The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1922-01-13
Member Of La Assoelated Press.
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SETTLERS OPPORTUNITIES


Northern visitors raise two objections when the
subject of farming IN Florida is mentioned They
say the land is too poor and that the farms are too
scattering. And, by little tour de force of logic
they reach the conclusion that the small amount of
land in cultivation is evidence that very little, if
any, of the state is fit to cultivate
Their FIRST point IS not so strong as it appears
Florida lacks the widespread alluvial soil CT the
middle west but its sandy acres are far more fer
tile than they look, and with proper attention they
can and do produce wonderful crops netting as
much per acre, after all expenses of cultivation
including fertilizer, as the very best northern lands
Their second point IS a little stronger. There is
not enough land in cultivation. co much of the
state is in large tracts which are held for grazing
purposes, and under our present laws regarding
fencing can not be cut up into small farms. There
are millions of acres which are capable of pro-
ducing the finest and most profitable crops, which
are serving no better purpose than feeding few
cattle
But time will surely alter that The point 10
bear in mind is that the producveness of Florida
soil is not an open question.
The real trouble, now and for many years, is
the expense of getting the products out of the
state. Crop failures alone have ruined mighty few
people in Florida but the inability TO get the pro-
ducts to market at fair rales has ruined good
many.
That is the real obstacle to agriculture here
And, while many remedies have been offered
7 i,
once announced. That is, to bring the consumers
TO Florida CT, in ether words cultivate the home
market Anybody watching an express train I'M
load at any Florida station can soon be convinced
that there is a market much nearer than Baltimore,
for many of the things which could be cultivated
in this state. Most of our butter is shipped in
So is all of our oleomargarne, all of our lard COM
pounds, most of Our eggs, large percentage of
our milk, and the bulk Of cur canned goods
We buy those articles and pay for them, in adj
ditlon to which We pay the freight on them for
thousands of miles as well as the profits on two
or more sales. Why need any prospective settler
look further? If he wants to gamble with out-of-
state markets. very WE'LL but if he wants an abso-
lutely sure thing, let him study the home market
and produce the things we are now buying
abroad
Can he produce lhcm2 Certainly he can. and
cheaper and easier ihan ihcy can be produced
anywhere else in the country. We venture the
assertion that Florida diaries pay more per COW
than those of New y ork CT Wisconsin Nowhere
In the world can poultry and eggs be produced
cheaper than here. This IS true also of dozen
other articles usually, imported
FlOrdas opportunities are greater even lhan
the most optimistic boosting literature represents.
because the average booster is ashamed tic discuss
the folly Of cur people in buying from abroad
what they could produce at home, and selling
abroad what they could sell better at home