The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1910-05-21

free TO my communications for the
! interest of the industry; and the re-
suits of that liberal and generous
policy, emulated from the long
standing one of the Florida Times
Union, has been such. that in less
than two weeks after the article pub
lished by the Scientific American the
applications had completely exhaust
ed my stock of seeds.
Sixth-The material. substantial
opening of the market for the soap
nut and its derivations.
Seventh-The enormous quantity
| of seeds which have been planted
! without or through my agency and
! initiative. In order TO show the in
terest manifested substantially. |
think it proper to enter into a kind
! of statistical figuring, because it will
give information that may be wanted
| in the future and because it Will no
doubt prove 10 be an incentive for
more elaborate development.
CD To my initiative is due that
the Government has imported seeds
from Algeria and China. distributed
them. grown trees, and also is dis
tributing same. l cannot say what
quantities.
| CD Mr.. Livingston has, for the
past three years. distributed free or
sold, probably thousands of seeds,
besides the thousands planted by
himself.
CD Messrs. Eugene and Alex Mer-
rill have imported. through my
agency, living trees and seeds from
Algeria.
ca Mr.. Fetting. ST.. has pur-
chased from Mr.. J. Fl. Livingston
hundreds of trees and probably 20
900 seeds.
60 At this writing, negotiations
are pending. the object OF which
is to take off my hands the balance
Of my stock of seeds and perhaps
some 1000 trees one year old. The
proposition comes from one of the
most prominent men of Jacksonville.
1t is quite probable that the project
will have materialiZed at the time
this is printed.
co And the hundreds of thous-
ands distributed by me. disseminate
ed mostly all over this State. but
also in other states of the Union,
and even foreign countries. | am
conservatively safe in saying that in
Florida. this summer. could be found
probably one-half million of growing
soap-nut trees. some coming into
bearing next year. all OF these being
species OF China origin. And / am
also safe in saying positively that
that industry is now an established
fact.
Eighth-And last but not least,
the warm. encouraging Endorsement
of my work by the officials OF the
United States Department of Agri-
culture. whose work in the same line
attests the importance of the indus
try and gives a guaranty for further
and more important Developments
than | could hope TO attain.
How the Industry Stands Today
The above description refers TO the
situation OF the soap berry tree in
dustry in the spring of 1908. Since
that time a great deal has been done
} in the way OF experiments in Great
ing commercial products from the
berries the samples of which are on
record at the Bureau of Plant In
dustry. United States Department of
Agriculture. Washington. ID. c.
Not only have I added to the value
OF the raw material by my own eX-
peyiments. but l have secured the
cooperation OF scientific Laboratories
of first class standing and succeeded
in having these laboratories work in
connection with the United States
Department OF Agriculture.
From this country and from for
eign countries | have been asked for
price quotations on the berries for
enormous quantities. Mr.. Living
ston himself has been asked for quo
tations for car load lots. From the
northwest. the west and the Pacific
slope applications for seeds come
both 20 me and 10 Mr.. Livingston by
the scores.
The prospects are OF the brightest
imaginable for that industry. which
is now on a substantial basis, and
it is not idle talk TO assert that in
a very few years from now the re-
sources available from the trees
growing in Florida will surpass in
magnitude and profits the most san
aUIne eNpectatiCn>-AEri cUltUrist.