The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1913-02-08
Truth About Florida Is Given
In Letter From George Davis
Former Editor of The Times Says Buying Land Requires
Presence of Purchaser Upon the Ground-ManS Seek
ing a Job Foolish to Go, There Unless Engaged.

three and four crops can be grown
every season and the market demand
is not half supplied. MI the big citie.
of the cas- draw on thc south for win
ter vegetables and the prices. even I'M
der II present miidleman system
arc good. Five acres makes a bic
truck farm and the necessary ma
need not cost $25. Properly farmed
it ought to yield about $500 per acre
for the winter crops. while the sum.
mer crop is usually something fol
stock feed. az the market for Nege'
tables in the summr does not de-
mand enough to make the price at
tractive.
Using Fertilizer.
wishou, fertiiizins. This does moi
mean that the soil is poor. 1t means
more correctly. that the soil has some
OF the plant elements in everahund-
ance. IL Ia lacking i'll others. The
lacking ones nus he supplied arti-
ficially to preserve the c~Quilebrlum
necessary for plan, life. 1t is true
that the native plant life in tho state
Vt a few citrus fruits. all the vcge-
tables and the soil. and it is therefore
necessary to preserve The plant food
so that it can be utilized"
The Soil.
The soil is as much different as ave
the people in a crowd. Herein Is
where buying sight unseen Is a fall
|u.re. A a Of land may b produc-
ing a grove that 10 the northerner
looks like his dreams Of paradise,
while within Il quarter Of ii mile may
he u tract that would not produce
anything. This latter is the kind Of
land / said before was not worth ten
cents an acre. This peninsula Of
Florida is merely a portion Of the sea
bed elevated. It was one submerged.
Just when the upheaval took place
and how 1t occurred. have not
searched the files Of the paper witt
which I am connected to see. Evident
'ly. it was a long time ago. ven speak,
ing geologically. But the soil was
formed as the sea receded. What Is
here called hammosk land was evil
IDENTITY the islands that first appeared
and the vegetation that became mixed
.seabed makes this land materially
different from the low landwhich must
for ages have been shallow portions
of the sea and re2eptacles for the
sediment washed dowl. from the high
er lands The low lands have large
quantities of humus and are rich in
every soil element except potash. T.us
must be supplied a%rtiicially. The
low lands are the vegetable lands,
for fruit growing. 1t is thus apparent
the anne land will not grow
both citrus fruit and vegetables sue
c%essfully. Some kinds of vegetables
tomatoes, cabbage and heans-grow
on the higher lands. but other vepe-
tables do not. except in Il small way.
There Is some land that is exploited
as combination land-,hat island that
will row both fruit and vegetables
seldom on the market. II it is, it is
worth buying without parley.
Scientific Tests.
The state agricultural college is do
ing a great work for the newcomers
in the specific soil analysis which 1t
The man who wants to buy
a few acres Of land for a future homo
had best either see 1t himself or have
some one whom he can trust see 1t.
Then, portions of The soil from every
half Or quarter acre should. be taken
and the whole mixed. The. agricul-
tural college will analyze the soil and
advise whether 1t will grow fruit OF
or whether it is worthless.
Under these conditions. no one need
make a mistake if he has the time to
come here and study conditions at
first hand.
Did 1t not seem like boosting an
other state. I would say that there
are opportunities which would make
men rich in a few years if northern
enterprises We're applied to them,
lying on every hand. I have been
asked why the natives do not appro
pirate all these opportunities If they
exist. If the native were known the
question would not be asked. Condi-
make strenuous effort unneces.
sary and generations living under
these conditions have had the effect Of
making the native content with the
lot that requires the .east effort. Those
who have thrown OFF the spell md
have developed an energy something
akin to that of the north are making
money. Others have caught the in
SEPARATION from the northern invaders
and the whole south is awakening to
its conditions.
One North Dakota firm headed by
Senator Ed Pierce of Lisbon is oper-
ating. at a point forty-fve miles east
OF Tampa. and Sidney Adams. who
Thomas F. Marshall's cam
paign for the United States senate is
local manager.
l want to say a word against the
plan Of coming to Florida for a Job.
In the city Of Tampa now there are
approximately $4,000 tourists. Other
cities Of the state have as many in
proportion. Many of these are ready
to do anything to "kill time" and the
man who here without having
his position assured in advance is
doomed to disappointment.
Tampa. Fla. Feb. 4, 1918.