The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1907-07-14

and pears, peaches. pldms. persim-
mons, grapes, figs, strawberries and
Satsuma oranges.
There are large areas OF yellow or
long-leafed pine; also quantities of oak,
hickory, cypress and poplar. Lumber
and naval stores are the two principal
Industries at present, but the county
is destined to become great agricul-
tural and horticultural district. Stock
raising is the next most Important in
dustry. The wool crop Of Walton
county is by far the largest in the
state and LIS value is equal to enc
third of the gross yield of all other
counties. I.ere Fare in this county
1S3, sos acres of land open to home
stead settlement ard entry, the
largest amount to be found in any
county Of tIOriGa.
DeFUniak Springs, the county seat
of Walton county, is growing town
OF 1900 Inhabitants, located on the
Louisville & Nashville railroad, eighty
miles east Of Pensacola, 20 miles from
tho Gulf, and 300 feet above sea level.
The town is built around a beautiful
lake. one mile in circumference, with
water clear as crystal, and in come
places eighty feet deep. The great
Florida chaut3uGUa, which was found
ed in 1885. and made the place an
educational center, and led to the es-
tablishment here of the state normal
school. Florala, Laurel Hill, Crest
view, Argyle, Freeport and Whitfield
are smaller places of promise.
Timer and Turpcntine.
Walton county has been in the
past, and is yet, enc of the greatest
timber and turpentine counties IL the
state. Millions CT feet Of yellow pine
timber aDd Thousands of barrels of
tUrpentine and resin have BEEN end
viii still be, taken from its great for
ests which extend from the Gulf to
the Alabama and Florida boundary
line. But it is not concerning these
things that l care to write at this
time
Great as has been Florida's wealth
in timber and turpentine-numerou
and large as are the fortunes which
have been made from those two
soUTces-the real wealth OF the state
has hardly yet been touched.
Agricultural Resources.
l refer to the great agricultural re-
sources which, when the timber and
turpentine are gone viii still be sus-
cepuble of greater productive wealth
in a single year than all that the
same soil has produced Of timber and
naval stores since the beginning of
creation.
Walton county is enc of the most
fertile in West Florida and its thou
sands of acres of virgin soil simply
await the hand of the husbandman
to produce a yield in agricultural
lines which almost no other section
in the world can duplicate.
l wish thai all who have any
doubts as to the productiveness of
West Florida soil could have visited
With me the Walton county farms of
II. E. WicEersham, T. ]. Smith, and
of p w Smith, south of DeFuniak
2 Coed Example.
p. w. Smith came TO Florida from
Tyudan, South Dakota, 3 few years
ago, in poor health and knowing alb
Solutely nothing about farming in
Florida. / mention Mr.. Smith par
ticularly because more people is one
of the demands of the state and Mr..
Smith simply furnishes an illustra-
ton of what new man can do when
he is willing and able to work
Mr.. Smith cuitivateS about % acres
OIL lanO- he mas boy 10 nSlp MIN
and they use most of the time but
one team of horses. His land is all
cleared and stumped so that he can
plow a straight furrow and plant a
straight row of corn,
I was in his corn field on June 20
and it looks then to be good for at
least 40 bushels to the acre. Between
the rows of corn he had planted
velvet beans-F1orida's great forage
crop and soil fertilizer-and this
crop, after the corn is gathered, will
furnish during the winter the best of
pasture for the cattle until the field
is ready to be planted again next
year. Velvet beans enrich the soil
more than any other crop that can
be grown and at the same time they
furnish, right on the ground without
harvesting, food that viii turn out