The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1910-11-05
SUGAR sQUIBs.
Opening of the Grinding Campaign in As
cension and observation-disclosures of In
terest from Field and Factory.

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1t would be difficult to conceive of. and
certainly it would be presumptuous to ask
for prettier weather than that which has
prevailed in this section fer the past ten
days-since Friday of last week. to be
exact. A decided drop in temperature
followed the light rain which fell in por-
tons of the parish on Thursday forenoon,
Oct. q, and the next day was one of the
coolest October days on record, the mer-
curry in Local Observer w. D. Parks gov
eminent thermometer having registered
IS degrees at o'clock in the morning. A
! light frost was observed and it is claimed
that ice formed in exposed localities, but
| there is no official sanction to the latter
assertion and the probabilities are that
somebody's imagination had great deal
to do with the circulation of the statement.
Saturday was almost but not quite as cold
as its immediate predecessor, and Sunday
was also a gIorously bright and bracing
day. These conditions prevailed in greater
or lesser degree up to Wednesday evening
of the current week, when fiurries of rain
were experienced in some localities. AS
is usual at this season of the year. the
precipitation resulted in sending the mer-
curry down several degrees within the
ensuing few hours, but the lowest temper
ature reached was not nearly so severe
as that recorded during the closing days
of last week.
The effect of the cool snap has been to
produce marked improvement in the SUI
crosse contest and sugar yield of the cane
crop. and it is generally reported that the
results so far obtained are unusually salts
factory for this season of the year and
even compare most favorably with the
figures recorded much later in the season.
The cane buds in West Baton Rouge
parish were nipped by last weeks cold
spell and there has been considerable
windrowing in that section. One of the
factories which has been compelled to
close down temporarily in order to afford
the field forces an opportunity to WindroW
cane for the mill is the Westover house,
owned by the Westover Planting and
Manufacturing Company. Grinding was
started at this place on Wednesday, Oct.
10, and proceeded smoothly up to Wednes-
day of the current week, when operations
were suspended at o'clock p m. for the
reason just stated. Excellent results
were obtained for the first two weeks of
the rolling season, the yield of sugar per
ton of cane having been as high as 1875
pounds of frsts, and the juice having
weighed from 7 to degrees Beaum6
Most of the output of the factory will be
in the shape of 96-degree test sugar, but
few strikes of yellow clarified were
turned out last week and it is probable
that more of this grade of sugar will be
manufactured during the season. A num-
Der of notable additions to the mechani-
cal equipment of the Westoyer mill have
been made since last grinding. principal
among the Improvements being the cree
ton of new 30,000-gallon vacuum pan
and the installation of the latest improved
Deming Qualification system. Ollie Obi
meyer and John Schaff. two well-knoWn
young Donaldsonvillians, are in charge of
the sugar-making department of the West
over factory. the former being engaged in
the capacity of chief sugar-boiler and the
latter as assistant. They have been en-
ioying brief visit to their relatives in
this city during the temporary suspension
of the Westover plant, and will return to
their posts of duty tomorrow, the factory
being scheduled to resume operations at
o'clock tomorrow evening.
The Miles Companys big Houmas Cen
trail factory at Burnside opened the crush
ing campaign last Monday morning and
is operating with degree of steadiness
which reflects much credit upon its effiei-
ent and Wen-trained mechanical and
managerial corps. Among the Donald
sonvillians employed at Houmas Central
this season is Rene Esneault. of Faubourg
la Pipe, who is in charge of the pumping
plant at the river.
Freeman Champagne. of Faubourg la
Pipe, who is handling the hoist at the
big Belle Alliance mill. returned to work
last Saturday after having been laid up
for several days with severe attack of
chilis and fever.
The Chief is informed that yield of %
tons per acre is being obtained from sec
ond-year stubble on Louis Dehon's Lula
plantation in Assumption parish. The
juice from this cane was weighing 7 de-
grees Beaume at the end of last week.
Thos. Q, Chapman. prominent young
citizen of Port Barrow, is weighing cane
on Messrs. Mccall & Legendres McManor
plantation, the crop Of which place is be-
ing ground at the adjacent Evan Hall
factory of the Mccall Bros. Planting and
Manufacturing Company Mr.. Chapman
is a young man of excellent habits and
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