156 



REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF AGRICULTURE. 



Louisiaua, Avliich, hov/cver, differs Kligiitly from bis table published in 

 our report of J 873 : 



The crop of sugar produced in Louisiana duriugl87G-'77 amounted to 

 169,331 hogsheads, or 100,0713,570 pounds net, according to the census of 

 Mr. Louis Boucherau, against 144,140 hogshead, or 103,418,070 pounds 

 net, in 1875-'70, an increase of over 10 per cent. , Of the total product, 

 40,708,140 pounds were clarified sugar, produced from the juice by 

 vacuum-pans, against 31,717,710 pounds produced by this process tho 

 previous year, an increase of nearly 29 i^er cent. This kind of sugar, 

 ■which does not include brown sugar refined, was produced by 05 special 

 factories using the vacuum-pans, an increase of 8 factories over the pre- 

 vious year. By the old process of open kettles or open pans the prod- 

 uct was 149,904,430 pounds, against 131,700,300 pounds tlie previous 

 year, an increase of nearly 14 per cent. The number of sugar-houses 

 using the old process was 975, an increase of 42. Tho vacuum-pan pro- 

 duction is then increasing at a far more rapid rate than that by tlie old 

 process. 



Tho quantity of molasses produced tho last season was 12,024,108 

 gallons, or 71 gallons lor each hogshead of sugar ; during tho previous 

 season tho product was 10,870,540, or 75 gallons per hogshead of sugar. 

 The number of gallons produced by the 05 factories using vacuum-pans 

 was 1,870,430, or 59 gallons per hogshead of clarified sugar ; in the 

 l)revious season the number of gallons produced was 1,525,002, or 57 

 gallons per hogshead of clarified sugar. The quantity of molasses pro- 

 duced by sugar-houses using the old j^rocess was 10,147,072 gallons, or 

 70 gallons for each hogshead of brown sugar; the previous year the 

 product was 9,344,884 gallons, or 82 gallons per hogshead of brown 

 BUgar. 



The table below will give the general statistics of sugar-production 

 in Louisiana for the last nine years. In 1808 the number of acres of 

 cane actually ground for sugar wao 03,199, and the average product per 

 acre was 1,504 pounds of sugar, and 80 gallons of molasses. In that 

 year 8,000 acres of cane, for various reasons, v/ere left uncut, and con- 

 sequently lost. In 1870 the number of acres cut was 151,870, and the 

 average product per acre 1,112 pounds of sugar and OS gallons of 

 molasses. Tho number of acres in the four subsequent years is not 

 given; there was some increase on tho whole in 1871, but in 1874 quite 

 an amount of sugar-land was diverted to rice and other cultures. The 

 largest number of sugar-houses, 1,224, Avas in 1871, but gradually de- 

 clined to 982 in 1875, v/ith a considerable increase in 1870. Tho later 



