The St. Mary banner., 1909-05-22
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|SUGAR CANE!
* --s----- :
4Trains Run Through The :
Fields of This Plantation :


Across the river from New Orleans
is one of the largest sugar planta-
tions in Louisiana. 1t is run with
system. energy and intelligence. 1t
has normally 1000 acres planted in
cane, and its sugar mill, representing
an outlay of nearly half million
dollars, is capable of manufacturing
both the raw and refined grades.
says the New York Evening Post.
The cane fields, Level as a floor,
are composed of the black mould OF
the Mississippi bottoms, probably the
richest soil on earth. Narrow gauge
tramways run into all parts Of the
fields, and dummy locomotives draw
long trains of cars, some empty.
some loaded with cane. The cane
grows ten to fifteen feet high, and
is as dense as a jungle. Nearly
500 workers are employed to cut the
cane and tie it into bundles for
transportation to the mill. Here great
forks seize it and elevate it to the
grinders, huge steel rollers with a
pressure of 32O tons. From there
the juice falls into pipes, which con-
duct it to the settling and bleaching
tanks, while the crushed cane goes
another way, and is fed to the boil
ers.
In the tanks the juice is treated
with lime and sulphur to remove
debris and clarity it, and then is con-
Quoted by more pipes to the evaporat-
ing pans, where it Is boiled by steam
in a vacuum, until it becomes syrup.
This syrup then goes to other pans
and is evaporated until it becomes
sugar mixed with molasses; thence
to the centrifugals (rapidly revolving
cylinders), which separate the mo-
lasses by centrifugal force. and drain
the latter into its own receptacle. The
raw sugar that remains dull brown
in color is either sold in its crude
state or is refined by further and
more intricate processes.
In talking with the writer the man.
ager of this estate said:
I'VE first came here in 1869. and
have been in possession of the plan
tation ever since. Sugar cane is
raised from slips or cuttings. We
plant all the way from November
to March 1. 1t takes four tons OF
cane to plant an acre-in other
words, one-quarter of all the cane we
grow must be reserved for seed, and
as cane Is worth two dollars and
half a ton. this is quite an item.
We get two. sometimes three, crops
from one planting. The first crop
is called plant cane, the second first
year stubble, the third second-year
stubble.
''In Cuba, they get seven and eight
crops from cne planting, and have
been known to make fifteen crops on
new land: ttat is one reason why
they can produce sugar cheaper than
We can. Another is cheaper labor:
a third, that while the average yield
of cape with us is twenty tons to
the acre. in Cuba it is thirty-five tons.
Our average grinding season is
ten weeks. ALI the rest of the time
is spent in raising the cane. We
have ten miles of track with cars
and locomotives, and all our hauling
to the mill and elevating there is
done by steam power. For labor we
depend mainly on, the negro, though
Of late we have used some Italians.
That is the great problem. with us
''The negro is the best laborer u
only he could be made to work. He
is acclimated. He can stand the hard
work in the sun. He knows how:
but we can't make him work; we
can't depend on him. Sign a con-
tract with him and advance a dollar
or two on it (they all demand that
to bring their goods from the last
place., and that is the last you see
of him: or II he comes he will leave
You in the height of the season with
out the slightest compunction of con-
science. Or If he pretends to work
it will be for two or three days only
in the week; the rest of the time be
will be basking in the sun on the
levee or lying about the blind tig-
ers," where liquor is sold
I'VE have demonstrated that the
more We pay him the less he works.
1t is this way: lie will work just
enough to buy necessary food and
clothes. Suppose that costs him So
a week; at $3.50 day he will work
two days to get it, at 81 a day three
days. Eight years ago we were pay
ing our teamsters 81 a day and our
cutters so cents a day. Now we pay
the teamsters $3.50 a day and the
cutters $125, and are getting third