The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1914-01-31

cane sugar has been the leading
agricultural product of the alluvial
lands of south Louisiana for nearly a
century and quarter. When sugar
cane began to take the place OF
indigo as a money crop, the process
Of manufacturing sugar was exceed
InGly crude as compared to present
day processes. Gradually the neces-
slty for larger investment in sugar
manufacturing machinery has grown,
until today there is almost as much
Investment in the factory as there is
in the field equipment and land.
During this period of development
the sugar industry has not been with
out it's threatening vicissitudes. From
! time to time conditions have arisen
that have caused financial distress to
some sugar plantations, but the gen
eral trend of the industry has been
10 further development. Up to the
present. time we, have been able to
look to the future with reasonable ex-
pectations Of being able to overcome
all obstacles. During the last three
years there has been a series Of
events that brought about situation
that is severely taxing the optimism
OF the most optimistic. In the his
tory of the industry we have prob
| ably not before had a situation so in
auspicious
| Unfavcrable weather conditions for
crop production, a disastrous freeze
in 1911, an unprecedented flood Of
the Mississippi river in 1912, and the
r,.ioe IF hnJ ,e1
ehe sugar producers of Louisiana to
| cope with the situation enforced upon
them by the passage CT the tariff bill
of 1913 by the federal congress.
The weather is thing that cannot
be controlled by any human agency.
We must take it as il comes, and
learn as best We may how to prevent
in the future a repetition of the losses
that have been sustained in the past
because Of sudden or excessive eX-
tremes in weather conditions.
The prevention Ct losses from dis
astrous floods is largely a matter Of
available money and men to make
provision for taking care of the
water that must be drained froTa the
vast territory dependent upon the
Mississippi river for an outlet. The
nation is trying to solve the problem
of flood control, an likely a. bill will
be passed that will, in few years,
give assurance against a repetition
of occasional floods, from which we
have suffered in the past.
The tariff situation is wholly of
mans making. The sugar producers
made a good fight against the pas
sage Of the sugar section of the tariff
bill recently before congress, but they
lost. However much one may be in
clined TO do so, it is folly to indulge
in vituperation and abuse Of congress
and the president Of the United
States. They have nc doubt done
what they considered best for the
whole country. It they cause some
to suffer for what they believe will
be for the good Of many, those wno
suffer must make the best they can
of a bad situation. It is hardly prob
able that any further modification Of
the tariff will be made until the
present tariff has been thoroughly |
tested. 1t is, therefore, a problem of
producing sugar under the present |
provisions Of the bill, or abandoning |
the business. What are we going to |
do about it?
There are some planters who state |
positively and without qualification |
that sugar cannot be produced at a |
profit in Louisiana, to compete with
duty-fIee sugar; that cattle cannot be |
raised because they will die with the |
charbon; that hogs cannot be grown |
because they will die with the |
cholera; that corn will cost more |
than it is worth to produce it, and |
hay will be injured or destroyed by |
our heavy deWs and frequent rains; |
that the dairy business is a speciality
that We can't learn in time to save |
even if We could prevent |
our cows from dying with the char
bon. This. of course, is an extreme
view, but there is enough truth in
this pessimiStic statement to almost
summarize the problems that must
be solved by South Louisiana before +
a profitable system of agriculture can
be established anG maintained. AT
the same time, the man who presents
this gloomy outlook is in poor way
of finding escape from speedy finan-
cial annihilation. Men Of war tell US
that when man is whipped in spirit,
he makes a poor soldier.
Let us suppose tie first premise set
forth to be correct, that sugar cannot
be produced at a profit in Louisiana
in competition with free sugar, or
under the present methods. Then
shall We abandon sugar production
at once and sustain the consequent
loss Of sugar houses and field imple-
ments, and invest more money IN
new implements and equipment for
an enterprise that We know little
Aout, with the hope Of finding q
fitable use Of our lands in crops
her than cane; or shall we con-
hue in an improbable business,
Nviding the losses into operating ex-
p8nses Of succeeding years with the
hSpe OF cutting down expenses and
finding ultimately al avenue OF es-
cape from complete losses that would
come with the abandonment Of cane?
Sine will take one horn Of the dl-
ana. some will take the other.
So viii try an Intern ediate course.
br the assistance of those who
contemplate csaaIF Ing in cane, the
Er,.i