The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-09-08
THE FLORIDA TOBACCO.
Fine Grades Are Raised and the In
dustry Is Paying Handsomely.

Fine Grades Are Raised and the In
dustry Is Paying Handsomely.
Florida is coming to the front as a to-
bacco growing state. About as fine to-
bacco may be grown in Florida, experts
soy, as is grown in Cuba.
The lands which were formerly planted
in cotton are now being planted in tobacco.
Old lands not valuable for anything else,
are being put in cultivation in tobacco.
Mr. George L. Walker, of the Walker
Drug Company Of this city, returned from
Florida yesterday, and reports busy
time in Lower Georgia and Florida on
tobacco farms. Notwithstanding the dry
season earlier in the year, when the plant
suffered somewhat, tobacco did we'll and
the product is fine. A great deal of money
will be made by the farmers. The short
exports of tobacco from Cuba by reason
of the war has stimulated the interest
in Florida tobacco and valuable expert
ments have resulted, which would not
have been made otherwise. Large con-
Germs North and East, who were dependent
upon Havana tobacco, have interested
themselves in Florida lands since finding
out that a superior leaf is to be obtained
in Florida. 81. 4sss.
a company from New York was the first
" 5LdAl the GAlJcIlIHEul OL RAISING lle
finer grades of wrapper tobacco in Gads-
den county, Florida. They began by plant
ing about 100 acres Then they increased
the acreage and this year plant twelve or
fifteen hundred acres. This means an out
lay of $4,000 annually. The smaller farm
ers in this county probably plant as much
more.
A concern in Lower Georgia, on the line
of the Georgia and Florida Railroad, be-
tween Rainhridpp Ca and Quincy Flo
plants nearly 1000 acres. 1t is said, Mr.
Walker stated, that this firm cleared last
year on this crop $150000.
Mr.. Walker says that there is a large
syndicate operating in Leon county. They
have spent a snug fortune fitting up their
plantations. They have built many neat
cottages for employees. They are nicely
painted ana are very comfortable look
ing houses
These tobacco growers have built up
several villages, whose inhabitants are to-
bacco operatives.
Several large tobacco packing ware
houses have been erected in and below
cambridge and in Florida These pack
ing houses are owned principally by
Northern syndicates, who buy the pro-
duct from farmers and place it~in these
packing houses to be properly sweated
after which it is assorted, selected, and
graded as to size, and color. 1t is then
packed into bales ready for market.
The process of curing and sweating is
identcally the same as 1t is in Havana.
1t has been demonstrated this year., Mr.
Walker said, that Florida can produce as
fine quality of Sumatra wrapper tobacco
as grows on the island of Sumatra, and
there is no doubt about tobacco cultiva-
ton in Florida supplanting cotton cult
walton. Mr.. Walker made an experiment
himself this year on eighteen acres. The
yield was 10000 pounds. And while he
had to hire all the work, pay his overseer
a large salary, which made the crop cost
him great deal more than it should, he
thinks he will realize handsomely on it..
Such land as grows the fine Sumatra
wrapper tobacco, he says, may be bought
anywhere from IS to $12 per acre The
price paid for the best grades of Florida
tobacco is 35c to $4.5l a pound This is the
price after Ii is cured and baled properly.
Farmers often dispose Of their crop in the
held at from 25c to $100 a pound. An ordi-
nary tobacco farm is five to ten acres, and
it pays ten times more than the same
acreage grown in cotton. Mr. Walker
said that more than a half million dollars
has been spent in Florida this year on the
tobacco crop, and the chances are the out
lay will be greater next year.