Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1882-07-25
TALLAHASSEE TOPICS.
First District Democratic COnVen.
tIOn-CastIng UP AccOunts-EvapO-
ration of Fruits and Vegetables
Destructive Fire.

TALLAHASSEE July 20. Editor Morning NetoS'
The assembling Of the Democratic Convention
of the First Congressional District brought
unite a large number of visitors to our city.
The large number Of delegates and visitors
filed the spacious hall where they assembled,
and the attendance of members was unusually
good, some of the counties sending full delega-
tions. The convention met yesterday morning
at eleven o'clock. and was soon organized and
ready for business OF the twenty-one coun-
ties comprising this district all but three
were represented. The Committee on Creden-
tials reported that there was not a single con-
testing delegation. General E. A. Perry, of
Pensacola. was unanimously elected Presi-
dent; J. Ira Gore, OF Cedar Keys, secretary;
and after completing the business OF organiZa-
ton, the counties proceeded to ballot for the
standard bearer in the coming contest. Hon.
R. H. NJ. Davidson received on the
first ballot over two.thirds of all the
votes cast. AS Colonel Davidson is now
serving his third term, his denomination for a
fourth is very gratifying to his numerous
friends The custom of dropping a man for
some other aspirant when the former has been
an efficient servant of the people. is too COM
mon in the South. If q member of Congress
discharee s his duty to his constituents faith
fully, the longer he remains in Congress the
Hons. VIM D. Kelley and Samuel J. Randall. of
Pennsylvania, are instances of this Both
leading men in their respective parties, their
long service in the House of Repre-
sentatives has given them material ex-
perience and an influence in legislation
that few others have attained to Such large
unwieldY body has the lower House in Con
gress become, so many and varied the rules
for its government, that it is seldom q new
member can effect much Hence. il Repre-
sentative is efficient, the longer he remains
the greater aid can he render to his State
This is a practical age. and the more practical
va In ha haffa
for the country The committee, after the
nomination, adjourned to p. m. when the
committee on resolutions made their report
which was adopted. Addresses were then de-
livered by Colonel Davidson, the nominee, Gen
E. A. Perry and Hon. s. R. Mallory, when the
committe adjourned. l have never witnessed
in this State larger aud more harmonious
District Convention
And now that the season for trucking is over
and returns from sales all come in, our farm
ers are naturally DESTROYS of comparing notes
as to the result. Who obtained the best re-
turns? What merchant did he ship to and
when? When did he commence planting, and
how did he cultivateS By what route did he
ship, and from what cities did he obtain the
best returns? To ascertain all these facts, and
to adopt the est system OF truck farming the
Middle Florida Agricultural and Mechanical
Association have called a convention of the
truck farmers OF this section to meet in ITALIA
hassee about the middle of August. Then
general experience meeting" will be had and
the system Of truck farming, packing and ship
ping in all its phases will be inquired Ito and
fully discussed. Nor will the merchants to
whom consignments are made be forgotten.
Every delegate is expected to bring with him
his acc punt of sales and the name of the mer-
chant effecting the sale. Some of our truckers
during the past season complained that though
their vegetables were shipped In good condi-
ton, the returns were far below the average.
This will be rigidly looked into, and everything
looking to the protection of the trucker and
advancement of his interests will be DONE
=. = - T
that about ten thousand crates Of vegetables
would be shipped from this county. This was
based on the quantity purchased for seed and
for full crop. In consequence of the pro.
tracted drought in March and April not more
than two-thirds of a crop was made. Nearly
five thousand barrels and crates were shipped
from Tallahassee, and possibly two thousand
more from other parts of the county. This is
doing very we'll when we consider that not a
barrel was shipped ton years ago. Another
year a much larger area will be planted.
A retrospect at the effort of fruit drying. too.
may not be uninteresting. Until the past sea
son not pound of any kind of fruit was dried
for the market. A modern fruit-drying machine
was not to be found in the county And while
the blackberry ebounded in our old fields and
could be purchased in any quantity for a mere
ton, and the trees bore heavily every year no eff
fort had been made to utilize either of these pro-
ducts for market until the present season. The
energetic firm of Bradford & Ross, of Bradford
Vile, in this county, took business view Of
the matter. They saw that there was money
to be made by drying fruit and accordingly
ordered fruit-drying machine. So profitable
did thew find this business, that in another year
they will have machine of much greater
apacity-possiblv two-and 90 largely into
the business. Five bushels of blackberFies
yield one OF dried; and as the dried fruit sells
readily at rourteen cents a pound, and
large quantities of the fruit can be bought at
trifiing expense, it will be seen that this can
be made a profitable business. This firm also
sd
succeeded remarkably well. 1t is now their in
tention to dry Irish potatoes for shipment and
if successful, others will engage in it. Thus it
is that old King Cotton, so long dominant
among us, is being gradually dethroned The
black belt. as it is called. was also the cotton
belt; but henceforth it will be the great Vege-
table belt of Florida. Its resources are being
known and lends lying near the railroad being
sought after
Mr. Thomas j. Roberts, one of our most sue
cessful planters, has recently sustained a
heavy loss in the burning of his gin house and
the adjoining buildings. The fire broke out
last Saturday while the hands were at dinner
The engine was attached, used for running a
grist mill, and as Mr.. Roberts wa absent, the
fire may have been the result of carelessness
Not only were the buildings destroyed and
fine engine ruined, but a large crop of oats
was likewise consumed This Is the second
heavy loss by fire that Mr.. Roberts has sus-
tanned within five years. So frequent are these
fires In our Southern country that the insur-
ance companies refuse policies on properties
of this kind. 1t is a rule of insurance that the
greater the risk the greater the p1emium de-
manded But no premium, however large, will
be accepted from planter who would insure
his gin house. This is much to be
regretted Any company that would make
a speciality of this business would be
literally patronized, for with high premium
the losses by fire would by no means exceed
the amounts OF premiums received, as the per-
centage OF gin houses burned is not greatly in
excess of losses by fire of other species OF
WAR rates. were charged during
the late unpleasantness on American bottoms
and their cargoes. and we see no reason why
special rates could not be charged on our gin
houses.
The rainy weather still continues; harlly
day passes without heavy showers. Still our
planters are hoping that it will hold up, for
cotton is plant that cannot stand much rain.
Open bolls of cotton begin to be seen in many
of our fields, and l hope to announce in my
next the arrival Of the first bale of the sea
son. Notwithstanding the Inauguration
of truck farming the acreage of cotton
has not diminished. Even should it
be, the number of bales will not diminish,
but rather increase. for improvement in til
lage is the order of the day, 'less land and
better cultivation" being the principle that
guides many, as they find that ten acres well
prepared and cultivated are better than twenty
poorly cultivated. Our old WORKOUT lands
yield only one bale to four acres, but the same
lands with deep blowing and good fertilizers
yield bale to the acre, and sometimes even