Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1917-03-28
SPHlnx-LiKE PHARR RISES FROM
ASHES OF ITS OWN RECENT RUINS
y tContinned from page one)s fs

been "a per acre for corn and broom corn
and SO for zane and alfalfa.
SUGAR CONCERN OF LOUISIANA
ORIGIN.
The Louisiana Rio Grande Sugar COM
pany, commonly called 1.-The sugar com
pany,' with a capital of 800, 900, and
representing an investment Of 500, 900, is
as the name would indicate, Of Louis
lana origin. The story is told that
il III the result Of a trip of Mr.. Pharr
and other prominent Louisiana sugar
planters to the st. Louis exposition, where
they became interested in the sugar pos
sibilities Of this section through m ex-
hibit OF zane which they saw there from
the San Juan plantation. Cane growing
was a little noticed industry in this see
ton at that time, which shows the recent
ness of it, but the exhibit nevertheless
took first prize over cane from Louisiana
and Hawaii.
MGRATH TELLS SUGAR FIGURES
From Mr.. w. III. McGrath, now vice.
president and general manager Of this
company, l was able to obtain some fig
ures which will perhaps be Of interest
due to the fact that so little il known
about the details of this comparatively
new crop for this section of the United
States.
He tells me that last season his com
pany owned 5000 acres Of land, that it
had $50 acres planted in cane, and that
this produced 1850 tons of cane. This
x-ao~ - ua- GDn aurny -. anna The AGAR
age yield per acre is % tons and the av-
erage price per ton is $3.50. The market
price Of cane il based on the market
price of sugar, and is zoe per ton for each
cent per pound Mt which so-called SO test
sugar is quoted.
AVERAGE COST OF PRODUCTION
The average cost of production per
acre for this company is $45: this is on
a basis starting with uncleared land, and
of course the cost for the first year, on
account of clearing, seed, and planting,
brings it up to about $72, but as six years
is a fair average for one planting to last,
the average for each years is AS above
stated. The average yield is 800 per
acre, which makes the cost Of produc-
ton, emitting the cost Of the land, fifty
per cent Of the price obtained for the
crop.
OF course the cost of production for a
smaller producer must be made higher.
This sugar company does most Of its
work by machinery; the land is broken by
tractors, the crop is hauled by tractors,
pulling as many as fifteen wagons, three
tons of cane 10 the wagon. II owns for
ty wagons and forty mules, and employees
from 40 to 300 men, according TO the
season. The cane is loaded from the wag-
ons on to the ears by machinery, OF
course, and next year it is planned to use
machinery also in loading it on the wag-
ons in the fields.
TOWN AND COMPANY'S INTEREST
ONE.
The story Of Pharr i the story Of the
o~uisiana- RioGrande Canal system; their
they are inextricably bound together;
what helps that country which canal wa
tiers helps Pharr, what hurts it hurts
Pharr likewise Hence in telling Of what
is going OF with regards to the lands wa
tered by this system, one is at the same
time telling of what is going on with res
pect to Pharr.
THE TOTAL PLANTED ACREAGE.
Last year under this system there were
1900 acres planted in corn; this year |
am informed there are about 1900 added.
f. L.. Green, secretary and treasurer, of
the canal company, who kindly added up
the figures for me, gives me the following
As the acreage this season already con-
tracted for: Corn, 1869; cabbage, AGO;
broom corn, 1910; sugar cane, 1900
acres. The total already contracted for,
including other crops, is 1888. But of
course it must be understood that this
does not include crops not yet planted.
For instance | learn from other sources
that the total acreage in broom corn will
be between $500 and 5000 acres.
ELEVEN CROPS ALFALFA IN ONE
SEASON.
Also there is about a thousand acres in
alfalfa. Mr.. Oelhers has a field Of 1874
acres, and his ~neighbor, Mr.. Schultz, n
field of 112 acres. Each of these men
holds the remarkable record Of having
cut eleven crops from their fileds-nearly
one a month. ] am informed that eight il
about the average. The cabbage yield in
some cases has been very high; one field
belonging to Mr.. a. l.. Johnston, in which
some was still left, was pointed out to
ma md u-ng tnll tI.4 ..--.. g. -