66 
FLORIDA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
flat-woods land underlaid with hard-pan, 
where other fruit trees fail. 
Their handsome appearance is another 
great recommendation. An orchard when 
in full leaf, outshines in beauty, even the 
far-famed orange grove. 
I believe I have covered most of the 
points necessary to a grower, but I will be 
pleased to answer questions, or give any 
information in my possession either now 
or by correspondence with anyone who 
is interested. 
Report of Committee on Vegetables. 
By C* G* White* 
Mr. President^ Ladies and Gentlemen: 
Hastings is in the last quarter of ship¬ 
ping a one-hundred thousand barrel crop 
of potatoes. The biggest day’s shipment 
reached over thirty-nine cars, all heavily 
loaded. 
It has been a season of big yields and 
low prices. Prices have been kept no 
worse than they are by the distribution 
of our association. The potato crop in 
this state is too large to be dumped into 
the North hit or miss fashion. Every 
barrel that leaves the state should have 
its proper destination and must have if 
the grower is to have the full reward of 
his labor and risk. 
It takes a big yield to pay expenses 
when New York prices are under four 
dollars a barrel. Two days last week the 
quotations touched three dollars. This 
price means a net return of about one 
dollar and a half per barrel as the crop 
runs, and requires a yield of sixty barrels 
to the acre to make five dollars profit. 
However, prices have so far run better 
than this, and the majority of the grow¬ 
ers will probably clear up even or better. 
There are many yields of fifty barrels 
and some of seventy and eighty. These 
are field runs, not favored corners, and 
are unusual with us. 
The railroad service has been bad. 
Day after day, when there were empty 
cars on an inaccessible track, hauling has 
had to stop to the demoralization of our 
working forces, and barrels have been 
piled up on the platform because all the 
cars on the switch were overloaded al¬ 
ready. Finally, these cars have gone 
forward at irregular times, and it was a 
lucky shipper that got his car out of 
Jacksonville short of twenty-four hours 
later than the time taken last year. The 
railway ^‘shares our prosperity” as the of¬ 
ficials put it, at the rate of sixteen cents 
per barrel to Jacksonville. 
The potato methods are much the 
same as of old. An effective machine dig¬ 
ger is much needed. And another rail¬ 
road. 
Late blight made its general appear¬ 
ance too late to be of material damage 
to the yield, and the resulting rot has not 
set in because weather conditions have 
have not been suitable for its develop¬ 
ment in that way. 
