
in Ascension and Elsewhere.

Items of Interest from Field and Factory
Progress of the Grinding Campaign
in Ascension and Elsewhere.
The weather during thea past week
has been decidedly Variegated and Pc
culiar, and at this writing Is still in an
unsettled condition. Sunday, like its
immediate predecessors, was almost
unprecedentedly warm, but during the
night the mercury took quite a tumble
and Monday dawned clear and cold.
Tuesday was equally as clear but
somewhat colder, the mercury In OBJ
server w. D. Parks government ther-
mometer registering 30 degrees at z a..
N. Frost was plentiful and it is said
that ice formed in secluded places,
but this must be taken with a grain of
salt. The temperature rose to above
normal Wednesday forenoon and
shortly after midday hard rain fell
for period of about twenty minutes,
the total precipitation aggreg ating ap-
proximately half an inch. The re-
mainder OF the day was clear and
warm, the sun shining with such in
tensity that all traces OF the welcome
shower were removed within few
hours. Thursday was warm and
cloudy, and the same conditions pre-
vailed yesterday, with the addition OF
high wind that arose during the after
noon and blew right merrily until after
nightfall. Today the weather is warm,
cloudy and altogether unreasonable.
Indications point to rain, but there is
no telling what may happen in a
meteorological way at this season of
the year. -
Wilbert's Sons well-eqnipped Myr-
tie Grove factory in Iberville parish
got under way on the 30th ult., and SO
far nothing has occurred to cause a
cessation Of operations. As pre-
viously noted, d. Ohlmeyer, Of Dom
aldsonville, is holding down the posi-.
ton of chief sugar-boiler at Myrtle
Grove, which is tantamount to saying
that the sugar and molasses turned
out at this house will command top
prices on the market. MIR. Ohlmeyer
is assisted by Theodule Michel, of this
place, and Lucas Melancon, of Plat
tenville. Alexis Poirrier, also OF
Donaldsonville, is in charge of the
double effect.
J. C. Klos, OF Belle Helene, was in
Denaldsonville Wednesday attending
the regular monthly meeting Of the
police jury, of which body he is a
prominent and influential member. In
response to an inquiry as to what
progress is being made at the big
Belle Helene central factory, Mr.. Klos
said: swell, we run little and close
down a-plenty. However, everything
is Working smoothly and when we do
ruD we travel some.' The Newell
crusher recently installed at Belle
He1ane on trial is oper ating without a
hitch and will probably be retained.
The claims of the manufacturers that
the crusher will increase by % per cent
the capacity Of any mill to which it is
affixed seem to be fully sustained, and
the latest addition to the mechanical
equipment of the Belle Helene factory
promises to prove q valuable "fnd. /"
Col. ]. S. Webster's Point Houmas
fa 1tnrv will horin rn;n1ir,nr rnvt Mon
day morning, an earlier start having
been escheWed because of the imma-
ture condition Of the cane.
Both the cold snap and the shower
of the past week were gladly welcomed
by sugar planters in this locality, the
former being needed to hasten the
process of maturity and the latter to
abate the dust and facilitate the work
of stripping the leaves from the cane
being cut for the mill. II we should
be Vouchsafed a spell OF clear and
reasonably cold weather the work of
harvesting the cane crop will be
greatly facilitated and the output Of
sugar materially increased, but if
there should come sudden freeze, fol-
lowed by temperatures such as have
succeeded this weeks cool snap, it will
spell disaster to the sugar interests
and put the finishing touch on what is
already a very disappointing and I'M
satisfactory season.