The St. Lucie County tribune. (Fort Pierce, St. Lucie County, Fla.) 1905-1920, 1911-05-12
THE WEALTH
OF FLORIDA
Some of the Avenues That Bring
Prosperity to cur State
NOT ONLY IN CLIMATE
Sea AID Soil, Mineral and Timber Add
Their full Quote to The Sum OF hu.
man Happiness and Plenty

1t is not our intention to try to cover
the field of sources of revenue that our
State possesses, nor will this limited
article attempt to deal in specific infOr-
nation as to dollars and cents, but we
will suggest to our readers some of the
products of Florida that annually bring
many thousands of dollars to the pockets
of her people.
Naturally coming to the mind is the
orange and grapefruit crops, which is
one of the great resources of the State,
appealing to the sentimental as we'll as
the material side of human nature.
On the main line is the pineapple in
dustry, the strawberry crop, and the
train loads of delicious celery that move
nOrthward to coax shy dollars from the
pockets of the hungry denizens of the
blizzard ridden land.
More prOsaic but not the less remu-
neratve is the truck growing business
one town alone shipping 70, 600 barrels
of Irish potatoes. Lettuce, beans, Gu
cumbers, squash, roasting ears, etc.,
help to swell the volume of shipments
and the money return, while the toma-
toe crop is so big proposition that we
cannot do it justice without column OF
its own.
PERHAPS the thought of the more lus-
cious watermelon and canteloupe APP
peals to you more strongly and we don't
object to the substantial dollars they
bring.
TObacco-see the ladies turn up dain-
tv noses-plays no incon siderable part
in Florida's wealth. Gadsden county
grows an immense amount of leaf, but
it is of cigar making we especially
speak. This enterprise has within the
knowledge Of the writer, made Tampa
city of 40, 900 people from a village of
less than 1000.
Sea Island cotton, the finest grade, is
grown in the northern and central cOun-
ties. and bringing around rs cents per
pound is a producer of wealth that Is
entitled ~ be reckoned.
These are some of the things in the
horticultural line that pay heavy tribute
to the thrifty husbandman, but our
sources of income do not stop here. The
forest, the mine and the sea all contri-
butte, to Florida's wealth.
The lumber and timber trade OF the
State is something enormous, and is dis
tributed from Pensacola to Jacksonville,
and from Jacksonville to Key West
We have in Plant City one concern that
ships many cargoes of box and crate
material to Cuba and train loads TO
Georgia and other states.
For a long time it was thought that
Florida was without mineral resource,
but phosphate discoveries dispelled this
idea, and now the fields Of perhaps ev-
cry civilized nation on the. globe are
fortified and made to yield abundant
crops by Florida phosphate, and shlps
of many flags ride in our spacious har.,
bors while they wait for the contents ut
solid train loads of pebble and rock phoS-
phate to be transferred by modern ma
chinery into their holds. Back IN the
valleys of the State thousands OF men
and powerful machinery is mining this
deposits of the fossil age.
Another mineral of value which IL be-
ing shipped, is "fuller's EARTH, used
for bleaching cotton seed oil and other
oils. =,
/ Florida. with the greatest stretch OF
coast line of any State in the unloon.
would be asleep to her opportunities
did she not levy tribute on the sea, 50
ut will SUI prise none to lea 9aTr- tine
rpillions Of. ppe0alniis oi fish taken from
the salt water and shipped to less for
}fnnate portions Of our land.
Another source of wealth from the
sea is the sponge fisheries, which are
of considerable magnitude.
There are other, many other, avenues
through which money flows into our
State, but we will mention only one
more and that is the tourist travel,
That vast army of men, women and
children who flock to this our goodly
land to escape the chill blasts OF boreas
that would mean death to some of them
and discomfort to all. Many of these
people are very wealthy, and are glad
to exchange their dollars for Florida
comforts and Injuries. In the main
they are thrifty people and no doubt
get what they pay for, but they don't
pay for all they get, bless you, no! The
balmv breeze, the luxurious sunshine,
the loveIy>vistas of sky and sea and
verdure; the view of the star-studded
heavens and the moonlight such as their
Northern nights never know, are God S
gifts and are TO be had without money
and without price-by coming to flori-
da. Elk.