Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1911-07-27
FLIEs. FLnAs AND E1oRIDA.


tiyes here he has written Of his ex-
lperiences and the letter is full Of
human interest. He says:
1--WE have no evenings at this sea-
son, People get up between . and
4 in the morning and work till about
Ito or half past and go to work about
half past two in the afternoon and
work until dark. This way they
escape the direct rays Of the sun.
land l tell you 1t comes down hard.
50 you see the necessity Of going
Ito bed the minute supper Is over and
you get your bath. Nearly every
one else takes their bath when they
get up, but we find II we do that
WAY we won't take one. One does
not suffer with the heat so much
lin the shade, and 1t does not seem
so hot out in the sun, but we cannot
stand its whiting effect.
"The land / was thinking Of buy
ling at $50 per acre can be bought
all over Florida for from $3.50 to
$40. So applied for my first pay
ment (which / made before ! came
DOWN back. They agree to do this,
Ibut do not know II they will.
LAND conditions are very peeul-
liar in Florida. One man may have
splendid farm and his adjoining
Ineighbor may have the very poorest
kind Of an excuse OF farm. Other
farms are spotted with good patches
and no good patches. The best farms
seem to be in what is called ham
mock land, which is cleared out OF
hardwood forests.
"A great deal Of the land that
Igrows pine is not good farming land.
Ian land must be fortified more or
LESS to make a good crop, and this is
done with commercial fertilizer which
will cost all the way from 81 an
acre for corn to $40 an acre for
crops that are hard on land. How
ever growing conditions are splendid
with plenty OF. rain and sunshine.
It is my idea that the reason so much
Of the land is poor is on account OF
the excessive rain fall on sandy land.
The sand stays on top and the rich
dirt washes down. Where high land
can be found with a good clay sub
soil from one to two feet to hold the
fertilizer then fine crops are made.
"But for all its drawbacks there
are certainly great chances for mon
ey-making for those that have little
start. But for those who work Tor
wages in any line 1t seems they get
poorer all the while. Wages are
very low, and living Just as high as
lin Colorado. Only in the big towns
can you buy many Of the things that
we eat up north, fresh meat, break
fast foods, butter, fruit and vege-
tables. The Florida raised people
eat grits, jOhnny-cake, greasy home
cured pork, rice and they use to-
matoes made into gravy on every
thing. They use the poorest grade
Of everything. 1t is no wonder there
are SO many people with stomach
trouble. They use so little white
bread, no butter, no milk and eat
go much pork and hot bread. They
make greens" from everything
weeds, turnips, collards, cabbage
etc.
"WelI we are getting along rather
slow. We had a long dry spell Tor
this country which set US back some
when we first came, and then we
had a week Of too wet, and now It
ia getting dry again, but looks like
rain. We have Just q few peaches
which are getting ripe but are
wormy. Our pears we will have
plenty Of which will be ripe In ten
days or two weeks. | have over a
hundred tomato plants Just blooming.
the balance Of the garden except
beans and black-eyed peas does not
seem to grow well. I have out q
patch Of sweet potatoes and a patch
Of Irish potatoes. Sweet potatoes we
stick vines down to grow you know.
Only a few Irish potatoes up. have
ten acres Of corn that looks fine
and will soon be tasseled out. About
20 acres that planted later to corn
and velvet beans Is up and looking
good but Is very far behind all the
neighbors. This week / win finish
all my planting by planting I acres
to Chufas Cground almonds) and
plnders (peanuts.) The time is Just
right for planting these last they
tell me. Ny neighbors have ripe
tomatoes and one man has Just COM
menced putting melons on the local
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