The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1916-01-21
(Stroller in Florida Grower)

| / suppose in the five years ! have
been writing Stroller articles for the
Grower there have APPEARED very
nearly 500 of them on this page
That one man could keep up his early
enthusiasm for Florida during all
that time speaks wonderfully we'll
for the State as a whole. / have the
happy faculty Of seeing the good in
everything and beyond that the WIS.,
ion Of the new dims that of the old
so that each new place seems to offer
some attraction that appeals to me
strongly, and l think to myself that
ii ever circumstances should bring
it about / would be content to live
here for the rest of my days, though
to be strictly honest not all places
see has that appeal.
This is the beginning of the new
year and marks my fifth year with
| the Florida Grower. and during that
time l have seen Florida grow won
derfully. l came here direct from
splendid California, with her man
made beauty, and could readily see
that Florida could be made even as
beautiful, though of a different type,
and ever that time l have been ad-
vocating in the Florida Grower the
changes that would tend to bring
about such a realization. At that
time there were few miles of hard
surfaced roads in the State, today
there are many hundreds of miles,
and the promise that within a years
time all parts of the State will be
directly connected. l have appealed
for civic beauty. the better care of
lawns and front-door yards, for the
painting of houses, for the public
park and the improvement of condi-
tions around the railroad station and
all these things are slowly coming
about
When l first came to Florida we
had no law worthy of the name for
the protection of our horticultural
industry. Today Florida is the leader
among all the fruit growing States
of the South. Five years ago care
in picking and handling of citrus
fruits was only being talked about
Today the advanced packers all in
sist upon this care and the packing
houses of Florida and the pack that
they send out will compare very fav-
orably with anything California has
to offer. Five years ago very much
of the fruit going out of Florida was
shipped as 'Brights' and 'Russets,'
there being no name brand. Today
95 per cent of the fruit shipped goes
out under a brand name.
The spirit of the cooperation has
not grown as | had hoped and ex-
pected, but there is hope for the flu
SaAS. hC SiAmD W ~ pei CcuL vi
the crop may be hard and long, but
after that point is attained the
growth will be rapid. Too much of
the fruit offered the Exchange today
is fruit that growers cannot sell for
cash on the tree, the Exchange being
the only alternative for them. With
increased strength this Gull fruit can
be largely eliminated and such
groves must either be improved or
destroyed. Recognition of the quail
ity Of the Exchange pack by the buy
ers in the north is very gratifying
and must in the end win out, for the
co-operated growers and the slogan
Of the Exchange, AN honest price
for honest fruit, honestly packed"
must in the end win the full CO.
operation of the growers of the
State.
Florida is today more talked about
over the United States than any
other State in the country. A far
sighted Chamber of Commerce man
in Los Angeles saw the trend six
years ago and in his report to that
organization said that something
must be done to head off the increas-
ing interest in Florida and turn it
toward California. This he never
succeeded in doing, though every eff
fort has been made. The publicity
bodies of California have the full
cooperation of the railroads and all
of them use big space every year in
newspapers and magazines, some
thing that the Florida railroads have
not yet seen fit to take up expect in
limited way. The Florida First"
campaign, which is now under way,
will advertise Florida. but the fund
is lamentably small, though as a
starter il may prove a miracle work
er. Boards of trade and other bodies
have raised something over $4,000
for this purpose.
Five years has seen the passing OF
the lurid land boomer, the fakir who
offered lands either not fitted fol
what he sold them for, or lands that
were inaccessible. believe that
most of the land companies now
operating are honest in the main
: have good propositions and we must