The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1905-11-10
SYRUP INDUSTRY
OF WEST FLORIDA
Immense Plantation and Plant Of C0hasset Company at Grand
Ridge Amply Demonstrates PDduGtHsHsSS of Pney Moods
S0l-Nil Eventually REa Louisiana

Grand Ridge, is composed of Mr.. w.
B. ROddenberry, of Cairo. Ca, presi-|
dent; w. j. Singletary, Grand Ridge,
secretary-treasurer; and j. ID. Russ,
VINO is manager Of the cOmpany's ma
val stores business at Freeport if we
err not. a trio of model southern bust
ness men whose motto should be sue
cess" for that is what they invariably
achieve.
The factory plantation proper en-
braces a whole section of land and in
addition they own about 5000 acres
within radius of three miles Of
Grand RIDGE. ali of il being a part of
the original Porter purchase. The
factory is the Outgrowth of Judge POr-
ter's strenuous exerGons in behalf of
sugar cane culture. with an eve to the
development of increased production
and final sugar manufacturing. The
present crop of cane consists Of over
one hundred acres-we forgot TO OBJ
tain the exact amount We travelled
over a field of from one fourth 10 one
half mile in length. passing through
il and inspecting the average growth
and to our mind it was splendid cane
The idea of such a large cane patch"
and such fine cane maintaining such
a high average an through it. suri
prised MS in view of the fine results of
this most important West Florida en-
terprise
Care Well Developed,
Judge Porter counted several
groups of stalks growing from one
bud. finding from five to eight well de-
veloped canes in each group, seven
3 predOminaung This cane would have
/ experienced a higher development.
from ten to twenty per cent higher.
had not dry weather struck il in
+ critical stage of development a fair
average of the present crop. we are in
formed. is about 20 tons per acre
They expect a net profit Of from $40
4 &c sos per acre. The present crop
F was cultivated by three white men
and six mules And not to exceed %
GAYS labor of hoe hands for the cane
crop, and IS acres in corn and Is
T acres in melons.
The factory produces about 20 to
F p barrels of syrup per day, and they
f realize about 30 cents per gallon on
barrel goods and about 40 cents net
F on cans. The yield last year was
about 440 gallons per acre. and they
F expect about 500 gallons this year.
though the dry wea -ler aas reduced
the output to some extent this season.
+ Properly speaking this is the second
4 years crop. as the first year was plant
ed for seed.
Iney have an electric light plant I'm
4 connection with the works. which af-
fords ample illumination for night
f operations. Also an artesian wen
supplying an unlimited amount of
water for all purposes. 145 aeet deem.
They are now en- gagged in grinding
about 100 acres Of cane. besides what
they viii save for seed. which fully
occupies the mill force and capacity
though there are several other pretty
large planters contiguous to Grand
Ridge and territory i'm ten miles on all
sides. who can and do produce a large
portion of the syrup Of West Florida
as well as melons and long staple cot
tOn They shipped more melons from
Grand Ridge this season than at all
other stations combined
VIII outrival Louisiana.
Syrup making by steam is most
. interesting and instructive operation.
IN fact the educational features Of
such an enterprise at this time must
be Invaluable for hitherto we have
viewed sugar cane culture as kind
OF side issue NOT 90 be attempted i'm
this poor piney woods country. ="
only on rich COW zen land and in
economical -cane patch" STYLE. but we
F now realize that Judge POrter's long
I contention that West Florida could
Outrival Louisiana I'm sugar manufue-
7 furfnc l. rorrnrf And fho o+,---..