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Digitized from microfilm.
Missing pages 194-197.
Florida Vegetable Committee
ANNUAL DIGEST
for 1947
cA ;extbook on the 0lorida
L)egetable Industry
'Published SAnnually by
FLORIDA VEGETABLE COMMITTEE
29 S. Court Street, Orlando, Florida
2 . o
.*" * i
Bu rpee
VEGETABLES
Hybrid Cucumbers
In 1946 the Flagler
Faims, Kendall, Florida,
planted a 22-bed hydro- '
ponicum (about 1 acre)
to Burpce Hybrid Cucum-
bers. The first picking
yielded 77 bushels and they
harvested a total crop of
804 bushels, of which 540
bushels graded extra
fancy. Mr. Carrol Klotz-
back, supt., reports fruits
averaged 101/2 in. lcng, few
culls, flavor excellent, seed
area very small, color and
appearance very fine, keep-
ing quality magnificent.
If you have not already tested these sensational
new varieties, be sure to include them in your
next plantings to see for yourself.
Burpee Hybrid Cucumber
Burpee Hybrid Tomato
Fordhook Hybrid Tomato
Clinton Hybrid Tomato
Burpee Hybrid Eggplant
-also Hybrid Sweet Corns and a complete line of
seeds for market growers-vegetables and flowers
In extensive tests at a lead-
ing state agricultural experi-
ment station, the college staff
concluded that an increase of
201'/ or more over present
yields can be produced with
hybrid tomato seeds. A pub-
lished report points out that
the value of the crop should
be at least $94 more per acre
than to use any other kind
of seed.
The production cost of Bur-
pee Hybrid Tomato seed is
high, but even at 1947 prices
your seed cost need not be
over $20.00 per acre, giving
you extra profits of $75.00 or
more in increased yield per
acre.
Burpee Hybrid Vigor Gives Plants More Capacity to
SAssimilate Soil Nutrients and Fertilizers Applied
1 W. ATLEE BURPEE CO.
.. Sanford, Florida
Philadelphia 32,; P%'. Clinton, Iowa
Never a day has passed since the Florida Vegetable Committee was
organized in 1943 to cope with the increasing volume of vegetable pro-
duction but that some grower, shipper, supplier or distributor has re-
quested accurate information on some phase of the Florida vegetable
industry.
This Digest is the first serious effort to bring together in one volume
the facts that are needed by growers, shippers, buyers, distributors and
suppliers. Included is the latest information on state and area acreage,
production and the like (much of it never before published) as well as
formulae, transportation data; container requirements; new insecticides
and poisons; icing stations; together with an advertising roster of the
leading suppliers of equipment, materials and services, each of whom
furnishes valuable information about his own products.
Included in each of the departments are condensed articles covering
the latest developments in each field truly an education for anyone
interested in Florida vegetables.
You will note that the Digest is fully indexed so that any information
may be easily located.
We want each member of the Florida Vegetable Committee to know
that this Annual Digest is made possible through the financial assistance
of the folks who furnish equipment, materials and services, and who
pack, ship, buy and distribute our products. To these friends our sin-
cere thanks.
PAUL B. DICKMAN, Chairman,
Florida Vegetable Committee.
To The
GROWERS and SHIPPERS
of
FLORIDA VEGETABLES
The Weathers' Packaging Service was established here in Central Florida
to provide a complete packaging service to the Citrus and Vegetable industries.
Packaging of produce is our business-If you have a problem, consult us.
As manufacturer's agents we represent container manufacturers of wooden
boxes, paper board fabricators, and bag manufacturers, multi-wall paper
shipping bags, fancy printed paper consumer units, open mesh, cotton and
burlap bags.
Bags are our specialty for the packaging of potatoes, cabbage, sweet corn,
carrots and citrus. Have you heard the story of a whole section's adoption
of 3 wall wet strength paper bags for shipment of 50# units of potatoes?
We list many members of The Florida Vegetable Committee as our cus-
tomers. We seek more of its membership and pledge our faithful business-
like attention to your requirements. We freely credit our old customers with
being our best source of new accounts.
WEATHERS' PACKAGING SERVICE
510 Florida Bank Building
ORLANDO Phone 2-3446 FLORIDA
The Florida Vegetable Committee is a non-profit cooperative association, or-
ganized in 1943 to develop the $105,000,000.00 Florida vegetable industry, and-
To conduct and direct research either through its own de-
partments, or through federal, state and private agencies.
To assist growers and shippers of each commodity in the prob-
lems peculiar to their industry, be they production difficulties,
over-supply, quality of product or package, competition, mar-
keting or sales promotion.
To work cooperatively with distributive, retail, and transporta-
tion agencies in creating a more efficient and economic system
of merchandising fresh Florida vegetables.
To develop methods of diverting off-grades and surplus from
the fresh market into profitable by-products.
To serve as a clearing house of information between members
and the agencies of government.
To provide a medium whereby growers and shippers can co-
operatively work for the betterment of the industry and of
themselves.
The Committee is efficiently departmentalized, so that each commodity group
handles its own special problems, yet is integrated with the over-all Committee
for greater strength and centralized administration and research.
The Committee is financed through package assessments paid in by the grow-
ers of a majority of the fresh vegetables shipped from Florida. It has a full-time
staff to assist its manager, including an agricultural economist. Complex legal
and traffic problems are promptly met, or anticipated, by competent traffic spe-
cialists and attorneys retained by FVC.
Publications are issued currently to keep shippers and growers fully advised.
FLORIDA VEGETABLE Acreage Values
INFORMATION Production Growing Areas
Read this Explanation First: Shipments Competition
To make information on Florida vegetables more easily understood, the Digest pre-
sents much data in chart form (see "Statistics and Charts" in index under each com-
modity).
Many pertinent facts about each FVC production district are given on the "District"
pages, with maps showing farming areas.
Acreage for harvest (for principal commodities) :
(1) 1946-47 fall, winter and spring acreage -see top of left page each commodity chart.
(2) Acreage in each principal area, providing acreage comparisons between three dis-
tinct economic periods: Depression (1935-36) ; Prewar (1940-41); and Postwar
(1945-46)-see statistics in center of left page each commodity chart.
(3) Acreage for 26 seasons, showing trends-see graph at top of right page each com-
modity chart.
(4) Percentage of U. S. total acreage in Florida-see graph in upper center of right
page each commodity chart.
(5) Acreage of principal commodities in each FVC production district- see each
"District" map page.
Normal Yields: Computed from historic data for the state, and representative of
entire crop.
Production: In carlot equivalents for 26 sea ons-see graph in lower center of right
page each commodity chart.
Shipments:
(1) In carlot equivalents by rail, boat and truck for Florida's shipping months (10-
year average and 1945-46 season)-see statistics above bar graph on left page
each commodity chart.
(2) 1945-46 and 1946-47 shipments through June 25-see page 31.
(3) Mixed carlots (not included in commodity statistics and charts except produc-
tion) are important in many commodities. A large part of Florida's cucumbers,
peppers, eggplant and other commodities move in mixed cars. See page 113.
Value: Florida FOB values for 26 seasons-see graph at bottom of right page each
commodity chart.
Growing areas: For principal commodities see map on left page each commodity
chart. For districts see "Districts".
Competition: Bar graph on left page each commodity chart shows average volume
of shipments from Florida and competing areas during Florida's shipping months.
Consumption: Fresh vegetables in U. S.-see graph on page 111.
Districts: Each FVC district is shown on a special map, accompanied by pertinent
data on acreage, shipping seasons, etc.
*i/he" &o Aa0
"1946-47"-The Chairman's Report .................. 9
"A Message from the New Chairman" .............. 11
Action Program for 1947-48 ..................... 29
Advertisers' Index .......... ..... .... ............ 197
Agricultural Agencies, State
Department of Agriculture .................. ... 148
Department of Agricultural Economics ......... .81,83
Experiment Stations ............ See "Districts" and 85
Extension Service ................ ............. 79
Plant Board ..................... ............ 65
Agricultural Agents, County ........ See "Districts" and 169
"Agriculture's W heel Horse" .................. . 79
Alternates, FVC, 1947-48 .......................... 6
Annual M meeting Report ................ ............ 1
Anson, "Industry Cooperation" ................ . 147
A vocados ......................................... 75
BEANS- Division Report, 1946-47 .................... 33
Division Members, 1947-48 ................. 7
Statistics and Charts ..................... 34, 35
Beets ............................................ 87
Broccoli ........................................ 87
By-Products, Florida Vegetables ...................... 99
CABBAGE-Division Report, 1946-47 ................ 37
Division Members, 1947-48 .............. 7
Statistics and Charts .................. 38, 39
California, Competition .......... See specific commodity
Research .................. ............ 161
Western Growers Association .............. 95
Cantaloupes ................ .................... 75
Cauliflower ....................... ............. 75,87
Canning Division, 1946-47 ...................... 99
Celery- Division Report, 1946-47 .................... 41
Division Members, 1947-48 .................. 7
Statistics and Charts ...................... 42,43
Chairman's Report for 1946-47 ...................... 9
Chairman's Message for 1947-48 .................... 11
Charts of Vegetable Production and
Competition ................. See specific commodity
Classified Advertisers Index ......................... 199
Committees-Commodity Reports-See specific commodity
Functional, Reports-See specific committee
for 1947-48 .......................... 5,6,7
Containers ................ .......... 23
Foreign Competition .................... 17
Labor .......... ..... .... .......... 15
Research .................. .......... 19
Transportation ......................... 21
W ater Control ......................... 23
Commodity-Information and
Statistics ............... . ... See specific commodity
Directors and Alternates, 1947-48 ........ 6
Division Reports,
1946-47 ......... .See specific commodity
Division Members, 1947-48 ............... 7
Competition, Domestic-See specific commodity & Charts
Foreign, Report, 1946-47 ................
Foreign, Committee, 1947-48 ............
Congress, Florida M embers ..........................
Consumer Packaging-Florida's Problem ..............
"Has Something New Been Added?"
FVPC Program .................
Western Growers Association ....
Container Committee-Report, 1946-47 ...............
Members, 1947-48 ........... .
17
7
149
91
91
97
95
23
7
Control of Insect Pests .................. .......... 89
Cooperation ................ .................... 147
Corn, Sweet ................ ................... 87
County Agricultural Agents ..... See "Districts" and page 169
County Production Statistics ............ See "Districts"
Cucumbers-Division Report, 1946-47 ................ 45
Division Members, 1947-48 ............... 7
Statistics and Charts .................. 46,47
DIRECTORS, FVC, 1947-48 ........................ 6
Diseases and Pests- Controls ........................ 89
Commodities-See specific commodity
Distributors ..................... See Advertisers' Index 199
Districts, FVC-(with maps)
1. Dade County ............................... 117
2. Broward and East Palm Beach Counties ........ 119
3. Western Palm Beach, Western Martin, Okeechobee 123
4. Lee, Hendry, Collier, Glades .............. ... 127
5. St. Lucie, Indian River, Brevard, Eastern Martin... 129
6. Seminole, Eastern Orange .................... 131
7. Flagler, St. Johns, Putnam, Volusia,.Clay ...... 133
8. Alachua, Marion, Gilchrist, Bradford, Levy, Union 135
9. Lake, Sumter, Western Orange, Citrus, Hernando 137
10. Plant City area, Polk, Osceola, Pasco, Pinellas.. 139
11. Ruskin area, Manatee ...................... 141
12. Sarasota, Hardee, DeSoto, Highlands, Charlotte.. 143
District Directors, 1947-48 ......................... 6
Divisions-Reports of ......... ... .See specific commodity
M embers, 1947-48 ........................ 7
Diversionary Uses of Florida Vegetables ............... 99
Domestic Competition .... See specific commodity charts
ECONOMICS, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURAL ... .81,83
Eggplant- Division Report, 1946-47 ............. . ... 49
Division Members, 1947-48 ................ 7
Statistics and Charts .................... 50,51
Escarole .................................. 57
Experiment Stations, State ...... See "Districts" and page 85
Extension Service, State ........................... 79
FARMERS MARKETS, STATE.... See "Districts" and page 115
"Farming is a Business" .......................... 81
Florida Vegetable
Shipments, 1945-46 and 1946-47 .................. 31
Previous Years-See specific commodity chart
Foreign Competition, Committee Report, 1946-47 ...... 17
Committee Members, 1947-48 .... 7
Functional Committees ........... See specific committee
FVC Dollar, How it is Spent ........................ 145
FVC's Program for 1947-48 ........................ 29
GREEN PEAS .................... ............. 75,87
Green Peppers-Division Report, 1946-47 .............. 53
Division Members, 1947-48 ........... 7
Statistics and Charts ............... 54,55
Greens ........ .................... ....... 75
"HOW GOES THE MARKET?" ..................... Ill
ICING STATIONS, TRUCK ......................... 103
Index to Advertisers ...... ......................... 197
"Industry Cooperation" ........................... 147
Insect Pest Control ................. ............. 89
"Interest of the Florida Grower in Terminal Market
Facilities" ............................. . 109
Irish Potatoes .................. . . See"Potatoes"
LABOR-Committee Report, 1946-47 ................. 15
Committee Members, 1947-48 ............... 7
Foreign Importations .......... .......... 79
Legislation ............................... 15,25
Taft-Hartley Act .......................... 155
"The Latest on Insect Control" ..................... 89
Laws-Affecting Vegetables, 1947 ................... 25
Trucks, State ............................ 105, 107
Leaf Crops- Division Report, 1946-47 ................ 57
Division Members, 1947-48 .............. 7
Lettuce ............ ........................ 57
Lima Beans ............................ See "Beans"
Limes ................... ..................... 75
MANAGER'S REPORT, 1946-47 ...................... 13
M angoes ................ ....................... 75
Maps, Commodity ...............See specific commodity
Districts ....................... See "Districts"
Marketing Problems ..... See specific commodity and page 111
Markets-"How Goes the Market?" ................. Ill
State Farmers ........ See "Districts" and page 115
Terminal Facilities ........................ 109
T rends ................... ............. Ill
M ayo, N than ...................... ............. 148
M meeting, Annual ......... ..................... 1
Melons ........................ See"W atermelons"
Merchandising Committee, 1947-48 .................. 7
"Minor Crops" ............................. . 87
Miscellaneous Division- Report, 1946-47 .............. 75
Members, 1947-48 ............ 7
Mixed Cars-"The Mixed Car Deal" ................ 113
Statistics, 1945-47 ..................... 31
NEW CROPS FOR FLORIDA ........................ 87
New Varieties .................. See specific commodity
Onions ........................................ 75,87
PACKAGING- Consumer ........................... 91
Containers ............... ........... 23
FVPC Program ....................... 97
Peas, Green .......... ......... ............ 75, 87
Peppers ......................... See "G:een Peppers"
Pest C control ...................................... 89
Pests and Diseases ............. See specific commodity
Plant Board, State ................... ............ 65
Poisons .............................. ....... 89
Potatoes, Sweet ........... .................... 65
Potatoes, White, Division Report, 1946-47 ............ 61
Division Members, 1947-48 .......... 7
Statistics and Charts .............. 62,63
Production Statistics and Charts-See specific commodity
"The Pre-Packaging Program" ..................... 97
Programs- FVC, 1947-48 ........................... 29
Agricultural Economics ................... 83
Packaging Research ...................... 97
"Progress Through Research" .................. . 85
RADISHES ................ ..................... 75
Refrigeration- Icing Stations for Trucks .............. 103
Refrigerator Cars, Current Status .................... 101
Reports- Annual Meeting .......................... 1
Chairman, 1946-47 ........................ 9
Commodity Divisions .... See specific commodity
Functional Committees . See specific committee
M manager .......... ......... .......... 13
Research- Agricultural Economics .................... 83
Committee, FVC, Report, 1946-47 .......... 19
Committee, 1947-48 ...................... 7
M marketing ............................... 11
Packaging ............... ... ........... 91
Production ........ ... .See specific commodity
State Experiment Stations .................. 85
Varieties ............ See specific commodity
Western Growers Association .............. 95
Retail T rends ................ ....... ............ 111
SENATORS, FLORIDA ......................... . 149
Shipments, Florida, 1946-47 ..................... 31
Previous
Years ..... See specific commodity
Snap Beans-Division Report, 1946-47 ................ 33
Division Members, 1947-48 .............. 7
Statistics and Charts .................. 34,35
Spinach ......................... ............. 75,87
Squash .............................. ........... 53
State Boards and Agencies .......... See specific agency
Farmers Markets ........ See "Districts" and page 115
Laws, Trucks ............................. 105, 107
Plant Board .................... ............ 65
Statistics of Production ......... See specific commodities
Strawberries .............................. . ..... 76, 77
Sweet Corn ........................... ........... 87
Sweet Peppers .............. .... See "Green Peppers"
Sweet Potatoes .......... ......... ............ 65
TELEPHONE NUMBERS ............................ 149
Terminal M market Facilities .......................... 109
Texas-Competition ............ See specific commodity
Tomato Areas ............... ............. 177
Thanks to Contributors ............................. 3
Tomatoes-Division Report, 1946-47 .................. 67
Division Members, 1947-48 ................ 7
Hormone Treatments ..................... 176
Texas Areas, with Map ............... ... 177
Statistics and Charts .................... 68, 69
Transportation-Committee Report, 1946-47 ........... 21
Committee Members, 1947-48 ........ 7
Refrigerator Cars .................... 101
Trends in M marketing .................. ............ Ill
Trucks, Icing Stations ................ ............ 103
State Laws ............... ............ 105, 107
"UNCLE SAM, THE MAN WHO MAKES MOST OF YOUR
D EC ISIO N S" ...................... ............. 13
VARIETIES, NEW .............. See specific commodity
Vegetable Shipments, from Florida, 1946-47 .......... 31
Previous
Years See specific commodity
charts
WATER CONTROL-Committee Report, 1946-47 ...... 23
Committee Members, 1947-48..... 7
WATERMELONS-Division Report, 1946-47 ............ 71
Division Members, 1947-48 .......... 7
Statistics and Charts .............. 72,73
W western Growers Association ........................ 95
"What, Why and Wherefore of FVC" ................. E
"What's in the Mill?" ................ .......... 83
W holesaling Trends ................. .............. Ill
"Why a Digest?" ................ ............. C
t$IIG
We of Florida enjoy the rare privilege of citizen-
ship in the fastest growing State in the Union.
We share in the opportunities that growth creates.
Our "horizons" are virtually unlimited.
One way we can show our appreciation for this
privilege is to do our utmost to foster and
contribute to that growth. Florida Power & Light
Company is backing its faith in the future of
Florida with millions of dollars invested in new
plants, new equipment, new services designed to
make this state a better place in which to live.
FLORID PI
COMPANY
Orlando, Florida
June 16, 17, 18, 1947
FVC's fourth birthday has come and
gone, but the memory of the Orlando
meeting will linger on. This was our
first "big" meeting, and its success was
made possible by the cooperation of many
-both members and friends.
Especial thanks are due to:
* E. A. "WOODY" MEYER, assistant
administrator of the Production and
Marketing Administration, U S D A,
who keynoted the meeting. Actively
in charge of administration of the im-
portant Agricultural Marketing Re-
search Act. ("Flannagan-Hope"), he
offered sound advice on "Better Mer-
chandising of Florida Vegetables."
* JOHN R. VAN ARNUM, Secretary
of the "National League", who so
clearly outlined the "Frozen Costs
in Distribution, Transportation and
Marketing."
* ALAN T. RAINS, Secretary of the
wholesalers' division of the "United",
who encouraged growers with reports
on "The United's Merchandising In-
stitute."
* HUNTER LYNDE, President of the
Allied Advertising Agencies of Flor-
ida, who graphically pictured the
benefits to come from "Stimulating
the Sale of Florida Vegetables."
The Program
Monday night everyone had a chance
to get acquainted, in the Sky Room of
the Angebilt hotel, where they enjoyed
dancing and refreshments.
Tuesday morning's program featured
the speakers named (with the exception
of Mr. Rains, who led off the afternoon
session) followed by open forum discus-
sions. The men lunched in the ball room
of the San Juan Hotel, adjacent to con-
vention headquarters, while the ladies en-
joyed a more leisurely noon repast at
beautiful Sanlando Springs, north of
Orlando.
Program Chairman Pete Lins intro-
duced "The Men Who Do the Job" at
the afternoon session, and these top men
in research and agricultural education
formed a panel to answer the scores of
questions that were directed to them
from the audience.
