The weekly true Democrat. (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1905-1912, 1907-07-26


that the tobacco section represents all
Of Gadsden county, IN the southern Por-
ton Of Decatur county, and IN
Leon; and from the 800 acres planted
Ia 1887, the acreage has steadily in
creased and upward Of 1900 acres are
planted this year in Gadsden county
and the adjoining territory.
There are now tWenty-nine incorpOr-
ated tobacco companies with = capital
Of So, 900, 900, and over twenty individ-
ual firms with q total capital Of over
81, 0OO, 600 established In this section.
This does not include the hundreds Of
individual growers, many of whom plant
upward Of twenty acres Of fine shaded
tobacco on their own plantations.
The work Of the asserting and pre-
pairing this tobacco for market Is an
important one. There are nine large
packing houses now established IN
Quincy, and three more are under con-
struction. Some 500 hands are en-
ployed in the warehouse work; for
much depends on the manner in which
the crop is cured, selected and packed,
and the cigar manufacturer 10 very
particular when purchasing TO have this
part Of the work completed in the most
careful manner.
The first tobacco is usually received at
the curing sheds in July, and the ware
house work on the entire crop is barely
finished by the following July. Thus
this class of work on a given crop prac-
tically represents twelve months labor.
The field work, from the preparation of
the seed beds until the crop is housed
furnishes employment to about 5000
hands linen, women and children), whose
ooV NJ Lar
In the warehouses wages are paid
weekly and on the fields every two
weeks; and as the tobacco operatives
have no time to attend to gardens or
home crops, they are practically nom
producers Thus all Of their wages are
paid out to the Quincy merchants, and
this large cash trade explains the mar
velous development of the towns mer-
camille interests. 1t is also a great adj
vantage TO the employee, as retail prices
for staples are, as a rule, lower than
in the larger cities, and very fine stocks
of goods are carried in the stores. A
fine market is also furnished for the
farmers Of Gadsden county, and all Of
their live stock and farm produce is
sold at home. In addition 20 what is
grown in the county, hundreds Of car
loads of meat, meal, corn, hay, etc,
are required annually to supply the
wants of the people.
The wages of warehouse and field
hands represent about $65, 900 monthly,
or more than $500, 900 annually, and to
fertiliZe the crops there are required
about IL, 900 tons of cottonseed meal
and hulls, and about 1000 tons of pot
ash and other fertilizers, representing
cost of about $500, 900, not including
the value of home fertilizer produced
on the farms. In addition to these
items, the outlay for implements, live
stock and other supplies must be added
as an expense of producing the crop,
and in the way of improvements, the
curing sheds, dwelling houses and shade
structures represent very large item.
Hundreds Of mechanics are employed
in carrying on these building opera.
tons, and It may be safely asserted
that every one in Gadsden county,
young or old, can find steady work at
good wages the year round.
It is interesting to study the develop
ment of this industry in Gadsden coun-
ty. From 1887 to 1895 the tobacco
was grown in the open field, and fresh
hammock land was cleared for produc-
ing the fine wrapper type, but the i'm
ported Sumatra was steadily growing
| in favor, and il became more and
more difiicL,t for the Florida grow
ers to meet this competition. In 1896
the late F. A. Schroeder, of New York,
conceived the idea Of covering the fields
with an artificial shade to produce a
finer wrapper, and O small plot Of about
one acre was covered with Stats as an
experiment. This tobacco was Of fine
type, and the Owl Commercial Com
pany, desiring 70 still further improve
the tobacco, covered twenty acres the
following year with cheesecloth and
provided an irrigating plant to supply
the necessary moisture, Other grow
ers eKpeTimented along the same lines,
and the tobacco met with favor at once.
| It had the delicate texture and the
light color which were again fashion
able, and resembled the fine imported
type very closely.
OF the crop grown in 1899, the Owl
Commercial Company sent about TWEEN
! ty-hve pounds of their fine wrappers to
the Paris Exposition, held in the year
1000. This tobacco was displayed by
the Department of Agriculture, and
when submitted to the judges, all sam
Piles from Sumatra, Havana, Mexico
and other countries were designated by
number only; and though the seven
judges who we're TO pass upon the TO-
baceo represented Holland, France,
Spain, Cuba and the United States, the
! Florida tobacco won on every important
point, and the Owl Commercial Com