33 



" starchyielding plant. On his return to Florida he organised 

 " a company and erected a great factory at Lake Mary, 18 miles 

 " from Orlando, for the manufacture of Cassava starch. I 

 " visited the factory at the end of June, and was kindly per- 

 " mitted to see through it, the managers taking a great interest 

 " in Jamaica. One thousand acres of Cassava are cultivated in 

 "the vicinity, hundreds of acres of which by gentlemen 

 "connected with the factory. There are fields of 100 acres 

 "each which I had the pleasure of inspecting Within 60 

 " miles of the factory the managers purchase the tubers 

 " delivered at railway stations at $5 per ton, and the culture 

 " is extending rapidly. 



" This factory crushes 40 to 50 tons of tubers daily during 

 " the cropping season of four months. This plant grows remark- 



" ably well on the always present sandy soil I 



" pointed out that larger returns would be obtained from a 

 " better soil, in fact, double the crop. The yield of starch from 

 " the tuber is 17 to 20 per cert. It is also noteworthy that 

 " the manufacture of tapioca and dextrine from Cassava are to 

 " be taken up with the least possible delay. . . .'•■'. . 



"During my sojourn in Florida I collected other valuable 

 "information regarding Cassava as an article of food for cattle, 

 "etc. Indeed, Florida is determined to make Cassava a leading 

 " staple product. The matter is discussed everywhere From 

 "the report of the Professor at the Florida Agricultural Experi- 

 " ment Station, I make the following extracts : " With all the 

 "facts procurable, and with the experience not only of myself, 

 " but of many practical farmers to support the opinion, I have 

 "reached the conclusion that, all things considered, Cassava 

 " comes nearer furnishing the Florida farmer with a more 

 '* universally profitable crop than any other which he can grow 

 " on equally large areas. It can be utilised in more ways, can 

 " be sold in more different forms, can be more cheaply converted 

 "into staple and finished products, and can be produced for a 

 " smaller part of its selling price than any other crop. It is 

 "unquestionably true that cassava, all things considered, comes 

 " nearer supplying a perfect ration for farm stock than any 

 " other concentrated food produced upon Florida farms. Every 

 " beef animal in Florida can be put in the condition of western 

 " stall-fed cattle by the simple use of cassava at a mere fraction 

 " of the cost to the corn feeders of the west. An acre yielding 

 "40 bushels of corn would at this rate produce 1,187 lbs, of 

 " starch, while an acre of cassava producing 6 tons would yield 

 " 2,400 lbs. of starch. It thus appears that cassava is to. day 

 "the cheapest known source of starch, costing at present 



