The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1903-09-28
FARMERS NAT |ONAL
CONGRESS.

Niagara Falls. n. Y, September "a
The Farmers National Congress assem-
bled here today in twenty-third annual
session. being called to order by Pre5i-
dent George L. Flanders, Of Albany. Gov
ernor Odell delivered an address or wei
come, In which he made plea for gooo
citizenship, saying:
zone of the first duties Of our country
Is to fight ceasclessly and enerselicaiiy
against all classes who defy law ana
whose principles are q menace to society.
We do find such people all over the coui-
try. The farmer, the mechanic ana .he
professional man are responsible lot Sucn
conditions when they exist, II lney NV
made no effort to place WITHIN tle t .IS,n
of all these penury-stricken people--these
dwarfed Observation-Disclosures which Is the
basis and foundation of contentment' tiia
is decent homes, fair remuneration ana
hours OF toll that viii permit OF SOCIAL
and intellectual enjoyment.
Mayor Hancock responded for the city
and Harvie Jordan, of Georgia, for the
farmers
About three hundred delegates. repre-
eenting thirty eight states, We're present
The present congress Will devote great
portion OF its time to the distributive
side of farming the productive side haV-
eention OF the farmers.
The addresses by the officers showed
that the congress is growing In power
and in influence and especially in the mat
ter of securing beneficial national legls-
iation.
Major D. G. Purse Speaks.
Major d. G. Purse, of Savannah, Ca.
gave an address on Sugar Supply Of the
United States" The congress should OPP
pose a reciprocity treaty with Cuba, he
said, unless reciprocity treaties are mace
with FRANCE and other countries. Major
Purse. who has been president or the
Savannah board of trade for twenty-five
years points out that sugar is the only
product of the soil which is largely USED
that makes. the United states debtor 10
foreign lands for supply. The ann OIL
this country should be to become sugar
exporting instead Of importing country
Major Purse believes this will become
possible by fostering both cane and beet
sugar growing. At the present the Unlted
States uses 2,275, 746 long tons OF sugar
yearly. Of which but 100000 tons are
produced at home, 5000 tons of cane,
Io5. 900 tons OF beet and 5000 tons or
maple sugar. By careful legislation the
United States can, within q few years
make up the big sugar deficiency and be-
come self-supporting, he said,
Captain Purse said in part
Mr.. President and Members OF the
Farmers National Congress and Ladies':
History informs US that Indian Salt"
our cane sugar, was an article Of trade
in the market places OF India 500 years
before the dawn OF Christianity, from
whence the cultivation of the sweet
i'm. Df irh a G
manufactured, has belted the earth on
tropical and semi tropical lines and be-
come, In propagation, seemingly, as IN
digenous as in india.
The ready adapta billy OF sugar cane
to all tropical and semi-tropical climates
has caused much controversy as 10 its
origin, China claiming its cultivation
IN that country before the first lines of
the Old Testament had been traced upon
papyrus by the hand Of Moses. His
t0rians. however. discrcdit this claim OF
the Celestial empire and, with few eX-
captions, agree that in India the
saccharinc waite OF the sweet bamboo
was first discovered and heralded over
the east. China included.
After leaving the progress of the
sugar industry Captain Purse closed with
the following concerning the prospects Of
cane raising In the southeast:
The richness IN sugar content Of the
cane Of Georgia and Florida exceeds
those or Louisiana and compare favor
ably with the Cuban cane. yielding as
high as 35 tons OF cane to the acre on
best suited lands with thorough cultiva-
ton
Quite recently the United States de-
partment Of agriculture analyzed some
sugar cane from south Florida. sam
pie OF the ordinary cane OF that section.
cultivated in the ordinary way that
gave a sugar content as high as 1913
per cent.
DR.. H. w Wiley. chief Of bureau of
chemistry department Of agriculture,
under whose direction these south Flor
ida canes were analysed. said in q let
ter to the gentlemen upon whose farm
they were grown:
These are the most remarkable sam
PIES we have ever examined. They con-
tain no glucose or reducing sugar what
ever when tested by the ordinary
method"
The establishment expressed by DR.
Wiley at the results of the analyses Of
,he south Florida canes is not a matter
to be wondered at when 1t is remem-
bered that they exceed in sugar content
he cane of Hawaii and Cuba. This
may be the starting point for science
in doing for the sugar cane what 1t has