The Annual Dinner, at which the in-
imitable Russell Kay, secretary of the
Florida Press Association was toastmas-
ter, was held Tuesday night in the Orange
Court Hotel. Besides the fun, the chief
features were:
* Presentation of a citation and plaque
"for distinguished service to the Flor-
ida vegetable industry", to Harold
Mowry, director, Florida Agricultural
Experiment station, and the staff of
the experiment stations.
* An eloquent plea for continued "In-
dustry Cooperation" by Austin An-
son, Manager of the Texas Citrus &
Vegetable Growers & Shippers, who
clearly analyzed the value of united
action between g r o w e r groups.
Thanks, Austin.
* A drawing, in which the members and
guests received valuable prizes, in-
cluding an airplane trip, a suit, shoes,
hat, a radio, and other merchandise-
just to mention a few. Awards were
given to the grower who had produced
vegetables the greatest number of
(Concluded on Page 3)
FLORIDA VEGETABLE GROWERS' HEADQUARTERS
Seeds, Insecticides and Supplies
The KILGORE SEED COMPANY
General Offices and Mail Order Department
PLANT CITY, FLORIDA
Fourteen Kilgore Stores Serving Florida
A Florida institution maintained for service to Florida Vegetable Growers
With over 35 years' experience spe-
cializing in vegetable seeds, insecti- *....
cides and growers supplies for Florida,
and with fourteen Kilgore seed stores GAINESVILE
located as shown on map, we are best OCALA
qualified to serve Florida Vegetable SWORD \
Growers.
PLANT CITY
"Everything for the Florida Vegetable B vERO
Grower" is a Kilgore motto. A full line PALMo AUCHUrLAK
of vegetable seeds, insecticides, fungi- \ ('no1
cides, sprays, dusts, spraying and dust- BILLEGiAD*o. s
ing equipment, fertilizers, cans and can- FT.MYERS POMPANO
ning equipment, as well as a complete MIAMI*
line of bee-keeper's supplies, are al- om
ways carried in stock in Kilgore's Plant ...'*
City warehouse and 14 Florida stores.
Send for your free copy of Kilgore's large annual catalog and planting guide
for Florida, which contains valuable information on varieties, planting, fertilizing
as well as insect and disease control of vegetable crops in Florida.
For Best Results Plant
BRED-RITE
TRADE MARK
ANNUAL MEETING
(Continued from Page 1)
years (Lennie Stuckey of Pahokee) ;
to the attendance committee member
who made the best record (Lester
Elsberry of Ruskin) ; to the tallest
man (R. D. Butler of Deerfield
Beach) ; to the wearer of the loudest
sport shirt (Luther Chandler of
Goulds) ; however, most of the prizes
were given for just being there at the
right time.
Resolutions
Resolutions approved included:
Urging that the Congress enact a
recruiting and routing program for do-
mestic farm labor.
Requesting that more and better re-
frigerator cars be built in the immediate
future, including at least 500 of the
"double-deck" type.
Insisting that the Congress revise
the reciprocal trade treaty laws to pro-
vide for genuine reciprocity, which would
not permit the expatriate American who
employs peon labor in foreign nations to
have an economic advantage over the
American producer; and urging the state
department to equalize the cost of pro-
duction between Florida and foreign na-
tions through tariff rates.
The meeting closed with the election
of commodity directors and alternates,
and of the newly created "district direc-
tors", who will fight for their own areas,
leaving to the commodity directors the
job of looking after the specific com-
modities.
It would be too big a job to single out
each of those who contributed to the suc-
cess of the meeting and thank them per-
sonally in print, so:
"Thanks to each and every one of you"
from the officers and directors of FVC.
* Charlie Townsend, Jimmy Owens and
Norman Rose of the Truck Crop Re-
porting Service for their valued aid
in compiling production and other
statistics;
* T. J. Brooks, the Florida Department
of Agriculture and Florida State Mar-
kets for lending us photographs and
illustrations for the Digest;
* J. Francis Cooper, for his excellent
editorial work on articles from the
extension service, experiment sta-
tions and other agricultural agencies;
* Coleman Rogers of the Florida Ice
Association, for data on icing stations;
* Neill Rhodes and Frank Scruggs of
the State Marketing Bureau, for in-
formation on vegetable shipments
covering a period of years;
* The National Highway Users Con-
ference for supplying the Digest with
up-to-the-minute highway facts;
* C. W. Kitchen, Dr. F. S. Jamison, Wil-
liam C. Crow, Dr. G. J. Stout, Mar-
shall Thompson, and also a number of
our advertisers, for the interesting
articles and information they fur-
nished, which shortage of space forced
us to regretfully omit from this issue
of the Digest;
* The many advertisers who made the
Digest possible; and
* The Record Press, St. Augustine, for
a fine publication, and
* to many others-in public and private
agencies-who have not received di-
rect credit for the many fine contribu-
tions they made to the Annual Digest.
0"IM
DIRECTORS AND OFFICERS for 1947-48 who attended Sebring meeting (left to right): J. Abney Cox, Princeton;
Jack Taylor, Palmetto; Lester L. Elsberry, Ruskin; L. L. Stuckey, Pahokee (retiring chairman); George E. Butler, Deer-
field Beach; J. A. Allison, Pompano; Fritz Stein, Belle Glade; Miss Evelyne Sands, Orlando, treasurer; R. Y. Creech, Belle
Glade; Moody Whiddon, Fort Pierce; Cecil Barber, Peters; Luther L. Chandler, Goulds; Frank Talbott, Oviedo; LaMonte
Graw, Orlando, secretary-manager; Paul B. Dickman, Ruskin, chairman for 1947-48; Thomas Fleming, Jr., Boca Raton;
W. E. Burquest, Sarasota; H. H. Hethcox, Umatilla; Hugh Lasseter, Winter Garden.
4?veA ojga, /947-48
PAUL B. DICKMAN L. L. STUCKEY
Chairman, 1947-48 Chairman, 1945-47
OFFICERS
PAUL B. DICKMAN, Ruskin - - - Chairman
DIXON PEARCE, Miami - - - Vice-Chairman
LA MONTE GRAW, Orlando - - - Secretary
EVELYNE SANDS, Orlando - - - Treasurer
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
PAUL B. DICKMAN - - - - - Ruskin
DIXON PEARCE - - - - - - Miami
L. L. CHANDLER - - - - - - Goulds
L. L. STUCKEY - - - - - - Pahokee
J. A. COX - - - - - Princeton
THROUGH THE YEARS THEY HAVE LED -
E. W. "PETE" LINS, Fort Pierce - - - 1943-44
LORING RAOUL, Sarasota - - - - 1944-45
L. L. STUCKEY, Pahokee - - - - 1945-46
L. L. STUCKEY, Pahokee - - - - 1946-47
PAUL B. DICKMAN, Ruskin - - - - 1947-48
DIRECTORS and ALTERNATES
1947-48
COMMODITY DIRECTORS AND
ALTERNATES
(First named is director, second is
alternate)
BEANS:
R. L. (SAM) CHASTAIN, Canal Point,
(ofc) Pahokee 3321; (res.) 3881.
J. A. ALLISON, Pompano,
(ofc) 2282.
CABBAGE:
FRITZ STEIN, Belle Glade,
(ofc) 122; (res.) 264.
B. C. PEARCE, Palatka,
(ofc) 716W; (res.) 721W1.
CELERY:
A. DUDA, JR., Oviedo,
(ofc) 2151; (res.) 2891.
CHAS. DEMPSEY, Sarasota,
(ofc) 2584; (res.) 6585.
LEAF:
PERRY N. WHITEHURST, Sanford,
(ofe) 1 or L.D. 17; (res.) 665.
WM. JONES, Canal Point.
PEPPERS, EGGPLANT, CUCUMBERS,
SQUASH, CORN:
PAUL B. DICKMAN, Ruskin,
(ofc) Tampa Y-5504; (res.) Tampa
L.D. 422.
G. E. BUTLER, JR., Deerfield Beach,
(ofc) Boca Raton 2631; (res.) 3616.
POTATOES: (White and Sweet)
J. ABNEY COX, Princeton,
(ofc) Homestead 221-J-1;
(res.) Miami 2-1390.
HOWARD S. HOUGH, Hastings,
(ofc) 72.
TOMATOES:
DIXON PEARCE, Seybold Bldg.,
Miami,
(ofc) 2-4216; (res.) 2-8500.
LESTER L. ELSBERRY, Ruskin,
(ofc) Tampa Y5596.
WATERMELONS:
W. J. WHITEHURST, Archer,
(res.) 2511.
H. H. HETHCOX, Umatilla,
(res.) 2531.
MISCELLANEOUS:
L. L. CHANDLER, Goulds,
(ofc) Homestead 532-R and
Fort Pierce 1003.
HUGH LASSETER, Winter Garden,
(ofc) 42; (res.) 292 Blue.
CANNERS:
ALLEN MARKHAM, Okeechobee,
(ofc) 18; (res.) 3.
HENRY STOLZ, Fort Pierce,
(ofc) 725; (res.) 796.
COMMISSIONER OF AGRICULTURE:
NATHAN MAYO, Tallahassee,
(ofc) 267.
WM. L. WILSON, Jacksonville,
(ofc) 51808; (res.) 26883.
DIRECTOR EX-OFFICIO:
L. L. STUCKEY, Pahokee,
(ofc) 4201; (res.) 2511.
DISTRICT DIRECTORS
1. CECIL BARBER, Peters,
(ofc) Perrine 3011; (res.) 2271.
2. THOMAS F. FLEMING, JR.,
Boca Raton,
(res.) 3371.
3. R. Y. CREECH, Belle Glade,
(res.) Belle Glade 28W;
Fort Myers Beach 2762.
4. T. M. BIGGAR, Fort Myers,
(ofc) 400; (res.) 477.
5. MOODY WHIDDON, Fort Pierce,
(ofc) 296 or 297; (res.) 756M.
6. FRANK W. TALBOTT, Oviedo,
(ofc) L.D. 2091; (res.) 2821.
7. D. P. BARNUM, Hastings,
(ofc) 6; (res) 0502.
8. R. L. GRAVELEY, Newberry.
9. G. G. OLDHAM, Leesburg,
(ofc) 17; (res.) 424.
10. H. G. BARNETT, Plant City,
(ofc) 511; (res.) Lakeland 35-731.
11. JACK TAYLOR, Palmetto,
(ofc) 22741; (res.) 26424.
12. W. E. BURQUEST, Sarasota,
(ofc) 2604; (res.) 6251.
FVC'S COMMODITY DIVISIONS
BEANS (Snap and Lima):
SAM CHASTAIN, Canal Point,
chm.
J. A. ALLISON, Pompano,
v-chm.
H. S. CHESHIRE, Pompano
LANDON CARNEY, Homestead
FRANK ANDERSON,
South Bay
CABBAGE:
FRITZ STEIN, Belle Glade,
chm.
B. C. PEARCE, Palatka, v-chm.
HENRY WITTE, JR., Sanford
P. H. BRITT, Winter Garden
D. P. BARNUM, Hastings
CELERY:
A. DUDA, JR., Oviedo, chm.
CHAS. DEMPSEY, Sarasota,
v-chm.
LEO BUTNER, Sanford
MRS. RUTH WEDGWORTH,
Belle Glade
HARRISON RAOUL,
Belle Glade
LEAF:
PERRY N. WHITEHURST,
Sanford, chm.
W. H. JONES, Canal Point,
v-chm.
W. D. MILLER, Ruskin
0. D. HUFF, JR., McIntosh
JOHN TIEDTKE, Clewiston
PEPPERS, EGGPLANT, CUCUM-
BERS, SQUASH AND CORN:
PAUL B. DICKMAN, Ruskin,
chmin.
G. E. BUTLER, JR.,
Deerfield Beach, v-chm.
G. G. OLDHAM, Leesburg
C. D. BETHEA, Gainesville
JOHN BRUMLEY, Sanford
POTATOES (White and Sweet):
J. ABNEY COX, Princeton,
chm.
HOWARD S. HOUGH,
Hastings, v-chm.
A. F. ARTHUR, Goulds
G. E. SPIRES, LaCrosse
RALPH W. ATKINSON,
E. Palatka
TOMATOES:
DIXON PEARCE, Miami, chm.
L. L. ELSBERRY, Ruskin,
v-chm.
L. S. MOODY, Belleview
JOHN W. CAMPBELL, Goulds
JACK PETERS, Vero Beach
JOHN McCLURE, Palmetto
WATERMELONS:
W. J. WHITEHURST, Archer,
chm.
H. H. HETHCOX, Umatilla,
v-chm.
D. D. FAIRCLOTH, Trenton
GROVER HUPPEL, Leesburg
MISCELLANEOUS:
L. L. CHANDLER, Goulds, chm.
HUGH LASSETER,
Winter Garden, v-chm.
FRED PIOWATY, Princeton
R. E. JOHNSON, Plant City
IVEY FUTCH, Lake Placid
FRANK STUDSTILL,
Bowling Green
7
FUNCTIONAL
COMMITTEES
TRANSPORTATION:
E. W. LINS, Fort Pierce, chm.
J. E. WATHEN, Fort Pierce,
v-chm.
CHAS. DEMPSEY, Sarasota
THOSE. F. FLEMING, JR.,
Boca Raton
HOWARD S. HOUGH, Hastings
J. C. HUTCHISON, Sanford
FOREIGN COMPETITION:
L. L. CHANDLER, Goulds, chm.
T. M. BIGGAR, Fort Myers,
v-chm.
HAYWOOD ELSBERRY,
Ruskin
R. Y. CREECH, Belle Glade
NATHAN MAYO, Tallahassee
J. A. ALLISON, Pompano
DIXON PEARCE, Miami
RESEARCH:
MRS. RUTH WEDGWORTH,
Belle Glade, chin.
A. DUDA, JR., Oviedo
LORING RAOUL, Sarasota
LABOR:
DIXON PEARCE, Miami, chm.
HARRISON RAOUL,
Belle Glade, v-chm.
PAUL ESKEW, Sarasota
LOUIS FISHER, Pompano
H. C. HETZEL, Sanford
MERCHANDISING:
PERRY N. WHITEHURST,
Sanford, chm.
W. D. MILLER, Ruskin
FRED PIOWATY, Princeton
I ~
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look fresher but are fresher, because Lumarith allows produce
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Lumarith is crystal clear, non-fogging under refrigeration, and
doesn't soften when wet. Write for illustrated packaging book-
let. Transparent Films Department, Celanese Plastics Corporation,
division of Celanese Corporation of America, 180 Madison Ave-
nue, New York 16, N.Y. *Rg. u. s. pat. off.
c&6S04*
1946.47:.
The Season We Will Long Remember
The Florida Vegetable Committee has
reached the fourth milestone in its prog-
ress, marking an extremely busy year
in which the problems of converting the
vegetable industry from war to peace
have been mixed with extreme shortages
in many commodities, due to adverse
weather conditions.
The season of 1946-47 has probably
been the worst in many years. First it
was too hot and too wet, then we had
a series of freezes, with high winds and
heavy rains in between. Naturally this
bad weather was favorable to develop-
ment of diseases and pests, and the result
has been that we have had a shorter crop
than in any of the war years-about 30 %
below 1945-46.
Expanded Activities
This has been our busiest year and--
to quote a well-known radio performer-
"It's only the beginning."
During the year we moved our offices
to 29 S. Court St., where we have more
room for our expanded activities, and
working conditions are better for the
manager and his assistants.
We also added a trained agricultural
economist to our office staff. Mr. Joffre
C. David, a graduate of the University
of Florida, has been doing a fine job of
compiling necessary statistical and other
information, and putting it into language
the grower and shipper can understand.
I want to especially refer to the weekly
reports on celery plantings which have
been prepared by Mr. David during the
year from data received from our celery
growers and shippers. These records of
planting dates are so accurate that they
have been accepted by official agencies.
They have been of inestimable value to
celery growers, and to many of the rest
of us, who want to know what the other
fellow is doing so that we can make
sensible plans. I believe this current
survey of the celery deal has shown that
growers have more to gain by knowing
the facts than they have by trying to
hide their actions.
Two of the major activities of FVC
during the year have required the ex-
penditure of a lot of time and money,
but the results are already before us.
Farm Labor
The Labor Committee, under the able
direction of Dixon Pearce, has spent
many weeks in Washington and else-
where developing a domestic farm labor
program (H.R. 3367) to take the place
of the emergency program which expires
on December 31, 1947. Our manager
is chairman of the National Farm Labor
Conference. One of the very important
phases of this branch of our work has
resulted in action to help growers acquire
the farm labor camps in their areas. The
Congress has already ordered that these
camps be sold; our efforts are directed
toward making the best possible arrange-
ment for assuring that these camps will
continue to be used as labor camps, and
not sold speculatively.
The Tariff Fight
The other activity which has required
(Continued on Page 156)
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
LENNIE L. STUCKEY, who reports on this page as
chairman of FVC for 1946-47, pioneered in the develop-
ment of the Lake Okeechobee area. He went to "the
Lake" as a boy, when catfishing was the chief occupation,
and became one of its business and agricultural leaders.
His home is at Pahokee.
INTERNATIONAL HARVESTER -
Farmall Tractors
Farm Machinery
Power Units
Crawler Tractors
Motor Trucks
MESSINGER DUSTERS
HARDIE SPRAYERS
GRAMM TRAILERS
Affiliates -
Howe E. Moredock Company
Of Homestead
HOMESTEAD, FLORIDA
Pompano Truck & Tractor Co.
POMPANO, FLORIDA
"Motor Truck and Farm Machinery Headquarters"
47 Medala
For 1947-48 From Your Chairman-
I accepted the chairmanship of the
Florida Vegetable Committee for this
year with full knowledge of the responsi-
bility that goes with it. This organiza-
tion was formed to assist the vegetable
growers of Florida to cooperate in deal-
ing with the many regulations that na-
turally resulted from war conditions. I
am sure that many felt the organization
would cease to exist at the close of the
war, but we are now faced with problems
even greater than during the war years.
This year we must "sell" the growers
and shippers on the need for closer co-
operation in the solution of our prob-
lems.
In this I ask the aid and assistance
not only of the board of directors, but
of the membership as well. This is your
organization-it's your trade association
-and it is to your interest to see that
every grower and shipper is made aware
of the necessity for our working together,
unselfishly and untiringly, so that we
may all keep up with the times in re-
ducing costs, improving yield and quality,
adapting our products and packaging to
consumer demands, and widening the
market for Florida vegetables.
The Congress passed in 1946 what is
known as the Hope Flannagan Act,
which will be administered by the De-
partment of Agriculture under Research
and Marketing. In the past the Depart-
ment of Agriculture has greatly assisted
in increasing production, but until the
passing of this Act had done very little
to assist the growers in marketing their
products, and utilizing off-grades and
waste. There will be nine and one-half
million dollars appropriated this year
for this research, and this will increase
to nineteen million next year. Our or-
ganization, by full cooperation with state
and federal agencies, and in some cases
with private concerns, can do a great
deal toward seeing that the Florida grow-
ers get their full share of benefits from
the Hope-Flannagan Act.
It has been my experience that the in-
dividual grower and shipper can pros-
per only if the industry prospers. The
day of rugged individualism is past, and
we must all work together as a team, for
our own good. Even if you and I put
up a better grade and pack than the other
fellow, the products he ships to the termi-
nal markets will in large part determine
the price you and I will get. The big
national organizations, the terminal mar-
kets, and the public we serve look upon
us, the Florida vegetable producers and
shippers, not as individuals but as an in-
dustry-a full grown self-respecting in-
dustry-and it takes only one discredit-
able act on the part of any one of us to
reflect unfavorably upon the entire in-
dustry. And above all, remember that
we as individuals and we as an industry
are judged by our wares: What we pro-
duce, what we ship, what we sell, and the
service we thus render.
The Florida Vegetable Committee is
maintained by package assessments vol-
untarily paid by growers. These small
assessments which you pay for the privi-
lege of belonging to this worthwhile
trade association are very nominal, but
if every grower in the state paid his part
(Continued on Page 56)
Troper Tacking Troduces Trofit
BETTER VEGETABLE MACHINERY
for
GREEN BEANS
CUCUMBERS
PEPPERS
SWEET POTATOES
IRISH POTATOES
LEAFY VEGETABLES
REPACK TOMATOES
RUTABAGAS
PORTABLE & STATIONARY CONVEYORS
TPhone, 'Wire or 'Write
9or Complete Information
AMERICAN MACHINERY CORPORATION
ORLANDO, FLORIDA
Sao! /
The Man Who Makes Most of Your Decisions
I wish that every member of the Flor-
ida Vegetable Committee could have gone
along on one or more of the trips that
have been made to Washington by mem-
bers of the board of directors and others.
