The Donaldsonville chief., 1910-11-12
NUMBER II
cASTAGNoS .LoADERs.
Factory in Donaldsouville Kept Busy Turn
ing Out These Excellent Mschines-
Large Number Sold IN Past Two
Seasons

Large Number Sold in Past Two
Seasons.
The plant Of the Castagnos Cane Loader
Company in Donaldsonville. where is
manufactured the widely known and de-
servedly popular Castagnos cane loader,
has been operating at its maximum capac-
ity for some time past in order to turn out
a sufficient quantity of these excellent
machines to meet the demand for them
on the part of the sugar planters OF the
state. J. B. Castagnos, inventor of the
loader and the efficient superintendent
and manager of the factory, Informed q
Chief representative in the course Of
highly Interesting talk recently that be-
tween SO and 54 Castagnos leaders had
been shipped this season to various cane
growers in the Louisiana sugar belt, as
compared with maximum sales Of 96 ma
chimes last season. The difference in
number of machines sold this year and
last is due in large measure to the fact
that practically all Of the leaders disposed
OF last season are still in operation and
giving entire satisfaction. but despite this
fact Mr.. Castagnos is of the opinion that
before the termination Of the present
grinding campaign his company will have
manufactured and sold as many leaders.
| or perhaps more, than they shipped out
last season.
The Castagnos factory employs force
of twelve men, exclusive of the clerical
and managerial corps, which is as follows:
| j. T. Guyton, president; w. F. Harren sec
retary and bookkeeper; j. B. Castagnos,
vice president and manager; Charles
Virgins and Prosper Leblanc, selling
agents; Jack Virgins, engineer. OF the
leaders so far sold, two have been shipped
to Mexico and two to Cuba. and one is
/ now being built for shipment to the Ar
gentine Republic The latter win be
drawn by a team Of oxen. and for this
reason is being equipped with shafts set
considerably lower than those in which
mules are harnessed.
The Castagnos Company manufactures
two kinds of loaders-one operated by
mule or horsepower, and the other by
gasoline engine. The former requires
crew of three men or two men and boy,
and is capable of loading from t25 to Its
tons of cane per day, the average being
about $50 tons. Some planters who have
made careful test of the Castagnos mule
power loader enthusiastically estimate its
/ capacity as high as 220 tons, but the
manufacturers are Of the opinion that
this result was obtained under exceptional
circumstances, and do not put forth the
claim that it represents the actual every
day ability of the machine. The gasoline
, leaders are equipped with the latest and
4 most improved New Way engines, and re-
quire two men for their operation one to
run the engine and the other to handle
i the grapple on the ground and place Il in
proper position to scoop up the bundles
of cane. On some places this loader is
operated by man and boy, while on
others two men and a boy are employed,
the extra hand being assigned TO the duty
: of picking up and throwing in the cart
J the few loose stalks of cane which the
grapple might fail to negotiate, The ca
pacity of the mechanical loader. according
TO the claim of the Castagnos Company
is from 200 to $50 tons per day, depending
upon the condition Of the cane AS an ex-
ample of what the loader is capable Of
doing when pushed" or in an emergency.
the well known firm OF Barker & Lepine.
Of Lafourche parish, who have been using
Castagnos leaders for the past four years,
state that their machines operated by
gasoline engines. have been known to
handle from 275 to 800 tons per day when
worked at their maximum capacity.
Il Mr. Castagnos states that the demand
for the Castagnos loader is about equally
: divided between the mule and gaso.
line variety. Many planters w. {
: would naturally prefer gasoline load
2 ers have difficulty in finding EN-
!, ployees capable of handling the engine:
!. by which these machines are operated
q and hence are compelled to resort TO the
mule leaders. which, although somewhat
slower, are every bit as efficient and
economical as the gasoline loader. 4
! might well be said that all Castagnot
: leaders are good: while the gasoline loadel
9 is faster than the mule device. and per
i haps more desirable because of this fact
! still all do the work and do it cheaply
3 and efficiently, and therefore should bt
3 owned by every progressive and bust
! ness-like planter in the state
!. Both Speedy and Effective.
/. This indicates the action of Foley Kid
4 aey Pills. as S. Parsons. Battle Cree
:m.,cA..,t1,c 81 hn..s l...,.. Ez5;..Ac