Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-12-03
Scope Of Agriculture in the South is
Expanding,
DR.. WILEY'S TOUR OF INSPECTION
Sugar, Sweet Potatoes and Cas-
sava Are Supplanting Cotton.
FLORIDA IS PROSPEROUS

bama are now producing the most prontaple
sugar crops In the world. Dairy products
are being widely exported through all
southern shipping ports. Everywhere the
enterprising farmer of the states in the
far south is suiting his crops to his SOIL
cultivating his farms to improve them, not
to impoverish them, and widening the field
of his activities so that one interest aids
another to the vast betterment Of the
whole"
These are the conclusions reached by
Prof. H. W. Wiley chief chemist of the De-
partment of Agriculture, after an extended
tour through Georgia, Florida and Alaba-
ma from which he has just returned to his
desk in the department laboratories. From
Savannah southwark he was accompanied
by Capt. D. G. Purse, president Of the Sa-
vannah board of trade The two were the
guests of the Southern railroad, the Central
railroad of Georgia, the Seaboard Air Line
and the Plant system, and the object of the
expedition was to present DR.. Wiley, as
the representative of the department. to
the members of the various southern agri-
cultural and grange associations then in
session.
Sugar Cane n Valuable Crop.
Through central Georgia. said DR.. WI
ley yesterday I'VE found sugar cane grow
ing as far north almost as Macon. Cassa-
va, one of the new crops in the south, was
being produced In large quantities. The
sight of these two crops and the vast
growths of sweet potatoes which abounded
appeared sufficient thought, to supply the
whole world with plant food.
''Thomasville and Cairo, in Georgia, are
the great centers of the southern syrup in
dustry. From Cairo, 1 think, the annual
export amounts to over $4,000 barrels.
There American syrup making has reached
its best development. 1t has increased ten
fold.1n the past five years. The American
consumer is tired Of Syrups made up large
ly of glucose and sugar waste To meet
this new demand the Georgia manufacturer
has taken to producing syrup made from
the whole cane-what was known formerly
as cracker syrup 1t is the best cane
syrup / have ever seen. 1t is altogether
pure and wholesome
Il have spoken Of the growth Of cane in
middle Georgia and the DEVELOPMENT of the
syrup trade to indicate the new Importance
to which sugar has attained there. Hth-
erto sugar cane could not be grown in
Georgia with sufficient profit to encourage
competition with the growers in the tropics.
Now, with a developed cane particularly
suited to that soil, he not only grows cane
at profit, but raises from thirty to thirty
five tons Of cane to the acre, harvests his
crop in eight months instead of fourteen,
]
flavor to that of the hotter countries and
receives one-sixth of the entire cane weight
In sugar.
Getting Away From Cotton.
"Cassava, sweet potatoes and cane are
proving more profitable in southern Ala
bama than cotton This is the first sue
cessful departure from cotton growing that
the south has ever made. Hitherto the
shift has been to truck farming and the
effort has failed, because the distributing
markets were too far away. But cassava,
sweet potatoes and cane do not need an
immediate delivery. Cane is put to it's usual
produces the very manure fertilizer that
the soil needs. So that dairy interests and
farm interests both reap second benefit
from the progress of the sugar industry in
the state. Sweet potatoes are staple and
valuable crop. They find a ready market
at all seasons. But these days the farmer
In the sweet potato territories grows not
only good potato for shipment and con-
version into starch. Cassava, however, is
the real starch plant. 1t Is destined
should say, to displace the potato of the
north as basis for food starches Ar
rowroot. tapioca and starch buildings are In
constant and wide demand, and are all
made from starch. The south can supply
a better starch for the purposes Of such
than the operators have ever
before been able to obtain. For laundry
purposes cassava starch Is at least as good
as any other kind.
A Pest Converted Into Hay.
I'm all these states the field of agricul-
tural labor has noticeably widened. The
velvet bean is now grown and used for hay
Alfalfa, as a southern crop, is rising to an
Importance scarcely less than that 1t has
attained to in the west. Beggar weed,
to be one Of the best haymakers known
and 1t grows just as easily now as when
the farmers tried so vigorously to extermi-
nate 1t.
three or four crops to the acre. and one
acre is thus enabled to support more cattle
than fifty acres Of ordinary grazing Here
ford, Devon and Jersey cattle are found
finest breed. Grade cattle, or cattle bred
from the registered stock and the native
beef, Is supplanting the old, low grade
beef product of the south. Milk, butter and
in great quantities and they are all prod
ucts practically unknown to the south Ave
years ago.
Recovering From q Freeze.
Florida is recovering splendidly from the
disastrous freeze of five or six years ago.
The crop of oranges this last season
amounted to about 100000 boxes The
year after the freeze 1t was about &c., 900
boxes, think. Within few years the output
will exceed 100000 boxes This fruit is,
of course, of the very highest grade The
Florida seedless orange has now a market
Importance second to no other orange grown
anywhere.
Wherever you go through the three
states have mentioned you will find that
the south Is alive in every sense of the
word. Cotton, crop of varying advan-
tage and Of Injurious effect on the SOIL is
no longer the only commodity grown In
stead the farmer is suiting his sowing to
the peculiar properties Of the soil, and in
creasing its productiveness rather than d.
minishing It. He no longer watches the
cotton quotations with the apprehension
that marks the man with all his eggs In
one basket His income has not only in
creased greatly-but it is destined to in
crease more and more, and to become more
regular and reliable. as his present agricul-
tural methods are continued. The south is
active along the right lines. If any one
doubts that, let him make tour Of Georgia,
Florida and Alabama in November
Admiral Rodgers Case Advanced,
The United States Supreme Court yester-
day advanced on it's docket the case OF
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