Daily tobacco leaf-chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1890-1895, 1891-03-30
ASTONISHING.
The Wonderful Development of
Florida Waste Land.
The Phosphate Beds and the
Cane and Rice Cultivation.

interesting Talk with Hamilton DisstOn,
u Philadelphia millionaire, who Has
Millions Invested in the EverglAde
Lands of the PenInsular state-Devel-
opment All That is Necessary.
New YORK. March 30.-The interest
taken by Hamilton Disston, of Phiadel-
phia, in the development of Florida
waste land is represented by at least
seven figures in dollars and possibly by
eight. Under his contract with the
state for draining and reclaiming the
Everglades, millions of dollars were
spent by him and his associates, and
now that they have the land in condi-
ton for cultivation they are spending
further large sums in sugar planting
and to develop phosphate beds and rice
growing. Mr.. Disston was in New
York recently and talked at consider
able length about his ventures in Flor
ida
Among other things he said: "The
sugar planting business in Florida
promises better results than in Louisi-
ana, They have occasional frosts in
Louisiana which destroy the young
Cane-shoot entirely We also have frosts
in florida, but SO light that they simply
checl; the growth of the cane and cause
the saccharine or sweet matter to flow
into the stalk, maturing it early. With
the government bounty on American
sugar we can make money very fast in
sugar planting. We have 10000 acres
of the finest kind of sugar land. 1t will
produce 1000 pounds of sugar to the
acre at the lowest estimate. In
deed, Claus Spreckels says that the soil
is strong enough and rich enough to
produce over 5000 pounds to the acre,
but | wish to be conservative At 1000
pounds, the product from 150, 900 acres
should be GO0,000,000 pounds per an.
mum, the bounty of which at two cents
per pound will be the neat sum of SIZE
100000. That would be handsome
dividend on 500 100000 capitalization,
wouldn't it,"
Mr. Dissfon was asked how much of
his land was now under cultivation, and
he replied: "A little over 1000 acres.
We expect to secure $50, 900 of govern
ment bounty for sugar this year. More
land is constantly Icing put in shape for
have the entire tract in cane. | do not
anticipate reaching the full development
Of the enterprise in less than ten years.
for cane raising. It was difficult
for me to PERSUADE any one that there
was sugar land in Florida, and even
after had demonstrated the fact there
were still doubtels. Something over Il
year ago, ht ard of asugar factory plant
n ,,y,A h,,I f,n
ure | went to see the parties who
owned it, On my representation they
made contract to send their mill to
Florida, set it up on my land and take
share in the enterprise. One of the
partners was in Cuba when this transac-
ton took place. When he came home
he declared that he had Just come up
through the entire length of Florida,
and that he did not see a foot
of ground in the entire distance
which was fit for sugar planting He
was so sure that the other partners be-
came alarmed told them that so far
as was concerned the contract was
off, unless the doubling partner would
go to Florida and look at the sugar
land. He made the trip and came back
as emphatic in affirming the existence OF
coed sugar land rs he had previously
been in declaring the contrary. The
lands lie little OH the railroad and can
not be seen by ordinary tourists.
Charles A. Dana, Chester Griswold and
LeGrande b. Cannon, who were ut st.
Augustine last week took run down
to the sugar plantation, and | have let
ters in which they speak in terms of sur
prise and admiration Of what we have
done
In discussing other phases of Floridan
development. Mr. Disston said; Rice
growing will be large feature of
Florida enterl rise and industry. After
the rice is sown, comes up and has the
wa er turned on it, no care is required
for it until il is cut. Thus little capital
is needed to engage in its culture. The
phosphate beds are very rich and are
exciting attention even in Europe"