In no other way would it be possible for
the average person to grasp the full signi-
ficance of the problems that now face the
fresh vegetable industry-and the ex-
cellent manner in which FVC committees
have tackled these problems and brought
them closer to solution.
Growers have sometimes asked: "Why
can't we solve our problems at home,
without running to Washington every
time a new one pops up?" The answer
to this question can be boiled down to
two statements:
First, many of our present problems
have been brought upon us by the Con-
gress or the agencies of governments, in
response to political or economic pressure
-lower tariffs price supports price
controls-allocation of materials labor
supply and wages-transportation facili-
ties and rates-just to cite a few. In
most instances the Florida farmer did
not ask the government to enter these
fields-but it has done so-and Uncle
Sam up in Washington has a lot to do
with whether or not a Florida vegetable
grower can prosper.
Government Interference
Second, the "interference" of Govern-
ment is going to continue in future years,
no matter what political party may be
in power. Don't let anyone tell you that
Uncle Sam is going to get out of your
business-for he isn't. The State De-
partment, for example, has some firm
ideas about reducing tariffs and the
Congress is not going to oppose them
too strongly, because there are more
farmers who want to export their prod-
ucts than there are who have competition
from imports.
Price supports-while somewhat cur-
tailed by this Congress-will be continued
on many basic products, and this can
have an important bearing on our prod-
ucts, even if they have no supports.
Price ceilings are gone, it is true, but
we may find our prices held down by
governmental policy, for the Secretary
of Agriculture is advancing an "economy
of abundance", which may encourage
such large production that our prices
can never rise to profit levels.
The Congress can decide whether or
not we get our farm labor through a
well-planned routing system in the De-
partment of Agriculture, or must accept
what is left after the employment services
have sent the best workers to industry.
The Interstate Commerce Commission
can decide what our freight rates will
be, and has a lot to say about the type
of service we will get from rail, boat and
trucks.
These are just a few of the fields in
which Government is making decisions
of vital importance to you.
More Taxes, Less Funds
There are other ways in which Uncle
Sam's actions affect your business. Con-
gressional action can result in higher
taxes, or in smaller appropriations to the
agricultural agencies which furnish us
with information on better varieties, im-
(Continued on Page 158)
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
THIS is the Manager's Report. We hope it will help
growers and shippers to better understand the "why" of
some of our most serious problems.
V"le
t Sometimes she brings rain?
S But the smart modern farmer
would rather depend upon ...
With symbolic umbrella r
in hand and gaze fixed
upon the sky this paid "
rainmaker was a well
known sight on many
farms on Florida's West
Coast in the late 1930's.
Petticoat rainmakers have no place in modern truck farming and grove
management. With overhead irrigation, artificially created rain is distributed
over required distances, whenever needed, in a gentle shower that promotes
larger crop yields and gives adequate protection from drought.
Installation of this accepted form of moisture control is extremely simple and
layouts planned to fit individual requirements are obtainable from our en-
gineering staff. Whatever your needs, from complete overhead or under-
ground irrigation systems to a single garden sprinkler, you will find our stock
most complete. Write or phone Y. 1654.
DAVE GORDON & CO.
P. O. Box 5116 Tampa 5, Florida
PIPE PUMPS ENGINES SPRINKLERS VALVES FITTINGS HOSE
SaA0 Commt1946-4ee7
1946-47
DIXON PEARCE, Chairman Miami
H. S. CHESHIRE - - Pompano
E. C. EDGE - - - Dania
JESS ELLIOTT - - Pahokee
HARRISON RAOUL - Belle Glade
C. G. TILDEN - Winter Garden
Labor offers the most serious threat to
the continued existence of the Florida
vegetable industry-and the greatest op-
portunity for improvement. From 50%
to 75 % of the cost of production is labor.
Well aware of these facts, your Labor
Committee has worked during the year
toward the development of a labor pro-
gram for the Florida vegetable industry
that can assure us an adequate supply
of farm workers when we need them,
and a more efficient use of the workers
we get.
The Problem
Before the war, field workers in vege-
table areas were paid from $1.75 to $2.00
per day; we had better workers than
today, and they worked longer hours.
Today's wage levels run from $4.00 to
$6.00 per day-for shorter hours and less
work per hour. The increase in piece
rates is even greater.
Before the war, thousands of field and
packing house workers migrated to Flor-
ida annually before the harvest season
opened, and there was little difficulty in
finding experienced field hands, except
during the peak of harvest seasons.
Migration Stream Diverted
Today the migration pattern has been
broken up-many workers went to the
army or war work and have not returned.
Our acreage has increased, and along
M. D. McLEAN - - Palmetto
CHAS. DEMPSEY - Sarasota
GEO. W. LEONARD - Hastings
JOHN BRUMLEY - - Sanford
FRANK JOHNSON - Hawthorne
R. L. RAGSDALE - - Oviedo
with it our need for workers; the same
is true of citrus and sugar cane. We
have mechanized many of our production
operations, but still must have large
numbers of workers at harvest time.
Had it not been for the domestic work-
ers routed to Florida by the extension
service, and the foreign workers who
were quickly moved to areas of greatest
need in emergencies, a rather large per-
centage of our crops would not have been
harvested during the war years. This
service is rendered by the U. S Depart-
ment of Agriculture and the state ex-
tension services, under the Emergency
Farm Labor Supply Act, renewed each
year by the Congress only after a lot
of hard work on the part of FVC and
other agricultural organizations. It is
now scheduled for final termination on
December 31, 1947, after which the re-
cruiting and routing of farm workers
will be handled by the state employment
services unless the Congress passes a
bill now being sponsored by the farm
organizations of the nation (H.R. 3367
and S. 1334, Eightieth Congress).
Without this proposed service there is
grave doubt that we will have sufficient
workers when we need them. With no
agency to tell them where to go and
when, the workers may either stop
coming to Florida, or may go to the
wrong places at the wrong time. They
have become accustomed to using this
(Continued on Page 152)
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VAH Tractor Will Give Performance That Florida
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539 W. CENTRAL ORLANDO
1946-47
L. L. CHANDLER, Chairman Goulds
C. J. PARMAN - - Homestead
R. Y. CREECH - - Belle Glade
MRS. RUTH WEDGWORTH, Belle Glade
T. M. BIGGAR - - Fort Myers
DIXON PEARCE - - Miami
LAMAR PAXSON - South Miami
Foreign competition is probably the
most serious problem facing the Florida
producer of tomatoes, lima beans, cu-
cumbers, eggplant, peppers, avocados and
limes and-sooner or later-practically
every other fruit and vegetable crop,
for Mexico and Cuba have naturally rich
soils and the means to produce almost all
of them more cheaply than is possible in
Florida.
We have learned, through surveys in
those nations, that they are developing
irrigation projects on hundreds of thou-
sands of acres of virgin land which could
be used for growing vegetables, and the
President of Mexico has declared that
his nation will make a determined ef-
fort to get trade-dollars by producing
more vegetables for sale in this country.
We have learned that their production
costs, even with inefficient methods, are
far lower than ours, and that when they
get labor-saving equipment and better
transportation they can give us a real
run for our money.
The national p o 1 i c y during recent
years has been lowering tariffs. The
rates set up in the Tariff Act of 1930-
which did not fully equalize costs-have
been cut more than half, and the presi-
dent has authority to make another fifty
percent cut. Our problem is further ag-
gravated by the fact that most agricul-
tural producers of the nation want to
export, and therefore want low tariff
walls, and only a few-like ourselves-
are feeling the effect of direct competition
LOUIS FISHER - - Pompano
NATHAN MAYO - Tallahassee
M. D. McLEAN - - Palmetto
J. P. HARLLEE, JR. - Palmetto
GEN. JOSEPH HUTCHISON Sanford
JOHN S. PETERS - Vero Beach
with the low cost of production in nations
utilizing peon-labor.
It is true there have been indications
that the Congress might turn away from
the policies set out by Cordell Hull, but
the national advantages of low tariffs
are too great, politically and economical-
ly, for that body to approve enactment
of protective tariffs such as existed in
the 1920's. Therefore, the Florida vege-
table industry has to fight its battles
strictly on the merits of its own case,
with little or no help from the national
farm organizations, which have strongly
endorsed the principles of reciprocity.
Your Foreign Competition Committee
first sought the help of the Department
of Agricultural Economics of the Uni-
versity of Florida and-with funds we
aided them in securing from the Legis-
lature-they have assigned an economist
to work on vegetable production cost
data which has been of inestimable value
to us in presenting our cause in Washing-
ton.
After months of preparation, a brief
was filed with the Committee for Re-
ciprocity Information in Washington last
January in which we set forth the princi-
ple that Florida vegetable and fruit pro-
ducers should not be forced to compete
directly with expatriate American capi-
tal, American equipment and American
"know-how", which uses poorly paid
Mexican and Cuban workers to produce
vegetables in those foreign countries, to
(Continued on Page 74)
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You will find that these newer developments
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you to raise more profitable crops:
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Ask your ORTHO fieldman about them.
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FLORIDA DISTRICT OFFICE MULBERRY, FLORIDA
FLORIDA PLANTS: JACKSONVILLE MULBERRY PENSACOLA
1946-47
MRS. RUTH WEDGWORTH, Chairman
Originally created at the suggestion
of Harold Mowry, Director of Florida
Agricultural Experiment Stations, and
known as the "experiment station ad-
visory committee", this committee is just
coming into its own. Its purpose is to
act as a coordinating agency, rather than
to concern itself with all research. The
amount of analysis and experimentation
required in all phases of vegetable pro-
duction today is too great for one com-
mittee to intelligently digest and apply
to the industry's needs.
The basic objective of this committee
is to work closely with the research
workers in the various state and federal
agencies, and to lend them the support
and assistance of the industry. We have
observed that in many states there is no
close working relationship between the
farmer and the research agencies pro-
vided by the state, with the result that
oftentimes the researchers are working
one problem, while the grower is being
seriously affected by another.
We hope and expect to avoid this situa-
tion in Florida, by maintaining our pres-
ent friendly relations with the research
and extension agencies, and further
cementing this friendship through mutual
aid. It is unfortunate that many grow-
ers do not realize there is often a wide
difference between the objectives and re-
sults of research conducted by the public
institutions, and the actual problems and
needs of the producer. This is not
strange, when we consider the facts. The
experience of the research worker-be
he pathologist, entomologist, horticultur-
ist, agronomist or chemist-may indicate
that his work should follow certain lines,
whereas the actual experience of the
farmer in the field may show that the
emphasis should be on other phases. This
is not a criticism of either the farmer or
the researcher, but it is a definite reason
why there must be a closer working re-
lationship between them than has ever
before existed.
FVC's program is to provide, through
its Research Committee, the opportunity
for research workers who are assigned to
a commodity or task to take advantage
of the experience and knowledge of
those in the industry who have been most
successful in specific fields. This will
not only be of material assistance to the
researcher in conducting his experiments
and studies, resulting in earlier answers
to problems, but it will also give both the
researcher and the grower a better un-
derstanding of what the other fellow is
facing.
The Florida Legislature increased the
appropriations for agricultural research
in 1945, and again in 1947, and added
new phases to the work, including studies
of processing methods and by-products
suitable to Florida conditions and com-
modities. FVC actively sponsored these
appropriations, and we expect to take
advantage of this opportunity to learn
more about our many problems.
Research is the key to future success
in the Florida vegetable industry. With-
out it, we cannot reduce our costs and at
the same time put out a better product,
better prepared for the consumer, and
which can be sold at a price that will
stimulate consumption.
PENINSULAR
FERTILIZERS
Formulated to Grow Quality Crops of
Vegetables and Citrus
Ask Our Customers
We are prepared to formulate fertilizers
to suit your particular needs and
are equipped to make prompt
shipments. Direct deliv-
eries to farm or grove
by our own trucks
PENINSULAR FERTILIZER WORKS, INC.
P. 0. Box 1273
TAMPA 1, FLORIDA
Factory and Office: Hillsboro Ave. and 54th Street, Tampa, Fla.
T4a41ao^ Qoaie1946-47e
1946-47
E. W. LINS, Chairman - -
R. B. TRUEMAN - - -
E. H. BORCHARDT - - -
CHAS. DEMPSEY - - -
J. E. WATHEN - - -
C.R.BULL - - - -
LUCIEN F. THOMAS - - -
Your Transportation committee has
had a rather busy year, and the pros-
pects are that during 1947-48 we must
continue to fight a series of efforts on
the part of the railroads to discontinue
some of the present services, and to in-
crease the rates on fresh vegetables. In-
asmuch as these proposed increases would
impose a burden of from one to three
million dollars per year on the Florida
vegetable industry if approved by the
Interstate Commerce Commission, it be-
hooves us to fight vigorously against
these proposals, and to back up our traf-
fic representatives-the Growers & Ship-
pers League-with sufficient evidence and
witnesses to win. The railroads have had
cost increases, just as we have, and they
will put up a formidable argument for
higher rates, in view of the fact that
some of the northern railroads are show-
ing operating losses for the first time in
many years.
Several such efforts occurred during
the past year. On July 1, 1946, the ICC
permitted a general rate increase of 3%
to become effective. In December, 1946,
the water lines petitioned ICC to not ex-
tend the water-competitive rail rates to
Atlantic Coast ports. The ICC denied the
railroads this right, but the carriers im-
mediately reissued the same rates. The
water lines are now asking an increase
in their own rates, pointing out that they
suffered severe losses this year, due to
increases in operating costs. At least one
line has threatened to withdraw if it does
not get higher rates.
For ten years a series of higher rates
for vegetables have been suspended each
- - - - Fort Pierce
- - - - Jacksonville
- - - - Belle Glade
- - - - - Sarasota
- - - - Fort Pierce
- - - - - Princeton
- - - - Fort Myers
year upon request of the Growers & Ship-
pers League, but this year the northern
railroads refused to allow suspension
beyond March 31, 1947. The League
filed for suspension of the proposed in-
crease, and hearings were set for June 5,
later postponed to July 10, at which time
FVC and the League presented testimony
before the ICC examiner in Jacksonville,
pointing out that the proposed increases
would narrow the markets to which our
products could be shipped during periods
of low prices-many of which are antici-
pated in the future. It is understood
that the carriers were to offer a com-
promise proposal on that date, asking for
a 7 cent increase per cwt. on Florida
vegetables, with the proviso that this
increase would be absorbed by a general
increase in all rates which the railroads
are preparing to request. The present
rate on snap beans from Belle Glade to
Boston (for example) is $1.52 as com-
pared with $1.39 before the June 30, 1946,
increase of 3%. The rate proposed in
the pending case was $1.76-and in the
alleged compromise $1.69 to all points in
official territory except New York, which
would be $1.72. FVC and the League
are going to continue the fight against
either proposal.
An important victory during the year
was the defeat of the proposal of the
railroads to discontinue icing of spring
potatoes from Florida. The ICC granted
the League's request that the railroads be
compelled to continue present icing prac-
tices. This means also that any similar
efforts to halt icing or other protective
(Continued on Page 101)
qqV1
West Coast
FERTILIZER
Company /
MANUFACTURERS OF
HIGH GRADE FERTILIZERS
Tampa, Florida
34th St. and 5th Ave.
P. 0. Box 1094
Vat" Caoe~da
Comedilee
1946-47
R. Y. CREECH, Chairman
Water was often the bane of existence
for the early settlers in Florida. With
rainfall averaging from 50 to 60 inches
yearly in the areas now producing vege-
tables, most of these lands were over-
flowed for considerable periods of the
year. Consequently, the pioneers believed
that drainage was the solution to their
water problem. Hundreds of miles of
canal were dug to run the rain water into
the ocean or gulf; thousands of miles of
ditches were dug to remove the water
from the growing crops as quickly as
possible.
Several years ago it began to dawn on
many that we were draining away our
lifeblood, and that continued over-drain-
age could result in serious infiltration of
salt water, particularly in peninsular
Florida. Because southern Florida was
under the ocean for millions of years,
geologists say that salt is stored in the
porous rock below the state's surface soils,
and that when the pressure of fresh water
from above is removed by excessive run-
off, this salt water forces its way upward
into the wells and other sources of supply.
Public hearings were held in the state
during early 1945, and legislation pre-
pared for presentation to the Legislature
which called for creation of a central
state agency to control the water supply
of the state. This proposal was strongly
resisted by various groups, and failed of
enactment. Prior to the 1947 session of
the Legislature, a statewide committee
was formed, of which R. Y. "Bob" Creech
was the FVC representative, and this
committee drafted what was admittedly a
compromise program.
This program, calling for appropria-
tion of $150,000 with which to study the
water conservation problem during the
next two years, was presented to the
ComMttee
1946-47
PERRY N. WHITEHURST, Chairman
The work of the Container committee
has been limited to two specific activities
during the year, but both were important
to the industry.
The drive in Washington to provide
materials for the so-called "G. I. Build-
ing Program", which reached a climax
last summer and fall, threatened the Flor-
ida vegetable industry with a drastic
shortage of containers which might easily
have resulted in millions of bushels of
produce rotting in the field. The situa-
tion was "nip and tuck" for several
months, with Florida container manu-
facturers joining in the battle for nails,
wire and lumber with which to manufac-
ture their products. Great credit is due
to R. A. "Gus" Palen, head of the con-
tainer division of USDA, who fought an
up-hill battle with Congressmen and gov-
ernment officials to get released from
housing allocation sufficient steel and
lumber to provide the nation's food ship-
ping needs.
Even this might not have resulted in
an adequate quantity of crates and bas-
kets for the 1946-47 season, but the de-
crease in shipments during the year
largely offset the anticipated shortages.
(Continued on Page 114)
Legislature and approved. The state-
wide committee is now endeavoring to
secure early action on starting the neces-
sary surveys. Most of the surface and
ground work has been completed in the
areas around and south of Lake Okee-
chobee, and the public is aware of the
seriousness of the situation. The purpose
of the studies will be to gain informa-
tion necessary to development of a sound
water conservation program, and also to
provide the data to convince Florida's
citizens of the vital need for such a pro-
gram.
49ve
eo~an&4W
Tears
of
Service
To Florida Farmers and Growers
Wilson & Toomer
Fertilizer Company
JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA
For Effective Control of Insects and Diseases
in grove, garden or field, use the well known, tried and proven
line of FASCO and IDEAL spraying and dusting materials.
We Manufacture and Distribute various Products, Including:
Oil Emulsions
Copper-Sulphur Dusts
Nicotine Dusts
Bordeaux Mixture
Aluminum Sulphate
Zinc Sulphate
Copper-Lime Dusts
DDT Mixtures
Poison Baits
Arsenate of Lead
Iron and Manganese Sulphates
Hydrated Lime, etc.
Our products are obtainable through any Branch Warehouse or representative
of Wilson & Toomer Fertilizer Company, or from us direct.
Florida Agricultural Supply Co.
53
Home Office, Orlando
Factory, Jacksonville
1947 ileyiw1do#. _biectlif, 4j^edi#
he/ qloId*a & Ve~z&atUd 9Sw4u4
The 1947 Florida Legislature enacted
several laws which have bearing on the
future of the Florida vegetable industry:
The appropriations requested by the
Florida Agricultural Council-of which
FVC is an active member-for the state
agricultural agencies were approved in
full by the Legislature. Total annual
allotments were increased from two and
one-quarter million to three million dol-
lars for the next biennium. Chief prob-
lem now is whether or not enough Gener-
al Revenue funds will be available to
meet the needs, in view of the Legisla-
ture's refusal to enact new tax laws.
The increases were largely (1) to pay
research and other workers salaries com-
parable to what they could get in other
states, or from private industry; (2) to
finance new activities, such as by-prod-
ucts research, marketing research, etc.,
and (3) to provide the buildings and
facilities for carrying on this work.
Funds for the "state building program"
were greatly restricted, and the future
status of proposed new buildings is not
clear.
The licensing and bonding act was
strengthened, to protect the grower.
