to those on the point of abandoning the industry. Ap- 

 parently, these measures were of some help, for by 

 1729, Louisiana tobacco farmers were producing an 

 annual crop of more than 300,000 pounds. 



The French mercantilists, of course, had no idea 

 that Louisiana would change hands so many times and 

 eventually become part of a nation that was yet to be 

 formed. However, they had great hopes for the terri- 

 tory during the middle part of the 18th century. 



An indication of this lies in a statement made by an 

 Englishman who traveled through Louisiana and later 

 wrote : 



This is an advantage they [the French grow- 

 ers] have in Louisiana over our tobacco plant- 

 ers, who are prohibited by law to cultivate 

 these seconds, the summers are so short, that 

 they do not come to due maturity, in our 

 colonies; whereas in Louisiana the summers 

 are two to three months longer, by which they 

 make two or three crops of tobacco a year 

 upon the same ground, as easily as we make 

 one. Add to this, their fresh lands will pro- 

 duce three times as much of that commodity 

 as our old plantations which are now worn out 

 with culture, by supplying the whole world 

 almost with tobacco for a hundred and fifty 

 years. 



He went on further to speculate: 



. . . They may, with all these advantages, soon 

 get this trade from us, the only prime one this 

 nation has left entire to itself. These advan- 

 tages enable the planters to give a much 

 better price for servants and slaves, and 

 thereby to engross the trade . . . and by remov- 



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