FLORIDA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY 
167 
INSTRUCTIONS FOR BEGINNERS 
Mrs. N. M. G. Prange, Tampa, Fla. 
Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen : 
To those of us who have been in 
Florida half a lifetime, there is nothing 
strange in the great interest shown by 
people in other sections as to her re¬ 
sources or in the rapidly increasing in¬ 
flux to her borders, for we know of the 
many advantages awaiting right de¬ 
velopment. 
There are many new faces here to¬ 
day, and copy of our proceedings will 
go to many others who are also on the 
threshold of their new homes; so in 
token of our wish to extend a helping 
hand, I shall in great measure address 
these new associates. 
Our land is sold at moderate prices. 
Good schools, good roads, good trans¬ 
portation facilities, local and long distance 
telephone as well as telegraph service, 
rural mail and express delivery, ice 
plants, meat market, and other “home 
comforts” are general except in some 
of the newest settlements. 
The clearing of land is made easy 
by the use of dynamite and up-to-date 
machinery. 
Much of the land needs drainage, for 
the water table should be at least two 
and a half or three feet below the sur¬ 
face. Usually a few ditches leading 
to a nearby creek will take away the 
surplus water, but where extensive 
drainage systems are needed these in 
many instances have been established 
before the sale of the land. 
Irrigation is often necessary to ob¬ 
tain maximum results, but seldom to 
produce a fair crop. Whenever it is 
desired plenty of water is found right 
on the place—no expensive storage bas¬ 
ins or miles of costly conduits. 
FLORIDA SOILS 
Our soil, except in limited areas, is 
easily and therefore cheaply tilled—we 
do not have the sticky sodden masses 
common in many agricultural sections. 
Because of this open texture of the 
soil, plant roots are unhampered in their 
development and soil activities are more 
rapid and constant. This insures quick¬ 
er growth. 
All soil activities waste lime by form¬ 
ing soluble lime compounds which are 
carried off in the drainage waters. The 
never ceasing changes, the abundant 
rains, and the open soil of Florida have 
combined to make most of our land very 
lacking in basic matter. The state, 
however, has bountiful resources of 
practically pure carbonate of lime 
which can be supplied at nominal cost. 
The most natural and economical form 
is ground limestone which should be 
bought in bulk, car lots, minimum fif¬ 
teen tons. Two or three tons per acre 
should be applied broadcast after plow¬ 
ing, and harrowed in. 
Florida soil is also generally lacking 
in humus matter, though we have 
m'arked exceptions to this in the many 
