The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1891-05-22

Rose BANK. May IL, 1891.
To the Editor of the Banner.
DEAR Sir: One of the plainest things
In Florida is the provident character Of
nature. In the high, billy portions OF
country like that around Leroy and
Silver Springs Park, where nature in
tended healthful homes should be-
erected, there are no swamps, ponds or
other malaria-producing things. Yet at
some depth in the earth, convenient,
there is always blue and green tinted
phosphate mari, especially in the billy
portions of Florida. In the soil Of
these hill lands, owing to the thousands
of years of forest fires and the conse.
qGent reducing to ashes of black jack
runners, other oak woods and their
leaves and grasses, together with pre-
burrs or cones, tho apparently white
sandy soil is saturated with potash.
In the lower lands or palmetto fat
woods, we find alternately ridges and
prairie flais-or muck ponds. The
high, st points in there "tiatw0ods" are
always covered !ith saw palmetto. No
species Of vegetation is 80 rich in potash
as pine cones, or burrs. Next comes
the blackjack woods and their leaves,
and then palmetto leaves and roots
Throughout the ages past the ashes left
on the s9rlac fe q HIS Fafns therester
been leached in the liquid or I've form
into the earth.
For this very reason the cow-penned
| flatwOods will produce more corn cane
ar etetables than any lands in Florida
| Yet judlcious application of pond OF
hay head" muck will MAKE these same
! hatW Dads lands equally fertile. But All
equal quantity OF muck and soft phos-
phale, especially the blush, green
tinted stuff il the peril ction of fertil
izer for any and all kinds of crops and
fruit trees. Within the next ten years
this will have become one of the most
productive states III the Union and
every bit Of the fertilizers used will be
made at home ant of Florida material.
Farmers and fruit growers are begin.
ming to appreciate home material now.
Mr.. 2. p Bishop, of Bishop, Hoyt &
| Co, of Citra, and one Of the most care
| ful and seIf-interested thinkers and
practical business men in this country
! ~, with q steam dredge and shovel, dig
| ging into one of nalure's store houses
| Chat big marsh just north of Ciira) and
| quitting muck several inches deep all
over his immense Citra orange grove.
| The Disston experience at ST. Cluud
sugar plantation with cane, or muck
beds. needs no comment. Years ago o.
P. Rocks, at Frultland Park, began
hauling mnrk onto pine land. Go and
see has sandhil now. There is no more
fertile looking place extant. aud 30 the
story goes wherever muck has been
| used.
A few years ago began the use Of
muck and soft phosphate on my Rose
Bank grove. have now orange treer
only five years old, fifteen 10 twenty
feet high, laden with fruit. Mr.. J..
Il. McConD, one of my neighbors, with
similar treatment, has orange trees
| (~eedlinge) SIX years old, that bore eiyh-
teen hundred oranges TO one tree last
year. Mrs. Reddlng, another neighbor,
! did even better.
| think no one will question Bralley's
vegetables fertilizers as being the best
IA the market. This year l have been
| experimenting. Iu sed at the rate OF
600 lbs. Biadley's per acre in alternate
rows, with soft and unacidulated phos
rhale. OF this raw phosphate l used
--ay two tons per acre. On the land !
| planted rye, oats, corn and all kinds OF
vegetables. l have not seen on any
| kind of land, in any country, such corn,
ats, rye and vegetables as we are grow
ing.
/ first called the attention of that
h.. - on1 n.
| Grothe, of Ocala, to my crops and the
raw phosphate and fertilizer effects
| He said ait is because of the phosphate
retaining the moisture" that you see
.ucn fine results. That's all right, d r.
| tor, So get the results. That's what Tn
! farming for.
Hundreds OF other persons have seen
my experiments, among them Rev
Inman. of Martel and that scholarl.
| gentleman and practical farmer and
| rut grower, Prof. Sanders Neck, who
was so much impressed with my crops
that he took the trouble to make many
| photos of same.
About four years ago | began to use
| loft phosphate on my orange grove at
| X st. Bank, and within three months
rom the first application | returned
/ 'tOIllt Ill u NiSEt ~ ~ l<OuiS, aHu HlA
| brother John called my attention to the
wonderful growth ami rich, green color
of the trees. After looking the grove
rver went tn Ocala and asked Major
Wright, of Oxford, DR.. Moody and
tveral other gentlemen whom | knew
o be pact cal farmers and fruit growers
. come and visit me and see the enor.
nous growth our trees and crops had
I Thu Al
ONE. AT the time ! exhibited samples
| f the soft stuff 10 them. They each
probably regret not having accepted my
INVITATION at this writing.
Not long since. in reading an Ocaln
uaper, | WIS rejoiced to see that a mix
ule Of oxide OF iron, so plentiful IN the
datwoods of Levy county, with soil
| phosphate and muck, is the best posi-
nle fertilizer for all kinds of fruit trees
| don't know who was lis author, but he
Is right. At the time was amused, too.
for the writer evidently was scientist,
md yet many scientists, when they
want to buy our phosphate lands cheap.
kick about the quantity of iron and
alumina in it.
The longer we live the more by
| lams We find ont"
| To pereons who own much alumina, |
vii, say, II is the most expensive meta
II the world. To those who have All
Xeess of iron | would state, Andrew
arnegie and hundreds of other million
ures delighted to ride behind "iron
norses," and 10 own them. When VIZ.
are sick and have no appetite the doe.
urs give il TO us. Iron is present In
n. On. and under Il e ea If lana ana llt ne
ron IN florida phosphate IS not Injurious 10
4 THE very sui hurc acid used 10 re-
luce lnsoluble phosphate is manufac
nrtd in TART from iron perites;" the
uxuriant, rich green in all plant life.
The RID blood glObules that makes q
maiden blush, or the red in rose, owes
much o iron as to any o,her constlt-
uent chemical.
80 unless your readers get full value,
lold onto your lands, read the newspa
per-, keep posted aud the price will
come to you.
For ali vine crops, such as melons, Gu
um6eis, peas, etc, aud for rye no coun-
ry can equal the lands in the phosphate
uelt OF Florida. The production Of the
above crops, when rains are plentiful
nd regular, ia something enormous.
The question of cheap whisky, rye
nread aid other rye products can be
forever settled by planting rye here.
The rivers and ponds furnish plenty oi
Aaier for irril alton, andI know of moth
| ~ that would be more profitable than
" have distillery company organized
here TO plant rye on an immense scale
nd manufacture their own CROPS, for
long as rye grows and men 1--we
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