The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-08-25
Sucnr and SNrnn.

At one period in the history of Flor
ida the cultivation of sugar cane was
more general than at present in the
proportion to the population; but when
the vegetable and orange growing ex-
element took hold of our people,
syrup fell into a decline and without
sufficient reason, says the Florida
Agriculturist. There are now, how
ever, signs of revival in that re-
spect and 1t is certainly an indication
of returning good sense.
1t is a well known fact that the
home supply is not equal to the de-
mand. We import hundreds if not
thousands of barrels of syrup, not
equal in quality generally to our own
product but sold at the same price.
Instead of this condition of affairs TX
listing, Florida should furnish half of
the Southern states with syrup ana
a large proportion of the Northern. AS
1t is now. the Northern corn growing
states, sending us glucose made of
corn, end Vermont, giving up maple
syrup, mostly adulterltad from glu-
ccse with corn-cobs, hickory chips
etc, furnish us with nine-y five Pc
cent. of the syrup we consume on our
cakes made of Northern buckwheat
The climate of Florida especially
that of the extreme lower sections.
corresponds closely to that of the
Sandwich Islands, except when there
is an invasion of Northern cold
wave. 1t is also very similar to that
of Cuba with reference to rainfall and
prevailing winds. The most. favorable
conditions exist for the successful and
profitable growing of sugar cane on
an extensive scale. In lower South
Florida the conditions point to the pro-
duction of sugar; in the upper reaches
of the state they indicate rather
profit in the culture of cane for the
manufacture of syrup. Ripe. hard
cane is needed to make sugar while
for syrup the less matured top joints
may well be converted into syrup.
Senior Santiago Don. an excellent
Spanish authority, writes: "Since the
earliest days of it's colonization the
| Spaniard as we'll as the French Eng
fish and American inhabitants have
cultivated more or less sugar here. On
the margins of the Hillsboro and Hall
fax rivers still exist the ruins of the
old plantations and buildings of the
Spanards, ct was our recollection
that these early mills We're erected by
the American settlers.-Editor).
when in the year 1884 they entered
anew into possession of the country
! they had large plantations devoted to
the cultivation of sugar cane; and the
-
stroyed at least one of the plantations
in the western part of the peninsular,
as they did not consider it to their
interest to spare this powerful new
germ of industry. In destroying this
plantation they took away with them
the proprietor, together with his 200
slaves.
After the resumption of possession
by United States government in 1919
there were started several large plan
tations in Florida; and one of these
the Dummitt on Indian river. after
ward devoted TO orange culture. yield
ed four hogsheads of sugar to the acre
In Marion county the yield was about
three and one-half hogsheads to the
acre. When the Civil War broke out
! Senator Yulee and others owned a SUI
! gar plantations in Florida"
Abundance OF proof has been pre-
sented again and again, drawn from
the past, that Florida can produce both
syrup and sugar az "a profit II the
industry Is not revived az once and
carried 20 a successful issue now, IL
| probably never viii be Tor beet sugar