The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-07-22
SUGAR REFINING IN SAVANNAH.
CAPACITY OF SOUTH GEORGIA AND
FLORIDA TO GROW CANE.


Quitman, Ca. July 21-Editor Morning
News: There seems to be no end to the
indisputable arguments that can be adj
vaneed to prove the correctness of the as
sertion set forth in the above headlines of
this article. The time is almost at hand
when sugar cane growing Will become the
greatest source of wealth, both TO the far
mer, who grows the cane. and the refners
who make the syrup into refined sugar,
of any and indeed, all the products of the
country put together for sale.
The Future Prospects of the Indus
try.
Sugar production is an important indus
try in ali countries where grown; but when
you come to think Of the immense advan-
tage the sections named ho.d over the
other countries where it is not grown-we
being in Amerca-with our superior
transportation facilities; there is no reason
why the production should not invite at
tentiOn of capitalist, and especially 50,
when it is provable beyond all caVA mat
the converting of good standard syrup in
to refined sugar is so much more profit
able TO the refiuers than that of raw SUI
gar. / repeat what l said itP a former ar
ticle. We have a territory that is quite
sufficient to raise all the sugar that this
entire country will consume. And If our
people will now push the subject in the
cane producing belts it will moi be many
years before we will become exporters in
stead of importers Of sugar. But suppose
we only supply the United States with the
amount consumed, there Will be an
annual saving TO the country-in round
numbers-of say $780, 100000 to $l15,OOO,00o
to meet the growing Increase in cohsump-
ton the profits of which viii, in most
part, tend to enrich the immediate sections
in which The cane is grown and the syrup
is refined into sugar.
Sugar statistics.
The annual average of sugar imported
into the United States from other coun-
| tries from 1894 to 1898, incluslve.-F'rom
| Cuba, 12l6, $50 463 pounds; Germany, 59o,-
| 066 534 pounds; Dutch East Indies, 47S,4lO,-
$50 pounds Hawaii 376S25,S19 pounds;
British West Indies, 2l4 249, 344 pounds;
| Brazil. 1902. O73 403 pounds; British Guiana,
| 141 S04. 457 pounds; Santo Domingo, 49, lOO,-
572 pounds Philippine Islands, S970,27l
pounds; Porto Rico, 79, 70S 40 pounds Bel
| GUM. 81 S65, no pounds; Egypt, 59,999,O9
| pounds; United Kingdom, 1854 l2O
| pounds; Austra-Hungary, 4O,ll5,H6
| pounds; Netherlands, 39,660,S21 pounds;
| France. SIS 500 pounds; China, 1902, 1856;
| British Africa 1882 4lS pounds; Danish
| West Indies. 1915 0l8 pounds; Hong
| Kong, 1905 1875 pounds; Canada, 3,O59,3S2
| pounds Other countries, 29,336,5S6 pounds,
| which makes an annual average of sugar
| imported into the United States, in four
years time, of SS4973, S95 pounds. These
| figures may appear a little startling but
| they are true A proper estimate of all
| the lands under cultivation in the sugar
| belt of Georgia devoted to growing sugar
| cane would not amount to one-third OF l
! per cent, and yet a sugar refinery estab-
| lished at Savannah can safely count on
| getting, the first season, from Georgia
| alone. not less than 50OJO0 to 49, 0O
| barrels Of fine standard syrup. Brooks,
| Thomas and Decatur counties, the past
| season produced something over IOO0U
| barrels above the home supply. suppose
| 30 per cent of the arabic lands in Chat
| ham, Bryan, Liberty and Ef1ngham coun-
| ties were devoted to growing sugar cane,
would these four counties not produce
more than 500 900 barrels? Certainly they
| would Is there any crop that the owners
| of the lands can possibly grow that will
equal the cane crop in profit? II there IS,
| then the writer would like to know of it.
| If these very lands are worth $40 per acre
| now they WILL when the owners com
| mence to grow cane, on account of their
continuity to Savannah bring more readily
| 500 per acre than $40 now,
| Mr. w. X. Pearce's interview publish ed
in the Morning News. 18th inst:
I have read Mr.. P.'s say about making
good syrup with great deal of interest
| as well as solid comfort. For the reason,
| although mis- was an experimental test
| backed by no foreknowiedge of growing
| sugar cane and converting it into syrup
he reaffirms very measurably what have
said in my former articles. In this con-
| nection it affords me pleasure TO say to
| Mr.. Pearce, as well as all other interested
| parties. that we have in this CBrooks)
| county farmers who for the past past few
| wears have been producing from 100 to 285
| barrels of surplus syrup to the farm, of
| such uniformity in classification as TO
make it unnecessary 10 sample a single
| barrel should you wish to purchase bar
| rel for family use. The same is true
with the one-horse farmer who plants an
! acre and after saving his family supply,
puts about ten barrels on the market,
| after saving his seed cane. l again agree
with Mr.. Pearce as to the purity of the
| Georgia syrup as is shown from chemical
ANALYSIS but cannot say, as he has SAID,
| 'the Georgia syrup is the only absolutely
! pure syrup" South Florida stands first in
| the required amount of juice TO produce a
| gallon of syrup. 1t being two and half TO
| three gallons; whereas, the quantity of
! iuice in Southern Georgia is reckoned, on
| . general average, of about six gallons Of
| Juice 10 the gallon of syrup, and as you
! 20 north every fifty miles) requires an IN
| crease of juice to the gallon OF syrup. l
am not prepared to say what Will be the
| effect of going east, towards the sea coast,
| hut think it will be equal if not better in
| contents of saccharine matter than South
ern Georgia proper for the reason the
| lands as you approach the Atlantic coast
| are decidedly better adapted TO the grow
| inc of sugar-cane than any in the state.
| IF these views are correct and who will
| dare ga nsay them? what a future is in
| store for Savannah and the cane belt of
| Georgia? 1t seems TO be paradoxical to
| oven undertake to depict the great trans
! sorrnation that IS now lowering i'm sight TO
relieve and redeem both Savannah and
! the country accessible to it by transpor-
tation facilities.
A word with Mai. G. NJ. RyaIs.
Major. you have been considered one of
the most successful, as well as reliable,