The St. Lucie County tribune. (Fort Pierce, St. Lucie County, Fla.) 1905-1920, 1907-03-01
RETAINING
BACK LANDS
Prominent Citizens Are DemOn-
strating What Can be Done
THIRTY ACRES IN CROPS
With the Completion OF Big Canal Many
Acres viii be Cultivated--The Future
of fort Pierce.

Through the enterprise of James +.
Andrews, f. l.. Hemmings and A. N.
Hoofnagle the prairie country back of
Fort Pierce is being made 10 show that
it will produce the finest of vegetable
crops.
These gentlemen have leased from
the Fort Pierce Land and Improvement
Co., about fifty acres of their holdings
west of town, and have gone into the
vegetable growing business on large
scale. A TRIBUNE representative &C.
companied Messrs. Andrews and Hoof-
nagle to their farm Monday morning,
and found that they are engaged in
planting thirty acres in tomatoes, be-
sides several other crops, the latter be-
ing only in small acreage as an expert.
ment, or as demonstration that any
kind of vegetable can be successfully
raised on the prairie lands west of
town. Everything, as fan as planted,
shows up in fine shape, and it is evident
that the promoters will reap rich har-
vest from their labors.
This land is situated about one mile
northwest of the terminus of the canal
now being dug by the Florida East
Coast railway, which extends from
Fort Pierce westward about five miles,
and, as is most of the land in that Sec
ton, it is quite fertile, being underlaid
with clay. Another big advantage with
this land, is the fact that it does not re-
quire any clearing, the surface being
simply covered with grass, pillow can
be put into it and place it ready for
cultivation. The same condition also
makes it very readily drained, for with
pillow made for that purpose ditch
two feet deep and three feet wide can
be cut with five burrows, and at an ex-
pense not exceeding SIS per mile.
The future prosperity of Fort Pierce
depends in large measure, upon the
development of this back country, and
tuc StlltltIlcIl WIN arc a. Tic hCdu vi
this undertaking are not only laboring
for their own financial benefit, but the
distinct advantage Of Fort Pierce, and
when they have made the success that
they are sure to make, and have proven
that we have here west of Fort Pierce
land that is superior to the Hastings
section for the raising of Irish potatoes;
better than the Sanford district for the
production of celery, and far richer,
better situated and more certain of
success than the glade lands of Dade
county for the propagation of the toma-
to, and when the further fact is real
lied that we have good transportation
facilities, are below the frost line, and
the big canal being built by the Florida
East Coast railway runs through the
middle of this vast tract of valuable
land, which with lateral bitches will
forever prevent an overflow, then will
all of our people reap benefits from
their labors and demonstration, for it
will cause the rapid settlement of all
of this back country, and make Fort
Pierce the leading point on the East
Coast.
Sufficient faith in the adaptability OF
this land to establish the coming market
garden of Florida, is being shown by
various parties who are purchasing ten
and twenty acres. The price for any
of the land in that section is now be.
tween $40 and $50, and at such figures
should find ready purchasers, and will
probably all be sold by the time the
present crop has been harvested.