The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-06-03
Florida Tobacco.

Florida is destined to take an important
-, in the culture of tobacco in the future,
=. the New York Tobacco Leaf. Its
III and climate adapt it to the growing
II the finest leaf known, and being SO near
Crba the quality should be as good if the
Int kind of seed be used The profits
80, Growing tobacco in Florida should be
-,rob Greater than in Sumatra, from the
f,ct that the leaf which is grown from the
I,rbs seed (Vuelta Abajo), which will not
make fine wrappers, will, when cured. pro-
luce a high class filler which will sell at
tiyh proflt per acre, even if no wrappers
ore produced; but it has been shown be-
vond doubt that the yield of wrappers
will be fully as large as in any country,
rrnning from 80 to IS per cent, according
IN tie care given the leaf during and after
its growth. It is a well-known fact thai
only the finest wrappers from a crop of
Sumatra are useful or valuable in our
market. as the peculiar quality of the leaf
will not allow of its use for filler purposes,
and the growing of Sumatra cannot be so
nroftable as the Cuba leaf.
The success of Florida tobacco denends
entirely on its care after it is grown. If it
is handled and cured right there is not land
enough in the whole state to cause over-pro-
duction. The natives have no knowledge
of he proper curing process necessary to
fit the tobacco for this market. 1t seems to
rs that the time is now ripe for our people
here in the trade to show q little enterprise
and secure fortunes that await the asking.
There certainly must be brains and money
enough right here among US to properly de-
velou this matter, and from our standpoint
all that is nesded is leader who possesses
the proper knowledge and executive ability.
We could name one person who would fill
the bill completely, who has given years of
time to the scientific study of both the
growing and curing of the leaf, one whose
name is so familiar to the tobacco trade of
the world that it is hardly necessary to men
ton it, Charles S. Phillips, of 1888 Pearl
street, New York. If he could be induced
to take the management of a Florida en-
rerprise there could be no question about the
succefs of it, and the dividends should be
rolled up higher than the best paying
Dutch or Sumatra Company He is q self
made, successful business man, many years
familiar with the handling of labor, with
proved executive abilities, inventor of the
most valuable patents known for curing TO-
bacco, and parties investing their money in
any company under his management could
feel certain of big profits. Everyone at all
familiar with the subject knows that to-
bacco Is the best paying crop in the world.
Florida tobacco will sell for three times the
price Of Connecticut or any northern or
western tobacco, and yet it is an unusual
thing for our eastern farmers to make less
than 100 per cent. on their to bacco crop. If
they did not they would not continue to
make it a special crop year after year as
they have.
With such good prospects for making
money, it ought not to be difficult to raise
4 all the capital needed for gro wing the leaf
on large scale and supplying our market
E with fue goods superior to Sumatra and en-
riching the trade and the country to the ex-
i tent Of many millions of dollars yearly, in-
stead of enriching foreign merchants. One
n good clnpany in Florida will do the tr 4de
more good than a thousand small farmers
4 who donot know how to cure the leaf, and
q would continue to food the market with
e. trash; for no matter how well it is grown, it
must BID handled and cured right afterward
81 to be OF value for cigar wrappers Or filters
vast field is open to our trade. Our
s. yearly Increase of population gives us a
steadily Increasing demand for the leaf.
Florida has only a limited quantity of
land suited for tobacco, and the first par
ties to locate there will get the cream of the
land She will never be a competitor of
northern seed leaf or Havana seed, but
will COMPETE with Sumatra and Cuba. The
acreage and development of tobacco culture
IN tloridawill necessarily be slow compared
to the wants and needs Of the market, and
1t Is QUESTION if she ever produces enough
TO Serioudy affect the market prices of
either Stmatra or Cuba leaf; and if such
should prove to be a fact then Florida
would rlle high in price, making it still
more rehuneratiye to the growers of it,
There i4no good reason why Florida should
not furnish us with all the wrappers for all
the Char Havana cigars made in this
country and by proper development of
the fine qualities, we could become export
ers of fne cigars.