A determined effort by opponents
of the Everglades Drainage District to
abolish that body and turn its functions
over to the county commissioners of the
eleven counties in which the District lies,
was defeated in the Senate only after a
hard fight, in which FVC directors were
the active leaders.
A Sales Promotion Act which would
have set up the machinery for creation
of grower boards which could-after ap-
proval by referendum-carry on adver-
tising and sales promotion campaigns
for the various vegetable commodities,
where desired, was approved by the FVC
board of directors, but never presented
to the Legislature, when opposition de-
veloped within the industry. While feel-
ing that the proposed Act will be vitally
needed in future years, the board did not
care to proceed in view of adverse re-
action from growers and shippers.
In the national Congress the most
important legislation pending is that pro-
viding for the establishment of a recruit-
ing and routing service agency in the
Department of Agriculture, to aid in
locating and routing farm workers when
needed. Also involved is the ownership
of the farm labor supply centers, which
the Congress has ordered sold. FVC is
now actively fighting for both the routing
program, and for grower ownership of
the cr.mps, as outlined on page 15.
FVC LABOR HOUSING
PROGRAM APPROVED
The U. S. Senate approved on July 24
and sent to the President H. R. 4254,
which provides that the Secretary of
Agriculture may dispose of labor supply
centers for such prices and on such
terms and conditions as the Secretary
may determine reasonable, after taking
into consideration the responsibilities to
be assumed by the purchaser, to any pub-
lic or semi-public agency or any non-
profit association of farmers in the com-
munity who will agree to operate and
maintain such facilities for the princi-
pal purpose of housing persons engaged
in agricultural work, and to relieve the
Government of all responsibility in con-
nection therewith. The authority to dis-
pose of such facilities is to continue un-
til June 30, 1949, but no facility shall be
continued in operation after January 30,
1948, except under contractual arrange-
ments which will relieve the Government
of financial responsibility.
eA Great New
CATERPI LLAR
REG. U. S. PAT. OFF.
CHAMPION
NEW D4
20% More Work Capacity
Low Effort Steering
Bigger, Longer-Life Engine
"Caterpillar" announces two new Diesel tractors-a new Diesel D4 and a
new Diesel D6-at an opportune time to help reverse the upward trend of
crop production costs!
Even yesterday's early D4s and D6s have established records for long
life, economy and performance that stand unchallenged. And year by year,
"Caterpillar's" perennial policy of constant product improvement has paid
big, extra dividends to users.
Both the new D4 and D6 are 20% "more Tractor"! They'll pull the loads
of the former models a speed faster-or will pull bigger tools or wider hitches!
The 20 % gain in work-capacity of the new D4 and D6 will multiply,
several times over, the dollar advantages of their Diesel fuel thrift over spark-
ignition tractor power.
CATERPI LLAR DIESEL
REG. U. S. PAT nFF.
oAnother New
CATERPILLAR
REG. U. S. PAT. OFF.
CHAMPION
NEW D6
18% More Work Capacity
Bigger, Longer-Life Engine
Higher Average Working Speeds
SEE YOUR "CATERPILLAR" DISTRIBUTOR
CLEWIS TON MOTOR
CO.
CLEWISTON
SHELLEY TRACTOR & EQUIPMENT CO.
MIAMI AND TAMPA
gIBBS CORPORATION
EQUIPMENT DIVISION
MAITLAND JACKSONVILLE TALLAHASSEE
A Time Proven Formula for
Better Yields and
Better Quality Vegetables
Prevent Blight and Other
Fungus Diseases with
C-O-C-S SPRAY or
C-O-C-S DUSTS
Timely and thorough applications
Assured with a Niagara Duster
(a
liagara Sprayer & Chemical Division
Food Machinery Corporation
MIDDLEPORT, N. Y.
Jacksonville, Fla. Pompano, Fla. New Orleans, La.
Richmond, Cal. Greenville, Miss. Harlingen, Tex.
Canadian Associate:
NIAGARA BRAND SPRAY CO., Ltd.
BURLINGTON, ONT.
NACO
Fertilizers
NACO fertilizers are very
well known. The service
which NACO men render
is something that our cus-
tomers are quite proud
of.
NACO Fertilizer Company
at Fort Pierce, Florida,
handles the State distribu-
tion of Root Dusters -
both power and crank
models.
NACO Fertilizer Co.
Jacksonville, Fla.
9t c4-ie44 P4oqam
f4 /947-48:
(1) Seek to reduce the spread between
the price paid to the producer and
the price paid by the consumer, by
investigating the causes of this
wide spread, and soliciting the co-
operation of carriers, distributors
and retailers in handling more
Florida vegetables at better prices
to the grower and lower cost to the
consumer;
(2) Continue to encourage research in
all fields, to increase efficiency of
production, reduce costs, combat
pests and diseases, develop better
varieties, i m p r o v e methods of
handling, packaging and transport-
ing, reduce spoilage;
(3) Find new diversionary uses for
Florida vegetables, so that waste
parts and surplus can be converted
into profitable by-products, to en-
sure better markets for fresh pro-
ducts ;
(4) Broaden the laboratory studies and
field tests in consumer packaging
at shipping point;
(5) Develop an integrated program for
recruiting, routing and housing
farm labor, both state and national;
(6) Initiate worthwhile marketing
analyses and study of problems of
each commodity, and stimulate the
functional activities of the respec-
tive commodity divisions so that
they may be capable of dealing with
all emergencies affecting their com-
modity;
(7) Develop and administer sales pro-
motion and advertising programs,
where needed and when desired by
the respective commodity groups;
(8) Continue public relations work for
the industry in connection with
government agencies, the press, na-
tional farm groups and trade asso-
ciations, and many others;
(9) Keep growers and shippers cur-
rently posted on all developments
through FVC's bulletins, publica-
tions, and other means of com-
munication, and to publish an An-
nual Digest containing information
essential to growers, shippers, and
allied organizations;
(10) Continue the aggressive fight for
protection of the Florida vegetable
grower from unfair competition
with vegetables produced in foreign
countries with cheap peon labor by
expatriate Americans and capital;
(11) Vigorously b at t 1 e for equitable
freight rates, so that our markets
can be broadened; and for adjust-
ment of damage claims on a basis
fair to producer and shipper;
(12) "Sell" the Florida vegetable grower
on the vital necessity for cooperat-
ing with his fellow growers, and
with those who handle our products
to the consumer, in order that all
may continue to profit as a team.
MODEL PB-3 WEED BURNER
The Woolery Line of Junior Weed Burners is used extensively, aside from
crop control, for fallow flaming, ditch and ditch bank burning, along canals,
highways, etc. You will find one among the 12 models of Woolery Weed
Burners that will meet with your requirements.
The Model PB-3 is here shown in use in Potato fields. Used to destroy
green immature vines it permits harvesting operations without waiting for
normal maturing of vines.
Vegetation which has accumulated after cultivating is no longer possible,
is completely eradicated and permits efficient digger operation. Clean
fields result in fewer potatoes being lost as they can easily be seen by pickers.
The use of the Model PB-3 is not restricted to the burning of potato vines
as it can be used wherever weed eradication is necessary.
At a speed of 5 m.p.h. the Model PB-3 consumes 18 gallons of fuel oil
per acre and burns 4 rows or a swath 15 feet wide on each trip.
References by potato growers using the Model PB-3 furnished on request.
They will give you their actual experience with the use of this machine.
WOOLERY MACHINE COMPANY
Pioneer Manufacturers of Open Flame Type Weed Burners
2923 COMO AVE. S. E. MINNEAPOLIS 14, MINN.
/945-46 atd /946-47
Compiled from final Federal-State Market
News report for each season
1945-46 Season
Rail & Boat
4,511
4,752
290
**
12,475*
105
1,531
244*
1,303
66
158
62
1,569*
9,670*
17
16*
5,290
8,082*
Truck
3,124
2,083
**
**
565
362
741
624
20
59
93
52
1,467
757
**
**
3,524
1,787
Total
7,635
6,835
290
**
13,040
467
2,272
868
1,323
125
251
114
3,036
10,427
17
16
8,814
9,869
50,141* 15,258 65,399
** 3* 3
** 14* 14
25 446 471
7,254* 1,838 9,092
** 46 46
7,279* 2,347* 9,626
57,420 17,605 75,025
Commodity
Beans, Snap and Lima...
Cabbage .............. .
Carrots .................
Cauliflower .............
Celery .................
Corn, Green .............
Cucumbers .............
Eggplant ...............
Escarole ................
Greens .................
Lettuce .................
Peas, English ...........
Peppers ................
Potatoes, White .........
Spinach ................
Sweet Potatoes ..........
Tomatoes ............. .
Mixed and Miscel. Vegs..
Total Vegetables .......
Avocados ...............
Lim es ..................
Strawberries ............
Watermelons ...........
Other Fruits ...........
Total Miscellaneous .....
Rail & Bo
3,549
2,428
55
37
8,762*
159
1,064
62*
817
50
107
14
703*
4,112*
13
29
3,176
5,477*
30,614*
**
**
98
6,696*
5
6,799*
Total All ................ 37,413
1946-47 Season
at Truck
3,435
3,003
**
**
1,022
417
895
716
145
44
90
27
1,535
701
**
**
2,462
1,749
16,241
47*
25*
616
1,478
55
2,221
18,462
* Season incomplete as of last Federal-State Market News Report, June 26.
** Not reported.
Total
6,984
5,431
55
37
9,784
576
1,959
778
962
94
197
41
2,238
4,813
13
29
5,638
7,226
46,855
47
25
714
8,174
60
9,020
55,875
.
.
.
BROWARD GRAIN
AND
SUPPLY COMPANY
HAY GRAIN FEED
Growers, Dairy and Poultry Supplies
4
Affiliates: MAIN
BELLE GLADE OFFICE:
POMPANO FORT LAUDERDALE
DANIA FLORIDA
MARTIN'S SEEDS
We Specialize in Fine Strains of
Vegetable and Field Seeds for Florida Planters
ALSO
Fertilizers Insecticides
Plants -
Garden and Farm Supplies
202 E. Bay St., Jacksonville, Fla.
1946-47
LOUIS FISHER, Chairman -
J. A. BALL, Vice-Chairman - -
H. S. CHESHIRE - - -
W. H. VANN - - - -
JOE ALLISON - - -
LANDON CARNEY -
MELVIN WILDER - - -
While the term "bean" includes a wide
variety of legumes, our interest in Florida
is primarily centered around the snap or
green bean and the lima bean, of which
we are extensive producers. The com-
mon bean is of ancient origin, and prob-
ably a native to western Asia and north-
ern Africa, and has spread around the
world. The lima, a different specie from
the others, is considered native of South
America and presumably named after
the city of Lima, Peru.
Eaten in their green stage, the succu-
lent pods of our snap beans are highly
popular in the American diet, so much
so that approximately 275,000 tons of
this commodity were commercially pro-
duced for fresh consumption in the
United States in 1946 alone. Preparable
in many forms, fresh green beans pro-
vide a fine source of vitamin A and C,
together with an ample supply of iron
and potassium. Lima beans, on the other
hand, are a valuable source of vegetable
protein, as well as iron, potassium, and
vitamins A, B1 and B2. Being easily
prepared, both snaps and limas are a
favorite of the housewife, who will often
lay aside her can-opener, in preference
for the fresh quality product.
Florida Produces 45%
Florida's commercial crop of fresh
snap beans has grown from an acreage
of about 8,000 in 1920 to better than
80,000 in 1946, from which some 8 mil-
lion bushels are currently produced.
This is about 45% of the nation's com-
- Pompano
Belle Glade
Pompano
Pahokee
Pompano
Homestead
Lake Harbor
FISHER
mercial crop of fresh green beans. That
this commodity has gained in national
popularity among our vegetable crops is
evidenced by its six-fold increase in the
country's commercial acreage and pro-
duction since 1920. See charts on page 35.
Production of lima beans, which once
was considered an integral part of the
snap bean crop, is now rapidly coming
into its own with a reported national
commercial acreage of about 17,000, of
which better than 6,000 acres are in
Florida. (Statistically, snap beans and
limas are grouped together.)
Although Florida has a spring and fall
crop of beans, it is the only domestic
commercial producer of this commodity
during the winter months. Movement
of fresh Florida beans starts as early as
October and carries on through June;
and with favorable weather a heavy and
steady flow of this commodity may be
expected from November through May.
Principal producing centers are the Pom-
pano and Everglades areas, followed by
the Central Florida and the Gainesville
areas. (See map on page 34).
Being a warm-season plant and capable
of utilizing atmospheric nitrogen, the
growing of beans is particularly suited to
Florida's climate and soils. This crop
ranks first in acreage and second only
to tomatoes in total value returned among
the state's vegetable crops. However,
it is not entirely without limitations. Be-
sides being extremely susceptible to frost
damage and too much rainfall, it is vul-
(Continued on Page 171)
SNAP & LIMA
BEANS
GROWING
AREAS
Normal Yield
Snaps-100
Limas- 85
Bu. per Acre
FLORIDA SNAP & LIMA BEAN
STATISTICS AND PROGRESS
REPORT
Acreage for Harvest 1946-47 Season
(Preliminary Estimate)
Fall .......... 20,000
Winter ....... 30,006'
Spring ....... 36,000
Total Season. 86,000*
* Lima bean acreage is about 7 percent of total.
Acreage for Harvest by Areas for Three Seasons
Representing Three Distinct Economic Periods
Lake Okeechobee ................
Pompano-Delray ...................
Alachua-Marion .................
Dade County ...................
Manatee-Ruskin-Plant City .........
Sumter-Lake-Polk ...............
W est Florida ...................
Seminole-Orange ...................
All other areas ..................
Total Florida ..................
1935-36
24,000
28,500
3,500
2,500
1,000
500
100
600
300
61,000
1940-41
32,500
25,000
6,000
3,000
1,200
1,300
500
1,000
500
71,000
1945-46
41,000
32,000
5,500
3,500
2,000
750
750
500
500
86,500
Florida Carloads of Snap & Lima Beans Shipped by Months
(Rail*-Boat-Truck)
1935-45 Average ....
1945-46 Season... .
Oct.
205
25
Nov.
1,237
1,349
Dec.
1,205
779
Jan.
1,063
946
Feb.
765
1,185
Mar.
818
1,291
Oct Nov. Dec. Jan. Feb. Mar Apr May Jun.
o; E w .. m liii A -
Apr.
1,372
1,399
May June Total
741 57 7,463
368 29 7,371
Florida I I
La. and iss. iCI
Texas ic
Oth/Aer Domesl//c
Foreig9rr ( 'w )
Above is Graphic Picture of the Percentage of Average Competition
Encountered by Florida Snap & Lima Beans
* Does not include mixed cars-see page 113.
SNAP AND LIMA ACREAGE, PRODUCTION AND VALUE
FOR TWENTY-SIX SEASONS
192C
100,000
80,000
60,000
40,000
20,000
0
50%00
30%/o
100/0
14,000
10,000
6,000
2 ,00oo
MILLIONS
*22
18
14
10
6
z
1925-26 1930-31 1935-36 1940-41
I I I I11 | I
FLORIDA SNAP & LIMA BEAN ACREAGE
FOR HARVESTf *
I I0i l I I I I
SNAP LIMA BEAN ACREAGE
FLORIDA'S'PRODUC'TON OF SNAP 'R
LIMA BEANS IN CARLOT 3
EQUIVALENTS \
I I I I I l I I I I I I I I I _
F.O.B. VALUES OF FLORIDA'S SNAP &
LIMA BEAN CROP
I- N MILLIONS OF DOLLARS /-
_ _ f
_ _ _ _/
194!
-21
194041 194-5-46
5-46
100,000
80,000
60,000
40,000
20,000
0
50%1o
30%
101/0
14,000
10,000
6,000
2,000
MILLIONS
422
18
14
10
6
2a
1920-21
1925-26
1935-36
1930-31
Turner Supply
("DAVE" TURNER)
SEED- FEED- FERTILIZER
INSECTICIDES HAMPERS
BASKETS and LAWN SUPPLIES
iM 1UE.^
POMPANO
Phone 4301
FT. LAUDERDALE
Phone 70
Co.
We offer the "best" in every line--
Seeds
Insecticides
Fertilizers
Implements
Growers & Packers Supplies
Golf Course iSupplies & Equipment
HECTOR SUPPLY COMPANY
Main Offices: Miami, Fla.
B ra nc hes:
WEST PALM BEACH BELLEGLADE HOMESTEAD, FLA.
qVel ealtbaqe MAUZOiOf
1946-47
R. Y. CREECH, Chairman - Belle Glade
B. C. PEARCE, Vice-Chairman - Palatka
HARRY CLEGG - - - Bunnell
HENRY WITTE, JR. - - - Sanford
LOUIS FRIEND -
P. H. BRITT - -
D. P. BARNUM -
Known to have been used as food by
man for more than 3,000 years, cabbage
is a descendant of the wild non-heading
sea-cabbage that grows on the rocky Eu-
ropean coasts. The heads have been
produced through cultivation ancient
Romans being credited with this devel-
opment. A delicacy among the Greeks
and worshipped by the Egyptians, cab-
bage became a part of European gardens
as early as the ninth century and was
introduced into the United States by the
colonists. This well-liked vegetable is
undoubtedly here to stay.
Cabbage is a nutritional but non-fat-
tening source of food. Its many and
varied uses make it an excellent source
of vitamin C, and it supplies calcium,
phosphorus, iron, potassium and some vi-
tamin A and B to our diet. Although a
regular best-seller in food markets, its
volume of consumption is often dependent
on the availability and price of allied
foods, such as ham, corned beef, boiling
beef, bacon, potatoes, carrots, tomatoes,
nuts, salad dressings and others.
Florida Produces 7%
Grown in nearly every state, commer-
cial production of cabbage for fresh mar-
ket has increased from about % of a
million tons in 1918 to nearly 11/. million
tons in 1946. There are now approxi-
mately 185,000 acres of this commodity
under commercial cultivation in our coun-
try, of which about 7% is Florida grown.
However, Florida produces nearly one-
third of the winter cabbage grown in
the United States; California, Arizona,
- - - Pahokee
- Winter Garden
- - Hastings
CREECH
and Texas being the only other states
which also enjoy the privilege of growing
this crop when the balance of the nation
is under a blanket of snow.
Cabbage is a "side crop" for most
Florida producers. In the Hastings area,
the cabbage is planted ahead of potatoes,
and harvested while the potatoes are ma-
turing. In the Everglades, and other
districts, cabbage "fits in" with the in-
dividual farmer's crop rotation program.
Being of hardy nature, the bulk of
Florida's crop is set to the field by the
middle of December. Grown commer-
cially in more than half the counties of
this state, principal producing areas are
Hastings, the Everglades, Sanford-Win-
ter Garden-Zellwood, Gainesville, Mana-
tee-Ruskin, Central Florida and lower
East Coast. Peak movements generally
take place during February and March,
with moderate shipments in December
January and April. Among Florida's
vegetables, cabbage ranks sixth, both in
acreage and total value.
Diseases and Pests
Like its leafy brothers, it is subject
to attack from a horde of diseases and
pests. Among the diseases, clubroot,
rootknot, yellows, blackleg and black rot
are the most serious. Worst losses come
from the ravages of insects such as cab-
bage maggots, a large variety of cabbage
worms, caterpillars, aphids, harlequin
bugs and others. Many adequate controls
for these have been developed through
years of scientific research, but the suc-
(Continued on Page 163)
CABBAGE
GROWING
AREAS
Normal Yield
7 Tons
Per Acre
FLORIDA CABBAGE STATISTICS
AND PROGRESS REPORT
Acreage for Harvest 1946-47 Season
(Preliminary Estimate)
y Winter 14,000
Acreage for Harvest by Areas for Three Seasons
Representing Three Distinct Economic Periods
H astings .......................
Lake Okeechobee . ...............
Seminole-Orange ................
Alachua-Marion ............... .
MNanatee-Ruskin ............... .
Sumter-Lake-Polk ...............
Lower East Coast ............... ...
All other areas ............... . .
Total Florida ...............
1935-36
1,300
3,100
850
1,100
500
1,200
300
650
9,000
Florida Carloads of Cabbage Shipped
(Rail*-Boat-Truck)
1935-45 Average ........
1945-46 Season .........
Dec. Jan.
100%
50%
Dec.
195
430
Feb.
Jan.
775
1,559
Mar.
Feb.
1,125
1,459
Apr.
I-1-
Mar.
