The sun. (Jacksonville, Fla.) 1905-1908, 1906-03-17

Ida is the home of the sugarcane in tn
United States. A half million acres Q
che Florida Everglades will produc
cane enough to supply the entire amour
of sugar imported here from foreig
countries, without being in competitio
with any other cane growers in Florida
or in fact, in competition with any othe
cane growers in the United States, unit
I'VE had produced more than the tota
amount imported, which amount exceed
b by more than twelve million dollars tn
amount now received by the citizens O
every State in the Union for corn, -four
b wheat, beef and naval stores, and as i
understood by sugar experts and other
who have investigated sugarcane grow
ing and manufacturing, to be able Il
economically produce sugar, the can
must be near enough to the mill, so tina
it can be placed in cars by machinery
run into the mill on one side as cane
and 60 out at the other side as granu
lated sugar, and the supply of cane mus
be great enough to furnish not less thar
three hundred tons per day. In the Ev
erglades we have millions of acres O
land without tree or root upon it, tina,
is as rich as any in the world, and mil
lions of acres suitable for cane.
The newspapers may say, "What
would it cost to drain half million
acres of the EvergladesY" would sas
that 81 per acre would be large allow
ance for the expense. The newspapers
would say, "Why not select a half million
acres of land that does not require drain
agfe, as a canefeldY" will answer them
that they cannot find half million acres
in one body anywhere else in the United
States, suitable to grow sugar cane, and
if half million acres of rich, hammock
land can be found, 1T would require some
thirty to sixty dollars an acre to clear
each acre of timber, scrub, roots and pre-
pare it for cultivation, which would
mean from fifteen to thirty million dol
lars, and as there are not many farmers
worth that sum, / do not expect soon
to see such cane field anywhere else.
BY way of explanation, I will say,
consider the small cane fields in the
northern portions of Florida and the
southern portions of Georgia in the
sugar problem. The lands in these Sec
tions suitable for the cultivation of
sugarcane are not close enough together
to warrant the establishment of sugar
mill, therefore it has been estimated by
those who have given the subject careful
study, that they must produce and sell
syrup, rather than undertake to make
sugar for the market.
Governor Bloxham took strong
ground in his Message to the Legisla.
ture of 1900 in support of the reclama-
tion of the swamp and overlooked lands
of the State, and arrayed an impressive
statement of facts, opinions of experts
and arguments favoring this great
project.
Governor Mitchell was likewise a great
drainage enthusiast, and from the per-
sistent and devoted efforts of those two
great Floridians, the people are in pos
session of reliable, scientific data bearing
upon the question of soil, fertility and
specie of crop for which this vast re.
giOn is adapted. We learn from the data
gathered by Governors Bloxnam and
Mitchell that the reclaimed lands offers
a new soil for agricultural development,
samples taken from numerous points
throughout the drainage district have
been analysed by prominent chemists of
Europe and America, comparison of re-
suits show remarkable uniformity in
components of these rich soils.
Prof. A. P. Aiken of the Royal Agri-
cultural Society of Scotland, in his ana
lytical report, states: at resembles in
texture the finest potting mold. The
amount of heterogeneous matter contained
in it is what one expects to find in a
manure rather than a soil. have never
seen a sample of soil so attractive or
containing in it to such a degree those
characteristics of a soil that indicate
fertility"
Prof. w. H. Wiley, Chief Chemist of