{"1": {"fulltext": "", "height": "3318", "width": "2000", "jp2-path": "floridacolonist01flor_0001.jp2"}, "2": {"fulltext": "V\\nn^ V^\\n^s^-^\\n,00\\nA^^", "height": "3170", "width": "1800", "jp2-path": "floridacolonist01flor_0002.jp2"}, "3": {"fulltext": "^A v^\\naV\\nnN -r-.\\nX^\\noV\\n-b^\\nS^\\n.00\\ns.^t", "height": "3170", "width": "1800", "jp2-path": "floridacolonist01flor_0003.jp2"}, "4": {"fulltext": "", "height": "3170", "width": "1800", "jp2-path": "floridacolonist01flor_0004.jp2"}, "5": {"fulltext": "", "height": "3170", "width": "1800", "jp2-path": "floridacolonist01flor_0005.jp2"}, "6": {"fulltext": "", "height": "3170", "width": "1800", "jp2-path": "floridacolonist01flor_0006.jp2"}, "7": {"fulltext": "THE\\nFlorida Colonist,\\nOR,\\nSETTLER S (iUlDE.\\nANSWERS TO THE QIKSTION\\nWHERE IX FLORIDA SHALL WE LOCATE!\\nSECOND EDITION,\\nENLARGED AND IMl ROVEf).\\nPREPARED BY J. S. ADAMS.\\nCommissioner of Liuuls mid Ininilaration.\\nl^eceiiibei-, 1H71.\\nEntered acoorcilng to Act of Congress, In the year 1871, by J. S. Adams, In the ofllce of\\nthe Librarian of Congress, at Washington.\\nJACKSONVILLE:\\nFLORIDA UNION .TOD Pia.VnXC ROOMS.", "height": "3170", "width": "1800", "jp2-path": "floridacolonist01flor_0007.jp2"}, "8": {"fulltext": "", "height": "3180", "width": "1905", "jp2-path": "floridacolonist01flor_0008.jp2"}, "9": {"fulltext": "THE FLORIDA COLONIST,\\n7?\\nSettler s Guide.\\noi;\\n,x :5 OF Cc;^\\nANSWERS TO THE (JOESTION. MVHERE IN FLORIDA SHALL WE LOiXfE!\\nPREPAREn BY .1. S. ADAMS, COMMISSIOXEn OF nfMKUlATIOX.\\nPPiEFATORY.\\nMoro definite information in ref;anl to the special cliaracteristies and adaptations of dif-\\nferent sections of Florida has been much souo-ht In- the crowds of stran^-ers wlio have visi-\\nted the State within a few j-ears.\\nWell knowing- that information derived directlj- from the actual residents of each par-\\nticular count} would be most desired, as well as intrinsically the most valuable, earnest\\nefforts have been made to secure careful reports from individual residents in every part of\\nthe State. But only partial success has been attained as yet, many counties not having-\\nresponded at all.\\nStill, in response to the uro-eiit demand, it has been deemed best to pul)lish at once what\\nis available, in a form convenient for distribution, as soon as possible, with the intention\\nof adding such other and further information as maj be received from time to time. Sev-\\neral articles heretofore published in the newspapers liy the Commissionei-, or under his\\nsupervision, are given here as thus published.\\nThis tract must meet with a very wide circulation, and so largely diffuse a particular\\nknowledge of each particular section that is reported. It is, therefore, hoped that all in\\nall i)arts of the State, who will assi.st in bringing the mei-its of their own section to the\\nknowledge of those seeking homes in the State, will forward, for use in the future, careful\\nand complete descriptions of their locality to the Commissioner as soon as may be.\\nThe main ])oints in regard to which information is sought areas follows, of each county\\nL(Jcation Surface Soil Climate Health Natural Fertilizers Water Sujtply\u00e2\u0080\u0094 Tim-\\nber Cost of Clearing Price of Lands Wages of Labor and Supply Stajtlc Crops\\nPossible Crops Fruits Advantages of Church and School Special adaptation to jiar-\\nlicular crops or different occupations and kinds of business Means of access and distance\\nfrom well-known points on Seaboard and Railroads The disposition of ])enple towards\\nnew-comers.\\nInformation is also desired of all natui-al curiosities, tending to lend special inlerest to\\ndifferent localities.\\nInformation received will be added to and stitclied up with tliis pampldet, and tlius, in\\nthe end, a very perfect hand-book of Florida will be secured.\\nAddress communications to J. S. ADAMS,\\nConmiissionei of Immigration, Jacksonville, Fia.", "height": "3180", "width": "1905", "jp2-path": "floridacolonist01flor_0009.jp2"}, "10": {"fulltext": "IMMIGRATION.\\nEY J. S. ADAMS. COMMISSIONER OF IMMIGRATION.\\nPREUMIXAUy AKTK LE.\\nEditor Union Whatever may lie the valuable indueemenls which Florida holds forth\\nto immigration, they must of course be mainly liroui;-ht to general notice through the public\\npress, and as the time approaches when an unacclimated imniigi-ation may arrive with the\\nleast danger to health, it is desirable that these manifold inducements be set forth as fully\\nas possible.\\nIn accordance, there^ ore, with our prexions arrangement, T projiose now soon to furnish\\na series of articles for the Union, \\\\n wliidi more or less in detail, the various characteris-\\ntics of the State may be set forth.\\nThe intention will be to describe the State generally, in the ilr.st instance, giving the\\nfacts in regard to the climate, soil, health, water, surface, timber, general capacity, and\\ngeneral productions, and then to give the peculiar characteristics of each different section\\nof the State as far as attainable.\\nWith reference to the general character of the whole State, 1 ajiprehend no great difli-\\nculty in the preparation of such articles as may be necessary or desirable. Indeed, the\\nservices of very competent men are already engaged for the treatment of these features of\\nthe topic, and now sufficient knowledge of these general traits is so prevalent that the ac-\\ncomplishment of this part of the work is comparatively easy. But it is chiefly in regard\\nto the collection of accurate statistics of tlie dififerent counties and special localities that\\ndifliculties will arise.\\nPeople from abroad have, on account of the facilities of access to Jacksonville and the\\nvillages of the St. Johns, made tiiemselves quite familiar with the character of that portion\\nof East Florida that is within reach of the eye of one passing on steamers up and down\\nthe St. Johns, and have taken this as a fair sample of the whole State, and formed their\\nopinion accordingly, while the remaiijdei of East Florida and the whole of Middle and\\nWest Florida have remained almost entirely imknown to strangers.\\nTo correct this false idea, and to give some reliable knowledge of other and better por-\\ntions of the State, is a leading feature of the design of these publications.\\nBut, right here, if \\\\.he work be well done, it will be through the intelligent co-operation\\nof thoughtful minds in the diflerent localities. For, in the tirst place, such alone are cnn-\\nvei sant with the facts that go to make up the general character of these different sections\\nand in the second place, such alone know and can give those special facts as to peculiarities\\nof soil and surface, and, more particularly, such facts and statistics in reference to the ac-\\ntual cultivation of different crojis imder varying circumstances as intelligent men most\\nneed in order to enable them to form an intelligent opinion, by which thej^ are willing to\\nbe governed in choosing a location for themselves.\\nAn earnest endeavor shall be made, so far as the knowledge now in possession, or that\\nnuiy be attained, will ])ermit, to make a showing of each different section of the State,\\nwhich shall be manifestly fair and impartial.\\nPermit me, then. Mi Editor, through your columns, to solicit the thoughtful co-opera-\\ntion of intelligent men of all classes in each o\u00c2\u00a3 the different counties and sections of the\\nState. Allow in( thus to urge upon all who ma willing to take some trouble for the sake\\nof exhibiting in a fair light tlie jjeculiar character, each of his own county or section, the\\ndesirability of communicating with me as soon as may be, and furnishing me the facts and\\nstatistics, that thej- may bo eml)()die l in a description of that locality. Not only facts as\\nt(^ tiie surface, soil, climate, and productions, but also, thq price of lands, the kinds of tini-\\nl er, the wages of labor, access to market, cost of clearing, health, water, and, specially,\\nfacts as to cr )i)S that may be cultivated and actuallj have been cultivated, with cost of cul-\\ntivation and net jiroceeds, stating tlie amounts raised to the acre of the great staples, col-\\nton, corn, sugar, tobacco, sweet and Irish jiotatoes, v., together with the prevalent dispo-\\nsition towards new-comei s.\\nArticles embodying such information are most earnestly solicited from all.\\nAfter these papers shall have betMi published here, it is proposed to procure their inser-\\ntion in the })apers elsewhere, so far as practicable, and then to condense and collate them\\nand publish them in pamphlet form that they may lie distrilnited to all applying for infor-\\nmation in regard to the State.\\nWhile, Mr. Editor, it is not thus proposed thai all the articles furnished shall be original", "height": "3180", "width": "1905", "jp2-path": "floridacolonist01flor_0010.jp2"}, "11": {"fulltext": "with me, still, it is proportt-d tliat every ai ticle lluis fiirni,~hed shall rome to you, and\\nthrough you to the public, with my official cndorseniont.\\nWHY SKEK A .NEW HOiyE IX I l.OKIDA\\nIn the interest of the. State Bureau of Immigration, it is ])r(j]iosed to give, in oondenscd\\nform, an authentic and perfectly reliable statement of the actual inducements to settlers\\nwhich arc offered by the State of Florida.\\nIn consideration of tlie superior advantages which, in many important partnulars, the\\nSouth posses.ses over the West; of the migrat(^rv character of a large portion of the [lop-\\nulation of the North and West of the condition of several of the countries of Europe, un-\\nsettled at present, and with little promise of improvement in the future, a large movem,\u00c2\u00a3?nt\\nof population southward may reasonably be expected within the next few years, and to\\nanswer in brief such questions as will naturally occur to the minds of men seeking a new\\nhome in the South, and inquiries about the peculiarities of tiiis State, is the purjiose of the\\nfollowing pages.\\nAttention is called in the lirst place to some of the general characteristics of the State,\\nwith the view of subsequently going more into detail and speaking of special localities.\\nACCESSIBILITY.\\nTiiere are few sections of the Union that, iq)on the wliole, arc easier of access than the\\nState of Florida. Situated between the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic, it is acce.ssible\\neither by steamer or sail vessel from New Orleans on the West, or from Baltimore, Phila-\\ndelphia, New York, and Boston on the East, or from any of the European jjorts. If the\\nsettler desires, he may thus embark with all his household goods antl furniture on a sailing\\nvessel, and w^ithout trouble or change, be landed within easy reach of his future home.\\nConnected likewise on the West, tlirough Columbus, and on the Ea.st through Savannah\\nby its own system of railroads, with the great system of Southern and Western and East-\\nern railroads, Florida is also thus by rail as easily and entirely accessible as any of tlie\\nStates of the West and Northwest.\\nWithin the last twelve months, more tlian six liundred vessels have been loaded with\\nlumber and timber in the Florida ports, and dispatched to the Eastern ports in this country,\\nand to the various ports of Europe and coming here mostly in ballast, and easily adapted\\nto the bringing of passengers at light expense, they will promote immigration extensively\\nwhen the inducements are fully known in other parts of this country and the world.\\nMJIATE.\\nThe climate of Florida is not excelled by that of any of the Umted_^ States, and it may\\nbe doubted whether it can he equalled elsewhere in the world. Locafed (ui the very bor-\\nders of the torid zone, and, therefore, so far as latitude alone is concerned, entitled to rank\\namong the hottest portions of the Western continent, still her situation betwee*i the Gulf\\nof Me;cico and the Atlantic is such, that owing to her peculiar form, she is swept alter-\\nnately by the winds of the Eastern and W estern seas, and relieved from those burning\\nheats with which she would otlierwise be scorclied, and thus it happens that by the joint\\ninfluences of latitude and i)eculiar location, she is relieved on tlie one hand from the rigors\\nof the winter climate of the Northern and Middle States, and on the other, from the ex-\\ntreme heat by which not only the other Southern States, but in the summer time, the\\nNorthern States, are characterized.\\nWhile in winter the Northern and ^liddle States are covered with snow, and fmst i)ene-\\ntrates the earth to tlie depth of several feet, and tlie leafless trees wave tlieir bare and\\nskeleton fingers in the wintry wind, in Florida most of the trc^s and shrubs ar(Mu full\\nfoliage, and the winter gardens are tilled with vegetables in their most thrifty growth.\\nIn the Northern States the frosts of November and December most effectually put a\\nstop to all agricultural operations, anil the farmer is compelled to feed his stock foi- from\\nfour to six months, and is himself confined to the getting of fuel and lumber, thus in one\\n])ortion of the year consuming a large portion of the result of his labor in the other.\\nBut in Florida, this very winter season is better adapted to building, clearing land, and\\nthe performance of all necessary extra Avork on the farm, than even the sunmier.\\nIn the North, all regular farming work is of necessity crowded into the space of less\\nllian half the year, while in Florichi thcr is scarcely a single day in tlu wliole year that\\nmay not be devoted to purely agricultin-al work.\\nIn some of the Northern States the mean average range of the thermometer within the\\nlast two years, has been from 30 deg. below zero to .H end 100 deg. above. In Florida, for\\nmany years, the range of the tliermometer has been less than half as great.\\nThe following table gives the mean of three daily observations, taken by Dr. A, S. Bald-\\nwin, at Jacksonville, in the Northern ])art of Florida, and exhibits the record of the highest\\nand lowest range of tlie tlnirmometer f()r five j-ears, from 3 So? to ]8( 1, inclusive;", "height": "3180", "width": "1905", "jp2-path": "floridacolonist01flor_0011.jp2"}, "12": {"fulltext": "MONTHS.\\nia57\\nH I LH I L\\nJanuary 73\\nFebruary !81\\nMarch a5\\n81\\nApril.\\nMay\\nJune.\\nJulv.,\\nAuRust 95\\nSeptember 93\\nOctober 81\\nNovember |83\\nDecember 180\\n1858 1859 I I860 1861\\n64i86\\n43l85\\n27179\\n39! 78\\n39 79\\n34 84\\n49\\n39 79\\n40l79\\nH\\n76\\n79\\n45183\\n53 93\\n64 93\\n70 97\\n70t98\\n75 93\\nH\\nIce one to two Inches\\nthick, Jan 19 and 20th,\\n1857.\\nAt 7 A. M., Nov. 25th.\\n]8 i0, the Thermometer\\nstood at 25 deg.\\nIvirlicst frost in the five years, October 27, 1851). Latest frost, April 28, 1858. Latest\\niVost in 1859, February 14.\\n.Viid to establish this matter of climate beyoml doubt, tlio following summary of obwer,\\nrations, taken from the Army Meteorological llegister, is introduced to show the equa.\\nbility of the climate of Florida, as compared with that of other parts of the United States\\nSt. Augustine, Fla\\nTampa Bay,\\nKcv West,\\nWest Point, N. Y.\\nFort Snelllng, Min\\nJan.\\nFeb.\\nMar.\\nApr.\\nMay.\\nJune\\nJuly\\nAug.\\nSept.\\nOct.\\nNov.\\nDec.\\n57.a3\\n.59.94\\n6:5.34\\n68.78\\n73..50\\n79..%\\n80.fi0\\n80..56\\n78.60\\n71.88\\n64.13\\n57.26\\n61 .5;^\\n6;i.54\\n67.73\\n71.83\\n76.64\\n70.46\\n80.73\\n80.4^^\\n78.38\\n74,02\\n66.94\\n61.99\\n66.68\\n68.88\\n73.88\\n75.38\\n79.10\\n81.63\\n83.00\\n82.90\\n81.93\\n78.11\\n74.66\\n71.03\\n38.28\\n28.80 137.63\\n4\u00c2\u00ab.7(t\\n,59.83\\n68.41\\n73.75\\n71.8;{\\n64.31\\n.W.04\\n43.33\\n31.98\\n13.76\\n17.57\\n31.41\\n46.;i4\\n58.97\\n68.46\\n73.40\\n70.05\\n58.86\\n47.15\\n31.67\\n16.86\\nYr.\\n69.61\\n1.93\\n6.51\\n.50.73\\n44..54\\nThe above table shows the monthly and yearly mean of twenty years at St. Augustine\\nof twenty five years at Tampa Bay of fourteen years at Key West of thirty-one years at\\nWest Point, and of tliirty-five years at Fort Snelling. While at tlie latter point the mean\\nannual variation in the range of the thermometer is 59.64 deg., at St. Augustine it is but\\n23.87 deg., and at Key West but 16.32 deg.\\nWliile the heat in Florida is not more intense during the sununer months than at times\\nin all the Nortliern States, in winter the thermometer, in Northern Florida even, rarely\\nsinks to the freezing point.\\nThese figures, from the most authentic sources, show conclusively that the claim made\\nfor the equability and desirability of the climate of Florida rests upon something more\\nthan an imaginary basis.\\nBut it is difficult either by words or figures to convey an adequate idea of the grateful-\\nness of the kindly and genial climate of Florida to one who has become heartily tired of\\nthe ceaseless alternation of the extremes of heat and cold experienced in the Northern\\nStates of the Union.\\nHEALTH.\\nIn regard to health, Florida stands among the foremost States of the Union. For more\\nthan half a century St. Augustine has been a common and well-known resort for invalids\\nfrom every section of the Union, and the salubrity of that particular locality has been\\nvery generally conceded as an indisputable fact; and yet many sections as well as in East\\nas in Middle and Western Florida, are not at all inferior in this j)articular. The vicinity\\nof Entcri)rise, on LakeM(mroc; that of (Jainesville and Ocala, in the interior; of Quiney,\\nin the Northern part oi ]\\\\Iiddle, and of Fcnsacola, in West Florida, for various different\\ncomplaints, are fully equal if not sui erior to St. Augustine in healttli fulness.\\nThere has been an idea iTuaccountably prevalent in some portions of tlie country that\\nFlorida is an unhealthy State, and yet the common report of thousands of invalids, who\\nhave been benefitted by the influence of the climate; the official reports of the military\\nuutiiorities, and the statistics of the U. S. Census, have conclusively demonstrated the\\n.general hcalthfulness of the State.\\nThe fact appears strikingly from the figures of t)ie census iu reference to the deaths\\nfrom pulmonary complaints in the different States, ami the results .strike one more forcibly\\nwhen it is considered that this State for inany yeai-s had been a very common place of\\nresort for invalids afflicted witli all varieties of pulmonary diseases.\\nFrom the census of 186(.\u00c2\u00bb, it is foutid that tlie deatlis from consumption in the various\\nStates of t)ie Union during the year ending May 31st, I860, were as follows: In Massa-\\ncluisetts, 1 in 254 in Maine, 1 in 289 in Vermont, 1 in 404 in New York, 1 in 473 in\\nPennsylvania, 1 in 380; in Ohio, 1 in 670; in California, 1 in* 727; in Virginia, 1 in 957; in\\nIndiana, 1 in 792; in Illinois, 1 in 878; in Florida, 1 in 1,447. Here is po.sitive evidence\\nof infinitely more value tliau all the tlieorii s oi hj potheses whatever.\\nAnd in the official rejxn-tof Sui geon-(ieneral Lawson ajipears tlie following: Indeed,\\nthe statistics iu this Bureau demonstrate tlui fact that the diseases which result from mala-\\nria are of a mucli milder type in the peninsula of Floridu tJuxn in any other State in the", "height": "3180", "width": "1905", "jp2-path": "floridacolonist01flor_0012.jp2"}, "13": {"fulltext": "Union. These reeords show that, the ratio of deiilhs to llic nimihur of cases of remittent\\nfever has been much h ss tliati anion the Irooiis serviiii;- in any otlier portion of tlie United\\nStates. In the middle division of tiie United .States the proportion is one death to tiiirty-\\nsix oases of remittent fevers; in the Xortliern division, one to fifty-two; in the Southern-\\ndivision, one to fifty-four in Texas, one to seventy -eig-ht in Ualifornia. one to one linn\\n(h ed and twenty-two; in New Mexico, one to one lumdred and forty -eight; wliile in Flori\\nda it is but one to two liuudred and eighty-seven. And the Sni-geon-General goes on to\\nsay\\nThe eneral hualthfuhiess of many parts of Florida, particularly on its coast, is [iro-\\nverbial. The average annual mortality of the whole peninsula, from returns in this office,\\nis found to be i t5-lU0 per cent., while in the other portions of the United States, (previous\\nto the war with Mexico) it is 3 3-100 per cent.\\nIn short, it may be asserted without fear of refutation, that Florida jiossesscs a much\\nmore agreeable and salubrious climate than any other State or Territory in the Union.\\nAnd in reference to the comparative character of the climate, Solon Robinson, in a let\\nter published in the New York IVlhuiic, says: As to the salubrity of the climate, I fully\\nbelieve its average equal to Indiaiui or Illinois, and certainly no worse for immigrants from\\nany of the Northern States than Central New York was in its early settlement for those\\nwho went into its forests from New England. There are here, as there, miasmatic locali-\\nties, and localities where mosc[uitoes are as pestiferous as they are in the Montezuma\\nmarshes no worse, and eertaiidy no worse than 1 have often found them at vai iousi)oints\\naround New York.\\nWhere lands are swampy, or along rivers where the banks are low, or have been recent-\\nly cleared from a heavy growth of vegetation, there will be a liability to the same kinds\\nof fever with which other sections of the counti v similarly situated are afflicteil but it is\\neasily discernible from th6 statistics, and is well known within the exjierience of every\\nresident physician, and of evei-y citizen of the State, that all of the fevers ass\\\\mie a much\\nmilder type, and are much less dangerous, than in alnnwt any other State. Witli common\\nand proper care, the health of immigrants to Florida is as safe as in any other section of\\nthe countrj-.\\nIHEAP I.AXDS.\\nAnother strong inducement to immigration into this State is found in the comparative\\ncheapness of a large portion of the lands within her borders. There are within the State\\nsome fifteen millions of acres of U. S. lands, all subject to homestead entry in quantities\\nnot exceeding 160 acres. There are also some ten millions of acres of State lands for sale\\nat from $1.25 to *;2.50 per acre.\\nAnd while it is true that the lands along the St. Johns, and in the vicinity of the larger\\ncities and towns are rapidly becoming quite valuable, still there are hundreds of thousands\\nof acres that may be bought for from $2 to $5 per acre. These are improved lands but\\nunimproved plantations in many parts of the State can be bought for no more than the\\nclearing would cost now.\\nAgain, all over the State are scattered what are called old fields, or old cleared lands\\nthat have been formerly cultivated, and afterwards abandoned for newer lands. These old\\nfields are often situated in the near vicinity of large supplies of natural manures, furnish-\\ning such abundant means of re-invigoration as to make the restoration of these lands to\\ntheir original strength easier and nu)re economical than the clearing of uew lauds, and\\nsuch old fields, in many cases, can be bought for from .$2 to $5.\\nMany of the more preferable lands of the State exist in large plantations or tracts, and\\nit would be necessary to ))urchase large (quantities of land in order to obtain them on the\\nmost reasonable terms. Eut this fact constitutes no valid objection, because by purchasing-\\nsuch large tracts, ojiportunities will be furnished for the establishment of colonies of set-\\ntlers, each of whom, by a proper division of these lands, may obtain such quantity as he\\ndesires, and yet the comfort and convenience of all will be jjromoted by their conunon\\nlocation in the vicinity of each other.\\nIC.VSK OF TILLA(;K.\\nThe facility witli which the greater portion of the tillable lauds in Florida can be worked,\\nfurnishes another very strong inducenuMit to those who, in coming here, i)ropose to engage\\nin agricultural ])urKuits.\\nLands in Florida can be, autl really ai c, worked with very murli less force than is re-\\nqtiired in the North. Whetlicr sandy, (;Iayey, or loamy, they are mucli more friable, atid\\nmore easily tilled.\\nThe fact that neai ly all the plowing done in tlie State is by t lie us(; of single teams, in-\\ndicates the ease with which the soil can be worked. Indeed, witli the same force, as much\\nland can be prepared for crops in Florida in three days, as in the Northern and Eastern\\nStates can be thus worked in five days. Those wlio, in tliis State, know by experience the", "height": "3180", "width": "1905", "jp2-path": "floridacolonist01flor_0013.jp2"}, "14": {"fulltext": "6\\nlieavy laliur and the len,!2,th of tiuie required in tlie preparation of the clay spoils of the\\nxSorth, with the freqnent dntentions caused by waitinnj for the proper decree of liumidity\\nand those accustomed to the jerking of a plow running:; through lands tilled with stone,\\nwill appreciate fully the ease and rapidity with which all tlie ]H-eparatory labor of the\\nfarmer can be accomplished, and the postsibility of such labor at any and all seasons of\\nthe year.\\nSURFACE.\\nThe apparently monotonous and unvarying level surface of Eastern Florida. ..o far ai.\\nthe same is o))en to the insjiection of casual ])assengers, is well calculated to give rise to\\nerroneous notions of the general surface of the State. Tlie very existence of the magnifi-\\ncent river, St. Johns, .-iveraging some two miles in width for more than one hundred and\\nfifty miles in length, and rolling its vast current through a section of country so nearly\\nabsolutely level th.at no elevation of even one hundred feet is within the view of one pa.s-\\nsing up and down the whole length of tlie river, is one of the most singular geographical\\nfacts relating to the whole country.\\nBut the stu face of the remainder of the State is not to be judged by what is seen in the\\nextreme East. In Middle Florida, i)art.icularly in the counties of Leon, (Jadsden, and\\nJackson, may be found (juite an uneven country, sometimes gently undulating, and some-\\ntimes quite iiilly, although the hills have no great elevation, and none rise into the impor-\\ntance of actual mountains. And the same is true of portions of AVest Florida. Through\\nthese regions the frequent springs, the running streams, and the beautifully varied (Surface\\nare in strong and pleasant contrast to the monotonous levels of the East, and the Flat-\\nWoods of the interior.\\nNo one wlio has not seen the middle counties of Florida can be said to !la^\u00e2\u0096\u00a0e an adequate\\nidea of the State.\\nI.IGHT AVOKK AXI) AMPLE LEISUKE.\\nWhile many })ortious of the State are exactly adat)ted to the pursuit of what is called\\nregular farming, in the same way in. which it is followed in the Northern States, still\\nsuch is the mildness of the climate that the same regular farm work which, at tlie\\nNorth, is necessarily obliged to be performed within the limits of six or seven months, in\\nFlorida m.-iy be allowed the Avhole year for its transaction.\\nThus the farmer, instead of being crowded for tune, and really, by the shortness of the\\nseason, constrained to overM ork, or work constantly and hurriedly, may have the whole\\nyear for the performance of his necessary labors, and of course can proceed more leisure-\\nly, and have vastly more spare time to devote to other and congenial jiursuits.\\nBut while it is true that the regular farm work can, fi-om the facility of working the\\nsoil, be much more easily performed, it is likewise true that the mildness of the climate\\nallows the crops of vegetables and fruits, common to this and other States, to mature many\\nweeks earlier than at the North, and allows the cultivation of many crops that cannot be\\ncultivated elsewhere hence, an opportunity is given for those disinclined to the heavy\\nwork of ordinary farming, to engage in the much lighter labor of fruit cidture, or of rais-\\ning vegetables lor Northern markets, with a prospect of better returns than can be expect-\\ned from ordinary farm crops.\\nThus would be secured a nuich lighter and more agreeable^ kiml of citltivation. and the\\nprospect of as certain and lucrative returns as can be relied on frtjui any ntjiei agricultural\\nemployment.\\nWIDE SCOI E OF VE(,iETATIOX.\\nThe very great variety of crops, from wliich the farmer in Florida may make such selec-\\ntions as he chooses, constitutes anotlier consideration of great inq)ortance. Wide as may\\nseem the oj)portHnity of selection in tlie Northern and Eastern States, it, is narrow indeed,\\nas compared with that of Florida. With very few exceptions, all that grow s in the other\\nStates of the Union may well be grown in Florida, and to these may be added a wry long\\nlist of productions, many of which can only be raised luulcr careful pi otection, and some\\nof which are unknown in the other States.\\nExcept in Central America, where the fre((uent luountaius, by diiTcrences of elevation,\\ngive that variety of temi)erature caused elsewhere by difference ot lalitudo, there is pro-\\nbably no portion of the Northern part of the Western continent that gives so great and\\nvaried a list of actual and possible })roductions of value as tlie State of Florida.\\nAll cereals of the North, except wheat, have been raised with great success, and al-\\nthougli in some localities fail- ci ops of wlieat liave been made, still this ci oj) can hardly be\\nsaid to have had a fair trial.\\nWithout exception, all the vegetables tiiat can ije cultivated with success in the North\\n.ore raised with greater success and facility here.\\nAll the Northern fruits, except apjdes, and some of the smaller fruits, such as currants", "height": "3180", "width": "1905", "jp2-path": "floridacolonist01flor_0014.jp2"}, "15": {"fulltext": "and g-ooseliervios, do well in J^ loi-idn, and soino of then}, poaehos partioularlN-, tlirivp ro-\\nnmricabl}-. Apples of very fair (luality have been raised, and it is elainiedtliat by proper\\ncare, they may be successfidly o-rown but it is probably true that they will not do as well\\nas farther to tho North.\\nThen to these are to be added, as among the crops which seem jieculiarly adapted to the\\nclimate, and which ;row with remarkable vigor, rice, upland and lowland, peanuts or pin-\\ndars, sweet potatoes, yams, cotton, long and sliort, indigo, sugar cane, oranges, lemons,\\nlimes, citrons, gniivas, figs, sisal hemj), arrowroot, and pomegranates, and in the central\\nand southern portions of the State, pine apples, bananas, plantains, cassavas, cocoa-nut,\\npaw-paws, various of the species, alligator pears, and probably cotlee, while tea can be\\nraised throughout the State.\\nWonderful as sncli a list seems, comprising oidy the productions of a single State, it\\nevidently must present great attractions to all wlio, by a more rigorous climate, have. been\\nconstrained to confine themselves to a more limited sphere of cultivation. .jh*-\\nVisitors to Florida have hitiierto found so much inconvenience and expense attending a\\njourney through Middle Florida to the western portion of the State, that verj- few sti-angers\\nhave made a personal inspection of any other than the extreme eastern portion of the State.\\nThe magnificent river St. Johns, navigable for sea steamers one hundred miles to Palat-\\nka, and for river steamers more tlian one hundred miles further, to Enterprise, on Lake\\nilonroc, and for a still smallei class of steamers up to Lake Harney, has made traveling\\neasy iuuT comparativelj so cheap that strangers have confined their travels almpst ex-\\nclusively to the extreme eastern part of the State. Of the far richer and more varied sur-\\nface and soil of Middle and Western Florida, not more than one in five hundred of those\\nwho spend the winters in Florida have had adequate conception.\\nHence the characteristically sandy soil of Eastern Florida has been supposed to be li uly\\nindicative of the soil of the whole State. Thus many mistaken notions in regard to tlie\\n?oil of the State have originated.\\nIt is true that the extreme eastern and western parts of the State have, in the main, a\\nsand}- soil, generally covered with pine timber, but more or less undei laid with cluy or\\nmarl, and interspersed, to a greater or less extent, with what are called hammocks, or\\nlands covered with a growth of hard wood.\\nBut as one proceeds westward, along the northern boundary of the State, the character\\nof the soil changes from sand to loam, and then to a strong clay soil, until in the counties\\nof Leon, Gadsden, and Jaclcson, the larger part of the soil is composed of a strong and\\nrather heavy clay. Then talcing a stretcli of laud in the northei-n tier of counties, extend-\\ning from Madison to Jackson, inclusive, and thence down to the Gulf and extending along\\nthe Gulf coast from Liberty to Hernando, and including Sumter, Marion, Alachua, Levy,\\nand other counties, one can find almost every conceivable variety of soil, adapted to the\\ngrowth of nearly every crop that may be selected. Here, reallj in the counties above\\nmentioned, witii whose character strangers are almost entirely unacquainted, is the very\\ncream and flower of the State.\\nAn accurate and somewhat detailed account of the various soils in the State is of so\\nmuch interest to incoming settlers, that a description drawn with some care and published\\nin a fornu-r |)amphlet is here inserted\\nFine lands (pitch and yellow pine) form the basis of Florida. These lands are usually\\ndivided into three classes, denoting first, second, and third rate i)ine*lands.\\nTliat which is denominated first rate ])ine laud in Florida has nothing analogous to it\\nin any of the other States. Its surface is covered for several inches deep with a dark veg-\\netable mould, lieneath which, to the depth of several feet, is a chocolate-colored sandy\\nloam, mixed, for the most part, with limestone pebbles, and resting upon a substratum of\\nmarl, chiy, or limestone rock. Tiie fertility and durability of this description of land may\\nhe estimated from the well-known fact that it has, on the Upper Suwannee, and in se\\\\ cral\\notiier districts, j-ielded during tVnirteen years of successive cultivation, without tlie aid of\\ninanui-e, four lumdred pounds of Sea Island cotton to the acre. These lands are still as\\nproductive as ever, so that the limit of their durability is yet unknown.\\nTlu second ratc^ pine lands, which form the largest proportion of Florida, are all\\nproductive. These hands afford fine natural jiastnrage; they are heavily timbered with\\nthe liest species of pitch and yellow pine they are, for the most part, high, rolling, healthy,\\nHud well watered. They are generally liased ujion marl, clay, or liniestom\\\\ Tliey will\\nproduce for several years without tlie aid of manui-e, and when cow-penned they will yield\\ntwo thousand pounds of the best (|uali(y of sugar to the acre, or aliout three hundred\\npounds of Sea Island cotton. They will, besides, when properly cultivated, produce the\\nfinest Cuba tobacco, oranges, lemons, limes, and various other tropical productions, which\\nmust in many instances rendei- them more valuable than the best bottom lands in the more\\nXorthern States.", "height": "3180", "width": "1905", "jp2-path": "floridacolonist01flor_0015.jp2"}, "16": {"fulltext": "8\\nEvon the. lauds of the third rate, ov most inferior class, are by no means worthless un-\\nder tJie climate of Florida. This class of lands maj be divided into two orders the one\\ncomprising high rolling sandy districts, which are sparsely covered with a stunted growth\\nof black jack and pine the other embracing low, flat, swampy regions, which are fre-\\nTjiiently studed with bay galls, and are occasionally inundated, but which are covered\\nMitli luxuriant vegetation, and, very generally, with valuable timber. Tlie former of\\nthese, it is now assertained, owing to their calcareous soil, are well adapted to the growth\\nof the sisal hemp, which is a valuable tropical production. This plant, (the Agave Sisili-\\naua,) and the Agave Mexicanna hemp, also loiown as the maguay, the pulke plant, the cen-\\ntury plant, (fcc, have both been introduced into Florida, and they both grow in great per-\\nfection on the poorest lauds of tbe country. As tliese plants derive their chief support\\nfrom the atmospliere, tiiey will, like the common air plant, jjreserve their vitality for many\\nmonths when left out of the ground.\\nIt is scarcely necessary to add, that the second order of the third rate pine lands, as\\nliere de,scribed, is far from worthless. These lands afford a most excellent range for cat-\\ntle, besides being valuable for their timber and the naval stores which they will produce.\\nThere is one general feature in the to})ograj)hy of Florida, which no other country in\\nthe United States possesses, and which afibrds a great security to the health of its inhabi-\\ntants. It is this, that the pine lands which form the basis of the country, and whicli are\\nalmost universally liealthy, are nearly every where studed at intervals of a few miles with\\nhammock lands of the richest quality. These hanmiocks are not, as is generally suppos-\\ned, low wet lands they never require ditching or draining they vary in extent from twen-\\nty acres to forty thousand acres, and will probably average about 500 acres each. Hence\\nthe inhabitants have it every where in their power to select residences in the pine lands,\\nat such convenient distances froui the hammocks as will enable them to cultivate the lat-\\nter, without endangering their healtii, if it should so happen that any of the hammocks\\nproved to be less healthy than the pine woods.\\nExperience in Florida has satisfactorily shown that residences only lialf a mile distant\\nfrom cultivfited hammocks arc entirely exempt from m.alarial diseases, and that the ne-\\ngroes who cultivate those hammocks, and retire at night to pine land residences, maintain\\nperfect health. Indeed, it is found that residences in the hammocks themselves are gen-\\nerally perfectly healthy after they have been a few years cleared. Xewly cleared lands\\nare sometimes attended with the development of more or less malaria. In Florida, the\\ndiseases which result from these clearings are, as I stated in my former letter, generally\\nof the mildest type, (simiilc intermittent fever while in nearly all the Southern States\\nthey are most frequently of a severe grade of billions fever.\\nTlie topographical feature here noted, nan\u00c2\u00bbelj-, a general interspersion of rich ham-\\nmocks, surrounded by high, dry, rolling, healthy jjine woods, is an advantage which no\\nother State in the Union enjoys; and Florida forms in this respect a striking contrast witli\\nLouisiana, Mississippi, and Texas, whose sugar and cotton lands are generally surrounded\\nby vast alluvial regions, subject to frequent inundations, so that it is imi)ossible to obtain,\\nwithin many miles of them, a healtliy residence.\\nIt would seem paradoxical that the malai ial diseases of East Florida (abouiuling as it\\ndoes in rich hammock lands, and exjiosed to a tropical sun,) shoukl generally be of a much\\nmilder form than those which prevail in more northern latitudes. That such, however, is\\nthe fact, there can be no doubt for this fact is proved by an aggregate of evidence, (ex-\\ntending over more than twenty years,) which it is impossible to resist. It is suggested in\\nexplanation of this fai-t, that the luxuriant vegetation which in the Southern and Middle\\nStates, passes through idl the stages of decom])osition, is in East Florida generally dried\\nup before it reaches the putrefactive stages of decomposition, and that, consequentlj the\\nquantity of malaria generated is much less than in clinuites more favorable to decomposi-\\ntion. Tliis view is strengthened by the fact tiiat the soil of Fhjrida is almost everywhere\\nof so porous and absorbent a cliaracter, tliat moisture is seldom long retained on its sur-\\nface that its atmosphere is in constant motion, and that there is more clear sunshine tlian\\nin the more northern States. It is further suggested that the uniform })revalence of sea\\nbreezes, and the constant motion of the atmosphere in tlu^ peninsula, tend so much to dif-\\nfuse and att(^nuate whatsoever jioison is generated tiiat it will generally produce but the\\nmildest forms of nuxlarial disease, such as intermittent fever.\\nThe lands which in Florida, are pur txcrl/our., denominated rich lands, are first, the\\nswamp lands; second, the low hammock lands third, the higii hammocks and\\nfourth, the tirst-i ate pine, oak, and hickor}^ lands.\\nThe swamp lands are unquestionably, tlie most duralily rich lands in the country.\\nThey are tlu most recently formed lands, and are still annually receiving additions to their\\nsurface. Tliey are intrinsically-tiie most valuable lands in I loi ida, being as fertile as the\\nliammoeks, and more durable. Thej- are evidently alluvial, and of recent formation.\\nThey oecujiy natural depressions of basins whicli have been gradually filled up by deposits\\nof vegelabii! debris, iScc. washed in frDUi the adjacent and higher lands. Ditching is in-", "height": "3180", "width": "1905", "jp2-path": "floridacolonist01flor_0016.jp2"}, "17": {"fulltext": "ilispensaiile to all of them in tliefr {irejjiiraljou lor sirccessful cnlti vatioii. I roperly pfe-\\nj)ai-ed, however, then- inexhaustible fertility sustains a succession of the, most exhausting-\\ncrops with astonishinc: vii -or. The gi-eatest yield of sugar ever realized in Florida was\\nproduced on this description of lanti, viz: four hognheads per acre. That this quantity\\nwas produced on Dummitt s plantation, near Xew Smyriia, is a fact well l iiown to those\\nconversant with sugar ]ilanting in East Florida. Sugar cane is here instanced as a mea-\\nsure of the fertility of the soil, because it is one of the most exhausting crops known, and\\nis generallv grown without rest or rotation. It is ^lot, however, a fair criterion by which\\nlo judge of the i-elativc fertility of lands situated in different climates, for we find on the\\nrichest lands in Louisiana the crop of sugar i)er acre is not more than one hogshead, or\\nabout half that of East Florida.\\nThis great disparity in the product of those countries is accounted for, not by any infe-\\nriority in the lands of Louisiana or Te.vas, but by the fact that the early incursions of\\nfrost in both these States render it necessary to cut the cane in October, which is long be-\\nfore it has reached maturity, while in East Florida it is jiermitted to stand, without fear of\\nfrost, till December, or till such time as it is fully matured. It is well known that it\\n\u00e2\u0080\u00a2\u00e2\u0096\u00a0tassels in East Florida, and it never does so in eitlier Louisiana or Texas. When cane\\ntassels it is evidence of its having reached full maturity. In consequence of the heav}-\\noutlay of capital required in the preparation of this description of land for cultivation,\\nand from the facility of obtaining hannnock land, which requires no ditching or draining,\\nswamp land has been but little sought after by persons engaged in I lanting in Florida,\\nand there is now at least a million of acres of the best description of this land vacant in\\nthe country, which can be secured at less than two dollars per acre. Vast bodies of it lie\\nconvenient to navigation and railways, and doubtless will soon be sought after with avidi-\\nty, as soon as the sugar plantf r? of Louisiana and Texas become aprized of its character\\nand of the many advantages which sugar planting in Florida presents over any other State\\nin the Union.\\nTavii hmnmocka, which from the fact of their partaking of the*ature of hammocks and\\nswamps, and sometimes termed itwioiimock, are not inferior to swamp lands in fertility, but\\nperhaps, are not quite as durable. They are nearly always level, or nearly so, and have a\\nsoil of greater tenacity than that of the high hammocks. Some ditching is necessai-y in\\nmany of them. The soil in them is always deep. These lands are also extremely well\\nadapted to the growth of the cane, as has been well attested by the many plantations\\nwhich were formerly in operation here on this description of land. There is not nearly so\\nlarge a proportion of low hammock as there is of swamp lands.\\n///yA lutmmochx are the lands in the greatest repute in Florida. These differ from low\\nhammocks in occupying higher ground, and in genei ally presenting an undulating surface.\\nThey are formed of a fine vegetable mould, mixed with a sandy loam, in many places two\\nfeet deep, and resting in most cases on a substratum of clay, niai l, or limestone. It will\\nbe readily understood by any one at all acquainted with agriculture, that such a soil, in\\nsuch a climate as Florida, nmst be extremely productive. This soil, scarcely ever suffers\\nfrom too much wet nor does drought affect it in the same degree as other lands. High\\nhammock lands produce, with but little labor or cultivation, all the crops of the country in\\nan eminent degree. Such lands have no tendency to break up in heavy masses, nor are\\nthey infested with pernicious weeds or grasses. Their extraordinary fertility and pro\\nductiveness may be estimated by the fact that, in several well known instances in Marion\\nounty, three hogsheads of sugar have been made jDer acre on this description of land,\\nafter it had been in cidtivation six yeai-s in successive crops r^f corn, without the aid of\\nmanure.\\nTo sum up its advantages, it requii es no other preparation than clearing and plowing to\\ntit it at once for the greatest possible production of any kind of crop adapted to the cli-\\nmate. In unfavorable seasons it is much more certain to produce a good croj) than othei\\nkind of land, from the fact that it is less affected by exclusively dry or wet weather. It\\ncan be cultivated with much less labor than any other lands, being remarkably mellow,\\nand its vicinity is generally high and healthy. These reasons are sufficient to entitle it to\\nthe estimation in which it is held over all otiier lands.\\nThe first-rate pine, oak, and hickory lands are found in pretty extensive bodies in many\\njiarts of the State, particularly in Marion, Alachua, and Hernando counties. From the\\nfact that those lands can be cleared at much less expense than the swamp and hammock\\nlands, they have, heretofore, been preferred by the small planters, and have proved rcj\\nmarkably productive.\\nThere are, besides the lands already noticed, extensive tracts of savanna lands which\\napproximate in character, texture of the soil, and period ami mode of formation, to the\\nswamp lands, differing only in being destitute of timber. Some of these lands are, how-\\never, extremely poor.\\nProbably the largest bodies of rich haiinnoc^k land in East Florida are to be found in\\nLevy, Alachua, Marion, Hernando, and Sumter counties. Tiiereare in Levy county alone.", "height": "3180", "width": "1905", "jp2-path": "floridacolonist01flor_0017.jp2"}, "18": {"fulltext": "10\\nnot less than one huiulred thousand acres of the very best description of sugar lands; and\\nthere is but a small proportion in anj of the five counties here cited, that will not produce\\nremunerative crops of Sea Island and short staple cotton, without the aid of manure.\\nThe lands on the St. Johns river, taken as a whole, are not as fertile as in some other\\nsections of the State. _ There are, liowever, thousands of acres of rich liammock land\\nwithin a mile of the river, which are as yet an unbroken forest, and the pine lands are\\nmuch better tlian the average of the whole State. Besides, there is an abundance of muck\\non the banks of tlie river and its tributaries, which furnishes a most excellent fertilizer.