The Atlanta constitution., 1900-01-01
SUGAR INDUSTRY
IN SOUTH GEORGIA
Pioneer in the Great Indus
try in Georgia Has Great
Faith in 1t.
JUDGE TILlMAN'S VIEWS
During the War He Made White
Sugar with Ease and Says It
Can Now Be Done with
Only Half the
Trouble.

Ouitman Ga, December 2S.-(Speciai.)-
Judge Joseph Tillman the father of the
present movement for the establishment
of sugar reiineries in this state has Deeh
for years deeply Interested In all thai
could develop the great natural advan-
tages of this section especially. and the
south in general.
A series of articles he has written on
the subject for southern and northern
papers have attracted great deal or at
tention among moneyed men of the norlh
and west, aud he has received grea'
number of letters on the subject. among
them being one from Havemeyer, tho
New York sugar king, and another from
Il capitalist who is connecred with the
beet sugar industry in Michigan. Inc
latter gentleman said that capitalists IN
his section would not for moment con-
slider any proposition to come south ana
engage in cotton raising, but that IL 'he
figures given by him are correct they
would invest in the raising OF sugar caiie'
and the manufacture of sirup ana SuSui +.
~ SLs Of his articles the judge stated
that tho sugar beet requires close cuiti-
walton. the average being aboIt an aero
to the family. while cane requires very
little cultivation, and has yielded in more
than one instance in this county 6Oo sa-
Ions of sirup to the acre. which at 40
cents-a moderate price-would give $40
gross return.
Twenty dollars per acre he considers a
liberal allowance for all expenses, leav-
ing 500 per acrN net profit, which Spells
prosperity, while and Scent cotton
means ruin HIS articles show that the
saccharine coeflicient of south Georgia
cane is much larger than that OF Louis
lana, and he accounts for this by stating
that Louisiana cane Is grown on low,
marshy land. where an excess OF moiS-
ture is taken up in growth. His iIlvesti-
cations haze shown that south florida
cane is richer in saccharine matter than
any known. three gallons OF juice yield
ing one gallon of sirup of standard densi-
ty; the cane of this portion of the state
runs about six gallons of juice to one or
Sirup. He says that he has some muSh
sugar, of which he expects to carry a SAM
pie on his next rip TO Savannah to show
the sugar men what ii is like. This mush
sugar is richer i'll saccharine matter than
any other form of crude sugar, and Its
yield in refining Is correspondinGly high.
During the war the judge learned TO
make u good quality OF white sugar with
only a very slight brown sugar taste.
The sirup was boiled until 1t "blubbered''
all over showing that it had reached the
point of crystalliZation, when certain
amount of fresh well wate- was added.
This caused a second scum to rise, which
when skinned oft left a perfectly pure
saccharine solution, and this gave a white
sugar. lie afterwards learned that tho
loaf sugar In universal use forty years
ago was made I'm precisely the same man.
ncr. lie asserted that this was not caus-
cd by limo or other mineral properties of
the water acting as a clarifying agent.
as he had used rain water with the same
success.
As to the future of the melon growing
industry, once u remunerative one for
south Georgia, he declared it is practical
ly a thing of the past. With the state Of
Texas one great melon field. and reaching
the great cities of the middle west on a
rate of from forty to fifty dollars per car
less than We can command. the industry
Is doomed. This IS borne out by all in
formation obtanan nle; very few melons
will be planted in this section I.ext
season.
The deep interest being shown IN the
subject by northern capitalists as well as
by those of Savannah and other south
Georgia towns mas greatly encouraged
the judge in his hopes for the develop
ment of the sugar industry with its i'm
mense possibilities for the state ard the
local paper some months ago has been
adopted pretty generally. and has proved
Of great benefit; it was that the juice as
II came from the mill should he strained
through a filter of gray moss, which
takes out solid particles and clarifies ii.