Fort Pierce news. (Fort Pierce, Fla.) 190?-1920, 1908-03-20
ANY PINEAPPLE FARMER
LII. what Can be Done by "
Woman in Florida

Via News subscriber VIZ - ,ho
MI =, ,be East Coast, sends US the
esleo - which appeared in the Ne"
iolo' snr March /, 1905, Some OF our
lOnH orr will not agree with her %
SrONY' s,ous but altogether H. is worth
reading ,a,,,ors a vear is the
lms which Miss Christobelle Macy
s0 cleared on her Pineapple farm IN
! ra's 'o",b Of Flarida for the past hVe
(" sno mt. The farm comprises only ioor
S1's and less than three is PIante, 10
pineappes' ,oscbina school
49, uompshlre wheu the physician
...o,d me that the one chance tor pro
.i t my life lay in going south De,
.w the frost line and living out OF
S.o-, y Miss Macy told the reporter
wben describing her success as q pine
-, farmer. II had been teaching
s,,sen Years and had saved $1,000
nAner tbe first shock was over !
,sse ND my mind to fight for my
n. ~ ,,ltb lust as had mad to fight for my
EOrEdncation and as the family Of n New
UnY5nslapd farmer have tofght for every
ioe thine they get, packed my few
add clothes and set out tor Miami, Fla, be-
o,uso il seemed a bit nearer home than
+ Mexico. r
=, aThe second day after my arrival !
"a, begun to look around to see what sort
al outdoor work l could tiud that would
!, Uay me enough to live 90 ! soon
found that all the out OF door work was
done by negroes.
II might have offered my services 70
al vs,her fruit and vegetables for some OF
The farmers, but ! knew ] would be
looked upon as queer AS bad deter
rinod 70 make my home amcng those
f,ople Had slso deterlpined 20 wiz
lie4aspecg, ana Knew anepgb 70 b.
alelIots shat Would Be hare TOGO q be.
y bmn by doing queer things,
iSts 81 talked the matter over with IN.
oman 10 whose house was boarding
IN cd she explained TO me that il want
AMID To work out OF doors she would adj
Ripiise me TO rent a garden. Then
could call in as much hired help as
wanted and could either work along
With them or not, just as I saw to
4 She said that many southern ladies an(
gentlemen worked their own land anc
4 nothing was ever thought Of it II wa
=. working in another's field, puttius
myself down on an equality with th'
negroes, that was objected TO.
> "0i course | followed her advice
{ Even my few days in the place ba'
showed me that 1t was true, The gar
B den rented was quarter OF mil
Y from her house and the first day sh
thought 1t too far for me 10 walk, bu
gradually ! convinced her that | wa
equal to the task of walking distanc
four times day and doing good day
work among my vegetables besides.
as There was half an acre Of grouu
and planted English peas, snap bean
and cucumbers. Az the end of tiv
months had cleared enough 70 pa
nay expenses from the tine left home
railroad fare, board and ALL with 81
left over, Besides was tweut
pounds heavier, had color in my fac
and hardly ever coughed,
During these Eve months | ha
heard lot about pineapples and l VII
lted several pineries. Determining
1 w what could do raising the fruit
begun to look about Tor few ceres
" Cheap land.
81 WANTED land as much like that
ned seen pineapples growing on on II
Keys IS possible When found son
she owner was quite willing to sell n
iour acres for $40 an acte, with Il
4 PROMISE of as much more as wantt
y The same price, providing nobot
came along and offered to pay more {
" lti1 the meantime.
cost ue 5000 merely TO have Il
and cleared and to build four room'
'og house with little log kitchen
.ne back, OF course thelogs used
Guiding the house were all c
RON the land. That was the one poi
Where ] went azalnat local preiudiC