NORTH AMERICAN STATES 



NORTH AMERICAN STATES 2231 



are Trapp for December and January fruit; Baldwin and 

 Early for July fruit; Pollock for large mid-season fruit; 

 and Family for a succession of fruits from the latter 

 part of July until into October. The bulk of the seed- 

 ling fruits mature from the latter part of July until the 

 middle of October. The hard-shelled Guatemalan fruits 

 introduced by the Department of Agriculture, ripen 

 in February and March. The small Mexican avocados 

 that produce bluish fruits are hardy to the northern 

 limits of central Florida, but are not commercially 

 valuable. 



Almost the entire list of vegetables given in the seed 

 catalogues may be grown in all parts of the state. The 

 industry has now developed until it is competing closely 

 for first place with citrous fruits. Originally the ham- 

 mocks were preferred for the main production of truck 

 crops. In more recent years and with the advent of 

 extensive drainage systems, the level lands composing 

 the flat-woods and drained areas have been planted to 

 vegetables extensively. Watermelons, cantaloupes and 

 cucumbers are grown mainly on the hammock or 

 high pine land. Cabbage, cauliflower, beets and similar 

 vegetables are most largely grown on the heavier, more 

 compact soils. Celery is grown most extensively on 

 level tracts, much of which were formerly under water. 

 These tracts permit sub-irrigation, which may be 

 cheaply carried out in the areas of artesian flow. Vege- 

 tables are now produced to greater or less extent on 

 almost every character of soil in the state, including 

 even some spruce-pine land, some of which by means of 

 commercial fertilizers has been made productive of 

 truck crops. 



Truck-growing can be developed extensively only 

 where an abundance of skilled or fairly skilled labor 

 can be commanded at critical periods. As truck-grow- 

 growing does not employ the grower's attention for 

 more than six months in the year, this labor must be 

 able to find additional employment in some other way. 

 Various centers have specialized on trucking; the Hast- 

 ings center in north Florida makes a specialty of Irish 

 potatoes; Sanford specializes on celery; the Manatee 

 River region produces truck in general; the Biscayne 

 Bay region produces truck for the midwinter and early 

 spring markets. 



Among the prominent horticulturists of Florida, not 

 now living, were: Dudley W. Adams, organizer of the 

 Florida State Horticultural Society; E. H. Hart, 

 introducer of many ornamental and useful plants; H. G. 

 Hubbard, who gave special attention to citrous insects; 

 F. W. Inman, organizer of the Florida Citrus Exchange; 

 C. T. McCarty, who at the time of his death owned the 

 largest pineapple plantation in the world; A. H. Man- 

 ville, practical horticulturist; T. W. Moore, author of 

 "Orange Culture for Florida;" E. O. Painter, who did 

 valuable work in connection with the Horticultural 

 Society; Rev. Lyman Phelps, by some called "the 

 father of chemical fertilizing for citrous fruits in 

 Florida" ; Stephen Powers, editor of "The Florida Fruit 

 Grower;" Pliny Reasoner (see Volume III, page 1593); 

 and Denis Redmond, writer on horticultural subjects. 



Public-service agencies for horticulture. 



The Land-Grant college of Florida was established in 

 1883, when a site for it was selected at Lake City. In 

 1903 the name "Agricultural and Mechanical College" 

 was changed by the Legislature to the "University of 

 Florida," and in 1905 the Agricultural College was 

 relocated at Gainesville. There is one professor of 

 horticulture. 



The Experiment Station was established in 1887 in 

 connection with the Agricultural College at Lake City. 

 It was removed to Gainesville on January 1, 1907. In 

 1906, a separate staff was appointed who were relieved 

 from all teaching duties, thus giving their entire time 

 to investigational work. Eleven of this staff are devo- 

 ting their time to problems connected with horticulture. 



About seventy-five horticultural bulletins have been 

 issued. 



An Agricultural and Mechanical College for negroes 

 is also maintained, in which horticulture is taught. 