\\nLime, marl, and shells are also easily ^)btained, and l\u00c2\u00bbavc been used with verj beneficial\\nresults.\\nIn Middle Florida, the counties of Leon, Gadsden, Jefferson, and Madison have large\\nquantities of high, roiling hammock land also, the county of Jackson, in West Florida.\\nThey are more undulating than those in East Florida, and are underlaid with a stiff red\\nclay. They are by far tlie best lands in tlie State for short .staple cotton, to which they\\nhave been almost exclusively appropriated. Tliero is in Volusia county, a range of low\\nhammock, a little back from the coast, from a half to two miles wide, and extending from\\nthe head of tlie Halifax to the head of the Indian river, some fifty miles, as well adapted\\nti sugar cane as any land in the State. The (xulf Hammock, in Levy county, comprises\\nperhaps tlie largest body of rich land in Florida. It was bought tip years ago at from five\\nto ten dollars per acre by private parties, l)y wliom it is mostly held at the present time.\\nThe Florida Railroad runs through it, and it will, no doubt, become, at an early day, one\\nof the garden spots of the State. The clearing of tlie hammocks, howe\\\\er, is expensive,\\nand, as in every new country, we may t^^:)l(\u00e2\u0096\u00a0(\u00e2\u0080\u00a2t lo see ihe lands more lightly timbered first\\nbrouo-ht into cultivation.\\nVIEW OF AN INTELLIGENT FRENCHMAN\\nAS TO THE CAPACITY OF FLORIDA, PUBLISHED IX 182i\\nOfficial statements in the interest of Immigration are sometiuies liable to a suspicion of\\nundue bias and partiality tliat often detracts from their elRcieiicy, oxen when they .ire en-\\ntirely witliin the limits of demonstrability.\\nI am glad, then, to ask the insertion of the following Petition to Congress of the Coffee\\nLand Association, which was presented and made public some fifty years ago.\\nThe Association, under the lead of Peter Stephen Chazotte, who was a Frencli coffee\\nplanter of large experience and skill, and of great intelligence, ask for a grant oj; land for\\nthe encouragement of coffee planting and tlie raising of various other valuable and rave\\nproducts.\\nAnd in the petition, anxious to show tlie strong probabilities of success, an extended\\ncourse of reasoning, based mainly upon known climatic and other con.siderations, and tend-\\ning to show, at least, reasonable grounds for expecting favorable results.\\nThe fact that the\\\\)etition was presented fifty years ago, and by men seeking a grant\\niVoiii the government, relieves tlie reasoning and facts cited from all imputation of partizan\\niir undue bias.\\nAnd again, the fact that thotisands of French emigrants are even now earnestly looking\\ni or a new and freer home in this Western World, gives peculiar and earnest force to these\\nutterances and reasonings of a former generation, from a citizen of their own La Belle\\nFrance. J. S. A.\\nNo. 1.\\nJuif/ i and obf:e7-i rif!onii on the culture of VineK, Ollnes, C cper i, Almonds, jtr., in the. SonthtVii\\nSinfes, mid of Coffee, Cocoa, caul Cochineal in East Flor idn, f)i/ I etcr Stephen Cazotte, whu\\nho^ for upwards of ten yearx been engaged in the eidture of vines, \u00c2\u00a3v., in Southern Frmiee,\\nand for seven years a grower of Coffee, Coeoa, etc., in the West Indies.\\nTo tlie President, Senate, and House of Representatives of tlie United States,\\nAre respectfalij offered, for tiieir consideration, the following facts and observations on\\nthe policj of immediatel_y,4*itroducing the higlilv interesting cultures of Vines, Olives, Ca-\\npers, and Almonds, in tlie new territory of the United .States, and on the plantations, of\\nCoffee, Cochineal, Cocoa, oi Ciiocolate Nut, in East Florida\\nIt has a luindred times lieen elated that auriculture is the liasis of the national wealth of", "height": "3180", "width": "1905", "jp2-path": "floridacolonist01flor_0018.jp2"}, "19": {"fulltext": "11\\nempires. May I not be allowed to add, thiit it is the true source of individual happiness;\\nthat it secures independence, and clieri.shes every virtue the enjoyments of which are\\nconstant, without being contaniinated by those vices which arc fre([uently the attendants\\nof manufactures.\\nThat agriculture is alone ca])able of raising a nation to the highest degree of happiness\\nand independence, the history of mankind will prove; from the earliest ages man. has been\\ntaught to call the earth his mothei- and beneticient nurse.\\nFor the further develoi)ment of my ideas on this interestijig subject, I shall take a cur-\\n-ory view of the climates of Southern Europe and Asia Minor, and look if I cannot find\\nill our country climates perfectly congenial to the growth of whatever plants are success-\\nfully cultivated in Southern Europe. In doing this, however, it is not my intention to in-\\nrhide wheat, barley, oats, nor any grains and vegetables wliich our country is known to\\n;-row to as great a perfection as in any other part of the world. I shalUimitmy inquiries\\nto those rich staples which our soil will luxuriantly grow, and wliich we have until now-\\nneglected to cultivate.\\nHaving resolved not to be deterred from jirosccuting this plan of improvements by any\\nof those idle ideas which either prejudice, ignorance, or foreign policy has been endeavor-\\ning to imbue our minds with, we shall clearly perceive all the advantages which our insular\\ncoast, our extensive inward country, the variety of our climates, and our rich soil, give us\\nover the nations of Europe. It is ti uc that we cannot at })resent drain the marshes of\\nVirginia, nor turn the dismal swamiis of Is orth Carolina into Roman consular retreats and\\npleasure gardens. We need not occupy ourselves with works which require a more con-\\ndensed population than. ours is. That shall be done when the land, distributed amongst\\nmillions of inhabitants, shall, by its increased value, promise a fair interest for the capital\\nemplo3-ed in its improvement; then, and not before, sliall rich fields and stately mansions\\nastonish the mariner sailing along our extensive coast. Leaving to future generations to\\nelFeet what is not our interest now to do, we are at liberty to select our gi-ound, to culti\\nvale the plains, or plant on tlie hills we may choose the climate, the river, the particular\\nsoil diversify our cultm-es in fine, we may raise all the European fruits, and the most\\nvaluable tropical staples. From the cliffs of the Patuxent to the bluff which crowns the\\nplains that form the banks of Mobile bay, the vines may be cultivated, and the hills and\\n\u00e2\u0096\u00a0I alleys of Virginia may, ere long, resound with the echoed songs of the vintagers.\\nWishing to proceed with regularity and order, I shall trace out comparatively jiarallel\\nclimates both in Europe and the United States; and then, taking a separate view of each,\\nI shall prove that, to all our already known productions may be added all those which we\\nhave not yet undertaken to cultivate. In forming this scale, I shall pay less regard to\\nparallel latitudes than to the par.allels of the now existing climates. Parallel latitudes\\ni:ould not bring a fair comparison oi climates. As, for example, latitude fifty-one, in\\nFrance, would give in America the northernmost section of Newfoundland, north of the\\n(rulf of St. Lawrence, and running westwavdly on the southern edge of Hudson s bay;\\nand it is well known that, under the 51st degree of north latitude, in France, the climate\\nis temperate, and the four seasons regularly marked Avhilst under the same latitude, in\\nAmerica, the climate is intensely cold, and only two seasons, which are known to be striv-\\ning to conquer each other. The cause of this may be a fit subject for a treatise.\\nHaving thus far explainetl my motive for abandoning parallel latitudes in order to form\\n}iarallel climates, I shall establish them thus\\nFirnt Climate hi Europe\u00e2\u0080\u0094 rTi\\\\k\\\\ni^ France from the Slst to the 45th degree of north lati-\\ntude, forming two parallel lines running eastwardlj and including the northern sections\\njf France, from Bordeaux, Switzorlaud, Lombardy, Bavaria, Austria, Transylvania, Ac.\\nFirst Clijuati inthe United States. The parallel climate is found between the latitude\\nlist and oStli, two lines running westwardly from the Atlantic, and including the south-\\nernmost sections of New Jersey, Penusylvaulix, Ohio, and Indiana the whole of the States\\nof Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, Kentucky, and Tennessee.\\nSecond C linuile in Europn. From latitudes 45th to 40th, including the southernmost\\nsections of France, south of Bordeaux, one half of Spain, as far south as Oporto in Por-\\ntugal the isles of Corsica and Sardinia Italy as far south as the bay of Tarrento and in-\\ncluding Dalmatia, Servia, Albania, Macedonia, Romania, and the northernmost jjart of\\nAsia Minor bordering on the Black Sea.\\nSecond CVonntc in Anieriea. Its parallel is foimd from latitudes ou to oit, including the\\nwhole of South Carolina, and the northern halves of Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi and\\nLouisiana.\\nThird Climate in Kurojie and A.sid Miuur. FvoU! latitudes 40 to o5, including P(jrtugi4l\\nsouth of Oporto; the squthern section of Spain, Oran, Alg 4 and Tunis, on the northern\\ni-oast of Africa the southoi iimost part of Italy the island of Sicily. Oi o^^o, Moroa all\\nthe isles in the Archipelago, and those of Candia, Rhodes, Cyprus, ttc, itc.; Asi;^ Minoi\\nSp ia, Mesopotamia, and Armenia.\\nThird limafe in. t/tK Un.ited States. Its))aral1el is found l)et\\\\\\\\( (^n latitudes S2i- t() g9, in-", "height": "3180", "width": "1905", "jp2-path": "floridacolonist01flor_0019.jp2"}, "20": {"fulltext": "12\\neluding southernmost parto of Georgia as far south n St. Augustine, Alabama, Mississip-\\npi, Louisiana, Pensaeola, and the northei-ninopt parts of East Florida.\\nFourth dinude in North Ai/irnro. For which thfrc is no i)arallel climate in Europe or\\nor Asia Minor.\\nFrom latitude 29th to i5th, bordering almost on the tropic, and including the remainder\\nof East Florida, containing about 3o millions acres of land.\\nLet us now review those cliinates separately with respect to their jtrofhictions.\\nFirnt Climate iv Europe. There is not a single fruit, nor any grains or vegetables which\\nthe climate produces, even grapes, that are not likewise ))roduced in the first dimate of the\\nUnited iStatex; for vines arc STiccessfully cultivated at Vevai/, in Indiana, wliich lies under\\nthe highest latitude of this climate. If, then, vines grow and bear pleiitifidly good and\\nperfect ripe grapes iit Veveuf, what success would attend tlieir cultivation on ihe iipper\\nland of Virginia, North Carolina, and Tennessee, where the climate is milder, the; season.^\\nmore regular, tlie soil rich, and where tobacco grows in abundance, and even cotton suc-\\nceeds a staple which cannot be raised in Europe in this parallel climate V An undeniable\\nproof that this climate in the L nited States is as favorable to tiie growth of grapes as that\\nof France. We need but plant and our labors will be recompensed witli abundant riches.\\nSeeoud CUirude in E^n-ope. This climate, besides what grows in the first, jiroduces olivfcs,\\ncapers, almonds, oranges, limes, jjomegranates, and figs.\\nSeeond (Jlinude in the United States. This already produces oranges, limes, pomegran-\\nates, figs, (fee, and if olives, cai)ers, and almonds are not seen there, it is because none haAc\\nyet been planted. It is a well known fact that indigo used to be cultivated there, and lias\\nof late years been neglected, because of C(jtton being found more ]iroductive besides to-\\nbacco and rice, which are great staples for exjiortation. Now, would it not exhibit a want\\nof judgment to believe that neither olives, capers, almonils, nor vines, can succeed in so\\nfavorable a climate Facts demonstrate that, notwithstanding Itonaparte s coniniand to\\nraise cotton in the southern provinces of France, every attempt was met with a discour-\\naging failure the siunmer was found to be too short, and all his endeavors to dispense\\nwith our cotton proved useless. Surely, then, that man must be ])rejudiced or blind who.\\nafter such strong evidences, will still doiibt of our success.\\nThird Cliiuafe i) Eitroj e nvd Ax-ia Minor. This third climate produces only wiiat is\\nslated in the second, Avith the addition of some cotton, fit only to manufacture coarse goods.\\nThird Climate in the United titntex. In this climate is raised the finest cotton in the\\nworld and besides those staples that already grow, and may grow in the seeond, we may\\nraise sugar, which is a production of the torrid zone. In vain did Bonaparte s empire ex-\\ntend in the southernmost part of Europe unable to find it in an inch of ground where the\\nsugar canes could grow, he Avas I educed to extract a scanty supply of bad sugar from beets.\\nIt is then manifest, that our 1st, 2d. and od stated climates are, sei)aratcly and collectiveh\\nsuperior to those of Europe and if they do not produce Avines, olives, capers, and almonds,\\nthey are not to be charged Avith being unfavorable to their growth Ave alone are to be\\nblamed for it.\\nFourth Climate South of the United States. This fourth climate has no parallel in Eu-\\nrope; it lies betAveen latitudes 29th and 25th and being four degrees farther to the south\\nthan any other section of the United States, it promises fair, from the nature of the soil\\nand climate, to produce coffee, cochineal, and cocoa; as for sugar, it may evei-yAvhcre be\\nraised abundantly.\\nCoffee, cocoa, and sugar, are staples of the tropics, and a\\\\ e are satisfied tiiat, as the lat-\\nter is raised in Louisiana, the climate in East Florida must/ be much more favorable.\\nDoubts may arise on tlie success attending the culture of the two first nametl staples in\\ntlie minds of such as are altogether unacquainted witli it; but let those wlio are conversant\\nwith the subject decide, and 1 am confident of being strengthened in my opinion by an\\naffirmative.\\nI shall here take a retros])ectivc view of the progress of the plantations of coft ee in tlie\\nWest India Islands, and prove tliat, Avhere it was not expected to groAv, exiioriments at-\\ntended Avith success liaA e remoA cd all doubts.\\nIn the year 1796, not a single coffee i)lant avus cultivated in the island of Cuba. In the\\nyear 17ti9, tliat plant began to be introduced iii^the islanil of Jamaica for in the year\\n1798, there was but a very scanty quantity raised in that island. That .plant Avas chiefly\\ncultiA ated in the colonies belonging to France and, were it not for the French revolution,\\nit is probably that that rich staple would at this day be, as it formerly Avas, tlie principal\\ncause of the ascendency of France over England in supplying the Aviiole of Europe Avith\\nthat colonial produce. Unfortunately, I do not say for France, but for planters of that\\nofice liajipy and favored island, St. Doiuingo, they were doomed to utter destruction by\\ntlie evil genius of a single man. That nifin was named Calonne, prime minister to Louis\\nthe 16th. By that policA whicli in European cabinets is i:a\\\\\\\\{i(i* un coup de politique.\\nalonne expected to arrest the revolution in its first brilliant progress, by diverting ttie\\nminds of the Frencli peo]de, and directing it towards flu- safety of St. Domingo. Avhere tlu-", "height": "3180", "width": "1905", "jp2-path": "floridacolonist01flor_0020.jp2"}, "21": {"fulltext": "13\\ninterests of France feecriicd, until then, to liave been concentrated. He resolved, and or-\\ndered a dreadful revolt to be iiistig ated there, and a man of color, at that time in Pari;-,\\nwhose name was Oge, was sent and lurni.shed with every facility the Government could\\nafford, to stir uj) a revolt amongst the niulatoes. Ca^ic Francois was burnt, streams of\\nhuman blood flowed, civil war was kindled all over the island. The French ])eo]ile were\\ntoo Inisily engaged about redressing their grievances to be deterred from pursuing tlie\\nobject in view by i ii i-ou/i lc ptiHtiqKc. The inhabitants of that devoted colony were coni-\\nmisserated but not relieved; and so deep and long-endured were the sores of that opitress-\\ned peo]ile, that until their cure was effected, tliey could not busy themst-lves about healing\\nthe sufferings of their far remote countrymen. Artifice, cunning, and deceit on the ouf\\nhand; enthusiasm on the other; misguided anil stifled the best judgment of the nation; all\\nwas liberty, e((uality, phihinthroi)y and, with a view to oppose the revolted nuilatoes, the\\nblacks were declared free.\\nIn the phrenzy of a mistaken philanthropy, the assi-mbly of tlie nation were forming\\ncodes oi laws for the government of what they blindly called regenerated colonies, and\\nsending their commissioners. When Monsieur, then out of France, brother to Louis XVI.,\\nand at present Louis XVII., wishing to save those sections that ha l not yet felt thi^ re-\\ngenerating laws of France, desired the Eritisli ministry to take possession of the French\\ncolonies, tlie planters of the western and southern parts of 8t. Domingo, imitating those of\\nMartinique and Guadaloujje, receive l the British. A part of that rich colonly was there-\\nby saveil for a time and both Toiissaint and lligaud, two colored chieftains flghting for\\n]iower on the supposed side of France, were on the eve of being coii(|uered, when the island\\nwas suddenly evacuated by the English.\\nThe policy of this unexpected evacuation is easily accounted for. The English (ieneral,\\nBoyer, on his entering Port-au-Prince, had written to the ministry that more colonial pro-\\nduce had been found stored in that single city than the whole of the British islands could\\nproduce in two years; and had urged the policy of securing the whole colony as a rich\\nmine of wealth which the nation would enjoy, atjeast, for as long as the war with France\\n-should continue.\\nBut the success of the French armies in Europe alarmed the British ministry; they\\nwell knew that a general peace must at some time or other take place, and on such an event,\\nSt. Domingo must of course be restored to France. They could not reconcile with their\\nhostile feelings the idea of being instrumental to the preservation of a colony which, on\\nits being restored, would at once replace her rival on that superior eminence in the colon-\\nial trade which she once enjoyed, and which it was their policy forever to destroy. Thercr\\nfore, they resolved to evacuate that island as the surest means of effecting their purposes;\\nGendral Maitland was sent thither he made separate secret treaties with the two chief-\\ntains some sham battles wore fought and the British troops apparently beaten and re-\\npulsed in every encounter, without losing a drop of blood, surrendered th^: colony to the\\nparty-colored legions of Toussaint and Rigaud. But they took considerable care to carry\\noff with them a number of planters, with their slaves, to cultivate coffee in their coloniet,\\nand principally in Jamaica, where thej had as yet been very unsuccessful.*\\nThis plantation was by this means cultivated there on a lacge scale several planters\\nere carried to Trinidad and other small British islands and England now receives from\\n\u00e2\u0080\u00a2(amaica alone upwards of fifty millions of pounds of coffee per year. Such j)lauters as\\ndid not like to live under the British sceptre and colonial regulations went over to Cuba,\\nand some to Porto Rico.\\nThus is coffee now cultivated in all the West Indii s. Yet the whole of tliose islands to\\ngether, and the j)resent State of Hayti united with them, hardly yield one-half of the\\n(piantity which St Domingo alone formerly produced. This explains the cause of the\\n])resent high price of that sta]ile. The quantity now raised is 50 per cent less than in the\\nyear 1*784; and the number of consumers have increased in the ratio of five to one.\\nWe have seen that coffee is at this day successfully cultivated where it was thought il.\\ncould not grow it now remains to be seen if East Florida is not likewise favorable to its\\ngrowth.\\nThis plant nei-ds not too hot a climate dry land produces the best quality as, for ex-\\nample, the Mocha coftee in Ai-abia PYdix. where rain is scarce and the soil saudj-, is e.\\nteemed very superior. Thc small size of the grain, and its rounded foi-m, indicates that,\\nthe land on which it grows is exhau.sted, and tliat the plant bears only a scanty quantity.\\nIn a virgin and rich hind this plant bears large crops; the grain is bigger, and flatted on\\none side, so that two grains united have an oval form, which lies in the centre, as the\\nstone of a cherry, i fruit which it perfectly resembles in size, shape, and color.\\nBonaparte had thon eoiiquered the whole of Italy, and \\\\\\\\iis about sailing for Egypt\\nMoreau had silenced the northern powers; and Holland had, by the precipitated fliglit of\\nthe Duke of York, l)eeonio a sister republic of France. At this time Continental Hurope\\nliad fiued for peace.", "height": "3180", "width": "1905", "jp2-path": "floridacolonist01flor_0021.jp2"}, "22": {"fulltext": "14\\nOn the iron-bound coasts of Hispanola, .famaica. Cuba, fec., this plant, as in Arabia Fe-\\nlix, bears, evun in virgin land, but middling; crops; on the higli land, and on eastern, west-\\nern, and northern expositions, it bears plentifully, because the atmosphere is there colder,\\nthe dew in the night constant, and sometimes a light white frost occurs.\\nIn JCaat Florida the land is neither too dry nor too wet, nor is the climate too hot or\\ntoo cold. This narrow neck of land being Avashed by the sea 0!i the south, east and west,\\npossesses all the advantages which an island enjoys the sea bi-eezes modifying the scorch-\\ning vertical rays of the sun, and wafting away the ap])rqaching northern frosts.\\nTwo opposite opinions have been expressed and frequently repeated with respect to that\\ncountrj-. 8onie assert it to be a dry sandy land, and others, a flat, muddy, unformed ris-\\ning ground. These assertions are altogether unfounded, as may be demonstrated by mere-\\nly recurring to its topography. We see a neck of land 4U0 miles long, and about 130 miles\\nbroad, from the opposite beaches of which the land rises gently and gradually towards the\\ncentre, where are lakes connected with each other from south to north, to a distance of\\nabout 150 miles, without receiving any suiiply of water from any large foreign river; and\\nabout 40 small rivers, whose sources are at from oO to 40 miles distant from both shorefs\\nand whose waters are emptying themselves into the opposite seas. Xow it is im])0ssible\\nfor those great sinews of nature to exist in a flat muddy ground, whicli could at most pi o-\\nduce reeds, and not the stfitely trees which luxuriantly grow and cover its surface. On the\\nother hand, if it be called a dry sandy desert, the very existence of those lakes and numer-\\nous rivers belies those assertions, for rivers and lakes are never found to spring and exist\\nin an entirely sandy country and such is the narrowness of this long neck of land, that it\\niiuist have a deep mould and prolific bosom to produce, as it is known to\\\\lo, stately forest r,\\nof the most luxuriant mixture, Avhich are constantly in bloom even in January and Febru-\\nary and the most beautiful flowers, whose florid appearance made the discoverers of it\\naward to that comitry the significant and appropriate name of Florida.\\nIn all places where the climate is not visited by black frost, the land, either dry or wet,\\nwill procluce coffee: Cayenne, h ing under the 4th degree of \u00e2\u0080\u00a2latitude north of the equator,\\nwhere the heat is intense, no mounteins but at oOO miles off, a flat, level and drowned coun-\\ntry, and where, as in European Holland, the surrounding seas are striving to overwhelm\\nthe rising earth even in this swampy country, drained by ditches as resei voirs for the\\nwater, the eoftee plant grows luxuriantly, even to the size of a ])lum tree.*\\nAt Kio de Janeiro, the present seat of the King of Portugal s American empire, lying\\nunder the 28d degree of latitude south of the equator, and as far as the province of Parana\\nor Assumpcion, which reaches the 80th degree of south latitude, the coffee is found to\\ngrow. Why, then, should we not cultivate it between the 25th and 27th degrees of nortii\\nlatitude? that is to say, in East Florida. Will it be said that under the 2 7th degree of lati\\ntude to the south^\\\\^ard of the equator, it is hotter than under its opposite degree north of\\nit? This will be contradicted by those navigators and persons who have visited that\\ncountry. Canton, in China, lies under the 22^ degree of north latitude, and is the south-\\nernmost seotion of that large empire. The States north of East Florida already produce\\nas fine cotton as is raised in that empire. Why shoidd we not also attempt to cultivate\\nthe tea plant? I do not understand this culture. Information on this interesting subject\\nis expected fi om those American citizens who, on a visit to China, shall not suffer their\\nminds to be wrapt in a piece of nankin, or sunk into a catty of tea, but, soaring above\\ntheir daily mercantile occupations, will seek for rest and diversion in the acquisition of in-\\nformation, and the collection of plants, for the benefit of their native country. I shall\\nclose this digression by adducing some new evidences. In a proclamation of (xcorgc the\\n111. issued from the court of St. James, on the Yth day of October, 1763, and by the au-\\ntlu)rity of a treaty of peace concluded at Paris on the 10th day of February in the same\\nyear, his Britannic M.njesty, in the second section of his proclanunatiou, expressed himself\\nthus\\nSecondly. The Government of East Florida, bounded to tlie westward by the Gulf of\\nMexico and the Apalachicola river; to the northward by a line drawn from that part of\\naid river where the Chattahoochee and Flint rivers meet, to the source of the St. Marys\\nriver, and, by the course of said river, to the Atlantic ocean and to the eastward and\\nsouthward by the Atlantic ocean and the Gulf of Florida, including all islands within six\\nleagues from the seacoast.\\nThis govermnent being given to Colonel Grant, it was then expected tliat rice, indigo,\\nsilk, wine, oil, anil other valuable conjuiodities would l e produced in great abundance.\\nIn the W^est Indies this j)lant would grow to the height of ten feet. Experience has\\nshown the advantages of limiting its height at four feet, by which means the branches,\\nfrom the earth up, expand, and the plaut acquires a stronger body, which, in consequence\\nof its low height, is sheltered from the ravages of a luirricanf^, or the two heavy load of\\nits fruits,", "height": "3180", "width": "1905", "jp2-path": "floridacolonist01flor_0022.jp2"}, "23": {"fulltext": "15\\nThe English, at that time, knew litth^ or nothing about coffee,* hence they did not men-\\ntion it in theii- enumeration. Some time after, an English gentleman of fortune went to\\nestablish himself in East Florida. His labors were crowned witji success both in the cul-\\nture of coffee and sugar canes; and his establishments were already considerable, when the\\nAmerican revolution, in its effects, made Florida pass into the hands of Spain. The Brit-\\nish tTOvernment finding Mr. Smitli, or sonu such name, (for although this is an historical\\nfact, yet, not having the book in which it is .stated before nie, my memory has not, jier-\\nhaps, retained tlie true name,) luul so far succeeded, would not allow him to remain there.\\nThey carried him off with his slaves, and destroyed everything he had planted for whidi\\nloss and damages the British (Tovernmeut awarded to him a considerable sum. Besides\\nthese, travelers, wlio liave visited that country, assert to have seen coffee plants in several\\nl)lacea, not cultivated for profit and revenue, but as a curiosity, the intrinsic value of wliicli\\nseems to be unknown to those who have planted them.\\nMr. Carvertf says, So mild is tlie winter that the most delicate vegetables and plants\\nof tlie Carribee islands experience there not the least injury from that season the orange\\ntree, the plantains, the guava, the pine-apple, \u00c2\u00abfec., grow luxuriously. Fogs are unknown\\niliere, and no countrj- can, therefore, be juore salubrious. Mr. Wm. Stork, in his descrip-\\ntion of East Florida, gives the following account of it: The jjroduction of the northei ii\\nand southern latitudes grow and blossom by the side of each other, and there is scarcely\\nanother climate in the world that can vie w^ith this in displaying such an agreeable ami\\nluxuriftnt mixture of trees, plants, shrubs, and flowers. The red and wliite i)ine and the\\nevergreen oak marry their boughs with the chestnut and mahogany trees the walnut with\\nllie cherry; the maple with the campeach, and the braziletto with the sas.safras tree, which,\\ntogetlier, cover here a variegated and rich soil. The wax myrtle tree grows everywhere\\nliere. Oranges are larger, more aromatic and succulent than in Portugal. I lums na-\\nturally grow finer and of a quality superior to those gathered in the orchards in Spain.\\n*Tlie wild vines serpentine on the ground, or climb up to the tops of trees. Indigo and\\ncocluneal:j: were advantageously cultivated there, and in the year 17*77, produced a revenue\\nfif 200,H00 dollars. In fine, I shall add, that this country will produce all the tropical\\nh uits and staples by tlie side of those belonging to a northern climate.\\nHaving, I presume, adduced suilicicnt evidence in support of the position I have taken,\\nand demonstrated that coftee, cocoa, and sugar canes will grow everywhere in East Flori-\\nda, as well as vines, olives, capers, almonds, c., and that vines may likewise l)e success-\\nliilly cultivated as far north as the Patuxeut, in Maryland, 1 shall now take a separate\\niew of each of these rich productions, and, from accurate knowledge, give a statement of\\nthe proceeds of a man s yearly labor. In this statement, I shall allow but one-half of the\\nwork which experience shows a man easily does 1[ and their moderate calculations being\\nat no time liable to deceive our expectations, we may, with more certainty, form a pi oper\\nestimate of the advantages or disadvantages of those cultures, and whether we are not to\\nbe benefitted, both as individuals and as a nation, bj immediately undertaking tlie grand\\nwork\u00e2\u0080\u009eor leave all the riches accruing from it to those who already enjoy them.\\nIt cannot be expected that I shall cuter into the particidars and minutia of the culture\\nAt this period coffee had not yet been cultivated in the island of Jamaica, as is proved\\nby a representation made about the year 177 to the court of St. .lames by the planters\\nand merchants residing in that island, and comprehended in seven chief grievances, the\\nseventh of which I subjoin here\\nThat cocoa, or chocolate nut, which was heretofore one of the principal commodities of\\nthis island, is now lost by the heavy duties tliat are laid ujion it and probably our sugar,\\nrum, ginger, tfec, must have the same fate if not timely remedied. And, as we have just\\nnow begun to plant coffee, we liojie for a bounty to encourage that plantation on our send-\\ning it to England at least that there might be no duties laid upon it.\\nf Universal Traveller, page 604.\\ni: I do not understand the raising of it, which is immensely productive, but 1 know that\\nthe neighborhood of Pensacola is the place where it will produce much.\\nv;; In the year 1804, I was cast upon the southernmost point of East Florida, and al-\\nthough it was in the month of February, I beheld that country covered with green trees\\nand flowers, the image of an everlasting spring.\\nCoffee 2 acres to each man. There is no tilling or hoeing the only labor is to pre-\\nvent gra,ss from growing between the plants, and the picking up of the fruits, which is the\\nino.st laborious otherwise, a man could easily take care of five acres of land.\\nCocoa 4 acres to each man. There is no culture whatever; the laboi- is in cutting off\\nthe nuts and drying the fruit.\\nVine 5 acres to each man. Which are to be j)loughed three times a year. In cutting\\noff the fruits, or vintage time, additional hands are necessary.\\nOlives, capers, almonds, need no cidture; hands are necessary only to get crops in, and\\nextract the oils.", "height": "3180", "width": "1905", "jp2-path": "floridacolonist01flor_0023.jp2"}, "24": {"fulltext": "!UiJ preparations of those commodities. My intention, at present, is not to teach, but to\\nenlighten the mind on a subject foreign to the present agricultural pursuits ot om- citizens.\\nA work, describing every particular, would, at tliis stage, excite curiosity, without promis-\\ning any real advantages. Such a work J shall cheerfully undertake when I see that spirit\\nof enter})risfi which characterizes the American people roused and elevated to that degree\\nof national pride and grandeur as shall warrant its publication.\\nFimt statement, an Coffee. One acre of land planted by ranges, and the plants at 5 feet\\ndistant from each other, gives 1, 764 plants. A man can take care of two acres, which\\ngives 3,528 plants. Each plant may, by an average, yield 1 lbs. or more but I reduce it\\nto one pound therefore, a man will give, yearly, 3,528 lbs. of coffee, which, at 25 cents,\\nproduces 882 dollars.\\nIt is to be observed, that no crop is to be expected on the first and second year on the\\nthird year the plant yields a good crop, on the fourth an abundant one. which it will con-\\ntinue to yield cA ery 3 ear until the groujid is exhausted and the plant, dies. For the two\\nfirst years of the planting, all kinds of vegetables and corn may be planted between the\\nranges they will yield two crops in one year; cotton is not to be planted l)ct ween the\\nranges.\\nSeeond utatement, on Cocoa. Four acres of land planted in rows, and the trees at ten feet\\ndistant from each other, give 1,764 trees, A man is capable of taking care of them and of\\ngathering the nuts. At seven years of age, each tree will yield two lbs., and the fj iiantity\\nwill increase with its age; therefore, a man will gather 3,528 ll s. of cocoa, which, at 15cts.\\njier llx, will produce 529.2o.\\nThis cidtivation, differing from all others, requires some illustration. It was formerly\\n1 bought tliat its culture required much labor and a- virgin soil; but experienct; has shown\\nthat it grows on land half exhausted by the coffee plant, and in less than twelve years time\\n\u00e2\u0080\u00a2icquires such power as to destroy the coffee underneath. Hence, it is now planted be-\\n1 ween the ranges of coffee, when this last is about seven years of age so that when the\\nland would otherwise become a mere waste, requiring a hundred years for forests to rise\\ni ii it again ere it co\\\\dd recover its first frnitfulness, the same land being again covered liy\\na new forest of productive trees, the fruits of which growing and maturing all tlxe year\\nround, each day brings in its ci-op. 1 could not select a moie proper place to state, that it\\nseems that Providence, in its wise dispensations, intended the cocoa tree shonld be tlie\\nmeans of quickly renewing the soil exhausted by other productions. It is a fact known to\\nmyself alone, at this moment, because he who made the successful experiment, Mr. lierlie,\\nand those who were eye Avitnesses to it, were, by the bloody effects of St. Domingo s re-\\ngenerating system, doomed to an untimely grave, and I am the only survivor. The fact is\\nihis Mr. Berlie, a ])lanter on the high land of Donna Maria, had planted, after the coffee\\nhad exhausted his land, the whole of his estates with cocoa trees. This answered well\\n))ut as coffee became more productive, be thought of making an expei iment which was to\\ncut down twenty aei es of cocoa trees, setting them on fire in the same manner as is done\\nin clearing new land, and planting them again with coffee it was found that coffee grew\\nmore ])eautifidly than it had done before. The cocoa trees, when cut down, were twenty-\\nlive years old.\\nThe extraordinary effects of the cocoa tree in regenerating the ground upon which it\\ngrows may easily be accounted for. This tree seldom attains higher than fifteen feet it is\\nliranchy. its leaves very large, and the body, or stock, of a middling size; the leaves con-\\nlinually falling off the ti-ee, whilst new ones grow, cover tlie earth with a thick bed of\\nleaves, whicli allow not even a blade of grass to grow witli them. Hence the ground re-\\nquires no culture, and the trees but a light pruning, wlien any ravages liave been caused\\nliy some storm. This constant thick bed of leaves returns to the earth five times more nu-\\ntriment than the diminutive size of the tree requires from it, and in less than thirty years\\ni( brings the soil back to its original fertile state.\\nThird. \u00e2\u0080\u00a2itatcnif nt, oti Vines. Having given the proceeds of a man s yearly labor in the\\nplantation of coffee and cocoa, I shall now quit P lorida, and enter the territory of the Uni-\\nted States.\\nAn acre of land planted with viiieis, allowing forty-one ranges at five feet distant, and to\\neach range 104 vines at two feet apart, gives 4,264 vines to an acre. Five acres for a man s\\nlabor, give 21,320 vines; and allowing the grapes of ten vines to yield one-gallon of wine,\\nit will produce 2,132 gallons, which, being rated at the low price of thirty cents per gal-\\nlon, will ))roduce $639.00 for a man s yearly labor.\\nThis plantation is the most beautiful and luxuriant in nature for nothing can equal tlie\\nfascinating sight of a well cultivated vineyard. And as olives, capers, and alnumd trees\\nivquire. no jiarticular culture, they may be planted in ranges, at thirty feet distant, in the\\nineyard, where the mildness of the climate allows the plantation. In Georgia and Ala-\\nbama these four productions may be raised on the same soil. In a more nortlu-rn climate\\nthe vines must he cultivated separately. So much may be said on this very interesting\\nsubject, that it would require more time than i ha\\\\ c resohed to bestow on it at present.", "height": "3180", "width": "1905", "jp2-path": "floridacolonist01flor_0024.jp2"}, "25": {"fulltext": "17\\nl alialloiily udil, tluiL it uti crs an iuL -sluiUotible s-uurce of prlviiU- luuliiiitioniil wealth, be-\\ncause these plantations may be made to last for ages. ^,,j ,.i|\\nFourth Htah iin lot, OH luncK, olivat, mperx, and alinondu, planted pH jfJi,c -^amf, ffrqnml. Five\\n.Acres ill vines produce, as before stated, for a man s yearly labor,. \u00c2\u00a7039 -iO\\nlij5 olive trees, at thirty feet distant, will yield, after seven years of age, a^out\\none gallon of oil each, wliich, valued at tlielowpricepf i^lyjj.O per gallon,, is 262 50\\n^n almond trees, produce, A aUied at f, N.o-iu V a// !j.\\n25 papers do. 3 :j l. 50. 10300\\n,70 Yearly proceeds of a man s labor ._ \u00c2\u00a7l,O0G 80\\nReview of th above. I shall now suppo.*e that, in the eourseof thirty years, we niay en1-\\ni ploy 50,0(H)persons in the culture of vines singly they will cultivate two hundred and\\nfifty thousand acres of land, wiiich will yield au annual revenue of $31,965,000\\nFifty thousand persons in the culture of vines, (jlives, almonds, and capers, on\\n\u00e2\u0080\u00a2250,000 acres of land, will, yipld auau^usU, revenue of 50,340,000\\nTotal: ;.:..^]....;V!.: 1V. M^ ss2,305,ooo\\nCocoa. Fifty thousand jiersons engaged in the culture of cocoa, will cultivate 200,000\\nacres of land, which will yield an annual revenue of $26,420,000.\\niriy ^^.f^ One hundred thousand persons engaged in the culture of cofiee, will cultivate\\n,...|wo hundred thousand acres of land, which will yield au annual revenue of .$88,20r),000.\\n|,s,i!j ,tt RKC.APrrULATION OK THE PEECEDIXCl K.STIiMATKS.\\ni tl0\u00c2\u00a9i,flOOper. ioiis cultivating 500,000 acres in vines, olives, c., produce $82,306,000\\ni lr 50*000 persons cultivating 200,000 acres of cocoa. 26,420,000\\ni400,000 persons cultivating 2oO,000 acres of cotfee K8,2oO,()(\u00c2\u00abi\\n\u00e2\u0096\u00a0\u00e2\u0080\u00a2\u00e2\u0096\u00a02S0,000 persons cultivating 9oo,00(\u00c2\u00bb acres prodik-e. $196,925,0()i\u00c2\u00bb\\n.The home consumption of tliis country niav Tr e estimated to be annually about, viz\\nWines, olives, etc $17,305,000\\nCocoa, (fee 6,420,000\\nCoffee,. 13,2oo,o(i()\\n.,\u00e2\u0080\u009edl .---I\\nHome consumption $36,925, oOO\\nLeaving an bumeiise surplus for exportation to foreign countries, of\\nWines, olvcs, drc $65,000,000\\nCocoa, i ii;i!i U.i J.:: L!;i ii;-i 20,0oO.O(m)\\nCoffee,.! .i. 75,000,(i()(i\\nExjjortfltion I ibV i $160,000,000\\nIt vvill then become a matter of policy for the Federal CoTfTTiment to change the exist-\\no lug fiscal laws and regulations with respect to those staples of exptn ts. The citizens pay-\\niil ltig no longer any duties on those articles which now form the principal revenue of the\\nNational (Tovernment, (hities on their exportations must of course be recurred to. The\\nestimate of which might, perhaps, give the following:\\nFixeal Dnf/e.s Which I value at an aver.age of fifteen per ewt. It neither becomes me,\\nnor does it enter into my plan, to trace scales of proportions on matters whioh must be\\nleft to the wisdom of Congress; and in forming that average, 1 merely have in view to as-\\n.lbi^ertain the probable results of my recapitulation and statement of surpluses; and I find\\nthe annual receipts in the several custom liouses would amoiuit to $24,ooo,O(i0.\\nThere is no reason whatever that can prevent us from employing, in those several cul-\\n_^. tures at least five hundred thousand persons on eighteen hundred thousand acres of land,\\n|.|Wluch would yield an annual income of $393,850,00(^. ^j I\\nhul A\\\\^^ supposing that, on account of our immense proclu9p,| we .lojvyered l]ie prices in all\\n;|]l.ve markets in the world even one-third of the low prices at w-hicli I have valued them,\\n,yet the labors of five hundred thousand workingmen would give annually the sum of\\n1262,566,667.\\nj Considerations of such vast importance are not to be overlooked. We have but to begin\\n,j,\u00e2\u0080\u009ethe work, and before thirty years are elapsed^ more than five hundred thousand Euroiiean\\n.j.eiJiigrants will be seen crossing the Atlantic ocean t-o unite their labors and industry with\\n_^ ours; and everything concurring to increase our wealth, i ower, and comnierce, and the\\n_j, Almighty making even the tyrants oi Euroj)c subservient to our grandeur, we shall tiien\\nbe tlie most powerful, as we are now the freest and happiest nation on the globe.\\nI need not, I tliink adtl anything to what I have already said on the importance of the\\nacquisition of East Florida. Tlie sinii)le statements T have given, and it beiug the only\\nlaud adjoining the territory of the Cnited States where cotfee and cocoa will grow, is suth-\\nciently interesting to excite a lau(lal)l(! desire of seeing it jiass into our po.ssession how-\\never, we must be contented with waiting patiently for the final decision of Congress.", "height": "3180", "width": "1905", "jp2-path": "floridacolonist01flor_0025.jp2"}, "26": {"fulltext": "18\\nTo foi m an accurate estimate of the. value set upon those rich productions, w^ heed but\\nperuse the modern history of the nations of Europe. The whole of Germany. Denmark,\\nSweeden, Prussia, Russia, Poland, and Turkey may be set in a flame by wars, as in the\\ntime of Charles the I ith, of Sweeden, and yet navigators will nowhere meet with war on\\nthe seas but the moment that France or Spain gets into disagreements with any of the\\nnations of Continental Europe, not only is that section of the world kindled with flame\\nand deluged in blood, but the seas around the g-lobe witness scenes of horror and carnage.\\nAnd why Because the present object of warfare is ho longer what it formerly was.\\nThe acquisition of one or more provinces in Europe cannot move J^ngland but she sets\\nthe world on fire to sell her manufactured goods, monopolize commerce, and obtain pos-\\nses.sion of the French, Spanish and Dutch colonies. These she values more than king-\\ndoms, although she feigns to fight onl}- for the balance of power. Immediately after the\\npeace of 1801, the French government sent armies to recover St. Domingo the rebels\\nmust have submitted the British ministry calculated the future consequences of such a\\nsubmission, and Malta, a rocky isle, not worth a shilling in agriculture, suddenly became\\na pretence for the bloody and long war that ensued. France lost St. Domingo and the Isle\\nof France, and Holland the Cape of Good Hope, Ceylon, *frc.* Thus Europe has fought\\nthousands of battles, and slaughtered six millions of victims on the altar of avarice and\\ncommercial monopoly\\nSpain, who, for many centuries, has been pursuing the most absurd policy, by discour-\\naging agriculttn-e to foster the working of her silver and gold mines; who has left unculti-\\nvated the most fertile land on tlie face of the earth, and made of her formerly active citi-\\nzens the most indolent j)eople in the world, is now endeavoring to rej)air the ruins caused\\nby so blind a policy. Puerto Rico and Cuba are now tliought capable of producing ten\\nthousand times more riclies than all the mines of Peru. The greatest efforts ai e at this\\nmoment making by that regenerated government to place those two islands in a liigh state\\nof cultivation emigrants are encourao-ed free of expense thirty -three acres of land are\\ngiven to each individual they are fed during the si.x months immediately following their\\narrival, and furnished with every necessary tool and instrument of agriculture they ai-e,\\nbesides, free from all kinds of taxes for the space of ten years and, to such as wish to\\npurchase land, the government sell 330 acres for $450, on credit of five years without paj-\\ning any interest after which an interest of six per cent, is required until perfect liquida-\\ntion of the whole debt. This enlightened and liberal policy would, in less than ten years,\\ntriple the actual revenue of those islands, were it possible to establish a mutual confidence\\nbetween the Spaniards and strangers ;f a confidence which has so many times proved de-\\nceptive on the side of tlie Spaniards, and ruinous for the indnstrons stran.2:er among them.\\nA government, founded as ours is on the most liberal principles of political economy.\\nwho.se very existence is a seal that secures the hapjdness and liberty of the least of its\\nmembers whose policy is to increase the wealth of the nation, and whose chief magistrate\\ni*, as it were, placed on a high tower to direct the uncertain steps of the enterprising pa-\\ntriots, and the inexperienced labors of the citizens, must, more than any other govern-\\nment, feel intereste(l in promoting the culture of whatever staples are found capable of in-\\ncreasing the prosperity and commerce of the country. 