The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1894-12-08
Truck Farming in Florida.

Eleven years ago James j. Neylans,
with an invalid wife and seven children
a pair of mules and wagon. moved to
Florida and settled near Tampa By hard
work he managed from the beginning to
make living and accumulate some money
by growing vegetables. Four years ago he
and his sons began general trucking bust
ness on forty acres of land, and the success
they have had is told of by the Jackson
vile Citizen as follows
Experience has taught them that. the
unstinted use of fertilizer was one of the
elements of their success. They are now
using from 1000 to 5000 pounds of com
mercial fertilizer to the acre, and on one
acre now under cultivation they have three
and one-half tons They mix cotton-seed
meal, sulphate of potash and nitrate of
soda, and use this as their fertilizer.
The first year that they devoted exclu-
sively to trucking they Melted about $500
on six acres; the second year they netted
about $1,000 on eight acres; the third year
they planted nine acres in Giant Pascal
celery, variety that promised fattering
results. but being unable to bleach it, it
proved Waterloo for them. Fortunately,
however, they had other vegetables that
netted them $1,000 The failure of the
celery crop made this barren year.
The varieties of vegetables that they
raise for shipment are Irish potatoes, celery
and lettuce, and for the home market cab
bage, beets, spinach, parsley, watercress,
carrots, okra, beans. sweet peppers, tur-
nips and radishes. Last year the family
sold about $4,000 worth of vegetables and
melted about $500 from eight acres of
land A few instances of their success
last season are They sold $4,000 worth
of miscellaneous vegetables from one acre;
from their best acre of Irish potatoes they
obtained 400 bushels, which Melted $3.50;
on 100 barrels of these they netted S.. 80
a barrel, or 50. 10 bushel; and from one
fifth of an acre they sold s215 worth of
sweet Spanish peppers. They can do this
continuously, as the Cubans use the pep
pers largely, but there is not market for
more than twice this quantity The yield
on that one-ffth acre was 1917 bushels.
-Four years ago the Neylans raised 300
bushels of beans, Southern prolific variety,
on a quarter of an acre, and received $3.50
for them. These instances show the pos
sihilities of the rich reward to those who
make trucking study, business and a
pleasure.
Out of hundred yards of branch water,
three feet wide, was sold last year s175
worth of cress.
Few sweet potatoes are grown. The
Neylans are planting twelve acres in general
varieties, and expect a good season this
year. Asparagus has been failure with
them
The foregoing figures may seem to be
somewhat fabulous, and doubts have been
expressed by some who have heard these
statements, some one saying that the yield
of 400 bushels to the acre, netting $3.50,
could be taken with pinch of salt, =
and the statement of S215 worth of pep
pers being sold from one-ffth of an acre
was scofed at, and inquiry made why Mr.
Neylans did not plant 100 acres, and make
500, 1000. Mr.. Neylans says that his
books will show that the figures given are
correct.
Two years ago the Neylans built resi-
dence, which cost $4,000, and they say
that they would not sell the place for any
reasonable amount, and that it pays 10
per cent. interest on $40, 900 continuously
Suffice it to say that they have a good
bank account, and are now enjoying pros