1,720
2,164
May
Apr.
1,180
1,177
F/orida
Texas
Cali/ornia
Hiss. La. A/a. Ga.
flored
Olher Sta/es
Above is Graphic Picture of the Percentage of Average Competition
Encountered by Florida Cabbage
* Does not include mixed cars-see page 113.
1940-41
3,150
3,200
1,300
200
600
1,050
300
200
10,000
1945-46
4,700
3,700
1,700
1,000
900
400
440
360
13,200
by Months
May
140
57
Total
5,135
6,846
EZZZJ
LZZZJ
CABBAGE ACREAGE, PRODUCTION AND VALUE
FOR TWENTY-SIX SEASONS
0-21
1925-26
I1 q 0-31
19 35-6
1 940-41
192
22,000
18,000
14,000
10.000
6.000
2,000
10%
5%
0%
14,000
10,000
6.000
2,000
MILLIONS
f6
4
2
0
194-5-46
FLORI/DA CABBAGE ACREAGE ---
-- FO HARVEST -
FLOR2DA'S PERCENTA-E OF U S. _- l -
SfSH CABBAGE ACREAGE \
I I I I I I I I I I IT
FLORIDA' PRODUCTION OF CABBAGE
VIN CAR LOT EQU/VALENTJ
FO.B. VALUE OF FLORIDA'S CABBAGE - -
CROP IN MILLIONS OF DOLLARS
7\192933 1764 I
22,000
18.000
14,000
10,000
6,000
2.000
5%
0%/.
14,000
10.000
6,000
2,000
MILLIONS
16
4
2
0
,v
1945-46
1920-21
1925-26
1930-31
1955-36
1940-41
EVERGLADES
FERTILIZER
COMPANY
-*-
HIGH QUALITY
FERTILIZERS
-0-
FORT LAUDERDALE,
FLORIDA
Phone
Y-1616
1402 34th STREET
TAMPA, FLORIDA
P 0 Bex
3: Tampa
IS THE NEW
WAY TO SPELL
"QUALITY"
Lyons has devoted years to building
up standards of quality that are
unexcelled in the Florida Fertilizer
Industry.
Through the use of this fertilizer
and our trained field and technical
service, you, too, will be able to
market those quality "Lyonized"
crops that "top-the-market".
Lyons Fertilizer Co.
PREFERRED
by 'Vegetable Growers
WOOD'S Tested SEEDS have been
first choice with Southern farmers for
nearly 70 years. Commercial growers
and gardeners alike, have found
WOOD'S SEEDS top in performance.
If your supplier does not have these
fine seeds, write for FREE catalog.
We ship garden seeds by prepaid mail
or express to any Post Office in the
U. S.
A full line of fine vegetables:
GARDEN PEAS, GARDEN SWEET CORN,
TOMATOES, CUCURBITS, CANTELOUPES,
CABBAGE, CAULIFLOWER, ARTICHOKES,
LETTUCE, BROCCOLI, BRUSSELS
SPROUTS.
T. W. WOOD & SONS
RICHMOND, VIRGINIA
Seedsmen Since 1879
1946-47
7bWid4a
PERRY N. WHITEHURST, Chairman Sanford
R. L. GARRISON, Vice-Chairman - Sarasota
H. C. HETZEL - - - - Sanford
R. A. COBB - - - - Sanford
A. DUDA, JR. - - - - Oviedo
L. T. THOMPSON - - - Sarasota
W. W. STOCKBRIDGE - - Sarasota
MRS. RUTH WEDGWORTH - Belle Glade
S HARRISON RAOUL -
ED BARNES - -
From a pithy green plant that grew
profusely on marshy land in many coun-
tries-used by the Romans as a medicine,
by the Greeks as an athletic award, and
by the Abyssinians as a sure cure for
headache-celery has risen in value and
in popularity to second in importance
among our salad crops, being exceeded
only by lettuce. It is now a common
article in the diet of the average Ameri-
can family, whereas until comparatively
recent times it had been considered a
luxury.
Nutritionally, its succulent stalks may
nearly always be obtained, even when
other fresh vegetables are scarce, and
its crunchy texture and palatability often
give variety to an otherwise "soft" and
concentrated menu. In cooked form it
adds much in the way of flavor to soups,
sauces, stews, dressings, and a variety
of other foods. While not as rich in
vitamins and caloric nutrients as some
of the other vegetables we consume in
our daily diet, it contributes much to our
gastronomic satisfaction.
In 1920, celery was grown as a com-
mercial crop in only eight states, totaling
15,670 acres. Today it is grown in thir-
teen, with the national acreage for this
crop approaching 50,000. Figures for
the 1946 season place California first with
approximately 32% of the total produc-
tion, Florida second with 28%, Michigan
third with 15%, New York fourth with
10%. The other important states which
account for the balance of the crop are
Arizona, New Jersey, Ohio, Indiana, Ore-
- - Belle Glade
- - Pahokee
P. N. WHITEHURST
gon, Pennsylvania, Colorado, Utah, and
Washington.
Florida's seasons may be properly di-
vided into winter and spring, with the
winter harvest running from December
to April, and the spring harvest from
April to June. The peak of the winter
movement generally takes place during
February and March, and the spring
movement reaches its peak in May.
Among Florida vegetable crops, celery
ranks fifth in acreage and third in total
value returned. It is grown principally
around Sanford, Oviedo, Zellwood, Lake
Okeechobee, and Sarasota, with a little
up-state in Alachua and Marion counties.
About three-fourths of the crop is grown
on muckland, and the rest on sandy loam.
Both Golden and Pascal type celery are
grown, with the former comprising the
greater part of the winter crop, and plant-
ings for spring harvest running more
heavily to Pascal.
Diseases and Pests
Celery thrives best when the growing
season is relatively cool and is accom-
panied by well distributed moderate rain-
falls. It is quick to suffer from hot, ex-
tended dry weather, and irrigation is
almost mandatory. Like other vegetable
crops, celery suffers from numerous dis-
ease attacks, among which blight, mosaic,
pink rot, black-heart and root knot are
the principal ones with which we have
to contend. Experimental results indi-
cate that effective control of early blight
(Continued on Page 179)
qVC
FLORIDA CELERY STATISTICS
AND PROGRESS REPORT
1 Acreage for Harvest 1946-47 Season
(Preliminary Estimate)
CELERY Winter Acreage....... 7,500
GROWING ,
AREAS Spring Acreage....... 4,500
0 Total Season ....... 12,000
Normal Yield
500 Crates
Per Acre
Acreage for Harvest by Areas for Three Seasons
Representing Three Distinct Economic Periods
1935-36 1940-41 1945-46
Seminole-Orange ................ 4,250 4,500 6,425
Lake Okeechobee ................ 2,000 5,175
Sarasota-Manatee ................ 1,850 1,750 1,400
Alachua-Marion ................. 250 400 355
All other areas ............. ..... 150 50 35
Total Florida .................. 6,500 8,700 13,450
Florida Carloads of Celery Shipped by Months
(Rail-Boat-Truck)
Dec. Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May June Total
1935-45 Average ...... 200 1,180 1,710 2,300 2,240 1,580 180 9,390
1945-46 Season ....... 476 2,433 2,241 2,938 2,435 2,232 300 13,055
Dec. Jan. Feb. Mar Apr May Jun.
Ca/ifornia
50o -
Arizona
O/o 1 St'ored 1
Above Is a Graphic Picture of the Percentage of Average Competition
Encountered by Florida Celery
42
CELERY ACREAGE, PRODUCTION AND VALUE
FOR TWENTY-SIX SEASONS
1920-21
14,000
10,000
6,000
2,000
30%
20%
10%
14,000 F
10,000
6,000
2,000
MILLIONS
$18 7
14 _
I0
10
2
1925-26
1930-31 1935-36
1940-41
1945-46
14,000
10,000
6,000
2,000
30%
S20%
S10%
14,000
10,000
6,000
L 2,000
MILLIONS
S18
S 14
10
6
-- 2
1920-21 1925-26 1930-31 1935-36 1940-41 1945-46
GROWERS -
Seeds
(Nature's Best)
Specializing In Seeds
For -
CRITICAL GROWERS
IMPORTERS
Abbott & Cobb
Office and Store
Farms:
Bustleton, Philadelphia 15, Pa.
4744-46 Frankford Avenue
Philadelphia 24, Pa.
1946-47
(With which is included Peppers, Eggplant and Squash)
PAUL B. DICKMAN, Chairman Ruskin
LUCIEN THOMAS, Vice-Chairman Ft. Myers
E. A. JONES - - - - Deerfield
A. W. FITZGERALD - - - Webster
C. G. TILDEN - - - Winter Garden
R. L. GOODWIN - - - Bradenton
G. E. BUTLER, JR. - - Deerfield Beach
C. D. BETHEA - -
G. G. OLDHAM -
FRANK STUDSTILL -
A member of the melon family, the
cucumber is a native to India, where it
has been cultivated for thousands of
years. From there it was introduced
into China, then Europe, and brought to
America by the early colonists.
As a fresh vegetable, the cucumber
is widely used in salads. It also is used
in making tasty sandwiches, and some
cooks and housewives are known to have
prepared excellent fried and baked dishes
with it. Universally well liked, this
vegetable adds much in the way of variety
and appeal to our diet.
A leader in the production of cucum-
bers for fresh market, Florida grows
nearly one-fourth of the nation's com-
mercial crop, in which eighteen states
participate. Statistics indicate that com-
mercial cucumber production enjoyed a
marked growth immediately following
World War I, reaching a period of peak
production (since unequalled) during the
pre-depression season of 1929-30. There-
after, production suffered a notable de-
cline, but is now again on the up-trend.
It is a commodity which appears to follow
the national economic cycle, a fact which
may be worth remembering.
Diseases and Pests
Particularly tender to frost and sub-
ject to attack by several serious diseases
and many destructive insects, cucumbers
are perhaps more of a gamble than many
of its companion vegetables. Worst
- - Gainesville
- - - Leesburg
- - Bowling Green DICKMAN
among the diseases which attack cucum-
bers are bacterial wilt, mosaic, anthrac-
nose, scab, downy mildew, and angular
leaf spot-all deadly to the plant if not
properly controlled. Of the bugs which
feed on cucumbers there are aphids, sev-
eral varieties of beetles, squash bug, vine
borers, worms, and even the squash lady
beetle. Nematodes have also been a se-
rious threat to cucumbers, but apparently
solution to several of these hazards is
close at hand. Satisfactory control of
nematodes can be secured by use of one
of several available nemacides. Dowfume
#10, DD, Dowfume #40, Uramon and
Chloropicrin have been tried experi-
mentally. Preliminary experiments in-
dicate that effective treatment can be
had by treating the seed row rather than
the entire field. This reduces the cost
per acre considerably, on wide-rowed
crops such as cucumbers and watermel-
ons.
Some of the organic fungicides, par-
ticularly Zerlate, have proven more ef-
fective for the control of mildew than
Bordeaux mixture or copper-lime dust,
and do not cause the poor set of fruit
that copper-lime combinations usually
cause. Another method of controlling
mildew is by use of resistant varieties.
Porto Rican #39 is the only commer-
cial variety available at the present time.
This variety is short and chunky and not
too acceptable in the spring; as a fall
(Concluded on Page 191)
CUCUMBER
GROWING
AREAS
0 *
Normal Yield
100 Bushels
Per Acre
FLORIDA CUCUMBER STATISTICS
AND PROGRESS REPORT
S Acreage for Harvest 1946-47 Season
S (Preliminary Estimate)
e Fall ........... 5,000
SWinter ........ 250
Spring ........ 7,250
Total Season.. 12,500
Acreage for Harvest by Areas for Three Seasons
Representing Three Distinct Economic Periods
Alachua-Marion ....................
Sumter-Lake-Orange ............
Manatee-Ruskin-Plant City .........
Low
Wau
Wes
Fort
All
1935-36
700
1,000
550
er East Coast ....... ....... 400
ichula ...................... 1,050
t Florida ........... ....... 400
M years ..................... 1,350
other areas .......... ....... 250
Total Florida ....... ....... 5,700
1940-41
2,500
1,800
1,500
550
1,300
200
800
150
8,800
Florida Carloads of Cucumbers Shipped by Months
(Rail*-Boat-Truck)
Oct. Nov.
1935-45 Average...... 47 142
1945-46 Season....... 115 305
Dec.
42
49
Jan.
10
22
Feb.
4
10
Mar.
54
119
Oct. Nov. Dec. Jan. feb. Mar Apr May Jon.
100% -
50% i
07 L Ed iiM m
Florida
Louisiana
Texas
Ala. and 6a.
Other DomesHic
Foreign
Above is Graphic Picture of the Percentage of Average Competition
Encountered by Florida Cucumbers
* Does not include mixed cars-see page 113.
1945-46
3,350
1,750
1,600
1,400
1,300
1,000
650
100
11,150
Apr.
391
1,037
May
598
655
June
63
1
Total
1,351
2,313
LZ~
~Iz
('CUCUMBER ACREAGE, PRODUCTION AND VALUE
FOR TWENTY-SIX SEASONS
0-21
1925-26
1930-31
1935-36
1940-41
;' y/' FLOR19A CUCUMBER ACREAGE
FOR HARVEST
-- ---- -IT| - 6 iA
____ F-LORIDA'5 PERCENTAGE OF U.S.
FRESH CUCUMBER ACREA6E
1945-
192
14.000
10,000
6,000
2,000
50%
30%
10%
3,000
2,000
1.000
0
W/ILIOAI5
6
4
2
0
F.OB. VALUE OF FLORIDA'S CUCUMBER
CROP IN MILLIONS OF DOLLARS /
A2 1 -3 15
/\oe,
+6
14,000
I0,000
6,000
2,000
50%
30%
10%
3,000
2,000
1,000
0
MILLIONS
4
2
0
194+0-41
1945-46
1925-26
1930-31
1920-21
1935-36
A Complete Line of Seeds
For Florida Growers-
Florida
Representative
Lyons H. Williams,
P. 0. Box 815,
Coral Gables
F. H. WOODRUFF & SONS, Inc.
MILFORD, CONN.
BRANCHES:
Atlanta, Ga.
Bellerose, L. I.
Toledo, Ohio
Dallas, Texas
Sacramento, Cal.
Vegetables Need Potash
Vegetables, and particularly the root
crops, are heavy feeders on potash. Many
of them use more of this essential plant
food than nitrogen and phosphoric acid
combined. Potash not only increases
yield, but improves the quality of vege-
tables and makes them stand up better
in storage and shipping. When soils
cannot make enough potash available,
sufficient should be added in the fer-
tilizer. Write us for free information
and literature.
American Potash Institute
1155 Sixteenth St., N.W. Washington 6, D. C.
Member Companies American Potash & Chemical Cor-
poration Potash Comoany of America United
States Potash Company
1946-47
(With which is included Peppers, Cucumbers and Squash)
PAUL B. DICKMAN, Chairman - Ruskin
LUCIEN THOMAS, Vice-Chairman Ft. Myers
E. A. JONES - - - - Deerfield
A. W. FITZGERALD - - - Webster
C. G. TILDEN - - - Winter Garden
R. L. GOODWIN - - - Bradenton
G. E. BUTLER, JR. - - Deerfield Beach
C. D. BETHEA - -
G. G. OLDHAM -
FRANK STUDSTILL -
A probable native of India, the egg-
plant has been in cultivation for many
centuries. K no w n by many names
throughout the world, it is eaten in very
much the same manner everywhere, and
is a favorite among the Latin people.
Although of little resemblance to each
other, the eggplant and the tomato are
closely related, both being members of
the nightshade family. Not as rich in
food value as its brother, the eggplant
has a distinct place in our diet. It may
be fried, baked or steamed, and forms
a good basis for combination foods, thus
adding bulk, variety and interest to many
of our meals.
Eggplant has been grown for local mar-
kets in many states for a number of years,
but it is only in recent years that it has
attained any degree of significance as a
commercial crop. There are today nearly
7,000 acres in the United States devoted
annually to the commercial production
of eggplant. Of these approximately
4,000 acres are in Florida, representing
about 60% of the Nation's commercial
crop. However, among our vegetable
crops in this state, eggplant ranks ninth
in acreage and tenth in value returned.
Except for a longer growing period,
cultural requirements of eggplant are
practically the same as for the tomato.
The bulk of Florida's crop come from
such vegetable growing areas as Pom-
pano, Manatee-Ruskin, Plant City, Fort
Myers, Fort Pierce, Gainesville, and
- - Gainesville
- - Leesburg
- Bowling Green
others. Shipments generally begin in
October and carry right on through July,
with the period of heaviest production
coming in early spring.
Diseases and Pests
Though not plagued by as many dis-
eases and pests as some of our other vege-
table crops, eggplant is subject to various
types of wilt, leaf spot, and stem blight,
and it is attacked by a variety of in-
sects, such as the flea beetle, potato beetle,
lace bug, and others. Phomopsis is prob-
ably the most serious disease. It is a
fungus and attacks all parts of the plant
above ground.
There are relatively few varieties of
eggplant, and those popularly grown to-
day produce good quality fruit which
has eye-appeal as well as good edible
qualities. Fort Myers Market is the
principal commercial variety in Florida.
A distinct advantage of eggplant pro-
duction is the fact that its fruit are edible
from the time they are half grown until
they are ripe, and remain in an edible
condition for quite some time after they
are fully grown and colored. This greatly
minimizes harvesting problems and pro-
vides natural storage of this commodity
-a distinct marketing advantage. How-
ever, production of this commodity on a
large scale commercial basis resolves it-
self in primarily supplying off-season de-
mands, such as is the case with most of
(Concluded on Page 99)
DICKMAN
EGGPLANT
GROWING
AREAS
Normal Yield
300 Bushels
Per Acre
FLORIDA EGGPLANT STATISTICS
AND PROGRESS REPORT
Acreage for Harvest 1946-47 Season
(Preliminary Estimate)
V Fall ........... 1,250
Winter ........ 1,000
Spring ........ 1,000
Total Season.. 3,250
Acreage for Harvest by Areas for Three Seasons
Representing Three Distinct Economic Periods
Lower East Coast ...............
Manatee-Ruskin-Plant City .........
Lake Okeechobee ........... ...
Alachua-Marion .................
Fort M years .....................
W auchula ......................
All other areas ..................
Total Florida ............ ..
1935-36
150
150
100
100
300
100
200
1,100
Florida Carloads of Eggplant Shipped by Months
(Rail*-Boat-Truck)
Oct.
1935-45 Average. 15
1945-46 Season. 16
Nov.
49
41
Dec.
35
44
Jan.
35
70
Feb.
22
70
Mar.
35
125
Ocl-. Nov. Dec. Jan. Fe. AMar, Aprf May Jun.
100% -
F/orida.
Texas
50% Louisiana
O/her Domesl-ic
0% For'eiqn
Above is Graphic Picture of the Percentage of Average Competition
Encountered by Florida Eggplant
Does not include mixed cars-see page 113.
1940-41
200
200
150
500
500
150
200
1,900
1945-46
1,350
1,000
400
400
350
200
200
3,900
Apr.
63
143
May
107
215
June
111
206
Total
472
930
EGG PLANT ACREAGE, PRODUCTION AND VALUE
FOR TWENTY-SIX SEASONS
1920-21
1925-26
1930-31
1935-36
4,000
3,000
2,000
1,000
1940-41
1945-46
I I I I I I
FLORIDA EGGPLANT ACREAGE OF
FOR HARVEST
SFLORIDA' PERCENTAGE OF U.S.
j l EG66PLANT ACREAGE
_s ____
FLORIDA ,j PRODUCTION OF EGGPLANT
IN CAR LOT EQUIVALENTS --
F.O.B. VALUE OF FLORIDA'S EG66PLANT CROP "
/V MILLIONS OF DOLLARS
192021 125 -6 130-3 193-36 19401 395-4
507.
30%
2,000
1,0000
0
MILLION
f2
4,000
3,000
2,000
1,000
70%
50%
30%
2,000
1,000
0
MILLION
S2
1940-41
1945-46
1920-21
1925-26
1930-31
1935-36
QUALITY
That Is A Known Quantity
--------*-----
The words "Ferry-Morse" and "Quality"
have so nearly come to mean one and the
same thing that a great many growers and
shippers take for granted the quality of
Ferry-Morse seeds. Less well-known are the
care, patience, technical skill, and scientific
research that have been required to establish
that reputation.
