The Punta Gorda herald. [volume] (Punta Gorda, Fla.) 1893-1958, 1920-07-15
SOME FIGURES.
Showing What a dessert State" Can
Do In Production.


Florida was touted far and wide by
ignorant and p-ejL Iced writers, not
so very long ago, rs land of desert
and swamp with worn out SOIL In
carable of production. 1t was an In
famous SANDER as all Flori5ans
know, and 1t brought out hurricane
OF indignant and WIZ, thful denials up
Gu the head of the slanderer. There
were promises of correction on the
part of the publ. cation giving eurren-
cy to the libel upon the state,but. so
far as we know a satisfactory correc-
ton has never been made. Forum
ately the figures have been collected
and published which furnish a COM
plete REPUTATION of the infamous
statement that this Is a desert land.
The Seaboari Air Limo, in connection
with the state marketing bureau, has
compiled figures showing the amount
and value of certain Florida CROPS
produced during the sea'on OF 1913
10.
The general farm crops for tie
year, consisting of corn, sugar cara,
sweet potatoes, pecans, peanuts, to-
bacco, cotton, of sea island and short
staple varieties, velvet and soy beans,
were valued at $76,571, 135. Corn
headed the list with 100000 bush
els valued at 25,000,00O. 1t VIII
surprise many to learn that there
were 1850 bushels CT wheat grown
in Florida in the year named. 1t
may yet be that some variety OF
wheat adapted to our soil and clim-
ate may be evolved byasome of the
plant wizards" who are always ex-
perimenting in the production of
new varieties, and Florida may be-
come wheat growing state.
The states truck and vegetable
crop was valued at about $4,000
900 requiring with the citrus crop,
by actual records 66.771 cars to
move 1t to northern markets. A
solid train, exclusive of engines and
tenders of 481 miles in length. Too
many figures are wearicome to the
flesh and we summarize a few of the
main productions and their value as
revenue producers:
To itemize: Citrus fruits, 1884
cars, valued at above $53, 0O0,00O;
perishables, 43,157 cars, valued at
above $30,000,00O. and staple farm
crops to the value CT $67,570, 1875. A
! total of more than $3.50, 100000.
We might add to that the value of
our beef, pork, mutton, wool, hides,
poultry, milk, butter and eggs, oys-
tiers, shrimp and fish which the state
produced and sold; the output of our
phosphate mines, OF which we pro-
duce more than SO per cent. of the
worlds supply, the tobacco produced
and cigars manufactured.
We might tell Of our good roads
system, the best in the south; of the
millions of dollars invested in drain
age operations to make productive
farms of the fertile lands that are
now too wet tor cultivation, but
what's the use? The sensation-seek-
lining individuals who come here to
Imisrepresent the state, will not be
convinced by figures. They will con-
tinue their campaigns of SANDER and
Misrepresentation, but the truth can
not be always suppressed or ignored
Florida is not a desert, but bears
within its fruitful bosom the seeds
which will make it eventually the
Igreatest stock raising, fruit and
trucking state of the Union. The
figures which we have quoted above
(and we have given but small part
of the showing) will be spread
abroad, and refute the vile ISLANDERS
of the paid calumniators. Then will
come such flood of investors and
home seekers as the state has never
known. Hasten the day.-Tampa
Times