1 fondlj- cherish the hope that the\\ngoyernment will eagerly encourage the culture of the productions 1 have already enumera-\\nted. C Ongress need, I presume, in those things for which they have not had any opportu-\\nnity of acquiring practical knowledge, but to be made acquainted with the importance of\\nthtlse plantations, by those whose lou\u00c2\u00ab- exi)ei ience enables them to comnmnicate these use-\\nful facts. As one of the very few in tlxe United States qualified to discharge tliLs impor-\\ntant duty, and being, acted npon by those mighty considerations which work po powerfully\\nThe British Government, notwitlistaMding the, inimcn.\u00c2\u00ab e profits accruing to the nation\\nfrom the rich commodities and staples produced by its colonies, hiok upon them a. mere\\nmarts for the sale of manufactui ed goods, or stations for its nnmerous ships of war. The\\nvirtuous pursuit of :\\\\griculturc (out of the limits of England) is cramped in all it.s efforts\\nfor the purpose of giving empl()yment to the corrupted I abble of its mantifacturihg cities\\n1o enrich ship-builders aiul shi[) owners to protect privileged companies of monopolists\\nto oppress the industrious artisans to drain the purse of the affluent, and midtiply the\\nnumber of paupers. Hence, the interests of the colonists have seldom been attended to.\\nTheir colonial systerii is so bad that it seems to have been framed by an avaricious com-\\npany of sliip owners, whose chief object M as to force the growers of sugar and coffee to\\nload their ships and i)ay them a heavy freight. .V grower of coffee is oppressed by tiie ex-\\nisting colonial system, and the crown again oppresses the consumer; for no ntiahl rt Eng-\\nland can roast his coftee as lie pleases; he must buy it from a monopolist.\\nf This new colony of Fernandina de Xagua is not likely to succeed, although iijjwards\\nof two thousand emigrants Inuc already repaired there. I know the person who acts there\\nas a chief for the Spanish Government, and know, also, that his exactions Vill ultimately\\nVum that establishment. i i", "height": "3180", "width": "1905", "jp2-path": "floridacolonist01flor_0026.jp2"}, "27": {"fulltext": "If)\\non the head of a true citizen, I respcjctt uUy submit, for the consideration of the President,\\nthe Senate, nnd the House of Representatives of (lie United States, the outlines of a pro-\\nject for eft eotiially cncouras -inii- the plantations of vines, olives, capers, almonds, cofiee,\\ncocoa, c., tfec. ,1.\\nThe first preliminary stejis to be tiiken in order to carry the proposed plan into e.xeoi\u00c2\u00bb-i\\ntion, must be the secui-in^- of Ivist Florida, the southern ])art of which ujay he jjlanted in\\nlofFeeand cocoa, and is, iu fact, worth twenty times more than the swampy land claimed\\nby the United States, west of New Orleans.\\nThis beino- obtained, several considerations of a primary nature offer themselves to the\\nmind for, althou;.!;h every citizen is free to choose his culture, yet it is not in the jiower of\\nevery one wisliini*- to cultivate those rich ])lants to jirocure them at the moment they are\\nwanted. Hence, when citizens are left without a helpini hand, discouragement ensues,\\nand what may be effected in three years by the fostering hand of government, may rc-\\nouire a century wIumi left to the discretimi and impotence of inexperienced individuals.\\nThev must be guided they nuist be taught they must have a place where they will ap-\\n])ly for plants, and also acquire that information whicli no book can give they must be\\ndissuaded from cultivating the aboriginal grapes, which, though they might prove of an\\nexcellent quality, are not worth the troble of a trial because, however productive they\\nmight be found in the end, yet, it would require more than forty years culture before they\\ncould attain that delicacy of softness and perfection which ages of culture and care alone\\ncan give. The government, by means of its numerous consuls, may procure the first quali-\\nties of plants aaid seeds. From France and Italy, the best qualities of vines, olives, lige,\\ncapers, and almonds. From Matleira and Portugal, tlieir spirituous and astringent vines.\\nFrom Samos, t hio, t andia. and Cypress, their sweet, delicate, and restorative cordial vines:\\nThere is a great analogy between men and plants. JMan must be subdued by the slow pro-\\ngress of knowledge to the rule of civilization ere he attains that superiority of intellectual\\nand spu itual ideas which bespeaks him to be a being inferior to God alone plants obtain\\ntheir perfection only in proportion as man improves his mental powers, and labors to raise\\nthem to the height of his intellectual faculties. Five ages have passed away, and yet the\\nman who inhabited the soil which we at this day tread on, is still a fugitive in the desei-ts\\nall our efforts to overtake him and make him a civilized man, have proved fruitless; he\\nprefers death to civilization he flies off, avoids our meeting, and. before long, it will be said,\\nhere were once innumerable nations of warriors that have evanished away a disappear-\\nance that will confound the sagacity of future philosophers, because they will know man\\nonly in his civilized state, and shall nowhere find that being in the simple state of nature.\\nI beg to be excused for these fugitive ideas they have forced themselves on my pen. I\\nresume my subject. From Cuba, in less than twenty-four hours, we may receive as many\\ncoffee seeds as we want. From the western part of St. Domingo, say Donna Maria, or\\nfrom the Spanish Main, in the province of Venezuela, say Caraccas and Maracaibo, we may\\nobtain the nuts that will afford the necessary seeds.\\nThese preliminary remarks bring me to the conclusiyu, which 1 shall improve, by hum-\\nbly offering to Congress a plan for effectually encouraging the plantation of the foremen-\\ntioned valuable staples.\\n1st. That it is requisite for Congress to allot one thousand acres of land, to be selected\\nby a proper judge, for the purpose of establishing a grand national nursery of those rich\\nplauts.\\n2d. That it is of the utmost national urgency, that, under the superintendence of the\\nPresident of the United States, this establishment should be instantly commenced, and that,\\nthe President should select such person or persons as shall have given undoubted proofs of\\ntheir qualifications, to conduct and superintend the establishment.\\nSd. That, to the end of immediately enabling this establishment to furnish Die citizen.s\\nwith the necessary plants, fifty thousand dollars ought to be appropriated for the perfect\\nand quick execution of the object in view.\\n4th. That the President of the United States be authorized to ap]ioint a proper person\\nto go as agent to Europe, to select those plants and sj^ecies of vines that are known to be\\nmost productive both for quality and quantity or otherwise, to empower the consids in\\nthose several countries to procure and forwai d the plants and seeds re([uested, and to make\\na necessary distinction of species in the several plants in order that none but the very best\\nshould be introduced into America.\\n5th. That as coffee will, three years after it is plantctl, cocoa live years, vines four years,\\nolives, capers, and almonds, seven years, produce sufficient seeds and vines to supply every\\ndemand, these should, on the first reception of the several plants and seeds, be cultivated\\nin the establishment on a large scale, with a view, first, to multiply the plants and seeds,\\nand to increase the nursery, which may also be commenced immediately. 2d. To form a\\nschool for the culture and management of those plants, where every citizen should have\\nthe privilege of repairiiig to acquire those informations and i)raetical knowledge that no\\n-book extant can arive.", "height": "3180", "width": "1905", "jp2-path": "floridacolonist01flor_0027.jp2"}, "28": {"fulltext": "20\\n6th. That, with n view to (liscuinituname idlu tlfiiiand^, and tlieroby prevent the wanton\\nw.aste of thet^o plants, a thiiisjj which woidd frequently happen if they were given gratis,\\nthe chief director, acting as snjicrinteudent of the establishment, sliould be authorized to\\n8cll them to individuals at the followiug rates:\\nCofFeo plants, 2 cents apiece; cocoa plants, a cents apiece vine plants, o cent s apiece;\\nvines, 1 cent apiece olive plants, 100 cents apiece ca])ers and ahnonds, 75 cents apiece;\\nwhich would yield a revenue which, in six years, would fepay the government the tiftv\\nthousand dollars expended in the establishment, and leave a benefit of upwards of one\\nliundred tliousand dollars.\\nOn the seventh year the demand for cofiee and cocoa j)lauts will begin to decrease, be-\\ncause they Avill be procured from every individual who sliall have already planted them.\\nFor ten years more the vine plants and vines will be in great demand, when they will de-\\ncrease and the olive, caper, ami almond plants will, for twenty-five y(^ars longer, continue\\nin great demand, wlien tlie establishment, as a nursery, will cease to be j)roductive iti this\\nhigh degree.\\nThus, having afforded the means of planting t le best si)ecies of vines in tiie world, wo\\nmay, ere ten years have elapsed, produce wijies equal in quality to any in the world a\\n(|uality which will vary according to the climate and soil where they may happen to be\\ncultivated. It is a general, and yet very wrong impression, to think that vines will grow\\nonly on such and such soil. Vines grow even on the worst land, and steepest hills and\\nmountains, in cold and hot climates. Hence proceeds the great difference in qualities-.\\nOn clay aiid very poor land, such that no other productions can gi-ow, is made those com-\\nmon wines which, being imfit for exportation, are distilled into brandy for it requires\\nseven casks, or 420 gallons of wine, to get a pipe of brandy of 90 gallons.\\nWhat I have stated in the preceding slieets will exhibit, in a strong jtoiut of view, the\\nimportance of establishing a national nursery in order to promote, foster, and effectually\\nafford the means of successfully cultivating, on a large scale, these highly rich productions,\\nwhich, in less tlian twenty-five years, will double the actual revenue of the country, create\\nnew and inexhaustible resources, invigorate commerce, and reuder it at times tl(jurishing,\\nby the exportation to foreign countries of our vast surpluses.\\nConsidei ations of such magnitude as those will, I ha\\\\e no doubt, o])erate jiowerfidly on\\nthe minds of our legislators, whose honor.ible nussion is to mature plans, form schemes,\\nand ensure, by wise Laws, the happiness, prosperity, and glory of our country. And if it\\nbe not considered a departure from that reverence which a private citizen owes to the\\nchief magistrate and representatives of a whole people, to dare impart to them ideas on sub-\\njects till now foreign to the sphere of their legislative labors, I hope that I shall not be thought\\ntoo presuming to approach them with diffidence and respect, and entreat them to grant a\\nmoment s attention to the contents of these sheets. Should they prove worthy of those\\nto whom they are respectfully submitted, I shall esteem myself honored for having thus\\nfar been instrumental to the increase of the wealth of the nation, and contributed a share\\nin her welfare and prosperity. PETER STEPHEN CIIAZOTTE.\\nNOKTIIEM, CENTRAL, ANI) SOUTHERN FLORIDA.\\nIn addition to the general information in regard to Elorida, now easily attainable from\\nvarious recent i)ublications, every immigrant who has dcteriinned to establish a home in\\nthe State, or select a locality adapted to tlie prosecution of his own particular business, or\\nto the furtherance of his own special enterprises, will desire a more particular and detailed\\naccount of the capacities and characteristics peculiar to tlie different counties or sections,\\nas preliminary and necessary to a judicious location.\\nAn effort was made to provide fully for this anticipated and natural demand by secur-\\ning from intelligent citizens of each county well-considered and reliable descrijitions of\\ntheir own localities. But the attempt was only partially successful for while this request-\\nfor statistical and other information was most courteously and ably responded to in some\\ninstances, as will appear from the following pages, still, from many counties no response\\nwhatever has as yet been made.\\nHence, while hoping to receive such responses for use in a future edition, it has been\\nnecessary to group together various counties, jiearly alike iu characteristics, and apply to\\na complete group, so far as practicable, the de.scrii)tions of counties from which local de-\\nscri))tions have been rc^ cived, so far as they are typical of the entire group.", "height": "3180", "width": "1905", "jp2-path": "floridacolonist01flor_0028.jp2"}, "29": {"fulltext": "21\\nFlorida i.s usimlly (Ifsci ihfel m.- cmiiposcd (if East, Florida, or Uial. iiurtioii of the State\\nbetwpen tho Atlantic aiul the Sinvaniicc River, comprising- tlic whole of the peninsula;\\nMiddle Florida, cxtcnilinp; from the Suwannee to the Aiialachicola and West Florida,\\ncomprising the territory west of the last named river. This division, suggested probably\\nby the existence of the distinctly;Hiarked natural boundaries furnished by the rivers named,\\nmay be well enough for the purposes of a general descrii)tion but a different division sug-\\ngests itself, as better ada[ ted to the; purpose of an agricultural description of different sec-\\ntions, whose characteristic prodtictions would be deteriniiu d in the main by their s]iecial\\nclimatic conditions.\\nAccordingly, in attempting to give that soi t of practical informaticni that would be ser-\\nviceable to actual settlers, and best enable them to make satisfactory locations, a different\\nmode of territorial division will be ado])ted, and, for the purpose of properly grouping the\\ncounties with special reference to those climatic conditions which conti ol and determine\\ntheir vegetable ))roductions, the State will l)e included in the three divisions o* Northern,\\nCentral, and Southern Florida.\\nNorthern Florida will be considered as constituted iVom all the lands lying niu-th of the\\n]iarallel of Xo deg. N. latitude; tlie territory included between the parallel of J 8 and Sn\\n(leg. N. latitude will be styled t eutra! Florida; and all south (;f 28 deg. will be considered\\nas composing South Florida.\\nThus apjiortioned, a general account of each division will be given, accompartied by\\nsuch local destriptions of the different counties as have been able to procure, and refer-\\nence will be made to individuals in the scn eral counties, from whom further and more ])ar-\\nticular information can be obtained.\\nNORTHERN FLORIDA.\\nNorthern Florida extends from the Atlantic Ocean, on the east, to Perdido river, on the\\nwest, a distance of three liundi ed and seventy -live miles, and has an average breadth of\\nsome forty -five miles, and is composed of tln^ counties of Escambia, Santa Rosa, Walton,\\nWashington, llohnes, .laclcson, alhonn, (4adsdeii, Liberty, Leon, Wakulla. .Teflerson, Madi-\\nson, Taylor, Hamilton, vSuwannt e, Columbia, linker, Bradford, Nassau, Duval, Clay, and\\nthe northern part Of St. Johns county.\\nThe climate of this si ction, as a Mdiole. uuiy be said to be mild, verging upon warm.\\nAll extremes of teni])erature are essentially modified by the prevalence of daily winds\\nfrom the Ocean or (^ulf of Jlexieo. The eastern portion, probably from the influence of\\nthe Gulf Stream, has a milder and more agreeable climate than that west of the Suwannee\\nand in winter suffers less from the cold northers and northwesters that occasionally pre\\nvail. But through the whole section, so equable is the climate, that although ice may be\\nformed two or three times in the cou.r^e of a year, the thermometer very seldom falls be-\\nlow 35 deg. in the winter, or rises above 1(0 in the summer. There are occasional frosts,\\nbut during four-fifths of the winter season, the i^revalent temperature is that of the mildest\\nIndian Summer at the North and West.\\nThe surface of Northern Florida varies from the somewhat tame and monotonous levels\\nof Eastern and Western Florida to the undulating and uneven lands of the middle portion,\\nand gives a much wider field for selection tlian is cojnmonly supposed, although extreme\\nelevations are entirely wanting. ^lany strangers, who only make a personal inspection of\\nthe St. Johns region, and go away complaining of the tamencss of the scenery, the lack of\\nvariety in tlie landscape, and the sluggish movement of the streams, would find in the val-\\nley of the St. Marys a d(icp and somewhat rapid stream, inclosed between })ictures(.jue\\nbluffs and high banks in the midst of a rich and fei tile territory. The same is also true\\nof the Suwonnce, the Cbip(jla, and (\u00c2\u00bbther rivers.\\nFroin Hamilton county on the cast, and Holmes on the west, the intermediate section is\\nundulating, ami in some parts quite broken many poi-tionsof Jackson, Gadsden, and Leon\\ncounties, in ])articular, bearing upon their surface a strong resemblance to the less hilly\\nl)ortions of Tcnasylvania, Now York, and New F^ngland and thus is afforded in Northern\\nFlorida a variety of surface, consisting of sandy plains and fiatwoods, or an alternation\\nof hill and vale, from which the divers tastes of different individuals can be easily gratified.\\nThe soils of Northern Florida are as varicfl as is the surface. To the cast is fcv.nd a\\nlight and sandy soil, with a subsoil varying in depth, of clay or marl. In the west the\\nl)oorer soils are sandy, while the better are loamy in character. In the middle, or section\\ncommonly called Middle Florida, strong clay soils are ofteii to be met, as is esjiecially\\nthe case in Jackson, Gadsden, and Leon counties.\\nIt is undeniable that here, as in the State generally, there is a gootl deal of light and\\npoor soil; but it is equally true that as rich and ju oductive lands exist in Northern Flori-\\nda, and, when considered with reference to the value of the staple crops, as productive and\\nvaluable land s, A?, caii b\u00c2\u00ab Vnet aniySvhere. The first year .s croj) of cotton and corn has in", "height": "3180", "width": "1905", "jp2-path": "floridacolonist01flor_0029.jp2"}, "30": {"fulltext": "22\\nmore than one instance, repaid the purchase price ul a plantation, and that an old one, and\\ncultivated without manure.\\nFrom the broken and uneven surface of the middle counties on the north, and from the\\nonii)arative coolness of the climate, this division of the tState is better adapted than either\\nof the others to what is understood by ordinary fanning, as contradistinguished from\\nplanting, so called. Hence there is agreater diversity of tlie crops usually raised in the\\nXorthern and Middle States than can ordinarily be found in the other vivisions. Here,\\ninstead of depending mainly ujion the avails of a single crop, as i.s usual with cotton, rice,\\nand sugar planters, there is more of what is understood by the term of farming, and each\\ncultivator aims at raising his own supplies as far as ])racticable and cotton, corn, cane,\\nwheat, rye, oats, hay, potatoes, and tobacco, are often, and indeed commonly, nuide by each\\nindividual farmer.\\nThe staple crops may be said to be corn, cotton, tobacco, rice, cane, Irisii and sweet ])o-\\ntatoes, and oats.\\nTlie principal fruits are peaclies, figs, grajjes, oranges, tiiough n)any others are raised.\\nTJie apple and pear do not generally flourish, except along tlie St. Marys River, (which i\\none of the best frint regions in the whole Soutii,) and in the strong clay soils of Jackson,\\nGadsden, and Leon counties. The jieach and tig thrive everywhere, and nuiture several\\nseveral weeks earlier than in the States lying north. Tlie orange is grown throughout\\nthis division, the crop increasing in security as you go south; but very line oranges are\\nraised in the northern counties, although, when yoimg, they should have some protection.\\nXo better oranges are rjiised in Florida tiian tiiose produced in Liberty, Calhoun, Wakulla,\\nand Washington counties, and the world can sliow no better oranges tium the best raised\\nin this State.\\nThis whole division is remarkably well watered. In addition to the numerous rivers,\\nthe Perdido, Black Water, Escambia, Econtina, Apalachicola, Chipola, Ocklockonee, Au-\\ncilla, Suwannee, St. Johns, St. Marys, and Nassau, and the multitude of smaller streams,\\nnearly the whole region is abundantly supplied with springs, while good water is easily\\nobtained in wells of little expense.\\nThe timber of the region is abundant. The supjdies of pine and cypress are apparently\\ninexhaustible; while hickory, oak, ash, t .edar, magnolia, and red bay are found everywhere.\\nGame and fish are found everywhere in good supply. On tlie coasts, oysters and turtle\\nabound. Tliey are both abundant and good on the east coast but tlie oysters of St. An-\\ndrew s Bay, on the West, are not surpassed for size and flavor, and are exceedingly abun-\\ndant.\\nSo much will suffice for a general description of Northern I lorida, as a whole, and for\\nmore particular information, reference is made to the local descriptions of Jackson, AVa-\\nkulla, Gadsden, Leon, Clay, SuAvannee, Madison, and Columbia counties, which are sub-\\njoined.\\nWAKULLA COUNTY.\\nCrawfordville, Fla., July 16, 1869.\\nHolt. J. S. Adams: Sir: 1 did not see nor hear of your circular of the 16th of Novem-\\nber, 1868, until I received your pamphlet during the extraordinary session of the Legisla-\\nture, and believing that Wakulla county offers extraordinary inducements to immigrants,\\nand wishing to see it immediately settled with citizens, good and true, I will venture to\\nwrite the following communication for your consideration\\nWakulla county is bounded eastward by Taylor county northward by Leon county\\nwestward by the Ocklockonee river; and southward by Ocklockonnee Bay and the Gulf of\\nMexico. From the eastern boundary to the western, it is near forty miles, and from the\\niioi-thern boundary to the southern, it is from fifteen to thirty miles. Wakulla county has\\na ^\u00e2\u0080\u00a2oting population of about five hundred, two hundred and seventy-five of whom itt e\\nwhite, and two hundred and twenty-five are colored and black. The African tide is ebb-\\ning, and the indications are that the county will be Anglo-Saxonized.\\nCrawfordvillc, the count}- site of Wakulla county, is at or near the centre of the count}-,\\nand of the population. It is an eligible location, very. The water is pure and cool, and\\nhealth good. It hiis a flourishing school and church, indispensable auxiliaries to greatness\\nand goodness. The Crawfordvillc Lodge is a reticent conservator of Peace and Union.\\nCrawfordvillc is twenty miles from Tallahassee, twelve miles from St. Marks, ten miles\\nfrom the nearest depot on the railroad, and eio-ht miles from the nearest landing on the\\n(ndf. St. Marks lias well-established weekly steamship communication with all the gulf\\nl)orts in the State, and witli Havana, Cuba; and it is connected by rail with Jacksonville,\\nFernandina, and Savannah, on the Atlantic.\\nThe eastern division of the county lies low, and comes under the caption of flat woods\\nbut the greater portion of it is high and dry enough for cultivation without ditching, and\\nwith pro])er preparation and cultivation, the wlioleof itis productive, and having a doubly\\ndurable foundation of lime-rock and c]ay, it will endure for ages. The central division is", "height": "3180", "width": "1905", "jp2-path": "floridacolonist01flor_0030.jp2"}, "31": {"fulltext": "23\\nalso level, bill more ?ievate(l and beautifully intefuiixod witii altfi-iuito sections of pine,\\noak, and hickoi-y and hammock. The greater portion of the population is in this division\\nof the county. The western ilivision is slightly descending, and decidedly* undulating,\\nwith alternations of piney woods and hays, and the bays generally have greatev altitude\\nthan the l)iney woods, and are, Ihereforc. susceptible of easy and thorough drainage. In\\n1861), at my instance. Dr. Daniel Lee visited two of the most noted of those bajs one foi\\nthe excess of sand in the soil, and the other for the sceminglj total destitution of sand\\ntherein .selected samples of bay earth, and subjected them to a rigid chemical analysis,\\nand reported to me the following results:\\nIn one hundred parts of the sandj bay soil I found of\\nOrganic, combu.stablo substances, .vVi ^Sij\\nMineral matter, 90.14\\nThe la.st named contained.\\nSilica and silicates as sand SG.S5\\nAlumina, (the basis of clay,) j^ij V/fniW\\nOxide of Iron i. A\\nChloride of Lime t. Vt-Ti\\nSulphate of Lime\\nSulphate of Magnesia\\nChlorides of Potassium and Soda, Phosphate (^f Lime, and loss ()V\\nThis .soil has an excess of sand, and is deficient in alumina or cla} and the compounds\\nof iron, which render clay either red or blue. But as the vegetable matter is both deep\\nand abundant, it will produce well. There is no lack of lime in any of the bays. There\\nis very little difference in the surface and subsoil of the rich bay. Much of the vegetable\\nmatter is thoroughly rotted, and exceedingly fine humus. When thoroughlj dried, it has\\ngreat power of imbibing moisture from the atmosphere, (is very hygroscopic.) Dried at\\nthe temperature of 212 degrees, 1,000 grains carefully burnt gave 132 grains of incombus-\\ntible ashes and earthy matter; 100 grains of this contained\\nSilicates and Silica, (very fine,) SS.l t\\nAlumina, (basis of clay,) 2.42\\nOxides of Iron .tj:i\\nCarbonate of Lime, l. ^S\\nSulphate of Lime oc.\\nChloride of Calcium and Soda, o.\\nPotassium and Phosphate of Lime, 04\\nAnd loss,. .07\\nAs in a bank of rotten corn stalks or wheat straw, there is an excess of vegetable mat-\\nter in this bay soil and possibly uiay take some time to i-educe it to a fruitful condition.\\nIt is an immensely rich bay.\\nDr. Lee is a native of the State of Xew York, was for ma^iy years editor of the SoHlluru\\nCultivator, and was, at the time of making this analysis. Professor of the Agricultural De-\\npartment of the State University of Georgia. T have discussed this question b}- reason of\\nits great importance. There are tens of thousands of acres of immensely rich bay lands\\nin Wakulla county that are susceptible of easy drainage, the soil of which is from ten to\\ntwentj feet deep. Wikulla county is rich in timber suitable for lumber, naval stores and\\ndomestic purposes generally. The yellow i ine, large and h ng, abounds in every section\\nf)f the county sweet bay, cypress, and black gum in the bays; sweet gum, live oak, white\\noak, hickorj-, ash, mulberry, cherry, magnolia, and Fhn-ida mahogany in the hammocks.\\nThere is no lack of rivers and creeks with sufhcient fall and calibre to drive machinery.\\nThere are seven grist mills and one saw mill in tln^ county, six of which are water mills,\\nand three of them are within two miles of Crawfordville. J^umber is worth lifteen dollars\\njier thousand feet, and corn meal one dollar per bushel at the mill. Every section of the\\ncounty is bountifully supplied with either branches, small lakes, or ponds for stocfe. For\\ndrinking, the (ritizens generally use well water, a few sj)ring, and fewer still, cistern. The\\ndrinking water, in some sections, is affected by rotten limestone in other sections it is\\nonlj slightly impregnated with lime, but mainly, it is entirely free from lime, cool and\\nsweet. The welLs are from twelve to twenty-five feet deep. Two hands can dig and curb\\na W(dl in two days.\\nGrazing is good throug-hout the county, especially in the ea.stern and western divisions,\\nand on the gulf coast. Stock of all kinds does well, and cattle and hogs especially are re-\\nmarkable for their precocity. It is not unusual for heifers of two j-ears to have calves.\\nBear and deer are abundant in the remote and solitary recesses, and turkeys, foxes, coons,\\ncats, (kg., are in every inan s plantation. The woods abound with wild hone}-. Domesti-\\ncated bees are i)r()fital)le. Bee stands are wortii one dollar each; honey sixty cents per\\ngallon.\\nIt co.sts a good deal to clear hammock land, and but little to clear pine; but I am not\\nadvised as to the actua]^^c(,)sto|, either,. Ttjer^v^^ cleared land enough in this county for", "height": "3180", "width": "1905", "jp2-path": "floridacolonist01flor_0031.jp2"}, "32": {"fulltext": "24\\nthe present. Wakulla county is covered alnnwt entirely by what is kiiovviias the Forbes\\nPurchase, so there is very little governineut land in the county, and that little is of very\\nlittle account. The superabundance of tiniber contiguous to anj- suitable place to build,\\nand the cheapness of labor, would enable one to build a comfortable log house for one hun-\\ndred dollars. A cart-load of lightwood will reduce a cart-load of oyster shells to lime, and\\nthe lime and sand well )nixed, wet with water, moulded into proper shape, and dried in tlie\\nsunshine, make good brick. A few clay brick, kihi-dried, are necessary for the hearth and\\nback perhaps seventy-five to the chimney. Tlie lime and s^and brick will en.durfe untA the\\nend in the body and funnel of a chimney.\\nI have yet to see the man wlio will acknowledge that he lives in a sickly place; but in-\\ntermittent and remittent fevers are not strangers in some localities, even in Wakulla coun-\\nty. But the county, all in all, is certainly healthy, and the acclimated citizens enjoy al-\\nmost uninterrupted liealth. Mosquitoes are numerous only on the gulf coast, and along\\nthe line of the rivers. I have not had occasion to put up my mosquito bars for years.\\nGnats and fleas annoy a little in the spring, but disappear on tbe approach rtf Mittnier.\\nNot many snakes.\\nAside from tlie equinoctial winds incident to all tropical climates, this.county is less lia-\\nble to storms than any with whicli I am acquainted.\\nMr. A. P. Tully, a gentleman of the highest integrity, Reports that he produced last\\nyear, from one acre and three-eighths, accurately measured; tliirteen hundred and twenty\\npounds of dry sugar, and five hundred and twenty-five gallons of s^yru}) of sweet pota-\\ntoes, four hundred and fifty bushels tier icre of corn from old land, witliout manure, an\\naverage of the entire crop, only a fraction short of twenty bushels i)er acre. Mr. Tully s\\nplantation is within one mile of Crawfordville. IMajor M. Braswell produced on his plan-\\ntation, four miles from Crawfordville, some years since, from one hundred measured acres\\nof natural laud, (not a bit of manure was used,) one hundred bales of short staple cotton,\\naveraging five hundred and twenty -five pounds per bale of corn, forty -five bushels per\\nacre, with only one plowing and two lioeings. This I know to be true. But these results\\nare above the average.\\nFor the want of enterprise, or fr(;m a consoling contUlcnce in tlie capacity of the native\\nsoil, the planters of Wakulhx liave not manured their lands, not withstanding inines of muck\\nand marl, accessible .and inexhaustible, abound in every section of the county. The plan-\\nters usually guess at the acres in cultivation, and the pounds, bushels, or gallons produced\\njier acre, and, therefore, 1 cannot say witli detinitcncss and certainty how much the native\\nlands will produce per acre, but the following will ai)])roximato it Of .short staple cot-\\nton, from two to five hundred pounds of lint per aci-e of long staple, from one to three\\nhundred pounds of corn, fi-om ten to forty bushels of sweet potatoes, from three to five\\nhundred bushels; of ])indars, from forty to eighty bushels of syrup, from three hundred\\nto four hundred and fifty gallons of rice, from thirty to fifty busliels, (rough) r^-e, oats,\\nand Irish potatoes pay well; pow peas, chufas. itc., first rate int lons, (water and musk,)\\njmmpkins, and all garden veijetablcs are produced in such profusion, and to such perfec-\\ntion, and with so little ?ittention, that it is impossible to appreciate them! Figs, plums,\\npomegranates, and peaches are jiroduced to perfection; apples, only so-so; .orange trees\\nrequire protection from tlie cold only a few years. There ai- e some sma,!! k Vv efet orange\\ngroves in the county that ])ear astonishinglj-. m\\nLabor is abundant, and can be obtained at from fifty to scvcjity -five cents per day, or\\nfrom ten to twelve dollars ])er month, with rations. Good farm horses and mules are worth\\nfrom one hundred to two hundred dollars each stock cattle from five to six dollfirs per\\nhead; stock hogs, two dollars; sheep, two dollars, and goats, one dollar and twenty -five\\ncents.\\nLarge tracts of land in elcg-ible sections, much of thehi v6ry rich, with improvements\\nthereon, can be purchased at from two to five dollars per acre. In some localities, more\\nor less desirable, lands, with improvements, can be ptu-chased almost at purchaser s own\\n])rice.\\nPrior to 18G0, turpentining was a lucrative avocation in this county, and there are pine\\ntrees already boxed, by sections, in localities convenient to shipping. One hand can chip\\nand di]) four thousand boxes, which will yield about two hundred bai relsof crude turpentine,\\nworth inonfc hclJuni times two dollars per bai rel. Tobacco, too, was a remunerative crop\\nspeckled tobacco, soft and silky, good as any ever pi-oduccd in Gadsden county or in Cuba,\\nwas produced in this county, where there are now many thousands on thousands of acres\\nof wild hanunoek suited to its production. The coucullivation of tobacco docs not con-\\nflict with the cultivation of other crops, but it is almost impossible to strip the fodder from\\na full crop of corn without neglecting the tobacct). Five hundred pounds of speckled to-\\nbacco is a good average ])er acre.\\n1 believe there is not a vineyard in the county; hut a \u00e2\u0096\u00a0jingle scuppernong vine in the\\nneighborhood is rejiorti d to have produced twenty-five or thirty bushels of grapes last\\nyear. Wild grajies are at home in Wakulla. Broad a -res of wild hammock and scrub", "height": "3180", "width": "1905", "jp2-path": "floridacolonist01flor_0032.jp2"}, "33": {"fulltext": "25\\nlamls are clad with vigoi-ous vines, briraminc; witli clusters of oTapos, larg-o and luscious,\\nand the suj)erabundance and great variety of wild grapes of a superior quality, and the\\nwonderful production of scuppernong vines, are indications amounting almost unto a dem-\\nonstration, that the climate and soil of Wakulla are admirably adapted to the production\\nof grapes generally.\\nYour i)amphlet, Mr. Adams, is worth more to Florida than your salary, and Floridians\\nand immigrants to Florida will not be slow in acknowledging their obligations to you for\\nthe invaluable developments therein. The demand for your pamphlet is very great right\\nhere in Wakulla coimty. 1 could wish that tlie State was sowed down with it. It will\\ndo great good anyhow. Men of gravity and Avisdom, and verdant men, wlio never planted\\na fig nor grape cutting, having heard of the astonishing productions of wine, raisins, figs,\\nitc, as promulgated in your pamphlet, are now calling for cuttings.\\nAlong the line of railroad from Tallahassee to St. Marks, tons on tons of lime could lie\\nImrned at a relativelj nominal expense.\\nFisheries are established all along the gulf coast, and from more than one of them T\\nhave seen one hundred barrels (two hundred and fifty mullet to the Ijarrel) of mullet caj)-\\nlured at a haul, with a seine not exceeding two hundred yards in length, and manned by\\nless than a dozen men. Mullet are worth teil dollars per barrel on the beach. Think of\\nit One thousand dollars at a haul. Mullet rim in fishermen s phrase, in schools near\\nthe shore from the first of October to the first of December, and ten or twelve hands, with\\nseine and boat, can capture five hundred to one thousand barrels within the brief period\\nof eight weeks. About one-half the mullet have yellow roe, which are in great demand\\nat a higher price per barrel than the mullet. Headless mullet only are packed and mul-\\nlet heads, by boiling, yield an oil equal to lard for frying fish, and superior to anj- other\\ngrease for leather. The entire gulf coast is ridged with oysters.\\nThe Newport Sulphur Springs are Avorthy of consideration. Before the war, scores of\\ninvalids resorted to these waters, many of whomAvere entirely restored to health long lost,\\nand many more were greatly improA cd. These Avaters are preventi\\\\ e of debility, the\\nforerunner of dropsy, and of physical disorganizations generally and curative of dyspep-\\nsia, rheumatism, neuralgia, etc.\\nThere are some interesting places for sale in the vicinity of these famous springs, and\\nthose Avho may desire to take a look at them are directed to D.aniel Ladd, a pioneer to\\nFlorida, and one of the most enterprising and useful citizens in the county. Mr. Ladd re-\\nsides at Newport. The Wakulla Spring has a puft (good one, too,) in your pamphlet, and\\nyet another spring in Wakulla county is remai-kable for its medicinal virtues a chalybeate\\nspring, ten miles from Crawford ville, near Major James W. Smith s residence, in clear\\nsight of the gulf. The waters of this spring is said to be a panacea for chronic diarrhoea.\\nAnd noAv, Mr. Adams, in considei-ation of the inducements briefly itemized in this run-\\nning communication, some of which are the intrinsic value of the native lands, of their re-\\nlatiA e cheapness, supplies of timber, muck, and marl, and mills, the cheapness of labor,\\naccessibility of immediate and remote markets, proximity to the Capital, juxtaposition\\nwith the precious treasm-es of fish and oysters and sea breezes, health, schools, churches,\\nsocieties, ciAil and social, Wakulla county fills the emigrant s bill.\\nLast, not least, I am personally acquainted with every Avhite man in the county, and\\nthere is not a more law-abiding and Union-loving people in any county of any State in the\\nUnion or out of it, than the white people of Wakulla. There are citizens who reside near\\nCrawfordville, in the same immediate neighborhood, avIio fought bravely on both sides\\nduring the late war, others Avho refused unto the bitter end to fight on either side, others,\\nstill, who Avere persecuted and imprisoned for their supposed devotion to the Federal flag,\\nall living in peace and harmony. I can see no reason Avhy a Northern man should not feel\\nat home in Wakulla county. All upright and honorable immigrants Avho may come to thi:^\\ncounty for the purpose of making it their homes, and of assisting in the development of its\\nresources, Avill receive the most fa\\\\ orable consideration from the citizens generally. 1\\nliave made it my business to inquire of the leading citizens in every section of the county\\nas to how they would receive honorable immigrants from the Northern States, and all re-\\nl)ort that they are willing and waiting to extend to all such immigrants the right hand of\\nfellowshii). Yours, c., JNO. L. CRAWFORr*.\\nGADSDEN COUNTY.\\n(condensed \u00c2\u00a5110U A REPORT TO THE STATE AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY.)\\nThi.s county is a northern county, between the Georgia line on the north and Liberty\\ncounty on the south, and between the Ocklockonee and Apalachicola rivers, its centre be-\\ning in latitude 30.30 north. The surface of the whole county is someAvhat undulating and\\nbroken, exhibiting frequent hills and vales, and running streams, and gives a variety of\\nscenery larger than is found on the ocean or gulf coasts. The soil is of excellent quality,\\ngenerally based upon a strong red clay which often crops out upon the surface. In the", "height": "3180", "width": "1905", "jp2-path": "floridacolonist01flor_0033.jp2"}, "34": {"fulltext": "26\\nbest pine, and the oak and hickory lands, this clay subsoil very generallj exists within one\\nor two feet from the surface, and probably on this account such lands have an unusual per-\\nmanence of fertility, and a longer continued responsiveness to fertilization than is common.\\nThe hammock lands, where the subsoil is more remote, are of a lighter character, and\\nthough perhaps more productive at first, are not as lasting. There is less waste and un-\\ncultivable land in this county than in almost any county in the State.\\nClay, muck, and mud abound tliroughout the county, giving ample assurance of unfailing\\nsupplies of natui-al fertilizers, and the value of these resources is now only beginning to\\nbe appreciated.\\nThe forest growth is of great variety, but the j ellow and pitch pine, suitable for fenc-\\ning and milling purposes, very largely prevail. The oak ridges furnish the finest supply\\nof red and black oak, post oak, hickory and dogwood, and the hammocks abound in the\\nwhite, Spanish and basket oak, beach, magnolia, bay, walnut and cherry, and almost every\\nother description of forest-growth that can be named. Tlie pine forests, besides furnish-\\ning an ample supply of fencing and building material, affords fine summer pasturage for\\nthe live stock, and the hammocks and branches are equally beneficial in that respect in the\\nwinter.\\nOwing to the undulating surface of the country, the lands in this county were never\\nvery attractive to that class of immigrants known as large cotton planters, and hence\\nthe county was settled up by men of moderate means and of industrious habits. This cir-\\ncumstance has stamped upon the population more the character of farmers than of plan-\\nters. With this characteristic they liave always produced their own supplies of provis-\\nions and prior to the close of the late war, it was a matter of rare occurrence, that either\\nmeat or bread was imported from abroad. The same spirit of independence is still obser-\\nvable in the tone and bearing of the agricultural popidation of the county, and though\\ncramped in their present means, and suffering under the great change whicli has so sud-\\ndenly and unexpectedly occurred in the system of labor, it is a cheering augury, that they\\nare rapidly conforming to their altered circumstances, and fast returning to tlieir former\\nthrift. In a word, the soil, climate, and habits of the population afford all the essential\\nelements of a successful farming community.\\nFrom a pretty thorough knowledge of the average productiveness of the soil, tlie com-\\nmittee are of opinion that to the number of acres planted in cotton, no portion of the State\\ncan give a more satisfactory result. And it may be noted that of the amount produced,\\nthe Sea Island, or long staple, has always entered very largely into the aggregate. Such\\nwas the case before the war, and the indications of the growing crop show that there has\\nbeen no change in that respect. The experience of our planters has fully demonstrated\\nthe fact, that the larger portion of our planting lands are admirably adapted to the pro-\\nduction of tliis valuable species of cotton, and that from carefully selected seed, a fibre is\\nproduced, which for fineness, lengtli and strength is not excelled by that produced in any\\nother section of the State.\\nBut the most distinguishing trait in the agriculture of Gadsden county prior to the war,\\nwas the great attention which was given to the cultivation of the Cuba tobacco. This cul-\\nture was inaugurated by a worthy gentleman by the name of John Smith, wlio emigrated\\nfrom Virginia and settled in the vicinity of Quiucy about the year 1829. His extraordin-\\nary success soon induced otliers to go into the culture, and in the course of a few years,\\nthe Cuba tobacco became a staple product of the county, second only, if at all, to cotton.\\nFor a number of years immediately preceding the war, the production of this staple within\\nthe limits of the county averaged from three to four thousand boxes of four hundred pounds\\neach annually, and readily commanded on the plantations, in cash, from twenty-five to fifty\\ncents per pound. The purchases were generally made by agents of German houses, sent\\nout from New York and Bremen.\\nThe pindar or ground-nut has always been successfully cultivated in this county, but\\nonly as food for swine. Tlie tediousness of gathering, and the fact that the gathering sea-\\nson comes on at a time wlien we are most closely pressed by the picking of cotton, has\\nheretofore prevented it from being adopted as a market crop. There is no doubt, however,\\nthat if made a specialty, and resort be liad to improved implements for gathering, it could\\nbe made one of the most remunerative crops that could be grown. The results in the State\\nof North Carolina fully attest ihv. correctness of this opinion, and in point of soil and cli-\\nmate we certainly have the advantage. But (Jadsden county does not rely alone upon her\\nfield crops for restoration to her former prosperity. A new business has been recently\\ninaugurated, that of gardening, and if tlie experiments of tlie past season afford any in-\\ndication of tlie future, she has in tliat enterprise a most flattering promise of succes,s. One\\nof the first shipments of garden peas tliat reached New York the past season was sent\\nfrom the vicinity of Quincy, and tlie remuneration is well calculated to excite and stimu-\\nlate the enterprise of our citizens the coming season. On tlie same parallel with the cities\\nof Jacksonville and St. Augustine, with a soil far superior in productiveness, and with di-\\nrect and speedy railroad communication, there is no reason why this county may not enter", "height": "3180", "width": "1905", "jp2-path": "floridacolonist01flor_0034.jp2"}, "35": {"fulltext": "into successful compotition in tliis line of business. It is an cstablisheil fact, that cabbap*\\nand all the root crops are raised in as high perfection in Florida as iu any part of the Uni-\\nted States, and a further advantage is that all these products, with the exception of the\\nIrish potato, may be permitted to remain in the ground during the entire winter, without\\nsuffering any material injury from the cold. It is also an established fact, demonstrated\\nby actual shipments made during the past season, that vegetables shipped by railroad from\\nQuincy have been delivered in New York on the fourth day after being started.\\nThe public have been educated to believe that the successful raising of the orange is\\nconfined exclusively to the banks of the river St. Johns, (the admitted pride of our State,)\\nand to the country adjacent thereto but it requires only a visit to the Apalachicola river,\\nthe western boundary of Gadsden county, to dispel the illusion. The largest and finest\\norano-es that the committee has ever seen or tasted, were raised on the banks of that river.\\nThe sameness of latitude, and the great superiority of soil, gives to that locality advan-\\ntages which cannot be ignored. Since the close of the war great attention is being paid\\nto the planting of the sweet orange and to the improvement and extension of the groves\\nheretofore inaugurated, and the committee are credibly informed, that within the last four\\nmonths, five thousand dollars in cash have been refused for a grove of one acre in extent.\\nIt is within their knowledge that many individuals are now engaged in extending the cul-\\nture of the sweet orange on the banks of that river, and it is a fact worthy of being noted,\\nthat the insect heretofore so destructive to the groves in other sections of the State, liave\\nnever been known to infest the trees in that locality. This may be accounted for from the\\nfact that the soil is of unsurpassed fertility, which keeps the trees in a healthy and grow-\\ning condition and renders them invulnerable to the attacks of the much dreaded enemy.