The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1912-11-20
WEST FLORIDA
FARMERS DON'T
STOP TO THINK
90 SAYS D .. RAwLs. 90 NICE.
VILE. WHO CLAIMS MANY o.
THEM MAKE REnARKABLE
sHowINos Bur FoRoEr THER-
MS -FOUR POTATOES.


One 20 fhe most optimistic visitors
Ga Pensacola % register in some time
~. e. Mawla az Melville. FLORIDA.
ne believes u Melville. in pensa-
cola and IN West Florida and he is
bubbunN over win enthusiaam about
them. Seated uunn onn of tho cana-
ciuus Hefteaa iu thc LOBBY 81 the hotel
Fast night ha taiked Interestingly
about thIa little corner az che earth
and l.a prospects
Ue sacke chiefly 81 fhe prestige that
viii probably be- lent West Flnfida hY
tne nnwy Organized West FIoridn
Chamber 81 Commerce. tae prestige
which might he ient West Florida Isl
ffa AGRICULTURAL and the prestige
which mas bn Ienf lf f the arriruls
tariaa win rroat by their opportuni-
ties
q tried to Ne here for the meeting
cf thn West Fiarl1a Chamber ~ Com-
marce D. said aand would have toin-
81 BE- hnd 8 been able fo b. present
Z thlnk that "a ulN a. e rreat deal for
thia part ~ the country and that it
should he encouraged
HreakinE ~ the handful az aces atii
81 the farmers De- said.
The trouble in thlH par ~ the
country n chat N a. man goes out 20
ouo of flr Farms in West Worlds ana
haa nfh Wlth tHe ownsr Sc wiN muat
probably D. r.reu the Information he
eeFIraa about FlnrIda lands in a little
reerlmirtie eriei running about like
thia
"rhhH land. Hlr. n good cor nothing
Nou can't grow anythiuH IN % worth
haurinE N 700 Plant three CROPS and
spend eve thoaaand dollars an acre
for fsrniasr
I've tried cane. far Instance. and
e won't WrUw. 80. err. Vou can't make
eane erow down here Vow down on
tha Wafor. edga slot Wonder grew
some cane last summer and you should
have seen @ % beat any cane 4 ever
cav this eide 20 Alabama. and that's
saving q rreat deal
And when De- comes 20 potatoes. the
same farmer win stand up and denv
positively that ne can get a crop %
decent potatoes anywhere AROUND and
wet J know uf enc case az least Ia
which farmer told someone talking
- him be- couldn't Erew potatoes on
hta nnld and then entertain aim. a fcw
minutes after. with n story % how he
had raised tss bushels 90 potatoes on
less than q haif-acre and used buf
three bars 81 fertilizer and spent only
$3.50 for help - farming them. be-
sides the little time he put in setting
out the vines
And Z know ID 10 true that the
is bushels were raised and that b
isn't true that the land WON'T groW any
potatoes
And. % carry ths same line far
ther. Z know people right around ms
place that would stand up and tell q
man sincerely that uothmE worth
whiio could 30 grown about their
places and would then. when the sub
sect turned irons lands 90 potatoes. tell
how ! had raised one hHi % four Pc
fafoes which lacked only tVo-and-a-
hair pounds the weight % a peck,
which a. nftecn pounds. And I ara
raise such e hm 81 potatoes. too"
How o. that" he returned. when
asked thc question ~ why farmers
were - inclined 90 underestimate
There ia no explanation Tor Il that
can SEE" hc explained. "excert that
when a West Florida farmer b. taking
about hia lands and the lands around
him be forReta an about the crops and
remembers en- the talk against them
he ever heard while when he q taIk.
inE crops. be forgets ali about his lands
and remembers ali TIA biE cropa be
has ever raised
Funny proposition - ne concluded.
sCertaiuly e. IL. but It's fact mat
there q no humor in such a situation.
Tho thing the West Florida farmer
wants 90 % "a fnrwet al about ne
lands when aaked about them remsm-
her al the good crops he ever raised
or them"