The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1907-02-28
IMMENSE VALUE
Of IRRIGATION
Fine Illustration Furnished
By Fraud-Case Cited
Near Tampa.

!
prevailed throughout the present sea
| son should naturally attract the at
| tention of all those who are interest
ed, either directly or indirectly, in
| the agricultural possibilities of the
/ state to the intense form of farm
| ing or in other words to the highest
cultivation of small bodies of land,
every inch of which is made to pro-
duce its full share of the crops and
few experiments along this line will
suffice to show that but a small num-
| Der of square feet of Florida sand in
| telligentIy cultivated can be made to
produce an astonishing amount OF
| vegetables and other food stuffs-
! 1t is unfortunately fact that IN
! large country like the United States
and especially in a section of the
country like Florida, where large bod
/ les of undevelOped lands can be
| bought cheaply, man is ever prone 10
extend his operations over large
( acreage. whereas in the Overpopula-
ted countries of the old world where
land is held at high figures the peo-
pie have been compelled to be con-
! tent with small tracts, which have
had to be kept in the highest state OF
cultivation in order to get anything
like reasonable returns on the omunt
of money invested.
Among the European countries
probably no other nation more so than
the French has practically demon
| strated the amount of stuff which can
be grown on a space of ground scarce
" larger than a town lot and many
an owner of a five hundred-acre farm
or plantation would be surprised 10
know how well Jean and Marie live
and how many little Injuries they en-
ioy from the returns of a plot OF land.
which he would consider it hardly
worth while to keep free of weeds,
aided by a COW, who gets her grass
while staked out on the village com
mons, and few head of chickens
with possibly some other poultry.
Necessity is the mother of inven-
ton and it is probably necessity, as
sisted no doubt at times by the pangs
OF hunger, which has sharpened the
wits of these people until they have
learned to keep their little gardens
in the highest state of cultivation and
10 utilize every part of their crop
for some beneficial work, but, 1t is
also a fact that it was largely owing
to the contributions of these same
peasants that France was enabled TO
stagger the nations of the world by
laying of a war indemnity in d few
!. years which Bismarck had expected
. would practically wipe her off the
face of the map, thereby showing that
they are by no means a down-trodden
. race of people as might be expected
( of those who are continually exercis-
:. ing extreme frugality.
When it comes to climatic condi-
tions the small farmer of Florida rev.
els in the lap of luxury in comparison
, with the Frenchman for it must be
remembered that the greater part of
France is subject to severe winter
weather which must be provided for,
with the further advantage in the
= Floridian's favor that he can grow
vegetables twelve months in the year
while the Frenchman must lose at
least three months of this period.
, In spite of the fact that the agricul-
: tural history of Florida is marked with
, many failures there is an open sesame
to success in this line of business in
the state and that is water. A large
: amount of fertilizer applied to the
light sandy soil will have anything
but a satisfactory effect upon the
crops, but an abundance of water and
a small amount of fertilizer win re-
: suit in the production of abundant re-
turns The correct solution of the
1 problem would therefore seem to be
10 reduce the acreage to minimum
: and invest the money thus saved in
the securing of facilities for an abun-
2 dant water supply.
/ A splendid example of the inten-
: sive style of farming is to be found
in a small place situated but a few
blocks outside the limits of the city
of Tampa. On this place, consisting
of not more than two town lots, part
of which is occupied by a small. but
neat residence, on the front veranda
VI AANh IL W bC OSNh Oil oNSA oNlA'
: display of pOtted plants, the owner
: has planted a few citrus and other
fruit trees sufficient. to supply him
with fruit for his own consumption.
a grape trellis has been erected in
4 the rear of the premises and every
: available portion of the lot on which
!, the house stands is planted in what
1 ever vegetables or small fruits are
e in season. The other lot is divided
: into four pens in which two breeds
I of chickens are kept and where fruit
trees have also been planted. The
chickens are confined in two of the
pens while the ether two are planted
in vegetables. As soon as the crops
in these latter pens have been gath
cred the chickens are turned into
them TO eat up the refuse and the
pens left unoceupied are planted Il
some form Of green stuff suitable to
s the season
e Everything planted appears TO
! grow rapidly and thriftily and yet the
e land is a very ordinary class of pine