The weekly Floridian. [volume] (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1867-19??, 1885-11-26

HeSDSl ouO pitmC ShiRtvt. AZ atS PAS~>
tion. Leon county can simply out japanese
Japan An acre will carry from. 400 oil the
largest growing varieties TO 600 Of the less
branching trees, and these bear Rom one to sew
efal hundred large peTsimmons each. As yet
they fetch as much as and 10 cents each IN the
markets bat at csat apiece there is from ESQ
10 600 per acre in them. They are also suscep-
tible of being dried and cured 10 sugar. One val
liable feature of this fruit 10 the loug period dur
ing which . succession oil crops occur with ihe
many varieties
No feature OF Surroundings here strikes one
more forcibly than the yigor aud thriftness OF
the peach trees. Except a few utterly neglected
trees left entirely TO the ravages OF the eorer,
have not seen q single diseased or unpromising
tree Now peaches of the early varieties ripen
here In May and June. The crops OF Middle
Florids can be consumed before any of the places
north of this suited to this production, can get
| their earliest crops into market. This means
prices in New York that would paralyze Della
ware grower to realize
1t is long since recognized fact that coun-
try that can grow peaches can get rich. Middle
Florida can do it with fewer drawbacks than
most other places.
Figs of many varieties are thoroughly at home
here. have been shown trees planted sixty
years ago, still dourishing, that have never had
an of" fruit year, and still yield enormously.
II the tree has natural enemy it has escaped
the observation of every one. Heretofore this
fortunate inhabitants OF the extreme South, ow-
ing to its perishabe nature, but recent
experiment has satisfactorily demonstrated the
practcability of putting these rare and delicious
things in the Northern markets in a fresh and
entirely edible condition by use of reirigerating
boxes and at prices that make them one OF the
most surely profitable crops that can cucumber
the ground This information touching the
handling of figs in Northern markets have OBJ
tained from an experienced horticulturist who
is about entering extensively into their culture
here, and who spoke, he informs me, from the
record, having made large profits in handling
the fruit.
The foregoing five staple crops Of grapes, pears,
Japan persimmons peaches and figs are those
l think destined to take leading places among
the very profitable and largely cultivated orchard
products here Quite list of others less con-
spicuous will probably come TO be OF some i'm
portance, ounces and pomegranates for instance.
The latter is getting TO be quite the fashion
among conventional house keepers North as an
ornamental dessert fruit. A bit of astheticism
likely to be attended with great profit 10 the
growers Of this handsome tree.
Somewhat in conjunction with these orchard
enterprises may be taken the growing and ship
ping of early vegetables to more Northern mar
kets. Longer experience has been had here in
this industry than with fruits, and while the
business seems 10 have been attended with vary
ing success in the hands Of the many engaging in
ii, ranging indeed from total failure to most sat
isfying results, it has become to be regarded as
an established we'll assured branch of farm in
dustry that pays larger profits proporOnally than
any interest on the farm, procidsd it is left to
turner's to be dOvetailed With their regular farm
operations, and not dabbled with by experiment
tai amateurs.
The tour vegetables so far found most salts
factory for shipment North are Irish potatoes,
cabbage, tomatoes and wateTmelOns
Potatoes are planted in December and Janu-
ary, generally the first week in January They
are worked once or twice dug in latter part OF
April or first week IN May. About one hundred
days are required from planting TO harvesting.
The yield per acre ranges from 100 to 200 BUSH
els, sometimes much higher, owing entirely TO
the fertility of the soil. The tubers are carefully
sorted and divided into first, second and third
quality TO be shipped and cuils for stock feed.
Prices in New York, Philadelphia and Baltimore
have for the past ten years ranged from 80 to 50
per barrel In no instance have been able to
find practical farmer who has failed to make
money on this crop.
Cabbage seed are 'sown here in July and Au-
gust, and the plants set out soon thereafter as
possible so as to secure maturity early in Janu-
ary About 5000 plants can be put upon
acre. About IS per cent or 80 per cent of these
will form compact marketable heads.
The object is to put them into Northern mar
kets in February, March, April and May just as
the old supply OF Northern grown crop is
hausted. Prices range from So to SIS per hun
dred
The soil upon which both these crops are
raised is always planted to another OF some char
acter so soon as the first crop is off. Two crops
are thus made annually on the same ground
Tomatoes are always a readily salable product
They yield enormously and fetch, when early,
from a to $40 per bushel crate.
WatermelOns are grown on a very extensive
scale, the crops of each farmer covering gener-
ally from go to 100 acres. From 1000 TO 1900
large marketable melons is good crop per acre.
They are too heavy to haul far, and gener-
ally grown alongside railway tracks and are
handled entirely by carloads. Th.. product OF
an acre will generally load a car Prices Gene
ally net from $1O0 TO 5000 per Car load
There are many other vegetable crors that
gardeners and smaller operators can make very
profitable here. Caulihower, beans, peas beeis,
celery and egg plants are among the number
The aspect OF the matter that have been dis.
posed to present to the minds Of any OF friends
who may read these letters. and with whose
ways and opportunities for farming l am tamil
lar, is the splendid combination of advantages ex-
isting here; the very many strings a farmer may
have to his bow, and the inerpensiue processes by
which ends are accomplished, that in our part of
the country are attained only by the outlay OF
considerable sums OF money.
Where lands are cheap, ready cleared, and
grass grown, as they are here, a man OF very
moderate means can afford TO buy larger tracts
than where it is of higher price, or where, if
cheaper it was still in standing timber involving
the delay and expense of clearing.
He can buy land enough Of good quality to
enable him to farm as much as his force will ad-
NIT or Put ten or twenty acres in fruit trees to
grow while he is asleep and in few years drop
their golden harvest into his lap, and still have
land enough left to keep focks and herds of fair
dimensions
1t is the cooperation of these several interests
that constitute that happy condition OF things
We call Mixed Farming"
Each branch Of the business sustains and is de-
pendent on the other.
1t is the stubble, stover, culls and waste or un-
marketable product of the farm proper, that
largely supports the live stock, and il is the
golden foot of the flock" and the manurial
waste of the herd that alone can be relied upon
to give that heart 10 soil essential to successful
culture of vegetables for shipment
To attempt TO permanently enrich land with
commercial Fertilizers 10 about on par with an
effort to fatten An OK on Condition Powders.
Where the early vegetable patches and fruit
orchards are incidental to-" side shows" to-
the real circus OF farming and stock raising and
where the regular force of labor, teams and i'm
plemeuts employed on the farm can be tempo
rarily diverted and applied to these interests
without extra outlay of money, there is invaria-
ably great advantage and profit attending them.
This Is true everywhere, perhaps, in some meas
ure. But here on the generous soil of these
done, and the ipsease prices realized places these
adjuncts beyond all comparison with like pro-
jects elsewhere. 1t is indeed this wonderful di-
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