The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-01-07
Raising Mid Winter Tonaatoes
By Frederic J. Hasl;a.
N1aIU m DHII IlII MI M W

States named is 1s0 bushels. This fs with old-fashioned methods of farm ing. On any land that will grow to- matoes at all. the yield can be fp- creased to 300 bushels by the. appifca- ton of hard work and modern meth ods. The farmer who Is growing to- matoes as . speciality will not content himself with less than 300 bushels. At this rate, the crop Is profitable and the land has returned a much great CT value than could be obtained from wheat or corn or any staple product
 But the Florida tomato is not of this; class. He isn't grown to be shut up in a can. He is born to the pur. pie. He is tended and watched with almost individual care. He is wrap ped and crated as II he were a jewel, and he is shipped to the frozen North to delight the palates of those who like fresh tomatoes in the dead of, win ter, and who have the money to in- dulge their tastes. An acre of Flortda land we'll. cultivated. will yield from 800 to 800 crstes of such tomatoes in a winter. , ,;.:..1s.s-- a
 One man. town man who didn't have time to farm. bought ten acres of land near this place for $500. Ke employed two young men to work for min. They cleared only i've acres and planted 1t in tomatoes The first year.s crop paid all expenses including the first cost of clearing. and the living expenses of the two young men for < year Then a baiance was struck anc 1t was found that there was e profit of $i.s33. It was divided equally. the two young men had SSH each for their for ten acres had made more than twice that much of one-half of his land in one year. s
 So much for tomstoes. There arc tales of success of other truck farm CTS all through this section in which the leading role Is played by celery. by head lettuce, by eggplant. by green peppers, and so on through the list of vegetables fer which the pub-. lie is willing to pay fancy prices if they can be supplied fresh in the mid winter season. q
 There is the case of John Brown. the Pepper King." He came to Flor ida from Scotland twenty years ago to raise oranges The famous .sbiw freeze" cut off his hope of fortune In citrus fruit. So he turned his att tention to peppers and eggplant. His place, Scotia farm, last year netted him profit of $i6,00o for peppers and egg -piant. No wonder they call him. the Pepper King."
 This portion, of Florida. ike every other new" section of the United States, Is interested in bringing in set- tiers who will develop it's agricultural resources. Undoubtedly. there are op- portunities here for the industrious farmer who. for whatever reason, wishes to make his home in. a section which knows no winter. Many men have come here on account of their health, or the health of some member of dependent family, and have pros. pered. But the man who has been a failure elsewhere proha5ly will be failure here. LuxuT9ant as the semi- tropical vegetation of Florida Is, there are no bushes from which dollars may be plucked.
 It is necessary to have money to De- gin with in entering into the truck gardening business in this section One must have money enough to buy a place and money enough to buy all the necessary supplies to develop that place, and money enough to support his family for several years, until his new farm is ready to support itself and earn a profit gt
 Tomato raising in midwinterf is a delightful ocenpation, so doubt, for a man who likes to dig in the .soll and, cause 1t to bring forth wealth. But it Is a highly specialized business ana it has been said that the succession truck gardner, like the poet, is born and not made.
 tcopyright. 1903 by Frederic J. Has,
 kin.)
 TomorroW-Miami on Biscayne Bay.