The National tribune., 1909-07-08
A West Virginia Doctor Writes About
Florida.

Florida.
Editor National Tribune: Health SEEM
to be in the very air at St. Cloud
Persons suffering from asthma, bronchi
It's, catarrh, hay fever, throat troubles
and rheumatism, usually find relief in any,
part of the State. The County of Os
ceola, in which our Union. veteran colony
is located, has a reputation for healthful
ness, and Northern people flock there il
the Winter season, and a good many havt
found it not as extreme in the Summer a
in the North, and are making it their all
the-year-- round home. The climate is sucl
that life can be spent almost entirely on
of doors. To men advanced in years, o.
those whose health makes it difficult t,
bear the rigors of Northern Winters, tn
st. Cloud region offers home where .
livelihood can be made upon small invest
ment and acreage, and a mild and equabl'
climate enjoyed. To all such the country
offers plenty with proper effort. Our wholt
party was pleased with the outlook.
Florida is certainly country of oppor
tunties, but opportunities are of no avau
unless they are taken advantage Of II
would take a good deal of space in The
Tribune TO tell of all we saw and enjoyed
Orange groves were numerous, and every
where the trees were laden with green
fruit. This is a leading crop in South
Central Florida The people there. as
elsewhere, run to one thing, regardless
of profit in many other ways. OF course
trucking Is followed in many localities,
often in speclalties, as celery, the incomo
from which runs to large figures when
everything is right. The man who will
devote himself to several good things can
Al
the garden can be made 10 supply fresh
vegetables every month in the year, and
the orchard has ripe fruit of some kind
each month. Ripe oranges can be picked
for six months for table use, and oranges
ripe from the tree are different from those
sold on the streets IN the North. One
can raise his own bananas and pineapples,
the former not being a commercial crop
there, while the latter do better in a mar
ket way in the more sandy localities far
ther South, altho the Shaker Colony near
by seems to be very successful with them,
The st. Cloud section is ordinarily sup
posed to be too far South for corn, yet We
saw very fine fields of this important crop.
the stalks rising to the hight of u TO II
feet. and some of the stalks bore from
three to FIVE ears each. There is no Ques-
tior about what can be grown. and the
variety is very much greater than any
where in the North. and there are many
SlnuS Oh Dedutliul DDWeTiHg trees iuH
shrubs, and persons SO inclined can mako
their home surroundings very attractive.
The town site of ST. Cloud fronts a large
lake, and a wafer front reservation has
been made for park purposes. l. will only
be 4 matter of time and effort to make our
town one OF the most attractive in the
South.
have been in Florida in all seasons,
and have property in other parts of the
State. but like the st. Cloud section bet
ter than any other | have seen.
The field and garden crops are as varied
as they are valuable. Cotton is a staple
product The State leads in the high
priced Sea Island variety. Sugarcane and
other kinds of sugar and syrup-rroducing
plants can be proftably grown, as also
rice. Florida is one of two States in
America where Sumatra tobacco is pro-
duced Fielding under cover as high as
$1,000 worth to the acre. A crop of sweet
produced every year from the same. ground,
succeeding each other.
The cassava, relative of the sweet po-
tato, produces more tubers to the acre
than any other of the eatable root family.
Its yield is prolific, from 10000 10 10000
pounds-a thousand bushels-to The acre.
It IS rich in merchantable elements, yield
ing about so per cent. glucose, or syrup,
40 per cent. starch. and 10 per cent. tap
ioca. Ii is valuable as feed for livestock
and poultry, as well as for the table, and
is easily grown.
There are hundreds of varieties Of
grass. The cow pea, soy bean, crimson
clover, teosinte, and other of the legumes,
which not, only make fine stock feed, bu;
are wonderful enrichers of the sell. The
teosinte gives prodigal yield, as high as
10000 to 10000 pounds Of forage to the
acre.
To enumerate the varieties of products
of the Florida truck patch-there are
three and four crops year-wonld be To
call of long LIST. from asparagus, beets.
celery. eucumbers, lettuce, onions, spinach,
Strawberries, tomatoes. etc, to watermelons,
with profits ranging from 800 10 $1,000
an acre, in accordance with the inteili-
gence and industry of the man who is cul-
tivating the land.
The tea plant grows. but the industry
has not been developed, because of the
hard work necessary in taking care of it.
But wait until some ingenious American
makes q machine to handle it. Mean
while any family can have plant or two
in the garden AMI gather their OWN tea.
Peaches, pears. plums, grapes. berries,
etc, grow in quantity and quality not ex-
celled elsewhere. Figs are not CONNER
cially grown; for which there is no good
reason. but every householder can have
them. The tree is hardy and noted fol
its long life. Ripe fruit and buds are
found on the same tree for months in
succession.
Pecans. walnuts. chestnuts, butternuts
and other nut-bearing trees grow freely
and give abundant yield.
From careful comparison with cOndi'
tons elsewhere We DO not hesitate to say
that farming in Florida can be carried on
with as little fatigue and back-aching Ia
Dor as il can be in any other State of the
Union. The soil is light and easily han
died and responds wonderfully when in
fnlIf0anflx, ta1 Nou5bara ale ic tbari
greater variety of fertilzing plants.
Wealth comes out of the soil. Adam
Smith long ago said there are two fac
tors in .he production of wealth: Land
and labor. We have the land And it Is
up to us and our children TO labor
'tAnd gather the wealth of earth and sun,
And the world win eat when our work is
done"
A. ]. Beardsley, McCurdy, W. Va.