The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1925-10-17
By Harold Keats

By Harold Keats
@F FLORIDA is to attain great.
ness, she must seek it in her
- soil Honest efforts of home
builders and farmers must displace
wildcat speculation and prices must
be debated to the point where a
living can be made off the land.
1t is significant that from 1910 to
1920 Florida led all States in per
centage of new farm land improved
annually. When the movement
switched from agriculture to specu'
lation, less and less new acreage
was brought under the pillow until
during the past few years there has
actually been an annual decrease In
stead of increase in amount of land
cultivated and crop output.
With ample moisture, warm sun
and year-round growing season
over much of the State, and winter
markets only forty-eight hours away
Florida eventually will rank as one
Of the foremost producing States.
But this is a slow process, esti'
mated to take many years. Before
it can gain Roadway, prices of land
must come down to reasonable
limits.
Pests Are Thick
The man who wishes to take part
in this agricultural development
should bear in mind that there are
always more crop pests in a warm
70 inly xTyhi n
ruin cattle, fungus and worms which
attack plants. 1t takes patience to
overcome them. In some parts he
must be prepared to drain in the
rainy and irrigate in the dry sea-
sons and to fertilize the soil OF
which there are more than 1O9
kinds, from sweet to sour, from Won
derful to worthless. The man who
would farm should obtain a soil sur.
vey of the land offered him, learn
how it lies and whether the frosts,
which sometimes come to the lowest
part of Hendry County, considerably
south of Palm Beach, are apt to
touch it.
The boom. however, must subside
before labor can be obtained to make
farms pay. Canneries and a mar
keting system must-be established
and transportation arranged to make
the year-round produce profitable
This will take years perhaps to ac
cOmplish. but until then there viii
not be enough producing country
behind F'lorida's little towns tc
make values come up to prices now
puffed beyond sense by spectators.
Picture Forbidding
Our picture of Florida today is q
forbidding one, but certainly any
sane observer Of the land boom
must see that:
l. Living conditions are bad, prices
Of food. clothing and lodging ex
orbitant, more than making up fol
high wages paid labor Schools are
crowded and undermined, hotels
and lodging houses crammed anC
charging outrageous prices for I'm
comfortable accommodations. Santa
ton is neglected and the hospitals
filed with many unable to receive
trea tment. For many months O.
the year heat, rains and insect pests
all vie to make life miserable foi
the unacclimated.
g. Poorly constructed houses bring
rents and prices out Of ell pro
portions to their worth, sometime:
renting for 100 per cent of theil
value per year.
3. Crooks are operating every
where, within and without the State
selling worthless land or no land a.
all to the unwary.
4. Thousands of low-priced lot'
are sold throughout the countr!
which never will be used. The i'm
provements promised for them will
never be made. Probably thirt!
times as many high priced lots are
held by spectators as there are per
sons who can ever afford to use
them, income tax records indicate
These lots will be unloaded by tn
spectators this winter.
No Easy Money
5. The promoter seldom spends his
own money on his development. He
usually spends the investors, taking
profit and devoting the rest OF
he buyers money to putting in i'm
provements which will show hin
more profit, as long as the boon
asts.
g. There is no more easy money
in Florida. Land selling and buy
ing has become in most cases 6
mere gamble. Only those who car
afford high stakes can stay in the
game. The little fellow will be
trimmed and frozen out.
T. Employment Is scarce for any
except skilled and unskilled labor
Unless you have a psition lined VI
IN advance or enough money to pay
The high living costs for six months
while you are looking for one, stay
away. Write the Chamber of Com
merce in the town you select to live
and learn the opportunities for EN-
ployment before you go.
Financing Expensive
s. No man can tell how much 9
given niece Of Florida land is wort n