The Palatka news and advertiser. [volume] (Palatka, Fla.) 1908-19??, 1912-06-07
INTRODUCTION OF
FOREIGN PLANTS
In FIorida--visi to the u. S.
Station near Br0OkSvilIe
And Valuable Suggestions by Rev. Dr..
Geo. II. Ward.


A visit paid to the Foreign Seed and
Plant Introduction Station, Brooksville,
Fla, which was very interesting to me,
| have thought might prove equally in.
teresting, and possibly profitable to the
readers of your much esteemed paper.
Through the courtesy and kindness of
the energetic and efficient Superintend.
emf, Mr.. VIM. II. F. CONNIE, was
driven TO the Introduction farm by a
road which for over three miles winds
through about as beautiful tract OF land
as can be found anywhere in Florida.
will not attempt to describe the
many ornamental plants grown here,
among which are six or seven varieties
of the bamboo, chiefly from China and
Japan, some of which when grown,
reaching forty or fifty feet in height
but will limit myself to food and forage
plants and grasses that think can be as
profitably grown in the neighborhood
of Palatka and Crescent City as in the
hammock lands of BrookSville. Among
the grasses, Rhodes grass from South
Africa, according TO Mr.. CONNIE, takes
the lead as an ideal horse food; while
Soudan grass-though not as good a
being good milk producer. PaSpulum
grass yields well and seems equally well
adapted TO cows and horses. Setavia, a
forage plant from Louisiana, promises
well but has not yet been tested as 10 IFS
food value. The Rhodes grass yields
more to the acre than even the far-famed
Alfalfa OF the irrigated farms of Calilor,
mia; having produced on This hammock
land without fertilizer, ton OF cured
hay TO a sixteenth of an acre. AS this
seems of equal food value to The best
northern Timothy hay-not like Al
falla producing securing and Slavcring
in horSeS-it seems TO me that some OF
the good land in the ncighborhood of
Palatka, Crescent City, or other places
on the Fruitland peninsula might be
probably planted with this grass; that, in
a word, there is as much or more
money in an acre of this grass than in
an acre of ordinary truck farming and
with far less labor-the uncertain pro.
ceedS of which are devoted 10 paying
$35 10 $40 ton for northern hay to feed
our stock. Mr.. CONNIE is OF the opin-
ion thai the yield even on moderately
good soil will reach ten tons TO The
acre.
Among the legumeS there are grown
many varieties OF the COW pea as also of
the velvet and soy beans, which may
prove more profitable than the kinds
usually grown. There are also several
promising varieties of sorghum. Many
varieties of corn are also grown; among
them, some esteem the Laguna-a varie-
ty brought from Mexico-the best.
Others hold the Kennerly weevil proof
and the Cuban yellow, of almost equal
value. There are also many varieties of
the Citrus family, brought from differ
'ent parts of Europe and Asia, which
have not yet had time TO show their
merits.
The most interesting food product
of which there are one hundred and
farm-iS the DaSheen. This is a plant
kindred to the taro plant which, in
tropic or semi-tropic lands in all parts of
the world has furnished food for mill
ions, and which has been known and
cultivated thousands of years before the
white potato was grown and used in
North America This tuber-the Dash
een-when baked or boiled is mealy
like that of good white potatoes, with
slight flavor of boiled cheStnuts. pre-
fer it to the potato and consider ii more
digeStable and far more so than the
sweet potato The tops OF some of
the varieties furnish a green that
is quite as tender and digesiibe,
though not of the same flavor as spi-
mach A flour can be made from the
edible tuberS when dried and ground,
which is good substitute for wheat or
rye flour in making buildings, etc As
this plant is kindred 10 the Florida
tanya-used as an ornamental plant
ii thriveS well here and has been grown
as far north as the CarolinaS; requiring
immunity from frost from March lSt TO
Nov. LIST, the lime it takes TO fully ma
ture-though il may be used in October.
The varieties used for human food
yield from 10 TO II tons TO the acre.
They do we'll on low hammock land, N
fact where the ground is too moist for
the sweet or even the white potato; in
deed are not hurt by occasional floods.
The yield of the coarSer varieties
which are excellent to feed and fattCn
hogS-iS far greater, nearly double. So
far these plants have been immune from
insects. The cultivation Of this plant is
the same as that of the white potato, if
indeed il requires, as much, the large
leaves of this plant shading the ground,
and, in the latter part OF the summer,
preventing the growth OF weeds and
grass. AS this farm of IS acres (half Of
which is under cultivation by the enthu.
siaStic and untiring Mr.. Gomme) is not
an experiment station, but only TO show
whether these plants can be grown in
Florida, and as the amount of yield in
different soils and conditions has not
yet been tested by the government, ii
strikes me that il woald be we'll if some
of the enterpriSing agriculturaliStS OF
Putnam county were to experiment
in a small way at first, finding out the
actual yield of these roots and grasses on
different SoilS-so testing their monetary
value, as food and forage crops. So do
ing much delay may be avoided and
many hundreds of dollars saved.
Certainly with hay and grain at their
present enormous price-with pros
pect of riSing-there is no matter of
more pressing and vital importance to
herdSmen, farmers and groveSmen than
that of the production of certain plenti-
full and wholesome forage crops for our
stock. With increased and cheaper
food for stock, will come an increase of
stock; and with that increased stock
will come, as has elSew here, increased
fertility of land; and Florida in time be
saved from the terrible drain-now run
ming into the millions-that goes OSLO
the state to pay for northern hay, grain,
fnnIet,,ffs arI fpriiliyarc
GEO. II. WARD.
Leesburg, Fla. June Sd, IL.
hal