The Branch Experiment Station 
Wilmon Newell, Gainesville 
A Branch Experiment Station, to be 
devoted primarily and essentially to the 
study of citrus problems, has been estab¬ 
lished near Lake Alfred, in Polk county, 
Florida. This is a branch station of the 
University of Florida Agricultural Ex¬ 
periment Station at Gainesville and, like 
the latter, is under the exclusive control 
and direction of the Board of Control. 
The branch station has been established 
in accordance with the provisions of 
Chapter 7379, Approved June 4, 1917. 
This Act authorized and directed the 
Board of Control “to locate, establish 
and maintain a Branch Experiment Sta¬ 
tion, in or near Winter Haven, Polk coun¬ 
ty, in the citrus growing section of the 
State, where insect pests, diseases and 
other agencies, affecting the production 
of citrus fruits and citrus trees shall be 
studiedprovided, that no branch station 
should be established until lands, moneys, 
groves and other things of the value of 
not less than $10,000 should be donated 
for the use and purposes of the Branch 
Station. 
By the summer of 1919, donations and 
subscriptions to this amount were secured 
by a committee of Polk county citrus 
growers, consisting of Messrs. S. F. 
Poole, J. A. Snively, J. H. Ross, H. W. 
Snell, L. L. Davis, A. M. Tilden, C. H. 
Thompson and W. L. Drew. The Board 
of Control shortly thereafter, on July 14, 
1919, held its regular monthly meeting at 
Winter Haven and, in connection there¬ 
with, visited and inspected various pro¬ 
posed sites for the Branch Station, finally 
deciding upon an 84-acre property located 
on the Dixie Highway, about one mile 
northeast of Lake Alfred and forming, at 
that time, a part of the holdings of the 
Florida Fruitlands Company. This tract 
of land was donated for the purposes of 
the station by the Florida Fruitlands 
Company, the Board of Control merely 
refunding out of the cash donations 
made, the actual cost of planting and 
bringing the 14J4 acres of grove on the 
property to its condition at time the prop¬ 
erty was transferred to the Board. This 
amounted to $5,900.00. 
From December 1, 1919, to March 1, 
1921, there has been expended on the 
property in fences, clearing, fertilizer, es¬ 
tablished seed beds, superintendent’s sal¬ 
ary, etc., the amount of $3,005.53, so that 
on March 1, 1921, there remained, out of 
the original donation of $10,000.00, a 
balance of $1,094.67. Since the latter 
date the Florence Villa Packing Associa¬ 
tion has paid over to the Board, for the 
Branch Station, $1,282.15 and the Coun¬ 
ty Commissioners of Polk county, $2,- 
500.00, so that the total cash resources 
(as of date March 1, 1921), out of 
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