The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-08-28
Needed Change in Florida AsricuI-

Up 10 the freeze of 1915, orange grow
ing in Florida babe fair to make of TIE
stale a fairy land. S.Aty years had elapsed
since cold weather destroyed mature
orange tree. writes George w. Hastings
in American AgriCu.turist. Tie freeze of
1850 damaged the trees materially, but put
back the production of oranges only one
year The freeze Of lS94-J practically swept
the orange groves from the state. But as
% years had elapsed since such freeze
hsd visited the state the orange growers
hoped fer another such interim, and com
menced the restoration of their groves. But
four years lafer the cold beat all records
IN the principal orange bet, and knocked
out the heart, as well as The ability to re
Store orange groves, and The future of or
ange growing VII be confined, in the most
of the state, 10 few tre5s aroGnd the
home where appliances for protection,
though expensive, are available.
Since the destruction of the orange in
dustry there have been Niagara grape
craze. a pineapple craze, a tobacco craze
and considerable of a trucking and straw
berry craze, Almost anything but the Old
idea of general, including animal, farm
ing. one after the other enterprises have
been TO a great extent tried and abandoned
as experience in each partcok too much of
y
could be endured only under most favor
ubie conditions.
The pineapple is extremely sensitive to
frost and requires expensive shedding in
parts of the state otherwise most favora-
BILE for lis cultivation The Niagara grape
proved a failure after its Introduction had
made a success of selling the plants. To-
| bacco seed beds are belated by frosts and
! in planting by the spring droughts, and q
/ second growth by early frosts. The aver
I age Floridian is compelled 10 sell his crop
| when pole dried 1--WE refer to the Havana
| leaf, at about half the cost of production,
and one years experience usually satisfies
! the grower of the Havana leaf wrapper.
Winter or early spring trucking mas 10
| contend with poor soil, costly fertilizing,
/ lale frosis and early spring droughts, eX-
/ Orbitant traEsportion rates, and laws chat
/ give the razor back and scrub range COW
| more rights than a man.
This experience in trucking and the
| growing of specialties In Florida would
! seem 10 Indicate the necessity for a new
! departure. There have been some great
| successes in these specialties and in truck
J ing, and they have been loudly heralded
| and many have been induced to enter the
field, and have failed from obstacles above
enumerated, or for want of intelligence to
make a success in the effort. A few have
drawn prizes, the many, blanks.
!
and Cuff state land is humus. The quick
est and most practicable method of supply
| ing il is by animal farming and painting
of leguminous crops. There is little land in
the South that Will not produce cowpeas
velvet beans ana beggar weed. and each OF
| these, like the red clover of the North
/ leaves not only humus in the soil. but an
! excess of nitrogen for the succeeding crop
All these crops, like clover are rich in nu-
| triments-and with their seed are adapted
10 making beef and pork, mutton and poul-
! try, and ever year, grown and fed, they
/ add fertility to the sell and profit to the
| farmer. More legumes, more stock; more
! stock, more legumcJ and Other crops, and
with more legumes and other crops the in
| crease of the richness Of the land and ca
pacity tn grow more stock. Animal farm
| ing alone, we believe, can bring general
! prosperity to the Southern farmer for only
by it, connected with the growth and feed
| ing of iegumes, can the soil be brought VI
10 a condition TO make farming permanent
progressive and profitable. The average
cotton grower and trucker is growing
poorer The intelligent animal farmer
| who grows what his family and stock con-
sumo. is yearly getting a betetr farm and
more money in bank. And the sooner The
farmer of the South realizes this, the
sooner the general prosperity Of that part
Of the county will be secured.