The Palatka news and advertiser. [volume] (Palatka, Fla.) 1908-19??, 1914-04-10
PUTNAM COUNTY
FARMERS GATHER
In Numbers at Court House
Monday and Hear Talks
from Experts.

The much talked of farmers rally
was held at the court house in this
city last Monday and proved to be a
genuine rally of progressive soil till
ers, of which Putnam county is rap
idly filling up.
There were perhaps seventy-fve
farmers of the county in the audience
which assembled in the court room
and these with others interested in
progressive farming made up quite a
large assembly when the meeting
was called to order at 2:30 p. M, by
Secretary Folsom of the Palatka
board of rtade.
In opening the meeting Secretary
Folsom made short talk, in which,
among other things, he said:
"Florida is land of natural mira
cles. Here the sun and rain and
warmth work together and farming is
a continuous performance. Super
human miracles are not made to or
der by the Almighty to please the
Whims or to counteract the blunders
of man. At critical moments, when
God sends US some great emergency
outside ourselves and beyond all
our power to master, He will
provide a suitable miracle to take
care of the situation He has
created. In the regular affairs
of daily life He expects us tc
meet our own problems and Difficult
ties manfully, courageously and vic
toriously. He has given Florida ma
ny resources, the material out OF
which we must build. The sensible
thing always when We do not know
the right way, or are in doubt, seek
the aid Of others who are better post
ed-co-operation is what is needed.
"Active and mutually helpful CO.
operation is needed between the farm
ers themselves and all of the public
agencies intended to promote agricul-
ture and agricultural education. The
farmer needs the facts and the ex.
plantations which the scientists car
bring to them. The scientists and
teachers are no less in need of the
facts and the point of view of the
farmers; they need to learn the super.
science which farmers call common
sense, that wholesome wisdom that i;
the essence of the thought and eX
perience of generations of men wht
have made good through work ant
thought and thrift and unconscious
adaptation to circumstances. County
advisors and agents get information
from successful farmers and carry i
to others not doing so well. Life is ;
school and we are never too old tt
learn"
Prof. Charles N. Mooney of tn
United States bureau of soil surve.
and chief of the corps now engage
in making a soil survey of Putnam
county was the first speaker. H
surprised the audience by declarin
that there was no poor soil in Flor
ida, as anywhere else. The whit
sand over which anyone could pass
handkerchief without soiling was pre-
ducing the finest pineapples on tn
American market. 1t was merely
matter of knowing what to plant an
the soil would produce something in
most bountiful way. He said he ha
found in this county some fifteen G
the thirty known classes of soils an
from experience and observation i
various parts of Florida he was cor
vinced Putnam county could be mad
wonderfully productive and beGom
one of the rich agricultural section
of the state.
Following Prof. Mooney there wer
short addresses by Hon. w. A. Nj
Rae, Florida Commissioner of Agr
culture, Tallahassee; Prof. C. L. Wi
} loughby of the Department of Amin;
Indutry, Florida Agricultural Colleg'
Prof. H. P. Lykes, dairy and poultr
agent of farm Improvement work {
the G. S. & F. Railway; Prof. T,
Waldrup, field agent in charge {
boys corn clubs and general develol
ment work of the G. S. & F. R'y;
A. Trip, marketing agent of tt
same road, and General Freigf
: Agent Cutler. ~
Others, including Prof. w, 0. Rich
man, superintendent of the Satsum
Company, whose great camphor far
| in this county is the only one of i
b. kind in the United States, and c. v
. Fitch, land and industrial agent
2 the G. S. & F. R'y, and who were o
b, the program, were not heard.
:. But the meeting was a great SUI
t cess as an educator and is only tn
:. beginning of series of such meeting
r which the Palatka board of trac
s hopes to have in this city an
: Throughout the county.