The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1910-10-20
Sugar and Syrup
From Florida Cane.

The state chemist Of Florida, Capt.
r. z. Rose, Of Tallahassee. has issued
Q very valuable bulletin on the makins
Of syrup and sugar from Florida cane.
He cites the fact that Florida was the
first of the states in this country to
enter on sugar and syrup making on .
large commercial scale, and that no
other state IN the union II better
sdaptsd to the growth Of sugar cane.
The reason that the industry has
net been further advanced In this
state. Capt. Rose believes. is due to
the fact that primitive methods OF
manufacture still obtain. He points
out that in no other Aeld Of human
spdeavor has the farmer and the nap'
ufactursr failed to take advantage Of
the improvements In methods and
machines, but In sugar making and IN
the manufacture of syrup, the Florida
farmer uses the same methods that
the Jesuit fathers introduced on the
east coast Of Florida near St. Angus
tine and New Smyrna early IN the SIX
teeuth century. The remains of large
sugar factories may still be seen on
the Turnbull estate at New Smyrna.
Capt. Rose says that the modern and
economical sugar factory does not
exist In Florida today. not even in a
single instance. The two roller horse
mill with a wooden frame which does
extract over half the juice from the
cane and the old Jamaica open kettle,
set in a clay furnace, are still In
evidence. Capt Rose continues to say
that the average Florida grower does
not extract over 40 per centum of the
sugar from the cane. The methods
are - primitive as those In use~in
Mexico and South America. He tells
Of the needs Of the state as follows:
A modern factory, with improved
mills, evaporators, filters, bagasse
burners and other modern labor-savins
devices, properly constructed CHARTERS.
filters. etc. will readily secure double
the quantity of syrup or sugar, Of a
much better quality, from the same
amount of cane, than can possibly be
accomplished by the crude and waste
full apparatus universally employed in
Florida today: at far less cost.
In no other agricultural and manu-.
featuring enterprise has the farmer
and manufacturer failed to take id.
vantage of the Improvement In
methods and machines. ! can only at.
tribute this to the generally accepted
belief that cane growing and syrup
making. even under the present crude
and wasteful method, Is considered a
most profitable business. I have
talked with hundreds Of farmers In all
parts Of the state. from Pensacola to
Key West. from Jacksonville to Tam
pa. and have yet to meet one who did
not positively assert that he derived
more cash, with less labor per acre,
from bis cane patch than from any
other crop.
The fact tina. We produce crops Of
cane OF from fifteeu to thtrty-five tons
per acre, with an easy average of
twenty tons. cannot be gainsaid
That this cane Is equal to any in
sugar content. and far superior to that
srown In other states. cannot be de.
nied. Too many tests and analyses
have been made. from canes taken
from all parts Of the state, and from
oil kinds OF land, by eminent chemists
and sugar makers. Who have unquali.
sfdlv stated that our canes are equal
to any, and superior to most, grown
In America. or even in Cuba, to per,
init . doubt to exist as TO the peculiar
advantages Of Florida's soil and
climate for producing a plant OF maxi
mum tonnage and sugar content
have frequently stated, and again
assert. that first-class granulated sugar
can be made from Florida cane at a
large profit when selling the sugar Al
less than II costs TO produce beet
sugar. That II these facts were In.
telligently placed before the American
farmer and capitalist, the enormous