The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1913-03-19
Chadman's Florida Letter.

Winter has merged into spring without
tremor and without the change of one
degree in temperature. For month
back the orange. lemon, grape fruit and
guava trees have been mass of blossoms
and the air is heavy with the perfume.
Ripe fruit and green fruit hang side by
side with the blossoms, and in the cases
OF the lemon aud the guava the fruit can
be had at any time of the year. Indeed
the orange and grapefruit stay on the
trees until late in June, and hanging so
long they become very sweet and delic-
Gus.
Oranges are brought into town in
wagons, barrels and sacks, and you can
have all you wish at a cent a piece, or If
the farmer is in hurry TO sell out two
for one cent. But when you want
northern apple of those pippins or
greetings or rsmbo, you have to lay
down nickel piece, aud then you don't
get what you want. You get an apple
something like what we used to call
"cider apples" which were an inferior
sort of fruit and not regarded as good for
anything but for making cider. So dur
ing the past winter | have missed nv
apples very much, and my cider too, es-
pecially my hard cider.
AS to the truck men, the first crop of
the winter has been gathered and sold to
the northern markets. A mighty profit
was made by all the past winter on ac-
count of the bonnteous crops and the
good prices. All the truck land il being
replsnted. and notice that where crop
OF lettuce was removed cucumb bers are
taking its place, and in some cases pota-
toes. Trucking is y science here and any
old Kind of farmer won't succeed. One
must know how to cultivate the soil, what
TO plant at each particular spot, how
much fertilizer To use and when, and then
how to LOOK after the plants while they
are growing. Irrigation and drainage
enter into the business too, and taking il
all together there is something more than
just hard work 10 trucking IN Florida, |
The thousands of graduates of the north
ern colleges who took agricultural
courses can put to good use all the knowl- |
edge they possess iflhey come down here. |
have been working for three months
ata problem in division county divi-
sion. We are trying to divide up this big
county and have one of our own at the
southern end. We will have about 1900
square miles which is about four times
as large as Forest. DeSoto will have left
Zoo ii is fight to the finish this time
with the chances of winning on our side.
There are i've other counties trying TO
break away from the parent county, and
I would seem that If all pulled together
iivi sion could be had in each instance.
rhe legislature, which convenes April s,
ias the say so.
The coming of the new railroad has
treated tremendous excite rent in this
'ity and OF course real estate prices
jumped" little. The road comes from
Venice on the Gulf to the town of Char
otte Harbor. thence across the bay to
his city, and easterly through DeSoto
county TO lake Okeechobee. Ii will open
Up rich territory. Nearly all the land
lot under cultivation is covered with
catered pine, and near the creeks there
s much cypress and oak. 1t is estimated
hat there is fifty million dollars worth
u naval stores to he gathered in the dis
uua |
Dads and drains or bitches, and we have
he finest garden spot in the world, Eden
ot excepted.
But then, you know, our chief asset is
ur climate. We have the elm ate brag-
ing habit bad. 1t is quite prevalent
mongst us at Punts Gords, but Il RACES
lriously at st. Petersburg. They have
rganized corporation to control il up
here. believe they intend to squeeze
be rest of us cut OF our share.
And then the canopy. The glorious,
ood and useful canopy! Not the star
udded effect which you see above you
ltside, but that little cheese cloth affair
lat hangs Immediately over your bed,
nd which you will adjust very carefully
nd tuck in around the edges and make
ire that it is mosquito tight, else you 7
i'll lie there all that night striking, and
nsshiug, and kicking and swatting, and
len arise with thousand places on your
lstomy to rub. WALLACE CHADMAN, l
Punta Gords, Fla, March IL, 1918. b