The weekly Floridian. [volume] (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1867-19??, 1882-10-31

Mr. President: Belonging to profession diff
fereni from the one which you represent, but
one which should be regarded rs auxiliary to
yours, feel that il is proper that should say
something on this occasion. The professions
which we both represent should go hand In hand,
because without tho aid Of the railroads you can
not succeed and without your efforts there would
be no necessity fnr railroads. Indeed, sirs, all
professions and trades are dependent primarily
upon yours; hence each and every one should
be willing to give such assistance as is best cal
culated to make yours a success, and thus en-
courage and enable you 10 develop the capacity
of this fertile and beautiful section Above all
others, however, hold that IL is more especially
the duty of transportation lines to assist you be-
cause the benefits resulting from yonr efforts are
more directly reciprocal.
lou will permit me, however, 10 pass by
whatever may have to say about transportation
tor the present. l have been 50 much pleased
with what have heard, as the results Of your
experiments last year. that / feel that ID would
be encouraging 10 you to hear the results ol sim
liar efforts in other sections possessing no more
advantages than your section has, and in many
instances the advantage is on your side.
/ Truck farming is a success elsewhere, and /
VIII not tire you with long talk, but will refer
only To one or two instances, because that ought
to be sufficient, and you will admit that what
one man has done another can do.
In Alachua county one gentleman planted
last year two gardens. One WAS a Z" one mule
crop, from which he received $500; the other
w@sa follows: IL acres in cabbages; 20 acres
in tomatoes II acres in Irish potatoes II acres
in beets, and acres in cucumbers. The cucum-
bers yielded nothing. From the balance OF his
crop he secured $4,7OO
Another, from less than an acre of strawberries
received $70O
Another, who, however, planted at NewberD,
y. T., and who still retains his farm there but
will also plant largely in Florida this year. as
well rs engage in other business received for his
crop OF vegetables last year $4,000; and il is
estimated that after he has realized for his cotton
(lll OF the vegetable land was planted in cotton
after the vegetables were gathered he will have
received tor his farming operations last year be
tween $4,000 and $4,000
Again, Mr.. Cessna's experience i'm Alachua
county has been most satisfactory. NV CONVEX
satipn with him was hurried, and did not have
the lime 10 write down all that he told me- In
that county vegetables are grown on shares be-
tween the landowners and the colored people
the contract being that the owner furnishes the
lanG, the horse and the seed, and The other pariy
furnishes the labor, and feels the hands In
this contract il is expressly stipulated W hat shall
be planted, and what amount of land shall be
given Ia the various kinds of vegetables: and
since Strawberries have proven ST. profitable
nearly every contract includes that luscious fruit
Ii IS further stipulated in these contracts that
tile crops are To be cultivated only as directed by
the party contracting with the lab0rer AT firsf
II was difficult to get the cOlored peopleto enter
into these contracts, but they have seen the ben
hlsto themselves, and they are now willing and
anxious 10 make them. After the crop IS made
1t IS divided between the contracting PARTIES al
the depot or packing-hous half and half alike
each party furnishing his own crates for ship
rncnt.
Mr. Cessna told me he had been in the business
OF tfuck-Sardenlng tor ten or twelve years and
With the exception of two years, had made
money each year He states that he has received
nearly 81 900 from one acre OF tomatoes He
also stated that strawberries are an important
factor In this business, and they have paid as
hiSti 'S 5000 PEI acre Much of his Twelve We lr'
experience has been devoted 10 Ike discovery of
Jerry adapted To his section, and he has at last
found one. he thinks, superior to all Others 1t
IS the Newman Seeding" He has sold this
year 81 800 worth OF strawberry plants alone.
Inc best fertilizer Mr. Cessna has found for The
s,rawDerry Is cotton seed meal and ground bone.
OF which ne uses from 200 to 800 pounds per
acre. The land best adapted is cIay and sand
mixed He recommends that the plants be sci
out the last of October or first of November.
Inc best and most profitable vegetables TO
plant are tomatoes, cabbagcs, Irish potatoes Gu
cumbers and beans
There are numbers of instances which miobt
be given TO prove that truck farming will nav
Dut II cannot be necessary to state them. Your
own experiments, As lar as they have gone show
thal you have done as well, and in some instan-
ces better than those vementioned.
II the people of this section who engage in
thls Industry do not do as well rs others have
done 1t will be their own fault You are blessed
with as beautiful a country as the sun ever shown
upon, sol rich and generous which is only
waiting for the hand of industry to do its part
when il will yield to you even more than Won
expect ou must not expect the soil to do il all
however, and then, when failure Overtakes You.
complain. Labor, and constant labor is neces
sary, AMI even with the most approved methods |
and earnest efforts. failure will sometimes occur
we might as well expect stone just taken from |
the quarry TO fashion out the human face with |
out the aid of the sculpior's chsel, as that the
land Will yield without proper and constant aid |
from US. The sculptors work is not accom- |
Pushed by single blow. Thousands of blows |
rough-cast il, and thousands of chise-cuis polish
and perfect 1t. The same truth is applicable TO
your profession, aud tn every undertaking of life
il success is TO be obtained. Apply, then. tcU /
and effort to your profession, and your generous
soil will surprise you with the abundance il will
return for your labor.
Mr. Rhem, To whom have referred as having
received SD large an amount from his f,rmino
interests, IS living illustration of this truth.
Never idle himself be ddes not permit his land
70 remain idle. He is constantly at work and |
never neglecls to remember the requirements of
he SOIL Ii may be interesting, and perhaps be
To you To know how he works his
arm. As soon as his soil is thawed out and in
condition Tor planting, he plants his peas and
IRISH potatoes. He planted last year of peas
wo hundred acres, and of Irish potatoes one
hundred and thirteen acres. His peas are planted
n the ordinary way. but his potatoes are planted
'ny eight inches apart in the drill His reason
nr thus planting them so near is that a greater
stance CAUSES them TO grow, as he expresses
/, bumpy" When planted near they
re OF uniform size and smooth In gath
ring his potatoes he does not allow the |
an 10 heat them, but as fast as they are taken
rom the hill they are placed i'm barrels. and il
he wagon IS not ready to remove them from the |
eld, they are covered with the vints TO protect
hem from the sun until they can be removed to |
ne shade. During his harvest season he il en-
loyed day and night, gathering during the day, |
ssoriing. packing and weighing during tile
lghi. lie keeps, during this period, two gangs
hands employed, one during the day the other
I night. As soon as his peas and potatoes have |
cen gathered, the same land is planted in cot ;
n, and when the proper time for planting win
Il cabhages has arrived he sets them out be- :
seen the rows of cotton. The cotton protects
ne cabbages until they are large enough to take
are Of themselves. Alter the cotton has been
adhered, he removes the stalks and in the same ,
'ws he plants his spring cabbages. These
munger plants are in turn projected by the large
ibbages, and SO the year round he keeps his ,
nd and himself employed with the result this
ear OF which haYe told you In September
again plants Irish potatoes. and these grow