Year: 1878




work would have upon the future
of Florida, which place the subject
before my mindlas one Of so great
Importance that I ana induced to of.
fer them, in hopes to call out
more discussion and @more light"


1 have no official surveys to refer
to, but judging BY the map and such
means of information as are at
hand, and taking for granted what
seems to be conceded, that tJse drain
ing ofthe lake would afqfdrain the
everglades, it appeprs that body of
land fifty miles broad by seyenty-dve
in length will be prepared for the az
and rlow Of the pioneer, if this pro-
.jected scheme Becomes an accom-
plished fact. This equals $3.50 square
miles or ? 400, 0001acres. Or, to bring
this great area better within the grasp
of the mind, about Sen acres for every
man, woman and Child in the State.
The proportion of sngar made in the
South to the whole amount used in
this and countries that are non. pro-
ducers, in comparison with the
worlds crop, is Insignificant. Conse-
quentIy, this whole body of land
could be cut up into sugar estates
(Which is the use IT, would naturally
go to,) without the added supply on
the market materially effecting the
current prices Of sugar and syrup.
1t is probable, then. that in the future
sugar cane land kill keep its present
relative value as eolnparcd With 9th.
er lanes. scs us to an esti
And here it can only be matter of
opinion and opinions vary widely.
There is great quantity of pine land
in the State and where at all accessi-
BILE it goes off readily at State prices;
but the land adapted to the cultiya-
ton OF cane is comparatively limited;
there is no other large, unoccupied
tract in the country, and OF that that
there is, there is none naturally so
we'll fitted to produce fine sugar
and syrup as this. In addition, there
is no staple crop Of the South that
can pay SO large per cent, on the
money invested. There can be no
risk, then, in saying the land would
go rapidly at from 81. to SO. per acre,
according to Locations Ifthis is even
approximately true there ought to be
no great hesitation on the part of the
State about taking the matter up as a
State enterprise. Such part of this
land as the State has 40 title to at
present, would readily be ceded by
the United States, because in it's pres
ent condition it is valuless, and as Uni
ted States land would continue so,
for the reason that it is out of the le-
gitimate sphere of the general gov
crnment to engage in any work OF i'm
proyement as purely local as this
would be. It is true that the people
of Florida are few and poor; but in
proportion to the magnitude of the
work, the population and wealth is
greater than in that State, when New
York undertook the construction Of
her great canal, and the benefits to
be derived from this improvement,
in the way of internal navigation and
increase of State wealth, by the way
of valuable State lands, are greater,
and as vital to the interests of the
State. than were the benefits derived
by New York, from her canal, and
that has long been conceded one Of
the most influential agencies in the
building up of that great State. And
in any event, unless the surveys and
estimates of expenses already made,
orn calculated TO mislcad rather than