The Florida agriculturist., 1906-04-25


of the fruit is nearly the size of an
egg, and some just out of bloom.
With his nice double-seated buggy and
big stout horse he took us all over
the suburbs of the brisk and growing
cOunty-seat of Manatee county.
BradentOwn has grown so much in
six years L should never have recOg-
nized it. Out in the suburbs we found
guava trees loaded with fruit; some
just ripening, Feb. a. We found also
loquat, or Japan plums, loaded with
luscious ripe fruit; oranges, grapefruit,
kumquatS, etc, were so plentiful L
hardly need mention them.
When a friend and l walked up
| from the railroad station we found
our OvercOats and grip rather burden
some, and L suggested we leave them
until we hunted up Mr.. Rood, at a
bakershop near by. As we opened the
door to go out L thought the prOpri-
etor's face looked familiar. Sure
enough, it was my old friend True
blood, who used to be a bee-keeper,
and took Gleanings years ago. Well,
friend L. and his good wife have built
up quite a business in the growing
town, and one of their specialties is
15-cent lunch coffee, sandwich, and
a little pie. Should you ever go there,
tell them you want a scent pineapple
| pie, such as A. L. Root wrote about.
When pineapples are plentiful and
cheap they put them in cans, and use
/ them for pies as wanted, and L think
pineapple is the very best ''pietimber'
in the world. The pies are not only
/ delicious, but as they make them, they
| are wholesome. L know, for every
meal L had in BradentOwn was at the
| bakery, and at my special request it
was cereal coffee, beef sandwich, and
pineapple pie. Mrs. TrueblOOd was at
one time Il missionary in Alaska for
four years.
| In the afternoon, under the guidance
and courtesy of w. U. LathrOp,
comfortable carriage with cOlored
driver took us over the truck-farms
and orchards round about Palmetto
Our older readers will remember L
have always been a good deal of
lettuce crank but on this trip L saw
more acres of lettuce than L ever saw
before in my life. There are not only
acres, but miles of lettuce. 1t seemed
to me there could hardly be people
enough, who love lettuce, in the whole
| United States to take all this great
crop. But L was still more astonished
to learn that just now, owing to the
large amount that was drowned out
by the excessive rains in December
and January, the price is away up.
1t is packed in tall basket-lOOking
crates, holding about one and One-half
bushels, and the demand is such that
Igrowers are getting between $500 and
I$6.OO per crate. The variety is Boston
Market, Or something very near like
it, and for fear of decline in prices,
a good deal is being shipped that is not
headed up SO as to make really first
class heads; but such is the call that
growers are surprised at the size of
the remittance, and no complaint is
made. L am inclined to think the
lcraving for lettuce, celery, etc, in the
winter time, is natures prompting, and
that these things are really beneficial,
land, may be, ward off the necessity
for drugs and doctors.
The best ground for this business
is generally covered with a dense
growth of trees and underbrush, and
that makes it expensive to clear off
One man told us that, to make new
land absolutely clean of stumps and
everything, all at once, cost just about
800 per acre. The usual plan seems
to be, three rows of lettuce, about 1S
inches aDart then n two foot aIIay