The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1911-03-17
4 GOLD MINE TO THE FLORIDA
FARMER
The Velvet Bean the Best Of All
crops-To Stimulate Its Produc-
ton, MIR. chambIiss Offers
Attractive Prizes


Attractive Prizes
To the Editor Ocala Banner:
It is hardly realized by those not
closely acquainted with farming how
great an increase In bushels, and in
general interest, has been brought
about in Marion county's corn crop by
the generous work of DIR. J. G. Boozer.
Not only the boys and rising genera
tons, but mature farmers as well, are
planting more acres, and making larg-
er yields.
The Marion County Fair is entitled
to credit for the the beginning of this
work, for, when in 1908, the first fair
was in preparation. The Munroe &
Chambliss Bank took occasion to Of
fer prizes of SIS, SIS and $40 for the
first, second and third best 25 ears of
corn shown by any boy under eigh-
teen years of age. It did not even re-
quire him to grow the crop, but allow
ed him to go to his fathers cribs and
make the selections. There was at
that time SO little in terest in the mat
ter that only two exhibits were made.
The first prize corn. shown by Joshua
Gist of Mcintosh, was exceedingly
good, so DR.. Boozer bought a large
quantity of it and distributed the seed,
offering liberal prizes for the 1909 fair
Responding to his offers, the county
fair of that year showed the enor-
nous total of 1873 exhibits.
Last years great success Of DIR.
Boxers work with the boys is fresh
in the minds of all.
Nor is Marion county alone getting
the benefit of this corn boosting-ot
er counties are awakened and at work
along the same lines. In the end the
whole state will reap benefits.
There is another crop needing atten-
ton, though it is now doing well. This
crop is more to the highlands of Flor
ida than is wheat to Dakota, alfalfa
to the west, or even corn to Illinois
This crop is the wonderful
Velvet Bean
1t not only sells today in Ocala at
$3.50 per bushel for seed, but those
pods, ungathered, on account of the
great mass of vines which hide them,
fatten beef which tops the market,
and rush the growth of pigs. Our
fields averaged to yield of picked
beans more than 90 bushels per acre
the past season. But the greatest val
ue of this crop is for fertilizer and
humus, which every farmer in Florida
is buying.
The United States Department of
Agriculture, and the Alabama and
Florida Experiment Stations have
thought this bean of sufficient impor-
lance to issue special bulletins cover
ing its growth. The fertilizer value
per acre is given by the Florida sta
tion as being equal to 1900 pounds of
cotton seed meal, carrying 71l per
cent. of ammonia, (see Important
Facts inside front cover of bulletin
No. 1922, which, figured at market
price of fertilizer. gives the enormous
value of $3.50.
Now, we have arrived at the point
to show its unlimited cashable worth
to this section. The southern states
have planted cotton so long that all
of the humus in their soils have been
destroyed. Cotton farmers have read
the bulletins referred to and many
hundreds of them have made small
paintings of velvet beans. They real
ize this bean is the redeemer of their
robbed soils. Their demand right now
for seed is so insistent at $3.50 per
bushel that there is great danger that
enough seed will not be kept in Flor
ida for this years planting. This de-
mand for velvet beans is making sales
in car lots as far east as Richmond,
Va, north to Louisville. KY, and west
to New Orleans even Texas is big
buyer this year.
AS soon as all the south knows its
value the little belt where seed can
be grown (mainly in Florida) cannot
supply the demand. The cotton states
plant velvet beans for their fertilizer
and humus value alone: they can
not mature seed, and the dry lands of
Florida will always enjoy a monopoly,
as the beans require eight months to
mature, and wet fiat lands viii not
grow them. They require no fertiliz-
ing.
Besides selling the product of our
own farms, have sold this season
over $4,000 worth of beans for my
neighbors; the supply is exhausted,
and am now sending back good checks
every day. This section is already in