\\nThe river communication with Columbus, Georgia, affords an ample outlet for all the or-\\nanges that can be grown on the banks of the Apalachicola river.\\nAnother source to which we look with confidence for a restoration to our former pros-\\nperitj is the cultivation of the Scuppernong grape. This is no im tried experiment in this\\ncounty. The neighborhood of Mt. Pleasant, situated about twelve miles west of Quincy,\\nhas been engaged in the cultivation of this grape for many years, and now produces a wine\\nwhich is pronounced by good judges to be equal to the best of the California productions,\\nand far superior to the great bulk of foreign importations, which are imposed upon us as\\nthe pure juice of the grape. Our people are now aroused upon the subject, and in the\\ncourse of a few years Gadsden county will be as celebrated for the productions of wine as\\nshe has heretofore been for that of the Cuba tobacco.\\nOf the provision crops, the Indian corn, or maize, is the great staple, and is chiefly re-\\nlied upon as food both for man and beast. In consequence of the great length of our sum-\\nmers, the climate is not as propitious for the production of a large yield as in more north-\\nern latitudes there is no deficiency in the size of the ear, but for the reason above stated,\\ngreater distance has to be given to the stalks to guard against the firing of the leaves, and\\nhence there is a diminution of the number of hills to the acre. Upon the lands usually\\nappropriated to the production of this cereal, (unless it has become greatlj^ exhausted,)\\nfrom twelve to fifteen bushels to the acre is considered a good average crop, though upon\\nfirst-rate bottom lands, from forty to sixty bushels are not unfrequently realized.\\nNext to the corn come the various varieties of the sweet potato. It is food for both\\nman and beast, and is esteemed of great value on every well regulated plantation or farm,\\nas affording great relief to the exactions upon the corn crib. It is of easy production, re-\\nquiring less work than any other crop, and the j-ield is greater than that of any other crop\\nplanted. When properly attended to, and upon suitable soil, from two to three himdred\\nbushels to the acre may be confidently relied upon. The sweet potato may be propagated\\nby ])lanting short pieces of the vines as late as the month of August, after the cultivation\\n(jf the cotton crop has been terminated, and with one plowing and propitious sea.sons, in-\\nvariably affords fine rooting for the hogs in the fall of the year. Indeed, the most of the\\npork made in the county is fattened in the potato fields.\\nThe cow, or field pea is another valuable auxiliary to the provision crop. It is esteemed\\na siiie qua non by every judicious and provident planter, as it is the main reliance for fat-\\ntening up the stock in the fall of the year. This crop requires no special appropriation of\\nland for its production, as it may alwaj-s be planted between the hills or rows of corn,\\nwithout interfering with the yield of the latter. Nor does it require any special or sepa-\\nrate cultivation for its production. Upon fresh land, or when the soil is in good heart, it\\nis invariably sowed broadcast and ploughed in at the last ploughing of the corn, and re-\\nceives no further attention as to tillage. Where the soil is somewhat exhausted, it is best\\nto plant it in hills or drills on each side of the rows of corn at the second ploughing, and\\nthis gives it a working when the corn is to be laid by. Rice is also cultivated in sufficient\\nabundance for domestic consumption, and the straw is very highly prized as forage, being\\nfar preferable to that of oats or rye. This grain flourishes finely in this climate, and as it\\ndelights in moisture, is usually cultivated on lands which are too wet for cotton and corn.\\nThe soil and climate uf this county is welj adapted to the production of oats and rye.", "height": "3180", "width": "1905", "jp2-path": "floridacolonist01flor_0035.jp2"}, "36": {"fulltext": "28\\nBoth of these grains have always been cultivated with success, and the former, especially,\\nis much relied upon for the supitort of the plough team. Upon the clay soils, wheat has\\nbeen tried with satisfactory results, but in consequence of the lack of flouring mills, has\\nnever been relied upon as a crop, except by a few. Witii proper facilities to convert the\\ngrain into good flour, a stimulus would be given to the i)roduction of this valuable grain,\\nwhich would soon render the citizens of the county entirely independent on that score.\\nSugar cane is also a staple provision crop, is of easy culture, grows luxuriantly on good\\nland, and the process of converting it into sugar and syrup is so simple that but little ex-\\nperience is required to produce a good article. Except in a few instances, it has never\\nbeen cultivated as a market crop, but it is of rare occurrence that any plantation does not\\nproduce an abundant supply for domestic use.\\nI.ONG FORAGE GRASSES AND PASTURAGE.\\nThe blade of the Indian corn is the chief reliance for foraging the horses and cattle of\\nthe plantation, though large quantities of hay are gathered on many plantations. The hay\\nthus gathered costs only the labor of cutting and curing. The grass from which it is made (the\\ncrab and crow foot is a spontaneous growth, which vegetates after the crop of corn\\nhas received the last ploughing, or the oats or rye have been harvested. The hay from\\nthese grasses is soft and pliable, very nutritious, and equal to any imported article. Any\\nland broken up in the spring, and well harrowed, will produce from one to three tons of\\nhay to the acre, and may be cut twice and often thrice during the summer and fall. What\\nis true of C4adsden county equally applies to every part of Florida. Our theoretical agri-\\nculturists have long racked their brains and exhausted inquiry, to discover a grass fully\\nadapted to the soil and climate of the South, while we have at our very doors, and as pests\\nto our cultivated crops, two grasses, either of which is fully etjual to tlie velvety blue\\ngrass of Kentucky, and far superior to the harsh Timothy of the north for haying pur-\\nposes.\\nUnder the stimulus which is being given by the establishment of agricultural associa-\\ntions to the develpment of new ideas, the day is not distant when the shipment of hay to\\nthe South will be about as profitable as carrying coals to Ne\\\\Y Castle.\\nWe have never suffered any inconvenience from the lack of pasturage. The grasses be-\\nfore mentioned afford an abundant supply during the summer and fall, and the fields from\\nwhich the provision crops have been saved, together with thereed branches, which abound\\nin every part of the county, afford a sufficiency for winter and spring. It is found by ac-\\ntual experience that the summer pasturage is greatly improved by breaking up and hai\\nrowing the soil previous to the springing of the grass. This stimulates the growth and\\nserves to keep down the weeds.\\nFRUITS AND BERRIES.\\nThe peach and fig are among our most common fruits, and are produced in great perfec-\\ntion. But little attention has heretofore been given to the raising of the apple and the\\npear but enough has been done to prove that there is no lack of adaptation in either soil\\nor climate. Increased attention is now being paid to the introduction of a greater variety\\nof fruits, and we are confident that in the course of a few years, apples, pears, and cherries\\nwill be as common as peaches.\\nThe smaller fruits or berries, such as the straw and raspberries, are also cultivated to\\ngreat perfection, and the dew and blackberry grow spontaneously and in great abundance\\nin every part of the county. Indeed, we see no reason why the cranberry, the gooseberry,\\nand the currant may not be cultivated with equal success, and we confidently look forward\\nto the time, not far distant, M hen these delicious and highly prized fruits will be abun-\\ndantly supplied.\\n(TJMATE AND SOIL.\\nThe climate of this county, and indeed of the entire State, is far more ecpiable than is to\\nbe found in higher latiuides. Your committee are not jirepared to give the average range\\nof the thermometer throughout the year, but they confidently assert that while the forma-\\ntion of ice is of comparative rare occurrence, the maximum of heat is far below that ex-\\nperienced in New York, Ohio, and the New England States. Your committee have no re-\\ncollection of ever having seen the thermometer rise to 100 degrees. The attention of one\\nof the committee was especially called to this matter by the rei)orts from those States dur-\\ning the present season, and at no time did either of three instruments consulted, register\\nabove 99 degrees, and that only on one day. It is true that our warm weather extends\\nover a much longer period of time than in the States farther north, but the intensitj of the\\nheat is never so great as with them, and we are entirely exempted from the sultriness of\\nutmosiihero to wliich they are subjected, Even in what is esteemed the heated term,\\nwe are always relieved during some portion of the day, and almost invariably at night, by\\nthe cooling influence of refreshing breezes. This is doubtless attributed to our geographi-\\ncal position, whicl} giyos us the advantage of both the Atlantic md Gulf influences, Aa", "height": "3180", "width": "1905", "jp2-path": "floridacolonist01flor_0036.jp2"}, "37": {"fulltext": "20\\napprt)priiil( to \\\\\\\\\\\\o subji ct. now umUir considoriition. it is a fact worthy of note, that so far\\nas your coiiiiuittco are iiifoniicd, a caso of sun-stroke has nnver occurred in the countv,\\nnor has an instance of Ilahics or lIydro]ihol)ia ever been known.\\nTo our goograjihical jxisiflon may also be attributed the dry aiul wet seasons. It\\nis true that we occasionally suffer from droui^ht, and sometimes from excess of rain, but\\nthese occurrences arc not ei iodi(;al, and cannot be anticipated with any decree of certain-\\nty. It is seldom that the crrowina,- crops are very materially injured by citlier the one or\\nthe othei\\nJAC^KSOX COUXTY.\\nIs bounded on tlu^ nortii by the Alabama line, on the east by the Chattahoochee and\\nApalacliicola rivers, on the south by Washington and Calhoun counties embracing an\\narea of thirty or more townships of land, diversified and varied in quality by location\\nsomewhat undulating, trending to the water-shed, being about thirty miles from east to\\nwest, and forty from north to south. The arable lands have a substratum of lime at va-\\nrious dej)tlis from the surfiice, and are classed as swamp, hammock and ))ine; forming an\\nindistinctly defined line from tlie stream of water as indicated by name outwardly. The\\nswnmp is wet, and subject, to some extent, to overflow soil alluvial heavily timbered\\nwitli gum, oak, magnolia, beech, and bay. Hammock dry; soil loam, with red cla^ sand\\nand lime ill various proportions; timbered as the swamp, except the gum and bay; these\\nlands are stiff and require heavier cultivation. They are considered iutermetliate between\\nthe swamp and pine. The pine lands are light, easily cultivated and desirable soil, loam,\\nsand and lime; timbered with long-leafed pine, with oik runner, hickory, buckeye and\\n))apaw undergrowtli. Lime is an ingredient in all these, also in lands of dissimilar char-\\nacteristics though of the same nature and class not described, to which all are mainly in-\\ndebted for their fertility and long endurance. Coarse sand abounds in the soil of some of\\nthe lands with the s.ame substrata, but they do not yield well without extensive culture.\\nThe lands are level, though the surface is formed so as to prevent the accunudation of stag-\\nnant water or large open ponds without oiitlet.\\nThe Chipola river rises in several large springs in Alabama, flows south nearly through\\nthe centre of the county, and enqjties into the Apalachicola river, or what is known as the\\nDead Lakes. This is the main drain or water-shed of the county, except on northwest,\\nwest, and southwest, the water of whicli flows west and southwest into Choctawhatchie\\nriver to St. Andrew s bay. The former I iver is navigable for boats carrying two hundred\\nbales of cotton, and is susceptible of steam navigation by a moderate outlay. The eastern\\nportion of the county is furnished with facilities of transportation by the rivers, forming\\na boundary line. Drinking water is obtained from wells at various depths and is more or\\nless impregnated Avith lime, as some large springs tind vent to the surface through fissures\\nin limestone. Water is obtained in some localities on and near the surface, which is nujre\\nor less divested of lime. Wood is abundant and easy of acce.ss for any and all purposes.\\nA lime rock or stone is found in many places near the surface, which is used for building\\nchimneys, miderpinning houses, furnaces, ect.; it is easily worked.\\nThe atmosphere is more or less humid from the fact of the close proximity to the Gulf\\nof Mexico, which is fifty miles distant, and the same cause gives rise to the diurnal changes,\\nespecially in the summer months. The summers are long, with the thermometer occasion-\\nally as high as ninety-si.x degrees the nights, however, are cool and jjleasant. In winter\\nthe thermometer recedes as low as eighteen degrees, usually about forty degrees Fahren-\\nheit. The soil is generous and yields readily to the growth of any of the cereals except\\nwheat and rj-e, which are uncertain. Cotton, sugar cane and tobacco are relied upon for\\nexportation, to which may be added the pea-nut, palma-christi, and other })roduetions sui-\\ntable to the climate. All kinds of vegetables, except those requiring a low temperature,\\nyield abundantlj?. The small fruits may also be raised with success. The apple and pear\\nsometimes fruit well, but the climate is not congenial. The orange grows vigorously, and\\nthough above its proper limits, occasionally j-ields a full crop, which is equalin flavor and\\nexcellence to those of Cuba. The peach grows well and fruits abundantly of fine size and\\nflavor. The scupernong grape is in its true element, and excellent wine is annually made\\nfrom its fruit, which elicited high connnendations from connoisseurs, and created an inter-\\nest in its cultivation that will lead to the most promising results. The only care necessa-\\nry to raise cattle and hogs to any extent is to provide against casicnltifs; the climate being\\nso mild as to relieve from the necessity of shelter and providing food during the winter.\\nThe most desirable lands have been entered or titles otherwise acquired. The price,\\nhowever, is so small comparatively, that inunigrants would prefer lands cleared with more\\nor less inqjrovemeut. The western and southwestern portions of the county are sparsely\\nsettled heretofore being a cattle range. It is heavily timbered with pine, and abounding\\nin nutritious natural grasses.\\nThe health of the coimtry diff ers but little from other parts of the State in the same lati-\\ntude, Not a few peoi)le have attained a gre!|,t age, and specivnens to the manor born are", "height": "3180", "width": "1905", "jp2-path": "floridacolonist01flor_0037.jp2"}, "38": {"fulltext": "30\\nas well developed as in any country. The prominent syintom o disease is fever but it\\nyields readily to medicine, personal care, and circumspection\\nOwing to isolation the country has not been settled as rapidly as some portions of the\\nState of far less merit in every desirable essential, except facility of communication by\\nrail, but this advantage is promised to be overcome soon by an extension from Quincy to\\nPensacola.\\nNow is the time for persons desirous of acquiring a new home to visit this country.\\nLands can be bought cheai)er than at any subsequent period. The people are well dis-\\nosed, kind and hosiiitable, and would gladly welcome good and industrious people, come\\nfrom where they maj\\nCLAY COUNTY.\\nYour letter of the 16th instant has been received, and I hasten to give you a description\\nof Clay county and its products. It is about twenty-eight miles from north to south, and\\ntwenty-two miles from east to west. The surface is generally level the highest part is on\\nthe west side, near Kingsbey s Lake. The county is well watered ^-ood water is easily\\nprocured by digging. There are ten or more good mill sites on the different streams in\\nthe county. It is healthy, with the exception of two or three locations, and they are con-\\nfined to a small tract each. The court house is at Green Cove Springs, on the St.\\nJohns river. There is a good school house within a quarter of a mile of Webster,\\nand a good church within about a mile and a half of the same. There are four or five\\nmerchants selling goods in the county. There is one steam mill in operation. There are\\nabout four hundred voters in the county. About three-eighths of the land is third rate\\njiine, three-eighths second rate, and two-eighths first rate pine, including small pieces of\\nsecond and third rate hammock, with a small portion of first rate hammock. Hard wood\\ngrowth characterizes the hammock land. Several kinds of oak, hickory, dogwood, bass-\\nwood, maple, ash, mulberry, iron wood, poplar, blue beech, black and white gum, red and\\nwhite bay, magnolia, and elm abound. The lakes, ponds and streams are pretty well\\n.stocked with fish and the woods Avith game. The climate is mild and generally pleasant.\\nLands sell at from fifty cents to twenty dollars per acre very little vselling at the latter\\nprice.\\nHomesteads can still be entered at prices stipulated in the Homestead Act. Yellow pine\\nlumber is worth from eighteen to twenty dollars per thousand. Wages for labor, ten to\\ntwelve dollars per month on the plantations for lumbering, eighteen to twenty-five dol-\\nlars driving teams, twenty-five and thirty dollars and board found.\\nAccess to market. Head of navigation for steamboats on Black Creek is near the cen-\\ntre of the county St. Johns river on the east side, and on the west side the railroad from\\nFernandina to Cedar Keys. Roads through the county are generally in good order. The\\nlumber is mostly cut oft within two miles of rafting water. Cost of clearing land varies\\nfrom five to twelve dollars per acre. Cost of building a comfortable log house, from sev-\\nenty-five to one hundred and fifty dollars. Framed houses from five hundred to two thou-\\nsand dollars and upwards. If lands are manned and well cultivated, they will produce,\\nwith an average season, twelve to twenty bushels of corn to the acre of long staple cot-\\nton, one hundred and fifty to three hundred lbs. of ginned cotton, and four to six hundred\\nlbs. of short staple to the acre sweet potatoes, one hundred and fifty to two hundred and\\nfifty bushels to the acre four to six barrels of sugar to the acre. Very little tobacco is\\nraised in this county, but where it is planted, the growth and quality compares well with\\nother crops in other parts of the State. Grapes are very little cultivated in this county\\nwhere they are, they appear to compare well with other sections of the State. Garden\\nvegetables, with few exceptions, grow well here in winter. Vines of all kinds do well\\nhere early in the spring and the fore part of summer. Rice produces well on the low\\ngrounds from twenty to thirty bushels to the acre. Peach orchards on the clay grounds\\ndo well, the quality and quantity compare well with any part of the State. Sweet, sour,\\nand bitter-sweet oranges grow well where they have been cultivated. Plums of various\\nkinds produce well in this county. Turpentine plantations will do well near the naviga-\\nble streams where transportation is cheap. The county is healthy for stock of all kinds.\\nPoultry of all sorts do well. Blackberries, whortleberries, and mulberries are found in\\nabundance in the woods and fields. Arrow-root, cassava, and tanyas produce well in this\\ncounty. Irish potatoes grow well on our hammock lands, and average one hundred and\\nfifty bushels to the acre. The people of Clay county, with few exceptions, are friendly to\\nnew comers. I am, very respectfully, yours, O. BUDDINGTON.\\nSUWANNEE COUNTY.\\nSuwannee county occupies geographically nearly a central position in the State, nearly\\nsurrounded by the Suwannee river, being bounded by it on the north, west, and south\\nnearly.", "height": "3180", "width": "1905", "jp2-path": "floridacolonist01flor_0038.jp2"}, "39": {"fulltext": "31\\nThis peninsula, geolog-ically, is in the tertiary formation, resting on wliat is called the\\nbottom limestone. In many places in the undulating surface of Suwannee county, lime-\\nstone crops out, from which quantities of good lime have been burned.\\nThis part of Florida is comparatively a new country. During the war with the Semin-\\nole Indians, the pioneer settlers, like angels visits, were few and far between. Agricul-\\ntural implements were, as in most new countries, of the rudest kind, and farming opera-\\ntions were performed in a careless manner; yet, such is the natural fertility of the soil,\\nthat its adaptation, in this genial climate, to the growth of cotton, (principally long staple,)\\nsugar cane, Indian corn, oats, rye, sweet potatoes, ground peas, or pea-nuts, (the crops\\nmostly cultivated heretofore in this part of the State,) that the planters were successful,\\nand accumulated fortunes without the use of any fertilizers whatever, under the former\\nsystem of labor. Considering the above, what would be the result of careful, iinproved,\\nscientific cultivation.\\nFrom recent experiments at market gardening, we are satisfied that vegetables of almost\\nevery kind can be successfully grown here, and so early as to be put on the Northern\\nmarket long before they can be produced there. Cucumbers and tomatoes can, with care,\\nbe made ready to ship by the first of Maj-. Melons are produced here to great perfection,\\nand with proper care, can be ready for shipment by the first of June.\\nFruit culture in this part of the State has been heretofore greatly neglected. Peaches\\ngrow well, and of a size and flavor that cannot be surpassed anywhere. The trees are\\nhealthy, and the crop annually almost certain. Quinces are of good size and flavor. The\\ndifferent varieties of the fig (Figus carico) grow here to great perfection, and it is, as we\\nthink, a wholesome fruit, quite a luxury both in a green and dried state, and its multipli-\\ncation in Florida caimot fail to be fraught with great advantage. It will grow well upon\\nthe poorer and drier soils, provided it is sheltered, and can be propagated with great ease,\\ngrowing well from cuttings. And such is the goodness and abundance of its fruits and the\\nnumber of its varieties, that it may be grown here, as in parts of Southern Europe, in so\\ngreat an abundance, that it may become the providence of tlie poor.\\nSemi-tropical fruits can, with care, be grown here. There are orange trees in this neigh-\\nborhood which have been bearing good fruit for some years past also, the shaddock, of\\nfine, large size. We are more exjjosed to frost than On the St. Johns, or on the southern\\ncoast districts, and sometimes the young trees are killed by the frost. Old trees and ripe,\\nor well matured wood of the orange tree successfully resists the effects of frost.\\nGrapes. Florida is certainly the home of the Scuppernong grape. It grows and pro-\\nduces with certainty, annually, fine crops of fruit of the best quality, and both vine and\\nfruit have so far been entirely free from any disease whatever, or depredations from insects.\\nWe think the Scuppernong should be extensively planted for a certain and reliable crop.\\nLast winter the writer planted at Welborn, nearl} one thousand grape vines about half\\nwere rooted vines, of one year s growth, and the balance cuttings. The varieties, Ca-\\ntawba and Isabella. Half were planted on hammock soil, and the other half on pine land\\ntop soil from a rich hammock was hauled and filled in with those planted on pine land.\\nThe vines grew nearly one hundred per cent, more than they do in one season in the\\nWestern States.\\nSo far as we are advised, the cultivation of the Catawba and other varieties of grape for\\nwine in the States, has not as yet been fairly tested. It is the opinion of the writer that\\nthe celebrated Mission Grape, which has been so successful!} cultivated for wine in Cali-\\nfornia, should be procured and extensivelj^ planted in Florida, from the fact that in manj\\nplaces the Catawba, (our best wine grape,) for the last few years has been much injured\\nby mildew. There are five varieties of grapes, which, by experiment carefully made by\\nB. N. Bugbey, of Natoma Vineyard, El Dorado county, California, have been selected\\nfrom many other varieties as the \u00e2\u0096\u00a0very best for future cultivation, valuing them in the or-\\nder named, the first being the best, viz: Black Zinfindel, Red Traminer, White Malaga,\\nVerdelho, and Los Angeles. By planting those varieties of the vine best adapted to the\\nclimate and soil of Florida, we have no doubt but grape growing will prove very profita-\\nble. In the rich hannnocks the wild grape vines grow to great size, reacliing to the tops\\nof the tallest trees.\\nIn the greater portion of this county good water is obtained in wells of reasonable depth,\\nand on the borders of hammocks are some very good sjirings of i ure, clear water and\\nstrange as it may be thought by parties from mountain districts, there is in tiiis vicinity\\ngood and permanent water power; beautiful and clear streams, running from lake to lake,\\nfurnishing fall sufficient for good mills.\\nThe lands of this county are rich in their su})plies of timber, the i)ine forest furnishing\\nalmost inexhaustible stores of pine for lumber of the best quality, the moist, extensive,\\nrich, dry hammock lands furnishing large, fine white oak, water oak, sweet gum, magnolia,\\nhickory, red bay, or American mahogany, bass wood, and many other kinds of timber of\\nvalue. The low, rich hammock land, which is susceptible of draining, and thus being re-\\nclaimed, contains a vast amount of valuable timber, such as white bay, fec. Most of such", "height": "3180", "width": "1905", "jp2-path": "floridacolonist01flor_0039.jp2"}, "40": {"fulltext": "lands belong to tlie State, and are for sale at one dolhir and twenty-live eents per acre,\\nwliieh, if reclaimed, would be of inestimable value.\\nA few days since we obtaineil a map from the Register of the V. S. Laud Office for\\nFlorida, with each and every forty-acre lot of land carefully marked in this townshij)\\n(No. 3, South R., No. 15 East,) in which there are sixty -nine lots of State land for sale at\\none dollar and twenty-tive cents per acre, and fifty-nine lots vacant U. S. land, subject lo\\nentry under the homestead act. The remaining four hundi ed and fortj-eiglit lots belong-\\nto actual settlers, except the school sections and tliat part belonging to the Pensaeola and\\nGeorgia Railroad Companj-. We give the above statement of the condition of one town-\\nship merely for illustration, that parties interested may see the facilities for obtaining lands\\nin Florida, and we think the price of improved lands would range from one dollar and\\nfifty cents to ten dollars per acre.\\nPrice of lumber is from ten to fifteen dollars per thousand at the mills. 1 cannot say\\nthat we have any well established price of labor. The freedmen, to a great extent, are\\nindolent and not reliable. There is an increasing disposition among the citizens (I mean\\nwliite people, of course) to do what work the_y can for themselves, and employ white labor\\nas far as possible.\\nI cannot advise you with regard to the cost of clearing, as there is but little being done.\\nMore lands are cleared now than can be cultivated with all the available labor at the com-\\nmand of those who own the lands. Fences are rotting down inside fences being moved\\nout to repair outside fences, tfec. Lands of the best cpiality, for want of caiiital to furnish\\nimplements, stock, pi ovisions, labor, c., are lying uncultivated, growing briers, weeds,\\nifec. With regard to the cost of building, I may say such cottages as are comfortable in\\nthis mild, warm climate, cost but a trifle comjjared to t lie cost of building in the Nortliern\\nStates.\\nThe disposition and bearing of the citizens of tliis community towards worthy strangers\\nis, and ever has been, kind and hospitable.\\nWith my best wishes, I am your obedient servant, J. (IRANT.\\nMADISOA^ COUXTY.\\n150UXDAKIKS.\\nThe county of Madison is situated between the rivers Suwannee and Aucilla, and about\\none hundred and twenty miles west of Jacksonville, and sixty miles of Tallaliassee, the\\ncapital of the State, and is connected by rail with both places, and also by rail with Sa-\\nvannah, Ga., distant two hundred miles.\\nMadisonville is the county site, situated on the railroad, and about the centre of the\\ncounty.\\nIt is bounded on the north by Georgia; east, b}^ Suwannee and Hamilton counties;\\nsouth, by LaFayette and Taylor counties and west, by Jefferson county. Its population\\nnow is about 7,000 inhabitants; area, about eight hundred scpiare miles, or 512, 000 acres.\\nOf this, about 240,000 acres are private property, held by titles from the United States\\nand State governments. Many of these tracts are choice locations, selected on account of\\nadvantages of situation, richness of soil, grazing, and timber.\\nPliODUCTlOXS.\\nCorn and cotton have heretofore been the principal productions of this county. Before\\nthe war between the States, about 12,000 bales of cotton were exported, more than one-\\nthird of whicli was sea island, or the long staple variety. During 1807 less tlian O.ooo\\nbales were sent to market. The falling shcn-t, attributed to the scarcity and unreliability\\nof labor to cultivate crops requiring twelve months of constant att ntion and work, and\\nthe mischievous and erroneous policy, demoralizing those who, under otliei- circumstances,\\nwould be a well-behaved, orderly, and useful class of citizens, and which has only created\\ndiscord between capital and labor, when the strongest feelings, motives, interests, and\\nchristian requirements are to live in peace and harmony, that all classes may prosper.\\nFor farm gardening for the earliest northern market, this county has equal advantages\\nwith any in the State, the lands being naturally adapted to such cultiu-e. Since the war,\\nconsiderable cjuantities of early vegetables have been shipped, commanding in New York,\\nBoston, and Philadelphia highly remunerative prices. Besides the staples of cotton, corn,\\nsugar, upland rice, and sweet potatoes, Madison county lands alnmdantly produce Irish\\npotatoes, peas, turnips, beets, cabl)age, onions, egg-plant, tomatoes, carrots, lettuce, celery,\\nrhubarb, cauliflowers, radishes, watermelons, cantaloupes, cucumbers, beans, and squashes;\\nin short, all the vegetables known in the Northern States, and manj that will not grow\\nthere, and two months earlier than the latitude of New York. Many of these vegetables\\nflourish during the winter months.\\nPeaches anclfigs can he cultivated in the greatest abundance; also pomegranates, grapes,\\nstrawberries, plums, and with cheap and easy transportation of only six hours to Jackson-", "height": "3180", "width": "1905", "jp2-path": "floridacolonist01flor_0040.jp2"}, "41": {"fulltext": ";J3\\nville, twelve to Savanusih, and less than one hundred hours to Now York, Philadelphia,\\nor Baltimore.\\nPROFITS OF FARM GARDENING.\\n4 acres English Peas, harvesting 400 bushels, worth at depot $400 00\\n;5 Snap Beans, 000 300 00\\n3 Cucumbers, 125 barrels, 375 00\\nr. XutmegMelloiu^. 200 300 00\\n3 Tomatoes, 320 bushels. 820 00\\n16 acres. $1,696 00\\nThe English peas, snap beans, and cucumbers are ready for market in April, and first\\nweeks in Maj The melons and tomatoes in first weeks of May, June, and first weeks in\\nJuly, without hotbeds. The greatest labor is picking or harvesting, they being mostly\\ncultivated with the plough.\\nIf these sixteen acres are ploughed, harrowed well, and rolled by the fifteenth of July,\\nthere will spring up at once a strong crop of crow foot and crab grasses, which will\\nmow in October at least one and a half tons of hay per acre, of a quality superior to any\\nthat is ever imported from the North, and will readily command one dollar per hundred\\npounds, equal to \u00c2\u00a7480, tlie whole receipts of sixteen acres being $2,185.\\nWith the above can be raised a crop of ten acres of cane, making plough work of 26\\nacres for one horse; the harvesting and making the cane not interfering with the farm gar-\\nden crop. I t takes about the same labor to cultivate a sugar cane crop as it does for corn.\\nFor a farmer not cultivating more than five or ten acres of cane, the expense of an iron\\nmill, boilers, and brick-work, house or shed, c., would not cost to exceed four hundred\\ndollars. To manufacture ten acres of cane would require the work of six men forty days\\none pair of mules, horses, or oxen at the mill, and another pair to haul the cane from the\\nfield. The profit of ten acres planted in cane, from actual experiment, omitting capital\\nrequired for boilers, mill, troughs for crystalizing, houses for draining, teams, c., is as\\nfollows\\nDr. 10 days work of team to break up land, $1.50 per day $15.00\\n24,000 seed cane, at \u00c2\u00a710.00 per M 240.00\\n15 days work planting, at $1.00 15.00\\n10 days work with hoe 10.00\\n15 days worlc with cultivators and ploughs 22.50\\nG men 40 days, equal to 240 days work manufacturing, $1.00 240.00\\n2 pair oxen 40 days, $3.00 per day 120.00\\nBarrels, c 60.50\\n$723.00\\nCv. By 3,700 lbs. sugar per acre, 37,000 lbs., at 10c $3,700.00\\nShowing a net profit of $2,977.00\\nIt is no uncommon thing to produce, bj proper fertilizing, two thousand pounds of su-\\ngar, and one hundred and seventy or two hundred gallons of syrup, equal to one thousand\\nseven hundred pounds of sugar, or a total of three thousand seven hundred pounds of su-\\ngar, of a superior quality, per acre. Sugar requires natural strong land, or well manured\\nlight land, the latter making a better quality of sugar. By properly manuring the ratoon,\\nor cane springing up from the root, after the first crop from planting, it will yield nearly\\nthe same product for two or three years after that time, experience teaches it is best to\\nremove the roots to other ground. It wUl be observed that after the first planting there\\ni- no more expense for seed cane.\\nEstimates of other products, founded upon actual experience, showing the profits of\\nFlorida farming, could be made, demonstrating that there is more profit in the rich lands\\nof Florida than any other State of the Republic but this seems unnecessary, for whoever\\nis in earnest to better his situation ought to see for liimself, and any time while the cropa\\nare growing, or being gathered, can be convinced bj^ ocular demonstration.\\nFACILITIES FOR TRANSPORTATION.\\nThe Pensacola and Georgix Railroad runs through the middle of the county, affording\\ndaily facility and cheap transportation to Jacksonville, on the Atlantic, and to St. Marks,\\non the Gulf, or branching at Live Oak, forty miles east of Madison, to Savannah, Georgia.\\nThe Suwannee river affords good steamboat navigation to Cedar Keys on the Gulf, the\\nwestern terminus of the Florida railroad, stretching across the Peninsula to Fernandina\\nnu the Atlantic. JOHN WESTCOTT, President.\\nVice Presidente.\u00e2\u0080\u0094 L. M. Beogs, R. H. Wii-Lard, H. Z. Akdis, B. F. Wardlaw, C. H. Smith,\\nA. C. WmiXBa, SecretAry.", "height": "3180", "width": "1905", "jp2-path": "floridacolonist01flor_0041.jp2"}, "42": {"fulltext": ";u\\nCOLUMB[A COUNTY.\\nOEOGKAl lIICAL I OSITIO.N AXI) RAILROAD FA ILITIES.\\nLake City, the seat of justice of Columbia couutj, is sixty miles west of Jacksonville,\\non the St. Johns river, and is connected with the latter place by railroad, and Jacksonville\\nhas regular steamship communication with Savanna)) and Charleston, and arrangements\\nare made for a steamship line direct to New Yoi k.\\nLake City is also connected by rail, a distance of about eighty-live miles, with Fernan-\\ndina on the Atlantic, with established steamship communication with Savannah, Charles-\\nton and New York.\\nLake City is also connected by railroad with Cpdar Keys on the Gulf of Mexico, which\\nlatter place has established steamship communication with Mobile and New Orleans.\\nLake City is also connected with St. Marks, on the Gulf, by railroad, which latter place\\nhas also established steamship communication with Mobile and New Orleans.\\nLake City is also connected by railroad with Tallahassee, the capital of the State.\\nLake City is also connected by railroad with Sfivannali, tlie commercial emporium of\\nGeorgia, a distance of about two hundred miles\\nLA ;iis.\\nThe lands of t olunibiii courily cnmprohcnd pretty iiincli .dl tlir vnricties of .^oil to be\\nfound in Florida.\\nHammock Grey and bliu k.\\nPine lands of A^ery superior quality many of thein with clay cropping out to the surface.\\nOak and hickory lands of excellent quality. All these lands are highly productive in\\ntheir natural state, and yield a munificent reward to the judicious husbandman for the la-\\nbor and expense of manuring and fertilizing.\\nThey can be purchased at from one dollar twenty-fiA e cents, the government price, to\\nfive dollars per acre, according to the improvements. Thei=e low prices bring the lands of\\nthis county within the rench ol men of limited means.\\nT ROnUCTIOXS.\\nTiie priucii)al cropti now raised upon these lands, are cotton, botli short and long staple,\\nsugar cane, Indian corn, oats, i-ye, potatoes, Irish and sweet, pindars, corn-field peas, rice,\\ntc. But they will also produce tobacco of a fine quality, palma christi to perfection all\\nvarieties of the lurnip to peii cction peaches of a superior quality; grapes, several varie-\\nties, to perfection oranges, sweet, sour, and bitter-sweet figs, vei-y fine apples, tolerable\\npears, tolerable: pomegranates, fine plums, very superior; strawberries, excellent; and\\nall the garden stufls to very great perlection, and in time for the early New York market.\\nThe lands of this county are rich in their supplies of timber for lumber and for naval\\nstores. No country can offer greater inducements to tlio lumber men of Maine and tlie\\nturpentine men of North Carolina.\\nBesides this, nature has formed this county with peculiar adaptability foi- small farms\\na system which our present character of labor compels us to adopt.\\nin conclusion, it luay be stated that Columbia county is well watered, and for good\\nhealth is not surpassed by any county in the State.\\nThe setting in of a decided current of immigration upon this county, and the strangers\\ncoming here almost every day to look at our lands, indicate a just and growing apprecia-\\ntion of the iidvantnc;cs presentcil by this county.\\nJ. J. FINLEY, President A. I. A.\\nLEON COUNTY.\\nLeon covinty has heretofore been considered the heart of Florida. In point of popula-\\ntion, wealth, and intelligence, it has alwiiys surpassed any county in the State. Georgia\\nforms its northern boundary, and the rich county of Jefferson its eastern. The Ocklock-\\nonee river separates it from the fine lands of Gadsden on the west, and Wakidla forms its\\nsouthern line. With such surroundings, it is not surprising to find in this county the best\\nlands in the State. Indeed, there arc no uplands in tlie southern States that will surpass\\nthose of Leon. The extreme southern portion of the county is a light, sandy soil, with\\nheavy pine growth, but the remaining portion, and by far the greater jiortion, consists of\\na fine, chocolate soil, supported find sustained by a imignificcnt clay subsoil, rendering the\\nlands not only very productive, but extremely durable. Lands that were cleared some\\nfifty years ago are still very productive, notwithstanding the little care given them in the\\nway of cultivation, and the entire absence of any manures or other fertilizers.\\nThe surface is soniewliPt undulating, particuhu ly so, in locations where the best lands", "height": "3180", "width": "1905", "jp2-path": "floridacolonist01flor_0042.jp2"}, "43": {"fulltext": "arc found. The county is well watered by large, lakes, pure streauis, unci splenelUl springs.\\nThe climate is delightful, the summer s heat being tempered by tlie winds from the Gulf\\ncoast. During the present summer the thermometer lias not ranged over 90, and very\\nseldom reached that point.\\nOur chief products have been short staple cotton and corn. Our lands, iVom their fer-\\ntility and durability, are peculiai ly adapted to the growth of cotton. Five hundred\\npounds of lint cotton have been often nuide from !in acre of land without the assistance of\\nmanure.\\nSugar cane grows maguiHcentl^ and is becoming a crop of importance. Rice will ma-\\nture two crops, and yields abundantly. Field peas, pindars, millet, .sol-ghum, bene, and\\nalma christi are grown with entire success. Potatoes, both Irish and sweet, are st^mdard\\niTops, and the yield cannot be excelled in the South.\\nGarden vegetables of all descriptions, grow in luxuriance and abundance. Our cab-\\nliages, beets, onions, turnips, cfee., c., cannot be surpassed. Melons grow to perfection.\\nPeaches, apples, pears, tigs, plums, and pomegranates are among the fruits that are suc-\\ncessfully raised.\\nGrapes are receiving considerable attention of late. The Scuppernong grows to per-\\nfection, and yields splendidly. Other varieties are now being tested Avitii every prospect\\nof success.\\nThe price of laud varies from $5 to ;;;ir) per acre. Near Tallahassee, they are valued at\\n$30. As an average, \u00c2\u00a710.\\nThis county is accessible from all points by rail. Tallahassee, the capital, is situated\\nnear the centre of the county, upon higii. rolling lands. It is tlie centre of an educated\\nand reliued society. Churches and scliool-houses abound throughout the countj and the\\npeople, as a class, are intelligent, hospitable, and generous.\\nImmigrants who come to cast their lot with us are warmly received, regardless of po-\\nlitical views. The labor of the county is good.\\nIn point of soil, climate, health, society, and profits, Leon county presents the most\\nicmptiiig offer to immigrants of any in tlu; State, or, indeed, in the South.\\nKSC AMlilA COITNTY.\\nThat portion of Florida situated at the extreme west, is, on various aeeonnls, itii exceed-\\ningly interesting portion of the State.\\nSomewhat isolated from the remainder of the State, the attractions which exist have\\nbeen inadequately known, and tVom its remoteness there \\\\cvy naturally arose a decided\\nwillingness in the minds of many of the inhabitants that the territory should be annexed\\nto Alabama. Hence, during the annexation excitement of recent years, a disyosition to\\nunderrate the real value of Western Florida has been quite prevalent.\\nBut the present prospect, tlirough the completion of the railroad from Pensacola to New\\n*;)rleans, to Selma, and to Jacksonville, which will eventually make Pcnsacola, with its al-\\nmost unequalled harbor, and its far-reaching railroad connections, the central point of the\\nshortest line of communication between the moutli of the Mississippi and the Atlantic,\\nand between the Mississippi upper valley and the Oulf, has very materially changed the\\naspect of things, and now tiie intrinsic value of West Florida begins to be fairly appre-\\nciated.\\nThe soil of this portion of Northei-n Florida is similar to that of the Eastern portion,\\nbut of decidedly better quality. Through the bays, rivers, and harbors in the vicinity of\\nPensacola. it is amply supplied with all facilities for ocean communication, and forms one\\nof the best and most valuable timber regions in the world.\\nBut in the expectation of receivijig soon from resident citizens a detailed description of\\ntiie extreme western counties, 1 will abstain for t!ie present from further description and\\nsimply add an article taken from the Pcnsacola Express:\\nKYIDEXCE.\\nAt last some of our citizens art: awake to the importance of advertising anything they\\nwould wish to bring to the notice ot the public. And to do this effectually it requires a\\ngreat deal more tact than people generally are aware of. It must be done in a liberal\\nmanner and in a style to attract attentio)i; if done in this way it trebly repays the outlay.\\nThe New City Company have at last made an effort in this direction, by issuing a neat\\n])amphlet, with a maji of the surrounding country near Pensacola. The jiamjihlet gives a\\ndescription of Pensacola and of the country. It says\\nThe city of Pensacola has natural advantages which destiiie it to become, by ra[)id\\nstrides, the Chicayo of ihv. iSouf/i. It, is situated on the north coast of the CJnlf of Mexico,\\nin latitude 30 deg. 28 m. north, and longitude 8Y (leg. 22 m. west of Grecuwich, only ten\\nrniles from the open sea. Its thoroughly land-lockctl harbor covers an area of )ver twn\\nhundred square miles^ being alxjut thirty miles long and from five to eight miles in width.", "height": "3180", "width": "1905", "jp2-path": "floridacolonist01flor_0043.jp2"}, "44": {"fulltext": "86\\nhaTing unemrpassed anchorage and a depth of from thirty to thirty-five feet. The entrance\\nto the harbor is about half a mile wide, with an average depth on the bar of twenty-four\\nfeet. Tlie eame depth is readily secured at the wharfage line of the city. A laden ship of\\nthe largest tonnage can approach the city at any time in the year, or leaving its wharf\\ncan be in the open sea in an hour and a half.\\nAs a place of residence, Pensacola is attractive by a healthy and genial climate. It\\nhas an abundance of excellent pure water, and the regularly changing land and sea breezes\\nmake it a pleasant abode at all seasons. Its gardens afford flowers and fruit winter and\\nsummer. Most tropical plants grow there, and require but little protection from the cold\\nin winter, wliilst all kinds of cereals and northern fruit yield early and abundant crops.\\nThe soil of the immediate vicinity is sandy and the drainage perfect.\\nThe lands of the neighboring country are of the character known as swamp, hammock,\\nand pine. The swamp lands are those lying on the Escambia and Perdido rivers and their\\ntributaries, and are remarkable for their exhaustless fertility, those brouglit under cidti-\\nvation yielding heavy crops of corn, cotton, rice, and sugar cane. The great body of these\\nlands is covered with oak and cypress forest, ready to the hand of the great ship-building\\ninterests, which the progress of commerce will speedily foster.\\nThe hammock lands are intermediate between the swamp and pine tracts. They afford\\nthe healthiest localities for settlements, and are easily cultivated, yielding abundant re-\\nturns for the labor bestowed on them.\\nThe pine lands have an exhaustless wealth of the best timber, whilst the herbage of the\\nforest affords permanent pasturage for cattle, which require no shelter and very little care.\\nAll these classes of lands are readily reclaimed for agricultural purposes, whilst the\\nforest will for a century to come supply the growing export trade in timber.