The weekly Floridian. [volume] (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1867-19??, 1882-03-21

9. What b ne amoant q yoar nnatihg debtt
A We have uoae-
o Whist is he assessed value Of the property
Of the etatef -
erty 415, ,396 091 making . total Of 80, ,6a ~
q. What is the rate of taxntiouf
A. Seven milh on the dollas.s or thiA one mill
IN for public schools. two and half for interest,"
On public debs, and three and half for ex-
pence Of the State g0vernmenG
@. How much revenue do You derive annu
ally nom sources other than fAx on real and
personal properU.
A. $4,000
@. How b the revenue distributed,
A. Public deht, e60.O00; public schn.'ls. t06.-
600; public charities (asylnml t25. 900; fnr gen
eral expenses OF the government el75 600
Q Arc your taxes paid promptly
A. They are
9. Do your tax laws secure equality and uni
formity in assessnentsf
A. fhey de not. and they are the occasion OF
considerable complaint
4 AsYLUMs AND PRISONS.
@ What asylu2s have you, and what b their
condisions
A. We have only oue-an insane asylum The
bailding u very Ane. and % supplied with all the
eouvenienc@ OF such an insiitutiOn. II was buflt
by the Unised sssses ior an arsenal. and i 4 suS
s1nntial structure. We have neifher deaf and
dumb nor blind asylumsL
O Where Is your insane asylum Ice e. and
how many inmates hasi its
A. 1t is at Chatlahoochee, and contains tl9
lunatics- The location is high and healthy.
There are few other insane persons 10 the State
cared for BY private indisidnah. The State
makes provision for their care aud comfort
@ How are your deaf dumb and blind persons
provided for?
A There are not many in the State. They are
cared for by their relatives and friends Next win
i0P nk,nhl hat Rho
provision for them?
@ Is your insane asylum managed by a COM
mission or by State oficialsl
A. 1t is managed by the Governor and his
Cabinet In Florida, you know, all the heads Of
departments are appointed by the Governor, and
these officials are, therefore, called his cabinet
@ How much is annually appropriated for
the support Of your insane asyluml
A The sum of $25 900
q Are your counties provided with poor
houses
A A few of them are As q rule. however.
county commissioners pay the relatives and
friends Of paupers for taking care of them
q How many inmates are there in your State
prison, and is your prison leased or sustained by
the State!
A We have no Stale prison Our eouvicts are
leased cut TO q contractor, who has buildings pre-
pared for them This contractor takes ali the
convicts and pays the State SIS per annum for
each one OF them. He takes them at the county
lails and bears all the expenses attached 10 them
The number Of them varies considerably. Al
present it is about 200 The present lease expires
next fall and then il il sur intention to make
the conVicts greater source Of profit 10 The State
q DO you think that the leasing system Is
more advantageous TO the Stale than the system
by which the State retains absolute and sole con-
troll of the convictsf
A. think the leasing system is best for our
population, provided the convicts are properly
cared for. There are improvements needed, how
ever, ia our system Of managing couVicts-
o What is the character Of the majority of the
crimes committed in your State.
A Crimes against property.
q What proportion of your convicts IS color
A. About fve-sixths.
AGRICULTURAL
O. Is the tendency toward small farms OF large
plantations.
A Toward small farms. Statistics show thai
the percentage OF increase of small harms in FlOg-
ida is greater than in any other Southern State.
Large portions Of our State are being utilized or
truck farming, and this kind OF farming, you
know, Is in the direction of small farms As our
transportation facilities increase we shall turn our
attention more and more 70 raising vegetables
and tropical fruits think the time i not fnr
distant when We shall supply the Northern mar
ket with early vegetables and fruiiA This year
we sent North tomatoes, green peas, cucumbers
and other delicate vegetables as early as Febru-
ary l. We also shipped strawberries as early
as that date The culture of straw berries i in
creasing very rapidly, and they are found 10 be
q very profitable crop. There are portions ofthe
State where delicate vegetables can be raised
every month in the year
O. Are the small farms, as q rule, owned by
those who cultivate them.
A. They are
Q. What systems Of laber prevail, and which IA
most satisfactory
A. In the cotton belt, or middle portion of ahe
Stale, the share and rent systems prevail, bur in
South Elogda, where yegeiables and fruits are
cultivated, the labor is hired In the latter local
~ the tenant system would not answer at all I
think that the tenant system As il exists in our
cotton belt, is prejudiciai TO our agricultural in
terests- Many Changes in the tenant system wiu
be necessary TO make it q success
q Is there growing sentiment in favor OF
diversified cropst
A There is. and it i very marked
z. Are your farmers generally clear Of debt
A As q rule they are Those who ssiIl depend
upon the credit system are found among the cot
almost wholly c0ndact their business on q cash
basis.
POPULATION.
Q. What is the increase in your population in
the last 10 years?
A. The census of 1880 furnishes our latest sta
tistics In the 10 years prior 10 that date the
increase was q, ,1l6 Immigration has been 50
great in the last year or two. however, thar
place our increase in the last 10 year II 90 600
" How much Of this increase b due 70 i'm
migrati0nf
A. Not less than 90 per cent
@. How much Of this increase In population Il
white and how much cOloredf
A 1t Is almost wholly white A very larRe
number Of colored people have gone sut of The
State in the last few years, and only q very few
have come into it-so few indeed that the num-
Der Is not worth considering
ATLANTA ExroaTI0N
O. What, in your opinion, wiz be the eject af
the exposition lately bald n Atlanta, On tha
south
A. think Ii win be xsry beneficial Ths
world there obtained, for the Grxt tine. sume
idea Of the greAfnes Of cur undsEelnoel r.
sOurces, and our farmers and our plnniers Earned
many things thai viii add greafly IN mzking
their crops more psu6tAhle f.Ii mneh erari-
fed at the position Florida took af the ExDoafioa
and am confident that the State b fceIinR The
good eAects ef the advertisement atse Eos fhers
Although only > lev of our ensarprni1T oiiinem.
with very limited means. undertook tie work of
mating an exhibit Tor Floridz. and nlrhouxh 10
presentation 81 many q CT prudaElinW wm
made, stlll our agricultural display .urD.~ed
that of any other Southern Btn1e' and w.s orIT
second 10 that Of KansasA We tool The frza
premium for Sea Island cotton, for nee, hemn.
sugar cAne, and, Of c0arse FOR all trupiczl ffuila
ORANGE cUrTuKE
Z O. Governor, is net the eulilvniion Of oranr.
attracting more attention at present rhnn any
other industry Of your 6t1tsi
A. 1t b csrlAinly sftrac1ing grsna dnnl of a.
tenflun-aR much uarkann rua1irl. ~ H. &c.