Introduction - Early Years - 1940's - 1950's - 1960's - 1970's - 1980's - Conclusion - Literature Cited

It was not until after World War II that the sod industry, as we know it today, began to develop in and around Davie. But Brack Cantrell was cutting sod during the War for use on southern Florida military bases (Ed Davis, personal communication). In 1946, many of the future leaders of the industry were in or getting into the sod business. Most of them had small acreages. Joe and Arthur Wolf had formed Davie Sod after returning from the Armed Services with a few dollars in their pockets. They bought a 20-acre Bitterblue field that had lain dormant during the War. The field was mowed with a 30-inch lawnmower and the clippings were hauled off on a surplus military truck. Other growers at this time were the Griffin Brothers; and Jim Ousley and Jim Farquhar in partnership. Elmer Kirkland worked for Ousley and Farquhar. Ousley and Farquhar later separated to form Ousley Sod Co. and Glades Sod Co., respectively.

During the fall of 1947, rain from a tropical hurricane produced a devastating flood that wiped out the sod fields in Davie. This catastrophe forced the growers to find any source of planting stock available to replant their fields. Ralph Hammer obtained stolons from an embankment on the South New River Canal. Most growers, however, had no choice but to get grass from the Lake Okeechobee region which had been planted primarily with 'Roselawn' St. Augustinegrass. Roselawn was a pasture grass which had been distributed in 1942 and 1943 by Everglades Experiment Station (1), now the Everglades Research and Education Center, and the grass was planted extensively on the organic soils around Lake Okeechobee. After the sod growers' fields were replanted, ranchers continued to market their sod at a reduced price. This activity was the beginning of the sod industry in the Okeechobee region (also called the Everglades Agricultural Area, EAA). Even though a few ranchers began planting Florida Common and Bitterblue, the EAA had a reputation for poor quality until well into the 1960's. Although all three varieties, Bitterblue, 'Florida Common', and 'Roselawn' could be found in the Davie area in the late 1940's, most St. Augustinegrass being marketed was called Bitterblue.

During this decade sod was mowed with government surplus Worthington (Jacobsen), Roseman, and Toro three- and five-gang pull behind reel mowers. A sod cutter designed by Harry White (from Michigan) was utilized during the late 1930's or early 1940's. This machine, called a "kicker" because of its mode of operation, was very difficult to use. It had a U-shaped blade. As Arthur Wolf recalled, an operator could use it for only about 10 minutes at a time (A. R. Wolf, personal communication). During World War II the Rubison Sod Cutter was developed by Rubison Machine Shop in Davie. This simple machine, a "sod shovel" or "sod spade" revolutionized the sod business and was the only type of cutter used until the mid-1950's. It had flat rolling coulters on the sides and a scoop underneath. There was a depth adjustment and some steering ability. Ousley built a planting sled that would be dragged behind a tractor. Three people would sit on the sled, hand planting 2 to 3 acres per day (Elmer Kirkland, personal communication). This was much less work than stooping.

Introduction - Early Years - 1940's - 1950's - 1960's - 1970's - 1980's - Conclusion - Literature Cited