The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1915-09-04
FLORIDA CAN TURN OUT THE
FINISHED PRODUCT

I
written regarding the progress and
prosperity Of Florida. The develop
ment Of the past few years has been
phenomenal. But the possibilities
yet to come are almost beyond the
conception of the present genera
tion of our citizens. Florida is a
field of neglected opportunities. In
many ways this neglect might justly
be demonstrated waste.
We spend thousands of dollars an d.
rually for canned vegetables and al
low whole fields of the same va
rieties to decay on the ground after
the shipping seasons have passed,
and the northern market prices have
fallen off. We allow tons of fruit
to decay on the ground that should
be converted into jams, jellies, pre-
serves, marmalades, ETC., that would
find ready market at remunerative
prices. In the language of the Ar
cadia Enterprise, think what Flor
ida might be if we produced all the
pickles, preserves, canned goods
corn, oats, rice, hay eggs, sugar,
syrup. etc, that our people con-
sume."
We import eggs, chickens and tur-
keys from Georgia; hay, corn and
beef from the Middle West; butter,
sugar and syrup from other sec
tfons; paying for them the cold cash
that we receive for our citrus fruits,
early Strawberries, celery lettuce,
and other early products Instead
of growing corn to fatten our cattle,
we sell them to western buyers, and
after they are fitted for slaughter on
western corn, we buy them back at
twice as much per pound as we sold
them for, transportation and middle
mems profits added. We pay the
maximum for what we buy and re-
ceive the minimum for that which
we sell. We ought to be sellers in .
stead of buyers, and we should sell
the produce of our state only as fin
ished goods, receiving theprice for
such.
Some one may say that we cannot
prepare the Florida products in this
climate and under the prevailing
conditions. The writer recalls the
exhibit of the late w. H. Holden, of
Orlando, at the first agricultural
fair ever held in Drainage county
Mr.. Holden was successful both as
|, an orange grower and farmer The
management had allotted to him
large space in one corner of the fair
building, in Sanford. and Mr.. Holden
filled it with the products of his own
acres. There was corn and corn
meal, rice, brown sugar and syrup,
honey, smoked ham and bacon, crab
grass hay, cotton, eggs, butter, lard,
Irish and sweet potatoes, navy beans.
cabbage turnips onions, an array of
jams and jellies, peanuts, cashaws,
hard and soft soap, and oranges ga
lore.
These were all from his own farm
on Lake Holden, couple of miles
from Orlando. With a package of
baking powder, a little soda, a sack
of flour, and a blue flame range, Mrs.
Holden could have furnished din
ner for half oh the assembled crowd.
The farmers of those early DAYS
lived at home, and lived well. The
cured and smoked their own meats
made their own syrup and brown
sugar. butter, and jams and jellies.
a small patch of rice, another of
white potatoes, and big patch of
sweet potatoes, and another of corn
were stsaples. The grocery bills
were small. The joys of living were
found in the variety and the abund-
ance. The reliance was not upor
a single crop or two or three OF
them.
The productive capacity of Flor |
ida has not changed since then. The
later corners have not yat oroen, :, |