\\nThe commerce of Pensacola has hitherto been limited to the export of Florida timber,\\nbrought down on the rivers and creeks emptying into its magnificent bay. Want of com-\\nmnnication has been an impediment to its growth. But the completion, in the winter ot\\n1870, of the Pensacola and Louisville railroad to its junction with tlic Mobile and Mont-\\ngomery railroad, establishing a connecting link v:ith the entire railroad system North and\\nwest, must speedily lift Pensacola to the dignity of a first-class commercial city. By this\\nlink in the great chain of railroads, Pensacola is brought as near to Chicago as is New\\nYork.\\nThe best customers and consumers of the great grain and produce growing West live\\nupon the shores of the Gulf, in the West Inciia islands, in Central and South America.\\nThe Pensacola route of transportation shortens the exchange of commodities between\\nthese markets and the teeminc West by thousands of miles and by many days, thus effect-\\ning .a double economy of time and cost of transportation.\\nA elanc\u00c2\u00ab at the map will readily demonstrate the fact, so little known heretofore, that\\nthe distance from Chicago to Pensacola is only about nine hundred miJes. It will also\\nshow that, from Pensacola, the distance to Tampico is 900 miles to Havana, 620 miles to\\nMataanoras, SCO miles to Vera Oniz, 950 miles to Hausacnla, OoOmilea. The last named\\nplac\u00c2\u00a9 is th\u00c2\u00a9 eastern port of the Isthmus of Tehauntepec.\\nNo vessel has ever been driven ashore in any storm in the harbor of Pensacola, and no\\ngale has produced a freshet. The rivers emptying into the bay are clear and free from\\nalluvial deposit, and the depth of water on the anchorage ground, as well as on the bar,\\nremains unaltered since the earliest Spanish surveys.\\nWith the railway connection recently established and daily expanding, this magnifi-\\ncent port becomes the most suitable outlet for the commerce of the entire Mississippi Val-\\nley. It has tliis great advantage over New Orleans, tliat it is close to the Gulf and not\\nobfstructed in its commerce by a shifting and treacherous bar, causing costly delaj s to\\nsliipping, and often upsetting the fairest calculation for commei cial ])rofits. The vast ex-\\npenditure in towage up and dov/n tlie river, to which the New Orleans shipping is subject-\\ned in reaching and leaving that inland port, is saved in Pensacola and is easily demon-\\nstrable that shippers in New Orleans can sjiip their cargoes more cheaply from the port of\\nPensacola than from their own levee. Still greater will be this economy wlieu the canals,\\nnow proposed and under survey, shall connect the Mississippi with Mobile Bay, Perdido\\nBay, and Pensacola Bay, permitting steamers to bring their upland cargoes directly to\\nPensacola and to lay them along side the sea-going vessels.\\nThe splendid water-front of the city admits of running railway freight directly down\\non the wharves, and to load vessels immediately from the cars. The elevated bluffs on\\nthis water-front afford facilities for coal depots, from which vessels can be supplied through\\nshutes, thus saving greatly in expense of handling.\\nHaving thus brifly alluded to the physical features of the port, we will now examine\\nthe advantages of its relative position to other ports.\\nTaking Chicago as the initial or starting point, as being equall3^ distant from New\\nYork and Pensacola, railroad trains destined to each of the cities would arrive at th(^\\ndestination wit}\\\\in ^he same tifoe. The ono arriving at New York would have traveled", "height": "3180", "width": "1905", "jp2-path": "floridacolonist01flor_0044.jp2"}, "45": {"fulltext": "over 900 miles, and would then be as far Xorth as wlieu it started tVoui Chicago, whereas\\nthe one arriving at Pcnsacola would have gone directly South 900 miles, thus saving that\\nnumber of miles between the initial point (Chicago) and any other point south of Pcnsa-\\ncola. This distance, to be balanced by transit to and from New Yorl;:, is equal to a gain of\\nsix days in favor of Pensacola.\\nTake now the return cargoes, one via New York, and the other via Pensacola say cof-\\nfee, fee., from Havana, distant from Pensacola 620 miles. The one by way of Pensacola\\nwould have reached its ultimate destination, and have been distributed, before tlie otlicr\\ncould possibly have reached New York. These remarks apply v. ith equal force to all the\\ncities and towns lying along and in connection with this great national artery of inter-\\ncommunication, trade and commerce.\\nThe Pensacola and Louisville railroad line and its connections, unlike those leading to\\nthe Atlantic ports, bisect the parallels of latitude of the United States, Ijence it must col-\\nlect and transmit the productions of these different latitudes, consisting of wheat, flour,\\ncorn, pork, bacon, lard, cheese, bagging, rope, iron, lime, coal, and a great variety of in-\\ndustrial products, such as furniture, clothing, machinery, implements, fec., concentrating\\nthem all by one line at one single point of shipment, and giving tliat point the same ad-\\nvantages to be offered to the shipping interests of the world that are now afforded at the\\nsaid Atlantic ports through a hundred different channels at a vastly increased expense,\\nboth in time and money, and enabling ships desiring freights to any part of the world to\\nmake such selections as their interests or exigencies may require.\\nThe commerce of the world will hereafter be carried on through the agency of steam,\\nand will expand in the use of that agent just in the ratio in which fuel (coal) can be easily\\nand cheaply obtained for that purpose. The coal beds of Alabama, estimated to cover\\nbetween four and five thousand square miles of area, are intersected by this line of road,\\nand from their contiguitv to Pensacola, must become the great source of supply for tlie\\nsteam marine and coaling stations of all points south of Pensacola. The coal now used for\\nthis purpose is principally brought from Great Britain, a distance of 3,000 miles. From\\ntlie Alabama coal-beds to Havana (which can be thus supplied) the distance is about 810\\nmiles, and coal from these mines can be placed on shipboard at Pensacola at .$4.75 per ton\\nthe sea transportation is but 620 miles. These facts and figures guarantee that the day is\\nnot far distant when Pensacola must become the great coal depot of the Gulf, making an-\\nnual shipments of millions of tons of this article, developing the resources and wealth of\\nthe country, and expanding into one of the first cities in the world.\\nThe rapid development of the iron mines of Alabama, whose natural outlet to th\\nmarkets of the world is the port of Pensacola, will not only contribute a considerable\\nquota to the commerce of this port, but will, in connection with the Florida forests, fur-\\nnish superior material for ship-building, which, at no distant day, must rival in extent th*\\nsimilar industry of northern ports: the jiroximity and cheapness of all material required\\ngivina; builders in this locality peculiar advantage;;.\\nTheee brief remarks are addressed to the intelligent and enterprising young men\\nthroughout the United States, as an indication of the commercial inducements of Pensaco-\\nla. They are not intended to portray an El Dorado, where ready-made fortunes fall into\\nthe lap of indolence. Success here, as elsewhere, follows thrift and industry, forethought\\nand perseverance but tlie many opportunities of Pensacola for young men of energy and\\nintellect to build up a splendid future are unsurpassed by tliose of any place in America,\\nand unrivalled by those of any port on the southern coast.\\nThe object of this publication is simply to arouse a spirit of inquiry and to induce the\\ninquirer to mme and examine for himftelf the natural facilities of Pensacola, and the scojie\\nthere is for the application of capital, industry, and talent.\\nSomewhat enthusiastic as the above may seem to those not acquainted with the locality,\\nI venture the prediction that in 1880, Pensacola will contain 30 000 inhabitants.\\nCENTRAL FLOHIDA.\\nThis division is made up of the territory lying between the parallels of 28 and 30 deg.\\nN. latitude, and is composed of the counties of LnFayette, Alachua, Levy, Marion, Put-\\nnam, Volusia, Orange, Sumter, Hernando, and the southern portions of Taylor, Clay, and\\nSt. Johns counties.\\nThe surface of this division is less broken, and, as a whole, more level than Northern\\nFlorida. It has more of savanna and marsh, and is bountifully supplied with v^^ater, hav-\\ning the Steinhatchie, Suwannee, Santa Fc, Withlacoochee, Crystal, Hillsboro, Ocklav. aha,\\nand St. Johns rivers, and is profusely studded with]ionds, lakes, and smaller streams.\\nThe climate is very perceptibly milder, not only from its more southern geographical\\nposition, but the narrowness of the peninsula here, giving an average breadth between\\nthe ocean and the Gulf of only about ninety miles, exposes it to the daily sweep of the", "height": "3180", "width": "1905", "jp2-path": "floridacolonist01flor_0045.jp2"}, "46": {"fulltext": "38\\nwinds from cither side, and by this meaus the extreuieri of both heat and cold are vcvj\\nessentially modified and ameliorated.\\nThe exposure to daily winds from each side increases, also, the rain supply, so that this\\ndivision has more frequent and abundant rains, and aufi ers less from drought than the\\nnorthern division.\\nThe soils of Central Florida are similar to those of Northern Florida, with a larger pro-\\nj)ortion of hammock and savanna, and are perhaps of better quality, as a whole. Levy,\\nflernando, Alachua, Marion, and Sumter counties, taken together, form a body of land\\nthat, for Tjroductive capacit} is not excelled by any similar body in the United States.\\nThe staple crops are similar to those of Northern Florida, but the peculiar adaptability\\nof this division to the cultivation of the sugar cane and all the semi-tropical fruits, ha.s\\ncaused cane to advance rapidly of late in the estimation of farmers, and within a imv\\nyears it will probabl} become the leading agricultural production. The sugar cane in this\\ndivision matures and perfects its seed it rattoons for six or eight years in succession with-\\nout protection, and often attains a height of from ten to fifteen feet, even when grown for\\na number of years on the same land without manure.\\nParticular attention is asked to the statistical return of crops in Hernando county,\\nwhich is appended, and which, with other facts given, fully sustains the assertion that\\nCentral Florida is the best cane region in the United States, and probably in the world.\\nThe entire division is the natural habitat of the whole citron tribe numerous groves of\\nthe wild orange have been found and still occasionally appear, and as would naturally be\\nanticipated, the orange, lemon and lime are natural and very prolific and profitable crops.\\nThe peach and the fig thrive everywhere the guava and the banana do well without pro-\\ntection and the pine-apple is cultivated, although it does not flourish as in South Florida.\\nIrish and sweet potatoes, melons, and all kinds of garden vegetables arc cultivated with\\nQ-reat success, and can be brought to maturity at almost any season, at the option of the\\ncultivator.\\nThe descriptions hereto added of Hernaudo, Alachua, and Orange counties are very gen-\\nerally api)]icable to the wliole region, and render fm-ther genernl description unnecessary.\\n.VLACHUA COUNTY.\\nFRUITS.\\nThe orange is at home here, and especially so in the southern portion of the county.\\nJudge Edward s beautiful grove is an absolute demonstration of this fact. We will here\\nrepeat that the freeze of December. 1868 did not affect his and other grove, while as far\\nsouth as Charlotte Harbor, on the Gulf, and Indian river, on the Atlantic, all trees suffer\\ned more or less, and some were entirely ruined. There may be better reasons, but the one\\ngenerally given is that the uortheru winds are obstructed in their passage southward by\\nthe tall timber, while they liave a clear sweep of the Gulf and Atlantic. We think the\\nelevation and the large frefch watcj* lakes h.ive their influence. It is an absolute fact that\\nour best groves are located on the most elevated points, and in the vicinity of large lakes.\\nBut let tiie cause be Avhat it may, it is nevertheless a stubborn fact that the trees do not\\nfreeze here. One tree will produce 3,000 oranges, wiiich at a of a cent a xjiece, are\\nworth $7.60. Then one hundred trees to the acre (the usual number) would give the\\nhandsome sum of $750.\\nThe lemon is of the same family as the orange, and it has the same habits and require-\\nments is very productive and of untold value. There are but few trees in the county,\\nwhile there ought to be thousands.\\nThe lime differs from the lemon in size, but is more i ro]ific. It is the best possible sub-\\nstitute for the lemon. It also comes in use earlier.\\nThe citron can be grown hei c with ease and safety. When sugar becomes a staple crop,\\nwe think the citron will play a very important part in both our agriculture and commerce.\\nIts production certainly may be made very profitable.\\nThe peach stands next to the orange in importance. It grows almost spoutancouslj\\nhence its cultivation is attended with very little expense. Trees sometimes bear at the\\nage of fifteen months, a thing unknown to any other section of the United States. For\\nproof of this extraordinary growth, we refer all those who doubt to the nursery of Ed.\\nJones, a citizen of our town, for a living demonstration. Havana, Cuba, is an excellent\\nmarket, and is only thirty hours distant by steam. I cachos in that niarkct are worth\\nfabulous prices.\\nThe fig is propagatetl vvitii greater ease than even the peach. It grows from cuttings,\\nand generally bears in two ji-ears, and is a luscious fruit. There is no reason why the fig\\nshould not be made valuable as a commercial commodity.\\nPomegranates, plums, apricot, and nectarines flourish Inxm iantly. They are not abun-\\ndant, but should bci", "height": "3180", "width": "1905", "jp2-path": "floridacolonist01flor_0046.jp2"}, "47": {"fulltext": "39\\nGrapes arc not genevally cultivatetl, buL enough is known to establish the fact that tliis\\nis their natural home. In the hammocks they flourish in the wildest luxuriance, wliich is?,\\nj)erhaps, the highest possible evidence of their adaptability to om* soil and climate. TIk^\\nprospect now is, that their production will soon constitute an important part of home in-\\ndustry. Wine, equal to California s best, can be made in imlimited quantities from the\\nScuppernong with tlie aid of a little sugar a vineyard can readily be established b}- eu-\\nwrafting it into the wild muscadine. The Concord. Black Hamburs:, Isabella, nnd otlui-\\ntine varieties have done well wherever tested.\\nRAX AN AS.\\nVVe have verilied the fact tiiat this luscious fruit can be raised here to perfeclitjn, and\\nthat under circumstances which seldona occur. Some of the finest we ever ate grew in\\nour garden last summer. The freeze of 1868 and 60 did not kill them. They are propa-\\ngated from suckers and ripen in about eighteen months. An unlimited number of plants\\ncan grow on an acre. Two dollars a bunch is a fair price.\\nSTAPLE CHOPS,\\nOf these crops, we think sugar is destined to be the most important. The hammock\\nlands of the county are exceedingly well adapted to its culture, also the better class of\\npine lands. On some of these lands cane has been known to rattoon for several years,\\nrhus saving expense to the planter. The same natural causes that operate to protect the\\norange, apply equally well to sugar cane, thereby giving the county an advantage over\\neven those further south. Believing as we do, that actual facts form the, only safe basis\\nupon which to proceed, wc here submit two or three test cases. T. C. Ellis, Esq., of this\\nplace, sold the products of one acre of cane (pine land) for $300 J. E. Dodd, cf Xewnans-\\nville, raised fifty thousand stalks of cane on one and a half acres, which at the nsual sel-\\nling price, one cent a piece, would amount to S500. Mr. Hyre sold products of an acre at\\nS896. The examples are, perhaps, above an average crop, but they nevertheless show the\\nwonderful capacity of our soil and its adaptability to the culture of the crop.\\nCotton heretofore has been king of crops, and under the old system of crops wns\\nquite remunerative. Of late years there have been certain causes which have operated\\nstrongly against its regal power, and which, we think, have worked its partial overthrow.\\nThe sequel will be, we predict, an introduction of a great variety of labor. Indeed some\\nplanters have alreadj introduced a new order of things, and are giving sugar and fruit\\nthat consideration and attention their importance demands. The folly of relying on a sin-\\ngle crop for food, raiment, and income is plain, and especiallj so when that crop is cxjiof-\\ned to inroads from a thousand enemies.\\nWe do not wish to be understood as opposed to the production of cotton, only its exclu-\\nsive culture, for we believe it can be made very profitable in connection with a full pro-\\nvision crop. We know instances where 2,000 lbs. of seed cotton have been picked from\\na single acre. Cotton in the seed, last fall, sold readily at from 8 to 15 cents per lb. in\\nour town market. We have made some considerable inquiry after the prices of Florida\\nSea Islands, at home and abroad, and from a fair comparison of prices, arc forced to the\\nconclusion that Alachua cotton is the best made outside of the Islands.\\nPPtOVISION CROPS.\\nCorn, sweet potatoes, Irish potatoes, and rice constitute tiie principal provision crops.\\nTwenty-five bushels per acre is an average corn crop sweet potatoes will yield as high as\\ntwo hundred and fifty bushels, and Irish potatoes the same per acre as in the more north-\\nern States, Peas and pea-nuts arc very prolific and very remunerative. They sell readi-\\nly at from $1.60 to $3.00 per bushel. From twenty to one Inmdred bushels can be raised\\non a single acre. Peanuts arc a splendid substitute for corn to make pork with. Rye and\\noats are a profitable crop. The castor bean grows wild and luxuriantly tobacco would\\ncertainly do well. The 6(iua.-!i juid melon are in their element on our soil, and io tlii ii-\\nyield there is no end.\\nfiAKDEN TKUCIL\\nIs abundant in every month of tiie year. Feas, cabbage, beets, turnips, onion-;, lettuce,\\nradishes, Ac, do admirably in winter and add much to our tables. Tliey can be raised in\\nijuantities sufficiently large to ship to northern markets with very little labor or expense\\nand at a handsome profit. Tomatoes, beans, cucumbers, rhubarb, okra, egg-plant, pepper, fec.,\\ngrow to perfection in summer. We are of the opinion that the tomato is destined to be\\nraised on a grand scale for northern markets. There is a fortune in it for any one who\\nengages in its culture permanently. The snap bean and cucumber can be raised for the\\nsame market with equal success. We have been assured by a friend that he shipped over\\ntwo hundred boxes of tomatoes, gathered from a single acre, (pine land,) to IS^cw York,", "height": "3180", "width": "1905", "jp2-path": "floridacolonist01flor_0047.jp2"}, "48": {"fulltext": "40\\nwhere tliey were sold at an average rate of $6 to the box. Wliere is there a business\\nmore profitable?\\nTOWNS.\\nGaiuesville is our largest and most important town, and is the county site. It is noted\\nfor the general good health of its citizens and its important locality. It has direct com-\\nmunication by steam with Fernandina on the Atlantic, and Cedar Keys, on the Gulf, and\\nthence witli every port in the world. The proposed railroad from here to Tampa will\\ndoubtless be built within the next three years, which, in effect, will make it the depot of\\nall South Florida. The proposed road north to Live Oak will also, when built, add much\\nto the improvement of the place. The hotels in course of erection are destined to be well\\n])atronized by invalids and pleasure seekers when completed. The invalid s great dread,\\ncold, bleak winds, fogs, and dampness, are confined to our coasts and large rivers, and sel-\\ndom reach the interior. Gainesville is located on about the highest points of the Florida\\nrailroad between the Atlantic and Gulf. The atmosphere is generally dry and bracing.\\nThe retail trade of the town is very large. The Methodists, Episcopal, and Presbyterians\\nliave their respective places of worship. School facilities are ample. Union Academy,\\nLive Oak Institute, and the East Florida Seminary are among the best institutions of\\nlearning the country affords. It has two newspapers. Lumber is plentiful. Micanopy is\\na mucli older place tlian Gainesville, but is not so easy of access. Its destiny, however,\\nis an important one. The surrounding countrj- will make it it is in the heart of the great\\norange and sugar section of the State. Tlie proposed railroad, when built, will give it an\\nimpetus that will both surprise and gladden the natives. Newnansville is the oldest town\\nin the county, and is next to Gainesville in point of population. It has a good back coun-\\ntry, but lacks for want of communication. Waldo and Archer are two important depot\\ntowns on tlie Florida railroad.\\nAlISCELLAXEOUS.\\nAll that is required now to put this county on its feet, is a true statement of her finan-\\nces and resources. This fact in part accounts for the rapid increase of the population of\\nthe county, which has more than doubled itself in the last decade. In 1860 it was 8,282\\n\\\\n 1886, 16,000; and judging from tlie number of registered voters, it must now be about\\n20,000.\\nGame and fish are plentiful the latter are easilj caught and of excellent quality. Stock\\nraising can be made exceedingly profitable. Our prairies furnish pasture the whole year,\\nand Vt ith the aid of a little grain, stock will keep fat the severest of winters. A better\\nclass of stock should be introduced. Skilled labor is in good demand ordinary day la-\\nl)orers can be had at rates ranging all the way from $18 to $20. The price of land ranges\\nfrom 75 cts. to $50 per acre; $5 and $K are the most common prices.\\nA aval stores can be produced in abundance our pine forests are peculiarly adapted to\\nthe biisiness.\\nLands can be cleared here as clieaply as in other timbered States. Fertilizers are abun-\\ndant in our swamps and marshes, and easy of access.\\nimmigrants will be kindlj received, their politics respected, and we will here assure\\nthem that they will find a reasonable, woll-ordered, and peaceable commimity. We ad-\\n\\\\ise those who desire to settle among us to come and see for themselves. We will be\\njileased to show thera about. Yours respectfully,\\nCESSNA HILL.\\nVOLUSIA COUNTY.\\nThe following rcjjorts were read at the late meeting of the State Agricultural and Im-\\niiiigration Association t\\n1. General Sketcli of History. II. Locality and Climate. III. Health. IV. Surface and\\nSoil. V. Products of Forest, Field and Garden. VI. Accessibility to and Distance\\ni rom Market; Mail Facilities and Roads. VII. Supply and Price of Labor. VIII. Price\\nof Land and Cost of Clearing. IX. Houses and cost of Building. X. Water, the Sup-\\nj)ly and Quality; References.\\n1. General Observations. In 1836, tlie wliole Peninsula of Florida below the present\\nsouth line of St. Johns county was comprised in tliree counties\u00e2\u0080\u0094 Monroe on the south, Ala-\\nchua on the Gulf coast, and Mosquito on the Atlantic coast. The wild region between the\\nlast named counties was known as the Indian River Reserve.\\nJ he name Mosquito was afterwards changed to Orange, and in December, 1854, all that\\nportion of Orange county lying east of the St. Johns river was incorporated under the\\nname of Volusia county, since which time Enterprise has been the county seat. It is sup-\\nposed that the early Spanish navigators landed on our coast. An ancient roadway is\\ngraded through tlie sand hills from the beach to the Indian river, near the south end o*\\n[crritt s Island. A similar road has lately been discovered near tlie upper end of the^", "height": "3180", "width": "1905", "jp2-path": "floridacolonist01flor_0048.jp2"}, "49": {"fulltext": "41\\nHalifax. The first settlement in this county was made by Dr. Turnbull, who, in tiie year 1667,\\nestablished a colony of fifteen luindred persons, of Spanish and perhaps, Grecian origin,\\nwhom he had induced to emigrate from the Island of Minorca, in the Mediterranean.\\nTurnbull s wife bein.o- a native of Smyrna, therefore, the settlement was named New\\nSmyrna. Tlie crop cultivated bj- TuriibuU was indigo, of whicli he raised thousands of\\ndollars wortli annually. These colonists not being dealt with according to contract, all\\nabandoned tiie settlement and located in ami near St. Augustine, wliere tlieir descendants\\nnow reside. The only permanent monument left bj Turnbull is a large canal, draining\\nthe swamp that bears his name into the Hillsboro river at New Smyrna. The old settle-\\nment at Spring Garden was mentioned by Bartram in his travels before the Revolution.\\nBefore tlie Seminole war, whicli broke out in 1836, there were eleven sugar plantations\\nbetween New Smyrna and St. Josc])h, the site of Gen. Hernandez s plantation several of\\ntliese establishments cost sixty thousand dollars each all were destroyed by the Indians\\nin the first year of the war.\\nThe fir.st right with the Indians in this county was at Dunn Lawton, on the Halifax, in\\nwhich sixteen Indians and one white man were killed. Log forts wei e built at Bulow and\\nat McCrea s on the Timoka, at which place the whites were surprised outside their fort\\nand three men killed and scalped. At Volusia on the St. Johns, was one of the outposts\\nand a fort. From this post (i en. Eustis, in command of the left wing of the army, com-\\nposed mostly of regulars and ilrafted three month s men from South Carolina and Georgia,\\nset out to cross the country to the Withlacoochee to join Gen. Scott. After the brief and\\nfruitless campaign of three months. Gen. Scott and his ai-niy crossed the river at Volusia\\non their way to St. Augustine. Tlie first settlement at Volusia was made in 1816 by\\nHoratio S. I)exter.\\nThis village, situated pleasantly on the east bank of the St. Johns, on a hammock formed\\nof fre.sli water shells, although the largest village in the county, has but three stores and\\na half a dozen dwellings. At Enterprise is a large hotel and the county court house, one\\nstore and three dwelling liouses. There is no store on the coast north of Sand Point, at\\n\\\\vhich place there is one store and several families residing. Within a mile of New Smyr-\\nna post office are six families; within two miles of Port Orange post office, on the bank of\\ntlie Halifax, are eight vrhite families and four colored.\\nThe rivers on the coast furnish an abundance of salt-water fish and oysters. I)eer are\\nIroublesome to farmers by eating the vines of the sweet potatoes.\\nThis county contains about 1,8(X) inhabitants; most of them immigrated from Georgia\\niind the Carolinas, but every State is represented here. The northern settlers are along\\nthe coast and on the St. Johns. Those who live near the best lands are of moderate means\\nand they have not cleared the richest lands; consequently, visitors passing through the\\ncountry and only seeing the pine lands under cultivation, might get the impression that\\nwe have no first class hammock.\\nTIk- public schools are not yet in operation.\\nNo clergyman resides within our borders. We have no politicians; offices go begging\\ntwo of my neighbors who have commissions as Justices of the Peace decline to act the\\noffice of County Treasurer has been vacant for two years, seeking a man to accept it. We\\nhave no jail and little need of one.\\nWhen settlers come here and go to work and attend to their business, nobody cares\\nwhere they come from they are welcomed and encouraged.\\nIn 1866 and J an attempt was made to establish a colony of freedmen from South Caro-\\nlina at Port Orange some 50() families were brought here by Gen. Ely, from the vicinitj\\nof Columbia, in three steamboats from Charleston but the proper preparation and loca-\\ntion of their homesteads had not been made, and some disliked the pine land of the gov-\\nernment for homesteads, and most of them went into the interior counties not over a\\ndozen families are left here, and probablj not a hundred in the county.\\nSome of the most intei esting antiquities in the State are the Indian Mounds in this coun-\\nty. Turtle Mount, or Mount Tucker of the old maps, is a pile of oyster shells, variously\\nestimated from fifty to eighty feet high, standing on the east bank of Mosquito Lagoon\\nit is covered with bushes and small trees on the top and all sides, with the exception of the\\nwest face, fronting the river, Avhich is jierpendicular and of loose shells. Earth moimds\\nare common near the river banks along the coast; but the most remarkable of these is on\\nSpruce Creek, on the south bank, four miles from the Halifax. It is about fifty feet high\\nand a hundred feet in diameter at the base, and as steep on the sides as the soil would lie,\\nexcepting on the east side, which ascends gradually, as if for a roadway. Deej) excava-\\ntions close by show where the earth was taken from to build this immense pile. In these\\nand other mounds in this county liave been found pieces of potter}-, stone pipes, and other\\nimplements, charcoal and human skeletons in various stages of decay the latter are com-\\nparatively i-ecent. These relics of a distant and unknown age lead the imagination back\\nbe3-ond the early dawn of written history beyond even the gray twilight of tradition,\\nand leave it to grope in the night of the foro-otten past.", "height": "3180", "width": "1905", "jp2-path": "floridacolonist01flor_0049.jp2"}, "50": {"fulltext": "12\\n2. Locifliti/ and Clhnak. Volnai;i counLy is boutttlcd on tlic north by tit. Johns couutr,\\neast by the Atlantic ocean, south by Brevard county, and west by St. Johns river, whicli\\nseparates it from Orange county. It extends from near the Matanzas river on the fiortli\\nto Lake Washington on tre sontli, about 100 nnlcs. Its widtli varies from 40 miles at the\\nnorth end to 15 miles in tlie southern portion. It lies between the })arallels of 28 and 29\\ndeg. 40 min. north latitude.\\nMeteorological observations have been taken since 1SG6. whieii are published in the re-\\nports of the Department of Agriculture at Washuigton.\\nTlie following is the range of the mercury between the extremes, taking the lowest and\\nthe highest observations in each month of iS69: Januai-y, coldest, 47 deg., hottest, 80\\ndeg.; February, 24\u00e2\u0080\u009485 March, 1\u00e2\u0080\u0094 8.S April, 54\u00e2\u0080\u009481 May, CO\u00e2\u0080\u0094 00 June, 74\u00e2\u0080\u009490 July,\\n71 92; August, 74 82; September, 72 90; October, 49\u00e2\u0080\u009475; November, 35 81 De-\\ncember, 33 81. The mercury rose to 90 deg. and upwards as follows: In April once,\\nin May once, in June twice, in July ten times, in August nine times, in September twice.\\nThe prevailing Minds in the winter are from tlie northeast, north, and nortliwest the fi osts\\nare iisually brought about by the last named winds in summer the winds are southerly\\nand southeasterly the west Avinds are tlic most disagreeable. When comfortable hotels\\nshall have been erected along the beach, it will be a common place of resort in summer\\nfor the residents of the interior of the State.\\nI speak from experience when I say that this portion of the coast is cooler and pleasanter\\nin summer than Jacksonville, Savannah, or Charleston.\\nWhatever injurj;^ the orange trees sufl er from cold is in the spring, after they have start-\\ned to grow, and not in the colder weather of midwinter.\\nIn February, 1870, (last month) Mr. Bostrom had roasting ears from a small patch of\\ncorn that grew in his field on the east bank of the Halifax.\\nBananas and pine apples do well in the southern part of the county, but cannot be relied\\non as a sure crop at the northern part.\\n3. Health. The coast, or that portion which lies east of tlie Halifax, Ilillsboro and In-\\ndian rivers, all of which run parallel with the beach, may be set down as perfectly healthy.\\nWith reasonable care to provide comfortable houses and wholesome food, families may\\nconfidently expect to be exempt from any disease that can originate here. Patients suffer-\\ning from fever and ague, which tliey liave contracted in malarious regions, soon recover\\nhere.\\nThe high banks of fresh water creeks, above the reach of tide water, are also healthy.\\nSo is the middle region of the county, although much of it is taken up with flat, low pine\\nwoods and bay galls, and shallow cypress ponds are numerous. The whole length of the\\ncounty along the St. Johns, at tlie distance of two miles back from the river, is also free\\nfrom malarial diseases, excepting ahvays, low, flat bottom lands on lakes, rivers, or creeks\\nthat are subject to overflow.\\nThe danger in all these instances is not in the water, but in the action of the heat of the\\nsun on the rich soil after the water has drained off or evaporated.\\nThe miasm which produces fever and ague, is a minute organic structure, whicli is in\\nvisible to the naked eye, or to an ordinary microscope, and is always j^roduced when the\\nrequisite degrees of heat and moisture arc brought to bear on decaying vegetable matter,\\non tiie same princijile that the plants forming mildew and yeast suddenly grow when the\\nproper conditions are furnished, springing frdm invisible seeds that are constantly floating\\nin the air.\\nSalt marshes tiiat are regularly covered v.ith the tide do not produce this miasma; but\\nwhere the marshes and bottom lands on the banks of creeks and i-ivers are occasionally\\ncovered with fresh or brackish water, intermittent fevers may be confidently looked for.\\nAn apparent exception to this rule jjrevails in the case of cypress and grass ponds in the\\ninterior, so long as they are filled with growing vegetation, such as trees, bushes, and\\ngrass. There are sevei al families now living in perfect healtli near such ponds in this\\ncounty, and I have no doubt that if the ponds shoidd be cleared of the growth of vegeta-\\ntion during the summer, every member of such families would be attacked with chill and\\nfever in a few weeks. The most common form of disease in this county is the intermittent\\nfever, or chills and fever, and that only exists in the localities I have described above.\\n4. Surface and Soil. This county is surrounded and intersected by water-courses as fol-\\nlows The Atlantic Ocean w aslies the eastern shore tlie Halifax river is formed by the\\njunction of tlie Ilaloven and Bulow creeks and tlic Timoka river it is about a mile Avide\\nin its whole length of thirty nules, and so straight that midway of its lengtli the horizon\\nmeets the water, as one looks to the northward or southward. It runs nearly parallel Avith\\nthe coast, and discharges its Avaters at Mosquito Inlet. The tide flows up tlie entire lengtli\\nof this river, and renders the Avater brackish in the tributaries just named for six miles or\\nmore above their mouths. This river Avas formerly called Mosquito North Lagoon. The\\nIlillsboro river, or Mosquito South Lagoon, extends from Mosquito Inlet, southwardly,\\njiarallel Avith the coast, thirty miles. For tAvelve miles south of the Inlet tlie river is", "height": "3180", "width": "1905", "jp2-path": "floridacolonist01flor_0050.jp2"}, "51": {"fulltext": "\u00e2\u0080\u00a2filled Willi marsh aiul nmngrove islands, and divided .into crooked iiud narrow ciiannels.\\n13clow these islands the river is a broad expanse of water five miles wide, varying from\\n\u00e2\u0096\u00a0three to six feet deep. Tlie channel is rendered tortuons by coral reefs and sand banks.\\nThis portion of the river is now termed the Lagoon. This river is entirely salt, having\\nMO tributaries from the land of fresh water.\\nIndian river is separated from the Lagoon of Hillsboro river by a narrov/ strip of\\nland two hundred yards wide, called the Haiilover. A canal has been cut through con-\\nnecting the two rivers, and allowing boats drawing two feet of water to pass through.\\nThe Indian river is, more strictly, a bay. Its waters are salt, and it has no current in-\\ndependent of the winds. It varies in wicUh from two to eight mile. The portion east of\\n.Merritt s island, thirty miles in length, is called Banana river. Indian river runs parallel\\nwith the coast about 100 miles, to the inlet of the same name. Elbow creek, which rises\\nin the swamps near Lake Washington, on the St. Johns, empties into the Indian river,\\nnearlj opposite the south end of Merritt s island, and is the only stream of fresh water of\\nany note that empties into this river within the limits of this county. In this region, for\\nseveral miles, the Indian and St. Johns rivers are only six miles apart.\\nOn the whole length of the county, on its western border, is the St. Johns. Of the\\nstreams which drain the swamps of the interior, are Timoka river and Spruce Creek, witli\\nits tributaries, viz Turnbull Creek, Hawk Cypress, Sweet Water, and Little Spruce\\ncreeks, emptying into the Halifax, the first at its head, the latter only a mile north of the\\ninlet, and I)eep Creek and IIow Creek running westerly, the first into Lake Harney, and\\nlast into Punn s Lake. Spring Garden Creek is a remarkable stream, rising abruptly in\\na spring, and furnishing a water-power of sufficient force to drive machinery for ginning\\ncotton and other purposes.\\nThe surface of the county and its soil can be described most conveniently in five divis-\\nions, running lengthwise of the county.\\n1. Commencing on the east, Ave have a narrow strip of land between the beach and the\\n_ Halifax, Hillsboro and Indian rivers, extending the whoje length of the county, only\\ninterrupted by the Mosquito Inlet. The width of this peninsula varies from a half a mile\\nto five miles, which is the distance across at Cape Canaveral lighthouse. This peninsula\\nis composed mostly of sand hills; the more recent ones bordering on the sea are covered\\nwith grass those further west, with saw palmetto, oak, and other scrub, increasing in\\nheight as the river is approached, until near the river, in many ])laces, are fertile spots\\nthat would pay for cidtivation, and covered with tall pines, oaks, and other trees. Captain\\nDummitt and Burnham s orange, the largest in the State, is on the west side of this pen-\\ninsula. If this region is ever made use of, it will be for residences of those who culti-\\nvate the swamp lands on the main. There arc no springs or streams of fresh water, but\\ngood water can be had from wells dug a few rods from the river on the beach.\\n2. The west banks of the three rivers above named constitute a peciiliar feature in the\\nface of the county. On the whole length of the Halifax and Hillsboro and in many\\nplaces on the Indian riveu, is a range of oyster-shell banks, from three to ten feet high\\nthese constitute the .shell-liammocks the shells, when mixed with the soil, are a con-\\nstant source of fertility by their gradual decay. The scattering of these shell-heaps over\\nconsiderable tracts, probably by large bodies of Indians who came from the interior to\\nfeast upon fish and shell-fish during the winter, lias created much of our second-rate ham-\\nmock this class of soil terminates abruptly at the last shell-heap, and the pine barren com-\\nmences. Some portions of the banks of Indian river are fifteen feet high some places of\\nsand, and at others, of coquina or shell rock. There is but comparatively little of this\\nkind of shell-hanmiock on this river. In the vicinity of Mosquito Inlet are considerable\\ntracts of land, where the subsoil is composed of disintegrated and decayed shell rock,\\nwhich, a few feet lower, is sound enough for building purposes. This is the character of\\nthe river front from New Smyrna northwest some seven or eight miles. This soil produces\\nwell every variety of crop tliat has been planted on it. Tliere is no part of the St. Johns\\nwhere all the advantages of a fine river prospect, good soil, and healthy location are com-\\nbined as on the west banks of these rivers, which are generally within two or three miles\\nof the sea, and constantly within the influence of its invigorating breezes, and within\\nhearing of the surf\\n3. The tliird division from the east is the swamp region. This extends from Bulow e on\\nthe nortli, across the Timoka, and, southwardly, the whole length of Halifax and Hills-\\nboro and for fifteen miles on the Indirai river, a distance of more than eighty miles in\\nlength, and varying from a lialf a mile to three nules wide. The celebrated Tnrnbull\\nswamp, southwest of New Smyrna, is a part of tliir. ti-act, as is also the Dunn Lawton es-\\ntate. The soil is a black alluvial, mo.stIy unmixed v/ith sand, and rOBtijig on a clay or shell\\nmarl foundation. This is probably a;i ijood land as any in tlie States It needs draining to\\nvender it arable, and there is sufficient fall to allow of this, as in atilply proved hy some of\\nTurnbuH s old canals, wliich still discliftrge the waters of the sw.imps into flie river. It\\nwas on these Hwamp landf! flint ihc Ku^ar plrrntations bffore iTicntionod wore Rituated,, that", "height": "3180", "width": "1905", "jp2-path": "floridacolonist01flor_0051.jp2"}, "52": {"fulltext": "!4\\nwere broken up by tjie Indians. The ruins of sleanvniills are still t.hL re, and the fields\\nmarked by the cane rows all covered with a dark forest of nearly forty years growth.\\nThe greateiit obstacle in the way of the settlement of this county is the uncertainty of\\ntitle and ownership of these lands. They are covered with old Spanish grants, the owners\\nof which are in the West Indies, or in the Northern States anywhere but here. Many\\nof these have not paid taxes for twenty years. They will soon be taxed, and the owners\\nor agents thus ascertained, or the lands sold for taxes. In the region of this county al-\\nready described, along tlie eastern shore, are 100,000 acres of these Spanish grants.\\n4. The fourth region may be called the interior of the county, situated about half way\\nbetween the ocean and the St. Johns. It is mostly a table land of flat woods, from which\\nthe rains drain off slowly, interspersed with bay galls, savannas, cypress ponds, and spruce\\npine,. and dwarf oak scrub hammocks, which are worthless for cultivation. This region is\\nbetter adapted to grazing than to any other branch of agriculture. It is thinly settled by\\nfetock-raisers, and cannot sustain a dense poj)ulation until the prairies and savannas arc\\ndi ained and turned to fruitful fields.\\nThe western portion of the county, bordering on IJio St. Johns, is undulating; many\\nof the elevations are called hills, among which are numerous small lakes or ponds. The\\nsoil is variable, and comprises every grade of soil in the State, but is mostly i)ine land.\\nSome of the best farmers in the county are cnltivating pine land. With cow-penning, it\\nproduces good corn and cane. Mr. George Sauls, who lives in this belt of undulating pine\\nwoods, six miles from the St. Johns, raised, in 1868, live hundred dollars worth of sugar,\\nsyrup, and molasses from one and three-quarters of an acre of pine land, witli no other\\nfertilizer but the cow-penning. The prices he obtained were higher than will ever be\\nlikely to prevail again. He sold his sugar at fifteen cents per pound, syrup at seventy-five\\nand molasses at fifty cents per gallon.\\nThe bottom lands on the St. Johns are of the most fertile character, and, when diked\\nand cultivated will exceed in productiveness the sugar lands of Louisiana; for we have a\\ngreat advantage in climate here, being more than a degree further south than New Or-\\nleans. It was this kind of soil, bottom land diked, on the Timoka, on- which Ca]it. Dum-\\nmitt raised at the rate of four thousand })ounds of sugar to the acre. ]Merritt s Island is\\nmainly flat pine land, but its climate is milder than that on the mainland in tlie same lati-\\ntude. It is a good location for the cultivation of the whole orange tribe.\\no. Prodnrbi of the Fored, Field and Garden. Our forests produce abundance of pine ami\\nlive oak considerable quantities of cedar, bay, hickory, cypress, and asli. Various other\\nvarieties of oak are also found here, magnolia, sweet and black gum. sassafras, black cher-\\nry, soft maple, sumac, willow, bayberry, pricklj- ash, and on the salt marsh islands, the\\nmangrove. In the eastern and southern portions, the coontie root is abundant, from which\\nstarch is made. The lumber business is neglected here, there being no saw mill in operation\\nin the county. A large steam saw mill at Fort Orange, now idle, is soon to be started. The\\nwild fruits are the sour and bitter-sweet orange, blackberry, hui^ldeberry, and haw, none\\nof which are abundant.\\nThe field crops are sugar cane, both short and long staple cotton, rice, corn, potatoes,\\npeamits, cow pieas, pumpkins, melons, and the semi-tropical fruits oranges, limes, lemons,\\nand figs.\\nGardening is almost wholly neglected. Although nearly every variety of vegetable\\nmatter can bo raised here, as has been proved by experiment, few kinds are cultivated.\\nThe variety in a southern country garden is as follows collards, cabbages, turnips, locks,\\nor garlics, Irish potatoes, pepper, and sage. This is the natural climate for lima beans,\\negg plant, okra, and many kinds of vegetables that are grown with difficulty at the North.\\nA few settlers raise beets, carrots, rutabagas, cauliflowers, cucumbers, and radishes. It\\nis customary to procure the seed from the North every year, as it is supposed that that\\ngrown here is not as reliable.\\nAmong the other branches of Agriculture, should be mentioned tlie stock-growing in-\\nterest. This is one of our most important interests. Cattle and hogs do well in every\\njiart of the county. As is usual in this State, the only attention paid to stock is the mark-\\nia the spring of the young. While the cattle are penned a few wefeks in the spring, the\\nowners obtain a supply of milk, which is rather an incident of the marking, than an object\\nto be attained. Beef cattle sell at about fifteen dollars a head whole droves, inducting\\nlittle and big, sell at six dollars per head. Beef sells at six and seven cents per pound.\\nHorses and mules are generally scarce not enough raised to supply the demand. Very\\nfew sheep are kept the citizens prefer dogs, of which the supply is abundant, and none\\nare 80 poor that they cannot maintain several ugly, lean curs. Fov/ls of every kind do\\nwell. Bees do well, and many wild swarms are found in the woods\\n6. AecrxsiMlifi/ to Jfarkef, Pod Office and Roads. The whole of our western lj(n-dcr, on\\nthe St. Johns and the lakes, is witlnn twenty-four hours stenra navigation of Jacksonville.