Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1902-03-26
FARMING IN FLORIDA
ANOTHER LETTER FROM Mr.. AKeRs
Description Of the Weather, Methods
Of Farming, Industries, etc.
SPRING PARK, Mch. 10, 100:

| SPRING PARK, Mch. 10, 1902.
ED. PUBLIC OPINION:
thought perhaps your reader
would not object to reading another
letter from the sunny south, 30 I viii
write q short one telling you about
things here as I see them. There has
been eleven days that the thermometel
has registered at the freezing point OF
below since the first day Of January
look at the thermometer from SIX
to half past six q. m. One morning II
registered at sixteen below the freezing
point. That is the coldest we have
had all winter, and at other times II
was from two to four below freezing.
The farmers have their grain sowed
and it is up 90 the ground looks green
and they are now planting their corn
and gardens the same as we do in
Iowa the middle of May. The Oldest
Inhabitants tell me that they have had
more cold weather here this winter
than they ever had In this country be-
fore and I have talked with men that
have lived here for fifty years. 1t has
been cold enough at Tampa, Florida,
and that is hundred miles south OF
where /. am, to freeze the ripe oranges
on the trees and has spoiled great
quantities of them, 80 you see there are
some drawbacks even in the sunny
south on account of the cold weather.
Notwithstanding it has been cold here
for this country there is fine prospect
at the present time for good crop of
most kinds of fruit this season. In
planting any kind of crops in this
country it is necessary to use about two
or three dollars worth of commercial
fertilizer on every acre of land to in
sure crop of almost any kinds. That
is the only way that farmers i'm this
country can make anything is to fer
tilize heavy and get their crops into the
northern market before such crops can
be grown in the north. In that way
they can get good prices for what they
have to market. Marion county il
where we are stopping this winter. 1t
is conceded by all that taken as a
whole 1t is one Of the best counties IN
the state for agricultural purposes, and
is located almost in the center of the
state. 1t is large county as l learn
about 54 by AZ miles. Ocola is the
county seat, and is a place of four
thousand inhabitants, and is quite a
railroad center as well as quite a
manufacturing town. I will mention
a few of them: A saw and planning
mill, spoke and rim factory, iron
foundry, and quite large ice plant,
and they manufacture large quantities
of beautiful ice can assure you; that
is the only way they get it. If they
waited for it to freeze they would have
to wait long time, and the ice they
manufacture is as fine as ever saw in
the north. There Is an industrial
school for colored girls under the aus
pices of the Womans' Home Mission
ary society of the Methodist Episcopal
church of the north where girls are
taught how to do all kinds of work,
both common and all kinds of fancy
work, as well as book learning and
music both vocal and instrumental
They are given four year course, aud
they can graduate in that time if they
are industrious. This was organized
about twelve years ago by a woman
that lived in Jacksonville, Florida, by
the name of Emerson. She first or
ganized school of the same kind ir
Jacksonville and the school at Ocola i:
only q branch of the Jacksonville
school which is doing a great deal o.
good in giving such instruction as will
tend to make them good citizens, AL
though the worthy founder of the
school has passed to her reward some
years since she has left daughter wht
has taken up the work. The school a
Ocolo bears the name of the worthy
founder. 1 can tell you that the peO
pie of OcOla do not deserve any credi
for having a school of the kind ther
for many of the people living ther
have fought it and have done all the.
could against it. The first building tina
was built for the school was in the cit.
limits and that took fire one night ant
burned down, so they built the mex
building for the school just outside tn
city limits and that has stood 70
several years. l will close, hoping I
tell the rest of the story by the word @
mouth.
j. M. AKERs.