The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1900-09-17

The saw palmetto. or "sahal serrulata.
as the scientists call IL. is indigenous 10
the soil OF South Carolina. Georgia. Flor
iia. Alabama, Mississippi aud Louisiana
in the Underwater sections aud just be-
yond Il IS an extremely hardy ana vlgor-
Gus growth. once lbs roots are set Ia "a
soil they can be- removed only by the
most industrious and thorough grubbine
In very many places the palmetto scrub
covers whole "ha's' Of many acres with
an almost impossible barrier OF tangled
underground
Until within the very recent past the
saw palmetto has been looked upon n an
unmiugated nuisance The cost OF clear
Ing an acre Of land q the growth was
often much greater than the price OF a
dozen acres IN the rough. Lately. how.
ever. the plant has been receiving more
consideration. u has been discovered
that the saw palmetto g. both source
OF health and Of wealth and the proba-
b.ilties are that az a day not far in the
future a. viii De- adding largely 90 The
prosperity OF those sections which for
merly cut % down and cast 10 into the
hre The medicinal properties of
il have been found very valuable
loo the treatment OF kidney ana 9th
er troubles. and various proprietary medi-
cines manufactured from the saw pal
motto are now finding their way into the
markets
s. a.. g.
tral factories for extracting the acid are
already ia operation iu Florida. and 9TH
crs are projected. Leather tanned with
acld from the palmetto D. said TO DO equal
30 not superior 70 the best oak or hem
iock-tanned stock As the palmetto costs
hardly more than the gathering. acid
from IL can be produced az less cost than
from any other source. The market for
g. therefore Is safe. For manufacturing
such articles as baskets mats. hats. ctc
10 would seem that there ought TO he a
great hsld for the palmetto. II was cx-
teusively made use Of during the War Of
Secession by the women Of the South IN
making such articles. and It Is safe to
say that thousands 81 che attlcles made
then are in serviceable condition to-day
70 durable g. the material
one Of The most important uses for
which the saw palmetto Is available how
ever Is the making OF paper. In various
parts n Asia, IL is said. paper has been
made from this stock for many year. ans
20 chsaply that not even our wood-pulp
Lately factory for making paper from
the Jaw palmtto has been established al
Pensacola. and as product is said 20 b.
very good IN quality and strong IN tex
ture There Is great and increasing de-
maud for satisfactory substitute for
wol d-pulp In paper making The forests
are being rapidly denuded. without AIDE.
quate steps for thalr reproduction being
taken Besides. The wood-pulp business IS
now controlled by a gigantic trust which
b. IN position 60 squeeze consumers At
will The palmetto flats would furnish an
incxhauatlble supply o. paper stock since
30 long as the roots are Ia the ground
Dee tops win hc abundantly reproduced
The tops may be- cut on every year with
tho positive assurance mat another mli
crop will bc forthcoming the next fca-
son. Harvesting palmetto for paper man
ufacture does not destroy the reprodue-
iug stock Mr John n. stephens 81 Jack
aonvila IS authority Tor the statement
that the saw palmetto viii make The
finest ana best parer IN the world" Tha'
I being true. we ought 20 have paper mills
/ n maay parts ol south Georgia and
{ Florida within few year.