The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-08-13
FLORIDA SUGAR.
The Southern Pine Lands Making Ex-
traordinarily Large Crops.
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| people on earth. Brother Jonathan is noted
the world over for the numerous questions
he can ask If the inquiries that are con
stanty pouring in upon us in regard TO tho
| muck lands for vegetables and reclaimed
/ lands for sugar-cane are a sample, | can
well understand how we gained such
! reputation.
felt so inqusitive about the wonderful
| reclaimed and muck lands that | took a run
down in that country to satisfy myself
about Their being as fertile as represented.
| | found nature in her sunniest mood, and
the whole klSSlmmee country a vast ocean
| of verdure
1t IS not the reclaimed lands that produce
the richest sugar cane, 1t has been demon
| strated that the cane which was first
| planted in small quantities on pine land as
an experiment has yielded more and far
richer cane than that raised on reclaimed
| land
As the train rushed along the shining
| steel rails and smooth road bed of the South
| Florida railroad, thousands of acres of mag
| nlhcent orange groves, vegetable farms,
| banana plantations, sugar cane and tobacco
| fields were passed The primeval forest
awaiting the woodlands AK, the virgin soil
untouched by the hardy plowman, unfoded
| TO the vision like the wltching charm Of a
! swlttly-moving pa Drama. The lakes of
| this region add a charm TO the landscape
that might otherwise grow mouotOnous.
The picturesque homes which are situated
upon these beautiful lakes astolish one by
| the variety and beauty of their architecture.
One IS scarcely prepared to find 'in distant
| wllds by human eye unseenn homes which
| betoken so much culture and refinement.
Gardens of tropical splendor surround
| every home, roses and jessamine surround
! each door and convince one of the prodigal
nature of the climate and soil.
The ST. Cloud sugar fields present one of
the prettest sights to be found anywhere
in Florida-a sight to make the sugar
planters heart dance for joy. From its
| present appearance 100000 pounds of
| sugar IS not considered by good judges an
| Over-estimate of the crop.
1t is hard to imagine all these improve
| ments made upon spot which but few
short years ago was a wild waste of waters.
! 1t shows what labor and the ingenuity of
man can accomplish.
! believe that the pine lands and re-
claimed lands Of South Florida will, in a
few short years, furnish two-thirds Of the
sugar supply of the United States, when it
| becomes known what fortune is in store
for him who can own and cultivate South
| Florida sugar plantation.
The west, with her tantalzing and disap-
! pointing mining schemes and severe climate
will lose her charm for people looking for
| Investments.
Truck farming is just beginning to be
profitable in this region. Acres and acres
ali along the railroad are devoted exclusively
TO vegetables, and they mature here before
the snow and ice have disappeared in the
northern markets
1t now seems to us that the great fertility
of the soil of this part of Florida would have
been one of the most patent facts even to
the first inhabitants, but such was uot the
| case They produced almost nothing; Dur-
chased everything. Most of the articles
| consumed were imported from the north,
| but after a few experiments and beating
about of enterprise, the people are discover
ing more and more every year the great re-
sources of the soil.
The lands that are devoted to the culture
of sugar cane are a source Of never ending
| interest and curiosity to all. People are
constantly writing and lnquiring for par
ticulars in regard to the yield of land and
| of the cane.
1t has been demonstrated beyond doubt
that the cane grown on the reclaimed land,
| ana, in fact, on any land in South Florida,
is far richer and yields IA much larger per
cent Of saccharne matter than the Louisl-
| ana Mississippi, Cuban or Central Ameri-
| can canea
Although the wet weather did great dam
age to last seasons crop. the crops of 1888
and 1889 ON the ST. Cloud plantation
amounted to 500, 900 pounds of dry CO eltri-
| fugal sugars and $4,000 gallons of molasses
| They were compelled to leave untouched in
the fields ll5 acres Of cane rs it was unfit
to grind-the effect of high water. o wing
| to the acdlty Of the upper portion of the
| ca that was cut it had to be cut half IN
two, the bad portion left in the field entail
ing heavy loss in tonnage and sugar
The same crop under ordinary circumstan-
ces, the cane having matured, would have
! via n ! h..
| elements consDired to render the crop short
| The long continued and heavy rains cause
tee immaturity of the cane. In proportion
TO the sugar made, the quantity Of molasses
| was about three times too great, which
shows row green and juicy the cane was
All these items 20 TO show what a won
| derful cane producing country South Flor
ida is. The unusual rainy weather of the
early part of the winter interfered to such
| q great extent with the maturing of
the cane that the productiveness of this
season is not fair example of what a tvpi-
cal season can produce.
All the ad jacent country of South Flor
ida produces just as good sugar cane as the
reclaimed lands, but not i'll 50 large quanti-
| ties per acre.
The mill and machinery have given the
most perfect satisfaction. 1t has been given
/ two thorough trials, aud it can, beyond a
doubt, easily manipulate 500 tons per day,
| which gives 10000 to $4,000 pounds of dry
sugar per day, or about 1000, 900 pounds a
month, or 100000 pounds for the season of
| three months.
The st. Cloud mill has introduced an in
novation in the bagasse furnace. 1t con-
sumes all the mashed cane or bagasse, which
furnishes all the steam power needed to run
regularly night and day the entire factory.
| This item alone is wonderful saving in
the cost Of fuel. The automatic hydraulic
| pressure regulators, the inventions of John
| d. NJ. Donald, worked splendidly and saved
many thousand dollars in repairs
A railroad has been built and will soon
be finished TO the English settlement, Mar
| coossee. The town of Runnymede is beau
tifully located upon East Lake Tohopekal-
iga. This road taps all the sugar lands,
and serves as a feeder to the main line of
the South Florida railroad.
Every facility is furnished for the trans
portation of all the products to the nearest
| markets Enthusiasts claim that it costs less
to till the soil and bring forth productive
crops in these fertile lands than in any
other agricultural country in all Of Uncle
Sans broad dominions.