The Florida agriculturist., 1907-11-27
TIMELY TOPICS.
Edited by w. E. Pabor.
= Other Concerning Rural Affairs

WlIOIIy IS1Ol Gu-Il4C ANu NPoA1AoAA, Se"AA
ed by the Jamaica Bulletin OF the De-
partment of Agriculture, the one
profitable and marketable pineapple
Saws the Apalachicola Times: "WitE
a soil that produces sixty pound cab
bage and twelve foot sugar cane
Franklin county is looking for men tc
make good" And so are other coun-
ties in every section Of the state. But
the men wanted are shy Of coming
when they do come and see how Florl-
da laws discriminate against tlllers O1
the soil and in favor OF stOckmen and
swine growers, the maj ajority hike away
where crops can be raised on fenceless
land, as in Georgia, South Carolina
and parts of Virginia.
A bulletin on sweet potatoes as feed
for hogs, has just been issued by the
Florida Agricultural Experiment Sta
ton. But with sweet spuds at one
dollar per bushel, most 'hawg" ralsers
will prefer to let them run in the
woods, worm themselves between wire
fences and get into gardens after for
bidden fruit belonging to people who
do not own hogs, rather than corral
them on their own premises and feed
them. What Florida wants is hog
law that will protect settlers who can
not afford a seven wire fence about The
home place where their sweet potatoes
are growing.
A Tarpon club has been organized
at St. Petersburg. While this is q
piscatorial and not an agriculture
item, yet the fish industry OF Florida
cuts a large figure in the home re-
sources Of the state. There will, no
doubt be a rivalry between the west
coast as represented by St. Petersburg
the south coast by Punta Gorda, and
the east coast by Miami, in the way
of record CROP" There is one thing
about this industry in it's favor-drouth
nor freeze affects it not, and the farm
er and fruit grower wonders ano
doubts the just and unjust rain adage.
x
The members of the Florida His
torical Society held their annual meet
ing in Jacksonville last week. A
scanty attendance indicated that little
interest is taken in the work Of So
ciety whose main object is the perpet-
uation Of Florida's literature, which is
now becoming of Importance, which
will increase as the years go by. lr
it's last years existence only two names
were added to it's membership, but it is
hat 10r
Der Of books, pamphlets, maps, book
lets, ETC., were added to its library
shelves. The society is one that shoulC
receive state aid, and it is to be hoped
that the next legislature will give it.
The Commissioners of Agriculture o1
the Southern States we're in session
last week, in Columbia, S. c. 1t is
not to be taken for granted that al
these officials are, or have been, farm
ers. Too many are simply politicians
who have sought office for the emolu-
ments thereof One commissioner
who viewed the agriculture of the
South through cotton lens, declared
that, if the culture of cotton was elimi-
mated from the South it's agriculture
would be eliminated; which is arran
nonsense. Does the South raise no
thing but cotton? Is its soil incapable
Of producing other crops? Are Ten
nessee lands-from which the com
missioners hail-good only for cotton
One would not think so, when he
urged the education of the youth O.
the land to the end that the South
would utilize the superiority of the sol
and climate of the South in the rails