\\nSteamers ply almost daily between that port and Enterprise, sto})ping at intermediate\\nlandings, On the east our communication with the world is through the New Smyrna or-", "height": "3180", "width": "1905", "jp2-path": "floridacolonist01flor_0052.jp2"}, "53": {"fulltext": "45\\nMosquito Inlet, by means of pail vessels, which and weekly to Jacksonville. Tlie celebra-\\nted King s Road, projected and built by Gov. Grant, the first English Governor of Florida,\\nextends from New Siuyrna, via St. Augustine and Jacksonville, to the St. Mai ^-s river.\\nIt is not much traveled now, and portions of it are overgrown with bushes, and the bridges\\nare out of repair; still it is passable for teams. From Enterprise, on the St. Johns, a mail\\nroad extends to Port Orange and Dunn Lawton, on the Halifax, thirty -three miles; also,\\nt\u00c2\u00ab New Smyrna on the Hillsboro thirty-five miles, to Sand Point on the Indian river,\\nfifty miles. There are post oflfices at Volusia, Enterprise, Port Orange, New Smyrna, and\\nSand Point. A canal, through Haw Creek into the Tirnoka, connecting Dunn s Lake with\\nthe Halifax, woidd give our eastern border a direct inland route to Jacksonville, and is\\namong the most important internal improvements that can be made.\\n1. Sxpphj and Price of Ixihor. The supyly is limited and jirices high. Good hands get\\nfrom twenty to twenty-five dollars ])er month and board on the coast, and five dollars less\\non the St. Johns. Persons coming here to open new lands should bring their help along\\nwitli them. The freedmen, of whom there are about a dozen families at or near Port Or-\\nange, all have entered homesteads, and only go out to work occasionally. We very much\\nneed an immigration of working men.\\n8. Prirr of Land and Cost of Clearinr/. There is very little cleared land for sale at any\\nprice. The S2)anish grants, unimproved, are generally held at from four to six dollars per\\nacre. The cost of clearing heavy swamp hammock at Port Orange is not less than\\n$20 per acre, and in some instances may reach thirty dollars. By clearing, I mean\\ncutting down all the trees and burning off all the logs. The Southern method of clearing,\\nby girdling the large trees, is of course much cheaper. Some of our pine land is so thick-\\nIv covered with saw palmett.o as to cost fifteen dollars per acre to grub out the roots rea-\\ndy for plowing.\\n0. Biiildbu/s and. tli.fir Cost. With the exception of a few houses, our dwellings are rude\\naffairs and poor apologies for houses. The cost of sawed lumber, delivered at Port Or-\\narige or New Smyrna, is eight dollars per thousand for freight, added to the cost in Jack-\\nsonville. Most of the houses are built of logs, and in the interior puncheons are hewed\\nfrom split logs for floors, and glass windows are not in general use. A log house, with two\\nrooms, fifteen feet square, can be built for a hundred dollars, exclusive of chimney. New\\nsettlers along the rivers, frpqueutly thatch their roof with palm leaves. A well-to-do-far-\\nmer has the following buildings: a house, a kitchen, a smoke-house, which also answers for\\nstorehouse, a stable and a corn crib if a cane planter, a sugar-house. Carts, wagons,\\nplows, and all other farming tools are commonly exposed to the weather, and ruined in a\\nyear or two.\\n10. Waier,)k Supply and Quail! I/. Under the head of surface and soil 1 have already\\nspoken of the fresh water streams and ponds, which supply the stock in the woods. Wells\\nfurnish pure, sweet and soft water, all over the country, with the exception of the banks of\\nthe salt water rivers on the coast, where the water, though sweet and suitable for cooking\\nand drinking, is usually too hard for washing. E.ain water, caught in cisterns, is used for\\nthis purpose.\\nReferences For general information in reference to the county, address H. G. Lun-\\ngren, M. D., Volusia; B. F. Buckner, Enterprise; J. H. Fowler and J. A. Bostrom, Port\\nOrange. In relation to orange and cane culture and productiveness, Capts. Miles 0. Burn-\\nham and Douglass Dummitt, New Smyrna. In relation to stock raising, Bryant Osteen,\\nEnterprise. Relative to game and fish, boats and guides for sportsmen, R. N. Sheldon,\\nNew Smyrna. J. M. HAWKS, M. I).\\nPort Orange, Volusia Co., April, 18*70.\\nHEIIXANDO COUNTY.\\nHon J. S. Adaiiix, L oiiunisxioucr of Jiatnigration, Jacksonville, Fhi.:\\nDear Sir: I pi-opose to give you a topographical sketch of Hernando county, hoping\\nthat some of the many immigrants to this State may desire a home in the southern portion\\nof it, and that this may be of some interest to them.\\nHernando county is situated on the Gulf coast, and lice between latitude 28 deg. 15 m.\\nand 21) deg. 30 m. It is bounded on the north by the Withlacooche river, on the east by\\nthe same river, and what is called the prong of it, on the south by the Hillsboro river,\\nfor some eight miles, and from thence to the Gulf coast, by Hillsboro county, and on\\nthe west by the Gulf of Mexico, for seventy miles the entire length of the county. It is\\nadjacent to Levy and Marion counties on the north, on the to ]\\\\Iarion and Sumter coun-\\nties, and on the south to Polk and Hillsborough counties. The average width of the cotm-\\nty from east to west is about thirty miles, and from this you will discover that its general\\nshape is that of a paralellogram, lying north and south.\\nThere is no part of the Stsjte, of the same area, whioli has greater on r.qual water facili.", "height": "3180", "width": "1905", "jp2-path": "floridacolonist01flor_0053.jp2"}, "54": {"fulltext": "ties, nor can oft ur ais great variety of inducements to enci gy and capital. To particular-\\nize, I will commence by speaking- of the many water advantages.\\nOn the northern and eastern border we find tlie Withlacoochee river, already navigable\\none-sixth of the circumference of the county, and can be made so for fully one-fourth.\\nFrom the interior of the county, we have the sources of Crystal river, Ilomosassa river,\\nCheisowilsky river, WickaAvachee river, and Anclote river. These rivers are generally\\nabout ten miles apart, and from six to one hundred miles long, emptying into the Gulf, at\\nfrom ten to twenty miles apart. They are all navigable to some extent, and some of them\\nto their sources. Aside from these rivers, there is a lake connected with the Withlacoo-\\nchee river, (Lake Charliepopka,) which is one of the most extensive bodies of water in the\\nState. It is about fifteen miles long and from one to six miles wide, and lies diagonally\\nin a southwesterly direction across a portion of the counti-y.\\nThis lake seems to be a series of lakes running into each othei and thereby creating\\nlong peninsulas of the most fertile land between theui, and in many instances, islands,\\nwhich have proven to be the moat prodvictive.\\nOn the western border of this lake, the land is elevated, and so on the islandSj and some\\nof the most beautiful locations are to be had within on the main or on some island. On\\nthe eastern border the county is flat and interspersed with cypress swamps for som\u00c2\u00ab eight\\nmiles, where you will strike the river. In this cave, as the jjeople call it, are to be found\\nAvild cattle and hogs in abundance, with every imaginable species of indigenous vermin\\nand some larger animals but this is a digression.\\nThis lake, with but little expense, could be made navigable into the AVithlacoochee\\nriver at all seasons, as it is now during the wet or rainy season. The connection of the\\nlake, hov/evcr, is above the head of navigation on the river, but only about six miles, and\\nno falls to encounter to reach the navigable point on the river for steamboats. The AVith-\\nlachooehee river i\u00c2\u00abi a narrow but deep stream, and rises in the northern part of Polk coun-\\nty, runs north till it reaches the northern boundary of this county, when its course turns\\nwesterly until within a distance of about twenty-live miles by land from its mouth, when\\nit turns due west and empties into the Crulf about twelve miles from Cedar Keys, the west-\\nern terminus of the Florida Railroad.\\nCrystal river rises about twelve miles from its mouth and eight miles south of the With-\\nlacoochee river nms Avest and empties into the Gulf ten miles from the mouth of the\\nWithlacoochee river. It is navigable to its soui cc with small schooners, and for three\\nmiles from its mouth with sea-going vessels. Its source is produced by numerous springs,\\nall within an area of half a mile, producing a beautiful broad and crystal stream, from\\nwhence it takes its name. It abounds in fish and oysters of superior quality. A flourish-\\ning village is situated at its head, and takes the name of the river. Six miles further\\nsouth, we find the Ilomosassa river, which is also produced by numerous springs, and is\\nten or twelve miles long runs west and empties into the Gulf eight miles from the mouth\\nof tbe Crystal r!- -r. It is navigable for small steamers and schooners, and inside its\\nmouth many lar u vessels have loaded with cedar timber for New York. At the head of\\nnavigation on this river was farmerly the home of Hon. I). L. Yulee, whei e he cultivated\\nand manufactured sugar cane on a large scelc. This plantation is now in the hands of\\nI^orthern men, who are working it to some extent. About four miles south we strike the\\nCheisowilsky river, wliich gushes out from numerous rocks and forms a bold and deep, but\\nshort river, not more than eight miles long. At the head of this river was (twenty years\\nago) tlie principal trading point for this count} It was the principal shipping port before\\nthe war for cedar timber taken from its adjacent swamps, where many cargoes of this val-\\nuable timber yet remain. The river is navigable for good sized river steamboats and\\ncoasting sail vessels. It abounds in all the fish common to the Gulf coast.\\nTwelve miles south lies the Wiccawachee river, a narrow and serpentine stream, winch\\nis formed by a spring, the basin of which is about an acre large, but from fifteen to thirty\\nfeet deep. This streani is hardly entitled to the name rivei until within about five miles\\nof the Gulf, when it widens and becomes navigable for small steamers, and at its mouth\\nthere is enough Avater for sea-going steamers. The village of Bay Port is situate at the\\nmoutli of this river, anil was a place of considerable commercial importance during the\\nwar, as a point or blockade running, and many a valuables were landed, both from sail\\nand steamboats, at this place. A considerable mercantile and forv. arding business is still\\ncarried on here. From the liead of this river lai ge quantities of oediiv timber liave been\\nrafted to its moutli for shipment to New York.\\nAbout thirty miles south of this river, we find the Anclote river, wl.lch takes its oi igin\\nfrom numerous lakes in the sotheastern portion of the county, in tlie flat v/oods, and not\\na great distance from the source of the Withlacoochee river. Its course is southwest, and\\nempties into the (rulf about four miles north of the county line. It is a v/ido and deep\\nstream for about ten miles fr,om its mouth, but from tlience to its source it is but a shallow\\nstream, the most of tlie time fordable. Some ton miles Pouth of its mouth. \u00e2\u0096\u00a0onim( neO!=; the\\nsettlement of Cleor Wfitcr Harbor, of wltich you no cloubt havfi heard,", "height": "3180", "width": "1905", "jp2-path": "floridacolonist01flor_0054.jp2"}, "55": {"fulltext": "47\\nIt is somewhat rnnarkabli^ th.-it all tlio rivers and crcek.s between this river on the wutli,\\nanil the Withlacoocliee on the north, should take their origin, sonic from miiiicrou8 springs,\\nand others gushing boldly tVom a rocky labyrinthine source, and all from the side or near\\na range of barren, high, sand hills running nortli and south, and from six to twelve miles\\nfrom the coast.\\nTh\u00c2\u00ab first impression in referGnce to the quality of the land is, that where there is such\\nan extensive water border, there must be a large quantity of that which is good and such\\nis the case. Not only on the border of this extertfeive lake, but in the valley of all those\\nsliort rivers, there is laud that will compare favorably with the Louisiana or Yazoo lands,\\nbut every location sinks into comparative insignificance to the large bodies of land near\\nthe centre of the county. The principal body of this land lies in Annattalogga Hammock,\\nlive-sixths of which is of the first quality of hammock land. It lies north and soutii, and\\nis about thirteen miles long and from three to five miles wide. It lies between two ranges\\nof high hills, whicli run parallel with the hammock on either side; and although the land\\nis elevated, and in some parts rolling, you will very percejdibly discover that it is an ex-\\ntensive valley when viewed from one of these liills, the altitude of which is from two to\\nthree hundred feet. In some instances, arms of the hammock project out between these\\nhigh hills, but in no instance to obstruct the view, which, it nmst be admitted, is beauti-\\nful. As^ a general thing, the land on these ranges of hills is poor, Init affords the most\\nbeautiful and healthy locations as residences, aftbrding plenty of cool spring water,\\nfrom which one has taken the same of Spring Hill; another that of Mount Airy, from\\nits great elevation and the delightful breezes tiiat are almost continually wafting the in-\\nvigorating salt air from the Gulf, which is only about fourteen miles distant. The survey\\nfrom this hill is greatly beautified by a large and placid lake at its base.\\nThe growth upon this hammock land consists of white oak, live oak, water oak, ash,\\nhickory, elm, sweet gum, cedar, mulbeny, orange, and all other trees indigenous to this\\nclimate, and which do not select their habitation in the \\\\Ane woods. Some of these trees\\ngrow to an enormous size, such as the white oak, live oak and hickory. It is not uncom-\\nmon to see them from four to six feet in diameter. Quantities of undergrowth are under\\nthese large trees, and it is in some places almost impenetrable, which renders the clearing\\nof the land difficult and expensive but the greater part of it can be cleared for five dol-\\nlars per acre, which is a trifling expense, considering the productiveness and durability of\\nit when once under cultivation. It yields, per acre, of corn is from twenty to thirty bush-\\nels, and when well cultivated and cared tor, will produce forty bushels, as is frequently the\\ncase. Tobacco does well. Oats yield about the same as corn when planted in November\\nor December, but later they do not do so well. Cotton, as might be expected, does as\\nwell here as on the sea-islands. The land, climate, and atmosphere, all suit the growth of\\nsea-island cotton. As a proof of this, the yield of this staple for the past three years\\nwhen unmolested by the catterpillar, has been from five to seven hundred pounds of seed\\ncotton per acre, and in some instances as many as eight hundred pounds have been raised.\\nBut it seems that Nature has more particularly adapted this land to the growth of sugar\\ncane. It yields from two to three thousand pounds of sugar per acre, according to the\\nage of the rattoon, and this runs from five to seven years. Those who are acquainted\\nwith the cultivation of sugar cane know that it is one of the most exhausting growths to\\nthe soil that is planted nevertheless the natural land of portions of this county continues\\nto reproduce good stands of cane from the rattoon from five to six years without any de-\\nterioration in the yield of sugar and that, too, without any aticmpt at fertilizing or en-\\nriching the ground by the husbandman. This is certainly an evidence of the desirability\\nof this land, nor is the failure of your seventh year s rattoon regarded as a failure of the\\nsoil, but of the cane roots, and all that the planter is required to do is to plow up and plant\\nin the middle of the rows, when he will be i)repared for another five years success in the\\ngrowth of sugar cane. As further evidence of the desirability of this land, I will relate a\\nlittle conversation that occurred not long ago. The writer suggested to one of the oldest\\nand most successful planters in this county to subsci ibe for an agricultural journal, and\\ntold him in a joke, that it would teach him liow to apply fertilizers of various kinds, fec.\\nlie said he had no use for them that lie had used them in Alabama and Mississippi,\\nbut he would never plant land any more that required them that his present plantation\\n(in the Annattalogga hanaraock) had been cultivated every year for fifteen years, and no\\nappreciable diminution in its yield, nor would there be in his or the rising generation s\\nlife time; but should it fail in the third, all they would have to do would be to take a little\\nmore fresh land and work on.\\nIt is really so tliat the little field.: which the j)ioneers of tin; country cleared up some\\nthirty years ago, have been under cultivation all the tinu;, and unless on some little knoll\\nor otJier place subject to wash, are nearly or piite as propuctive as when first planted.\\nThere are many small detached hammocks around this large body of land, all of which\\npartake of its fertilitj and durability.\\nAt the south end of this large hammock is situate the village of Brooksville, the county", "height": "3180", "width": "1905", "jp2-path": "floridacolonist01flor_0055.jp2"}, "56": {"fulltext": "4R\\nBite. Two miles south of this village, we come to another large body of hammock land,\\nthe Charcoochartie hammock. It is seven miles long, but somewhat broken with scrubs\\nand swamps, yet thousands of acres of good, high timber land lie in it covered with a\\ngrowth similar to the Annattalogga. South of this bod} of land, keeping rather in the\\ncentre of the county, lies a remarkable country. It is high, rolling, and reminds one of\\nthe red hills in Georgia. The land is what the residents term mulatto land, which name\\nis indicative of its color. It is quite productive, and yields the best quality of sea-Lsland\\ncotton raised in the county. The land reaches to the flat woods in the southern portion of the\\ncounty, and ceases very abruptly, affording in some places a beautiful view of the exten-\\nsive plain befor\u00c2\u00ab j ou. Along the border of the flat woods are many desirable locations\\nfor those who desire to engage in raising stock, as the pasturage is excellent in this sec-\\ntion. Those flat woods extend twelve miles south to the county line, and give origin to\\nsome of the tributaries of the Hillsborough river as well as the Anclote river.\\nNotwithstanding there is such quantities of good and lasting lands in this county, ac-\\ncessible to almost any one, if an individual should select a location that is unproductive\\nfor its beauty or good water, or some fanciful object all he will have to do is to apply to\\nany of the numerous marl-beds, rich in lime, to be found all over the county, to fertilize\\nhis land and if he should be in reach of Charliepopka Lake, he will find humus enough\\nto enrich the poorest county in the State of New Jersey, to mix with his marl.\\nHad I not already said more than I designed I would give you some statistics of the\\nproducts at large, and of some particular parts of the count}\\nThe country about Crystal river, and tlie rolling country near the flat woods, deserve\\nspecial notice but suffice it to say that if a man desirous of following an agricultural pur-\\nsuit will come and see the country for himself, I will venture to asse7-t he will not be dis-\\npleased.\\nThe inhabitants of the county number about twenty-five hundred. The white portion\\nconsists principally of the second ])urchasers, as but few of the first settlers of frontiers-\\nmen have remained.\\nNotwithstanding Florida is unknown in other sections of the country, but is looked\\nupon as a small piece of valueless land, the white inhabitants, even of this county, re-\\npresent almost every Southern State and some of the New England States.\\nThey are a peaceable and quiet people, frugal and hospitable, courteous to strangers,\\nand glad to see them come when they bring the insignia of honesty and enterprise. There\\nare but few who take any interest in politics, and the most of these are among the colored\\npeople. About a dozen churches are distributed throughout the county Baptist and\\n^lethodist lu) public, but several private schools. A northern, southern and western\\nmail twice a week one telegraph oflice in the county, communicating with domestic and\\nforeign cities. The surveyed route for the Waldo and Tampa railroad passes through and\\nnear the centre of the county.\\nIn conclusion, I would say to the immigrant, that if he desires to plant an orchard of\\ntropical fruit trees, let him come to some of the short rivers in this county, clear off one\\nacre of ground, plant out one hundred orange trees, twenty-one feet apart, and in three\\nj ears he has a capital of ten thousand dollars bringing an interest of ten per cent. The\\nland will cost him but little, ranging from nothing to six dollars per acre. Each tree will pro-\\nduce one thousand oranges every year, at the least calculation, and they will bring on tlie\\ntrees one cent a piece and sometimes two, so he has an income of ten dollars per annum from\\neach tree, equivalent to one hundred dollars at ten per cent interest. The propitiousness\\nof the soil and climate, with facts, fully justify those estimates. If he desires to plant\\ncane, corn, cotton, tobacco, oats, potatoes, garden vegetables, pine-apples, bananas, or all\\nof the tropical fruits, he will be doubly recompensed for his labor, and enjoy as good\\nhealth (as might be expected from the proximity to the coast) as if in any other portion\\nof the State. Very respectfullT vour obedient servant,\\nS. STRINGER.\\nBrooksrillc, Fla., Dec. 9, 1869.\\nr.EOOKSViu,E, Fla., Jan. 18. 18*70.\\nHon. J. S. Adanifi, Commimoiier of Immigration:\\nDear Sir Yours of the first inst., asking for some statistical information as to what\\nItad been done in the way of crops in this, Hernando county, came to hand a week or ten\\ndays ago.\\nIn reply, I regret to say that I have not been able to make search for such information\\nas I would like to have given still, such as I have collected comes from men of intelli-\\ngence and imimpeachable veracity. In gathering these facts, I selected those who repre-\\nsent different parts of the county in order that a fair exponent of what had been done in", "height": "3180", "width": "1905", "jp2-path": "floridacolonist01flor_0056.jp2"}, "57": {"fulltext": "49\\nthe county iit lurgo, and not favorite localities, might bo given. The ligiu es below are in-\\njtelided to show what has been produced per acre\\nNAME. CURX. OATS. POTATOES. COTTON. 8UGAU. RICE. TOBACCO.\\nA. T.Frierson bu. f.O bu. 40 bu. 400 lbs. TOO lbs bu. 2. lbs\\nJesse C larady bu. .3 bu. 50 bu. lb.s. 1000 lbs. 3400 bu. 43 lbs.\\nJ. H. Gould bu. 20 bu. bu. 400 lbs. 1100 lbs. 3600 bu. lbs\\nWm. Nicks bu. 80 bu. bu. 400 lbs. 1000 lbs. 2600 bu. lbs\\nJames Parkston.. .bu. bu. bu. lbs lbs bu. lbs. 1800\\nDr. \\\\V. T. Mayo. .bu. 60 bu. 40 bu. lbs lbs. bu. 62 lbs\\nMr. Frierson made 200 gallons of wine from eleven Scuppernqng grape vines over one-\\nsixth of an acre.\\nMr. (rould says the above is his average crop.\\nMr. Nicks gives the above as his average crop.\\nDr. Mayo makes 4,900 pine-apples per acre.\\nIt is not to be understood that these crops are raised every year, nor by every former,\\nbut they have been raised by the gentlemen time and again, and with labor tliat could be\\ncontrolled, could be raised successivclj Mr. Frierson says he can do so now if the sea-\\nsons are not imfavorahle.\\nSuffice it that these figures have been attained, and, too, by the old fashioned way of\\nfarming, there not being a single improved farming implement in the county, none being\\nused save the turn-plough, scooter, sweep, and hoe.\\nMr. Clarady says that he fully believes, with the improved method of farming now in\\nuse in the Middle and Northern States, with the energy of the people of those sections,\\nwe could cope with smy of the States in raising cereals. He has seen an experiment made\\nin wheat-growing in this county, on a small scale, and says that it was as fine as any he\\never saw in Tennessee, Kentucky, or Georgia that in almost every instance there were\\nfour grains of wheat in each mesh, while in those of other States, two were common, three\\nvery good, and four, extra. Wine can be raised on these lands with but little trouble.\\nMr. Frierson makes one hundred and fifty to two hundred gallons every year from only\\neleven Scuppernong- grape vines, and others in the county do equally well from small\\narbors.\\nHoping this brief but reliable report of what has been done in the way of crops in this\\ncounty will be of some service, I subscribe myself your obedient servant,\\n8. STRINGER.\\nORANGE COUNTY.\\nApopka, Orange Co., Fla., July 20, 1869.\\nHon J. S. Adams, Commissioner of Immiffration, Jacksonville, Fla.:\\nDear Sir In accordance with your published request, I shall proceed to give you a\\nbrief descciption of tliis part of Orange county.\\nOur principal lake is Apopka, and the parallel of latitude, 28 deg. 35 min., runs through\\nthe centre. This name means in the Seminole language, Potato eating town. This lake\\ncovers an area of about three townships, its greatest length being northeast and south-\\nwest. It is surrounded by fine bodies of hammock, a portion of which has been cleared.\\nThese lands are well suited for the growth of corn and cotton the latter, however, on\\nfresh land goes too much to weed, but if properly cultivated, does well on old land. Su-\\ngar cane does well, the rattoons being used for six years before replanting, and in the\\nspring tassels. It is not uncommon for one cane to yield one gallon of juice. The aver-\\nage produce is from 350 to 400 gallons of syrup, or 2,000 pounds of sugar to the acre.\\nWe raise as fine cabbage as can be found anywhere, and sweet potatoes are grown all the\\nyear. They are planted in the fall for spring and summer use, and are termed standov-\\ners. We have tomatoes and green 2:ieas during the winter, and many other vegetables.\\nThe soil is a sandy loam, with a clay subsoil, which, in some places, comes to the surface.\\nPersons cultivating these lands should have their residence at least a mile from the lake,\\nwith timber intervening, to be healthy. Col. H. L. Hart is now engaged in opening the\\nOcklawaha river into the lake, and expects to have his steamers in there this fall, thus\\nconnecting the lake witli Palatka, on the St. .Johns river. The orange and all the semi-\\ntropical fruits, as far as tried, do well. Game is abundant, and the lake afl ords fine fish-\\ning. There are some drawbacks the alligators destroy the hogs, and at times thp mos-\\nquitoes are bad. The cost of clearing hammock land is from ten to fifteen dollars per\\nacre. The produce of long staple cotton is from five to eight hundred pounds of seed cot-\\nton to the acre; of corn, I do not know the average sufficiently well to state it. Labor is\\nscarce, and is generally one dollar per day by the month, with board, fifteen dollars.,;\\nThe pine lands are mostly high and rolling, interspersed with clear water lakes of dif-\\nferent sizes, abounding with fish. There are some .streams of running water, and Huljihui-", "height": "3180", "width": "1905", "jp2-path": "floridacolonist01flor_0057.jp2"}, "58": {"fulltext": "50\\nspring s abound. On the margin of some of these lakes are small bodies of hammock. A\\nlarge portion of these lands is still subject to the Homestead Act, and in some cases claitna\\ncan be purchased where small improvements have been made. There are still some good\\nState lands which have not yet been taken up. The price of land varies so much, and is\\nadvancing so fast in value, that it is scarcely possible to make a fair estimate. From eight\\nto twenty dollars per acre, I should think, was now about correct. Last fall a small place\\nwas offered to me for $1,800, another for $2,550. In two mouths after, one sold for $2,-\\n100, and the other for $3,500. The soil of these lands is sandy some have clay subsoil,\\nand others a sandstone of recent formation. As a general rule they are healthy, Good\\nwater is obtained from wells at a depth of from eiiyhteen to forty -seven feet. There are\\nsome good springs. The pine lands produce good long staple cotton, the best bringing\\none bag to two acres, but the average is one bag to three acres. Corn is not, as a general\\nthing, a certain crop on these lands, as it sometimes white-buds where a person has cat-\\ntle, penning obviates this, and the land produces surprisingly. A little manure would: not\\nhurt any of it. By cow-penning, fine sugar cane is produced in nearly the same quantities\\nae on the hammocks, and the sugar and syrup are much purer. Orange groves are doing\\nwell on this land, and, thus far, all the semi-tropioal fruits I have tried. A steamboat now\\nmakes regular trips from Palatka, up the Wekiva river, to Clay Si)ring, distant three and\\na half miles from the Masonic Lodge, and from tlie lake some five miles. We have saw\\nand grist mills and stores, Methodist and Baptist preaching several times a month, and a\\nSunday school. Next month a day school will conmieuce. We have, generally, a good\\npopulation; as an instance, the corn cribs and smoke houses have no locks upon the doors.\\nThere are but few negroes here, and they are good citizens. To persons wishing to change\\ntheir location, I would say come and see for yourselves. The best time to move a tiimily\\nis about the last of October. Hesjiectfully yours,\\nZELOTES H. MASON, M. D.: i\\nApopka, Orange Co., Ela., February 16,: 187^ i[\\nHon. J. S. Adams, Tallahassee, Florida: f(\\nDear Sir In a former communication I gave a description of this section, which was\\npublished in the Florida Union. A longer residence here has deepened the favorable im-\\npression first made on me, and I am better satisfied that,, the statements madein my. first\\nletter are fully borne out by experience.\\nI reside in township twenty -one, range twenty-eight, south and ea.st, in the county of\\nOrange. As a general rule, our pine lands are high and rolling, the soil a sandy loam, in\\nsome cases underlaid with red clay, in others a sandstone. The principal growth is pine,\\nin some portions the undergrowth is tuskey-oak, post-oak, and sumac, with white and post-\\noak runners. Most of the land, however, has no undergrowth except the oak runners.\\nThe cost of clearing is about $L50 per acre. Rails cost from $1.00 to $1.25 per liun-\\ndred carpenters ;J;2.00 to $2.50 per day and board farm hands $10 to $15 per month, and\\nhired laborers are scarce and hard to get.\\nThese lands are well suited for the growth of cotton, both long and short staple. The\\naverage is a 833 lb bale of long staple to the acre. They are not so well suited for corn\\nwithout manure, though some plant it. This grain is geiierally raised in the hammock\\nland, which has been planted twelve years in succession withoiit manure, and yet yields\\n20 bushels per acre. Rj-e does well on pine lands, and a liiunber of my neighbors are\\nsowing oats. I am told they do well, especially the black oat.\\nBy cow-penning, we raise sugar cane nearly equal in quantity to hammock land, while\\nthe sugar and syrup are of ftxirer quality, the average being 300 to 400 gallons of golden\\nsyrup, worth here 74 cents per gallon, or from 1,200 to 2,000 lbs. of sugar per acre. From\\nexperiments made, swamp muck is equal if not superior to cow-penning as a manure.\\nThe orange, and fruit of that class, succeeds well, and many persons are planting out\\ngroves. Many of the semi-tropical fruits succeed Jiere, such as (he guava, plantain, bana-\\nna, and pine apple.\\nSweet potatoes are raised throughout the year, and unless the winter is unusually se-\\nvere, can be left in the ground and dug as needed.\\nThe cassava and arrow-root might be made a profitable crop thus far I have only plan\\nted for family use. Tobacco will grow duriiig most winters. I have some plants of Cuba\\non the north side of my house, and they are still green.\\nOur lands are well suited to the production of grapes, the land being rolling. We do\\nnot have standing water. In fifteen minutes after a heavy rain the water ha^ all passed\\noff. My grape vines produced abundantly, and in the fall a small second crop. The only\\nenemy is the mocking bird, and I am willing to give them a share for the sweet music\\nthey give in return.\\nTliere are some springs, but we mostly use well water, and it is k good article. We\\nhav(j but few creeks; the country is, however, well watered with clear water lakes of va-", "height": "3180", "width": "1905", "jp2-path": "floridacolonist01flor_0058.jp2"}, "59": {"fulltext": "rioiis sizes. In winter they afford good drinking water and abound in fine trout, bream,\\nand perch.\\nThere is a good opening for a steam saw mill, which would not only pay well but be-\\ncome a means of settling our county. There is a water mill within four mUes, but there\\nis a difficulty at present of getting lumber as fast as we want it. Building lumber costs\\n$15 to J;17 per thousand.\\nSix miles off, at Rock Spring, is a large bed of blue limestone, which in many places\\ncomes to the surface, and only wants developing to become of great service in making\\nmuck compost.\\nAll kinds of garden vegetables do well, and there is no trouble in having a constant\\nsuccession during the 3 ear. In most families vegetables are scarce, from the fact that\\nthey do not try to have them. 1 have had no difficulty in supplying my family through-\\nout the year, and on low ground have as fine cabbage as could be wished for. I have re-\\nsided in Florida nearly ten years, and from experience can say that persons moA ing here\\nfrom a colder climate need not be uneasy in regard to health, provided they do not settle\\non Lake Apopka, or have their residences at least a mile oft with timber intervening.\\nThe best time to move here is in the month of October. Though wc live in latitude about\\n28 deg. 40min., we have a delightful climate, enjoying the sea breezes both from the Atlantic\\nand Gulf. Last summer, which was unusually warm, we did not have more than six\\nnights that we did not re-Cjuire some bed covering.\\nThe Apopka lands are rich, being mostly hammock, and are held at high prices, while\\na large portion of the pine lands can be homesteaded. Steamboats now run regularly\\nfrom Palatka, weeklj^, to Clay Spring on the Wekiva Iliver, three miles from our post\\noffice. Fare |^6.00. Supplies can be obtained in the stores here or brought from Jackson-\\nville or Palatka.\\nWe welcome to our section all moral persons who are willing to work and a.\u00c2\u00absist in de-\\nveloping the vast, and in many cases, untried resources of our State.\\nRespectfully yours, Z. H. MASON, M. D.\\nMARION COUNTY.\\nMarion is one of the central counties of East Florida, and occupies a commanding posi-\\ntion among the best agricultural counties of the State. Surrounded by and bordering\\nupon Levy, Alachua, Putnam, Orange, Sumter, and Hernando counties, it participates in\\nthe characteristics of all of them, and may with propriety, be called the agricultural heart\\nof. East Florida.\\nAlthough entirely an inland county, and nowhere extending to the coast, still, bordering\\nupon j^ake George, upon the east, divided nearly in twain by a branch of the Ocklawaha,\\nand comraunicating through its numerous and beautiful lakes with the St. Johns, it is not\\nby any means deficient in the means of access to market and the facilities for exportation\\nof its produce.\\nIt expends in latitude from 20 deg. to 29 deg. 30 min., and thus has a mild and genial\\nclimate, well adapted to the grov. th of many semi tropical fruits.\\nNearly midway between the Atlantic and Gulf coast, it is daily visited by the winds\\nfrom either side, which meet over her tei;i*itory and pay frequent tribute from their mois-\\nture-bearing clouds, so that c(vutiuued droughts are almost unknown.\\nIn addition to the facilities of access by water, there is now a strong probability of the\\nspeedy completion of the r.ailroad from Waldo, on the Florida Railroad, to Ocala, the coun-\\nty site, through a recent organization of energetic business men, under a new charter.\\nThe surface is generally level, but in several sections is gently undulating, and, inter-\\nspersed here and there with numerous lakes and ponds and beautiful springs, is character-\\nized by a beauty of natural scenery seldom found in Florida.\\nThe soil in Marion county is better than that of the average of the State, having an un-\\nueual proportion of hammock, both high and low, and the pine lands haA^ing a richer sub-\\nsoil and nearer to the surface, than is commonly foimd. Marl and muck, giving abundant\\nsupplies of natural fertilization, are to be found in all portions of the county, and easily\\naccessible, and insure a permanent agricultural capacity.\\nCane, cotton, corn, and sweet potatoes may be cited as the staple crops, but so favorable\\nis the geographical situation that almost any of the strangely varied productions of Flori-\\nda can bo successfully cultivated here. Oats, rye, the peach, the fig, and the grape, with\\nthe tobacco of Northern Florida, succeed equally as well, while the natural adaptation to\\nsemi-tropical fruits, indicated by tJie existence of numerous and extensive natural groves\\nof the wild orange, is amply demonstrated by the succes.sful cultivation of the orange,\\nlemon, lime, citrpu, and banana.\\nThe county is unusually provided with rivers, lakes, and springs, and good water can\\nbe secured in all parts by wells of little expense, furnishing abunclnut siippHes of whole-\\nsome watei\\\\", "height": "3180", "width": "1905", "jp2-path": "floridacolonist01flor_0059.jp2"}, "60": {"fulltext": "52\\nGood health, as a rule, prevails throughout the couuty, and the only diseases that can\\nbo said to be prevalent are those always encountered in a rich and new country, and con-\\nsist in the lip;hter types of bilious and intermittent fevers.\\nValuable kinds of timber abound everywhere throughout the county. Yellow pine is\\nuniversal, and in the hammocks are found ample stores of ash, oak, live-oak, cedar, bay,\\ncypress, and magnolia.\\nSea-Island cotton has hitherto been a favorite crop, but the ravages of the caterpillar\\nhave turned preponderating attention to short cotton and cane and, with perhaps the\\nsingle exception of Hernando, Marion will probably become the cane county of the State.\\nIf the actual sugar capacity of these two counties was well understood and fairly appre-\\nciated abroad, the price of land would double in one year.\\nTwo routes are open to those wishing to visit Marion county, one by the St. Johns to\\nPalatki, and thence by the Ocklawaha steamers to Silver Springs and Ocala, or still fur-\\nther up the river to the lake region. Another is by the Florida Railroad to Gainesville,\\nand thence by hack via Micanopy and Ocala.\\nOrange Spring is simply the bursting forth of a full-sized river from the very bowels\\nof the earth, and with its beautifully clear waters and circular basin, carved out of the\\nevergreen of the forests, forms one of the gems of nature. The admiration of strangers\\nwould be equally divided between this singular freak of Nature and the quiet and placid\\nbeautjr of the upper lakes.\\nLands in this coimty are comparatively cheap, improved places being in the market at\\nreasonable terms. Good sugar lands can be bought at from ^S to $10 per acre, and large\\nquantities of United States and State lands are open to entry and purchase.\\nThe people are well disposed and orderly, and will extend a hearty welcome to all new-\\ncomers.\\nWith its genial climate, agricultural capacity, cheap lands, varied crops, and command-\\ning position, the future of Marion county is not uncertain. In Florida, sugar will, ere\\nlong, dispute supremacy with cotton, and sugar lands that are good for an average crop of\\n2,500 pounds per acre, must soon command a ready market at good prices.\\nINDIAN EIVER REGION.\\nThe following description of the Indian River region, by an intelligent resident planter\\nof long experience in Jefferson county, confessedly one of tlie best counties of the State,\\nand iu duced to migrate by actual and personal knowledge of the special inducements\\noffered, will bo of more than usual interest. It conveys the impressions, not of oni? coni-\\ning down from the cold regions of the North or West, who would of course be tempii^arily\\ncaptivated by the climatic attraction necessarily enhanced by force of recent contrast\\nbut of one long accustomed to the mild atmosphere of Northern Florida, and the agricul-\\ntural advantages there afforded.\\nIn transmitting the communication, Mr. Magruder remarks\\nEnclosed you will find an article in reference to Indian river. I have endeavored to\\nset forth the advantages and attractions of the river in the strongest light possible consis-\\ntent with facts. But for such strong corroborating evidences from other sections, I would\\nhesitate to place before the public such flattering accounts and enormous results yet 1\\nverily believe I have not done full justice to our section of country.\\nHon.! J. S. Adams, Comrmssiojfiar of Immigration:\\nDear Sir Allow me to call your attention to a section of country which I conceive to\\nbe the most desirable now known. Indian river runs parallel with the Atlantic coast 23\\ndcg. N. W. and S. E., extending south of latitude 27 deg., and running north of 28-} de^.,\\nmeasuring from one and a half to seven miles in width, and fi-oni four to sixteen feet in\\ndepth of channel, though in many places one may wade more than half a mile from shore.\\nShe abounds in everjr variety of fish, but is distinguished for her most superb mullet,\\nthe general weight of which is from two to five iiouuds, but in manjr instances they weigli\\nfrom six to nine pounds, measuring twenty to twenty -two inches in length. The sheep-\\nhead, sea trout, cavalier, and bass are large and fine. There are A ery extensive beds of\\noysters in the southern portion of the river, of the largest size and most superior flavor\\nand these are so accessible that the canning of them would prove a profitable occupation.\\nTurtleing is carried on to some extent and proves quite lucrative. The river is separa-\\nted from the Atlantic by a narrow strip of land from one to three-fourt! s of a mile in\\nwidth, the majority o* which is poor, sand scrub, though it contains bodaes- of very rich\\nhammock. Approximating thus near the Atlantic, we have the benefit ofithe sea-breeze\\nin its pure slate, and tliis, combined with the mild, genial climate of a sf)uthern latitude,\\nis what renders it so famous for henltli, such a thin9: n- sickness l)eitig scarcely Iniown\\nupon the river.", "height": "3180", "width": "1905", "jp2-path": "floridacolonist01flor_0060.jp2"}, "61": {"fulltext": "53\\nTlic ijiuu laiuls largely iiredoiuiiuile, uoiae ol very lair protluctive quality-, witli beauti-\\nful sites immediately upon the river, liaving on altitude of eight to sixteen feet above the\\nwater. There are also fine bodies of the most splendid hammocks peculiarly adapted to\\nthe growth of tropical fruits the leading varieties of which are the orange, lemon, lime,\\ncitron, banana, plantain, pine-apple, guva, and pomegranate. I am now testing the more\\ntender growths, the tamarind, sapadillo, avocado, pear, French lime, mama-apple, sugai--\\napple, mango, paw-paw, cocoa, date, cocoanut, English walnut, pecannut, 3 am, ginger,\\ncasava, etc. The orange is the leading crop of all others. It requires three years from\\ntVansplanting to commence bearing, then pays hundreds of dollars per acre, and soon runs\\nto thousands, there having been four to six thousand dollars per acre realized this sea-\\nson. Bananas grow considerably north of this and pay from twelve hundred to two thou-\\nsand dollars per acre. Pine-appUs promise from eight to twelve hundred dollars per acre.\\nSugar cane grows astonishingly, attaining a height of twelve to sixteen feet, single stalks\\nyielding more than a gallon of juice, which being boiled down, makes over a quart of\\ntliick syrup, and produces five to six hundred gallons of sj rup per acre. Of peas, pump-\\nkins, two crojis from the same vine are raised in abundance, and potatoes flourish the year\\nround. The natural growth of the hammock is the sturdy live-oak measuring from two\\nto six feet in diameter, the stately hickory, two to three feet in diameter, and twenty to\\nForty feet to first limbs, the red elm, mulberry, wahoo, cabbage palmetto, with an undor-\\n.1-rowth of hack-bush, torch-wood, marl-bush and vines. There are also the iron-wood and\\n\u00e2\u0096\u00a0\u00e2\u0080\u00a2rab-wood, approximating in weight to the lignumvitje, and susceptible of the finest polish.\\nWe have springs of good water just under the bluff, and by sinking wells 12 to Iti feet\\n)btain water almost anywhere. The water in the hammocks is more or loss impregnated\\nvith lime, there being a stratum of coquina rook underlaying the surface, forming an in-\\nxhaustible supply of the most valuable fertilizer. Our woods abound in small game and\\nn deer, bear, and an occasional panther, with the most superior range for every kind of\\n.tock. Four year old steers weigh from four to five hundred pounds two year old heifers\\nirom 250 to 300 pounds, and they calve at that age. Hogs are raised with but little at-\\ntention, to weigh 150 to 200 pounds at two years old. Here is the white man s refuge.\\n^et him quit his large itlantatiou and his cotton, and upon a few acres here make his nett\\nacome of two to ten thousand dollars. Incredible you may think, nevertheless true.\\ni?he labor of one man, v. hen once properly established, may make his thousands. We\\nVant transportation. By referring to the State map, you .will perceive that a canal eight\\nniles in length will connect the Halifax and Matansas rivers then a little work upon the\\nlaulover, between Halifax and Indian I ivers, puts us in connection with St. Augustine.\\nH o that a line of light draught steamers plying through these rivers, a distance of over\\n^00 miles, connecting at St. Aug istine with large class steamers outside, and by railroad\\n0 Jacksonville, gives us direct communication with the world. It will also attract the\\nrade, and devclope an extensive section of country, the Kissimmee, that is nov/ lying al-\\n,;iiOEtin obscurity. We also desire to r;.:vc an outlet or pass from opposite the mouth of\\nJit. Sebastian, into the Atlantic, (there being eight feet of water in the river, and a steep\\n.shore on the Atlantic, which we think will prevent its ever being filled with sand,) admit-\\n.flg large class steamers and increasing the turtle interest.\\nGive us these connections, and then Indian river comes into repute for vegetables. She\\n,^ftn supply even New York in the months of January, February and March, with the most\\nelicate varieties; tomatoes, peas, beans, green corn, cabbages, melons, etc. I have rea-\\nlm to believe the varieties of grapes can be grovv-n here with success, the scu])pernong\\nperfection. Where is there a country combining so many advantages The most\\nnial, delightful climate, perfect health, fine sporting, fine range for stock, and a soil pro-\\n-iuicing in abundance ahnost every variety of ju oduction?\\nIlcppectfully submitted, 0. B. MAGllUDEFv.