The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-01-16
r,.,ck Farming in FloriIa.

M, but as an evidence OF good talth.
rruck Farming in Florida.
II. w Grayson Mann, formerly of Sa-
ul ,h Int now a resident of Seville, Fla,
van ,rritten an interesting letter relative to
. .i- farming ON hammock land in that
,-I.Ttv The following is the letter:
~. MAR SIR: Your kind favor asking
f,ra written statement of my experience
truck farmer on hammock land in
Vida has Just been received. 1t affords
rrsat pleasure to comply with your re-
nnsst although my views are rather those
On axperimentalist than of an expert on
~. subject of vegetable growing.
Five years ago l bought large tract OF
80. hammock land, four miles south of Sc
'llo and half a mile east of Lake George,
18th tbe intention of carrying out the sug-
-a,+ions of the most experienced truck
s,rmers near Savannah and Charleston,
1ho contended that the hammock lands of
c..,,t and Middle Florida were unequaled
:, America for the growing of early vege
4aMos for the Northern markets, where
coeap and quick transportation could be
secured. ~
Icleared about 45 acres of this land, thor
ongblv drained it by using board under
dreips removed gradually the stumps and
,lanted it with orange, lemon and tangerine
,rsas As soon as transportation facilities
rore afforded by the completion of the D.,
T and X. w. R. R., began truck farming
bv planting cabbage, tomatoes, potatoes,
boans beets. cucumbers, lettuce, peas, car
rotsand radishes in among the young orange
trees. which are %. feet apart. The land is
a dark rich loan, underlaid with mari and
CLAW. and being protected from cold north
west winds by the wide expanse of Lake
George and by dense forests, it is free from
tbe late frosts which are SO fatal in the
reighborhood of Savannah and Charleston.
All these advantages combined enable me
10 ship my early vegetables about three
weeks ahead of Savannah, thus securing
the highest prices and comparative freedom
from competition.
Irish potatoes and cabbage grow to per-
lection in this soil and generally command
good prices. l am now beginning to ship
early cabbage and will plant 20 acres in po-
tatoes about the first of January.
In order to secure high prices a certain
amount of forcing is necessary by using
such fertilizers as Mapes, and Wilcox &
Gibbs Truck Farmers Manures; Cotton
seed meal is also a valuable fertilizer. l
spend about $40 an acre for fertilizer per
annum.
To thoroughly clear, fence and drain such
hammock land costs from $175 to $500 an
acre. Before planting oranges or vegetables
on such land l would spend at least one year
in clearing and draining and sweetening
and pulverizing it by blowing and harrow
ing.
The effects of thorough drainage are so
well known that they need not be dwelt
upon The drainage is of course the best,
but it is now too expensive to be generally
adopted in Florida.
hope soon to be able to show the advan-
tages of intensive" farming in Florida
Last June, after l had shipped my vegeta
bles, / allowed the much-neglected crab
grass to grow and made from it hay equal
to that which we purchase from the North.
By the first of October on the same land
planted early cabbage, which is now ready
to ship. By Feb Is l will have large to-
mato plants ready to set out on this same
ground and ripe tomatoes will be ready for
shipment in May And all this time my
young orange trees are greatly benefited by
the fertilizing and frequent stirring of the
soil. Now here arc four valuable crops pro
duced in one year on the same land Gnclud-
ing oranges) a result which can hardly be
surpassed by the expert market gardeners
Of the North, while the prices for our pro-
ducts here are infinitely higher, as the fol
lowing summary will show, the result of
one years intensive farming, emitting, of
course, the increased value of the orange
trees:
Hay, tons per acre, SIG per ton. ......S 80 90
cabbage, 80 bbls. per acre, say 50 so per
6bL.Sl15 from which deduct 80 per CT
lor cost of production, freight, COM
mission, etc, leaves. ..... ............. 81 50
Tomatoes, $50 crates per acre at 81, is
{5U; from which deduct cost of pro.
uuction freight commission, etc, So 60,
ea'eS''. OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES. l5U w
Or net profit per acre of. ......S $50 90
lam satisfied that even more favorable
results could be achieved on the same land
oy emitting the cultivation of oranges and
deVotng it altogether to vegetables. The
ABOVE estimates are low with very liberal
discount for expenses.
lam not familiar with the value of low
PINE land for truck farming, but am salts
aed that there is in the neighborhood of
seville a considerable quantity OF such land
adjacent to the lakes and fatwoods which
Will successfully produce early vegetables
LOT Northern markets and which can be
cleared at considerable less expense than
hammock land.