The weekly Floridian. [volume] (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1867-19??, 1883-09-11
Yeneaahle Culture.


eatcely for be able 10 present much reliable
daa the subject Five years ago nothing was being
doee In this business in Leon county s veN dmouit
overthrow old customs and Few men IA Leon had an
iea o. hndGg q market North for anything on cotton
sugar The quotations fot carly vegetable received
IN York Charleston, where some attention had
directed In this channel Art c-aht t'e attention of
practical men. who expcrimented il small way,
and with results that altogether satisfactory
This induced others embark in the business which has
eloped something of moment The shipments for
present will aggregate in Leon count, about
1900 packages consisting chiefly OF barreed potatoes
and cabbage and Grated bects beans tomatoes and "n"-
will about $4,000 to the producers A. matter
there many degrees OF attending The
efforts 81 different people engaged in this business Some
made money, they dec!a easier and more surely
any enterprise they embarked in others have
realized failures and feel disgusted The writer
cuIes a middle ground to results OF his expert
and has reason 10 regard truck farming in Leon
county very safe and certainly lucrative business
pro,ied the conditions ali right. And these cond
be grouped under the five htads Ofs:. good
aoi I'd. suficency Of good fertilizers 3D. thorough
work lth and discretion gathering packing and
shipping h. good fortune in not falling into the hands
II roeuish consgnee We safely that IN The de
gre. which al these conditions been real
lied by any have the dollars jngled in his peck
the end OF the We CONFIDENT. believe that
il il destined become Of the leading industries Of
hepce there will be twenty In the county de
truck growing fox every OF the present
The old sdage Of the pnddngbag has settled the
question far claimed superiority Of the red lands
of Middle Florida concerned any Others in the
for successful production Of hst class merchanabe
vegetables The dealers in Washington market. New
York, well in Baltimore and Philadelphia. unhesi
,stingy declare that all articles of truck received from
ron and Jefferson counties vastly superior any
from any part VI the South. aud recommend the
adoption II loca. trade mark prevent the stuf from
this point being deprecated by the inferior quality Of Ea
and Soaih Florida truck.
NOW very confidently assert that Whatever supe
ricrty these Leon county vegetables possese owing
'irey 10 ndtra! advantage the surroundings here
lend them since established standard OF culture exists
the people engaged the bu-iLees and in
the ro1ghesi and simplest modee have oh aimed
Poor land or land that subject .picion OF De
ing pool will nsTeT for truck growing There
land 10 be found Florida possessing natural fertility
.un<at 10 e-Ij< q successfully g,o truck Perhaps il
Leon county every plantation, there many
that ar make fFo f'teen TO twenty barrels OF Irish
tatoes 70 the without fertzing. Bat hfteen
twenty barrels TO the acre Wcn FOR oo ~ such
crop perhaps than five barrels OF prime could
elected practically theee he marketable part
~ the crop Then accept 1t fact that the very best
OF lAnd FLORIDA TequTes nunure
Ava far 0rota6e trucking And after the selection Of
iocsuon cohVene"' a. trsnsnrAt!on well drained with
good red clay snbsoi and TOO low.
cepoe late frost the prsble for the Intending truck
reste with s where AMI how obtain
/ necessary manure This il not question that money
i settle can't buy The heart requisite in
sEd make market able vegetables, he has make IL
| Lud acid phosphates.'' bone. Peruvian guano
aud such hike condiments only help do this and by
! the way, they expensive seasoning kottrd sege
table mold hutnus s the vehicle that all other s,imu
lent. may be applied through to pant. The dungheap Is
he farmer beet hold In proportion the facilities for
increasing this needed commodity. will be the profit
very truck farm We particularly fortunate in Leon
county in having abundant supply Of cotton seed
(which nothing is better supplying several valuable Gle
the soil Theee be had at eight
/ pei bushe From 20 to 400 bushels, composted with
kbort - wagon loads Of lot aud nicely seasoned
with about 800 pounds of raw bone. glano makes
dressing that If applied per good land for year
:wo i'll succession, and heavy crop CT cowpeas, begar
weed something ese turned under with puts things
shape for IS barrel. potatoes per acre
CHAT carefully handled and fairly -od viii net
81 labor freight and selling from g. ~ 81 per
gel il will give him about 5000 large cabbnges, about
sU Of which Will head in ehape to justify shipping
laem and il he has average luck, the markets have
teen heretofore, he will from eight twelve
Ser head for them from $500 S00 per and
proportion TO other vegetables, although to be
2d. these wu-cabbage and Irish potatoes the only
vegetable crops tina; Leon county farmers know
Sboat Beers green peas, rnap heahs, cucnmhers lorna
ae onions and plants have been experimental with
Dome and all have given general satisfaction but these
.,tter nave not been handled yet, a scac isrge
enough to enable very much to be rald about them.
The strong recommendatory feature OF truck farming
- the fact that land devoted ts occupied
turiug winter and spring season. and after these
truck crops all harvested and the cash results In hand
farmer has from fonr to months available for the
krodnrtion of another crop the land That
y BE- put Irish potatoes about the
If January; by the LIST Of May these be shipped The
land then make crop Of corn met sweet potatoes
cation, tobacco sorghum hay peas, melons
c0 crops Of peas be maured this land before
Post the fret harvested and cured for feed
lsst turned under for fertzing In this connection
I note what Mr. John Bradford of Leon county had to
:, sry two years ago
There many reasons why Leon county we'll .uIed
fox raising potatoes for the early Northern
markets The soil Is we'll adapted this crop particu
lafly the lightest red lands which. being
btougnt proper etats Of fertility, easily kept
:! that condition.
AZ time, usually place all crop market
bfore Charleston Savannah begin ship. that
! b&se nothing to contend with except Bermuda The
witer has shipped potatoes every rince 1875
las with exception finished shipping every be-
4 fO,e any sent from Charleston Savannah and
that ices remunerave Pototoes raised
he whom properly matured and handled with care bring
pces almost equal TO those from Bermuda which
] lead the market.
The usual time for planting is from the middle Jan
ury to the middle Of February and ordinarily crop
CAP shipped by May 10TH leaving the ground which
| itwa grown In fine condition, and with abundance of
to make q crop Of other kind The writer in
ono has made bale Of the acre after
taxing OF the potatoes another time forty burhes
ofcorn and at still another than four hundred
bushels OF sweet potatoes.
The amount Of crop yariee Of With the season.
All the quantity and quality Of manur.r used. Generally
twenty fifty barrels per raised
than hundred have been made
toes but notwithstanding this member OF the Leon
County Farmers Club reported to the Club
meeting he had shipped hundred and forty eight
barrels from acres (about half crop: had sold
them In New York and Baltimore g. TO So Der
bsrre the lot netting sos As being average 81 y
pc barrel Besides those shipped about seventy five
,As reserved for family stock feed &c which
will than balance labor after paying for
seed fertilizers cooperage and hauling depot he
bod cleared over 45OO.
ur facilities for shipping good, and the ptospco,
| that another season they will be even better
! dr. Bradford says that more than hundred bar.
re,s OF potatoes have been made the acre in Leon
c,A4nty This s doubt true. In many in.tancer or
they have been produced at tie of hundred
oEmore barrels the Bnt there Is great diff
between that sort Of thing well kept garden
spot Of quarter half and accomplishing thing