The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1916-09-15
w WONAV'S REALM
nan Becomes Successful
Farmer In Florida

SUI are not thoroughly carried ont
IL lett TO the farm hands.
Almost without her knowledga che
mas gradually accumulated bord
Oh over thirty fine COWS, which she will,
sell OFF. as she does not attemnt -
combine farming with cattle raising
However, this is where she nrofits
largely from her annual corn cron
@hich she claims pays for all the farm
help during the dull seasons and SIN.
plies ample forage for the herd Of
cows as well as the horses and mules
on the place.
MIS- Dlnkins talks most intelligent
~ and Interestingly of farm work and
farm life and she certainly knows CIV.
iery Phase OF it. She has made an es.
pecial study of the potato culture and
is considered high authority on the
SUBJECT by her neighbors and the
growers generally.
1 one Dellttles the argument of some
growers that one cannot successfully
grow potato crop and a corn cron
on the same land each year and she
proves her assertion for she has done
poth and she further claims that her
land even improves under the double
crop plan. She always grows COW
peas after the corn crop is put by and
this makes excellent hay in large
quantities and the heavy stubble is
plowed under making humous for sue
ceeding years which greatly enriches
the land. She does not believe in
burning over the stubble as is the
practice with some growers.
Mrs. Dinkins believes in and prac.
tees shallow planting Of her potato
sed and in this she differs from some
authorities, but her success speaks for
itself. She plants the seed from two
to- three inches from the surface land
she plants every seed herself) others
plant from four to six inches. She
also has her hills about six inches
higher than the average grower. This
method she claims is good for wet
weather and protects the seed from
rot and in dry weather she can irri
gate without danger of scalding. She
gives her crop about 1900 pounds OF
fertilizer to the acre. and also later
treats the sides of hills to light
dressing of nitrate of soda. This she
places in drills about midway up the
hills and after the plants are several
Inches above ground and the young
potatoes have begun to form. She
cautions against too free use of this
nitrate of soda, as too much would be
worse than none. She also advocates
a complete working and pulverizing O
the ground before seed are planted
She makes a careful study of the
use of her artesian we'll and will no
let any of her help handle the irriga
ton pant. She also takes persona
care of her bitches and drains after {
rainfall, as this is most important
Weeds have no place on the Dinkin'
farm, but these she leaves to her hell
under her constant supervision, hov
ever.
The remarkable success of thi
! woman during the two years she ha
, been operating this sixty-acre farm
, due to several necessary qualifications
| In the first place personal care an
supervision, secondly careful study o
soil conditions and requirements 0
the seed and rogwing plants, third
to cooperating with weather coma
tions She was able to bring her GRO
through several trying and unusua
frosts during the month of March b
nursing the plants both before and a
ter the frost. She turned on the art'
sian water on the cold nights and
ter the weather moderated she worke
the fields. as she claims the plants an
growing tubers want air more ina
anything.
Mrs. Dinkins had little or no e.
perience in the growing of Irish pot
I toes previous to three years ago. I'M
wear after her husbands death 81
planted few acres and did well vii
them and gained considerable kho"
edge but the two succeeding years 81
| really planted on a large scale al
made handsome profits. She Is iran
to admit that some seasons she ma
not make such remarkable crops D
she contends that there is no reas'
for failures if all precautions are Ia