Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-10-26
BUSINESSPROSPECTS
An Interesting Conversation With
MIR. Henry B. Plant.
PEOPLE NOW BELIEVE IN THEMSELVES
The Favored State of Florida and
Lesson of the Freeze.
NEW TOBACCO INDUSTRY

| Mr.. Henry B. Plant, whose railroad lines
| traverse thousands of the most fertile
miles of the south: whose steamships
| traverse the Gulf of Mexico and the South
Atlantic, and who has virtually develop
! ed the resources of the western part of
Florida, spent yesterday in Washington.
He arrived i'm the morning on his special
car at the Pennsylvania depot from the
! south. accompanied. among others. by Vice
President r. G. Erwin. Third Vice Presi-
dent F G. Brown, Passenger Traffic Man.
ager b. w. Wrenn and General Superin-
tendert Bradford Durham of the Plant
system. who remained over to attend their
meeting today with the representatives, Of
the Atlantic Coast Line, Richmond. Fred
ercksburG and Potomac and Florida East
Coast Line companies regarding winter
traffic to Florida Mr.. Plant paid visit
to President Mckinley in company with
Judge John ID. Long, member Of the ma
tional republican committee from Florida,
and had very pleasant chat. He later
received a Star reporter in his private car
with the greeting:
Where have L seen you before?"
AT the Tampa Bay Hotel. January ..
1875. when We looked over the desola,ion
in the park. wrought by the freeze re-
turned the reporter.
so it was he responded, cordially.
That was a sad sight. 1 have just re-
d L.
went in May and did not return until the
last OF September. 1 needed the rest. so
l went and enjoyed a most delightful sum-
Ener. L have been spending a week in
Florida.
Relieving i'm Themselves Again.
How do you regard the outlook in
business way" inquired the reporter.
We'll. 1 have not been long in the conn
try" responded Mr.. Plant, but 1 have
I'd
that business is picking up. Men are be-
ginning to believe in themselves again.
That is a great thing. you know-belief in
ones self. L think idle labor is going to be
employed, because capital will seek cham
nels for sensible investment. L feel sure
there will be steady return to good
tines
What did you find in Florida?''
FLORIDA is coming along said Mr..
Plant. You see. those terrible freezes we
had affected two classes-those who had
their everything invested in the state and
who had to stay. and those who had but
part of their holdings there and could get
away"
The Secret of Recuperntion.
Those who had to stay had to live"
continued Mr.. Plant, land to live they
We're compelled to raise their own food.
They had never done so before. 1t was a
remarkable fact but before the freeze the
people of Florida exported everything they
raised and imported everything they con-
sumed While these people were raising
the mears to live they saw that the orange
trees. were sprouting again, so they went
to work to help them along, and where the
orchards We're small and the work WAS not
too stupenGous they set about cutting
away the dead timber. South of Orange
lake, then, i'm five or six years, there will
be as big a crop of oranges as there ever
was. and south of Tampa there will be a
good crop this year. But the people of
do
more and watch the oranges grow for the
market. They have learned a lesson of
self-helpfulness that they will never for
GET
Tampa is growing rapidly, 1 UNDER
stand,'' said the reporter.
You wouldn't know Tampa" responded
Mr.. Plant. 1T is spreading all over. The
growth to the south is wonderful We
have built a harbor at old Tampa BAY
and it is now the port of Tampa. All our
steamships arrive and depart there. We
have built two wharves filled with earth
three-quarters of a mile out in the water.
We had trestleS onece. you know, but the
insects rotted the timbers fast that we
built the wharves. Any ocean steamer
charge cargo. Cigar factories continue to
be built
You remarked just now about your sur
prise at seing those new ones out i'm the
scrub near fbor City on your last trip
down. Well, there are more of them. You
know, We have great hopes of our new in
dustry, the tobacco crop, in Florida
The TObaccO-Growfng Industry,
Il was going to ask you how the tobacco
grown in Florida compared with that
grown in Cuba" the reporter remarked.
las to that 1 cannot TELL" answered Mr..
Plant. You see. the matter of tobacco
judgment is largely a matter of taste L
was told by one of the proprietors of a
very large cigar factory which handled a
good grade of Havana tobacco exclusively,
that they tried the Florida tobacco and
sent out the cigars. 1t is lighter tobacco
than the Cuban, not so dark or strong
They sent out afterward cigars made Of
the Havana tobacco, and their customers
sent back requests for the lighter and less
strongly favored cigars. That MAY give
You an opportunity to judge between the
TWO tobaccos. party of Cubans ras set
tied In southern Florida on the west coast,
and they are raising tobacco. They also
intend to dry and cure Ii in such manner
that the leaves will be good for cigar wrap
pers. thin, you know, and pliabe.
The pineapples and oranges are rronis-
ing great returns in southern Florida, and
the tomatoes are highly profitable. oh,
yes, said Mr.. Plant, in conclusion, Flor
Ida is coming along, and il never locked
loveler than ii does now. But then it's
always that way every time you 20 back
10 it"
Mr.. Plant is looking remarkably well.
and despite his years, which are denoted
by his snowy hair and mustache, he is
almost agile in his activity, and his mem
tally was never more robust and vigorous.
His trip 10 the orient did him a world of
good.
Il just went with myself" he said. good
humcredly, when the reporter was leaving
and while I'm not a very interesting COM
panon. L got on along very WELL
Mr.. Plant went to New York Lass night.
A PROSPERITY PARADE.
Joyful wooIErowcr. Have a Novel