The Bellefontaine Republican. [volume] (Bellefontaine, Logan County, Ohio) 1855-1905, 1903-04-24
In Its Fertility. Florida Is a
Land of Wonderful Re-
sources.
Interesting Letter From Ddvy
Green. Showing Its Crops.
and Resources.
For the Belleton,aIne RepublIcan.

ave just received a good long letter
rom that good "old Buckeye" and
riend, e.. Pennock, who stopped
nth me a couple of days while ''do- |
ng" Florida. FL. says that so many
,eople have inquired about Davie,
md the country where he lives that
lie regrets very much now that he
lid not stay longer and learn more
lbout it? Then proceeds to ask me a
OF of questions, which have decided
% answer through the Republican.
'Lake Polk Ridge" begins near
Peace River in Polk County and
about three miles from Bartrow; runs
southeast for about 80 miles. My
house is on the crown of the ridge,
81 miles due east of Barlow and is
2s feet above the waters of Lake
Polk. My 40 acres has full frontage
On the lake. The Ridge has an eleva-
ton of 25O feet above tide water"
and is the most healthy in the state.
About the cattle industry of our
section, 1 will name here a few of
our leaders, and give number of cat
tie and address of owners:
Lightsey, Lewis & Carruthers, Bar
tow, 5000.
Lightsey & Lewis, Barlow, 5000.
S. H. Page, Barlow, 5000.
Summerlin Bros, Barlow, 5000.
King Bros, Arcadia, 5000.
R. E. Whidden, Arcadia, 6,o00.
J. w. Whidden, Arcadia, 1000.
Lybass & Mann, Ft.i Myers, 5000.
These are our leaders here. The
number placed to the credit of each
one is conservative and will run above
the figures. No calves are included
in the list. Almost every farmer has
cattle, and many of them have two
thousand head or less. These cattle
have never known what shelter Of
domestic feed is like, but have rur
the wild range on native wild grassei
since "calfdom." Through the U. S
Department of Agriculture at Wash
|ington, also through the Efforts of ou
own State and our leading stock men
new grasses and forage plants ar
being introduced that will maxi
Florida the greatest stock countr.
in the world.
1t has been estimated that cattl
can be grown to three years old TO
one dollar per head, but our cattle
men find it difficult to market thes
cattle in competition with cattle fin
ished on domestic feeds. Blooded o
highly improved cattle will not STAN
the wild ranges with the native cat
tie, and by crossing blooded male
with native stock, the type is great
ly improved. and then by finishing o.
on Cassava and velvet beans we ge
a beef that will compete with tn
stall fed beef of the north at a smal
per cent of the cost of the Norther
animal. The day is past for market
| ing the Florida scrub in Cuba as
has been done for many years; the
want tender juicy beef now, and ou
stock men are providing for the de
mand, not only in Cuba but all owe
the world, by improving the stoc
and getting tender nutricious grasse
established on the large ranges, an
in fact every where. The leadin
stockmen see plainly that the day o
"free ranges" is past too, and the
are buying up all the best of fire
range country and getting it unde
fence This fact in itself will improv
the stock as it will isolate the goo
blood from the scrub, and the FIRE
range scrub will not find a market a
any price.
| THE VELVET BEAN.
The velvet bean to the stock me
here is what corn is to the stock me
of the North, in fact it is more
There is no plant known that CON
pares with the velvet bean as so
renewer;..a single bean is known
produce IS pounds of green matte
in a season that would analyze sim
lar to 6S pounds of green red clover
It is a legume and stores nitrogen in
to itself, which it collects from tn
air. Its roots penetrate deep int
the soil and brings up mineral Ell,
ments which can be utilized by othe
crops, such as corn, etc.
The cleaned bean weighs 20 lbs {
the bushel and is extremely rich
fattening contents. 1t costs abou
the same to make five acres of velve
beans here that it would one acre {
corn in Ohio. One horse breaks th
land, beans are dropped in ever
third furrow (by boy or girl.l tn
crop is seldom cultivated but 500
covers the earth and makes abor
20 bushels of cleaned beans per acr,
which are worth in the market toda
two dollars per bushel. We hay
machines which cleans the beans {
a cost of l2lc per bushel now.
The greatest profit is had by turl
ing the stock into the field to glea
for themselves. This section will a
ways produce the seed for 9th,
states that can grow them for tt
forage plant. 1t requires montl
favorable weather to mature a GRO
the soil must be 20 degrees, befoi
they will germinate and then
months without a chill to mature IL
crop. Il will mail the Editor fe
, seed as sample.)
"Cassava" (Manipot Aipi) analys
made by the Department of Agricu
for ''Roots of Florida grown Ca