The weekly Floridian. [volume] (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1867-19??, 1885-07-02

Mr. J. s. Connolly. 81 b ssow. ID putting forty
acres into q strawberry deld. He has two thou
sand plants set, an | OK pscts to finish the forty
acresin October. He will water them by steam
pump, which will throw water . hundred feet
into the mir, and let Il fall - spray. Pipes will
he run through the deld for the attachmen, Of
hose at suitshie distauces.-Apepks Citizen.
We find in other papers of the PENN
sula accounts of plans for irrigating
lands aud assuring regularity of crops,
that the railroads may he freighted with
the early vegetable products that bring
wealth to the producers. 10 one instance,
as We learn from the Orlando Sentinel,
six hundred dollar pumping engine de-
livers water at the rate of seventy thou
sand gallons an hour. This is portable
machine, hauled from place to place as
easily as an ordinary loaded wagon, and
it can thus be made to furnish necessary
irrigation to several properties | coated
near a water supply.
Two factors are Of peculiar importance
to the development of the resources Of
Leon county. One is railroad communi
cation giving quick access to markets,
aud the other is irrigation to assure GER
tainty of production Of crops for sale in
those markets. Nature does not give all
good things to one place, but has given
intellect to man that he may overcome
obstacles and supply deficiencies. Some
of the most productive and therefore
populous portions of the earth would be
barren wastes if artificial irrigation did
not compensate the lack of rain, and this
was done even in the era of crude civil
cation Nature has given to Middle
Florida fertile soil and climate favor
able to the production of wide range
Of vegetation, most of the plants Of the
temperate zone and the semi-tropical. But
this section, like others, is liable to
drought, which may come any season
and di>appoint the fairest expectations OF
| the farmer When this OCCURS he may
| comfort himself, but his losses are not
thereby compensated, by laying the
blame on the season-that it was
not his fault, but the act Of
Providence that withheld the rain. Yet
a truck farmer and has the means to com
bat the universities Of the season. There
is scarcely a property in Leon county that
| has not upon it, or near by, an abundant
water supply-a lake, stream or spring
placed there for man to utilize when he
looks in vain 10 the sky to send him
needed water Who is to blame when he
| stands by and sees his few acres or more
Of various plants perish Of thirst where
water is in easy reach, to be raised by
| hydraulic rams or other machinery of no
large cost? Perhaps his neighbors are
| to blame, if he is unable to bear the en-
tire expense and they refuse to join him
in putting in waterworks for the benefit
Of all concerned. Our soil is full of plant
food, but the plant, like the man, must
drink or die. We feed the plant with fer
tilizers and then risk the loss of it and of
them by trusting to the chance of rain to
furnish the equally essential moisture.
Irrigation costs something, as does almost
everything of value, but the cost of max
ing big crop on two acres cannot equal
that OF failing to make crop on ten
acres. In many instances the cost of per-
manent irrigating works will be repaid
by the increased crops Of the first year,
and thereafter regular crops are assured
at the trfling expense of applying the wa
ter. Our lakes, streams and springs are
beautiful and useful in their natural way :;
hut the full measure of their usefulness
was left for mar to Fill, and when he does
his work our country will be all garden
aud granary, teeming with crops, tat
with baryests