The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1910-01-07
SUGAR soUIBs.
Close of the Grinding Campaign in AS
cension and Elsewhere Items of In
terest from Field and Factory.

son-ln fact, the coolest January weather
on record for the past five years-was ex-
perienced this week. and it is feared that
much damage has been done to seed cane
| as a result of the extremely low tempera-
! lures which prevailed Tuesday, Wednes-
day and Thursday mornings. The cool
snap followed a heavy downpour of rain
Sunday night and Monday forenoon. and
was predicted by the government weather
bureau sufficient period of time in ad-
vance to permit truck farmers and fruit
growers to take what measures they could
to offset the damage occasioned by a
heavy freeze to vegetable crops and fruit
trees, and householders to institute pre-
cautions against broken pipes and other
cold weather inconvenience.
The mercury in Local Observer Park
government thermometer registered a
temperature of Is degrees Tuesday morn
ing, 20 degrees Wednesday, and "a de-
grees Thursday. AS the temperature was
below the freezing point all day Tuesday
and Wednesday, the heavy ice which
formed Tuesday morning was still in evil
dence up to Thursday afternoon and
frozen pipes remained CONCEALED for the
same length of time. Brisk north winds
prevailed on Tuesday and the day was
bitterly cold and disagreeable, but the
weather on Wednesday and Thursday was
about as pretty as could be imagined, al
though bit too chilly for some people.
The ground was frozen to a depth of
ten to twenty inches and it is apprehended
that the seed cane may have been
damaged to a material extent, but def
mite information on this score will not be
available for several days.
The big Southdown factory in Lafourehe
parish wound up most successful grind
ing season on Wednesday of last week.
Dec. %, after having negotiated approx
mately $4,000 tons of cane and turned out
in the neighborhood of 100000 pounds
of 96-degree test sugar. The last stalk of
cane passed through the rollers at 2
O'Clock Tuesday morning, Dec. 81, and
boiling was finished and the machinery
brought to a standstill at 9 o'clock the fol-
lowing night The factory was in operation
about so days and enjoyed entire inn
munity from breakdowns or accidents, the
only stoppages recorded during the sea-
son being on one or two occasions when
weather conditions made it necessary for
the field forces to give their entire atten-
ton to windroWing cane. The Chief is
reliably informed that the magnificent
yield of SO tons of cane per acre was OBJ
tanned fron some cuts" Of D. IS on South
down plantation, while the popular D. IA
variety yielded as high as 81 to IS tons
per acre, l. c. Duhon, + 1of Donaldson
vile. who was employ as cane Weigner
at Southdown during the grinding season.
has returned home and resumed his posi-
ton with the Pacific Express Company,
being assigned to service as express mes
senger on the Napoleonville branch of the
T. and P. Railroad.
We are indebted to K. A. Aucoin, the
efficient manager of Mrs. E. H Barton's
fertile St. Emma plantation, for the fol-
lowing satisfies of the 1910 crop of that
place: Plant cane, 247 acres; tonnage,
5187; average yield, ri tons per acre; first
year stubbie, 259 acres; tonnage, 4787; av-
erage, 49, tons; seeondyear stubble, Is
acres; tonnage, 1856; average, Il tons.
Two tenants on St. Emma who cultivate
between them 81 acres of plant and 46
acres Of stubble, furnished the factory
1910 tons, an average of 173 tons to the
acre In addition to the crop of 10,310
tons grown on the plantation proper and
| 1910 tons supplied by the tenants, 1875
tons were bought from outside parties
making the total tonnage ground 1896
The output of the mill was in the shape
of high grade white sugar and molasses.
the average yield of the former. being so
pounds and of the latter 8 gallons per ten
of cane.
With the advent of the new year there
have been several changes in the mana
gerial corps of various plantations in As
cension and adjoining parishes, among
them being the following:
T. S. Robbins, after number Of years
of faithful service as first assistant to
Manager John W. Tucker of the Miles
Company's New Hope and Ascension
plantations, has been promoted to the ac-
tive management of New Hope to succeed
Mr.. Tucker, who has severed his connec-
ton with the Miles Company and moved
to Baton Rouge Dan. Crawford. who has
also been in the employ.of the Miles Com
! pany for some time past has been given
| charge of the Ascension plantation, and will
have as his assistant Willie Belle, formerly
of Burnside. E. A. Barber viii assist Mr..
Robbins at New Hope.
The ruiferms success that has attended