The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-11-14
GEORGIA sYRUp's SEASON.
Maj. RyaIs Believes Cane Growing a
Great Industry.

Great Industry.
Many farmers in the lower section of
the state are now engaged in what be-
connected with their industry. For them it
is hard work. It is for the young and
socially inclined of the neighborhood that
the pleasure comes in, for sugar boiling
are eagerly looked forward to and are
made the occasion of great merry making.
Near Savannah considerable syrup is
made from Georgia cane. A large producer
of cane is Maj. G. NJ. Ryals, whose farm
is but short distance from the city. He
usually has several acres under cultiva-
ton. and each yields anywhere from 800 to
500 barrels of syrup
Maj. Ryals regards the production of
syrup as an occupation Of the farmers of
the state that should become an industry.
He says there has been a seemingly in
sumountable difficulty about making the
"sweetening" for the general market. This
is found in its extreme liability to ferment.
When the warm weather of spring comes
on the germs get into activity and the re-
suit is the early ruination of the syrup.
"The Georgia syrup" says Maj. Ryals,
"ts the best made. That is what a lot
of people think about it, but they are the
people who live right here in Georgia, or
who have moved from it to some neighbor
ing one. They all use Georgia syrup, but
the outside world has not been educated
up to it. Why Is this? Simply because
the syrup is not shipped away from the
state, as it should be. Enough of it is
raised in Georgia to supply the families
of the producers and the people of the
state who want It, There the farmers
stop, and they lose by not making the
raising of cane and the making of syrup
an industry.
1.-THE certainty of Georgia syrup to fer
ment in hot weather, unless it is put up
in sealed bottles, is what keeps it from
being put on the market in large quanti-
ties. What is needed is something that
will prevent this fermentation. If it could
be secured farmers could make syrup in
sufficient quantity TO admit of its being
used much more extensively. They would
plant larger crops of cane and make more
money out of 1t.
Syrup can be made at cost that makes
it's sale profitable. the price secured for it
at wholesale having been from IS to IS
cents for the past twenty-five years. 1t
can be sold at retail for 10 cents per gall
lon, and often more. Prof. H. E. Stock
bridge OF Experiment claims to have
method that would be of great advantage
will not ferment"
Maj Ryals produced a record of the last
meeting of the Georgia State Horticultural
Society and showed what Prof Stock
bridge had to say. 1t was as follows:
There is one other connection to which
I will particularly call your attention.
suggested a''sidelline'' of cane syrup. This
I believe would be particularly useful to
the growers and shippers of watermelons
in South Georgia. II is a fact that ship
ping watermelons has been a losing ven
lure. We know there is great demand for
Georgia syrup and that the production
heretofore has met with nsurmountable
obstacles. The product was so unstable that
it could not be placed on the market as
stable, and, therefore, failed to find ready
demand. 1t not only would not keep but
possessed the further disadvantage of cry
stalking. If this syrup could be produced
without these disadvantages it would find
good sale in the market and would work
TO the interests of the horticulturjst, who,
in conjunction with his other products pos
sessed "side line" of syrup which could
be placed on the market without difficulty
and which would meet with a ready and
constant demand. That 1t is possible to
do this 1 can easily demonstrate. Here is
a sample of syrup to which l call your at
tention because of one fact. 1t was made
on the Goth day of last November and since
then it has remained in an open bottle
without protection, and placed near
kitchen stove, Ordinary syrup would have
been fermented and turned into vinegar
some months ago This is as good as when
made Nothing has been added to it; 1t
is absolutely pure, evaporated cane juice.
The cause of the non-fermentng quality
of the syrup was the simplest thing in the
world BY simply straining the juice
through tub of Spanish moss The pro-
cess is simple and SO l suggest this thought
to the Georgia l1ofticulturists."
Mai Ryals hass not tried Prof. Stock
BRIDGES discovery. He disposes of all the
syrup he makes, but he thinks the thing
might well be tried by farmers of South
Georgia who raise cane extensively.