The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-09-30
MONEY IN CANE GROWING.
CAPT. It. j. JAMES PROFITABLE
CANE FIELDS AT ADRIAN.

| Acres, 1900 Are in Active CuItiva-
tiOn-One Hundred and Fifty Acres
in Sugar Cane-Capt James Re-
CARDS 1t the Coming CrOp-His
Cane Produces 400 Gallons of Sy-
rup to the Acre-With Fertilized
Ground "a Greater Yield Possible.
lie FavOrs Sugar Mills in Central
Points in the Cane Growing Sec
tiOns-His syrup Sold at a Good
Profit.
The largest sugar-cane plantation in
Georgia is that of Capt T. J. James, at
Adrian, Emanuel county. Capt. James is
by far the largest land holder in that sec
ton and is one of the most progressive
business men in the state. Besides own
ing and operating a sawmill which cuts
from 5000 10 5000 feet of lumber and TO-
coo shingles a day, and forty miles of rail-
road, he has 200 acres of land under ac
tive cultivation. He has lived in Eman-
uel county for thirty years and is an au-
thority on all questions pertaining to that
part of the state and its possibilities from
the standpoint of the farmer.
As a result of some correspondence with
| Capt. James regarding the culture of su-
gar cane in Georgia, Capt D. C. Purse re-
ceived an invitation to visit Capt. James
farm. Capt. Purse invited a Morning
News reporter to accompany him and they
spent Wednesday afternoon and Thursday
as the guests of Capt. James There they
met Commissioner of Agriculture o. B.
Stevens, Mr. N H Anderson of Hawkins
vile, inspector of fertilizer for the dis
trict; Mr.. w. G. Cooper, business mana
ger of the Semi Weekly Atlanta Journal,
and Prof N. e. Ware, superintendent of
public schools at Hawkinsville.
Capt. James plantation consistss of 25,-
600 acres, and, besides num-
erous other business enterprises has be-
come interested in the production of sugar
| AS yet this is only in the experimental
| stage, and exact figures in the more mi
| mute particulars of the business cannot be
given. He has hitherto made only syrup.
This he has had no difficulty in disposins
of, but believes there is more money to be
made in sugar. 1t was to show his farm
and the possibilities of the sugar making
industry that the invitation was extended
to Commissioner Stevens and Capt. Purse.
The cane lands in that part of Georgia
are among the best I'm the state, the soil
being of light and sandy nature, with
cane growing. Some years ago great
quantities of cane were raised in that sec
ton, but no effort was made to turn it
into sugar 1t was made into syrup, and
used for Immediate household purposes,
all not used in that ~ being sold where
ever a market could be found. In the ma
jority of cases each planter did his own
grinding and boiling with the result that
the quality of syrup was never uniform
and this added to not infrequently glut-
ted market, kept the price so low as to
make il an improbable crop. From these
and other causes the acreage was grad
ually cut down to that point where each
farmer made only enough syrup to supply
his own needs. This condition of affairs
has existed for several years. The recent
discussion of the refinery question has
drawn attention to cane as money crop
and in that capacity, as a possible substi-
tute for cotton.
Sees Money in 1t.
Capt. James said that he is convinced
that cane growing can be made a profit
able industry, and he intends to go
into it on large scale. Last year from
a crop of los acres he made 400 gallons of
syrup to the acre; the greater part of this
he sold locally for 30 and 40 cents per gall
lon. and found a ready market in Macon
and Atlanta for the remainder, about 1850
gallons; this he sold in bulk at II cents
per gallon, which allowed him a fair profit.
This year he planted $50 acres in cane, and
next year will increase the acreage to 200.
The land all through the section of the
state in which Capt. James plantation is
located is suitable for cane, he said, being
best along the bottoms, where the great
est amount of moisture is obtainable. If
land upon which stock has been pastured
is used the amount of fertilizer required
Is not so great, some planters considering
the manure alone sufficient to enrich the
LAM of har nd ie sod hoy NTar
from SEQ to 500 pounds of fertilizers is APP
piled as follows: Two hundred pounds
when the cane is planted, 200 at the sec
ond blowing and 200 when the cane is
laid by The fertilizer used is of standard
grade, S-Z-2 is bought in Savannah, and
costs SIS per ton delivered
When a crop of cane is cut from the
stubble d second growth will spring up
the next year and in order not to lose
this second crop it Is customary to use a
different fed in alternate years. Both
| crops are thus utilized, the new cane be-
ing ground while the second crop is put
away for seed The tops and strppings
from the cane is used Is fodder. and this
fodder Capt James said will alone pay
for The cultivation of the crop
Unlike Same cane growing sections.
where estimates are based upon the weight
of cane per ocre. in Capt. James vicinity
all data are taken from the yield of syrup
per acre This varies according to the
rainfall and the amount of fertilizer used.
With 500 pounds of fertilizer and the av-
eraSe rainfall an acre VIII produce 450 gal
Ions of syrup while an exceptionally dry
season may reduce this amount one-third
in making sugar, however, the shrinkage
will not be SO great a loss as it would
at first seem, for while the actual amount
of syrup is less, the proportion of sac
charine matter is greater. With a larger
amount Of fertilizer and favorable weather
conditions the yield can be increased to
bG0 gallons to the acre.
For extracting the juice an ordinary dou-
BIC geared mill. the Kentucky Giant is
used. The mill IS driven by steam power
and extracts $500 gallons of juice during
working day of ten hours Under the
present system only about 80 or 60 per
cent of the juice is extracted but it is
the intention of Capt James to put up a
large and much more powerful mill in
time to grind next years crop, and with
| this mill he exDects the DerceDfage ay