10 MANUFACTURE OF TABLE SIKUPS FROM SUGAR CANE. 



THE SUGAR BEET. 



The sugar beet can not, however, be grown in Florida profitably. Here you 

 must depend f)n the svigar cane for sngar and upon the cassava and potato for 

 starch. From starch ghicose can also be made, and it seems to me that in the 

 near fiTtnre the glncr)se industry will pass from the indian-corn belt to the cassava 

 and potato belt. In one particular industry Florida and the southern parts of 

 Georgia and Alabama stand i)reeminent. and that is the manufacture of table 

 sirup from sugar cane. It is important, however, to secure uniform grades to hold 

 the markets of the world, and this can only be accomplished by mixing together 

 the products of small farmers or by the establishment of central factories, where 

 the cane grown in the neighborhood can be manxifactured under standard condi- 

 tions. 



By the development of these great industries, sugar and starch making, includ- 

 ing table sirups, xmtold wealth will in the near future flow into Florida. From, 

 by-products of the factories immense quantities of cattle food can be obtained, 

 both from sugar cane and the stai'ch-producing plants. Thus a dairy indiistry 

 can be established in connection with sugar and starch making, which will add 

 much to the wealth of the State. 



From Jacksonville the party returned to Brunswick, Ga., where a 

 banquet was given by the board of trade at tlie Ogletliorpe Hotel, 

 after wliieh a reception was tendered at tlie Pluenix C-lul). Tlie ques- 

 tion of the development of the sugar-cane and cassava industries was 

 informally discussed at this reception by the leading business men of 

 Brunswick. 



From IJi'unswick the party proceeded to Waycross, where it was 

 met by the board of trade of that city and where samples of canes, 

 gathered from different parts of the locality, were inspected. The 

 magnitude of these canes is best shown by the photograph taken at 

 Waycross, showing a number of gentlemen most intcn-ested in tlie 

 industry and the size of the canes typical of the gi-owth secured in 

 the immediate locality. (PI. VI, fig. 1.) 



At Waycross one of the l)est of the small mills for making sirup 

 was insi)ected, viz, the mill of Mr. Hatcher, about 1 mile southwest of 

 the town. This mill is a small one, operated with a single mule as 

 power, and is best illustrated b}' referring to PI. VI, fig. 2. 



The method of feeding th<^ cane to this mill is shown in PL VII, 

 figs. 1 and L*. 



The evaporator, which is a single iron kettle set in masonry, is 

 shown in V\. VIII, fig. 1. 



The structure of the furnace at Mr. Hatcher's mill, whi(;h is the 

 best type of this character of furnace, is seen in PL VIII, fig. 2. 



One of the most interesting places visited near Cairo was the 

 tlioroughly primitive establishment of Capt. E. A. A^'anhmdingham. 

 It was already growing dark on our arrival, and thus an oppoi-tunity 

 t was alforded of seeing this (juaint factory in its most picturesque 



I state, viz, illuminated by a tor(;h of "lightwood." This method of 



! illumination is the one llni^•ersally practiced in the old-fashioned 



I establishment represented in PL IX. 



