The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1897-03-09
COLD FACTS FROM A FREEZE.

1.-The greatest freeze Of '95" was a good
thing for Florida-a blessing in dis
guise. 1t was costly lesson, however.
a hundred thou saT d citizens, more or
less, paid $4,000, 600 or $4,000 900 to
find out that the frost line" that had
been recognized since the "coId winter
Of '32' was not permanent, and was
likely to be changed, like railway time
tables, without previous notice. They
we're taught that it was not good policy
to put all their eggs in one basket, and
that the single crop plan of farming
was failure. Many were discouraged
and left the State. Those who had
more courage and wisdom remained,
and while they were resUscitatipg their
frozen groves, they discovered that
they could make $4OO Or $500 an acre
by truck farming, by raising peas,
beans, cRbosges, caulifower, lettuce.
celery, oniors, cucumbers, potatoes,
straw berries and other fruits and
vegetables for the Northern winter
markets.
The demand for this sort of produce
during the winter months is pra ctically
unlimited, and the prices unnaturally
large. 1t costs no more to raise a
bushel of potatoes in this warm, sandy
soil in December than in July, yet
they can be sold for 81 a bushel in De
cember, and for only 40 cents In July.
The supply of unreasonable vegetables
formerly came from Bermuda and the
Bahamas. Tine great freeze" taught
the farmers Of Florida that they could
have a monopoly from December to
March, when the early crops of south
ern Georgia are ready for market.
So the wise ones stopped boasting
about profits of 81. 500 an acre from
orange groves. They stopped telling
the familiar story about "$1 box for
oranges on the plantation, twenty five
boxes to the tree, and 100 trees 70 the
acre-all clear gain," and began to
plant and weed vegetables, which are
not so profitable as oranges, but are
reasonably certain Of paying from $4OO
to $500 az acre net.
Down in the southern part Of the
State the cultivation of pineapples was
found to be even more profitable, and
somebody blundered upon the diecov-
cry that the best ones were grown IN
der shelter. So all the pine fields are
now covered with lattice work, Just
high enough for a tall man to walk
under without stopping This lattice
is made OF rough strips of pine, three
inches wide, nailed three inches apart
on rough scantling, and costs about
$500 an acre. 1t not only furnishes
perfect prOte Ction against all possible
| frosts, but the fruit thus protected
from the heat of the sun is more juicy
and Of finer fibre than that grown in
the open air. Industrious farmers are
now raising 500 pineapples to the
acre, and selling them on the planta,
tions by the thousand at 25 cents apiece,
while the shoots that are plucked from
the plants are worth from g to So a
dozen to those who are starting in the
| business.
Another industry that can be at
tributed to the ''freeze," and is bound
to be permanent and profitable, is the
cultivation of Cuban tobacco. The
scarcity and high prices caused by the
revolution have given it a decided
stimulus, for the tobacco plantations
in Cuba have been very generally de
stroyed, and if the island should ever
be at peace again it will require several
years to get back to the magnitude an d
the quality of is former product.
Before the war of the rebellion, up in
Gadsden county, bstween the Gulf
and the Georgia line, where the people
still hunt wild cats for sport, a good
deal of tobacco was raised. At one
time it was considered the finest Of the
country, and the average value Of the
crop was $4OO, 600, but after the big
plantations were broken up and worked
on shares by negroes, who formerly
worked them as slaves, tobacco cost
too much labor and was abandoned,
until Fl R Duval, President Of the
Florida Central, got seed from the cele,
brated Vuelto Abejo, district Of Cuba,
and distributed it free of charge to all
the farmers who were willing to make
the experiment. Many failed, as is
always the case, but some are success
full, and the result was the establish.
ment OF factory at Quincy by New
York firm, to consume the local prod
uct, which is now the largest in the
State, and this firm annually plants q