\\nSOUTHERN FLORIDA.\\nSoutli Florida, consisting of that j)ortion of the peninsula south of latitude 28 degrees\\nnorth latitude, is composed of the counties of Ilillsboro Poll:, Brevard, Monroe, Manatee,\\nand Dade. From its low latitude, its peculiar location, as interposed between the Gulf of\\nMexico and the Atlantic Ocean, and its proximity to Ihc Gulf Stream, this division has\\nmarked characteristics which sjiecially distinguish it.\\nTlie surface is in the main flat, and excepting tlie extension witliin its northern protion\\nof the flattened ridge or plateau upon which the State is mostly situated, the greatest cle-\\nvntions fonnd are around the external boundaries, while the deiu-essions are in the interiov,\\ncausing it to resemble tlie basin of a shallow lake. Thus constructed and under the influ-\\nence of the rain-bearing clouds from both sides, while the elevation of the exterior border\\nprevents the easy egress of superabundant water, this divi.sion is not only well su[)plied\\nwith rivers, streams, and small lakes, but has, also, the broad sliallow lake of Okeechobee,\\nand that remarkably receptacle of surplus fresh water called the Everglades, within its", "height": "3180", "width": "1905", "jp2-path": "floridacolonist01flor_0061.jp2"}, "62": {"fulltext": "54\\nborders, and occupyint;- a large proportion of its axtent. It is quite probable that a clear-\\ning out of the obstructions formed in the channels of the numerous river courses reaching\\nout from the interior to the Gulf and Ocean, will relieve this section from much of its ex-\\ncessive humiditj^but at present a large part of this territory is so liable to submersion as\\nto derogate largely from its value for cultivation, although scattered along the exterior\\nborders, and upon the banks of its many lakes and streams, can be found rich and fertile-\\nlands, which, under the fostering influences of a climate of unsurpassed mildness, become\\nexceedingly valuable for their immense productiveness in special crops.\\nThe savannas, or grass prairies, that are liable to periodical inundation during part of\\ntiie year, but hidden with a rich growth of nutritious grasses during the balance of the\\ntime, form a characteristic feature of South Florida, and constitute some of the best cattle\\nranges in the world.\\nThe climate is singularlj equable and uniform, the difference between summer and win-\\nter being very slight, and the range of the thermometer during the year confined \\\\vithin\\nvery narrow limitfi. AVarmer in Avinter and cooler in summer than any other portion of\\nthe State, the climate is equal to that of the most favored regions of the world, and nearly\\nresembles that of the Sandwich Islands.\\nThe crops in this section would not include the cereals grown with success in Northern\\nFlorida, and even corn is not grown with much success, while the apple, pear, and peach\\ndo not do as well but on the other hand, cane, cotton, tobacco, the orange, lime, lemon,\\ncitron, and grape find here a congenial home and the semi-tropical and tropical fruits\\nthrive as well as in any part of the world.\\nAnd on the Keys or islands which line the coast and vary in extent from a few acres\\nto a number of square miles, forming a ver^ peculiar feature of the section, the bananas,\\npine-apples, and cocoa are easily grown in great abundance and of great size.\\nA more complete idea of the region will be obtained from the accompanying account of\\nManatee county, and the letters of Lieut. Governor Gleason, who resides in extreme South\\nFlorida, and is thoroughly acquainted with the wliole region.\\nMANATEE COUNTY.\\nManatee Co., Fla., March 4th, 1870.\\nS. Admv-f!, Esq., Cominrisioner of Lnndqratio.i\\nTour letter of Feb. 1st, and circular of January, reached me tlie 22(1 ult., at Manatee.\\nIn answer to your inquiries, I will endeavor to answer so far as this county is concerned.\\nThe surface is, with very few exceptions, level soil sandy, divided into pine woods and\\nhammocks, with co::sid6rable prairie. The pine land is well adapted to all the crops of\\nour climate when sulficiently fertilized by cow-penuing but especially for raising sweet\\npotatoes, which ;jrnw the year through, and average in price from fifty cents to one dollar\\nper bushel. The iKimoeks arc from a light to a dark grey color, and naturally rich they\\nconstitute oiu- cv_ :r cane land, principally, and will average two hogsheads of sugar and\\neighty gallons of molasses to the acre rattooning from six to eight years, or longer, ac-\\ncording to the cultivation. Also best for oranges and corn. The prairie is regarded as poor,\\nand has never been cultivated to my knowledge. It constitutes a part of the great ranffe for\\ncattle, hogs, fec.\\nOur climate is all that can be desired, exempt from excessive cold or heat, differing but\\na few degrees between summer and winter, the therjnoraeter rarely reaching 90 deg. in\\nsummer, or falling to GO deg, in winter. Sometimes we have excessive rains in the rainy\\nseason, and sometimes we are affected by drougth in the dr^^ season, but not more so than\\noccurs elsewhere.\\nThe chief products are immense herds of cattle the estimate of tlie county being 75,000\\nto 100,000 head.\\nSugar cane, which is our specialty, is not only the most profitable, but decidedly tlie\\nmost reliable crop. Cotton is just beginning to claim attention in the countj and by\\nselecting suitable locations it produces well. 1 allude to the long staple. Tobacco can be\\nraised in great abundance on the rich lands. Ilicc in the lower and stitfer soil, if planted\\neai ly, will mature two crops, the last being rattoon, yielding in both, at least seventy-five\\nbushels to the acre.\\nCorn on worn-out cane land will, in a favorable season, produce twenty-five bushels to\\nthe acre, but corn is r.ot n^garded as a sure crop. The whole class of garden products\\nyield in extraordinary degree, embracing the whole melon and pumpkin class. Field peas\\nnre raisc l abundantly, and of excellent quality. Pindars do well but are not much culti-\\nvated. Millet, sorghum, bene, chufa, arum, cassava, tanyah, are all grown in this\\ncounty to some extent. Palma Christi becomes perennial, and yields its oil bean perfect-\\nIj Both the East and the West India varieties are inti oduced.\\nOf fruits, the whole citrus family grow to perfection. Between sixty to seventy thou-\\nsand oranges were shipped at one time alone from Manatee settlement last tall. Bananas", "height": "3180", "width": "1905", "jp2-path": "floridacolonist01flor_0062.jp2"}, "63": {"fulltext": "ordinarily do well, but the last two winters liave been unusiiallj frosty, and the plants\\ngeem slow in recovering- from tlie effects. On the Islands and Keys, pine-apples, dates,\\nand that class of fruits may be raised. The olive, the tea, and cofi ee plants are sui)posed\\nto be adapted to our soil and climate, but have not been tried. 1 think the two former\\nwould grow well in Soutli Florida. Of native wild fruits, we have the mulberry, j)ersim-\\nmon, Indian fi^, blackberry, huckleberry, plum, etc. The quince, iig, guava, avocado pear,\\netc., are raisetl. Also pomegranates and tamarinds. The native grapes consist of several\\nvarieties, one resembling tlie (Jatiiwba and the others perhaps the Southern Muscadine.\\nThe price of land varies according to improvement, sa^- from $1,50 to |20. Turpentine\\npine, live-oak, water-oak, hickory, soft maple, elm, red and white bay, sea ash, pop ash,\\nmulberr} cypress, magnolia, cedar, black gum, India rubber, cabbage palm, mangrove,\\nblack and red myrtle, pride of India, West India birch, swamp dogwood, Florida acacia,\\naloe, willow, oak, etc. Lumber twenty-five dollars per thousand, (mills much needed.)\\nLabor one dollar per day with .board one dollar and a half without. Not much means of\\n.procuring it. Markets, Key West, Havana, and Tampa, and home consumption by new-\\nCo^iers. Cost of clearing hammock land about twenty dollars per acre. Building expen-\\nsive, unless ii.sing pine logs and palmetto covering, which answers for this climate then\\nvery cheap.\\nWater soft out of the hammocks, and hard in them, but good, llealtli no better in any\\npart of the world. Owning stock is a good business. Schooners and steamers carrj cat-\\ntle from Manatee river and Charlotte s Harbor in this county nearly constantly, paying\\nabout lifteeu dollars per head for steers. Ilogs do well, but are prone to run wild and\\nsubject to many enemies, viz: eagles, cpngars, lynx, foxes, alligators, bears, and if the\\nhogs are fat, white folks.\\nTfie rivers, crveks, and bays teem with ftUisprts of fish, both scale and shell. Mullet\\nmight be put up in Terra Sea, Palraa Sola, Sara Sota, and other less and greater bays, to\\nsupply the L ^nion. Clams and oysters abound. Deer, turkeys, and other game are plen-\\ntiful. The county is settled in spots sometimes tVj enty-five, or even fifty miles between\\nneighborhoods;\\niSTearlj every neighborhood has its church and school, and one Masonic Lodge in the\\ncounty, situated at Alanatee village. Insects are bad in portions of the county at certain\\nseasons, but not past toleration by any means. Grass grows luxuriantly and requires\\nwatching to make good crops, but industry always gets the better of it. The people are\\nvery kind lo strangers. Neighborhoods can be found to suit the political complexion of\\nany modern type.\\n.Immigrants must not come to Manatee to live without woi k. nor to expect no priva-\\ntions. If they do, they will be disappointed. Respectfully, tfec,\\nM. FIROR.\\nPOLK C0U1*TTY,\\nFort Me.\\\\d, Polk Co., Fla\u00e2\u0080\u009e April 2, 1871.\\nJlon. J. S. Adnmfi, CoimnisHioner of Imrmgration, Jacksonville, Fla.:\\nDear Sir Agreeably to request I will herewith endeavor to give you a truthful and\\nsuccinct topographical view of Polk county.\\nBOUNDARY.\\n_it*ylk county is bounded on the north by Simite.r. county, on the west by Hillsboro\\ncounty, on the south by Manatee county, and oa the east by Orange county.\\nSURFACK.\\nTlie surface is generally level and the lauds may be classified as follows: First, ham-\\nmock land second, pine land; third, prairie land.\\nThe hammock lands comprise two qualities, viz: grey and black, and are the lands ad-\\njacent the lakes and rivers, and are covered principally with heavy timber cliaracterized\\nas follows Live and water oak, red and white bay^ hickory, dogwood, gum, orange, the\\ntall and graceful magnolia, and the iron wood, a veify hard, adamantine species of wood.\\nThe soil is a dark, rich, sandy loam, being of great natural fertility. The pine lands are\\ncovered with the long-leaf pine, which also is considered a superior quality. All of these\\nlands are highly productive in their natural sjate, as lime or marl are more or lessr an in-\\ngredient of them, and when properly fertilized by cow-penning, the usual modus ojierandi\\ndown South, will yield a bountiful reward tb;tho prudent, judicious, and diligent husband-\\ninan. ilr. John M. Pearce, a gentleman of much reliability and veracity, also of enlarged\\nJ^nd practical views of planting, gives me the following as a fair statistical criterion for\\n.^fertilized lands Cotton, long staple, 400 pounds per acre sugar cane, s3-rup, 350 gallons\\nper acre; Indian corn, 40 to 5D, bushels per acre rice,i60 to 70 bushels per acre; oats, 40\\nto 30 bushels per aero; potatoes, 8weet,;400 bushels per acre.", "height": "3180", "width": "1905", "jp2-path": "floridacolonist01flor_0063.jp2"}, "64": {"fulltext": "56\\nBesides the above, tobacco, pindars, cow peas, and Irish potatoes, I liave no definite es-\\ntimate, but fully a ^^ro ra^rt yield, as much as the nutritious hytiee potato, which is\\nappreciated as the shie qua non for this M hole southern country. The above crop is only\\na fair average Vv hen labor can be controlled and seasons favorable. Tiie prairie lands are\\nimmense meadows, clothed with luxuriant verdure, interspersed with clumps of oak trees\\nand palmettoes of from five to ten acres each. These lands are looked upon as inferior\\nfor agricultural purposes, and are subject to periodical inundations during the summer\\nseason, i. e. from the beginning of June to the 25th of August. They are the favorite re-\\nsort of vast herds of cattle and game, which roam and graze upon its fragrant herbage.\\nThe estimate of the amount of cattle is from 60,000 to 75,000 head thereby forming one\\nof the principal products of the county. Stock cattle sell for $5 per head, and beef cattle\\nfrom $9 to $13 per head, Hogs also do well, and, when strict attention is paid to them,\\npay well. I have known and heard of several instances in which the common woods hog,\\ntwo and a lialf years old, weighed from 400 to 500 pounds, gross. Sheep and colts, with\\nthe natural advantages that this county possesses, could be made profitable. The forest\\nabounds ih game, sucii as bear, panther, deer, cats, raccoon, squirrels, and turkej s, and\\nthe lakes and rivers afi ord innumerable multitudes of fisli and waterfowl. The whole\\nvegetable kingdom thrives well. The county is well adapted to the culture of all the\\nsemi-tropical fruits, as has been practically demonstrated. The price of common labor is\\nfrom $15 to $17 per month and boarded. Mechanics receive from $2 to $3.50 per day.\\nThe clearing of hammocks here varies from $5 to $15 per acre, all according to how you\\ndesire it. The usual method of preparing pine land, is to deaden the timber i, e. gird-\\nling the trees^ cut and pile the logs for $5 per acre. The price of land varies according\\nto the improvement upon the land, which you can purchase from $2 to $20 per acre. You\\nalso caii purchase wild or unimproved land from $1.25 to $5 per acre. Lumber sells high,\\n$20 per thousand. Mills are sadly needed not one in operation in the county. Excellent\\nopening for investment of that kind. The county is somewhat sparsely settled the pop-\\nulation numbers about 3,100. Many are new-comers. The number of votes polled 850.\\nThe colored population is small about 50 and all told. The healthfulness of the county\\nis excellent, and the water is abundant and of good quality. We have little sickness and\\nonly light fevers, which you can, with a little proper attention and a few grains of qiii-\\nnine, easily dispose of. The proof of the assertion is tlie fact that doctors have to dig\\nhyties and cow-drive to make a decent living.\\nBartow, the county site, is pleasantly situated in the centre and in one of the iiiO^t\\nthickly settled portions of the county. It has a very respectable court house, but a mis-\\nerable jail, a masonic lodge, a male and female institute in quite a flourishing condition, a\\npost office, and a telegraph office communicating with inland and foreign cities. Bartow\\nis 50 miles from Tamjia, 75 miles from Okahumkee, and 70 miles from Charlotte s Harbor.\\nThe society is very good We have no public schools in the county at the present time.\\nThe county has several hidej^eiident schools in operation, and all in quite a prosperous and\\nflourishing condition.\\nWe are free from the pest of ins,ects, with the exception of fleas. But the desideratum\\nthat our section sadly feels the necessity of is accessibility to market, and transporting\\nfacilities with the outer world Tampa being our chief market, and nearest, being 46 miles\\ndistant. Also the principal port of admission and transit of all produce shipped to or\\nfrom this section, with this exception, that beef cattle, when bound for the Cuban market,\\nfind, en route via Punta Rosa, an excellent port on tlie coast of Monroe county, 108. miles\\ndistant, which renders it very inconvenient and unpleasant. All transportation between\\nTampa and our section is carried on with ox teams, a very dilatory process indeed. Pease\\nCreek, a very respectable stream, running in a surpentine course througli the centre of the\\ncounty, having its source in Sumter coimty, and emptying into the Gulf at Charlotte Har-\\nbor, could be made navigable for small steamers up to Fort Meade, 80 miles from its\\nmouth, with the application of a very small amount of capital and labor. Our people\\nhave been hoping that some enterprising capitalists would comprehend this point and\\ntake hold aiid demonstrate the practicability of navigating the stream, wliicli would bring\\nthis count} in direct communication with the cities of Tampa and Key West, and the Qulf\\nline of steamers. If such an enterprise could be accomplished, it would make knownthe\\ndormant wealth, and advance the interest of this whole county to a great degree, and\\nbountifully recompense the prosecutors. The county, in the whole, is favorably watered,\\nin bold, flowing, and transparejit streams and lakes, but tlie misfortune is, the streams are\\nall minor in size. Fort Meade is a flourishing and grooving little village, beautifully loca-\\nted on the lofty bluff which rises from the right bank of the river, (Pease Creek,) 80 miles\\nfrom its mouth. The village is bowered among groves of trees, surrounded with a very\\nfei tilc and healthy country, and society of i\\\\\\\\Q first order, and in the centre of the cattle\\ntifade, doing three-fourtha of the whole business in a radius of 70 miles north, ea.s1; and\\nsouth. There is quite a remarkable glade in the forest of the southern portion of the\\ncounty, composing about 65,000 acres of land. The timber lias all been killed from time", "height": "3180", "width": "1905", "jp2-path": "floridacolonist01flor_0064.jp2"}, "65": {"fulltext": "iiiinicmoriiil. No Iiistorical or InidiUonal account can be given to I onii a correct opinion\\nof the caiiric. Some sui)pose that lire, and otliers that nu extraordinary cyclono_ visited\\ntliat section ages ago. Tlie surface is higli comparatively, dotted witli small lots of young\\ngrowth from a quarter to three acres\u00e2\u0080\u0094 oasis-like, covered with succulent grass. It is con-\\nsidered quite fertile. Tlie small remnant of dead tiniLer that is standing u])on it is highly\\nesteemed by the adjoining settlers for rail timbei-, being rich liglitwood, and of great du-\\nrability. There are also, near Fort JSfeade, having been found and taken from the swamps\\njf Pease Creek Pdvex-, fossils of an extraordinary sized animal now extinct.\\nI will say, in conclusion, that our climate is serene, genial, and uniform, the difference\\nbetween winter and sunnner being very little, and the ranges of the thei uiometer during\\nthe whole year is circumscribed to within very narrow limits. Warmer in winter and\\ncooler in summer than any other pari of the State, the climate being equal to that of the\\n7nost favored regions of the globe, thereby offering superior inducements to the immi-\\ngrant who seeks for a home of repose, of peace, health, and plenty. And to the stranger\\nof energetic proclivities, the citizens of the county will extend a coi-dial and hospitable\\nwelcome. Wliishing that the Colonist may meet with the extensive circulation, the\\nboon and appreciation it so greatly deserves redounding as it does, to the interest and\\nglory of the .State, I have the honor to be, yoiu s, itc,\\nllOBERT LaMARTIN.\\nTROPICAL FLORIDA.\\nThe following letter was written some time ago by Hon. AV. 11. (neasoii. late Lieuten-\\nant-Governor, and }mblished by order of (Governor Walker:\\nH lK Excellcne i D. S. Walker, O vi cnior\\nSir: Agreeably to your request, 1 will undertake to give you a description of the\\nsouthern portion of Florida, through which 1 ha^\u00e2\u0096\u00a0e been traveling for the past few months,\\nits products, its capabilities, and its resources. My examinations have been confined prin-\\ncipally to that portion of the State south of the railroad leading from Jacksonville to\\nCedar Keys, and, more particular!}-, south of the 28th deg. of latitude, which 1 shall de-\\nnominate as Tropical Florida.\\nThis portion of the State com} rises an area of 20,000,1)00 square nules, and a popula-\\ntion, previous to the war, of about 6,000 inhabitants. The population has not materially\\ndiminished, as there is quite an immigration tending in that direction, and is sufficient al-\\nready to compensate for its losses occasioned by the war. About one-half of this popula-\\ntion reside upon the island of Key West and the neighboring keys and islands, and are\\nengaged in the business of wrecking and fishing, w bile a large proportion of the remain-\\ning one-half are engaged in the raising of cattle. Farming and the growing of crops has\\nhitherto been neglected, and has been confined principally- to small i)atclu s or gardens\\naround the houses of the woodsmen.\\nThe raising of cattle upon the mainland is the all-absorbing business of the inhabitants,\\nwho reside fi-oni 30 to 40 nules apart, and allow the cattle to graze upon the public do-\\nmain. As the food disappears in one place, they change to another, so that the people\\nhave become migratory in their habits.\\nThe raising of cattle upon the plains and prairies of this portion of the State is a profit-\\nable business. It is not unconnnou to find men who, a few years ago, had no means, that\\nare now the owners of from two to ten thousand head of cattle, and this after furnishing\\nlarge nundjers to the armies of Lee and Johnson. The country is divided into hammocks,\\n])inc-openings, and prairies. The hammocks are very rich, and are covered over with a\\ndense growth of timber, consisting of live and water oaks, m.agnolia, bay, and a variety\\nof other hard-wood timber. The soil is sandy and mixed with marl and limestone. The\\n])ine-openings are covered with scattering pines and a grass which affords fine pasturage.\\nThe soil is sandy and not as desirable as the hammock lands or prairieg. The prairie lands\\noccui)y the interior portion jf the State bordtsring upon the Kissiinee river, the head wa-\\nters of the St. Johns, and the upper Caloosahatchee. The soil is a rich, sandy alluvium,\\nand they are covered over with a heavy growth of grass, and from their a^jpearance, must\\nbe very protluctive. They are ilotted over with small clumps of hammocks, containing\\nfrom one to five acres each, w hich give beauty and variety to the scenery, and afford shel-\\nter during the heat of the day to innumerable herds of deer and cattle. Tlierc^ are also\\nnumerous small lakes of pure water, filled with fish, some of which are only a few rods in\\nextent, while others are from two to ten miles in length. These prairies are the paradise\\nof the herdsmen and the hunter.\\nThe cattle require no feeding during the winter, and one can hardly travel over the\\njn-airies a whole day without seeing from 50 to 100 deer. The savannas wliicli border on\\nI lie Everglades and Biscayne Baj-, are inundated during the rainy season from an over-\\nflow from the Everglades. As the water subsides, there is left a debris fi om one-fourth\\nti one-half inch in depth. This process has been goijig on for centuries, ami has provided", "height": "3180", "width": "1905", "jp2-path": "floridacolonist01flor_0065.jp2"}, "66": {"fulltext": "one of the richesL soils in Uie world. Tlic rich laiidw wliicli skirl the savannas upon tha\\ncoast side are covered with rotten limestone, and have mixed Avith the vegetable matter\\nto that extent that the soil will effervcce as soon as it comes in contact with acids. Tliese\\nsavannas are valuable for sugar plantations, as the sugar cane requires a large per centagc\\nof lime, and the climate is so mild that the cane will not require planting oftener than\\nonce in ten or twelve years. The Palma Christi, or Castor Bean is here perennial, and\\ngrows to be quite a tree. I saw a number as large as peach trees, twenty feet high. Sea\\nIsland cotton seems to be a jjerennial in this section of the State, and is of a fine quality.\\nThe pure water, the chalybeate and other mineral springs, the magnificent beauty of its\\nscenery, the salubrity and equability of its climate, must make Biscayne Bay. at no dis-\\ntant day, the resort of the invalid, the tourist, and tlie lover of adventure. The bay i.si\\nfilled with green turtle and a variety of fish, and, indeed, the entire coast of Tropical\\nFlorida is one immense fishery. At Chaidotte Harbor we found quite a number engaged\\nin fishing with seines. The value of the fish caught averages per hand, for the season,\\n(three months) $600. 1 doubt if any fishery pays better. The fisheries of Charlotte\\nHarbor could profitably give employment to 1 ,000 persons and the fisheries at Sarasota\\nand Indian river are equally good. Every river, creek and lake seems to be alive with\\nfish, and oysters are foiind in great abundance at different places all along tlie coast.\\nAll that portion of the State which I have denominated Tropical Florida, is capable of\\nproducing oranges, lemons, limes, arrow-root, cassava, indigo, sisal hemp, sugar cane, sea-\\nisland cotton, rice, figs, melons of all kinds, as well as the vegetables grown in the more\\nnortliern States. The country around Charlotte Harbor and Biscayne Bay is susceptible\\nof producing coeoanuts, cocoa, pine-apples, guavas, cofiee, bananas, plantains, alligator\\npears, and all the fruits and plants of the West Indies.\\nLike all other tropical countries. Tropical Florida has its wet and dry seasons. The wet\\nor rainy season is during midsummer, which has a tendency to cool tlie atmosphere, and\\nvender the sunamer months cooler than it is in tlie more northern portions of the State, or\\nin other portions of the South. D\\\\iring the rainy season nearly tlie whole country is\\nflooded, the country being so flat and level that the water does not flow ofl readily. A\\ngreat portion of the country requires ditching and draining, and when some systematic\\nmethod shall be adopted to let oft the surplus water during the rainy season, this portion\\nof the State will prove the most productive part of the Soutli. It has but few swamps or\\nmarshes, unless you consider the Everglades a marsh. They can hardly be considered as\\nsuch, but more properly a lake. The water is from six inches to six feet in depth, is pei--\\nlectly clear, and is grown up with grass, pond lilies, and other aqueous plants. The Al-\\npativkee swamp, upon the liead waters of the St. Lucie river, is the only swamp of any\\nmagnitude in Tropical Florida and this part of the State has less swamps than Northern\\nWisconsin or Michigan. The country north of the 28th dog., east of the St. Johns rivei\\nand south of tlie railroad, is more thickly settled than the part just described. There are\\nquite a number of plantations under cultivation, and more attention is paid to agriculture.\\nThe lands are more rolling than tlie country farther soutli, and produce a fine quality of\\nsea-island cotton, which ii the principal crop raised. It produces good sugar and an ex-\\ncellent quality of tobacco. Alachua, Marion, and Hernando are all fine counties of lantl\\nfor farming purposes, and have many beautiful lakes. The country east and soutli of the\\nSt. Johns river has more swamps than any other part of the State through which we have\\ntraveled. They are principally covered with cypress timber, and being easy of access\\nfrom the St. Johns and Indian rivers, are valuable. Tlu^re are fine land upon Halifax\\nriver, Mosquito Lagoon, which, at a former period, were under cultivation, but were aban-\\ndoned during the Indian war by their owners. I think that there is no part of the South\\nthat ofters as great inducements to the immigrant as Florida. The salubrity and health-\\nfulness ot its climate, the equability of its temperature, its accessibility, the cheapness of\\nits lands, the ease with which its products can be marketed, are inducements which are\\nnot to be overlooked by the Lmraigrant and the fact that Tropical Florida is the only por-\\ntion of the United States susceptible and capable of producing the fruits and plants of the\\nWest Indies, needs only to be made known for an immigration to settle in that direction\\nto a sufficient extent to supply the Northern cities, and the entire North, with oranges,\\nlemons, and all other troi)ical fruits.\\nWe have traveled upwards of fifteen hundred miles in the newest and most un.^ettled\\nportion of the State; we have mixed freely with the people of all classes, and being North-\\nern men, and wishing to learn the sentiments of the people, as well as to cxamtne the\\ncountry, discussed tlie leading questions of the day, the war and its results, negro-suftragc,\\nand, in fact, everything connected with the war and secession. We were everywhere\\nhospitably received, and although many did not agree Avith us in all our views, all agreed\\nthat hereafter the grievances of the South, or of any portion of the country, must be set-\\ntled in accordance Avith law and tlie Constitution, upon the floor of Congress, and not by\\na resort to nrnis. An immijjration from the Noi-th will be welcomed by a large majority\\nI", "height": "3180", "width": "1905", "jp2-path": "floridacolonist01flor_0066.jp2"}, "67": {"fulltext": "59\\nijf the ijeupk and aliiiosi uvevy one is anxious to see the State settled ii|i and fully devel-\\noped. A northern man of the most radical views is perfectly safe in traveling through\\nany portion of Southern Florida, and to give full vent to his ideas and sentiments. The\\npeople have no real love for tlie Is^orth as a section, but they will treat Northern men with\\nrespect and courtesy, and will encourage them to settle.\\nAll seem to be heartily sick of tlie war, and we heard no expression of hostility to the\\ngeneral government. On tlie contrary, the feeling seems to be, upon the part of many\\nwho Avere formerly seces.sionists, to carry out and enforce the laws, and they will give\\ntiicir aid and sanction in so doing. Like all new countries in the South and West, the\\nlaws have been loosely carried into effect, and the people have heretofore been in the habit\\nof settling their grievances without an appeal to the law; but things, as near as we could\\nlearn, have changed for the better in that respect since the war.\\nRespectfully yours, WM. 11. GLEASON.\\nLETIEK TO GKX. CI! AISLES JIUXDEE FKO^St AV. H. GLEASOX.\\nMiami, Fla., September 3, 1S68.\\nAgreeably to }onv rL (|uesl, i will endeavor to give you a description of this portion of\\ntlie State, extending from Jupiter s Inlet to Cape Sable, including the Keys and Islands\\nalong the reefs and Everglades. The Keys are a series of islands extending along the\\nsouth coast, from Cape Florida to the Dry Tortugas, lying between the mainland and the\\nFlorida rcefs i aud Avithiu from three to five miles of the Gulf Stream. They are of a simi-\\nlar character, being of general formation and very rock}^ Some are only a few acres in\\nextent, while others contain as man}- as 15,000 acres. Cayo Largo is the largest. These\\nKeys are only a few feet above tide water, and are principally covered with a growth of\\nhard wood timber, consisting of mastic, red and sweet bay, gumbo-limbo, crabwood, pal-\\nmetto, mangrove, and a variety of oaks. The land is too rocky to admit of general culti-\\nvation, but is well adapted to the growth of cocoanuts, aloes, sisal hemp, and pine-apples,\\nall of which seem to live on a rocky soil and grow here with but very little attention.\\nBetween these Keys and the mainland is Barnes Sound and Biscayne Bay. Barnes\\nSound and Card s Sound are intersjoersed with innumerable small kej s, covered with man-\\ngroves, and are under water at high tides, and are the resort of snipe, curlew, and other\\nbirds.\\nIn both of these sounds and Biscayne Bay arc great quantities of turtle, and sponges of\\nthe finest and best varieties. The sponges and turtle taken from these waters exceed\\n$100,000 in value per annum.\\nThe bay and all the passages between the Keys and the streams running into the bay\\nfrom the mainland are well supplied with a great variety of lish, such as mullet, sheep-\\nhead, grouper, etc., while incredible quantities of king-fish and Spanish mackerel are\\ncaught on the border of the Gulf Stream.\\nBiscayne B.ay is an excellent harbor for all vessels drawing less than ten feet of water,\\nand can be entered at all times. The Everglades are a vast shallow lake, overgrown with\\ngrass, pond lilies, and other aquatic plants, interspersed with innumerable small islands of\\nfrom one to one hundred acres each. These islands are principally hammock lands cover-\\ned over with a growth of live and water-oaks and cocoa plums, with an undergrowth of\\nmorning glories, grapes, and other vines, and are extremely fertile. The water is from\\nfour inches to four feet deep, and is very clear and pure. In many places are channels\\nand sinks where the water is from ten to fifty feet deep these holes are well supplied with\\nfish, of which the trout is the most desirable. Alligators and turtle are abundant, and\\npanthers, wild cats, and bears arc quite numerous.\\nFlowers of the sweetest fragrance, and of every hue and color, greet the eye. The bor-\\nder and outer margin of the Everglades is prairie of from one-fourth to one mile in\\nbreadth, and comprises some of the finest and richest land in America, having once been\\na portion of the Everglades, and formed by the receding of the waters. The soil is sandy,\\nwith a mixture of lime and vegetable matter, and freely effervesces when brought in con-\\ntact witli acids.\\nThe strip of land between Biscayne Bay and the Everglades is from tln-ee to fifteen\\nmiles in breadth, and is principally rocky pine land, with an undergrowth of a species of\\nSago Palm, called by the Indians Koonitie, which name has been generally adopted by\\nthe whites. It makes a very good article of starch, and excellent gavini, which cannot\\nbe distinguished from Jjernuula arrow-root, except by microscopic tests.\\nThis section of the country has evidently been an uplift or upheaval, as tlio rock dips at\\nan angle of about twenty-three degrees, and slopes both toward the Bay and the Ever-\\nglades. The rock, in many places, is in circular form, and is coral.\\nI lie soil is sandy, which, mixing with the decomposed lime of the coral rock, forms an\\nclient and inexhaustible soil for grajjcs and sugar cane. The country north of Bis-\\nne Bay, towards Jupiter Inlet, is of a siinilar char.-ictcr to that already described, with", "height": "3180", "width": "1905", "jp2-path": "floridacolonist01flor_0067.jp2"}, "68": {"fulltext": "60\\nthe cxcc))tion tlial. there its no rock. Fiiiu sprhigs of water are found in different localities,\\nand bnrst forth with great force; some of these are mineral springs, princii)ally chalybe-\\nate. 8ea-Island cotton is grown here, and it is a perennial, and can be picked several\\ntimes each j-ear. Grapes flourisli well, and are not subject to mildew, and ripen about\\nthe middle of May. Tobacco raised along tlie Bay will compare with the best of Cuba.\\nBananas, plantains, oranges, cofi ee, dates, pine-apples, rice, indigo, sugar, apples, arrow-\\nroot, cassava, all grow and thrive well, and the garden vegetables of the Northern and\\nMiddle States. Indigo, when once sown, remains in the ground and rattoons as it is cut\\noff. Sugar cane rattoons and requires planting only once from four to five years. Sugar\\ncane can be raised here with less labor than in Cuba, as the land is easier cultivated and\\na sugar plantation can be made for one-fifth of the money which it can in Louisiana.\\nThis section of the State is capable of producing all of the different products of the\\nWest Indies and there is no doubt that, M hen tliis portion of the country becomes known,\\nit will be rapidly developed.\\nSea-Island cotton can be raised with half the labor that is required in the northern part\\nof this State or in South Carolina, as this is beyond the region of frost. The climate is\\nvery agreeable, being tempered by the Gulf Stream. It is not as warm here in summer\\nas in New York, or as cold in winter as in Cuba, as we have no mountains or high eleva-\\ntions of land. Tlie thermometer averages 7^1 degrees, and the extremes are 51 degrees\\nand 92 degrees.\\nThere is a constant sea breeze off the Gulf stream, commencing about 8 o clock a. m.,\\nand lasting until nearly sundown. The climate is very exhilierafing, and a white man\\ncan do as nnich labor in a day as in any portion of the United States.\\nThe constant Indian wars, which have been more severely felt in this county than iu\\nany other portion of this State, have retarded its growth and prevented its development.\\nBiscayne Bay is within four days of New York, and is tlie best locality in the United\\nStates for raising vegetables and fruit for that market. All kinds of vegetables can be\\nraised in the winter, and pinc-applcs and limes are three weeks earlier at this place than\\nin the Bahamas or Cuba.\\nGrapes ripen from the 15th of May to the 1st of June, and lands can be purchased at\\nthe government price; and the healthfulness of the climate, for which it is noted, even\\nhere in Florida, will have a tendency to settle up this portion of the State as peace and\\nquiet are restored. Yours, itc, W. II. GLEASOX.\\nSUGAR CANE.\\nSweet potatoes, cotton, corn, sugar cane, tobacco, rice, peaches, oranges, lemons, citronr,\\ngrapes, melons and garden vegetables may be said to be the leading staple crops of Florida.\\nAnd of all these, sugar cane lias gradually been winning its way in general estimation as\\ntaking the lead of the whole for desirability, for the cerlainty of the ci-op and the profit\\nattending its cultivation.\\nITeart-sick of the manifold vicissitudes attending a reliance upon tlie cultivation of cotton\\nalone, multitudes of tlie best cultivators of the State are turning towards other crops, and\\nby a general and rapidly increasing public sentiment, cane is believed to be, /wr excellent.\\nfhe crop of Florida. It is more cei tain, less exacting, more simi)le in its management,\\noccupies less time, is sulgect to less danger and gives a more profitable return than cotton,\\nand probably equals, if it does not excel, any otlier crop in tliese particulars. But to tht\\nnew-comer it is a cro]i entirely unknown, and such hesitate to engage in it on that accouut.\\nIt seems important, therefoi-e, both to commend this crop to new-comers and to enforce its\\nclaims to the attention of all, that correct and reliable information in regard to it, its cul-\\ntivation and its claims to consideration, should be disseminated as widely as pos.sible. I\\nhave therefore deemed it advisable to gather from all attainable sources such information\\nin regard to sugar cane as is within my reach, and embody it in a i)raciical essay to be\\nherein incorporated. Ileliance has been mainly liad u[)oii the New American Encyclope-;!\\ndia, the London Encyclopedia, the Latent Uflice Lejiorts, and also iqion conversations\\nwith practical men and their written jiroductions, that are reliable and attainable through\\nthe news])aper and periodical press.\\nBelieving in the desirability of cane as a leading crop in the State, witli full faith in its\\nluci-ativeness, the aim is not to produce a pretentious essay, but simply to fairly and fully\\nset forth its real claims and to furnish such plain and fundamental hints as to its manage-\\nment as v. ill otter good indncements to ncw- omers, who may bo unacquainted vrith it. to\\nenter u oii il- cidiir-nlion.", "height": "3180", "width": "1905", "jp2-path": "floridacolonist01flor_0068.jp2"}, "69": {"fulltext": "(U\\nSUGAR rXSK NOT A XOVKI/l Y.\\n.Sii;^-ar, recently and iiniverisally roi anlc(l as a leading jieeessarj el human life, allhoui;!!\\nknown and used by ovtions of the race for many centuries, has only at a comparatively\\nrecent period come into ijeneral and common use. It was undoubtedly referred to in tlio\\nOld Testament as the product of a sweet cune, and was probably known and used at that\\ndate by tlie nations of the East. It was lirst introduced to the nations of Juirojie by the\\nconquests of Alexander the Great. Strabo states it to have licen found in the East Indies\\nsome 300 years before Christ, and it was alluded to by Theoplirastus and Varro who\\nlived 63 years before Christ; and, indeed, it is mentioned or referred to by many others\\nof the ancient writers as being found in Arabia and the East Indies.\\nThe Saracens introduced sugar cane into lUiodes, yprus, Crete and Sicily in the .Uh\\ncentury, and very \u00e2\u0096\u00a0soon the cultivation and manufacture of sugar were established in tlie\\nLevant. It was introduced into Venice as early as 9f)(), and in the 12th c:entury was\\nlargelj exported from Egyjjt a7id from Sicily. And the cane was quite widely spread,\\ntoo. Thunberg found it in Japan in l r84; Osbach found it in China in 1*751 Marco Polo\\nin 1250, reported it in Bengal; Yasco de Gama, wlio first doubled the Cape of Good\\nHope, in 1497, reported a considei-able ti-ade in sugar in Calicut; Diascorides and Pliny\\nstate it to be a native of Arabia; Mr. Bruce found it in Egypt; in 1500 it was reported in\\nXubia. at Thebes, and in other parts of Northern Africa. The Crusaders found it in the\\nEast anil brought it back with them to Europe, and it was found in Hispaniola or vSainL\\nDomingo diu ing the second voyage of Columbus. Indeed, there is a very strong proba-\\nbility that sugar cane is an indigenous production of the West as well as the East Indies,\\nand quite widely spread before tl .e advent of Europeans to this continent, and that the\\nWest is indebted to the I ^ast not for the introduction, but only fn- improved methods of\\ncultivating and manufacturing, sugar cane.\\nvai;if;hks (if am: cclttvatki) in Louisiana.\\nThe planters of Louisiana cultivate live dilierent varieties of cane: the Bourbon, the\\nGreen-llibbon, the Iled-Ribbon, Otaheite, and the Creole cane.\\n1. The Bourbon cane is very extensively cultivated. I found it ahnost the only kind of\\ncane raised on some plantations. It has a good coating of silica, which forms a strong\\nprotection against the cold; the dark color of its cortex increases the absor))tion of light\\nand accelerates its maturity. It is thought a hardy cane, rattoons well and yields good\\nsugar. It has large eyes which resemble those of the red-ribbon, and somewhat the eyes\\nof the Creole, and withstands the influence of a slight frost.\\n2. The Green-Ribbon is undoubtedly a different cane, not only from its light yellow\\neolor but also from the difference of its shape and the formation of its eyes. The cortex\\nis less strong than that of the Bourbon. It _vields well but is much more ensily affected\\nby frost than the former.\\n3. The Red-llibbon. jicxt t(\u00c2\u00bb the Bourbon, is the most extensively cultivated in Louisi-\\nana. It is a beautiful cane, and its purple stripes vary from one inch to a line in width.\\nLike the Bourbon, it has a strong coating of silica, Avhicli makes it more h.ardy and capa-\\nble of resisting a slight frost. Its eyes are in shape and size like those of the Bourbon,\\nand are less affected by the inclemency of the weath.er than the Green-Ribbon, Otaheite\\nor Creole cane. It rattoons well, yields well, and the juice from the ripe cane is rich in\\nsugar.\\n4. nie Otaheite cane has large joints, but grows lesi high, and its cortex is les.!i thick\\nthan in the former species; its eyes are of a very delicate structure. This cane does Jiot\\nrattoon M-ell, which must ba ascrii)ed to its delicate oyo^i. It is easily afi ected by the\\nfrost, in consequence of Vihich little i^ cultivated, although its jnico is rich and yields very\\nabundantly.\\n5. The Creole cane, formerly extensively cultivated, has been nearly superseded by\\nthe Bourbon mul Red-Ribbon, on account of their hardy nature. In the vicinity of-\\nNew Orleans it is raised for eating, in small patclies. Its cortex is easily crushed, and\\nyields a rich juice, from which a superior kind of sugar is made. Its eyes are rather\\nsmall, but bvrger than those of the Otaheite, and resemble those of the Bonrlion and Red-\\nRibbon. This cane grows short, with straight leaves and droojnng like those of the\\nBourbon and Red-Ribbon.\\nSOILS ADAPTED TO CANK.\\nThe Loudon Ihicyclopedia says: The soil most favorable to the cultivation of cane is\\nthe dark gi*ay loam of the island of St. Christopher, which is so light and porous as to be\\npenetraVile by t!ie sliafhtest. ap]dication of the l)pp, Next tO tho ashy loam of St, Chris-", "height": "3180", "width": "1905", "jp2-path": "floridacolonist01flor_0069.jp2"}, "70": {"fulltext": "(yj,\\nLO])her, is the soil which in Jiunaica is ciillcil brick mould; not as resembling- brick in\\ncolor, but as containing such a duo mixture of clay and sand as is supposed to render it\\nwell adajjted for the use of tlio kiln. It is a deep, warm and mellow hazel earth, easily\\nworked; and though its surface soon gTows dry after a rain, the under stratum retains a\\nconsiderable degree of moisture in the driest weather. After this comes the black mould\\ncartli of several varieties of Barbadoes, Antigua, and the other Windward Islands.\\n[ETnOD OF PIIOPAGATIOX.\\nSugar cane, like other similar plants, has blossoms and what appears to be seeds, but\\nwhether from want of perfection in the seed or from custom founded on experience, it is\\nnever attempted to be propagated from seed, but is raised from cuttings so called. In-\\ndeed, a very competent English authority, Mr. Wray, in the Practical vSugar Planter,\\nsaj-s: As I have often been applied to on the subject, and have instituted many inquiries\\nand experiments, in order to satisfy myself and others, I take this opportimity of stating\\nwhat I have ascertained on this point. First, that no variety of sugar cane is known to\\nperfect its seed, (or indeed to produce anything like seed) either in India, China, the\\nStraits of Malacca, Egj pt or in the South Sea Islands as in all those countries the cane\\nis entirely propagated by cuttings. Second, I have myself tried numerous methods which\\n1 imagined miglit by some possibility cause the plant to perfect seed.\\nSugar cane grows in joints of from 3 to 6 or 9 inches in length, like the reeds used for\\nfishing poles, with a sort of partition between each two joints of a hard vegetable sub-\\nstance. At or near each of these partitions, on one side of the cane, is an eye, which is\\nalways exactly opposite to the eye attached to the next joint above or below. So that\\nthe eyes on a i)erfect cane tog-ether form two rows of eyes on opposite sides of the cane.\\nFrom each of these eyes, when covered with earth to the proper depth, proceed the\\nsprouts and roots which constitute in time the complete cane.\\nMODES OF PLAXTIXCi.\\nCane is planted in the Soutii, either in drills or ii} hills, and each method has its special\\nadvocates. If in drills, double furrows are drawn across the field at a distance of from\\nthree to five or more feet from each other, and the canes, either whole, or in pieces con-\\ntaining two to four joints, are laid, usually in double or triple lines, in the furrow and\\nlightly covered to a depth of two inches, in Spring planting, and five or six inches if\\nplanted in the Fall, requiring greater depth for protection in Winter.\\nIf the cane is to be planted in hills, three heavy furrows, doubled if necessary, are run\\nacross the f -r* at the required distances apart, which must be the line of the rows one\\nway, and cross-furrows are run to mark the place of the hills in the row. At the inter-\\nsection of the furrows two pieces of cane, each containing tsvo to four eyes, are carefully\\ndropped and then lightly covered. In which ever way the cane may be planted care must\\nbe taken that none of the eyes are turned downward, for this always retards and some-\\ntimes prevents the sprouting of the cane.