The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1921-11-18
.ESCAMBIACOUNTYI
CAN GROW ANYTHING
Captain J. c. Patterson, One of the
Oldest Residents, Tells of Az
ricuturaI Products.
(By CAPT. J. c. PATTERSON

ABOUT farming ana Stock raising IN
Escambia county. and about the eli
mate and the conditions in general. A
great many people in the north and
west have an idea that Florida is
low lying country and that malaria and
chills and fever is to be had here free
Of costs. This gentleman says he is
not writing alone for himself but for
some of his neighbors.
I am certainly glad to have the OPP
portunity to answer and give him a
truthful statement Of climate, soil and
everything pertaining to stock raising
of all kinds, and as these people might
take my statement with the grain
of allowance or think that I might be
an interested party in having land for
sale. will merely say 1 have nothing
to sell, but I am very much interested
in giving authentic information to get
homeseekers and settlers to come to
one of the counties of Florida, and
among the many who have been Won
derfully blessed by the heavenly Father
in all things in climate, surroundings
and the most productive soils that will
grow anything in fruit, nuts and vege-
tables of every variety that is grown,
not alone in the United States, but in
tropical climates.
Right here in Escambia county. Flor
ida, there is no fruit or vegetables that
you raise in any part of the United
States that we don't raise here, and a
100 per cent both in quantity and quail
ity
Florida cannot only alone produce
great variety of crops, but is a stock
state for cattle, hogs sheep and pou1-
try. These thrive here under the right
conditions, as they cannot thrive in
colder regions where they are fed and
house for half the year. These can be
marketed in their hides and feathers
instead of coming to us in barrels,
boxes and cans. We can grow the
crops to feed them and grow them with
shoes and make them wa}ss to the home
market. The live stock industry has
its troubles as. in other states, but there
are none greater than those@ Of the
weather are on field, grove and garden
crops. We want our northern friends
to realize that we have twelve months
in the year for growing crops, and the
climate unsurpassed by any in United
States.
Pensacola, the oldest city of the
United States and the capital city of
Escambia County, is situated on the
most beautiful water front on one of
the largest land-locked harbors in the
United States, five miles from the Gulf
Of Mexico, Santa Rosa Island, 40 miles
long, covered with beautiful white as
snow sand hills, from 100 to 125 feet
high. guard Pensacola from the gulf
The county Of Escambia has a salt
water front Of so miles, and river
front of So miles, interspersed by la
goons and bayous. One inhales Instant
~ the pure air from the gulf laden
with the salt air ozone that with every
breath inhaled is a wonderful life given
atmosphere. The whole county is in
among Alto Tomas, high hills, varying
from 125 to $50 feet above tide water,
all high rolling country; no swamps or
low marshy lands and no malaria in
fected districts.
Or. A1exanders of New York, in 1873,
said that among the hundreds of wa
tiers analyzed by him the water of Es-
Gambia county was the purest, and
contained curative powers for ailments
of stomach and kidneys
The breezes RATS through ones nos
trils the aroma from the majestic long
leaf pine, and from the sweet magnolia
bloom, and in the forest and field the
fragrance of the wild floral Kingdom
The fol ests abound in game, the wa
tiers with wild duck and geese and the
bay and the rivers give the finest and
= -
fish and all kinds of sea food, such as
oysters. shrimp, crabs and clans But
it would be impossible for me to con-
vey to strangers and home-seekers half,
of the various and most wonderful God
given blessings possessed by Florida in
general and Escambia county in par
ticular 1 can only repeat the writer
has lived here more than So years and /
has raised all kinds of fruit and vege-
tables and raised stock cows, hogs and
poultry, and is only stating indisput-
able facts from personal experience, tol
give to fome-seekers a slight idea Of
this wonderful state, Florida, my Flor
ida
I will give you partial report from
the u. S. agricultural report Of 1920.
The report in compiled figures showing
the amount and the value Of the divers
crops produced in Florida in 1920, ex-
elusive of citrus fruits. The farm
crops amount to $76,591135. These
crops being corn, sweet and Irish POI
tatoes, oats, wheat, peanuts, velvet
beans, cow peas, rice, soy beans, sugar
cane, sea island cotton. Twelve mill
lion bushels of corn valued at S25, 900,
900; cotton $4,000. 600; peanuts s7o,
600; vegetable and truck crops $50, 600.
600; tomatoes s6,9S7 ,249; Irish potatoes
IS, 500, 693; cabbage S1,953.756; dash
Gems S6S.000; celery $S.999, $50: lettuce
81, 331. 402: English peas ss7.450: wa
termelons $745. 900; peppers s1.657.43S;
string beans. 1881. 000 lima beans,
$3.50, 412; olxra s1,S95,000; cantaloupes,
sS7. SOC; strawberries. 1851, 40: then
added nearly 100000 in pecans, wal
nuts. These mentioned articles do not
include black. dewberry or bIueberries,
or onions or tobacco. and thousands of
tons Of the finest legume hay; then the