The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1913-04-27
A Days Drive Through
Fertile Section Furnishes
the Evidence.
RICH CHOCOLATE coLoRED SOIL
AWAITS ONLY THE PLoW OF
THE FARMER AND THE HAND
OF THE HUssANDMAN TO MAKE
COUNTY THE MOST PRoDUc-
TIVE IN THE WORLD.
BY FRANK L. MAYEs.

BY FRANK L. MAYElS.
On a bright, crisp April morning.
when the dew sparkled in the sunlight
and the dogwood blossoms, white and
pure among the green foliage of the
forest, accumulated the advent Of
spring, left with John SmithwicIy.
Keener Chappelle, and Jim Gertie for
an automobile drive from Milton up
through the pine fats and prosper
Gus farms lying between that place and
Jay, twenty-five miles northwest near
the Alabama line
IF anyone whose travel has been
confined to steel rails and whose vision
has been circumscribed by the range
of a Pullman window, should tell you
that Florida is not beautiful, just call
him of to one side and for his own
good. advise him to be cautious where
and among whom he parades his ig-
norance.
If anyone should tell you that there
is nothing but sand in Florida, like
that on the black jack ridges where
so many of the railroads elect to build
their lines. just take him out for q
trip through the piney woods Of Santa
Rosa county. Get him ION the ground"
as Senator Vardaman says, "cIose 20
nature and to natures God" Let him
breathe the pure air OF a spring morn
ing, scent the fragrance of the wood
land flowers. drink the cool and crystal
spring water that bubbles out of the
hillside heads all over this favored
land, and analyze the chocolate colored
loan that the pillow Of the farmer turns
up to the sunlight.
Beauty why the beauty Of a Flor
ida landscape beggsrs description. No
pen can write 1t and no painter has
IN.
It.
Soil-the test is what it win pro-
duce and the proof of what it viii
produce is seeing the products them
selves.
These things are the material pos
sessions of Santa Rosa county and
particularly of that portion Of it which
lies from Milton north to the Alabama
line. The way to realize them is TO
see them for yourself. This it was
my privilege to do, and, while I have
over this rich and beautiful southland
of ours, I have never seen anything
that excels and possibly little that
equals in richness and fertility the
stretch Of territory which lies on each
side Of the route we travelled that
day
There are yet in this great stretch OF
country many acres Of magnificent
pine forests which yet await the hand
Of the woodsman. but they are being
swept clear year by year and IN the
future every acre of this virgin soil
will be open to settlement and Guilt
vation. Much of 1t has already been
cleared, particularly in the section
about Coldwater and again at Jay, and
he thrifty farmer from Alabama,
Georgia, Tennessee, and other states
g here to build his home and event
Tally to make his fortune.
They call this land red. The Redland
Company takes its name
I'm that fact. But I should call It q
chocolate loan built by centuries OF
lecaying vegetation, upon a red clay
;ubsoil-a combination that in this
;emi-t ropic climate is susceptible OF
he highest soil production known
o the service of agriculture. And way
Iown beneath this rich chocolate loan
md its underlying stratum OF clay ia
he white, pure sand through which
9 filtered the purest of soft water and
hat in well or spring or stream makes
or the health as well as the refresh
nent of both man and beast
I do not believe that any other simI-
ar area Of the world contains so much
ure water as does Florida, and no
where Is IL purer OF more plentiful than
a West Florida. In It. like the prom
sed land of old, there are fountains
nd depths that spring up out Of val
sys and hills but, unlike the water
Z that country to which Moses paid
UGH glowing tribute. the water of this
florida land OF promise contains no
Inc. and is, next to distilled water
self, the purest that nature anywhere
rovfdes.
What is known as the Coldwater set
cement Hes in the center OF this rich
district The place took KS
anne from q small cold water stream.
hat, fed by springs and smaller creeks.
ows increasingly toward the sea, re-
-eshing as well as draining the fer
le land which lies on both sides Of IT.
This Co1dwater section was at one
me heavily timbered with giant pines
hitch cut from 5000 to 10000 feet to
ne acre. but which have now been
lrgeIy cut Off and It is rapidly being
attied and cultivated. The country
1lls sufficiently to afford perfect
but not enough 70 eudanger
Ither crops OF lands from washing
Ich as IS witnessed in hiIly countries
Irther north during the heavy rains.
These lands produce everything In
igenous TO q semi-troDic climate
rain, hay, forage, root and fruit crous
large yield and best quality vfl
row with less effort on the part Of
an than is the case in any other 1ati-
Ide. The Solomon farm where a boy