The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1920-06-19
FLoRipA,s PART.

with a wheat yield CT 100000, 900
bushels less than last years crop,
based on the low condition of the
growing wheat. and a decrease Of
about 100000 acres in the area seed
ed. and with reports from all parts Of
the country of lessened acreage in
other food crops and a decrease here
and there in live stock this country
faces a disastrous shortage this win
ter unless the South can help to save
the situation, as it did last year.
What will Florida do towards the
settlement of this problem? What will
West Florida do, as her part towards
feeding the nation? What will Escam-
bia county do as one OF the units of
this rich agricultural state of ours?
These are questions which must be
answered and answered right, IL the
people of this country and our foreign
trade are to have the help that should
come to them from this section of the
South. The people of Florida feel, and
justly, that this state has recently
been badly mis-represented by the
northern press, and we have every
right to that healthy indignation. But,
after all, who is to blame, II not the
people Of Florida, themselves? What
have we done to correct the impress
sion that Florida is not an agricul-
tural state, until very recent years?
The fact that since we have come to
the realization of our vast agricul-
tural possibilities we have reached a
high state of development in certain
sections of the state, only spikes the
argument Of those unfriendly souls to
the north of US. who declare that
Florida is not an agricultural state.
as a whole. They argue, and have
something of fairness on their side
that were this state productive in all
sections we should not have so
sparsely cultivated our immense acre
age.
There is enough fallow land lying
idle in Florida to feed the world. Yet
how much do we cultivate? Here in
Escambia county we have some of the
best land in the country, literally gone
to waste. This realization strikes
home keenly, after a visit to one of
the many fine Florida farms, such as
that as the Richland farms. situated in
the western part of the city. The
Barrineau farms, and some of the !
farms near Myrtle Grove and Cottage |
Hill also compare well with any in the
South, while Jackson, Santa Rosa,
Holmes, Walton and other West
Florida counties are also adding to /,
their acreage this year, and indica- |
tions point to splendid showing at !;
the state fair.
It would be impossible to too heavi-
ly stress the Importance of the an
nual agricultural and fruit fairs. 1t is
said that Iowa owes its splendid agri- !
cultural development largely to the
state fairs held annually in that state. |
Men who visited the Moline fair last
year declared that the corn and po-
tatoes exhibited there and later taken
to Jacksonville. compared well with
the Iowa and Illinois products.
Foodstuffs during the next twelve l
months will be abnormally high. If
we are to discredit predictions of those
In a position to know. Southern plant |;
ers hope to realize good returns on
their cotton crop, but it will be in
vain for cotton growers to raise cot
ton, even at high prices, if the entire
profit is to go into the West for the
purchase Of food stuffs.
II here in Escambia county we can
raise corn and potatoes and other food
crops which compare favorably with
The products of the western states,
why need we go outside of our own =
county for food next year? Or, in the
event that we do make purchases
rom the west, why may we not raise
enough food to ship to northern mar
1ets, to offset our purchases?
This is not chimerical, it is a prac-
.ical application of the principle: I
What has been done can be done. If
we have raised food crops of high
quality on a small scale we can raise
hose crops on larger scale. That
goes without saying. Let every farm
n in West Florida, then, put in at
east two crops this season, and do
his full part toward feeding the nation
md putting forward this state as an
market.