MR. ROBINSON S TOUIt. — NO. 10. 
315 
chimney, and it is his opinion that with two 60-foot 
boilers, the burning of the bagasse would make 
nearly steam enough to grind and boil the crop. 
Value of Land on Bayou La Fourche. — Mr. 
Sherrod Sparks, 14 miles below Donaldsonville, 
sold his place, last winter, for $20,000, containing 
600 arpents, without stock or tools — 300 arpents 
in cultivation, with sugar house and engine and 
two moderate dwelling houses, with other buildings. 
The place made 100 hogsheads of sugar last year 
and 110 the year before, with plenty of corn. The 
corn on hand sold with the place. The price of 
an adjoining place is $20,000 for 370 arpents. A 
general average price of sugar lands is $50 an 
arpent, including improvements. 
Thomas Pugli's Plantation. — This is one of the 
best in the state. Not the largest, though quite 
enough so to satisfy any man of moderate desires, 
as the value of the annual crop is from $30,000 
to $40,000. Mr. P. owns here about 3,000 arpents 
— 1,000 cleared, 550 in cane, 250 in corn, and 200 
in pasture, yards, gardens, &c. Of the first-named 
crop, 440 arpents made 700 hogsheads of sugar, 
and about 60 gallons of molasses to the hogshead. 
The remainder of the cane was reserved for seed 
planting. One acre of cane is required to plant 
five acres. Mr. P. has 100 working hands, pro- 
ducing about seven hogsheads of sugar to each. 
But this is not all profit, for the annual expenses 
upon sugar plantations generally, will average 
about $100 to the hand. 
As this amount will appear so enormous to some 
of my readers, let me give the items upon this 
place last year : — 
Wages of overseer per annum, . $1,200.00 
" engineer, tending sawmill 
and sugar house, . . . 700.00 
Average annual outlay for mules, . 1,000.00 
" " " to keep up 
supply of plows, carts, wagons, 
spades, hoes,chains, harness, nails, 
iron for blacksmith shop, &c, . 1,000.00 
Average annual outlay for repairs 
of engines, mills, and kettles, . 200.00 
Shoes, (from the bills of 1848,) . 475.00 
Cotton cloth, for clothing hands, . 800.00 
Woolen " " " " . 444.00 
Woolen blankets, . . . 200.00 
225 barrels of mess pork, at average 
of $10, 2,250.00 
50 barrels of flour, (one to each 
family at Christmas,) '. . 225.00 
Hoop poles, for sugar and molasses 
casks, 200.00 
Oil for sugar house, . . . 175.00 
Physician's bill and medicines, 
($1.75 ahead,) . . . 350.00 
Taxes and other incidental expenses 
for sundries unenumerated, . 200.00 
The interest upon the estimated 
value of the plantation and all 
upon it, would be, at 8 per cent., 16,501.20 
never bought corn but one year. His average 
yield per acre upon new land is thirty bushels. 
And that is double the usual average of the state, 
I think. The quality of his soil is above the 
average. Next to the bayou it is considerably 
sandy, but grows more stiff as we go back toward 
the swamp. 
The estimated value of this plantation is as 
follows : — 
1,600 arpents of land, (1,000 culti- 
vated and 600 timber,) at $50, . $80,000 
1,400 arpents back lands, (cypress 
swamp,) cost $1 .25, . . . 1,750 
The mansion house being a new one 
is estimated at cost over and above 
the ordinary value of land, . . 30,000 
201 negroes, at average of $400 each, 80,400 
60 farm mules and horses, at average 
of $100 each, .... 6,000 
6 yoke of oxen, $40 a yoke, . . 240 
Other stock and moveables, say . 1,000 
1 6 carts at $50 each, and 1 wagon $75, 875 
Plows and other tools, say . . 2,000 
The stock of corn for use in crib, 
10,000 bushels at 40 cts., . . 4,000 
$25,920.20 
Nothing for family expenses is included in the 
above estimates. 
Mr. Pugh has been upon this place 24 years, and 
$206,265 
To show that the estimate for clothing and pro- 
visions is not too high, I will give the regular allow- 
ance to each adult, which is as follows : — 4 cotton 
shirts ; 2 cotton pants ; 1 cotton jacket ; 1 woolen 
jacket ; 1 pair of woolen pants ; 1 wool hat ; 1 
straw hat ; 1 blanket; 3 pair of shoes; 2 woolen 
shirts (to a part only) ; a calico dress and handker- 
chief extra to each woman and girl, besides cloth- 
ing for house servants. All the clothing is cut and 
made under the superintendence of Mrs. Pugh, 
who, at least, is one southern woman that " know- 
eth the way of her own household." 
I will now give the feeding rations of this plan- 
tation, just to show that these laborers are not 
starved. Some plantations feed even higher, but 
the average is a little less. Every name upon the 
working list draws- a peck and a half of good, 
sweet corn meal a week, and five and a quarter 
pounds of mess pork, besides vegetables. Then 
all children are fed separately. Besides, a barrel 
of molasses is dealt out every week, and a barrel 
of flour to each family at Christmas. Rations of 
fresh meat are occasionally given. 
Mr. Pugh's overseer is a well-bred Yankee car- 
penter, by the name of Munson, from New Haven, 
Connecticut. And I wish here to remark, that I 
believe there is a rapid improvement going on in 
the character of this important class of persons to 
all southern planters. Educated and better men 
than formerly are employed, very much to the ad- 
vantage of all concerned. 
The buildings on this plantation are well worthy 
the attention of other planters desiring to make 
improvements. The mansion is not the most 
showy, but is one of the most commodious and 
excellent dwellings in the state. The main build- 
ing, 60 by 68 feet, is two stories, the wings only 
one, and yet there are 600,000 bricks in the walls. 
Next in importance to the dwelling, and upon 
nearly all plantations, exceeding it, is the sugar 
