unprincipled peter
Donor
the issue is the growing season. the islands are more ideal for sugar.In what way do you find the raw production of sugarcane in Hispaniola superior to Louisiane? The numbers regarding raw sugarcane production in the last century stand to reason that Louisiane consistently outproduces Haiti and Dominican Republic in terms of raw sugarcane production, with less agricultural participation and less agricultural land afforded to sugarcane.
In 2014, Louisiana produced 12,2-13 million metric tons of raw sugarcane, using 162k square hectares.
Haiti in 2014, produced 1,5 million metric tons of raw sugarcane, using an indefinite amount of hectares. Haiti at its height of production this past century, only reached around 3-4 million tons of sugarcane with between 150-200k square hectares.
Dominican Republic in 2014 produced 5,05 million tons of raw sugarcane, using 105k square hectares. The height in the past century, was in 1982, at 11,8 million tons of sugarcane.
So, I do not see the argument that these two nations on Hispaniola are superior in terms of sugar cane production, when these areas use roughly the same hectares and more labor participation, yet are far lower in production statistics. Mind you, growth of sugarcane has not changed much, it is still a very monotonous practice that requires large tracts of hectares, as opposed to more fertilizer. Looking at the world’s largest producer Brazil, it produces nearly 737 million tons, however, it requires 10,8 million hectares to grow such a massive number.
It should also be noted, that a large amount of lands on Louisiane are devoted to growing other types of cash crops that can be replaced with sugar. Cotton especially along the Mississippi coastline or in the north. Or even rice production.
We should also note, the French would rule Mississippi and Arkansas, the entire Basse Louisiane/Delta region and all the vast land that can be devoted to massively productive sugarcane plantations, cotton plantations, etc... So, how is the island of Hispaniola superior to the Delta region in terms of cash crop production or even sugarcane? It should even be noted, that single parishes, such as d’Assomption Parish in Louisiane outproduces Haiti yearly with less hectares.
The issue is not the land, it was the French rule and management of it. They put essentially no effort into agriculture in the delta region, aside from potato farmers from Alsace-Lorraine who were exported to Côte des Allemands (in Louisiane). Their devotion was to the fur trade and other agreements with the native tribes.
you're comparing modern production levels. In the time frame we're talking about, production methods favored the islands. there's a reason all that land was bypassed for sugar production, and there's a reason it took so long to adapt the industry to Louisiana once the effort was made.
As I stated, I agree the land is valuable for farming aside from sugar, and I agree with you that French rule/management did not take advantage of it. I don't agree with you that Louisiana is superior, or even equal to the islands for sugar. But absolutely, sugar can be profitably grown there, especially if (as OTL) tariffs protect the domestic market from cheaper imports.