The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1914-07-09

deducting $50 for fertilizer, would
pay over 40 per cent on one thou.
sand dollars.
While here in the Kimmel grove
the "Kato' man said: THE trees
were larger and beat any that he haC
ever seen in California" He just
wished that northern people who
thought Florida nothing but a swamp
could see this fine high, rolling coun-
try.
On the Price place, in the garden,
a picture was taken of the "Kato''
men picking strawberries so they
could show northern friends what
they were doing on the Goth of jan
uary. From this small patch of ber-
ries Mr. Price received $14O. The fer
tilizer cost $3.50 His cabbage
brought SIS, while the expense was
five cents for seed and SLIGO for fer
! tilizer. No account was ever taken
of what the family used. This gar
den of less than one-fourth of an
acre was then planted to Irish pota-
toes (no more fertilization was used
and Mr.. Price has already sold 80
bushels at $1.25 per bushel.
1t was my pleasure to take the
Mankato friends out to see Mr.. Gal
loway's field of strawberries and |
am sure it was the greatest berry
sight that they had ever seen for
that fruit grows differently in Flor
ida than in the north. The plants
are set out every year, usually in
September an d they grow up in the
hill bushy and start bearing in No
vember or December. 1t is simply
amazing to see how loaded they get
with the large luscious fruit. They
bear continuously for four or five
months, then the land is plowed and
usually planted to potatoes with
corn or tomatoes between the rows
and later in the season the same
land produces a crop of hay. Mr..
Galloway was getting fifty cents per
quart but earlier in the season he re-
ceived as high as one dollar and fif-
teen cents per quart.
Some have made big money this
year growing Watermelons. One
brought in weighed 65 pounds. They
are the finest | have ever eaten and
| do not wonder that every picture
showing the darby eating watermel-
Ion always shows "the smile that
won't come off,
Mr.. j. c. Swindel, who has a com
bination ranch, has been successful
growing both citrus fruit and truck.
He came here twelve years ago with
$4,000 and I am told that one hun
dred thousand would not buy him
out now. His confidence in the fu-
ture of this country is shown by his
recently investing twenty thousand
dollars in another orange grove.
The Stevens-Palmer twelve-acre
grove last year, after paying for Ia
Dor and all other expenses, made
net profit of thirteen thousand dol
lars.
| mention these to show what
are doing and what is possible.
Conditions are just that good in this
desirable section of the State that it |
takes considerable cash to buy a
bearing grove. | would advise man
without means not to move here for
it takes time and money to develop a
paying proposition.
A northern business man who is
able to make even monthly invest
ments, can buy five or ten acres from
a reliable developing company, who
will set it out to grove and properly |
care for it five years, at which time
it should be paying property and
advance in value.
There are great opportunities for
men with capital. Florida is a large
State and there is a great difference
N the soil, climate and health con-
iitions in the different parts of the
State, so the selecting of the right
kind of land and a good location is
If the utmost Importance That all
Florida is waste or land of neg
ected and abandoned groves is not
borne out by statistics. The average
value of farm products per acre for
iowa was only $12.22, for Florida
lO9.76. One county produced in one
year farm and garden products to
the value of $2,450,153. Its average
Yield per acre for Irish potatoes was
S23c. Live stock to the value of over
81, 25O, 00O were raised in the county
the same year.
Northern and eastern cities will
always be supplied with their win
ter Strawberries and vegetables from
his state and with the growing de-
nand for grapefruit and only Flor