120 
FLORIDA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY 
becomes bad enough to destroy a crop 
or keep one from making money. Some 
say we can be free from it if we plant 
seed free from that worm. Some say 
we can get rid of it; same say we cannot 
get rid of it; even though we do not plant 
infected seed cane the worm will come 
and infest the corn, from Maiden cane 
that is infested with it. 
I would like to have those of you who 
have tried it, say if you have made a 
failure, and if you think sugar cane grow¬ 
ing cannot be made a success in the State 
of Florida, and why. I do not want to 
work myself to “a rag and a bone and a 
hank of hair” and have the growers make 
a failure after being urged to plant the 
seed cane. 
Mr. Sheppard: I raised some sugar 
cane once, and if you think it does not 
require any work, you won’t think that 
after you have raised a crop of it. I 
do not think it will grow on the pineapple 
ridge. 
In regard to the Cuban worm, it was 
introduced some years ago when Mr. 
Disston had his farm. That worm put 
the sugar cane business almost out. The 
farmers had to stop growing cane on 
account of that worm. The boys and the 
negroes chewed it, and the worm was 
objectionable. (Laughter.) When it 
was made into syrup, the worm and the 
juice all went in together. 
I do not think the worm lives in the 
Maiden cane; it entirely belongs in the 
sugar cane, and if you get cane free from 
the worm, I do not think you will be 
troubled with it at all. 
Mr. McQuarrie: I have grown cane 
about twenty years, and I have always 
found where the land is prepared prop- 
erly, you need not work much. 
I think it is one of the most remarkable 
crops we have, and I have often won¬ 
dered why the people of Florida did not 
grow more of it and make syrup. I 
believe eventually we are going to have 
some sugar factories in the state. 
The general rotation of farm crops is 
a great field. Where you make a num¬ 
ber of crop rotations and bear in mind 
the idea of building up the land, I think 
sugar cane is one of the most desirable 
crops in the State of Florida. 
Mr. -: I have seen thousands of 
acres of sugar cane, and I would like 
to know if anyone here has ever seen 
a successful crop of sugar cane grown on 
poor land, loose, pine land, without its 
being heavily cow-penned or fertilized. 
Mr. Goodwin: It is far from my in¬ 
tention to try to grow sugar cane upon 
our high dry, spruce pine land. Our 
high, sandy ridges are too dry, but we 
expect to extend our operations to the 
flat woods and where the soil is heavier, 
and make sugar cane a staple crop to 
replace the pineapple industry as a money 
maker for St. Lucie County. 
Mr. Wilson: At one time I made a 
considerable study of the sugar cane 
borer. We found in a number of cases 
the sugar cane borer has practically run 
the sugar cane out. Now, whether that 
