The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1916-12-14

inquiry, he said: 81 take care not to
bring any sorry people here (sorry is
Florida term for the poor or worth
less). look them over very careful
ly before hiring them, as do not want
to bring any one to this State who
will be a detriment. | furnish free
houses, free water and firewood and
all the vegetables they want in the
home for use of the family. l employ
every member of the family old
enough to work who wants to work,
women and children. l pay a first
class hand at the trucking business
$3.50 a month and inexperienced,
able-b bodied men $4,000, and hire for
a period running from the LIST of Aug
ust to the 1st of June"
looked over one of the contracts
the help are asked to sign, and l saw
in it that the head of the family drew
but $3.50, and it was explained to
me that he was old and could do but
light work. The women received
$2O8O, the daughter the same, and a
younger son $3.50, the pay accord.
ing to age and strength. He does not
at all times agree to furnish work for
the female members of the family, but
does agree that all males over IL
years old shall have steady employ
ment every day through the contract
season.
"Are the prospects good for your
trucking operations this year,"
asked Mr.. Davis, after we had settled
the help question all over again. For
an answer he went to his desk and
pulled out a letter he had received
from big firm of produce handlers in
the north with which he has dealt sat
is factorily for great many years,
and said Read that" | did read it,
and have his permission to print it
verbatum for the purpose of showing
the outlook for the coming season as
regards to trucking in Florida. The
letter says: Probably you are famil.
lar with conditions in the vegetable
markets here in the north. However,
we would inform you that not in the
recollection Of the writer, who has
been actively engaged in this business
for forty years, do we recall such a
shortage and such high prices. Cab.
bage is now selling at $35 ton at
shipping point, with very little offered
at that price, and good judges predict
$50 ton. Potatoes are $160 a bushel,
with predictions of $3.50 to $500 per
bushel. Carrots, beets and almost any
kind Of root vegetables are bringing
$1.35 to $3.50 per crate Teere are 22O
and we anticipate they may go to
$3.50 or $500 bushel."
That's the kind of market we
Crackers like to see," said Mr.. Davis.
"This year cabbage, lettuce, potatoes.
eggplant and peppers are my special
standbys. | have already contracted
for fifty cars of cabbage at $1.4O and
large part of the crop in this neigh
borhood is contracted for at from
$1.35 to $3.50 per crat. There are 22O
crates to the car"
l asked Mr.. Davis what it costs to
grow, gather, pack crate Of cabbage,
and he told me that he could do It
for 60 cents, and that an average yield
from an acre of irrigated land was 400
crates to the acre. 1t is easy to figure
that his net gain is $500, and it seems
to me this is very fair return from
one acre Of land, even for Florida, and
very much higher than the net from
the vast majority of acreage in cult.
walton in the United States. Ten such
acres would give an income that
would be satisfactory indeed to the
acreage man. But, wait.
DO you use this same land for
liter crops?" he was asked. eyes. in.
deed. We follow early cabbage with
peppers and eggplant, the late cab.
page with corn" $50 you get two