The Punta Gorda herald. [volume] (Punta Gorda, Fla.) 1893-1958, 1914-04-09
AS APPLIED TO LETTUCE GROWING
Giving Actual Cost OF Installing and
Figures of Results

| Irrigation by means Of overhead pipes
is a new method in use in many Southern
localities for truck raising and since II
marks new era in the growing of vege-
tables and small fruits, description OF
| the system expense of installing, and adj
vantages will be useful.
Lettuce growing is one of the large in
dustries of Florida, and full exposition
of practical planting under this method
by James Henry Rice, is published in
the Southern Farming. He says:
| For irrigating is acres. 25-horse
| power engine is used. housed in a strong
! engine house, with excavations for a
foundation for the pumping machinery,
reinforced by concrete and "tabby.''
Water is pumped directly from a well
that is from ninety to $50 feet deep, an
abundant supply being obtained.
1t requires $4,000 gallons to cover the
ground with one inch of water, and 1t is
/ found better to put on half an inch
twice a week. Three hours steady
! pumping in the afternoon does this.
i On general principals water must be
applied on truck in the South Atlantic
States in order to insure results, sine
drouths are to be expected spring and
fall. These may come at time that
will prove fatal
BY comparison of numerous state
ments. is established that water has
tens the heading of lettuce by at least
two weeks: in some cases lettuce would
run to seed unless water were furnished
BY forcing plants ahead danger from cut
worms and other pests is lessened. Now
| lettuce is the star crop for this country;
| from 1t the best returns are realized,
and it holds the land for so brief a peri
cd that other crops can be put in to
advantage. 1t is customary to plant cu-
cumbers or some similar crop after let
tuce and to follow this with corn and
later SOW cowpeas in the corn alleys. Let
tuce heads in from seven to eight weeks
under irrigation; in from 10 to is without
it..
Lettuce requires thorough preparation
of the soil and all the fertilizer that
can be incorporated, so that after break
ing with four horse disk, and narrowing
out, a ton of oyster shell lime can be
put on, quantities of woods mold, leaves
and trash and all the animals compost
that can be obtained. From 5000 to A.
is used, the potash being mixture of
'murate and sulphate, and usually nitrate
of soda is used as side dressing, at the
rate of 800 pounds to the acre.
AS to profits. one is furnished figures
that very indefinitely. At best lettuce,
that is. fancy lettuce, is an uncertain
crop Weather conditions. insects, fun
gus and other things may knock crop
into smithereens. When they strike 1t
right, the planters realize enormous re-
turns, and they sometimes have heavy
losses. But there is always chance
to even up later on other crops. Three
crops from the same land may be always
relied on; four are possible and have
been made.
One crop of lettuce. returned over ST.
900 an acre, having a yield of 700 crates
to the acre, which brought $500 a crate.
Another party harvested 1850 crates from
four acres, receiving from 81 to SIS per
crate; still another got 1900 crates from
one acre. planting ~ by ~ in one foot
rows, and cultivating the crop with hand
plows. This also brought record price.
AS there are always men who wish to
run down everything to rock bottom, I
am BlVlng herewith u CALCULATION Oh Cost
of one acre of lettuce made by a grower
who has put expenses as high as he
could and profits as low as he could. His
figures in detail are as follows:
Expense-Guano $35, soda Sc, topdres-
sing $40, manure $50, work $50, baskets
$40, freight $3.50. marketing SIS. commits
sion $45, total $427. Returns: 300
baskets at $2l5, s675 which leaves
profit Of $24S for the use of land Ut over
three months. 1t is to be remarked
that cucumbers were grown Immediately
afterward on the same ground giving
a profit Of over 800 an acre. and that
a heavy corn crop followed the cucum-
bers. Both these crops were grown with
the original fertilizer, nothing additional
being used. The distribution of the fer
tilizer of course must be taken in ac-
count is counting the cost Of growing
lettuce. The cost of irrigating plant
for Is acres all told. is about $4,000,
and Of course many truckers do not use
irrigation. They do fairly well without
it.-St. Cloud Tribune.