New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1868-03-14

L. A..
aP 5 q, @aT rts fair aI IsE the HSs 7ErT:si S IL
rule OF reduction 10 onchalf, or oncthrd or even one
quarter. and Il will still prove a paying crop:
could not ascertain the precise cost OF the fixtures
used the manufacture OF the above crop but cannot
estimate the sum at over $1,000 though presume that
some OF the old sugar mills of which there are many
in East Florida must have cost $4,000 each Tor the
remains OF engines, furnaces. cstcrn5 and extensive
buildings. indicate that expense was spared where the
- Then why were they suffered to go to decay"
They were not. All were destroyed in war-cruel and
Gus six years, and not finally settled until about
ten years ago 80 that capitalists could feel safe In
building, and by that time tie old plantations had
grown up TO Wilderness the scattered and poor,
dead the titles to lHhd unsetted the country occl-
S N g q n GinSf enough En to SG dS
yeop the rich mines Of their productive soil ana but few
OF these disposed to grow ANYTHING Dt GS ana ana
been accustomed TO- and neither knew nor cared 10 know
any other Beside one knew nor believed until quite
lately that crop OF sugarcane could Dc grown upon
any but hommock or swamp lands-certalnly not upon
such land rs Mr.. IIodrns
The great want OF this country has always been eapta
and that not allowed To come here except In COM
pany Of slaves 1t slow TO come SO the old planta-
country il little better than a wilderness to-day.
Florida has been the very spot where curses come
home 10 roost They came home to the Spaniards for
their treatment OF the Indians who kept them century
imprisoned and around their fortress of st. Augustine
rested upon them for the crucltes OF their relg
ION and the murder OF the industrious Huguen0ts, who
came Florida cultivate the soil The spanards did
dians For that purpose they made slaves Of them
Then came tho English. with slavery still cruel
for theirs included Indians, negroes. aud white men
But the English developed tho capabilities OF the land TO
produce and established immense works upon
Halifax River, Tomoko Creek, aud on the ST. Johns:
They did not however discover that the pine land would
grow This recent discovery IL has also been
proved that swamp muck Is the very best KIND OF manure
for upon this light, sandy SOIL which 80 abundant
IN this State.
noigbor OF Mr.. Holden. the past season, made fair
experiment with gano, hone manure, ana swamp muck,
side by side. with rows OF cane unnanured and found
that both guanO and bone dust Increased the yield
enough TO make their use profitable, but the swamp
muck was far more So In this the muck was dug
and applied Immediately IL might have been still better
II eonposted and previously rotted;
We have that Mr.. lIOlden's crop was per acre,
20O0 OF and III gallons or strip, equal to lIOD
sugar total of J,7lO per acre. which Is irstrate
Weld any well cultivated plantation in Ousi
ana where the labor OF cultivation and expense OF fuel Ia
fOurfOd Yet, what ms product would have been upon
hghly-lnanured land Win more careful tlllagr, every
Of growing with OF without manure ana by giving
n careful or careless cultivation.
The soil Of Louisiana sugar plantations undoubtedly
stronger than my plncand soil In Florida yet the fact
that has two months more time 10 rpen even mere
upon me Lower ~. John . HNes VIC pan,sr gleae
advantage both IN harvesting and IN the yield OF sugar
The here extremely rich Up TO the 18th OF January
there frost sufficient TO afect cane That day
few small cclcs were and some maSOns in the next
yard knocked OF work because IL was cold enough 10
sen their mortar Yet have since seen the castor oil
bean Itl1n Ihr;sD growing ten feet high unaffected
by the most. II would not hurt sugar-cane.
If il inquired VIII not sugarcane soon exhaust the
land answer yes; and so will corn. or any ohererop,
grown upon any but rich prairie river bottom. But If
three years, rs u does from one planting,
and the land then planted in black peas 70 rot
upon, DC powed under the surface, IL viii, In my
opinion continue 10 produce cane as long as required
Perhaps Florida does not offer sufficient Inducements TO
tempt men TO establish large sugar IKE thOse
offer the best OF Inducements for small euuyators,
such as the one have endeayored TO describe In this
letter Land suitable for that purpose is most abundant
Of II is still owned by the United states, and much
of by the State II was about 10 engage In farming in
Florida certainly should undertake sugar IN preference
N A X,