The Newtown bee., 1908-05-22

tiles, so that it makes but little diff ference whether they have drought or very rainy weather. Such land sells for S1, ,00O.0 .00 to $2, 100000 per acre.
 The rainy season here is looked for in September; however, some years there is not rain enough to be of much ben eft tocrops; consequently many with out irrigation are burned up by the sun. Other times they will be drowned by too much rain. One-elev
 enth of the 35, 00000 acres is partly under water, this being mostly in the everglades at the Southern part of the State. The whole State is mostly lev el, and only one acre in seven in culti- vation. While there is yet hundreds of acres that would make good farming land, if cleared, there is millions of acres of land covered with small tur- pentine pines and shrub palmettos,
 most of the large pines in the north ern part having been cut for the saw mills. As some sections of the State are especially adapted to some partic- ular variety of fruit or vegetable, they
 reap the benefit of this peculiarity only by taking advantage of it. For some few years ago Hastings, near St Aug ustine, was discovered to have soil pc culiarly adopted to the culture of Irish potatoes. They planted in January in the lower and middle East Coast, and in February on the upper Coast, and marketed in March, April and May.
 As the Coast is 400 miles long, one section does not interfere with the oth- CT. This year about 5000 acres in Hastings are devoted to Irish potatoes.
 Probably one of the best estimates furnished of the cost of producing the crop of Irish potatoes, and the average yield together with the net revenue to the grower is that made by Clarence J. White of Hastings, of the result ob- tained last year by him from an aver age acre of land of his own. His ex- penses were rent of ground $500, preparation of ground S3.30, fertil- izing. narrowing in and ridging S2.6O, cutting and planting seed S200, fertil- zing S23.1O, seed potatoes SlO.8S, barrels $1O.30, tending S3.65, digging. barreling and hauling Sl2.75. Other expenses, $4.00.-Total of S85.58. From the acre were gathered 6l barrels of potatoes, which sold for $2O6. 10, leaving net profit per acre of | $120.52. | If it is desired to engage in general, in the raising of wheat, corn, oats, peaches. apples, grapes or other prod ucts of the temperate Zone, one must cast his lot some hundreds of miles to the North, and accept the cold. as it is part of the legacy of lands where these things can be grown. Those engaged in trucking here are almost without exception successful. At the same time people who are enjoying health and moderate success in their present abodes, my advice would be to stay where they are. There should be i weighty reaso1 IS to influence any one to make a move of such importance-fur- thermore, people who have made fail ures elsewhere are not likely to be sue cessful here. Intelligence and indus try are as essential to good fortune here as in other parts of the globe. St Augustine concludes my short trip. Snort it seems, and others who have visited every State in the Union, one man had travelled eight years for pleas ure; I met here tourists from every State East of the Mississippi River, ex- cept Delaware and Vermont. St Aug ustine boasts of a population of ', 40C in summer and 10000 in winter, of be. ing the oldest city fn the United States, the finest hotel, and Ocean beach. The old Slave market yet re- mains, the old Sea Wall begun in 1890, the old City Gates built in 1894, the St Francis Barracks built in TAO, and the Dale Monument for 1l0 men who were massacred by the Indians during the War Tn 1885. From here South Beach is reached by trolley. Over the bridge to the Island and extending five miles southward on the island, the trolley line passes through beautiful stretch o1 country, and land passengers at the de lightful resort known as South Beach
 great wide beach, sloping gently tt the crested breakers of the broad At 4 lanticr meet the vision at this point l Southward this Beach stretches fol fifteen miles to the end of the Island
 maintaining width of 300 feet, al i hard and smooth as an asphalt table
 Wheels of vehicles make no dent in thi
 ocean packed floor of sand-only tn
 faintest trace is marked, and her
 automobiling. driving and bicyclng ar
 enjoyed at thelr best. Here can be seel
 one of the most novel and interesting farms. Itis not truck farm, nor
 stock farm, as this is not cattle rais ing country; neither is it hay farm as hay is not made from the .natura
 grass in this State. It is an alligato
 farm having 192 of these. Florida pets
 ranging in size from five to Il feet Il length. The age of the monsters !
 estimated at 15O years. They lay 2 to 40 eggs at time once a year
 These eggs are about the size of hel
 eggs; they are easily raised and tn
 young sell at 50 cts. to s1.00 apiece | In the museum at South Beach yo1
 can see the skeleton of a large sperm
 whale that ran ashore here and wa
 killed after fierce battle; also in tn
 museum is large collection of mount
 ed fish, animals, birds. snakes, shell