Most. of the fuller's earth used in the United States is also from Florida. There are exten sive deposits at Ellenton, on the Manatee River and at Quincy. The demand for this substance in the refining of animal, vegetable and mineral oils has led to a vastly increased production within the last 20 years. The value of the yearly output in Florida is about $300,000. Kaolin is produced to the value of about $50, 000 annually. Florida ball clay is in great de mand by potters because of its high plastic qualities. The output of the brickyards is val ued at $300,000 yearly.
Lime and mineral waters are also produce& The whole mineral output in 1914 was valued at $8,497,688, and in 1915 at $4,886,010. In nor mal years its value is well above $10,000,000.
The soil, while much of it seems a sterile sand, is helped to fertility by the moisture.. Florida furnishes abundantly the rich fruits and valuable products of the tropics. Large areas are devoted to orange orchards, while lemons, limes, grapes, pineapples, bananas, pears, guavas, etc., grow with equal luxuriance and coffee, rice, cotton and tobacco are natural products. Sea-Island cotton, so valuable and elsewhere limited to a few islands, here grows far inland. Coconuts also are grown in the sub-tropical region. Horticulture is one of the most profitable pursuits, and of late years market-gardening has assumed con siderable dimensions in many parts of the State. An abundance of fruits and vegetables may be had fresh every month in the year, and during the winter and early spring months they are in great demand in northern markets. Agriculture is pursued generally in all parts of the State. At the last census there were 50,016 farms, with a total acreage of 5,253,538, of which 1,805,408 acres were improved. The total value of all farm property was placed at $143,183,183. About three-fourths of the farms are cultivated by their owners, but the tenantry system has increased within the last two decades, and is especially common in the dis tricts where cotton is the principal crop. About one-third of the farms are operated by negroes, but one-half of the negro farms are rented and the value of farm property held by negroes is $18,000,000 or about one-eighth the value of the farm holdings of the whole State.
In 1916, 840,000 acres were planted with corn; the product was 12,600,000 bushels valued at $11,340,000. In the same year cotton was grown on 197,000 acres and the product was raked at $6,412,000. Tobacco was planted on 2,500 acres to the extent of 3,025,000 pounds and sold for $908,000. In the same year 1, 110,000 bushels of potatoes, valued at $2,220,000 were grown on 15,000 acres. Hay was pro duced on 56,000 acres to the extent of 70,000 tons, valued at $1,120,000. Oats to the extent of 900,000 bushels was grown on 60,000 acres and sold for $639,000. In the same year 18,000 bushels of rice, valued at $14,000, was raised from 700 acres. In 1917, 3,410,000 pounds of tobacco were produced and 21,000 bushels of rice. Peanuts are grown on about 100,000
acres and the value of the annual crop is well over $2,000,000. In 1917 the cotton area was 183,000 acres and the yield 40,000 bales. The cotton area is confined almost entirely to the northern part of the State. Gadsden County is the centre of the tobacco growing district and about four-fifths of the State's crop is pro duced within its borders. Sugar-cane is being planted to an ever increasing acreage; about 150,000 tons of cane are now grown annually. The value of the 1917 potato crop was $4,664, 000, from 25,000 acres. Other vegetables in the same year were produced to the value of over $8,000,000.
Horticulture.- The orchard crops are rich in tropical products - lemons, limes, guavas, Japanese plums, olives, figs, coconuts, etc.; but the leading crops are oranges, grape-fruit and pineapples. The orange industry has been sub ject to immense vicissitudes. Early in the 90s it was the one speculation of central Florida, and the product rose to 5,000,000 boxes in one year; then the terrible cold wave of 1894 95 froze millions of young trees to the roots, often splitting them in two. The older trees, where well handled, generally sur vived, but another cold wave in 1899-giving native Floridans the unprecedented sight of several inches of snow -destroyed a large part of those also; the two disasters killed three-fourths of all the orange trees in the State. The crop sank to 125,000 boxes or there abouts, and most of the growers abandoned the business, thinking a permanent change of climate had set in; but it is now known that heavy frosts occurred now and again in earlier times as well, and growers are recovering courage, though the industry is shifting toward the southeast coast. The orange crop in a recent year amounted to 4,769,312 crates, valued at $5,665,415. The industry is now well estab lished in Brevard, Orange, Volusia, Hillsbor ough, Lake, De Soto, Putnam and Polk coun The grape-fruit industry has extended rapidly within the last decade particularly in Dade, Lake, Lee, Manatee, Orange, Brevard, Palm Beach and Pinellas counties. In a re cent year 1,405,308 crates, valued at $2,684,525, were produced. Saint Luck County is the centre of the pineapple district, but great quan tities are produced also in Dade, Lee and Palm Beach counties. In a recent year 355,658 crates of pineapples were produced, valued at $383, also 11,810 crates of lemons, valued at $32,763; 27,061 bunches of bananas, valued at $26,346; 19,373 crates of avocado pears, valued at $53,730; 26,500 crates of mangoes, valued at $26,500; persimmons valued at $6,650; 56,170 crates of guavas, valued at $49,000; 16,500 crates of figs, valued at $25,580; peaches valued at $225,576; 30,900 barrels of pears, valued at $78,250; 17,700 bushels of plums, valued at $23,000; 1,000,000 pounds of grapes, valued at $74,000, and coconuts to the value of $8,400.