The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1912-01-24
LAURENS COUNTY TRAVELLER
WRITES FROM FLORIDA
Barlow, Fla, Jan. 15, 1912.
BY Jesse r. Crawford

Barlow, Fla, Jan. 10, 1912.
Editor The Advertiser:
AS l sit at my window and gaze out
across the orange groves laden with
golden fruit and putting on a new
growth in preparation for the fragrant
blossoms that open in February. l
wonder If old Laurens is really wrap
ped in snow. Someone wrote me that
you had had snow, and that icicles
were hanging from the trees. | try
to imagine how everything looks UP
there, but the hanging icicles are re-
placed by huge streamers of Spanish
moss swaying gently in the light
breeze, and the warm sunshine of win
ter drives from my minds eye the
threatening snow clouds ard the keen.
biting wind.
Yet Florida is not all sunshine and
howers, asswe often read have been
down here six weeks and think. that
1t has rained at least half of the time;
something unusual the old settlers tell
me. AS is probably known, Florida
has wet season during July, August
ant September. then during the rest of
the year only occasional showers. But
as yet, the rains are holding on with
the tenacity of turtle; and the gen
oral question is when will they 1uit?"
Then too, an occasional freeze happens
here in Polk County, which is about
two hundred and twenty-five miles be-
low Jacksonville. Only one light frost
has occurred so far, and part of the
vines were still growing in brothers
potato patch when he had them Dlow-
ed up since Christmas The old set
flers predict very mild winter. but
l rather guess they are liable to get
fooled some times. At any rate, the
orange growers arc taking no chances.
and are placing oil burners or piles
of wood at intervals through their
groves and will be ready to fire them
on short notice.
This is my second visit to Florida
My first visib lasted only few days,
and this time | came for my health.
Consequently have not seen as much
of the country as | would like TO nor
am | very well acquainted with live
stock and farm conditions. / no
licc that boys corn clubs are being
organized. but | hear nothing of coun-
try affairs OF stock shows that are so
common in South Carolina, and that
have done so much to put our state in
the foremost ranks as an agricultural
state One dr@wback to stock raising
in Florida is tick fever. I suppose
that something is being done by the
state to eradicate the ticks, but as
Florida has no fence laws, you can
see what a proposition the Individual
stock raiser is up against. Though
with proper care | believe that stock
raising or dairyng could be made
profitable business. No expensive
barns for wintering are necessary,
while an abundance of hay can be
made from the velvet bean and the
beggar weed. Then coo dairy pro-
ducts and dairy COWS are such a fancy
price Butter sells at forty-five cents
por mound while the average dairy
COW is never sold for less than one
hundred dollars.
The irrigated truck farm is one of
the interesting things that /
have yet seen. | refer to the overhead
irrigation which is unheard of in our
part of the county. The system is
simple but expensive. 1t costs on an
average of three hundred dollars per
acre to install the plant, but after
once placed, | don't see why it should
not last indefinitely. Briefly speak
ing, the system consists of an artesian
well, gas engine. and a pump to
which is connected the pipes that dis
tribute the water over tho field. The
main pipe, which is from four to ten
inches in diameter, extends the whole
length of the field Then At intervals
of about thirty feet smaller pipes rad
late at right angles from the main
pipe and extend across the field. The
latter pipes have small holes every few
inches which allow the water to es-
cape in fine spray. III the piping is
placed on posts about ten feet high
there is ample room underneath to cul-
tivate the crop and at the same time
be assured of a bountiful supply of
water.
The farmers say that the problem
now isnot how to make the vegetables,
but how to sell them. Last year the
market was SO overcrowded with cab
bage that many OF the farmers sold