The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1921-09-02
BULLETIN FLORIDA
DEVELOPMENT BOARD

that winter tourist rate tickets to
Florida will be on sale in all terri
tories this season from October LIST
until April 30th, with final return
limit May 31st, the Florida Develop
ment Board suggests that October LIST
/ be observed as Post Card Day.
/ Personal messages to acquaintances
in other states advising them that re-
duced rates are available and suggest
/ ing that the recipients and their
rienls take advantage of the oppor-
unity come I'd Florida at once and
avoid the cold weather of early fall
in northern states should prove very
effective in stimulating early tourist
travel and a heightened tourist sea-
. son. 80
Each community is advertised by
this method to the extent the people
participate in sending out the mes-i
sages Last year a number of cham
bers of commerce and other agencies
offered cash prizes. for the greatest
number of post cards mailed on Post
Card Day The Sarasota chamber of
commerce improved upon the post
card plan by sending 400 day-letter
kilograms, which they later appraised
as having been very much worth
while.
Secretary C. NJ. Hemphill of the
Clearwater board of trade suggests
that business firms and individuals
stamp or write on all mail going out
of the state the opening and closing
dates of the tourist season, which can
be done without much extra effort or
expense.
Some members of the House of Rep
resentatives Irrigation committee are
beginning to realize that congress
should adopt a new policy for land
settlement and that the Bankhead-
Borah bill provides an excellent basis
for such policy.
While the bill was primarily intend
ed to provide for government cooper
alton in land reclamation mainly
through irrigation and drainage as
either might be necessary, land clear
ing is included.
/ Since the committee from Florida
appeared before the Irrigation COM
mittee in behalf of the measure, the
Florida Development Board has been
requested to furnish information on
cost of stumping and clearing cut
over land in Florida The data on
several subjects has been secured and
furnished for use of the committee
members but as there is such a wide
range of cost on varying types of sol.
and condition of Stumps, additional
reports will be greatly appreciated by
the Florida Development Board.
The Bureau of Public Roads, U. S
Department of Agriculture, has a
quantity of picric acid available for
distribution, which is a war explosive
suitable for use in clearing stumps
and stones from agricultural lands.
The allotment among the states has
been made on basis of comparative
areas of cut over lands, Florida being
credited with 10,190,000 acres of that
character
Much of Florida's cut over land is
more suitable for growing another
crop of timber which will be greatly
needed in future years, than for agri-
cultural purposes. But under the
present order of affairs in Florida
natural reforestation is almost impos-
sible on account of the frequent burn
ing over of the area by free range
cattle owners to get a little green
wire grass Tor their ticky, piney
woods cattle, which destroys most of
the young pine trees and stunts
hgrowth of those which survive the
| fires.
Improved grasses, if protected from
fires for two or three years. will rap
/ III.
and then the cut over lands can be-
gin growing another crop of timber
and at the same time provide good
pasturage for live stock.
In the large reforestation projects
which are being carried on by pri-
yate interests in Louisiana, Georgia.
1 Virginia and elsewhere, cattle are
considered an asset in helping to keep
down the underbrush as well as pro-
Gucing some revenue from beef sold,
hut the starting of fire in those re-
forested areas is considered almost
as much of a crime as murder of a
human being.
Former President Henry e. Hardt-
rer of the Southern Forestry Con-
gress says that too much idle land
means bankruptcy to state. Col.
Joseph Hyde Pratt, chairman of the
executive committee says: Putting
land to its best use means there will
not be any idle or waste land. A GER
tain percentage of the area Of this
country should be kept in forests for
protection to headwaters of streams
and to water sheds. From an economic
standpoint it is important in the
southern states to keep forests grow