The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1912-07-01

ipated, is scarcely necessary. Ber-
muda onions are grown to perfection.
and some land rented to tenant on
the basis OF one-third of the crop to
the land owners has yielded to them
net profit of over 800 per acre this
season, which is making the land rent
at over s100 an acre. Other crops
are apparently making equally as
good showing.
An Ocala man, and this property is
tributary in its operations to Ocala.
who has the credit in town talk Of
cabbages, is organizing company to
rent 1000 acres of this reclaimed land
for the purpose of general farming.
If the yield of this company and the
other tenants, as we'll as the yield on
the land operated by the two people
who own the property. is at all in
keeping with results mus far achiev-
ed, this piece of reclamation work has
owners, but has given an object les
son in what can be done in the re-
clamation of many thousands of acres
in the immediate vicinity, as we'll as
part of our whole country.
Western Grain Growers Work In the
state of Florida
Stretching for four miles along the
Seaboard Air Line, or 10 miles from
Ocala, is a farm of 5000 acres, of
which nearly 5000 are under cultiva
tion that reminds one of a great West
ern or Valley of Virginia grain farm.
The owners of this farm, which is said
to be the largest piece of cleared land
under cultivation by any one concern
in Florida, are devoting it almost
wholly to grain. They are Western
men. OF the three owners, one has
been living in Florida somS years, al
though his boyhood was spent in the
grain regions of the West. Another, as
administrator, had for seven years the
mana cement of a 1O03-acre farm in
Indiana, then worth about s100 an
acre and now worth $500 an acre. The
other partner is a Western capitalist
who has put his money into this farm
Operation as an investment.
The general public has labored un-
der the delusion that Florida can new
er be a grain-growing state. BY many
it has been thought that Florida ag
iriculture must be confined to citrus
fruits and early vegetables.
This big property, operated under
the name of the Anthony Farm Com
pany, is in a region which has been
notably successful in raising early
and other things, and in the growing
of which many men have accumulated
comfortable fortunes. But these people
definitely decided to make of their
property a grain farm 1t is operated
with the most complete power ma
chinery, all the work being done with
the most up-to-date equipment. The
plowing is done by traction engines
drawing six plows. The threshing is
done by the most improved automatic
feed thresher and self-stacker.
Some of the statements made by the
men who manage this farm are very
significant. They are indeed of very
great Importance. not alone to Flor
ida. but to the entire South. for the
South should double its corn crop.
Commenting on their experience: the
Anthony farm people say:
Comparing grain growing on our
property in FLORIDA with the West. the
advantage is altogether on our side.
Here we always raise two crops on
the same land 1t costs us less to
raise our corn than it costs the West
ern farmers. IT is true we have a
somewhat smaller yield. but the price
of corn in this section is always high
er than in the West. and this gives us
net results of as much and in many
leases more than the Western farmer
can secure for his corn. Here the
corn natures early, and is always fol-
lowed by a second crop, which is
!, worth equally much the corn,
while in the West the farmer who
raises corn can raise nothing else on
the same land in the same year. As
illustrating this point. we have in this
section as well-cultivated upland land.
as DISTINGUISHED from the bottoms or
reclaima BILE lands a yield of about 80
bushels of corn per acre. On the av
erage this will bring 80 cents per
bushel. or s24 This is more than the
Western farmer will average from an
lacre of his corn.
"But following the corn we can grow
other 'thingS-velvet beans, for in
stance. which will average about %
of from $3.50 to SO a bushel. although
this year an extraordinary demand has
made the price 81 per busheL Taking
the low price of $3.50 and SO per
bushel and adding to the corn. this
will give an aggregate of about s75
per acre. an entirely feasible profit,
and certainly two or three times as
much as the Western farmers can do
| in corn raising. We follow our oats.
which yield about % TO 30 bushels an
acre. by soy beans or cowpeas. which
not only give us the beans or the peas.
but also n ton to ton and a half of
hay, and in this case we get from s75
to sS5 per acre year.
These yields are without the use
of commercial fertilizers. In the place
OF fertilizers we plant velvet beans, or
cOwpeas, or soy beans, and they take
the place of fertilizers to such an ex-
tent that it is estimated that their
value as a fertilizer material is over
$40 per acre. The only fertilizers we
have used this year are on cantaloupes
and sweet potatoes"
In view OF the very great import
culture of this kind. Mr. H. c. Bailey.
the secretary and treasurer of the An
thony Farm Company. was asked to
present a detailed statement of the
Operations of his company. Eliminat-
ing a few paragraphs in order TO save
space. his written statement is as fol-
tlows:
The Anthony Farm Company of