To start with, we -conduct trials in California,
Florida, Idaho, and Michigan where we study
the performance of varieties of vegetables
under varying conditions and judge the
adaptability of new strains.
Secondly, nearly all Ferry-Morse Vegetable
Seeds-over 98%--are produced from our own
pedigreed planting stocks, and every phase
of production is rigidly supervised and con-
trolled by skilled Ferry-Morse men of long
experience. In addition, over 50,000 germi-
nation tests are made yearly that we may be
as sure as possible Ferry-Morse seeds will
germinate well.
It is this intensive and constant research, this
technical skill, this rigid supervision that keep
the quality of Ferry-Morse seeds so high. For
larger crops and better vegetables, be sure to
plant Ferry-Morse seeds.
Ferry-Morse
SEED CO.
DETROIT 31 SAN FRANCISCO 24
LOS ANGELES 1 MEMPHIS 1
91 YEARS WITH BUT ONE OBJECTIVE BETTER VEGETABLE AND FLOWER SEEDS
52
qVC Pefppe 3>dn4OM
1946-47
(with which is included Eggplant, Cucumbers and Squash)
PAUL B. DICKMAN, Chairman - Ruskin
LUCIEN THOMAS, Vice-Chairman Fort Myers
E. A. JONES - - - - Deerfield
A. W. FITZGERALD - - - Webster
C. G. TILDEN - - - Winter Garden
R. L. GOODWIN - - - Bradenton
G. E. BUTLER, JR. - - Deerfield Beach
C. D. BETHEA - - - Gainesville
G. G. OLDHAM - - - Leesburg
FRANK STUDSTILL - Bowling Green
Originating in tropical America, where
it is still a great favorite, the sweet
green pepper was unknown to the old
continent prior to the days of Columbus.
This delectable vegetable fruit is promi-
nent among our North American salad
ingredients and relishes, whereas in the
nations to the south of us it is used
more widely in cooking. There you will
find it in the so-called Spanish rice dishes,
soups, meat stews, dressings and gravies,
and countless o t h e r tastily prepared
foods. Not only are green peppers rich
in flavor, but an important source of
vitamins A and C, and mineral nutrients
as well.
Florida is the leading commercial pro-
ducer of green peppers for market; with
a current production of about 3,000,000
bushels from some 11,000 acres, which is
better than 35% of the nation's crop.
No other state in the Union equals this.
Among the other important commercial
producing states are New Jersey, Cali-
fornia, Texas, North Carolina, Louisiana,
Mississippi, South Carolina and Georgia.
The popularity of green peppers is evi-
denced in the growth of the nation's com-
mercial acreage from a bare 7,500 in
1920 to better than 30,000 acres in 1946.
Among our State's vegetables crops,
peppers rank eighth in acreage and fifth
in total value returned. Most of this
crop comes from about three principal
areas Plant City, Pompano, and Mana-
tee-Ruskin. Other areas in the state
which produce an appreciable quantity
of this commodity are around Gainesville,
Fort Myers, Fort Pierce, Wauchula, Lake
Okeechobee, Webster and Winter Gar-
den. Shipments start as early as Octo-
ber and last through July with peak
movements generally taking place in
April and May.
Diseases and Pests:
No exception in cultivated vegetables,
peppers are susceptible to attack from
various diseases, principal among which
are blight, leaf spot, mosaic, anthracnose
and others. However, unlike most other
vegetables, the pepper plant is not ex-
tensively subject to injury by insects, al-
though aphids, and some beetles do get
on it.
Marketing Problems
Being the leading national producer of
this commodity, Florida should take great
interest in the proper distribution and
marketing of this 61/ million dollar crop,
in order that it may be expanded and
more fully developed before too much
competition is encountered. Not to be
forgotten as a strong contender for this
opportunity is Mexico, which every year
ships into the United States increasing
quantities of this commodity in direct
competition with our domestic (Florida)
production.
Peppers grow well both in Cuba and
the lower west coast of Mexico. Their
yields are high, costs low, and the qual-
ity usually good. Imports from these
countries account for more than half the
total shipments in January (see charts
on page 54), and taper off through April
and May.
DICKMAN
STATISTICS AND PROGRESS
REPORT
o Acreage for Harvest 1946-47 Season
GREEN PEPPERS (Preliminary Estimate)
GROWING
GROWING Fall ........... 1,500
A ( !Winter ........ 5,600
Spring ........ 5,000
Normal Yield
275 Bushels .-- Total Season. 11,500
Per Acre
Acreage for Harvest by Areas for Three Seasons
Representing Three Distinct Economic Periods
1935-36 1940-41 1945-46
Lower East Coast ............... 3,000 2,800 4,200
Manatee-Ruskin-Plant City ........ 1,200 1,400 3,500
Sumter-Lake .................. 200 300 800
Fort Myers ..................... 500 400 600
Alachua-Marion ................. 300 500 600
Seminole-Orange ................ 600 600 600
Lake Okeechobee .................. 100 400 400
W auchula ...................... 400 600 300
All other areas .................. 200 200 100
Total Florida ............... 6,500 7,200 11,100
Florida Carloads of Green Peppers Shipped by Months
(Rail*-Boat-Truck)
Oct. Nov. Dec. Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May June Total
1935-45 Average... 10 130 182 234 218 305 335 458 300 2,172
1945-46 Season.... 10 107 90 229 357 524 517 1,019 284 3,137
Oc/ Nov. Dec. Jan. Feb. 1far. Apr, Nay Jan.
STexas
50% -
0% L I/ Foreign I
Above is Graphic Picture of the Percentage of Average Competition
Encountered by Florida Green Peppers
Does not include mixed cars-see page 113.
PEPPER ACREAGE, PRODUCTION AND VALUE
FOR TWENTY-SIX SEASONS
1925-26
1930-31
1935-36
1940-41
192(
14,000
I0,000
6,000
2,000
50%
30%
10%
6,000
4,000
2,000
0
MILLIONS
f8
6
4
2
0
1945-46
FLORIDA GREEN PEPPER AREA GE
OR HARV EST
FL OR/DA'S PERCENTAGE 'OF US GREEN PEPPER ACREAGE '-
FLORIDA'S PRODUCTION OF GREEN PEPPERS
IN CAR LOT EQUIVALENTS
F. O.B. VALUE OF FLORIDA'S 6REEN PEPPER
CROP IN MILLIONS OF DOLLARS _
0I 000 5II
_ E_ __l__E _
14,000
10,000
6,000
2,000
50%
30%
10%
6,000
4,000
2.000
0
MILLIONS
6
4
2
0
1954-46
)-21
19ZO-21
o-A
1925-26
1930-31
1935-36
194041l
A MESSAGE FROM
YOUR CHAIRMAN
(Continued from Page 11)
there would be ample funds to do the
many big jobs that now face us-meeting
the consumer demand for better pro-
ducts, better packaged, with the gar-
bage left behind; better trade contacts
and relations; closer coordination and
cooperation with other states; more ex-
tensive sales promotion and market re-
search; better transportation and lower
rates; more adequate and efficient labor
and farm equipment; less foreign com-
petition and integrated domestic produc-
tion; profitable disposition of off-grades
and surpluses through more useful by-
products; and many others.
Like yourself, I am a farmer and do
not want to sacrifice any of my rights.
I don't want anyone telling me how to
run my farm, or how I have to handle or
market my products, but rather I want
to feel that it is within me to cooperate
and conduct my business in such a man-
ner that it will bring success not only to
myself but to all of us as an industry. I
believe we owe each other that much con-
sideration if we are to live together in
this business.
As your chairman for 1947-48, I ask
that every grower and shipper of Florida
vegetables give FVC the cooperation it
has earned in the past, and which is so
essential to the future prosperity of the
industry.
PAUL B. DICKMAN,
Chairman,
Florida Vegetable
Committee.
RICE, TREW & RICE CO., Inc.
Packers Supplies
328 STATE STREET ORLANDO, FLORIDA
1946-47
A. DUDA, JR., Chairman - - Oviedo
M. D. McLEAN, Vice-Chairman - Palmetto
HENRY THURSTON - - Sanford
W. D. MILLER - - - - Ruskin
W. H. JONES - - - Canal Point
E. W. LINS - - - - Fort Pierce
Among Florida's principal leaf crops
are lettuce and escarole, the former be-
ing by far the most popular of salad
foundations used in this country, and the
latter widely used in sections where the
European taste for this ancient salad in-
gredient still prevails strongly. Both
lettuce and escarole are presumably na-
tive to Europe and Asia, where they are
known to have been in cultivation as far
back as 500 B. C.
Because of their succulence, these two
vegetables are eaten largely raw, which
makes them most important as a ready
source of vitamins and mineral nutrients
which are often lost or minimized in
other foods as a result of cooking. It
would be a drab and uninteresting diet
indeed which did not feature one or the
other of these vegetables in various sal-
ads, or as plate decorations.
From a national standpoint, Florida
is a relatively small commercial producer
of lettuce, California and Arizona being
the two leading exponents in this field.
On the other hand, Florida produces
nearly all the escarole grown commer-
cially during the winter. Both these
crops, however, are grown in season
throughout the nation by local market
gardeners near large cities.
In Florida, the principal producing area
of both lettuce and escarole is around
Lake Okeechobee. Other important pro-
ducing areas are the Manatee-Ruskin
- - McIntosh
- - Clewiston
DUDA
area, the Sanford-Zellwood area and the
McIntosh area. Movement of these two
crops takes place mostly between Novem-
ber and April with the heavier ship-
ments coming in December and January.
Of the lettuce grown, the crop runs heavy
to Iceberg, with Boston and Romaine
representing the smaller portion of the
crop. The combined crop of Florida let-
tuce and escarole represents some 4,000
acres with an annual FOB value returned
of approximately 2 million dollars.
Many handicaps are encountered in the
growing and shipping of these two crops.
Lettuce is particularly subject to such
plant diseases as lettuce drop, bottom
rot, gray mold-rot, blight, anthracnose,
downy mildew, mosaic, etc. Among the
most troublesome insects which attack
these two crops are cut-worm and aphis,
not to mention others which attack all
leafy vegetables. Among other hazards
are tip-burn and premature seeding which
are weather-caused and often ruinous to
the lettuce grower. Much progress, how-
ever, has been made in methods and prac-
tices of raising successful crops of let-
tuce and escarole on a commercial scale.
New methods of combating diseases and
pests together with the development of
resistant varieties is largely responsible
for the success of these crops. Success-
ful shipment of both these commodities
is predicated upon proper refrigeration,
careful handling, and prompt delivery to
market.
0. D. HUFF, JR. -
JOHN TIEDTKE -
SServices of Motor
Truck Experts to recommend
equipment to meet needs
of your farm or business
EVERY hauling problem differs from other hauling
problems in some vital point. The proper application
of equipment, taking into consideration every angle
of the job, assures maximum profit from a proper
investment.
There is no obligation to buy if you consult our Motor
Truck Experts and get their solutions to your hauling
problems. We are glad we can offer our patrons this
service, for it is insurance that you will get the right
International for your needs. And to own the right
International is profitable as well as pleasant.
Whatever your Needs . Trucks . Tractors . .
Farm Implements . Equipment .. see your
nearest International Dealer.
Central Truck & Trac-
tor Co.
Ocala, Florida
Florida Motor &
Equipment Co.
Gainesville, Florida
Florida Truck & Trac-
tor Co.
Palatka, Florida
Glades Equipment Co.
Pahokee, Florida
Home Hardware &
Furniture Co.
Live Oak, Florida
Howe E. Moredock Co.
Homestead, Florida
Howe E. Moredock Co.
Miami, Florida
Huggins Supply Co.
Melbourne, Florida
Naco Fertilizer Co.
Ft. Pierce, Florida
Orange Belt Truck &
Tractor Co.
Orlando, Florida
Orange State Motor Co.
Tampa, Florida
Pompano Truck &
Tractor Co.
Pompano, Florida
Powers Service
Lake City, Florida
Quinn R. Barton
Company
Jacksonville, Florida
South Florida Motor Co.
Sebring, Florida
Tate-Phillips Company
Winter Haven, Florida
A agricultural Engi-
neering Service to help you
plan the use of power
on your farm
NO two farms present exactly the same Power Needs.
We offer you the services of competent Agricultural
Engineers to study your Farm and suggest the proper
power equipment to assure you maximum return on
your investment in the FARMALL SYSTEM OF
FARMING.
Farmall Tractors and Implements are not mere adapta-
tions of horse-drawn machinery to power use, but are
soundly engineered to make available to Farmers the
very latest production ideas as developed by top en-
gineering genius. And the adaption to farm use has
# i been made by agricultural experts who are dirt farmers.
Whatever your Needs . Trucks . Tractors . .
Farm Implements . Equipment . see your
nearest International Dealer.
100 Years of Experience
Manufacturing Better Bags
S1847-1947
T HIS broad experience in providing bags of
all kinds for every need is your positive as-
surance of a better container for your prod-
ucts.
CHASE SAXOLIN-
The original open mesh bag with maximum venti-
lation and visibility-easy to handle and pack.
CHASE TOPMILL BURLAP BAGS-
With attractive appearance-extra strength
-dependable uniformity of texture.
CHASE COTTON BAGS-
Tough-long wearing-your clear and
sharply-printed brand name stands out.
Your nearby Chase salesman, trained in modern and
efficient packaging techniques, is anxious to discuss
your particular problem with you.
CHASE BAG CO.
P.O. Box 662 Orlando, Fla. Telephone 6042
General Sales Office: 309 West Jackson Blvd.
Chicago 6, Illinois
30 ROCKEFELLER PLAZA
I NEW YORK 20, N. Y.
* Reg. U. S. Pat. Off.
* BREWSTER,
FLORIDA
** Trade Mark
CO
CHEMICAL AIDS
TO AGRICULTURE
AERO* Cyanamid, Granular
The soil borne, crop destroying
disease of Sclerotiniose showing
up as pink rot in celery, white
mold of beans, tomatoes, potatoes,
etc., and as bottom rot of lettuce
can be controlled effectively with
AERO Cyanamid.
AERO DEFOLIANT* Chemical Dust
Kills potato tops to hasten matur-
ity and facilitate harvesting. De-
foliates tomato vines to speed up
ripening and make picking easier.
ACCOTOX ** 50% DDT Wettable Powder
Micron-sized for quick dispersion
and prolonged suspension in
water. Sprays give even coverage
and highly effective control of
many insects attacking vegetable
crops.
Write For Literature
AMERICAN CYANAMID COMPANY
Agricultural Chemicals Division
St. John's Box Co.
MAN U FACT RERS
OF WIRE BOUND
VEGETABLE
CONTAINERS
Palatka, Florida
Phone 550
Potato
"b2itUowt
1946-47
(White and Sweet Potatoes)
J. ABNEY COX, Chairman - Princeton
GRAHAM W. LEE, Vice-Chairman Hastings
A. F. ARTHUR - - - - Goulds
S. S. MASTERS - - - St. Augustine
RALPH W. ATKINSON - East Palatka
MJJ G.E. SPIRES - -
FRITZ STEIN - -
HARRY W. PETERSON
BRYANT PEARCE -
Early Spanish explorers found pota-
tces being cultivated by the natives of
South America and were responsible for
their introduction in Europe during the
sixteenth century. Although a close rela-
tive of the tomato plant, the Irish potato
produces tubers instead of fruit. This
starchy tuber ranks first among the five
principal world food crops-wheat, corn,
rice and oats being its rivals. It is un-
doubtedly the most commonly used food
article in the daily diet of the white race.
Today, the average American eats
about 125 pounds of potatoes per year,
which is somewhat less than his average
consumption of about 150 pounds twenty
years ago and nearly 175 pounds some
thirty years ago. The nutritional value
of this food crop is important for its con-
tent of vitamin C, iron, calcium and other
minerals. Although rich in starch, the
bugaboo among housewives that potatoes
are fattening has been largely dispelled.
A medium-sized potato contains about 100
calories, comparable to an orange or
apple, and is fattening only when eaten
in excessive quantities.
Housewives should be better informed
as to the nutritive value and uses of po-
tatoes. It seems clear that they give
good returns for money spent. Families
covered in a consumption study in the
spring of 1942, for example, spent only
3% of their total food money for pota-
toes. For it they obtained 4% of their
calories, 3% of their protein, 11% of
their vitamin C, 2% of their calcium,
- - LaCrosse
- - Belle Glade
- - Pahokee Cox
- - Fort Myers
7% of their iron, 7% of their thiamine,
and 3% of their riboflavin.
While the per capital consumption of
this commodity has shown a marked de-
crease in this country during the past
30 years, its popularity in the American
diet is still indisputably high. The na-
tional production of Irish potatoes
reached an all time high of about 475
million bushels during the 1946 season,
of which 851/2 million were early com-
mercial. Of these, Florida produced a
little better than 6 million bushels.
Florida's major potato production is
divided into the "winter deal", centering
in Dade, Palm Beach, and Lee counties,
and the "spring deal" in the Hastings
area, Palm Beach and Alachua coun-
ties; the balance of the acreage is in
smaller areas in west and central Flor-
ida. Potatoes rank third in acreage and
fourth in total value among Florida's
vegetable crops. Heavy movement from
the state takes place during March, April
and May, with only moderate shipments
during December, January and February.
Harvesting is usually completed in June.
Potatoes have been grown in the Hast-
ings area for many years and may be
rated as the first Florida commercial pro-
duction of fresh products for shipment
to northern markets. During the past
twenty years the discovery that the marl
soils of Dade County had a manganese
deficiency that could be counteracted, led
to the development of a winter "deal"
(Continued on Page 181)
qvel
EARLY
IRISH POTATO
GROWING
AREAS
Normal Yield
150 Bushels
Per Acre
FLORIDA EARLY IRISH POTATO
STATISTICS AND PROGRESS
REPORT
Acreage for Harvest 1946-47 Season
(Preliminary Estimate)
Winter ........ 10,000
Spring ........ 13,000
Total Season.. 23,000
Acreage for Harvest
Representing Three
H astings .....................
Lake Okeechobee ..............
Dade County ................ .
LaCrosse .....................
Fort Myers ................. .
West Florida ............... .
Sarasota-Manatee .............
All other areas ................
Total Florida .............
by Areas for Three Seasons
Distinct Economic Periods
1935-36
14,800
900
4,600
1,400
600
600
500
1,100
24,500
1940-41
12,800
2,600
6,000
1,600
900
1,400
500
1,000
26,800
Florida Carloads of Early Irish Potatoes
(Rail-Boat-Truck)
1935-45 Average...
1945-46 Season....
Dec.
120
169
Jan.
380
658
Feb.
630
679
Mar.
1,100
1,842
Shipped by Months
Apr.
1,800
3,939
Dec. Jan.. Feb. Mar. Apr May Jun.
May
1,990
3,036
June
180
177
Florida
Texas
California
La. A/a. S.C.
0/Aer Jtates
cSlored
Above is Graphic Picture of the Percentage of Average Competition
Encountered by Florida Early Commercial Irish Potatoes
62
1945-46
12,500
9,500
6,800
2,400
1,400
1,300
600
800
35,300
100% -
50%
0% -
Total
6,200
10,500
POTATO ACREAGE, PRODUCTION AND VALUE
FOR TWENTY-SIX SEASONS
1925-26
1930-31
1935-36
1940-41
19+5-46
000 ,1 1 i ,-- I I I I I I -
FLORIDA'S EARLY /IRISH POTATO ACREAGE FOR HARVEST
30.000 I I I ,| I- I I r.
20.000 / \
10,000__
20% FLORIDA'S PEoRCENTAGE OF U.S.
EARLY 'IRISH POTATO ACREAGE
10% __
14,000 __ 1 I 1 1 I I
FLORIDA 5 PRODUCTION OF EARLY /R/ISH
POTATOES IN CAR LOT EQUIVALENTS
10,000
2,000
MILLIONS
S1 I- -
FO.B. VALUE OF FLORIDA'S EARLY /R/5H
10 POTATO CROP IN MILLIONS OF DOLLARS --
1 0- A- ILL -- - -
bitt
2 1945-46
1925-26
1930-31 1935-36
* Early Commercial
40,000
30,000
20.000
10,000
20%
10%
0
14,000
10,000
b.000
2,000
MILLIONS
14
10
6
2
1920-21
1920-21
1940-41
1945-46
Cummer Sons Cypress Co.
JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA
Mi]
Lacooc
Otter C
VEGETABLE AND
CITRUS FRUIT
PACKAGES
lls at: Represen
hee, Fla. A. G. Hague,
P. 0O. Box 1
reek, Fla. Riverside Stati
*
S. E. Page, Wint
P. 0. Box
tatives:
Miami
688
ion, 35
er Haven
121
A Dependable Source of Supply for Quality Standard Containers
he/ Sweet/l P/ca"
The sweet potato is a crop that the
South has miserably neglected for a num-
ber of years. It is among the aristocrats
of chemurgic crops. The utilization of
the sweet potato as a great source of in-
dustrial chemicals is close at hand.
The development of a sweet potato in-
dustry may follow two distinct routes.
One is to secure a high-yielding industrial
potato, such as Dr. Julian Miller's
(Louisiana) LD 4-5 and to develop a
purely industrial program. The other
is to choose a lower yielding, but a popu-
lar edible potato, such as the Puerto
Rican, and to process industrially only
the culls, shipping the No. 1's on the
edible market.
While the sweet potato is very popular
in the South as a home food, Florida's
commercial production in the past has
been limited. Alachua county produces
a high-grade sweet that brings a premium
in the early market, before the main
southern crop matures. Lee County
growers have begun intensive cultivation
for the fresh market during the past two
years (400 acres in 1946-47), and efforts
are being made to build up a processing
industry in northern Florida counties.
Chemical Analysis
Analysis of the sweet potato as grown
in Texas shows it to have the following
composition on the average:
Fresh
Percent
W ater .............. 70.91
Minerals ............ 1.37
Protein .............. 1.82
Ether Extract ........ .61
Crude Fiber .......... 1.15
Nitrogen-free extract. 24.14
F at ............... .
Dry basis
Percent
0.00
10.00
28.57
58.57
2.86
Aristocrat of Chemurgic Plants
Chemurgists say that the sweet potato
is a better industrial source of protein
for feeds than is cotton seed; that the
crude pulp can be made into starch which
has a number of uses in manufacturing
bread, textiles, paper, insecticides, paint,
varnish, soap, and explosives; that it can
be made into syrup comparable with corn
syrup, cattle feed and other foodstuffs
for man and beast truly a worthy com-
panion to the soy bean.
The1 Pla4 I2ow4d
Standing guard 24 hours a day at the
various ports of entry, the State Plant
Board, under the direction of A. C.
"Buck" Brown, is the agency which has
kept out of the state many of the dis-
eases and pests which are now found in
other vegetable growing areas.
Prior to the advent of the airplane, the
problem of keeping out disease carriers
was a relatively simple matter, but to-
day every airplane landing in the state of
Florida-particularly from the Carib-
bean countries-is a potential bearer of
some serious disease or pest. Quaran-
tine inspectors are maintained at all ports
of entry, but the rapid increase in the
number of airports patronized by foreign
planes, and in the number of planes per
day, is forcing the Plant Board to stretch
its quarantine force to the limit.
The Board also inspects citrus nursery
stock, and citrus groves, to guard against
epidemics such as citrus canker, fruit
flies, etc., which did millions of dollars
worth of damage in years past.
SOUTH DADE
FARMS PRODUCE
CAULIFLOWER, STRAWBERRIES,
TOMATOES, POTATOES, BROC-
COLI, BEANS, CORN, SQUASH,
PEPPERS, OKRA, CELERY, RHU-
BARB, CABBAGE, PEAS, ETC.
FARMS FOR RENT: In Units of 10 Acres, 25 Square
Miles of Productive Marl Lands Remote from
Frost Danger
LOCATION-East of Homestead and Florida City, thirty miles south
of Miami, on the tip of the U. S. Mainland in thfie heart of sub-tropical
Florida's finest farm area. These fertile farms supply fresh vegetables
to all America during the winter months, shipping an average of
seventy-five to one hundred carloads daily during the harvesting period.
IDEAL CLIMATE-Tempered by the warm waters of Biscayne Bay and
the Gulf Stream, South Dade Forms have an equable climate and are
rarely subjected to frost damage.
WATER CONTROL-South Dade Farms, integrated network of canals,
laterals, culverts, dams, automatic gates and pumps furnish irrigation
and drainage during the growing season.
SOUTH DADE FARMS
INCORPORATED
JAMES SOTTILE, JR., Gen. Mgr.
---------- ...... -...
TELEPHONE 70
HOMESTEAD, FLORIDA
1946-47
DIXON PEARCE, Chairman - - Miami
J. P. HARLLEE, JR., Vice-Chairman Palmetto
L. L. CHANDLER - - - Fort Pierce
H. G. SCHWARTZ - - - Hallandale
SALVATORE GERACI - - Fort Myers
L. S. MOODY - - - - Belleview
H. M. ELSBERRY - - - Ruskin
JOHN W. CAMPBELL - - - Goulds
Unknown to the world at large until
the discovery of America (its native
home), the tomato has become one of our
most popular as well as most important
vegetable fruit crops. Its name is of South
American origin and is derived from the
Aztec word "zitomate". It was also a
favorite among wild tribes of Mexico,
who called it "tomati".
It was not much more than a hundred
years ago that this crop became quite
generally cultivated for food purposes in
America. For quite some time there was
considerable prejudice against its use be-
cause it came from the "wrong side of
the tracks" in belonging to the deadly
nightshade family of plants. Today, its
more than one hundred uses in our diet
puts it in the top ranks of our vegetable
foods. Rich in both vitamin A and C,
this nutritious fruit is a valuable con-
tributor to good health when used liber-
ally in our everyday diet.
Competition Increasing
A quarter of a century ago we had a
little less than 100,000 acres of tomatoes
under commercial cultivation in the
United States, of which Florida repre-
sented about a third. Today our national
acreage approaches 300,000 with Florida
representing only about one-tenth. There
are currently some 28 states growing
this crop for market, of which Texas and
California are the principal producers
with nearly 50 % of the total annual pro-
duction. Florida ranks third and is still
the principal domestic winter producer
of this crop, but in recent years has en-
countered strong foreign competition
from Mexico and Cuba which, with their
"peon" labor, can raise tomatoes at much
less cost than we can.
In Florida, tomatoes are grown com-
mercially during the fall, winter and
spring. Peak movements, however, gen-
erally take place during the months of
Feb., Mar., Apr., and May. Among
our Florida vegetable crops, tomatoes
rank fourth in acreage and first in total
value returned. This crop is produced
in many areas of the state, principal
among which are the lower east coast, the
Everglades, Indian River, Peace River
and Manatee districts, central and north
Florida. Adaptable to nearly all types of
soils, this crop thrives best in moderately
cool but frost-free weather, inasmuch as
warm weather with high humidity causes
the development of foliage diseases, and
dry hot weather causes the bloom to drop.
Diseases and Pests
Tomatoes in Florida, as anywhere else,
are susceptible to many plant diseases
among which the most important are late
blight, nail-head rust, fusarium and bac-
terial wilt, leaf spot, root knot, mosaic,
and various other varieties of blight and
decay organisms. However, progress has
been made in controlling these diseases.
Better varieties have been developed, but
much remains to be done to reduce the
costs and hazards of large-scale tomato
production.
Diseases and Pests often spawned
or encouraged by weather changes -
(Continued on Page 175)
PEARCE
TOMATO
GROWING
AREAS
Normal Yield
125 Bushels
Per Acre
FLORIDA TOMATO STATISTICS
AND PROGRESS REPORT
Acreage for Harvest 1946-47 Season
(Preliminary Estimate)
Fall ........... 10,000
Winter ........ 9,000
Spring ........ 9,000
Total Season.. 28,000
Acreage for Harvest by Areas for Three Seasons
Representing Three Distinct Economic Periods
Dade County ...................
Fort Pierce .....................
Pompano-Delray ................
Manatee-Ruskin-Plant City .........
W auchula ................... . .
Marion-Sumter .................
Tamiami Trail ..................
Lake Okeechobee ...............
Fort M years .....................
All other areas ..................
Total Florida ...............
1935-36
7,700
3,000
2,700
3,000
1,200
2,000
1,400
10,000
1,200
400
32,600
Florida Carloads of Tomatoes Shipped by Months
(Rail-Boat-Truck)
Oct. Nov. Dec.
1935-45 Average. 4 228 525
1945-46 Season .. 344 768
Jan.
678
535
Feb.
985
1185
Mar.
1588
2087
Oct Vov. Dec. Jan. Feb. Mar Apr. May Jun.
100% ....
50%wiii
0%
For/doa I
Texas
California
Oliher Domes/ic
Forelyn -
Above Is a Graphic Picture of the Percentage of Average Competition
Encountered by Florida Tomatoes
1940-41
6,000
4,000
3,000
5,500
2,200
3,200
700
1,000
1,000
400
27,000
1945-46
9,000
6,000
4,000
4,100
2,200
2,000
1,200
1,000
700
200
30,400
Apr.
1675
2350
May
2190
1457
June
332
102
Total
8205
8828
TOMATO ACREAGE, PRODUCTION AND VALUE
FOR TWENTY-SIX SEASONS
0-21
1925-26
----- FLORIDA TOMATO ACREAGE --- --
--- FOR HARVEST A _
fli-
1935-36
1940-41
1925-26 1930-31 1935-36 1940-41
1930-31
1945-
192
50,000
40,000
30,000
20,000
10,000
30%
20%
107%
14-.000
10,000
6,000
2,000
MILLIONS
J22
18
14
10
6
2
46
50,000
40,000
30.000
20.000
10,000
30%
20%
10%7
14.000
10,000
6.000
2,000
MILLIONS
f22
18
14
10
6
2
1920-21
1945-46
I I | II I I l i I I I
FL ORIDAY PRODUCTION OF TOMATOES \
SINCAR LOT EQUIVALENT. ~ -
,F-
WyE are Florida people using Florida material
WEW to manufacture quality shipping containers
for Florida quality vegetables and fruits.
EW are centrally located and can provide effi-
WE cient service.
FLORIDA ALL-BOUND BOX CO.
Phones 88-441 and 88-471
AUBURNDALE, FLORIDA
United Paper Company
Main Office Telephone
Tampa, Florida M-2785
Oldest and Largest Manufacturer of
Vegetable and Fruit Wraps in Florida-
SUPPLIERS OF TOMATO EGGPLANT CITRUS
and Other FRUIT and VEGETABLE WRAPS
Plain or Printed
*
"NOKUT" CITRUS GUARDS & OTHER VEGETABLE GUARDS
7vel
2b io"t
1946-47
W. J. WHITEHURST, Chairman Archer
H. H. HETHCOX, Vice-Chairman Umatilla
HAROLD GILMORE - - Live Oak
L. B. GRAVELEY - - - Newberry
B. G. ANDERSON - - - Umatilla
D. D. FAIRCLOTH - - - Trenton
GROVER HUPPEL - - - Leesburg
Native to tropical Africa, watermelons
are members of the gourd family. Un-
known in Europe until nearly 1600, there
are indications that it may also have been
a native of America. Early French ex-
plorers found this large fruit being grown
by Indians in the Mississippi Valley and
later other explorers found it in Massa-
chusetts and Florida. This highly popu-
lar fruit, though not considered a food
crop nor necessarily a luxury, is consumed
in large quantities during warm weather.
Seasonally grown from May to Sep-
tember, with July normally the month of
greatest supply, about 75 million water-
melons are currently marketed in the
United States during the spring and
summer. Statistics show that the na-
tional importance of commercially grown
watermelons seems to have risen sharply
immediately following World War I. The
national commercial acreage for the crop
rose from 80,930 acres in 1918 to 210,840
by 1922, and now averages about 275,000;
while production for the same period rose
from 29,530,000 melons in 1918 to 72,-
493,000 in 1922, as compared to the
present average of about 75,000,000. In
Florida, however, production of water-
melons was 10,575,000 from 47,000 acres
in 1946 as compared with 10,225,000 from
only 27,340 acres in 1920.
Today, Florida's watermelon cr o p
ranks fourth in the nation, being ex-
ceeded only by Georgia, Texas and Cali-
fornia. These four states grow better
than 60% of the nation's crop of water-
melons. A m o n g Florida's vegetable
crops, watermelons rank second in acre-
age and seventh in total value returned.
The bulk of this crop is grown in areas
around Leesburg, Ocala, Gainesville and
Live Oak.
Early Marketing the Goal
Florida's melon production is loosely
divided into two "deals"-the early crop
in the Leesburg area, and the later crop
centering around Gainesville and Live
Oak. The hazards of producing for the
early market (prior to July 4) are great,
but every effort is made to market in
May and June, before the price break
occurs. The late crop meets serious com-
petition from Georgia and other states.
While Florida produces more water-
melon seed than any other state, the
average Florida melon grower gets his
seed from Oklahoma and other distant
states, on the theory that this seed is less
likely to carry disease spores, will have
greater resistance to disease and pests,
and will mature earlier. While caution-
ing the grower against saving his own
seed which may be infected, or lose its
varietal characteristics through cross-
pollination the Florida experiment sta-
tions indicate that Florida-grown seed
are on a parity in yield, quality and early
maturity with the same varieties grown
in other states.
Watermelons thrive on well-drained
sandy loams, and even lighter soils, but
are exceptionally tender to frost damage
and the ravages of diseases and pests. In
Florida alone thousands of acres of this
crop have been lost from fusarium wilt
(Continued on Page 192)
W. J. WHITEHURST
FLORIDA WATERMELON
STATISTICS AND PROGRESS
REPORT
Acreage for Harvest 1947 Season
WATERMELON (Preliminary Estimate)
GROWING
AREAS Season's Acreage 48,000
Normal Yield
300 Melons ..--*
Per Acre
Acreage for Harvest by Areas for Three Seasons
Representing Three Distinct Economic Periods
1936 1941 1946
Gainesville ................. .. 4,300 8,200 18,000
Leesburg ....................... 4,500 4,300 12,000
Live Oak ....................... 3,800 7,000 11,000
Marianna ...................... 2,100 4,800 3,300
Dade City ...................... 900 700 1,300
South Florida .................. 200 1,000
All other areas .................. 200 500 400
Total Florida .................. 16,000 25,500 47,000
Florida Carloads of Watermelons Shipped by Months
(Rail-Boat-Truck)
Apr. May June July Aug. Total
1935-45 Average .................... 1 687 4,357 564 1 5,610
1946 Season ........................ 14 4,267 5,462 235 9,978
Apr Ma Jun Jul Auq F/orida I I
100% I-
Texas I
SGeorgia
50% South Caroina
Siil Other Domestic
0% Foreipn
Above is Graphic Picture of the Percentage of Average Competition
Encountered by Florida Watermelons
72
WATERMELON ACREAGE, PRODUCTION AND VALUE
FOR TWENTY-SIX SEASONS
1920-21
50,000
40.000 -
30,000
20.000
10.000 -
20%
10%
0
14,000
10,000
6,000
2,000
MILLIONS
}6
4
2
0
1920
1925-26
1930-31
1935-36
1940-41
1945-46
-- 50,000
-- 40,000
S 30,000
20,000
- 10,000
SFL OR/IDA'5 PERCENTAGE OF U.S.
/_ / \.,' WATERMELON ACREA6E
I I
FLORIDA'S PRODUCTION OF WATERMELOf5
-- IN CARPLOT EQUIVALENTS
d^^^^^ -- /^^
F.O.a. VALUE OF FLOR/DAS WATERMELON -Z 0
CROP IN MILLIONS OF DOLLARS .
21 1925-26 19. 0-31 1955-36 1940)-41 194-5
20%
10%
0
4,.000
10,000
6,000
2.000
MILLIONS
f 6
4-
2
0
-46
FOREIGN COMPETITION-
(Continued from Page 17)
sell in American markets which the Flor-
ida citizen helps to sustain. We argued
that this was not only unfair to the Flor-
ida farmers, but that it was also unfair
to the Florida worker and bad for the
state and nation. We pointed out that
these products were grown with labor
which received wages ranging from $1.00
to $1.75 per day-and that the same vege-
tables produced under the same condi-
tions in the United States would be
branded as "hot" goods, and not even
permitted to be shipped.
We then testified before the Commit-
tee, ably aided by Senators Holland and
Pepper, and Rep. George Smathers,
Dwight Rogers, Hardin Peterson and
other Florida representatives, and by
Wm. L. Wilson, Director of State Mar-
kets, R. Y. Crecch, Alan Wilson, Lennie
Stuckey, Dixon Pearce, G. B. Hogan, Clar-
ence Parman, Paul Dickman, Luther
Chandler and Manager Graw.
The results are not yet
known, but we have rea-
son to believe that we
will receive some favor-
able consideration. The
Reciprocity Committee
members publicly indi-
cated we had made clear
that we definitely have a
problem which called for
some action. We feel
that their recommenda-
tions will call for some
concessions to the Flor-
ida industry, though we
have no official basis for
this statement.
It is certain that the
Florida vegetable indus-
try will not be "sold down
the river" as it was when
the first tariff reduction
was made. The State De-
partment officials have
been very sympathetic
and helpful, and have as- .
sured us we will have a Florida Produc
full opportunity to present any new
evidence before a decision is made. Only
recently a State Department official vis-
ited Florida, at our suggestion, and toured
the vegetable areas-the first time we
have had this degree of recognition.
While our position is not an encouraging
one, because we are fighting with our
backs to the wall, your Committee is
firmly convinced that the time and effort
expended in the preparation of briefs and
in testifying before the Reciprocity Com-
mittee were well spent, and that we may
expect some tangible results.
We must have full cooperation from
all Florida growers and shippers if we
are to win the fight for fair treatment
of the vegetable and fruit industry. If
you are asked to prepare figures, or to per-
mit either FVC or state economists to go
into your cost records, please cooperate
with them fully, for they are working for
you-the grower.
es All These Vegetables-and so Can Mexico and Cuba.
Commodities:
Avocados, beets, broc-
coli, cauliflower, limes,
mangoes, green peas,
pole beans, radishes,
romaine, spinach, straw-
berries, turnips, okra.
1946-47
L. L. CHANDLER, Chairman - - - Goulds
C. G. TILDEN, Vice-Chairman - - Winter Garden
CARL PIOWATY - - - - - Princeton
HAROLD KENDALL - - - - Goulds
IVEY FUTCH - - - - - Lake Placid
FRANCIS HOUGHTALING - - - Miami
H. A. WARD - - - - - - Oviedo
R. E. JOHNSON - - - - - Plant City
T. E. HOGAN - - - - - Vero Beach
HARRY W. HAYNER - - - - Plant City
This division includes the important
strawberry, lime and avocado production
of the state, and other commodities which
do not now represent a large volume in
Florida.
Strawberries, which fell off in acreage
during the war years, are again assum-
ing a position of prominence in the state's
production picture, as graphically shown
in the charts on pages 76-77. This in-
creased production is going to pose some
difficult marketing problems for straw-
berries, and this division wants the ac-
tive cooperation of berry growers and
shippers in arriving at some solutions.
Tropical Fruits
During the summer and early fall few
fruits and vegetables are produced com-
mercially in Florida. Among the few that
are shipped when all other commodities
have finished or not yet started their
season, are limes, avocados and mangoes.
The crop of these three Florida commodi-
ties comes almost exclusively from the
southern part of the State and the Keys,
where the climate is favorable to their
growth. Of these three, limes and avo-
cados are the most popular today. Man-
goes, being strictly a tropical fruit, have
not fully established themselves on our
national market, but promises for the
future are good.
From a dietary standpoint, everyone
knows the importance of lime juice and
its many uses, but let us see what avo-
cados and mangoes have to offer. The
former of the two is a rich buttery green
fruit. It is perhaps one of the highest-
ranking fruits in protein and vegetable
fat content, and contains a well-balanced
supply of vitamins and mineral nutrients.
Eaten on the half shell with lime juice
and a dash of oil, vinegar and salt, it is
almost a meal in itself, to say little of
the many other ways it can be prepared
in salads, in soups, in sandwich spreads,
milk shakes, etc. The mango on the other
hand, is strictly a fruit to be eaten fresh
like an orange or a peach. Its highly
aromatic odor and delicate flavor make
it a favorite among children, and not
overlooked by a good many grown-ups.
Liking mangoes is purely a matter of
acquiring a taste for them. Once you
get to like mangoes you will not only
eat them as a fresh fruit but you will
also find many uses for them in salads,
desserts, ice creams, fillers for cake, and
many other delicate dishes.
