The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1890-07-02
Florida Farming.
Geneva, Fla.

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call from Mr.. Leadbetter, Kansas far
mer who had located in that section. He
was apparently we'll pleased with the
change from Kansas to Florida and had
great hopes of the future.
Last spring, said he, | planted one
barrel of Irish seed potatoes on one quar-
ter acre of ground and from it | sold
twenty bushels of potatoes at $3.50 per
bushe In Kansas would havegot only
25 cents per bushel. The twenty bush
els that [ sold were over and above what
| saved for seed, what we ate in the fami-
| ly and fed to thehogs. In the fall plant
| ed the seed [ had saved, and in spite of
| the drouth got as good a crOpfrom the
same area of ground as | did in the
| spring. This spring have two acres in
Irish potatoes and in spite of the recent
| freeze and the lack of rain they are grow
ing handsomely and bid fair to yield
very much better crop than | could pos
sib!y make in Kansas. Mypotato patch
is as fat as the yard in front OF your
door. 1t isn't ridged up so as to lose all
the moisture.
With such a scarcity ofrain as we have
hadin Florida during the pastsix months
every thing would have dried up in Kan
sas, but here the earth is always moist.
Go out to my farm any time in the dry
est weather and dig two or three inches,
take up handful of the sand, squeeze it
and when you unfold your hand you find
a lump of moist earth. have nearly
| come to the conclusion that we can raise
crops almost without rain
Speaking of the castor oil bean hesaid:
| am quite sure that it could be made a
paying crop in this country, especially il
there was an oil mill at some convenient
on the farm and is the least trouble to
raise In Kansas | made $7OOin one sea-
son from twenty acres of castor beans
and then was not able to get together the
whole crop before the FROST killed the
plants in the fall. One-half bushel of
beans will plant twenty acres. Plant two
or three beams in hill and place the hills
| four feet apart each way. Cultivate
about the same as corn. Thin out the
stalks, when young, to one plantin hill
and let that be the most thrifty one.
The plants will soon grow up and shade
the ground, thus stopping the growth of
weeds. Very little hoeing is required.
When the seeds ripen drive your team
through the field straddle of every fourth
of fifth row, break Off the ripe branches
of pods from the rows Of plants on either
side and throw them into the wagon.
When the pods have been properly dried
in the sun they will crack and by the use
of a fail the beans can be easily separ-
ated from them. After thrashing out the
beans rake off the pods, gather up the
beans and WinnOw them out some day
when the wind blows strong. They are
then ready for the market.
The castor bean grow better in Flor
ida, he continued, without any cultiva-
tion whatever than it does in Kansas
with the most careful cultivation. The
quality of the bean is very superior to
the Kansas bean.
The bean stalks are excellent fertilizer
and crop Of corn after a crop of beans
yields heavily.
When asked how he liked Florida after
being here year, he said: wrote to my
father-in-law back in Kansas the other
day, and told him we were enjoying our
Southern home splendidly. There are a
great many good points about Florida,
but, like all other places, it has it's draw
backs. There are 800 days in the year
when you can work out doors, and do it
comfortably, and there isn't month in
the year but you can have some crop or