The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1907-07-28
Washington County Favored Spot

sufficient cold to kill the oats sawn
IN November. FTCStS are less severe
here in January than in Ohio in No
vember or April In fact, no winter
has been known since the first settle
ment of this region. nor even a week
experienced in which the winter rye
and perennial grasses did not grow.
Or cattle and sheep could not find sus-
tenance from pastures of Bermuda
grass Now, suppose one acre of land
in this portion of the state was plant
cd to rye in November, in March the
rye would be headed out, and the
grain ripened in April and harvested.
The stumble and grass could be turned
under and the land planted with corn
by the goth of May. That last crop
would ripen in September. That makes
two crops of grain ON the same land.
But in July let there be planted a full
stand OF cow peas, that may be gath
cred by saving pods only. About the
first of October they would completely
cover the ground, and with the corn
stalks should be turned into the soil
OF enrich it. The grain of those last
would more than compensate for la
Dor and give about two tons of dry
matter. equal to a large crop of clover
TO be buried by the plow The rye
'
toes, and the corn by sweet potatoes
and millet. Thus the climate gives to
the farmer. the power to make tive
crops each year, and also bury SUI
flcient. vegetable matter Sn the soil to
even improve its fertility. In this
method of constant cropping we have
the example OF the Japs. whose climate
more nearly resembles Florida than
does that of Italy. Indeed, 70 COM
pare Florida climate ito that ofgJapan,
would be fair one; but to compare 1t
to that Of Italy, as isfoften done, does
Florida injustice.
"A man in these. highlands. had pre-
pared his acre of land and planted it
in Irish potatoes in January, 1884. In
April he planted corn between the
rows of thespotat6es and dugrthe potaI
toes, in May. which, gave the last
dressing to- thescorh.SSIn July he plantf
ed betweenFthe corn trows sweet pota-
toes, which he harvested in NoVem.
Der, and he counted up his yield as
follows: 96sbaFEesB ofsIrfsh potatoes,
worth 81 pert barrel. 1884; 40 bushels
OF corn worth. with the corn shueks
fer fodder, sac; and geo bushels OF
sweet potatoes wVrtn $50, total OF
1914 from az single acre of ordinary
farm crops Had the acre been set
with pears, peaches, figs, olives or Jap
anese persimflons, with less labor and
less outlay for manure, he might
have realized even greater profits;
and in garden products still more
would have been realized.
The Orchards.
Here bear their annual crops The
dry lands, when properly fertiliZed,
Win produce orchards of pears, plums,
peaches apricots, ounces, figs and
olives; and. on the damper lands the
pecans and European walnuts will
thrive, as also on the dry lands, and
produce more profitable crops than do
the orchards of the north, and rival
the. orange and other crops further
south in value. Both wet and dry
lands. seeded to proper grasses and
foo der plants, can be Moved three
and four times a year, yielding as
many pounds of fodder at each cut
ting as will the best meadows in
New England or New Ysrk, where but
a single crop is obtained in year
"RsinfaIie and proushts
1.-The average amount of rainfall for
this beft is about fifty inches in the
year. It is quite evenly distributed
throughout the year, rather more
abundant between the summer ,solstice
and the autumnal equinox, which is
also the warmeSt and mostT growing
season Of the year, as also the one in
which the greatest suffering from
droughts are felt farther north.