The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1916-09-21
SEcRETARY'S REPORT OF THE
LAKELAND FARMERS CLUB
MEETING

The September meeting of the
Farmers Club was held Saturday, the
10th, at Strawberry Hollow" the home
of MIR. G.. ]. Lewellyn, ga miles east
of Griffin.
Those who came early were shown
the strawberry fields, Mr. Lewellyn
being ahead of the majority Of berry
raisers in that he has his plants set
and under cultivation.
The tables were placed under the
mulberry trees where was served q
dinner eft to set before a king. After
dinner the meeting was called to or.
der by the president.
The secretary read the minutes of
the last meeting and these were ap-
proved.
New members enrolled were, Mr..
and Mrs. E. G. Gardner, Mr.. g. F..
Boyer. Mr.. and Mrs. T. M. Martin,
Mrs. Dora r. Barnes, Mr.. and Mrs.
iiG. H. Bailey and Mr. and Mrs. E. w.
Crawford.
1t was an experience meeting Ere
port your success and failures.
The first speaker was Mr.. T. s. Cliff
ford who reported more success than
failures. He believes in raising to
provide for home use and has done so,
having plenty of vegetables for table
and canning, hay for horses and cat.
tie and more corn than he has hogs
! to feed it to" and depends upon straw
berries for money crop
Mr.. Gardner followed, stating that
FLORIDA is a good place to take the
conceit out of one-that about the
time you think you know how to raise
a certain crop you meet with failure
that proves you do not know" He re-
ferred to his failure with cane this
year. Mr.. Gardner has, heretofore,
been remarkably successful with cane
and has made and sold large quantities
of excellent sydup. He reported =
good corn crop but said there were
too few rows and the rows were too
short" His sweet potatoes are poor
but his strawberries both as to yield
and returns were good.
Mr. c. L. Durrance who was the next
speaker. is farming and teaching and
so has no idle moments. Mr.. Dur.
rance is SO thoroughly optimistic that
lit is pleasure to hear him recount
his experience even when they are
failures. His fight with repeated
frosts to save his Irish potato crop
would have discouraged any man less
hopeful. He raised enough for his
family's use-potatoes as large as
hens eggs and potatoes as big as
hens eggs beat no potatoes" He
struck the keynote to success land not
in farming alone) when he said,
Never lose courage, when you be-
come discouraged you hit the bottom"
and added that through success and
failures his wife has always stood
by him.
Mr.. T. M. Martin stated that he
raised good crop of corn and found
it best to plant when the time is
right regardless of the season."
Mr.. H. l.. Kelley has been in Flor
ida too long to give advice upon farm
ing. He says "if you want advice go
to the man who has just come here"
Mr.. J. A. Krummel discourages
planting strips and draws" for good
sweet potato crop. He stated that in
February last he .planted-cut his
sweet potatoes as one does Irish pota-
toes for seed and that in June he dug
a large crop of fine potatoes, many
weighing pounds and most of the
crop potatoes Of pounds. He used
no fertilizer. His corn crop was good
but the acreage small.
Mr.. Irwin Kelsey is opposed to u.s.
ing slips and drays and believes in U.s.
ing "only the best potatoes, seeds, eac,
to raise from" He reported a good
corn crop, used no fertilizer excepting
q little nitrate Of soda when the ears
' ere filing. j.
Mr.. Fuller asked for information as
to the best crop to plant upon new
land and was advised by Mr.. Kelsey
and Mr.. Durrance to plant watermel-
ons Of planted in the spring. Mr.. Dur.
rance advised fall crop of Irish po-
tatoes.
Mr.. Lewellyn gave as his experience
with corn that Florida is the only
State in which he has never made q
failure with the crop and he has
ARMED in Kentucky. Texas. Missouri
md Arkansas before coming to Flori- ,
la. He raised a bumper crop of pump
lins and his Strawberries were good.
N