The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1912-06-07
POLK COUNTY REGION
BEST PART Of FLORIDA
CONTINUED from Page ~

Der. Strawberries do we'll setting out
the plants begins in September. and
the earliest shipments are about the
holidays and continue through jan
uary, February and March into April.
when the crops begin to ripen farther
north.
Vegetables are important money
crops, among them being Irish and
sweet potatoes, tomatoes. celery, let
tuce, cucumbers, beans, cabbage. egg
plant, etc.. which may be marketed
twice year. The fall crops are
planted in August and September and
marketed in November and Deem
Ger. The big spring crops are plant
ed in January and February and are
marketed in April and May. 1t is
from this planting that northern
shipments are made.
Any product OF the garden grown
in the temperate zone can be pro-
duced in South Florida. The fruit
and vegetable grower can prOfitably
employ his time the entire year, but
not many care to do this. And in
different sections of the State, be-
sides the articles named, are grown
the banana, plantaii., sugar cane, cot
ton, tobacco, rice, coffee, hemp. fax,
Indian corn, barley, hops. buckwheat,
cassava from which our tapioca is
made, pineapples, pawpaws, persim-
mons, avOcadoes, blackberries, null
berries, figs, guavas, peanuts, cauli-
flower, okra. squash, beets, etc. The
cOcOanut and the date palm flourish
in the extreme southern part of the
peninsula, a region in which but few
rortherners care TO locate
The constant winds from the south
east, and the intercianging air cu:-
rents from the gulf tt the Atlantic
give to the peninsula Of Florida a
tempered summer climate, especially
In the highland lake region of Polk
county. The humidity is not SO great
in July and August as in some of our
middle States. The shade tempera-
ture seldom reaches SO degrees in
the summer, and rarely drops below
40 in the winter. The heat is not
destructive to human life as in the
north, for case of sunstrOke has
never been reported from any part
of the State, while there were some
1900 deaths from heat prostration
in our northern States during the
summer OF 1911.
For many years past the eyes Of
the land hunter and the homeseeker
have been directed toward the west
and the great northwest. The rail-
roads In that part Of the United |
States have been hard at work for
years, devoting both time and capital
literally to the work OF developing
the vast stretches Of territory along |
their lines. The Pacific coast and
the mountain States have made won.
dcrful progress.
Now the growing area for our Gulf |
States has arrived. The milder eli.
mate and its greater productivity arr
attracting wide attention. The great |
railroads Of Florida are only in their
infancy; their length Is being added |
to daily; the Atlantic Coast Line is
opening up the highland lake region,
and within few months has built
hew stations at Dundee, Lake Wales
Crooked Lake, Frostproof, and last
week operated its first train to Avon
Park. twelve miles south of Frost.
proof. and is building still farther
south. \ lake front is considered
the most desirable location for the
winter visitor or the permanent set.
tier. and il the soil is sandy the eli
mate is all that can be desired for
the production of the growth of
Florida S great variety of fruits and I
vegetables. r. W. Barber in lack /
son Patriot.