The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1922-05-09
STRAWBERRY TO
GUST The LOVELY
CABBAGE HEAD
Barlow Growers Are Turning 10
the Cultivation Of the Prof
table Strawberry

According to the BARROW Recoru
the cabbage growers of the Barlow
section have decided to try out the
strawberry game. That newspaper
says:
LAS a result of the failure of cab
bage crops in the vicinity Of Barlow
to make proper returns during the
mast three years, next season will ind
between fifty and seventy-five acres OF
coed truck land hereabout planted IN
strawberries. This is the statement
of w. A. Lyle, who has made gen.
eral survey of the truck land OF the
section. and who has a four-acre plot
of Missionary slips in preparation for
sale among the future strawberry
growers of the neighborhood.
Arrangements have been made with
j. d. Clark to furnish ice, and with
NJ. e. James to handle refrigerator
pony carriers for the growers. Truck
men are optimistic and expect to re-
aIize a better profit in comparison to
the land they devote to the industry,
than they have in the past. A small
plot planted in strawberries natur-
ally means more to the grower than
a large plot in cabbage; and while 1t
requires careful attention, and many
helpers, the freight rates by which it
is disposed of are not prohibitive, as
cabbage rates have been. The irri-
CATION systems with which practi-
cally all the big truckers have sup
piled themselves at great expense,
will come in for good use in the
strawberry fields, although less requi-
site to the berry raising than to the
cabbage. The same ground that pro-
duces cabbage successfully. will pro-
duce berries successfully, the grow
rers say, and while they do not ex-
pect such large portions of their
lands to be desirable for berry grow
ing, as was desirable for cabbage
growing, there are sufficient areas in
nearly all the farms to furnish what
ever acreage the individual growers
will wish to devote to the new crop.
As Mr.. Lysle survey has it, Fort and
Harper will devote about five acres
to berries, A. D. Mclean about five
acres, T. G. Lockwood five acres, W.
IA. Lysle five acres, Lancaster and
Hughes five acres, ]. H. Dean seven
acres, r. II. Frazier two or three
acres.
Whether or not S. P. James, one of
the most prominent truckers, will de-
vote must attention to the berry bus
mess, has not been ascertained, and
it is probable that several who con-
template experimenting with the crop
have not yet been interviewed. With
these in addition to the growers
above named, the acreage should cas-
lily come to nearly seventy-five acres,
where heretofore five or ten acres
woulud probably cover the entire
paintings of the immediate vicinity in
strawberries.
Setting of the strawberry slips will
begin in September, and MrLysle will
have the slips ready for sale by the
first of that month. They should be
bearing well by Christmas, and NOV
ing at a good rate by the early part
of January.
It is understood that truckers of
the TT. Meade section expect to do a
Zig berry business next season, and
X. o. Warn will be among the biggest
growers.
In addition to the strawberry crops,
the cabbage growers will revert to
larger acreages of general truck
crops-tomatoes, beans, cucumbers,
etc. Some years ago, general truck
ing was quite the usual thing among
the Barlow farmers, but as the prices
for cabbage began to make fortunes,
many of them turned their bulkier
crop with high anticipations. For
the past three years, these have been
unfortunate. Three years ago most
of them made expenses. Two years
ago they sustained combined loss
estimated by a conservative grower
of about 100000 that should have
come into the local banks. This year
the loss is estimated at about $780,
600. This is all the result of prohib-
tive freight rates that have made it
impossible for cabbage growers to
ship their product. In many cases,
they have turned the headed vegeta-
bles over in the field and planted
cOrn cr0ns.