The weekly Floridian. [volume] (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1867-19??, 1889-07-02
TAF.E.&EgAS%ER's e&aSNSvEFs.
A Suggestion Which bEsc Wise Will
CafcIa om tO-A Company TO Grow
10

Straw berries.
Even tie most casual observer looking about
in the Tallahassee Country cannot help from
seeing that this fair section is illuminated by the
brilliant reflection of the breaking dawn OF a
BRIGHT prosperous and progressive era. In all
parts of the city busy mechanics are engaged in
erecting dwellings and business houses; capital
lists are coming in and offering to loan money at
low rate Of interest; several new railways
seek to give us the means of quicker and cheaper
transportation new enterprises are being inaug
urated; in our fertile valleys the golden heads
OF waving grain and rich green blades OF succu'
lent hay grasses nod and bow to the soft western
Zephyrs the hill tops are crowned with vine
yards bearing luscious grapes, and the bright sun
rays dance upon the light green foliage and sill
very fruit of thousands of magnificent LeConte
pear trees; yet this grand panorama OF THRIFT
and beauty can be made still more beau
teous, more prosperous and more profitable.
IT'S true that the natural growth of Tallahassee
and the surrounding country will, in few years
make this wealthy city, but we should not be,
satisfied to wait for this; we should put our
shoulders to the wheels and push the car of pro-
gress forward Our people should invest their
surplus capital in Notwithstanding fac
tories cotton seed oil mills, cigar factories, bar
rel, tub and bucket factories, etc. They should
enter more extensively into truck farming.
Think of the thousands of dollars that the
strawberry industry brings into East and South
Florida. Lawtey, Starke and other towns ship
berries by the hundreds of car loads. Men who
few years ago were poor, with scarce change
of clothing or a suficiency of food, were induced
to try strawberry growing by seeing that
thrifty Northern settlers who had made homes
among them were shipping berries and growing
rich on the profits therefrom. They tried 1t on
q small scale and now have an income of many
thousand dollars per annum from their little
berry farms. This season one coored man in
that section netted $4,000 from his little patch,
made with no other labor than that of his own
family Why should not the farmers of the Tai
lahassee Country enter extensively into berry
culture This delicious fruit is admirably well
adapted TO our soil, and those who have tried
them are well satisfied with the result
The Florida Central and Peninsular Railway
Company has ever been liberal in encouraging
and aiding in the establishment of new enter
prises along their lines Of road See what they
have done for Gadsden county by inducing the
great tobacco syndicate to establish themselves
there Now, we are reliably informed, Capt. d.
Z. Maxwell, General Superintendent of this
company, says that ii the farmers of the Talla-
hassee Country will engage extensively in
strawberry culture that he will furnish cars to
bring pine straw from the woods along the St.
Marks road, to be used in mulching, free of COS.
to the berry growers, they only to furnish the
hands TO load and unload the cars He also
agrees to put Oh refrigerator cars and give special
rates from Tallahassee TO all the Northern and
Western markets With this liberal offer, why
not try the business:
One of Tallahassee's most progressive and
pubic-spirted citizens authorizes the FLORI-
DIAN to say that he will take stock in a
strawberry growing association. The plan would
be for the company to furnish the capital and
employ few energetic young men to grow the
berries, they to work either urol salary or be
paid in stock Of the company. farm con-
Quoted upon this plan would be self-sustaining
and profitable from the first. The crop need not
be confined to berries watermelons, canteopes,
egg-plants, cabbages, tomatoes and various
kinds of truck could be grown-all of which are
profitable
Think over this scheme, citizens OF Leon
county, and let the FLoRIDIAN know how much
stock you will take.