Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1883-07-28
FLORuDA'S FUTURE.
Engineer kreamer Tells What the Diss-
ton Company has Done.
PhiLn1eLnhsn p...oo


Philadelphia Press.
James NJ Kreamer. Chief Fnginaar oF
the Okeechobee Land and Improvement
Company of Florida, has returned to
Philadelphia, after eight months absence
looking as brown as a berry and as solid
as brick. He carries a gripsack made
from the skin of an alligator he shot him
self, and gives a glowing and enthusiastic
description OF the Land of Flowers. Mr..
hreamer comes North for the purpose of
ordering and supervising the construc-
tlon oil new and more powerful dredging
boats, and will return in the early part of
August.
When asked how far the company had
progressed in their operations, the Chief
Engineer replied: ''rhe special agent an
pointed by Florida to report upon our op-
erations states in the document prepared
that 535, 2o5 acres have been drained and
rendered susceptible to cultivation dur
ing the past two years. To give you an
idea OF the extent of that territory, | can
only say that it represents a strip of land
over 800 miles long and one mile wide.
This land is located south of latitude %,
in the peninsular portion of Florida and
below the line of injurious frosts.v
Have you no frost of all?o
Yes" answered Mr.. Kreamer. SSwe
have slight frOsts once in awhile, but not
enough to affect tropical fruits or early
vegetables. The land is particularly
adapted to the. cultivation of oranges,
lemons, plneapples, lines, cOcoanuts, ba-
nanas and cassava, the latter being the
stock for the manufacture of tapioca.
starch and glucose. A large percentage
of the land is also highly adapted to the
cultivation of the sugar cane and rice. To
show how readily it is fit for the growing
OF the sugar cane, planter on the CaloO-
sahatchie river, whose crop had matured
IN November, but which, owing to the
hon-arrlVal OF machinery, he had to hold
over, was able to make it up in April of
this year. That is some time to keep a
crop, and In Louisiana the product must
pc made up at maturity, otherwise the
lulce becomes sour through the frosts of
November. Great interest is being
eyinced in the future of the sugar growth
OF Florida, and planters from Louisiana
ana Cuba are now in the State with
view of locating.''
"What about the cultivation of early
vegetables and other edibIes?"
I'm answer to that suppose tell YOU
what we had for Christmas dinner: Oys-
ters, the best in the world; several kinds
OF hsh, green turtle, VenisOn, wild turkey
ana quail; new potatoes, green peas,
string beans, tomatoes: and for dessert.
strawberries, watermelon and the tropical
fruits. The lines of transportation. which
are now completed by both water and rail,
afford ample facilities for the rapid ship
ment of early vegetables to the Northern
and western markets. In addition a
company has just placed a line of re-
1rlgeratlng cars, so arranged that the
temperature can be always regulated. and
guarantee the safe delivery of vegetables
North. This feature has given a great
impetus to the production of early Yege-
tables, and it is no uncommon thing for
parties engaged therein to realize $3.50 to
$1,000 per acre profit
"Have you found the country healthv?,
Il can but say that the operations of
the company have been continuous for
TWO years, white labor being employed
exclusively. The health of the men has
been maintained without medical assist
ance; there has never been a single case
of malaria or of chills and fever. and no
deaths from any cause. The men are ex-
posed to the weather continuously. fire.
quently working in the water for the
greater portion Of the day."
"What are the main results attained by
your operations thus far?''
"Ihe operations at the head of the
drainage system have resulted in the low
ering of Lake TOhOpekaliga. which COW
ers an area of fifty square miles. about
tlYe feet below its normal level, thereby
improving the lands adjacent and long
ways back into the interior. We are also
projecting operations in the central pOr-
tlon of the district west from Lake Kis-
slmmee. Already sixty families have
settled in this section and one hundred
additional will join them from Iowa in
the fall. West from Lake OkeechObee,
IN the more southern portion of the dis
trict, large drainage canal has been COM
pleted, which in its course intercepts
Lake HichpOchee and empties its waters
into the Gulf of Mexico. This lake is
two feet lower than when our operations
started. In the opinion of experts, in this
vicinity is the largest and finest body of
sugar lands in the world. During the
coming winter line of steamers will ply
regularly from the Gulf of Mexico through
our canals by the way of the Kissimmee
river Tor the purpose of marketing pro-
ducts and carrying supplies into the in
terror, which has heretofore been inac-
cessible. This line will terminate at
kissimmee City, which is in the drainage
district, and will be run by private
corporation, paying tolls to our COM
panY. kissimmee is one of the most
nourlshlng young towns in the State. One
year ago the site of the city was wilder
ness. To-day it has q resident population
of 900, having the conveniences of rail-
road transportation, telegraph facilities,
good hotels, well-stOcked stores, live
newspaper, called the TrOpicdl of Fl0ri-
dd, and, in fact, about everything else
that any of the larger cities of the State
possess"
In conclusion, Mr.. Kreamer remarked:
"Ihe m ost sanguine expectations of those
originally in the project have been more
than realized, but it will be several years
yet before the contemplated improvements
are COMPLETED -