The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1893-12-13
a eRBzr QUESTION


I
Indian reservations. and the stil unoccupted lands
held BY non residents and corporations when all re
duccd to cultivation will with the lands now growing
food TOR export probably provide sus'enance At the
present standard OF living for some seven or possibly
| eight Years additions to the population; bus such
fragments OF tho arabic will bot slowly becoms
pro uctive and their sntire reduction TO cultivation IL
| uEely to require several decades"
The Journal adds that tho wonderful
| agricultural resources OF Florida are still
| practically unknown. supplementlnR this
statement by eayinR, in substance. that nine
tenths OF the State OF Florida Is as yet nm
unbroken forest; that Of 3l.43l 900 acres
suitable for various crops but 4,l6LOOO acres
are in cultivation; that 2T.0O0.OO0 acres are
still open to the settler: that Of this area
| O.O00OOO acres are swamp and overlooked
| lands that. once drained will be very
| rich that, should the surface deposits OF phos-
| pilates ever be exhausted, there are deep-lyinR
reserves OF such fertilizinR material that are
practically inoxhaustible; that the lands and
| products OF Florida are essentially tropical:
| that experimental cultivation has shown that
there are but few crops that the soil OF Florida
will not produce; that upon a single acre
| $50 pounds OF tobacco. worth S34S. can
| be grown at coat OF from $50 to $40:
| that an acre OF Florida soil will produce 5000
worth OF strawberries or eighty barrels Of po-
tatoes. worth from 1920 to $500. and that the
acre growing the potatoes will the same sea-
son produce sweet potatoes Of Indefinite value
as a second crop; that as much as thirty
bushels OF corn have been grown on an acre
between the rows Of young orange trees; that
II sold. this corn would give as great net
revenue as three acres employed In growing
cotton. and that this wonderful land produces,
in astonishing abundance. cotton and cab
bages. rice and corn. bananas and eGR plants.
walnuts and avocado pears tomatoes and Pine
apples. guayas and peaches. and so on.
In nm Issue OF THE Sun but two or three days
later than that in which appeared the article
with which the Journal takes issue, there APP
peared an article which dealt In broad way
with the character and comparative produce
tive power OF Southern lands. endeavoring to
show how completely they had been occupied
Mt least such portion OF them as could be prof.
ntnbly cultivated. This article. which COM
mend to the careful reading OF the editor Of tho
Journal. quoted official data freely In support OF
my argument. and 1 think It showed con-
clusively that the unoccupied Southern lands
were hereafter likely to add little to tho sup
ply OF the great staples, except that one staple,
cotton. OF which the South has q practical
world monopoly for the time being. The elab-
crate statements Of the Journal as to the adap-
tation OF the soils OF that State to certain trop-
ical und semi-tropical products. are In COM
plete accord not only with the facts stated in
this later article. but also with those Of the
article from which 1t quotes
1t affords me unmixed pleasure to admit all
that the Journal claims as to the adaptability
OF the lands Of Florida to the production Of
the most luscious fruits and vegetables; and I
am greatly puzzled to understand why there
should be single poor man in that State or
why single acre OF Florida lands should be
upon the market at any price II such lands will
as alleged. produce crops OF tobacco worth
s34S per acre Mt a cost not exceeding S4Oi
should be greatly gratiied the Journal would
explain how 1t comes that while the alleged
product 1850 pounds per acre is but hve-sev-
enths the average for the whole country. the
value Of the product OF an acre OF Florida lands
employed In growing tobacso is Just seven
times the average value OF all the acres Of
tobacco produced between 1880 and 1899.
Will the Journal at the same time aid in
solving the mystery which surrounds the
fact that these favored acres WILL while
growing crop OF young orange trees. pro-
duce crop OF corn that will afford the Guilt |
vator three times as great a net revenue as |
would result from the production OF an acre OF
cotton and yet the planters OF Florida continue
to plant some go. 0O0 acres OF cotton yearly2 |
Nor can understand why these particular |
acres should give a product OF thirty bushels |
OF corn an acre when the average for the State |
Is but ~ bushels. as against an average Of |
l4.3 bushels for the ten cotton States and 2e1 |
bushels for twenty-five Northern States
Profitable as is tobacco culture In Florida
other crops must. It seems, be still more profit
able. as the Department OF Agriculture has
been unable to find enough tobacco to deter
mine what has been the average yield OF that
crop In the State. although 1t is able to show
that the average yield OF oats is but 10. . BUSH
els as against an average OF $50 bushels for
the whole country; and that the average Yield
OF potatoes. even. Is a ninth less In Florida than
In the rest OF the republic. while OF cotton a
Florida acre produces but two pounds where
the other cotton States gather three. So far
as official data can be relied upon OF the
four agricultural staples grown In Florida
dealt with by the Department OF Agriculture
In its annual reports. II appears that
three acres OF Florida lands produce as
much as two acres OF the other Gotten States,
and that II requires about three acres In Flor
Ida to produce as many bushels OF oats and
corn as are grown upon one acre at the North |
30 that to produce the grain required by the
people OF the Unite States would employ fully
4OO.OOO,OOO acres. equalling the productive
power OF those OF Florida. and ifthe 27.OOO.-
boo acres which the Journal insists are still
open to settlement In that State were all
employed In growing cereals. they would
produce quantities equivalent to the sus-
Ienance OF some 100000 people. Having.
since the settlement at st. Augustine. brought
some 500 600 acres into cereal production and
been able to get crop OF potatoes from about
$500 acres annually, how long will 1t take to
reduce the $1,000, 900 acres to cultivation?
have no disposition to challenge the state
ment OF the Journal as to the special adapta-
ton OF Florida soils TO the production OF
tropical fruits, but such things are apt to
pail upon the appetite when taken with
pat limit and most Of the Inhabitants of the
temperate zones find wheat and bacon beef
and mutton, necessary in their dietary; and
each and all those staples, except limited
quantities Of beef. are conspicuous by their
absence from any list Of Florlda's products.
although they are the very articles referred
10 in tho paragraph to which exception is
AIKEN. | trust that the Journal will also per-
nit me to direct attention TO the fact that
not more than 2j,UuO.OOO acres OF the
area OF Florida tan be considered avail