The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1914-04-12
Soil and Climate of Bay
County Unite to Produce
Wonderful Crops.
Thousands of Trees Already
in Bearing, Other Thous-
ands Being Set Out.
Bay County Fruits.

BackberricS, kumQuattS,
WonderberrieS, Dewberries.
Persimmons,
Although practically all fruits do
the Florida coast is better adapted
to the growing of citrus varieties, and
while this is true of all Bay county,
it is particularly so with reference TO
the land lying near the shores of beau
tiful st. Andrews bay, the shore line
OF which is nearly 500 miles in
length. Owing to the great expanse
OF warm waters. which ebb and flow
with the tides of the gulf. the climate
is more tropical than that of any sec
ton of West Florida and this great
expanse of water is almost a guaran-
tee against damaging frost. There are
thousands of acres along the shores
of the bay that offer wonderful op-
portunities to the fruit grower and
the thousands of bearing orange and
lemon trees in various sections of the
bay country demonstrate conclusive
ly that citrus fruits may be grown
with unusual financial results. From
Bay Head, the extreme end of North
bay to Weteppo, at the end of East
bay. there is hardly a foot of land that
is not available for high cultivation
and here and there, all along the bay
shore, arc orange groves In various
stages of development. On the long
peninsuIas which separate st. An
irews bay from the Gulf of Mexico
the vegetation of the tropics has taken
possession and here, particularly, UNI
usual advantages are offered for cit
rus fruit culture.
At Bay Head, On an immense tract
recently purchased by Henry NJ Cum
mings and his two sons, formerly OF
New York, preparations are under
way for planting thousands of lemon
orange and grape fruit trees: at Lynn
Haven thousands of trees have already
been set out and are doing well; at
st. Andrews there are thousands OF
trees, some of which have been bear
ing heavily for many years: at PAIL
anna City and vicinity there are thou
sands more. Across on the Calhoun
peninsula, but two miles from Panama
City, J. z. Dell now has over 1900
three year old trees and this year Will
secure a paying crop from them;
further along on the same peninsula
at Cromanton, at San Bias and at va |
rious other places, clear TO the head |
of the bay, there are thousands or
trees, with plans under way for the |
setting out of other thousands within |
the present year.
The fig industry offers fully as great
opportunities as citrus fruit culture,
for although figs cannot be shipped
TO distant markets after ripening,
there is an immense and constantly
growing demand for preserved figs,
and this demand will be supplied, to
certain extent. when the plans for
fig growing in Bay county mature. AT
Bay Head plans are under way for
setting out several thousand trees
and as soon as these come into bearing
a cannery will be established for pre-
pairing them for market. At several
other places about the bay the poSSt-
bilities of the fig have been recog-
nized and. at no distant date. there
will be several large orchards under
cultivation. The fig crop begins to
pay during the third year, and after
that time the crop continues to In
crease in size. There are fig trees
in the bay country that annually grow
under present conditions the crop is
wasted, or practically So.
Finest Grape Fruit.
1t is said of the Bay county grape
fruit, that it is the finest grown, the
climatic and soil conditions being par
ticuIarly suitable forsits culture. Al
though there are no extensive groves
of grapefruit in Bay county at the
present time, several thousand trees
have been set out and the outlook for
this crop is good. There are hundreds
OF trees in bearing, in various places,
and all of these produce heavily. And |
this is also true of the kumquatt the |
lemon and citronage. GuaVas have
been raised successfully, but no def |
mite plan for culture upon an extern !
sive scale has been undertaken. Pears |
and peaches do we'll and bear heavily. |
Mulberries are native to the soil and
immense trees are to be found almost |
anywhere.
Strawberry culture offers a golden !
TO the grower, for the ber- |
ries in the bay country mature much |
earlier than in any other section of
West Florida, and from two to three |
weeks ahead of the berries of south |
ern Alabama. Transportation factli- |
ties to the markets of the north and !
east are excellent and there is no rea- !
son why the Bay county strawberry |
should not compete with the berries |
grown a little further north. The |
earliest berries bring high prices, even
in the markets of Bay county towns, |
and until they are grown upon large |
scale local consumption will he fully /
equal to the supply. Blackberries also !
do well in the bay country under Gull |
tivation and it is said. that dewher- |
ries will produce a we'll paying crop |
under cultivation. There are one or
two good sized vineyards along the |
bay. one located near the mouth OF !
bayou. a short distance /
from the town of Galloway. having !
been operated upon paying basis for !
many years. The Niagara and Con- |
cord varieties do well, and several !