Like many other relatively rare and
scarce commodities, the use of avocados
and mangoes in the United States is not
only restricted by their limited quanti-
ties and lack of national recognition, but
also by their high cost to consumers in
distant markets. Undoubtedly, more
people, once acquainted with these pro-
ducts, would eat more of them if the
price was more moderate. In tropical
countries, where for the most part these
fruits grow wild, they cost practically
nothing and are eaten by the poorest of
peons, but in the United States they are
still very much a rarity. The day is not
far off, however, when Florida's expand-
ing commercial acreage of avocados and
mangoes, together with that of compet-
ing areas, domestic and foreign, will
make it necessary that these two com-
modities be more fully introduced to the
American consumer through proper ad-
vertising and trade establishing practices.
CHANDLER
FLORIDA STRAWBERRY
STATISTICS AND PROGRESS
REPORT
Acreage for Harvest 1946-47 Season
STRAWBERRY (Preliminary Estimate)
GROWING /)
AREAS
Season's Acreage 4,500
Normal Yield
75 24-qt. Crates ..--
Per Acre
Acreage for Harvest by Areas for Three Seasons
Representing Three Distinct Economic Periods
1935-36 1940-41 1945-46
Plant City .............. .... . 6,000 2,200 2,000
Starke ......................... 900 1,000 250
W auchula ..................... 1,200 1,000 200
W ebster ........................ 500 500 150
All other areas .................... 300 800 200
Total Florida ............... 8,900 5,500 2,800
Florida Carloads of Strawberries Shipped by Months
(Rail-Boat-Truck)
Dec. Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May Total
1935-45 Average ........ 22 171 285 275 170 20 943
1945-46 Season ......... 68 203 151 46 3 471
Dec. Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May
100%
50%
Louisiana
ox L Other States
Above is Graphic Picture of the Percentage of Average Competition
Encountered by Florida Strawberries
STRAWBERRY ACREAGE, PRODUCTION AND VALUE
FOR TWENTY-SIX SEASONS
1920-21
1925-26
1930-31
1935-36
1940-41
10,00
8,000
6,000
4,000
2,000
0
5%
3%
\1o
2,000
1,000
MILLIONS
!4
2
0
1945-46
FLORQIDA STRAWBERRY A
ACREAGEFOR- -
Vo FRSH STRAWBERRY ACR A6E
OFARVE5 ---S-V E-R---I
O.'& VAllE0 OFiFODA'SH STRAWBERRY CROPEAVME1LL
OF DOLLARS
002 0
/ ;Ro
10.000
8,000
6,000
4,000
2,000
0
5%
3%
2.000
1.000
0
MILLIONS
+4
2
0
1930-31
1940-41
1920-21
1925-26
1935-36
1945-46
MILLER'SS
ARE CoW CRATES
Miller Crates are made of Virginia Hickory Poplar-
HARD WOOD to stand HARD WEAR.
Poplar does not splinter easily, and with-
stands more hard wear and rougher treat-
ment than softer woods. Neither rain nor
other water damages Poplar nor causes it
to become brittle when dry. Nails "stay
put" and are not loosened by wear or
dampness as in more porous woods.
BEAN
Field Crate
Top slats )" thick to prevent breakage
when tying down on trucks . beveled
on lower edges so strapping fits smoothly.
Extra corner posts assure years of extra
service.
POTATO or TOMATO
Field Crate
All edges rounded, riser strips beveled and
rounded for protection of contents. Heavy
construction for long life.
Note the Construction:
Bound rounded corners that won't
warp or spring up, or snag. See how
the metal straps are nailed between
slats. Rounded corners also protect
fruits and vegetables.
Every MILLER crate is "dated", so
you can tell exactly its long life of
service and durability-and prove its
economy.
ALL CRATES DELIVERED
MADE UP, AND READY TO
GO TO WORK
-0-
Write, wire or phone
for prices and
deliveries.
CELERY \" I| /
Field Crate
Where extra wear comes there are slats
%y, thick. Tough, serviceable. Note the
"dating" so you yourself can test its
durability.
I PEACH
Orchard Crate
Sturdy, triangular corner posts for extra
strength and long life. All edges rounded
and inside surface dressed to prevent dam-
age to fruit.
7th AND STOCKTON STS. e RICHMOND, 11, VIRGINIA *DIAL 2-6565
4fiicaa ei VWkheel /o^ ife"
The County Agent
Guides the Plow
Recognized now by vegetable growers
as the man who can supply them with lo-
cal information about varieties, disease
control, labor supply, and many other
day-to-day problems, the County Agricul-
tural Agent has become the "wheel horse"
of the Florida vegetable grower.
FVC wants to put in a plug for these
sincere, hard-working public servants,
whose sole aim is to help the grower to
do a better job of helping himself. The
County Agent puts in long hours on his
job as local spokesman for the Florida
Agricultural Extension Service, and often
does not get the appreciation his work
merits. Added to his many other duties
during the war was the thankless task
of interpreting and administering war-
time regulations, some of which made lit-
tle sense either to the farmer or the
County Agent yet he carried out his
duties with courage and zeal often lack-
ing in public officials.
The Extension Service:
The Florida Agricultural Extension
Service, through both its state staff and
its corps of county agents, extends aid to
producers of truck crops throughout the
state. Most noteworthy and direct help
during recent years has been through the
farm labor program, under which both
domestic and foreign workers have been
placed.
More Work Than Workers:
The emergency farm labor program
operated by the USDA office of Labor
and the Extension Service for the past
four years (and which FVC is now seek-
ing to convert into a permanent program,
(Concluded on Page 161)
THE EXTENSION
SERVICE STAFF
A. P. SPENCER, Director
(Retired June 30, 1947)
H. G. CLAYTON, Director,
Gainesville, Florida
MARSHALL 0. WATKINS,
Assistant Director.
W. T. NETTLES,
K. S. McMULLEN,
J. LEE SMITH,
District Agents.
J. FRANCIS COOPER,
Extension Editor.
DR. A. L. SHEALY,
Animal Industrialist.
DR. C. V. NOBLE,
Agricultural Economics.
E. F. DEBUSK,
H. S. McLENDON,
P. L. PEADEN,
H. O0. ANDERSON,
Farm Labor.
D. E. TIMMONS,
Marketing Specialist.
R. W. BLACKLOCK,
Boys' Club Work.
JOHN M. JOHNSON,
Agricultural Engineer.
MISS MARY McKEOWN,
Home Demonstration.
(See list of county agricultural agents
in vegetable counties on page 169)
PACKAGE
A
RESEARCH LABORATORY
Service
Organization
Designing
Testing
Servicing
FRUIT
and
VEGETABLE
PACKAGES
FOR
Safe Delivery
FOR
Economical Results
FOR
Better Returns
ALL-BOUND CABBAGE CRATE
A Package Research Laboratory Development
O ff ices
MERCEDES, TEXAS
ROCKAWAY, NEW JERSEY
LAKELAND, FLORIDA
PASADENA, CALIFORNIA
Phone Lakeland 3-9121
Our "Fact Farm"
Produces Pay Crops
When fresh vegetables were grown as
a side crop, any cash received was con-
sidered a "profit". Oftentimes the
grower actually lost money on these cash
crops, but because he kept no accurate
records, he did not realize he had wasted
time, sweat and money.
Today, the growing of fresh vegetables
for the commercial market is a busi-
ness -and a farm must be run as ef-
ficiently as any other business, other-
wise costs will eat up the grower's in-
come. The need for better business man-
agement on the farm has been brought
forcefully to the attention of the Florida
vegetable grower during the past five
years, when operating costs have risen
200% to 300%, whereas the dollar re-
turn from his products has increased far
less.
On the third floor of the administra-
tion building at Gainesville sits a quiet,
reserved gentleman who for years has
made it his business to help the farmer
get on a business basis. Handicapped
by lack of funds and personnel, it has
been only within the past two years that
Dr. C. V. Noble, head of the Depart-
ment of Agricultural Economics in the
College of Agriculture, University of
Florida, has been able to undertake many
of the studies he knows are necessary
to proper understanding of the business
of growing Florida vegetables. When he
finishes digging into grower records, and
brings to light many of the factors that
have been responsible for the enormous
increase in production costs, it is safe to
say that it will be a shock to many of us.
The Department of Agricultural Eco-
nomics consists of three divisions:
A. Teaching Division.
B. Experiment Station Division.
C. Extension Service Division.
Teaching Division:
Students majoring in agricultural eco-
nomics receive a broad training intended
to prepare them to enter private or gov-
ernmental work as farmers, farm man-
(Continued on Page 84)
THE DEPARTMENT'S
MEMBERS
DR. C. V. NOBLE, Head
TEACHING STAFF:
DR. H. G. HAMILTON,
Professor of Marketing.
JOHN R. GREENMAN,
Professor of Agricultural
Economics.
DR. MARVIN A. BROKER,
Professor of Agricultural
Economics.
EXPERIMENT STATION
STAFF:
ZACH SAVAGE,
A. H. SPURLOCK,
D. E. ALLEGER,
D.L. BROOKE,
G. N. ROSE,
Associate Agricultural
Economists.
J. C. TOWNSEND, JR.,
J. B. OWENS,
Collaborators.
EXTENSION STAFF:
D. E. TIMMONS,
Economist in Marketing.
C. M. HAMPSON,
Economist in Farm
Management.
C. J. McGILL,
Associate Economist in Farm
Management.
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Projects Under Study in Florida Agricultural Economics:
1. Farmers' Cooperative Associations in Florida:
Their development and present status; organization and management set-up;
factors that make for success or failure.
2. Input and Output Data for Florida Crop and Livestock Production:
Collection of data on seasonal and total labor and material requirements, to be
put into usable form.
3. Postwar Planning for Agriculture:
Appraisal of the maximum agricultural production; formulation of plans for
the postwar period.
4. Analysis of Farms and Markets in the Plant City area:
Study of effect of decreases in strawberry acreage, and of economic impact of
expansion of industry in Tampa area.
5. Factors Affecting Cost of and Net Returns from Harvesting, Packaging and Mar-
keting Florida Celery:
Determination of differences in cost of various methods of handling from field
to car, their cause, and effect on market prices and net returns.
6. Vegetable Crop Estimates:
"Stepping up" of vegetable acreage and production estimates, by supplying ad-
ditional personnel to Federal-State Truck Reporting Service, through coopera-
tive agreement.
7. Cost of Production and Returns on Vegetable Crops:
Assembly in usable form of data on cost of production and returns, on a current
basis; analysis of costs of specific commodities (used by FVC in tariff case, etc.).
8. Consumer Packaging of Vegetables at Shipping Point:
To determine feasibility and economy of packaging in consumer-type pack-
ages at shipping point (in cooperation with other state and federal agencies and
Florida Vegetable Prepackaging Council).
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FARMING IS A BUSINESS-
(Continued from Page 81)
agers, marketing specialists, price ana-
lysts, agricultural statisticians, agricul-
tural credit specialists, and general agri-
cultural economists.
Experiment Station Division:
This division serves as the "testing
ground" for agricultural research data
before they are used in teaching or ex-
tension programs. It is concerned chiefly
with research in the economic problems
of agricultural tenure, planting, produc-
tion, marketing and distribution. (See
page 83 for vegetable research projects
now under way).
Valuable services rendered the vege-
table grower include: (1) Collection of
more current crop statistics, in conjunc-
tion with Truck Crop Reporting Service;
(2) studies of production costs, for use
in fighting for adequate protection from
foreign competition; and (3) studies of
the "business" aspect of consumer pack-
aging, and of better methods of harvest-
ing and handling. Each of these projects
was sponsored by FVC, and funds se-
cured from the state to employ the neces-
sary trained workers.
Extension Service Division:
This division keeps in close touch with
the research work, so that it may bring
to the Department business problems of
the farmer, and transmit to the farmer
the results of the Department studies,
either directly or through County Agri-
cultural Agents. Its personnel also as-
sists with the proper interpretation and
dissemination of information covering
laws, marketing agreements, production
and marketing programs, credit, and
other matters pertaining to the business
of Agriculture.
Results of these studies have already
benefited the industry; FVC's economist
has secured valuable data from the De-
partment, with which to prepare briefs,
reports and other necessary information
for growers, and for presentation to fed-
eral agencies.
P4094es T wisoAM ijedeawcht
Better Vegetable Crops
Don't "Just Happen"
The fact that Florida vegetable grow-
ers have been able to cope with the
many production problems new dis-
eases, pests, and the like and in some
instances achieve greater yields, has been
in large part due to the work of the Agri-
cultural Experiment Stations of the Uni-
versity of Florida.
Research on vegetable problems is con-
ducted in all major vegetable areas of the
state at the Subtropical, Everglades (in-
cluding East Coast), Central Florida and
Main Stations, and at the Watermelon,
Strawberry, Potato and Vegetable Crop
Laboratories. The scope includes soils
and cultural phases (including disease
and insect control, breeding and variety
testing), marketing and economic studies
and the recently inaugurated processing
and packaging.
Since the war, the chief handicap in
conducting this research has been the
inadequate salaries and financing to meet
the competition of salaries paid else-
where and the high cost of operation.
Some of the most competent of the staff
accepted positions with other institutions
or commercial firms and the breadth of
the work had to be reduced in many in-
stances because of high labor and other
costs.
The major accomplishments resulting
from increased appropriations (if avail-
able) as granted by the 1947 Legislature
will be: (1) a salary scale more in line
with that warranted and which will be
of material help in the retention and
securing of the trained and competent
personnel required. And (2) increase in
funds so sorely needed for necessary and
regular expense.
Specifically, marketing studies will be
enlarged, as will also soils, breeding, pro-
cessing and packaging, and cultural in-
vestigations.
Much of the information contained in
this issue of the Digest was prepared
by members of the experiment station
(Continued on Page 160)
FLORIDA AGRICULTURAL
EXPERIMENT STATION
Harold Mowry, Director
L. 0. Gratz, Asst. Director, Research
W. M. Fifield, Asst. Director,
Administration
HORTICULTURE:
G. H. Blackmon, Horticulturist
F. S. Jamison, Truck Horticulturist
Byron E. Janes, R. K. Showalter, R. J.
Wilmot, R. D. Dickey, Victor F. Nettles,
F. S. Lagasse, Associate Horticulturists
Agronomy: W. E. Stokes
Economics: C. V. Noble
Entomology: A. N. Tissot
Plant Pathology: W. B. Tisdale
Soils: F. B. Smith
VEGETABLE BRANCH STATIONS:
North Florida (Quincy) : J. D. Warner
Everglades (Belle Glade) : R. V. Allison
Sub-Tropical (Homestead) :
Geo. D. Ruehle
Central Florida (Sanford):
H. W. Lundy
FIELD STATIONS:
Leesburg: G. K. Parris (Watermelons
and Grapes)
Plant City: A. N. Brooks
(Strawberries)
Hastings: A. H. Eddins (Potatoes)
Bradenton: J. R. Beckenbach
(Vegetable Crops)
Lakeland: Warren 0. Johnson
(Weather)
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IIA,,t C4 104a. --
May Be the "Major"
Crops of Tomorrow
Florida growers who want to increase
their own and the state's income from
vegetables would do well to consider the
production of a wider variety of crops.
There are a number of minor vegetables
that either are adapted to Florida con-
ditions or might be adapted if given a
reasonable amount of attention.
The 10 major vegetables-beans, cab-
bage, celery, cucumbers, peppers, pota-
toes, tomatoes, strawberries, watermelons
and sweet potatoes-account for most of
the income derived from truck crops in
Florida. Any increase in market demand
for them, of course, will be reflected in
increased income to Florida producers.
But these 10 aren't the only vegetable
crops worth considering.
Sweet Corn
Florida during the current season will
harvest and ship large quantities of sweet
corn. Five years ago it was exceedingly
difficult to find a single commercial plant-
ing of this crop. Whether the acreage
will continue to expand probably de-
pends on two factors. They are: first,
can the earworm be controlled sufficiently
well to allow the marketing of worm-
free corn, and, second, will corn of high
quality reach the consumer? Methods
giving reasonable control of worms are
available but they require thorough ap-
plication if they are to be effective. Qual-
ity in sweet corn is elusive and transi-
tory. Quality is dissipated rapidly at
relatively high temperatures. Harvest-
ing procedure that moves the corn rapidly
from the field through the packing house
into well-cooled cars or trucks is the
surest method of retaining quality. Pre-
cooling of the corn to remove the field
heat is particularly desirable. Corn loses
sugars slowly when held at temperatures
below 40' F.
Only hybrid varieties should be grown.
At present Ioana, Golden Cross Bantam,
Illinois Golden No. 10 and Tri-State are
being planted. It is questionable whether
Illinois Golden No. 10 should continue to
be grown, since it is difficult to remove
the shucks or husk from the ear. One
of the characteristics of hybrid corns is
the uniformity of a variety to mature all
its ears at approximately the same time.
This usually allows 80 to 90 percent of
all ears to be harvested at one harvesting;
thus it will be desirable to have early and
late maturing varieties to spread the
harvesting period. The potential demand
for good quality sweet corn is great; the
demand for low quality corn is almost
non-existent.
Onions
Onions have been grown occasionally
by Florida growers for many years.
Many have been harvested and marketed
as green onions. Where grown for ma-
ture bulbs, growers have encountered
several problems. Thrips have injured
the growing crops; bulbs have matured
at a season of the year when curing in
the field was difficult, and many of the
varieties tried were not consistent in
their performance, some years develop-
ing many split or thick-necked bulbs.
Recent improvements in insecticides make
(Continued on Page 183)
DR. F. S. JAMISON, author of this article, is truck
crop horticulturist at the University of Florida Experi-
ment Station, Gainesville.
88
"hwe. 2ad 4t OV YideCd fo fl"
Many New Insecticides
Developed During Wartime
Manufacturers as well as the public
have become insecticide minded. The in-
secticide field has been broadened by the
ever increasing number and variety of
new materials. The war has speeded up
the search for new materials and newer
uses for old materials. This has re-
sulted in a tremendous number of new
materials and combinations of materials
thought to have some insecticidal value.
Manufacturers have entered the insecti-
cide field as a sideline or outlet for by-
products that may produce cheap insecti-
cides.
DDT
During the war years, we have seen
some new and very effective insecticidal
materials come into use. DDT was the
first of these to be brought to the pub-
lic's attention. It has been intensively
investigated for four years in this coun-
try and much remains to be learned of
its killing qualities. What we find out
about it will certainly have a bearing
on the other chlorinated compounds I
will briefly mention. Certain formula-
tions, namely the 3 percent dust and 2
lbs. of the 50 percent wettable to 100
gallons of water are standard recom-
mendations for certain vegetable crops.
It is especially effective against the chew-
ing cabbage insects and related insect
species on the other cole crops. It has
replaced many of our old insecticides.
It has proven effective against the pep-
per weevil, leafhopper on beans and black
eyed peas. It is used extensively on toma-
toes for the control of southern army-
worm, tomato fruit worm and other
chewing insects. No injury to plants or
decreases in yields have been noted to
date on any of our experimental plots.
No adverse reports have been made by
growers. It is true that DDT has sharply
decreased the yields of tomatoes on the
lower east coast, but many more appli-
cations of the material were made than
is the general practice on the west coast.
We have found that it is seldom neces-
sary to make more than 4 applications.
We hear confusing reports about the ef-
ficiency of DDT and its control of the
serpentine leaf miner. We have noted
some apparent control in seedbeds when
used as a 3 percent dust but will have
to work this problem further. The water
sprays have generally been ineffective,
both in seedbeds and in the field.
DDT has been used successfully as a
control for mole crickets in seedbeds.
Some alarm has been expressed over the
cumulative effect of DDT in the soil and
its effect upon crops. Work continues
along this line, but indications so far
show no reason for too much worry.
Much concern has been expressed over
the toxic effect of DDT upon honeybees
essential for pollination of certain crops.
If applications are properly timed and
the minimum amounts are used, little
harm should befall the bees. The honey-
bee goes directly to the flower and does
not crawl over the foliage, so the chance
of coming in contact with DDT is mini-
mized. Just remember DDT is by far
less toxic than the arsenicals.
DDT is not recommended for use on
cucurbits because of its erratic behavior.
(Continued on Page 185)
E. G. Kelsheimer, author of this article, is entomolo-
gist at the Vegetable Crops Laboratory of the Florida
Agricultural Experiment Station at Bradenton.
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