The weekly Iberian. (New Iberia, La.) 1894-1946, 1916-11-18
LOUISIANA CROPS.

SEASON Wneh tue nrlnCIpal plant
ing interests of this atate have far
! ed SO well IA they arc doing thls
year. Were it not for the short
age of yield in the cotton fields,
though this more than c0mpeDsat
ed 10y the extra high price of the
snowy staple, there would be
nothing TO complain of on any
hand. Even with this, however,
Lousiaua'a 1916 cotton produc
ton ia to exceed that of last year.
For the past two months, the
roe planters have been conduct
ing their harvest, and the yield
has been averaging distinctly bet
ter than normal In consequence,
the 1916 rice protection IL attain
ing higher figures than ever regis
tered in the past While it ia
true prices were not all they
should be. etill the gain in yield
has resulted in the industry as u
whole faring very handsomely in
average per acre profits. Ono
reason for this, aalde from high
yield, has been the wonderful
weather enjoyed for the harvest,
no rice whatever lost ~ result
of early fall rains or windstorm, as
ia 80 often the case. The 1916
rice yield Is estimated at 1920,
600 bushels, against l3,7l4,000 IN
1915.
As the rice crop removal was
getting toward its eloAe, the sugar
harvest was inaugurated shortly
after the middle of October. and
reports received by Modern Farm
ing from various parts of the su
gar belt are uniformly favorable.
The tonnage of the stubble or sec
ond year cane. always the frat
cane to be cut for the mill, is turn
ing out better than expected, and
there are high hopee for large re-
turns from the plant cane of first
year crop. From the crop removal
and manufacturing viewpoints,
there IL nothing to be desired, for
the weather has proven admirable
for the opening of the campaign,
being the sort that ia calculated
to "put plenty of sugar in the
cane" We learn of sugar yields
per ton of cane being found dis
tinctly higher than usual ut the
outset OF sugar making. IN fact,
the mills securing the latter days
of October az much sugar per ton
of cane as ia ordinarily obtained at
the closs of the season, when the
cane In normally sweeter. Should
there be the usual augmentation
in saccharine percentage Of the
cane juice during the next four to
six weeks of the grinding season,
we can expect some exceptional
factory results this season.
No one will be found willing to
deny the sugar man his inning, for
he indeed has had q long wait for
crop and market conditions as ia
vorable as they are now. Should
prices hold az high during Novem
Der aud December az they were in
October, or even approximately 80,
at around the six cents mark, the
Louisiana sugar industry will en-
ter the new year In wonderfully
condition. Practically
every cane planter and sugar
manufactures, thanks to good
yields and prices, can be expected
to work clean from under the bur
den of debt that has sorely press.
ed him for some years past.
Aside from the worlds deficit in
sugar, created by the war, the rea.
son for the market having strength
ened last month and holding 80
firm, Ia the car shortage situation,
which is sorely hampering the
of the big United States
beet sugar crop, the largest on
record 1t had been feared In
Louisiana sugar circles that when
the beet crop began to move dur
ing October, prices would quickly
fall. Here Ia where the car situa.
ton at least is proving of local
benefit. 1t is estimated that the
Louisiana sugar crop this year
should produce not less than 250,
900 long tons of sugar, against
which the 1915 production was
1913, 900 long tons.
Louisiana's other principal crop,
corn, while slightly smaller In out
turn than last year, placed at a..
600, 900 bushels. against 45, 100,
900 bushels in 1915, is yet worth
more money thanks to higher val.
ues, and our planters and farmers
are cashing in nicely on that
which they are willing to sell.
From the above, and knowing
that greater quantities of food
and feed crops were raised on
Louisiana farms this year than
usual, likewise that our farmers
have repiafered eucourapInp ad-