The Palatka news and advertiser. [volume] (Palatka, Fla.) 1908-19??, 1912-10-25
FLORIDA IS AHEAD
OF OTHER STATES
FIGURES SHOW WHAT STATE OF
FLORIDA RAISES PER
ACRE.
COMPARISONS ARE MADE
In General Farming Statistics Florida
Leads the Whole
South.


1t has often been claimed that Flor
ida leads in the value of crops per
acre. This has not seemed quite clear
to those who have been led to believe
, that our soil in inferior to that of
other localities, but doubt on this
score should be dispelled by the fol
lowing comparisons made from the
figures of last years crops:
In the matter of Irish potatoes Flor
ida easily led with production of
G,O42 pounds per acre against $3.50
for the state of Virginia.
The tobacco crop shows Florida
land producing S79 pounds per acre
and the nearest competitor is South
Carolina with a production of $50
pounds.
Taking up wheat, Florida is second,
producing 1922 pounds to the acre as
compared to Maryland, which has $50
pounds to her credit. But taking the
states as geographically Southern
states, Maryland would be eliminat-
ed and consequently Florida would
lie the honor state in this cereal.
Not only in the matter of soil pro-
ductivity does Florida excel, but when
the value per acre is taken into CON
sideration, the state does not fall be.
hind. Irish potatoes are shown to
be valued in Florida at $9S.6S per
acre, against $707S for South Caro-,
lima, which is the nearest competitor.
Taking the production of the tubers
as rated so many bushels to the acre,
Florida figures show 1907 bushels,
and is only topped by Virginia, and
that only by two-hundredths of a
bushel per acre. When the value per
acre is considered. Virginia is rated
at only $65.2O, against the $9S.6S of
Florida This is the point that is in
Florida's favor, she produces quality
beside prolific crops.
Comparing the tobacco figures, Flor
ida is away in the lead, the value per
acre being $2572O, and is followed
by Georgia with $14G.74. Kentucky pro-
duced S,4S2,301 pounds of tobacco,
or S4S pounds to the acre, while |
Florida produced 3,5O5,SO1 pounds,
$40 pounds to the acre, valued -ds
$2572O, and there again we have quail.
ity. Kentucky IS practically all I'M
cultivation, and the surface OF
Florida is merely scratched as yet.
Florida has but S,5O9 acres devoted
to the raising of Irish potatoes, pro-
ducing S59,967 bushels, Mississippi
and South Carolina having practically
the same acreage, yet Florida eXcell-
ed them by a large margin in the
matter of bushels per acre and also
acre value. Georgia had over three
thousand more acres than Florida, yet
did not exceed the total yield here
except by very few bushels, and
comparing again, Georgia's crop was
worth only $57,62 per acre, as com
pared to S9S,6S for Florida.
Wheat, as shown by the figures, was
Florida's poorest showing, she having
but ten acres devoted to this grain,
but that same ten acres demonstrate
ed that but one other state, and that
Maryland was able to exceed the
value per acre. Maryland's acre value
was S16.74 while Florida's was 1920.
And summing up the matter we can
feel assured that no state will excel
Florida when this state has been I'M
der general cultivation as long as
some of the older settled states in
the geographical South.