The Florida agriculturist., 1908-01-01
JANUARY IN FLORIDA.
Continued from first page.)

water. There are low lying, rich spots,
Just suited to the garden, and if you
can protect them in cold spells you can
use such. Otherwise use them for sum-
mer crops, such as peanuts, rice, sweet
| potatoes, collards, etc. Above all, pro-
tect, the garden from your pigs, chick
ems, rabbits and your neighbor's stock.
Put mesh wire fence around it. This
will answer for all purposes.
Most of the garden crops are planted
here in October, and are now we'll
under way, but there is time yet for
successful garden. Strawberries are
usually planted earlier, but if you have
not done SO, plant patch this month.
| Get large plants, put them on rich,
moist land, protect the earlier blooms,
| ferti1ize often, and you should have
berries in March and April. The best
kind for Florida are the Charleston,
Lady Thompson, Excelsior and Gaudy.
Plant for home use and local markets,
radishes, turnips, rutabagas, Chinese
| mustard, carrots, beets, lettuce, cab
| bage and onions.
Prepare the garden by careful shall
| low plowing, narrowing and rolling
Use small garden p1ow to open drills,
eighteen inches apart, put in commercial
garden fertilizer at the rate of single
handful to the yard. Cover this an
inch deep and let it remain week be-
fore putting in the seeds. Plants can
be put in sooner Firm all seeds with
the feet or garden roller after planting.
The following are commercial crops,
and if you can buy the plants already
grown, it would pay to try them, yet
this season:
These are onions, celery, cabbage,
lettuce, tomatoes, and beets. Tomatoes
should only be planted out in the south
ernmost counties this early Duke of
York is one of the best shipping kinds.
Irish potatoes should be planted only
in southeast Florida this month Find
out locally the best kinds, methods, etc.
Celery is very profitable crop if
you have suitable land, patience and
skill to make a success of it. Study
this business on the spot, where some
one is already succeeding.
Lettuce is more easily raised. Keep
it growing. The Florida Header is the
best kind.
Beets grow quickly on rich, moist
ground, and sell we'll
Cabbage is quite sure and profit
able crop. Plant about three by three
feet apart. Use a good commercial
fertilizer A handful in a hill before
planting, to be followed by twice as
much at the sides later on. The cata-
logues of Florida seedsmen will tell
you the best kinds to plant For home
use, like the Savoys and Jersey Wake
field
The caulifower requires the same
culture as cabbage, only little more
care and fertilizer Protect the heads
when they appear.
Onions are one of our chief crops.
The Bermuda and Creole are the kinds
to raise. The onion can be grown on
any good soil, and are not injured by
our cold spells. Get plants the size of
goose quill. They transplant easily
and successfully, and make as good or
better onions than those left where
grown Plants can be bought for
about So per thousand. Plant in drills
sixteen inches apart, using one-fourth
Of ton of fertilizer in these drills and
the remainder Of the ton at the sides
later on. They should make two to
four hundred bushels per acre Prices
about $I.5o per bushe1
English peas are raised in the north
ern and middle counties of this state.
in the winter months. They will stand
some cold if not in bloom. The Tohn
L. is the one most highly recommended.
More specific cultural directions for
the various crops will be given in the
months to follow