The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1915-12-18
LAKELAND, THE LARGEST INTERIOR CITY
Of FLORIDA, HOLDS OUT many ADVANTAGES
AND INDUCEMENTS TO THE NEWCOMER
en-
yorAERu
Town BACKED UP,BY fine FARMING SECTION
Strawberries s@


for him to lose that one crop in
Florida as at the NOrth-not from
the same cause, of course, but what
matters cause if results are the
same.
In the matter Of productiveness,
national and state agricultural sta
tiscs show that the welve counties
embracing what is known as South
Florida are the most versatile
the greatest per acre dollar yielders
as wcii-to be found in America,
and Polk county, the center of these
twelve counties, bears the deserved
distinction of being the most versa
tile of them all The progressive
citizens of Polk county are already
leading the way in this crop diver
sification and from being simply one
state, while continuing to be so, rap
idly developing into one of the best
general farming sections in South
Florida.
There have been more business
man farmers in Polk county during
! the last few years their num-
Der is annually incrcasing-than can
be found in almost any other county
in the state, and the success they
have achieved, and arc achieving, in
agriculture and stock-raising is
equalling their successes along other
business lines. Could any more CON
vincing argument be advanced to the
man who thinks-and thinks intel
ligently before investing in farm
lands, business undertakings, stocks
and bonds?
There is perhaps no county in any
state of the Union which produces
the staples of the middle western
statea and the high-priced fruit and
vegetables of Florida in as great va
| rlety as FOLK county.
From the annual report of the de.
partment of agriculture we find the
following crops successfully grown
Corn, oats, sweet potatoes, sugar
cane, peas. peanuts, velvet beans
rye, cassava, onions, lettuce, peppers
cabbage, tomatoes, squash, eggplant
cucumbers, watermelons, cante
loupes, beans, Rhodes, Natal, SOudar
and other hay grasses. Three ant
often four crops are produced or
the land within the year. Read thi,
letter of DR.. w. H. Conibear. VIII,
came here few years ago from tn,
rich farming lands of Illinois:
Secretary of the Board of Trade,
Lakeland, Fla:
Dear Sir-Having purchased
small improved farm GA acres) TIVE
and one-half miles from the depo
: in Lakeland in April, 1912, and hav
, ing moved on the same August 12tl
the same year, | viii give you some
of my experience and Impressions II
farming in Florida
The first thing we had to do wa.
: to cut and cure the grass and beg
| gar weeds that were growing II
. abundance in grove and truck lands
after which we got cur gound read!
J for the fall crop, putting out TIVE
. and one-half acres in Strawberries
one-half acre in Irish potatoes
planting both in latter part of Sep
temher and the first part Of Octobe
J some turnips, rutabagas, beets, to
mates, cabbage. lettuce, carrots
onions and rape. Everything grey
: fine and we were surprised to SCI
| such nice results with everything
put cut and very much SO with on
4 Strawberries which began to ripel
: in December and continued to bea
) until We plowed them out in tn
: middle of May, 1913, which we dii
/ to cultivate the tomatoes, which W
had set between the rows.
e The natives told us that 1t woul,
: not pay to keep strawberries late
: than that time as they were not like
{ iy to bring more than 10 cents pc
D quart At the time we plowed then
Y out they were blooming and settin
: with berries and showed no sign
, of throwing out runners (those "