The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1914-05-11
FARMING IN FLORIDA

The following very interesting ar
ticle is from the pen OF Editor L. A |
Nfven OF Southern Farming, who
came here on the invitation OF the
Board of Trade some weeks ago. and
who Secretary Rooney took special
pains to introduce to some OF our
leading farmers. Such articles go to
the people whom it is most necessary
to reach, and they do our county an
untold amount of good.
Mr.. 'Niyen's article is as follows:
Those people who believe that all
of the good farming is done outside
of Florida have another guess COM
sive and best farming along truck
ing and fruit lines i have ever seen
is in Florida. Also, / recently noted
in this state as good general farm
Marion county, which is in the CEN
ter of the state, is one of the best
agricultural counties in the whole
state, and practically all of the peo-
| pie in Marion county insist that it is
the best and not one of the best The
farmers of this county are doing
good work, not only along the lines
of general farming, growing such as
corn. oats, peavine hay, velvet beans
ETC., but quite a bit of truck and cit
rus fruits are grown, and this part of
! the work will compare favorably with
that of any other part of the state.
While there are many good farms
| in this county, one of the best and
most interesting is that of J. VI. Mef-
! fert A good many years ago he
came. to America from Germany and
settled on a farm in Michigan, re-
naming there until his health COM
PEELED him to seek a different eli
mate. Now his health is permanent
ly restored, and it would be hard to
find more perfect specimen of heal
thy manhood than Mr.. Meffert. He
ly 80 years. He was compare
lively young man when he came to
Florida, and he bought some land
that was we'll covered with timber.
of the timber and set out an orange
grove.
Inc II -
A few years after commencing
work on the place he found that
there was an excellent supply of
limestone on it. In fact, the supply
is almost inexhaustable. He immedi-
ately began work quarrying this lime
rock and selling it as agricultural
lime, and other forms of lime, also.
He began this work in his limekiln on
a small scale, and it has developed
into very large commercial enter
prise. The output from this kiln was
80 barrels a day when he commenc-
ed, and it is now 500 or more
On his farm Mr.. Meffert grows live
stock as we'll as truck and other gen.
eral farm crops. Cabbage, snap
beans, cantaloups and watermelons
are the main truck crops he grows. |
Corn, oats, cowpeas, velvet beans,
Japanese cane and such crops are his |
main farm crops.
An inspection of Mr. Meffert's |
barns is enough to convince anyone
that his methods are up-to-date in
every sense of the word. The stables
are kept perfectly clean, all of them
have concrete floor, sloped to the
rear and there is drain running
along the line of stables, which takes
all of the liquid manure to a nearby
reservoir. Mr.. Meffert realizes that
to allow the liquid manure to escape
from his stables, he would be losing
the richest part, and he is too good a
business man and farmer to allow
such a waste as this to take place
The stables are kept perfectly
clean; they are cleaned out each
morning thoroughly and frequently
washed with water. Fresh bedding
| is then put in each night Now be it
understood that this farm isn't any
show place, but it is being run for
| the purpose of making money, and
| the putting in Of concrete floors, keep
/ ing of stables clean and the storing
Of the liquid manure is not some
fancy idea, but one of pratical value,
for if it wasn't man of Mr.. Meffert's
business ability would not do it.
He feeds a great many beef cattle
each year, and not only has a large
| q Mount of "a e lar nd