Extension work in horticulture is carried on in con- 

 nection with the college and the county agents. In 

 twenty counties, girls' canning clubs have been organ- 

 ized in connection with the public schools. 



In 1911, the office of State Inspector of Nursery 

 Stock was established. This office is filled by the pro- 

 fessor of entomology. 



Statistics (Thirteenth Census). 



The approximate land area of Florida is 35,111,040 

 acres, of which 5,253,538 are in farms, or 15 per cent 

 of the land area. .Of the farm land, 1,805,408 acres, or 

 34.4 per cent, are unproved; 3,007,638 are in woodland; 

 and 440,492 acres are classified as other unimproved 

 land in farms. The number of all the farms in the 

 state in 1910 was 50,016. The average size of a farm 

 was 105 acres. [The total area is 58,666 square miles.] 



The leading agricultural crops grown are cereals, 

 hay and forage, cotton (including cotton seed), and 

 tobacco. The cereals in 1909 occupied 650,486 acres, 

 which was 36 per cent of the improved land occupied, 

 and the value of cereal products was $6,175,973, or 17.1 

 per cent of the total value of all crops. Hay and forage 

 in 1909 occupied 54,729 acres, an increase in acreage of 

 148.8 per cent as compared with 1899, when the land 

 occupied by hay and forage was 21,994 acres. Value of 

 the hay and forage products, in 1909, was $847,485. 

 Cotton (including cotton seed) occupied 263,454 acres 

 in 1909, which was 14.6 per cent of the improved land 

 area. The value of the cotton products in 1909 was 

 $5,481,407, which was 15.2 per cent of the total value 

 of all crops. The acreage of tobacco in 1909 was 3,987 

 acres, an increase of 93.9 per cent as compared with 

 1899, when it was 2,056 acres. The value of tobacco 

 in 1909 was $1,025,476. The value of forest products 

 from the farms in 1909 was $2,375,882, as compared 

 with the value in 1899, when it was $648,412. 



Horticultural crops grown in Florida are fruits and 

 nuts, vegetables, peanuts, flowers and plants and 

 nursery products, and small-fruits. The value of fruits 

 and nuts grown in 1909 was $7,410,166, as compared 

 with $1,203,373 in 1899. The acreage devoted to 

 vegetables, excluding potatoes, sweet potatoes and 

 yams, in 1909 was 57,600 as compared with 1899, 

 when it was 26,762. The value of the vegetable prod- 

 ucts in 1909 was $6,314,313 as compared with $1,- 

 954,802, in 1899. The acreage of peanuts in 1909 was 

 126,150, from which were harvested 2,315,089 bushels, 

 valued at $2,146,862. In 1909, 2,280 acres were 

 occupied by plants and flowers and nursery establish- 

 ments, an increase of 222 per cent as compared with 

 1899, when the number of acres thus occupied was 708. 

 The value of these products in 1909 was $547,280, as 

 compared with 1899, when their value was $163,557. 

 The acreage of small-fruits in 1909 numbered 1,356 

 acres which produced products valued at $302,383. 



The total quantity of orchard fruits produced in 1909 

 was 235,188 bushels, valued at $232,203. Peaches and 

 nectarines and pears are the more important of the 

 orchard-fruits. In 1909 the production of peaches and 

 nectarines was 114,998 bushels, valued at $128,029; for 

 the same time the production of pears was 98,223 

 bushels, valued at $80,119. Other orchard-fruits and 

 their production and value for 1909 follow: plums and 

 prunes, 17,169 bushels, valued at $18,976; apples, 3,405 

 bushels, valued at $3,849; mulberries, 924 bushels, 

 valued at $671; cherries, 374 bushels, valued at $448; 

 quinces, valued at $103, and apricots valued at $8. 



The production of grapes in 1909 was 1,086,344 

 pounds, valued at $38,357. The value of the grapes 

 produced in 1899, 1,684,700 pounds, was $56,420, show- 

 ing a considerable decrease in value for the period. 



