The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1922-12-16
ISATSUMA and BURBERRY
VOULDMAKE POOR FARM.PAY
BY W. cHIPLEY JONES.

The poor are always with us and
charity is one of the greatest priYi-
leEes vouchsafed to man. -.e-. .e--e
Yet somehow, public charities such
as almshouses sustained through
public funds derived from taxation,
have. always been a more or less eX-
pensive privilege. Indeed, many
such institutions. here and there
throughout the country, have proven
to be breeding places for public
scandal, and many regulations have
been sacrificed upon pyres of extray-
agance. which have been kindled in
their conduct 10y -.-5
In Florida there are no organized
state wide charities of the. nature
of almshouses. Instead, such mat
tiers are left to the several counties
Of the state and most of the counties
in Florida maintain such institutions
under the designation of County
Poor Farms.
Happily, however, if there have
been any public scandals growing out
Of these county institutions in Flor
ida, I have never heard Of one.
Yet, since the sustenance for these
institutions comes out of county
funds derived from taxation, as
stated above, somehow. even by men
who are generous with their own
means in their contributions to char
ity. these institutions are regarded
with scant sympathy.
AS an abstract proposition this
shouldn't be so. But it seems to. be
an almost universal characteristic of
human nature for taxpayers to look
askance upon institutions maintained
from the public crib H. :s
Hence, to my mind, nothing wiser
could be done by the authorities of
the several counties Of Florida. than TO
adopt some means by which the
County Farms Of the state could be
made entirely self-sustaining, if not
indeed, made to yield a net revenue.
And for West Florida particularly,
1 believe that this veXing problen
can be solved by the adoption by the
county commissioners of the several
counties in West Florida OF a sug-
gestion made to me few days ago
by a very level headed and successful
business man of this city, 1L.t< g.,
The suggestion was that Satsunla
oranges and bldeberries he cultivated
on these farms.
Plants Offered Free.
And to start the thing in Escambia
county, I was authorized to tender,
through The Journal, to the county
commissioners OF Escambia county,
free of any cost whatever, not less
than 500 Rabbit Eye blueberry plants
for planting next spring-early in
March.
Set 20 feet apart, as Satsuma
oranges are set, these plants would
be sufficient to- set approximately )
acres of land. They would yield
quart of berries to the bush in their
second year after planting; in their
fifth year, twelve to fifteen quarts
and in 10 years, from 80 to 40 quarts.
Nor would the cost of cultivation
and fertilization, even after the first
year from setting, equal the income
from the bushes.
Because it is out OF the question to
secure nursery stock for next springs
pRanting, it will be impossible to I'M
dertake the Satsuma suggestion until |
the spring of 1924. a-@e7s@ ase - |
But a certain acreage-say five |
acres-of ground could be placed in |
next year at the EscaIn-
bia county Poor Farm, for planting |
the following spring. And the yield
Of fruit from these five acres in five
years, leaving the income from blue
berries entirely out of consideration,
would produce an income sufficient
to maintain the farm.
And too, a five-acre Satsuma grove
and BURBERRY orchard OF equal
acreage would serve the double pur-
pose of producing a revenue for the
Of 1Escambia~ seountys I
almshouse and also of a, demonstra- I
ton farm through which to visualize
to visitors to the county this sections
possibilities, and there
by proving the means Of inducing
the settlement of desirable new
Corners in the county and a conse-
luent investment of new money in
our midst.
OF course II the culture Of Sat-
sumas and blueberries were any long.
n an experiment, there'd be a haz-
ard in adopting the suggestion. -.f-+s
But the experimental stage of the
culture of both of these horticul-
tural crops has positively passed.
And both have. proven tremendous
successes.
Not everywhere. however. but
wherever they have been cultivated
n West Florida, which mas been
named
SATSUMALAND!