Polk County FlArchives News.....Blasted Blizzards Blasts February 13, 1895
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Teresa McGowin tmcgowin@earthlink.net September 30, 2007, 9:35 pm

Bartow Courier-Informant February 13, 1895
COLD FROM ONE END OF THE COUNTRY TO THE OTHERS
POLK COUNTY SUFFERS LEAST OF ALL
Fully Seventy-five Per Cent of The Vegetable Crop Has Escaped -- Our Farmers 
Exceedingly Hard to Down -- Reports From Other Parts of the World

This second freeze has belted the earth.  All over the country from east to 
west from north to south come the same story of bitter cold and intense 
suffering.  Trains have been completely blocked in by snows in many places.  
Hunger and destitution exists in many of the upper states.  The thermometer 
reached a low point all over the country.  Even as far south as Atlanta it 
fell below zero.  Travel and traffic has been almost entirely suspended for 
several days.

The first through northern mail reached Bartow on Monday night, since last 
Thursday.

The cold has reached all parts of the world.  The orange crops in Italy, Spain 
and France are lost and Florida will have an even start with the rest of the 
country.

The mercury went down to ten degrees in many portions of Florida and the 
orange trees and vegetables in those sections are no more.  At Tampa and other 
places on the west coast there was a considerable snowfall which must have 
been a novel sight for many of the people.

Here in Bartow the blizzard came up suddenly and unexpectedly, beginning on 
Thursday afternoon.  The mercury began to drop rapidly until it reached 20 
degrees on Friday morning, only two degrees better than the December freeze.  
All day Friday it remained down close to the freezing point and Friday night 
it dropped again to 21 degrees.

Luckily the Polk county vegetables crops were in good condition and not more 
than 25 per cent is lost.  Most of the seed beds in the county were covered 
and thus saved and there remains plants enough to reset nearly the entire 
acreage.  This end of the state is still in position to get into market with 
her vegetables earlier than any other section.

Our growers are keeping up their courage and will come on top in spite of 
freezes, unless they continue to come thick and fast.

A large number of our farmers have been seen and on our editorial page will be 
found fuller reports from some of them.


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