The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1919-09-05
(Excerps from Booklet issued by
the u s. Railroad Administrator.
GOOD ROADS

i
expanses you will find perfect high
ways. While not all our roads are
good, there are thousands of miles OF
surfaced roads in the State at pres
en-, and by next fall there will be a
large increase. The State Road De
partment gives the following figures
in its report of September 30, 1918:
Brick, 463 miles; concrete, 5 miles
aspnaltic concrete or sheet asphalt
444 miles; penetrated or surface-treat.
ed macadam, 376 miles; plain macad
am, 500 miles; she'll, 500 miles; mari
or sandy clay, 1926 miles; making a
total of 4,721 miles of surfaced roads
in the State.
SOUTH FLORIDA
South Florida includes the follow.
ing counties: Pinellas, Hillsboro,
Polk, DeSoto, Manatee and Lee.
This section has a large variety Of
soils, sandy loan predominating; it
mostly being underlaid with clay and
sandy clay subsoil. There are large
bodies Of hammock and forest land
in this section, with considerable cut.
over and prairie land used for graz.
Ing purposes. Some of this prairie
land is being drained for cultivation.
This section has considerable Of the
Everglades in it, which are now being
drained. Most Of the phosphate now
being mined is in this section. Citrus
fruits and truck are the principal
crops produced, with large numbers Of
cattle and hogs. Hogs, especially
good ones, are increasing very fast
in this section as well as better cat.
tie, both beef and dairy breeds. There
are some Of the oldest orange groves
(of the State in this section.
OATS
While this crop is not grown near
as much as it should be, the produc.
ton is increasing each year. There
are certain sections Of the State
where the yields are splendid. This
crop seems to give best general re-
suits and returns on the sitter land
OF West, North and Central sections.
The production of this crop for 1918
was 1,O80,000 bushels.
- CORN
While Florida does not rank as one
OF the corn-producing States, the year.
~ yield Is increasing very fast. There
have been number Of yields over
100 bushels. The following are the
yields for the last four years: 1915,
S'2S9,326 bushels; 1916. 100000
bushels; 1917 12,Soo,oOO bushels; 1918,
100000 bushels.
As Florida has an unusually long
season for maturing its corn, it pro-
duces a product higher in food value |
than any State in the Union.
There have in the last few years
been several elevators erected for this
crop. Three hundred and sixteen
corn-club boys made an average yield
d S7.7 bushels per acre in 1918. This
shows what can be done with corn
n Florida.
RICE--"UPLAND"
This is one Of the small grain crops
nat does we'll in all parts of the :
state, If put on the right kind of
and, There is being more planted .
ach year and a big increase in yield
or the State. State yield for 1916
7as $4,000 bushels, while that of 1918
yas $4,000 bushels. This crop is used I
Or hay considerably, cutting it when
is in the dough state.
SUGAR CANE
Florida is the only State in the I'm
IN where the sugar cane natures
efficiently for seed heads. Therefore
is natural to suppose that you j
ould find the sucrose content high.
lorida-produced sugar cane has
lown by careful laboratory tests to
low higher percentage of sucrose
with that produced else Il
here in the United States, or even n
uba.
This is one crop that is grown in g.
se extreme west and also found in B
lie extreme south end of the KEYS. r,
ost of this crop is made into syrup,
Id as q rule it is grown in small b,
ltches and made up by small outfits v,
the individual farm. Still there h,
e some very large acreages being O.
IL out in the Everglade Section, with 81
rye syrup mills to handle the crop. I'm
'me OF the North and West Florida nj
unties have great fields planted to st
is also dr
WATERMELONS ar
The average freight train is about
irty-two cars. Last year Florida M
tipped 200 train loads of thirty-two wi
rs each--6,400 cars. This. inst nv fr,