The Florida agriculturist., 1907-10-30

A South Florida correspondent OF
the American Agrlculturlst says:
L came here from kentucky ten
years ago to grow tobacco. l made
that my speciality and have succeeded
we'll. My son is now manager of a
$4,000 tobacco plantation at a large
salary and has 20 per cent Of the stock.
When we came we had but $500. Last
year and this also we sold over Sill
900 worth OF tobacco. My son, for
the seven months work as a tobacco
grower, made over $1,000, the buyer
OF his tobacco advancing the means
with which to grow it at contract
price OF 40 cents a pound for five
years. He was offered s. cents a
pound for his crop Of $4,000 pounds
TINS year could he get released from
his 4O-cent contract. 1t is grown un-
der halt shade. OF course, we do not
expect such high price likely to
occur again shortly, as both Cuba and
Mexico are very short on tobacco
THIS year, but we do expect 1rst-class
TOBACCO wrappers to remain at 40
cents tor many years. Florida today
has the smallest percentage Of land
under cultivation of any state in the
Union, yet the productive values OF
crops OF tobacco, celery, Irish and
sweet potatoes, sugar cane syrup,
string beans, eggplant, oranges and
grapefruit per acre are not, as whole,
equaled by any other section of the
United States. Statistics show that the
value per acre Of Florida products
grown under irrigation largely exceed
thoSe OF any other state, and no state
think can show as great ratio Of in
crease IN number Of irrigation plants.
Nowhere in the United States that
have been have [ seen as magnificent
growth OF the peach. At Is months
from transplant1ng the June budded
trees l have seen 90 trees of level
variety yield this year three-fourths
bushel tree and sell at home in earlv
june at $2.75 bushel | have seen
Peento peach trees in the back wards of
old settlers, 10 years old, still vigorous
and productive and trees from which
$Io to $50 tree have been sold each
year. These, however, received the
soapsuds, waste and water and were
manured by the wood ashes from the
stove and the droppings from the
chickens. Such conditions could not
well be made general in an extensive
orchard, but have known a 4o-acre
orchard of Jewel peaches which at
tour years old, yielded $4,000 worth
Of fruit
OF lands, the larger part is high
pine and fiat pine woods, perhaps
seven-tenths, and then there is one
tenth OF what we call hammock land.
This is where no pine growth, but oak.
magnolia, hickory, dogwood, mulberry,
wild cherry and gum, grape vines and
warhoo. This is our choicest vegetable
and tobacco land, and there are thou
sands Of acres of it to be had at S. TO
$2o an acre, according to location, and
yet not farther than three to five miles
from railroad stations. The high pine
land is the choicest for peaches, pears,
plums' oranges, grapefruit, kumquats
and loquats. 1t is we'll suited to chufas,
peas and velvet beans, all of which can
be profltably grown, as we'll as sweet
potatoes. There are sections Of the
tat woods pine which are superior for
berries and Irish potatoes, and large
crops OF crabgrass for hay are saved
after the potatoes are dug.
Here intensive farming is the rule
and those who are making the most