The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-10-26
TOBACCO IN FLORIDA.
What Has Been Done by the Company
at Work in Gadsden.
From the QUINCY (Fla.) Herald

From the QUINCY (Fla,) Herald
William NJ. Cory the general manager
of the Florida Tobacco Producing and
Trading Company, gives the following facts
concerning the company's operations in
Gadsden county:
We have purchased about Il, 900 acres in
and about Q lincy. This property, every
acre of which is cultivateable, we have sub
divided into eight plantations as follows:
Santa Clara, j. H. Bushnell, superintend-
ent; Santa Maria, La Corona. D. A. Nc
Dougal, superintendent; La Isabella. Lu-
Lita, LaCamellia, j. G. Curry, superintend-
emit; La Violeta, T. G. Smith, superintend
ent, and Columbia the whole under the
superintendent of w. I. Smith, one of the
oldest planters In Florida.
We commenced operations on Nov. 5,
1887. Since that time--or within ten
months-we have cleared and fenced suffi
Gent land to cultivate 791 acres of tobacco,
$40 acres Of corn, and 400 acres of oats
In addition to this, we have built 70 barns,
45 of which are 40 by 60 feet, and the bal
ance 80 by 40 feet, and have erected 81 sub
stantial dwelling houses on our plantations.
Our pay sheets during this period, show,
on an average, about 400 names. That is to
say, part of the time we employed 500
hands, and never less than 300.
We are now paying our laborers $40 per
month with house, and lands to cultivate
together with rations, consisting of four
pounds of meat, one peck of meal and one
quart of syrup per man, or Sl3 per month
cash These hands are all colored, and have
proved themselves first-class Iaborers They
have given entire satisfaction.
We estimate this wears crop at 500, 900
pounds. Its quality is excellent, and has
exceeded our most sa1guine expectations.
We planted six varieties of tobacco, viz:
Cuba" new, Scuba" (one year old),
"Sumatra" new, and Pennsylvania,
Connecticut aud Wisconsin Havana"
This seasons experience leads me to
believe that the Sumatra is the style
of tobacco best sui ed to this section 1t
far surpasses anything hitherto grown in
Gadsden county. II is equal IN feature
and appearance, and superior in az On.a,
to the genuine Sun1Gtrd leaf | certainly
think that, on the whole, it is better adapted
to this soil and climate than the Cuban to-
bacco, although the latter has proved q
grand success.
We are now busy making preparations
for next season, when we shall plant ], 800
acres of tobacco. We intend, also, to put
out about twenty acres of peach and pear
trees, and to plant several vineyards. We
shall import our vines direct from Ger
many. For the latter industry we are in
Producing Germans from Alsace and Lor-
raine-me who thoroughly understand
grape culture. Five families have already
arrived, aud we expect twenty-three more
almost Immediately.
Although the cultivation of tobacco will
be the leading industry, the land in this
vicinity is capable Of producing, in abund-
ance, almost any crop you can name. Sugar
cane grows luxuriantly, and we are going
to plant twenty-five acres for our own CON
sumption.
The best fertilizer for tobacco is cotton
seed, composted with stable manure. Many
of the commercial fertilizers will, un-
doubtedly, produce an immense crop; but,
unfortunately, they, at the same time, de-
stroy the aroma and flavor
The farmers, / am happy to say, have
already begun to realize the fact that If
they wish to command high prices for their
tobacco they must pay more attention to
its curing and grading, and many of them
are now building good barns, and otherwise
preparing to place their product on the
market in good shape next season.