\\nEach way of planting has its advocates, and tJie drill-planting method is more\\nv. idely prevalent. Drill-planting requires more seed, and probably will secure a larger\\nnumber of canes; while it is claimed that hill-planting, in addition to requiring less seed,\\nV, ill give much tlie larger canes and as many as the land will thoroughly sustain.\\nThe conviction is becoming general among planters of experience that the value of the\\ncrop is more apt to be injured I rom planting too much than too little seed, and that rows\\nand hills should be farther apart than is customary. In Mr. Flcichman s report to the\\nPatent office, lie says: There exists a great difl ereuce of opinion among the Louisiana\\nplanters with regard to the distance that cane should be jilanted apart. Many still adhere\\nto the old mode of iilanting, that is, in rows from three to five feet, while others plant it,\\nwith great advanta ;e, eight feet apart, or at such distance that the carts and cattle strad-\\ndle the rows in carting cane from the field without injury to the rattoon.\\nI have seen cane planted at eiglit feet, which was so luxuriant in its growth tliat the\\nrays of the sun could scared} penetrate, although it was a field planted with cane for\\ntwenty successive years, and had only tlie year previous a crop of Indian corn and peas\\non it; tiiat one year s rest, wide planting, and projier cultui e, gave it such a vigorous\\ngrowth as I never saw in agricultural produce. Mr. Ooo. L. Squier Brother, in their\\nSugar Slanual, remark as follows\\nThere is great diversity of opinion and practice among cane planters with regard to\\nthe distance the rows shoidd be apart, and different individuals plant all the way from\\nthree to twelve feet apart. But the weight of authority seems to be in favor of planting\\nT Om G to feet apart, or so that the cai ts and cattle can straddle the rows in carting tlie", "height": "3180", "width": "1905", "jp2-path": "floridacolonist01flor_0070.jp2"}, "71": {"fulltext": "cane Iroiu tlie field without, injury lo tiie stubble, iconic very wondci ful results have been\\nattained by planting tlie ri)\\\\vs 12 I ect apart.\\nThe foilowiuii; plan has been tried with ii;ood result.-i, and has many points to commend\\nit: Lay otl the ground in rows six feet apart; plant two rows of corn and two of cane.\\nIn the corn, peas may be planted to enrich the land, and it may be farther heavily man-\\nured after the corn is gathered. The cane will aflbrd a good crop of stubble the second\\nyear. I lant the corn and peas also the second year. Tlien in the fall after the orn i i\\ngathered prepare the corn ground for cane, and cut the cane from the rows along side antl\\nplant before the grinding season. The atlvantages of this system are these The ijlant-\\ning is done early, inline weather; all hauling and matting of the cane is saved, and sound\\ncane is secured. with no risk of its spoiling in the mat. This mode gives an alternation\\nof two years of cane and two years of corn and peas, with an opportunity to cultivate\\nand enrich the soil, and gives nearly or quite as great a yield of sugar to the acre, be-\\nsides a very good crop of corn.\\nK.VTT0OXrN(!\\nCane does not of necessity re(juire replanting every year, the stalks being cut in the fall.\\nFrom the same roots, in the next year, unless the root is injured by cold, drougth or ex-\\ncess of moisture, there springs a second growth of sprouts similar to the first. This sub-\\nsequent repeated growth from the same root is called rattooning, and may be repeated\\nfrom year to year for several years. The value of these succeeding or rattooning crops\\nis variously e stimated, some asserting that it continually deteriorates after the second\\nyear, and others maintainuig that with care it may be rattooned iudeiiniteij\\nThe conunon opinion is that replanting is necessary once in 3 or 4 years. But Judge\\nDupont, of Quincy, in Gadsden county, one of the northern counties in this State, told\\nme that he had raised cane from the rattoon six successive years without either diminu-\\ntion or deterioration.\\n1 am informed that on the lands of Indian river, the nineteenth croj) of cane from the\\nsame planting, and on the shores of Lake Worth, cane is now growing which has not\\nbeen replanted since the early Indian wars. The probability is that the character of the\\nrattoon and the extent of their repetition depends upon the quality of the original seed,\\nthe cultivation and the fertilization it has received.\\nMODE OF CULTIVATION OF CANK.\\nThe cultivation of cane is almost exactly the same as that given by good farmers to\\ncorn, and is so nearly similar that special description is not necessxry. Like corn, it re-\\nquires to be kept clean of weeds and grass, and thorough tillage, and if any difference\\nexists, it is in this, that cane Avill, more surely than even corn, repay the cultivator for\\nfrequent and deeper cultivation.\\nSELECTION OF SEED.\\nIt is as true of cane as of many and indeed of most other crops, that a heavy per cen-\\ntage of loss is incurred in its cultivation from carelessless and pinching economy in the\\nselection of seed. As with every other known crop, good seed, other things being equal,\\nwill produce good fruit, and vice versa. In reference to this point, Mr. Fleichman well\\nobserves It is with cane as with all other plants; imperfect seed produces a poor plant\\nand bad fruit. The planter cannot expect that seed-cane with delicate, imperfect eyes\\nand short joints will produce a cane like one of vigorous growth, with perfectly well de-\\nveloped eyes and and a great deal of juice, which supports the young shoot till its roots\\narc strong enough to obtain nourishment from the soil. The young sprout from poor\\ncane is less able to support the inclemency of the climate and is more liable to disease.\\nAnd he goes on to make some remarks as applicable to Louisiana, which apply with near-\\nly equal force to cane growing in Northern Florida. In the ^Yest Indies, wo are told,\\ntiie few upper joints of the plant nearest the leaves, conmionlj designated as the cane-\\ntops, are used for seed-cane. In the West Indies, where the cane arrives to perfect ma-\\nturity, where every joint is ripe, and every eye well developed, tlic top joints may an.-\\nswer but in Louisiana, where the cane is never entirely matured, where it must be cut\\nbefore the upper joints are formed, the tops are not fit seed, and the result must necessa-\\nrily be bad.\\nTIME OF I J-ANTIXG.\\nIn the West Indies, where no danger is to be apprehended from frost, cane is almost\\nuniversally planted in the Fall, at the time of euttin.g; but in Louisiana and the northern", "height": "3180", "width": "1905", "jp2-path": "floridacolonist01flor_0071.jp2"}, "72": {"fulltext": "fi4\\nlialf of Florida, tlio Si)ring, IVoiii Februai^ to April is the safer time, wiiile in Central aiul\\nSouthern Florida the Fall doubtless would be the best, being equally safe and saving- any\\nextra handling of the eane-seed. which is injured in keeping over winter.\\ni };ESEi;VAT10N 0\\\\ CAXIC AM) I JIOTEC I lON AGAIASl CulJ).\\nWhenever cold weather prevails in the V\u00c2\u00bb inter, of a degree sullieient lo freeze or injure\\ncane, such cane as it becomes uecesssary to i)rcserve for grinding at a later period or for\\nseed, is secured against the effect of cold weather by a ]irocess of very simple character\\ncalled matting. Matting consists in throwing the cane after being cut, into beds nf\\nsuch thickness and so arranged, that the overlapping or covering of the butts of one por-\\ntion by the tops of another will insure sufficient protection. Beginning at one end of a\\nbed 10 to 20 or more feet in width, the newly cut cane is tlirowu upon the ground from\\nsix inches to a foot or more in thickness across the width of the bed, the toi)S projecting\\noutward, the butts of the cane so laid arc then covered with the tops of other parcels and\\nso on, giving to the bed when finished a thickness of from 1-1 to 3 feet, according to the\\nexpected degree of cold, and continuing it in length as far as necessary. And when fin-\\nished the sides and ends are covered with dirt, raul if severe cold is apprehended, the top\\nalso.\\ni jioTJ :(TiX(i riiK noov:-..\\nin cold cliuuites, and in i\u00c2\u00bbroporlion to the degree of cold aiiprehended, the roots of tlu-\\ncane upon wdiich reliance is had for rattooning, nnist receive more or less protection.\\nThis is accomplished by first throwing the refuse leaves and tops which remain after liar-\\nvest upon the roots or stubble of the cane, and then additional protection is accomplished\\nby running a furrow close to and on each side of the drill, tluis turning a furrow of dirt\\nupon it, and thus it remains till Spring, v. hen the refuse or trash is raked olf aiul soon\\nnew shoots sjiring up from the okl roots.\\nFEirriLIZATIOX\\nCane is a plant of so succulent a nature, and of such strong growth, that it must of lu-\\ncessity be an exhaustive crop, and requires a deep, strong soil for favorable results. There-\\nfore frequent and thorough fertilization is an essential condition precedent to success.\\nIndeed one look at a thrifty growth of caiie of full size is enough to convince any one that\\nit is hardly possible to give too much stinudus in the way of proper food to this crop.\\nWhile cane is one of the most certain of all known crops, and one of the hardiest, that\\nwill tolerate a degree of neglect that would be fatal to almost any other crop, yet it as cer-\\ntainly resi^onds to deep and frequent cultivation and generous feeding as anj^ crop tliat\\ncan be cited, and in its varying result of from 500 to 5000 pounds of sugar to tlie acre, will\\nbear unmistakable testimony to tlie degree of care awarded it.\\nSIZE OF SUGAll CAXK.\\nIn Louisiana, says Mr. Fleichmnn, the length of the ripe joints varies those of the\\nBourbon and Red llibbon varying from four to nine inches in length. The cane cut for\\ngrinding measures from three to live feet in length. I saw some over eight feet high and\\nwith from tM-enty-four to twenty-eight good joints, but they are rare instances.\\nThe New American Encyclopedia says It grows in a succession of joints, or rather\\nnodes, from 4 to 20 feet high and the stem is 1 to 2 inches in diameter. The Otaheite\\ngrows in Jamaica, it is said, to the height of 10 to 12 feet the lii-st year, with stems six\\ninches in circumference, and joints six inches apart.\\nTlie London Encyclopedia saj s The sugar cniw ov f iicch)crnin oJjiviiiarHui of Botan-\\nists, is a jointed reed, connnoidy measuring (the flag jiart not included) from three and a\\nlialf to seven feet in height, but sometiTucs rising to twelve feet.\\nMr. Bcckford, an eminent English authority, in his account of Jamaica saj s It, in\\ncommon rises from 3 to 8 feet or more in height; a dilference of growth very stronglj-\\nmarks the difference of soil or the varieties of culture.\\nYIELD TO THE AC liE.\\nThe Jjondon Encycloi)ediasays that cane jdanted in particular spots in St. Christopher s\\nIsland have yielded 8,000 pounds of measured sugar to tiie acre, and the average crop is\\nnearly two hogslu ads of IC) cwt. jter acre for tlu^ M hdie of the land in i-ipe cane.", "height": "3180", "width": "1905", "jp2-path": "floridacolonist01flor_0072.jp2"}, "73": {"fulltext": "65\\nIn tile new Auaericau Encyclopedia, it is stated The yield of augar in tlie Mouthern\\nStates is from 500 to 2,000 pounds to the acre in the West Indies, 3,000 to 5,000 pounds.\\nand in the East Indies, the highest product is about 7,000 pounds.\\n.VDAPTABIJ.ITy OK FLOUIDA TO THK (;ULTL ItK OK OAXE.\\nNo topic of greater practical and innuodiate importance can possibly be brought to the\\nattention of the farmers and planters of the State for much as has been said and written\\nupon the matter of cane culture in Florida, the real value of this crop, and full adapta-\\ntion of our State to its successful cultivation, are as yet unknown to most of our people,\\nand fully appreciated by few.\\nIn the pamphlet prepared lor the State are statements that cane can be grown on almost\\nany of the soil.s o.* the State, on some, of course, more successfully than others that in\\nfar the greater portion of the State it rattoons, or springs up from the old roots, and so\\ndoes not for several years require re-planting that it produces more larg ely and ia more\\neasily cultivated in Florida than in any other State, not excepting Louisiana; that 1600\\nlbs. of sugar and 300 gallons of molasses have been raised to the acre, \u00c2\u00abfec.\\nDoubts have occasionally arisen as to the correctness of these statements, and opinions\\nexpressed that they must have been exaggerated, for, otherwise, everybody would imme-\\ndiately go into sugar cane culture.\\nThe superiority of Florida over any other section of the United States in adaptability\\nto the growth of cane, is mainly based upon her milder climate, the greater length of the\\n.reasons, and the correspondingly longer growth and larger size of the cane. In Mr.\\nFleichman s report, from three to five feet is given as the average size of cane when har-\\nvested, while in Florida from five to seven may be taken as the average size of the cane\\nover the whole State, extending from north to south nearly 40O miles, and with fair cul-\\nture, 8, H\\\\ 12 feet are quite connuon lengths. Florida is so located, geographically be-\\ntween the Gulf and the Gulf Stream, and is of such peninsular form and of such narrow\\nwidth, that its climate is essentially ameliorated by its being constantly traversed by the\\nsoft and balmy wind.s of both Ocean and Gulf, and thereby so much better fitted for the\\ngrowth of cane and tropical finiits.\\nIn an article on sugar cane, in the new American Encyclopedia, the climatic disadvan-\\ntages attending the cultivation of the sugar cane in Louisiana, are stated as follows\\nYet, the climate of Louisiana itself is rather north of that best suited to the plant,\\nthe cane being frequently killed by the frost after starting in the spring, and at maturity\\nin the latter })artof October and in November, the effect of which is to materially dimin-\\nish its production of sugar. In 1857 injurious frosts thus occurred in April, as late as the\\ni 2d, and on the 10th and 2nth of November, in November, 1859, the cold was very se-\\nvere on the I ith, latii, 14th, and 15th, in all j)arts of Loiiisiana, the thermometer on the\\n14th standing at 25 deg. F. at New Orleans, anil thick ice being formed in the most south-\\nern parishes. The effect of this was that the cane was everywhere frozen, and land which\\nliad previously given above two hogsheads to the acre, yielding barely half a hogshead,\\nand this of inferior quality. The climate is also subject to long continued drougths, which\\nseriously injure the growing crops.\\nBut in Florida frosts are of infrequent occtwrence and in South Florida are unknown.\\nOf the few frosts that do occur, instances as early as November or as late as April, have\\nbeen known only at intervals of years.\\nIt may be stated that the statements of the pamphlet arc all susceptible of abundant\\nverification, aiul are carefully made to fall considerably within the limits of ascertained\\nfacts and in order to show the agricultural importance of the culture of cane to the peo-\\nple of Florida, it may be well to give some account of what has been done as ascertained\\nby authentic accounts from men of undoubted character tlnd veracity.\\nGeneral Cassadey, in a jiaper I cad befoi e the Putnam County Agricultural Society,\\nsays It is a circumstance of frequent and common occurrence with us for $300 and\\nover to be realized from the produce of sugar and molasses made from the cane grown on\\none acre only of our common pine lauds, enriched by cow-penning.\\nJudge Dupont has known in one instance 10, and in another 21, and another gentleman\\nspeaks of 24 barrels of syrup made to the acre in C^adsden county, one of the northern\\ncounties of Fhjrida.\\nStatistical rctiirns from Marion, Alachua, Suwannee, and (.)rangc counties make 2,500\\nlbs. of sugar jicr acre an average return for good cultivation. Accounts from Hernando\\ncounty give 2,600, 3,400, and 3,600 lbs. of sugar as the actual product per acre of three\\nsugar crops in 1860, in that county, thus giving an average of 3,200 lbs. to the acre.\\nThis, at 15 cts. per lb., will give an average product of |480 per acre.\\nIt is computed that one gallon of syrup will mak\u00c2\u00ab five jiound. of Kugar. 20 bbl.^. of 40", "height": "3180", "width": "1905", "jp2-path": "floridacolonist01flor_0073.jp2"}, "74": {"fulltext": "06\\n\u00e2\u0096\u00a0f^allons oacli of syrup, therefore, would give four thousand i)ounds of siigai and four\\nhogsheads of sugar have been made to ihe acre in this Statf.\\nIn my office may now be seen a cane grown along the railroad on pine land in Sander-\\nsou, more than seven feet in length. In Middle and South Florida it grows to ten and\\ntwelve feet in height^ and in South Florida has grown to the height of seventeen feet.\\nThere it matures, tassels, and produces seed.\\nThere are millions of acres in our State that can and will produce easily two thousand\\npounds of sugar to the acre and many of our most intelligent planters firmly believe that\\nthe pine lands fertilized wUl produce a better (juality of sug.ir than can be raised on the\\nblack, so-called, sugar lands. An actual trial proves that a compost of muck or marl is\\nthe best possible fertilizer for the sugar cane, and uuick and marl abound everwhere.\\nGood cultivation will accomplish wonders with cane. It is known that one small plan-\\nter near Picolata, during the past year, with no help excejit his own little boy, made from\\ntwo acres of land forty barrels of sugar and five hundred gallons of syrup. Well cultiva-\\nted, one acre of fair land will produce from twenty-five to thirty -five thousand canss. Seed\\ncane has been sold in Jacksonville, within a week, at thirty-five dollars per thousand.\\nWhy do not more men go into cane culture V\\nThere are several answers to this very natural question. First, The real value of this\\ncrop, and the perfect adaptation to it of our se)il and climate, have not been fully known\\nSecond, There has heretofore been a difficulty in procuring seed Third, There has pre-\\nvailed an opinion that, though profitable when cultivated on a large scale, requiring much\\ncapital, it would not pay the small cultivator having limited means Fourth, Until latterly,\\nthe machinery necessary for expressing the juice and manufacturing the sugar has been\\nvei-y expensive, not within the reach of small planters.\\nAll these obstacles are rapidly disappearing, and more sensible and better founded opin-\\nions are beginning to prevail. And now at last mechanical ingenuity has come to our\\naid, and many varieties of sugar mills and evaporators are oftered to those who desire to\\ngo into the raising and manufacture of sugar. A cursory inspection of the various miUs\\nnow presented to the choice of the sugar })lanter will convince any one that now, at least,\\nthe expensiveness of the necessary machinery need not deter any from sugar })lanting.\\nDeeply interested in the extension of sugar planting in our State, fully believing that\\nFlorida can easily become the Sugar State of the Union, and fully aware that a wrong-\\nidea of the jjfreat expense of the necessary machinery has o])erated as a bug-bear to deter\\nmany from entering upon this exceedingly profitable culture, I deem it entirely proper to\\ncall the attention of our planters, and all those who are hesitating to embark in the culti-\\nvation of sugar cane, to the great varict}^ of sugar mills now offered by the merchants of\\nour city. Mills can be seen here that have ground one hundred gallons in twenty-one\\nminutes, and are sold at $225. There are mills of all sizes, and adapted to the wants of\\nany individual planter, or those of a neighborhood, and vary in price from $60 to $250.\\nAn inspection of these mills will be full of interest to the practical planter, and as well to\\nhim who would fairly estimate the capacity and adaptation of Florida to the cultivation\\nof sugar cane.\\nPRODUCTIONS OF FLORIDA.\\nSo much has been said of the vast scope of vegetable growth in Florida, that it i\u00c2\u00ab a\\ncause of suprise to all strangers, and suspicion to many as though there might be well-\\ngrounded suspicion of exaggeration or over-statement. On this account it is deemed best\\nto refer to some of the older standard writers on this subject.\\nIn the Observations of Charles Vignolles, jiublished in New York in 1823, on pige\\n99, we find the following: The following list of productions capable of being raised in\\nFlorida, has been made out with some pains, and it is believed all these stated are profit-\\nable and practicable articles\\nOranges, various kinds. Currants, Zantc, Pimento,\\nLemons, Pine Apple, Sago Palm,\\nLime, Fig, Red Pepper,\\nCitron, Plantain, Saponica,\\nShaddock, Banana, Jesuits Bark,\\nMango, Yam, Besine,\\nPawpaw, Bread F ruit, Palma Christi, Castor Bean,\\nCocoa, Arrow Root, Tea, t\\nDate, Gallnuts, Sugar,\\nSweet Almond. Doliahos, or Soy-lean, Tobacco,\\nBitter Almond, Jalap, Rice,\\nPistachio, Tree Rhubarb, Cotton,\\nAcuagua, Ginger, Silk,\\nGum Gleni, Gum Guiacum, Cork Oak,", "height": "3175", "width": "1885", "jp2-path": "floridacolonist01flor_0074.jp2"}, "75": {"fulltext": "Fustic. Brazillotte, Chestnut,\\nBalsam, Senna, Sassafras,\\nKemp, Turkey M:ul(kr, Saraaparilla,\\nCamphor. I5aha of (^ileail. True Opium Popjty,\\nFranldnccnse, Cloves, Tumeric,\\nLeeche Plant, of (Jliiua, Liquid Amber. Nutmegs.\\nThe Olive, Aloe,\\nThe Vine, all varieties. Cinnamon.\\nSuch a list seems wonderful enough as attributed to a territory no larger than that of\\nFlorida, bemg about the size of the State of Missouri, even upon a cursory examination,\\nthe list having been made more tlian 40 years since. But when practically we come to\\n\u00e2\u0096\u00a0PTaminethe .actual availability of these lands, and to ascertain the strength of the induce-\\nments offered to occupation, we iind many important productions omitted and no allusion\\nmade to many pursuits that can be engaged in successfully. To the list as quoted, sev-\\nral important additions are proper. Coffee may, with little doubt, be grown to great\\nprofit at least in all South Florida, and probably in a great portion of the State. Coffee\\ntrees are now in existence in the South, and practical coffee planters are confident of suc-\\ni-ess wlienever the effort shall be made to cultivate tlais important staple. The experi-\\nment is now being thoroughly made, and thus a practical test will be applied and since\\nth\u00c2\u00ab revenue duties on the jiroduct will amply repay tiie expense of cultivation, the ques-\\ntion is an important one. llye, Oats, Wheat, Sweet Potatoes, Irish Potatoes, Pindars or\\nPeanuts, and Pecannuts can be added. Si.sal Hemp, common Hemp and Ramie can all be\\nvery profitably raised. Sorghum and the Silesian or Sugar Beet, both can be relied upon\\nfor certain and good crops.\\nLands, upon which such a varict\\\\ of valuable productions can with ease and certainty\\nbe raised, must ere long be sought with avidity. And such prospect is still more reliable\\nwhen consideration is given to tlie proliabilities that unquestionably exist for the success\\nof several leading avocations and emj)]o} ments.\\nSuch is the fortunate conjunctive effect of soil and climate, that countless herds of cat-\\ntle may be raised and sustained absolutely without care, and at almost no expense, when\\nallowed to run wild. And if tlie opinion of many intelligent dairymen, that even in the\\nbest grazing States cattle can be kept up and fed with green crops even through the\\nsummer, more profitably than they can be provided with pasturage, then surely there can\\nbe little question about the chances for cattle-raising upon these lands where either grow-\\ning grass or green crops (^an be made use of throughout the year. If so, then the raising\\nof cattle, the disposition of the hides and tallow, the curing of beef, and the manufacture\\nof leather must go to swell the actual inducements offered.\\nThe vast extent of excellent yellow jjine and pitch pine timber lands, accessible as they\\nare, by railroad and navigation, present, in the growing scarcity of first-rate timber, ex-\\ncellent chances for the manufacture f)f lumber and for speculation, the timber being of\\nmore value than enough to pay for the land leaving the land itself in improved condition\\nfor settlement as a margin for additional profits. The turpentine farms are, to a great ex-\\ntent, operated by men from the Carolinas, who find here a better field for enterprise, and\\nwith the known ca))acity of this section for tlie cultivation of cordage plants, a fine field\\nis open for the pro(hiction and manufacture of naval store,?.\\nThe Orange, the Lemon, the Bay, llio Mangrove, tl^ Box, .and the varieties of Palm,\\nand the Magnolia, as well as the Cedar and Live Oak, show the worth of these lands for\\nthe production of rare ami valu.ablo woods. The inexhaustible supplies of Cypress, a\\nwood standing next to Cedar foi- diU ei-ent varieties of wooden-ware, procurable at only\\nnominal prices, nmst soon stimulate to the establishment of a great variety of manufacto-\\nries. Add to all these the fact that witli very little care for forage or feed, or expensive\\nbuildings there is no civilized country where a man of small means can be more absolute-\\nly certain of a comfortable living for liiniself and family, and the list of inducements to\\nthe purch.ase of these lands is nearly full.\\nIt is hardly possi[)le for a man from tiie Northern or Western States or from Canada, to\\nbelieve that it is practicable in any one locality, without the varied temperature that i.s\\ngiven in the immediate vicinity of elevated mountains, to cultiv.ate successfully within\\nthe same enclosure, tlie oats, rye and wheat of Canada, the peach, quince and sweet pota-\\ntoes of the Middle States, the corn, cotton and tobacco of the Southern, the coffee, indi-\\ngo, ginger of the est Indies, the orange, lime, lemon and citron of (.Central America, the\\nolive and the gr.ape of the East, tlir d. ite and palm of the desert, the guava, the sugar\\ncan* and the tea of Southern Asia; yet the dweller in llernanda and Man?ltce actually\\ndoes tliis very thing and can do so every d.a}- in (he year.\\nWH.VT MAY r.E iioyiv: 0 TlIK I..\\\\Nt s l yr.OTJlD.V.\\nSkvaj!. This is thr best sugai rfa;ion known. Sugar lani^ tbn in tlio We^-t, Indies nve", "height": "3180", "width": "1905", "jp2-path": "floridacolonist01flor_0075.jp2"}, "76": {"fulltext": "68\\nraleil afc $2oO to ^500 cv awf. ciiii here be bought at $1 to .^IS. The etiaboii is lunger\\nthan in Louisiana. Cane fit for grinding grows on these lands I rora 7 to 10 feet in length,\\nwhile in Louisiana 5 feet is very good length. The planting of sugar is a little more ex-\\njjensive than that of corn, but where, as upon these lands, cano will rattoon 6 and 8 con-\\nHecutive yea^-s, the cost may be called the same. And Avith the same preparation, the\\n8ame fertilization, and the same cultivation required for a crop of 45 bushels of corn to\\nthe acre in the Northern, Middle, orAVestern States, worth $60, at $1.33 per busliel, Florida\\nlands will produce on an average 2,000 pounds of sugar, at 12 cents per pound, worth $240.\\nThree thousand lbs. have often been raised. Three plantations in llernando county made,\\nin one neighborhood, an average of 3,200 pounds, and as high as 4,000 pounds to the\\nacre, has been made in Florida. Again, from 15,000 to 25,000 canes can be raised on an\\nacre well manured and well cultivated, and these canes sold for seed from to 2-^ cents,\\nwhich at the average of number and price, give $338 to the acre.\\nOranges. Oranges may be made to begin to bear fruit in 4 years from the sour stock\\nand 7 years from the seed. The land occupied may be cultivated in various crops until\\nthe trees bear. 1 50 trees may be set on an acre. A bearing orange tree is worth from $50\\nto $100. A bearing grove of five acres, on the St. Johns, is now held at thirty thousand\\ndollars. Ten thousand dollars and upwards is the value of its actual crop. Hundreds of\\nthousands of acres of these lands ai-e exactly adapted to oranges and all the citrus tribe,\\nand the same figures will apply to the lemon and lime. Where and in what way, and by\\nthe use of what means, can a young man, in ten years, secure by the cultivation of ten\\nacres, a more ample or certain competence V What better inheritance can a man leave\\nfor his children V\\nCitron. A thrifty and well cared for citron tree Avill produce 100 lbs. of fruit, and 200\\nmay be set on an acre. Five acres of these trees would produce 1,000 trees, annually\\nyielding, at 60 lbs. to the tree, 50,000 lbs. of fruit. One acre of cane would furnish the\\nsyrup to preserve the fruit. When well cured, it may be boxed and held for transporta-\\ntion and a market, and sold for 25 to 40 cents pei pound.\\nTigs. Figs are easily raised from cuttings and begin to bear in three years, producing\\none good, and one or two additional but inferioi* crops annually. Two hundred trees may\\nbe set at nominal cost on an acre. There is no reason why, where the cost of fuel is so\\ninsignificant, figs may not be well cured, if not by natural means, then in a few hours by\\nartificial heat, in a dry house that any man can build with an axe.\\nCastor Beans. Throughout the whole extent of these lands, the Palma Christi or Cas-\\ntor Bean can be made a more profitable crop and raised with less trouble than corn or\\nwheat in the North and West.\\nGinger. Jamaica Ginger grows vigorously in any part of the State, and might be cul-\\ntivated to great profit with a little care.\\nBananas. One thousand bananas may be set on an acre. Each plant fruits in the\\nsecond year from setting, and sends up, while it is bearing fruit, three to six shoots, which\\nthemselves, transplanted, will fruit in the succeeding year. Each plant will bear one,\\nsometimes two bunches of fruit, worth $1.50 to $3.00, and all with little attention, though\\nit requires rich, moist land. All of these lands, fmm (Jainesville to the Gulf, will raise\\nbananas.\\nArrow Root. Dift erent varieties of arrow-root can Ije successfully raised with Icse\\ncare than is required for Irish potatoes, and once planted are difficidt to eradicate.\\nGrvVpes. The tremeiidous growth of the wild grape in the woods, demonstrates con-\\nclusively the special adaptation of these lands to the growth of the vine. The Scupper-\\nnong seems to be the most common variety, and in Gadsden coimty, 1,000 gallons of\\nwine from an acre is reported as a reliable yield. But other choice and many of the\\nrarest imported vines do exceedingly woll. This section cannot fail to attract universal\\nnotice as a wine-growing region.\\nZante Currants. These Currants can as well be raised here as anywhere in the Le-\\nvant, and their cultivation and curing can easily, and with little labor, be made profitable.\\nPine Apples. The whole of the southern portion of the State is capable of yielding an\\nimmense profit from the cultivation of the pine-apple. It thrives especially on the south-\\nern islands or keys. Upwards of $3,000 has been realized from a single acre on Key Largo.\\nOysters. No larger or finer flavored oysters exist than those which abound on both\\nthe east and west coast of Florida. They are now found in incalculable numbers. The\\ncanning of oysters is a very profitable business, and may here be carried on to almost\\nany extent. There is no danger of a failure in the supply, as they may be multiplied ul\\nInJinUnm by planting and cultivation as in the North, in France, and elsewhere. The cul-\\ntivation of choice oysters, only recently established in France, is now a source of large\\nrevenue.\\nTurtle and Sponge. The taking of turtle and sponge along the coast f)f Florida lias\\nlong been found a profitable avocation, and the supply of sponge can also be increased by\\ncultivation, ajidas localities where this can be done are rnre, this becomes an important\\nconsideration.", "height": "3180", "width": "1905", "jp2-path": "floridacolonist01flor_0076.jp2"}, "77": {"fulltext": "6\u00c2\u00bb\\nFish. nft till (iulf coast ul Florkla ;ire luore tiiiiii two huiulrt tl riiiU;? ot reels or bank:\\nupon whifh fisli, tiuperior to cod, ciiu be taken in countless niultitiultis, wliilc the biiys, in-\\nlets and streams :is well as inland lakes are uU lionntifnlly supjjlied with the choicest fish.\\nThe fisheries of Florida can be made available during- the whole year, and on tliis account,\\n;is well as the abundant supj ly, are I lilly wjual to those of Newfoundland. Hundreds of\\nbarrels have been taken on the Florida coast at a single haul of the seine.\\nPe,\\\\ches.^ When iieaehes Ix^gin to bloom in Delaware and New Jersey, they are one-\\nhalf grown in Florida, and no better peach country can or need be found than along the\\nHue of tlie Florida Kailroad. At one yiiar s growtli from the pit, peaches often attain,\\noven in W. Florida, the height of ten feet. Care, selection and attention can place in the\\nNorthern market Die elioicest peaches from Waldo and Starke, several weeks before they\\ncan be raised North. There is no country where the marketing of peaches, whether fresh\\nor dried, can be made more luci-ative, or where they can be more profitably canned.\\nLuMifiER C.^p.^ciTV. The reputation of the Yellow Fine of this State for flooring, strong\\ntimber and for naval purposes is such as to render any comments upon it unnecessary;\\nand the growing scarcity ot rir.st-class pine lands, available for lumber, enhances the vahu^\\nof these lands. There are .several hundred thousand acres, along and in the vicinity oi\\nthe Florida Railroads, that are either now available by means of the road, or could be made\\nso by the construetioTi of short branch roads, that are shown by the experience of our\\nown lumbermen to be both practicable and profitable. And these lands, many of them,\\ncarefully selected by competent men, can now, for a short period, be proctired on exceed-\\ningly favorable terms.\\nAlthough the cutting of timber and the manufacture of lumber liave long and profita-\\nbly engaged the attention of enterpjrising men, and altho\\\\igh the majority of the timbt^r\\nwithin two miles of navigable water, and of other roads has been consumed, still the\\nlumber capacity of the State has never been half appreciated, and much of the best tim-\\nber land of the State is included among the lands now offered.\\nManltature of Woodkn Ware. The simple fact that fi-om among the lands now offer-\\ned, purchases may be so made as to give the manufacturer a half century s supply of\\nstock for less than one per cent, of what a single year s supply now actually costs in the\\nvicinity of some of the most flourishing manufactories of this kind to be found in the\\ncountry, gives almost positive assurance that a wonderful development in this direction\\nmust ere long take place. Oak, ash and hickory abound, and of Cypress, which closely\\napproximates cedar in value for tubs and pails, and forms first-class m.aterial for sash,\\ndoors and blinds, the supply is inexhaustible, while still, by careful selection, quantities\\nof excellent Red Cedar and Live Oak may be secured. J urely the attention of manufac-\\nturers is not solicited without giorl reason.\\nTHE 1 ir; IN FLORIDA.\\nThe i-emarkable vigor and thrift attending the growth of the Fig in this State, and the\\nmany facilities afforded for an unlimited business growing out of its cultivation and pre-\\nparation for market are so decided, that this fruit is worthy, like the Orange and Cane,\\nof special attention here.\\nA simple preparation of figs iiy boiling in syi up will furnish a most palatable and\\nwholesome preserve, that only needs to be known to iiecome a universal favorite; and if\\nfigs can be prepared for a lucrative market by drying, anywliere on earth, it can be done\\nin Florida.\\nFor special and reliable information concerning the Fig 1 here insert au excellent article\\nfrom the London Eiuyclopedia, simply reminding readers that it is written in and for tlic\\nclimate of England, and i^ of so much the more force as considered with reference to tlic\\nclimate of Florida.\\nFicus, the fig-tree, a genus of tiie tFueciii order, and pulygami. i class of ])lanls: luitural\\norder fifty -third, scabridie. Tiie receptacle is common, turbinated, oarnous, and i-onuivant;\\nenclosing the florets either in the same or in a distinct one: male, nil. trijjartite: cor. none:\\natam. three: female, cal. quinquepartite: for. none: pistil, one; and one seed. There arc\\nfifty-six species, of wdiich the following are liie most reuiai-kable;\\nF. ccriw, the common fig-tree, witii an Ufiright stem branching, lifiei ii or twenty feet\\nhigh, and garnished with large ])alniated or hand shaped leaves. (\u00c2\u00bbf this there are many\\nvarieties; as. The common fig-tree, with large, oblong, dark ]iurplisli blue fruit, v.-hich\\nripens in Augu.st either on standards or walls, and of \\\\vhi(;h it carries a great (juantity.\\nThe brown or chestnut fig; a large, globular, chestnut-colored fruit, having a urplish\\ndelicious j^ulp, ripening in the middle of .\\\\ugust. The black. Isehia fig; a middle si/.ed.\\n.shorti.sb, tlat-crowned, blackish fruit, having a l rig)il- pulp; lipening in the middle of\\nAugust. Tho green Isehia fig; a large, oldong, globnlar-liendcd, greenisii fruit, slightly\\nstained by the jiulp to a reddish lirown color; rii)ens in lli H l f August. The bi-o-.\\\\i.", "height": "3180", "width": "1905", "jp2-path": "floridacolonist01flor_0077.jp2"}, "78": {"fulltext": "Isciiialig; ;i snjall, pyramidal, ))rownis)i-y(- !low fruit, haviij^- a )mr{\u00c2\u00bblit;!) very I icl) pulp;\\nripeaini::; iu August and September. The Malta a small, flat-topped, brown fruit,\\nrlpeniiig- iu the middle of September. The round brown Naples lig; a globular, middle\\n^ized, light brown fruit, and brownisli pulp ripe in tlie end of August. The long, brown\\nNaples fig; a long, dark brown fruit, having a reddish pulp; ripe in September. The\\ngreat blue fig; a large blue fruit, having a fine red pulp. The black Genoa fig; a large,\\near-shaped, black-colored fruit, with a bright red pulp ripe in August. The carrica is\\nfrequently cultivated in this country, and is the only species which does not require to be\\nkept under glass. It niay be propagated either by suckers arising from roots, by layers,\\nor by cuttings. The suckers are to be taken off as low down as possible; trim off any\\nragged part at bottom, leaving the tops entire, especially if for standards; and plant them\\nin nursery lines at two or three feet distance, or they may at once be planted where they\\nare to remain; observing that if they are for walls or espaliers, they may be headed to\\nsix or eight inches in Marcli, the more effectually to force out lateral shoots near the bot-\\ntom but, if intended for standards, they must not be topped, but trained with a stem,\\nnot less than fifteen or eighteen inches for dwarf standards, a yard for half standards, and\\nfour, five or six feet for full standards. Then they must be suffered to branch out to form\\na head; observing that whether against walls, espaliers, or standards, the hrauf-hcn or\\nhoots must never fie Hhortened unless to procure a necessary SMpply of wood: for the fruit is\\nidways pjrodueed on the upper penis of the youn,g shoots and, if these are cut off, no fruit can\\nbe expected. The best season for ])ropagating these trees by laj^ers is in Autumn; but it\\nmay be also done any time from October to March or April. Choose the young pliable\\nlower shoots from the fruitful branches; lay them in the usual way, covering the body of\\nthe layers three or four inclies deep in the ground, keeping the top entire, and as upright\\nas possible and they will be rooted and fit to sepai-ate from the parent in Autumn when\\nthey may be planted either in the nursery or where they are to remain. The time for\\npropagating by cuttings is cither at the fall of the leaf or in March: choose well ripened\\nshoots of the preceding Sunm)er short, and of robust growth, from about twelve to fifteen\\ninches long; having an inch or two of the two years wood at their base, the tips left en-\\ntire; and plant them si.x or eight inches deep, in a bed or border of good earth, in rows\\ntwo feet asunder. When planted in Autunm, it will be eligible to protect their tops in\\nlime of Iiard frost tlie fii st winter, witli any kind of long loose litter.\\ntMJOPKlvVL FLOTMDA.\\nijv 1.. 1). .STirKNrcv, Koirr :\\\\fYKi:s, fi.oimj)a.\\nThat portion of Florida south of 2Y deg. of latitude has generally been believed to be\\ncovered by swai ips and everglades, and unfit for cultivation; but it has been found by\\nactual reconntv mce to contain large bodies of high land fit for agricultural purposes,\\nand equal to -.ins, in the State for fertility.\\nThe climate of this region is more uniform than in any country in the same latitude not\\nsinalarly situated in contiguity witli the Atlantic ocean and the Mexican gulf, being too\\nremote from tlie north to admit the dominion of the cold winds to prevail long enough to\\nproduce any sensible effect, while its proximity to the tropics affords tlie mild and refresh-\\ning coolness of the trade winds.\\nThe soil is generally ligbt, and will not bear many exhausting crops, such, for example,\\nas sugar, without nianurck; but in no country are tlie means of improving land more avail-\\nable lime, marl, argil, silica and hunms are abundant and accessible to all. By a skill-\\nful condiination of these, compost can be formed adapted to any land suitable to make\\nj)oor land rich and keep it so. The rivers abound in fish tlu^ li^goons bordering on the\\nocean supply turtle and oysters; the earth ])roduces the cooute and the cabbage tree, and\\nthe forests are alive \\\\\\\\ith wild deer and other game. Food is everywhere within reach,\\nand can be prndnced witli th( least possible exoj tion.\\nThe writer about ten years ago purchased an extensive tract of land on the Caloosa-\\nhatchcf, river. on(! liundrcd n*id tv. euty miles noi th of Key West, and engaged iu the\\ncultu.re of tro})ieal pl;uits. The point selected. Fort Myers, had, during the Indian wars,\\nIjecn oeetiined by tlr United Slates troops as a military [)ost. The ofiicers stationed there\\ncaused aliont titty ai^-es lo l)e cleared, fenced, and ])lanted in a variety of tropical plants.\\nThe orange, leuioH and lime trees have come into bearing, producing abundantly. The\\nSicily lemon transjihmtcd there is much imju-oved from the original. In this locality the\\ncocoa-nut, date, guava, pine-apple, banana, jdantain, sappatlillo, tamarind, alligator pear,\\nsugar api)le, grape fruit, arrow-root, cas.sava, ginger, and coffee, are all growing, and\\nmight be successfully cultivated to supply \\\\n t,he States of a colder latitude much of those\\n])roducti(ms which are now impcu tod from foreign countries, tlms ff)rming hi.ghly iin", "height": "3180", "width": "1905", "jp2-path": "floridacolonist01flor_0078.jp2"}, "79": {"fulltext": "71\\nLive-oak, yelluw pine, cabbago ti ee, nnd inanfn;i uve are tin; most iibiuulant forest tree\\nthough forineily a yood deal of fustio, iniihof|, aii3-, li^-uium ittv, and braziletto was to be\\nmet with; but these valuable jsperics of timbei have been so iiuicii in demand foi* ship\\nbuilding and connnerce that treeri of any size are rare. The must formidable obstacle the\\nfarmer meets in jirepariui;; i^round for cultivation is the saw palmetto, [cJuuiuerojjs serrn-\\nhtta) willi plaited palmate fronds and sharply serrate stipes. Tlie roots cover the surface\\nof the ground, and are removed by the slow process of the grubbing-hoe. Several spe-\\ncies of this genus of jialms afforded the Florida tribes food, wine, sugar, fruit, cabbage,\\nfans, darta, ropes, and cloth. Some have g(jod fruit, like plums others austere like d ates.\\nThey are now chiefly used to make hats, fans, baskets, and mats, witii the leaves.\\nThe land bordering on the Caloosahatchee river and its tributaries is accessible by ves-\\nsels drawiuCT not more than si.v feet; contains enough live-oak to sui)ply the navy of the\\nUinted States for a quarter of a century. Other valuable tind)er for ship-building is found\\nin the same locality. Such being llie natural udvanta ;-es which invito enterprise to this\\nquarter, there can be no doubt that when its agricultural resources are more generally\\nunderstood, southern Florida will be covered with a dense ])oimhition of thrifty farmers.\\nCuba, with almost a correspondin;^ climate, has several hundred ))lants which serve as a\\nbasis to her agriculture, such as grains, farinaceous roots, edible seeds, vegetables, salads,\\nsaucee, and fruits; the great staples of exjiortation sugar, cofi ec, and tobacco, plants for\\ndyes, yielding oil, suitable for cordage or cdoth, yieldino- 2,-ums and resins, good for tan-\\nning; grasses; and woods employed in various uses. Xow, it is well known that most of\\nthe productions of Cuba are growing in south Florida, ami, Avith cultivation, might be\\nmade to rival those of that- celebratecl Island. Sea Island cotton of a fine cpiality has\\nbeen produced in the very centre of the peninsula. Florida surpasses Cuba in variety\\nand delicacy of vegetable culture. At all seasons of the year beets, onions, egg-plants,\\ncarrots, lettuce, celery, Ac, are produced with the luost indifierent culture, wliile every-\\nthing that grows upon vines is in abundance and in great iierfection. Cabbages and Iri.sh\\npotatoes, if planted in Octolier, produce well. The former have been grown at Fort My-\\ners, a single head weighing forty pounds. Cattle, hogs and jioidtry increase astonishingly.\\nUntil the rebellion of the slave States, south Florida supplied the Havana market with\\nbeef at the rate of one thousand head jier month; besides considerable quantities were\\nshipped to the Bahamas, Key West, and Tortugas.\\nFLOllIDA FllUlTS.\\nIn view of the ])eculiar adaptation of Florida to the growth of tropical aud semi-trop-\\nical fruits, the following articles are extracted from the Reports of the Agricultural\\nDepartment of 1861 and 18(57\\nTHE FRUJTS OF FLORIDA.\\nHV GEO. W. .\\\\TW00D, ST. AUGUSTIXK, FLOKIDA.\\nIn considering the subject of this comnnmication, the writer would ju emise that com-\\nparatively few among our own peoj)le are aware that within less tlian 00 hours travel by\\nrailroad from New York citj in our own country, t.Jiere exists a fairy-like land of fruits\\nand flowers, not less beautiful, inviting, or attractive than that described by the dramatic\\npoet in his picture portraying the romantic and blissfuU abode which the ardent lover\\nhad prepared for his mistress ujjon the sliores of the Lake of Como, whose balmy breezes\\nand delightful atmosphere are ever redolent with the odorous perfumes of fragrant Hovv-\\ners, and ever-expanding blossoms of the orange, and where\\nthe lemon, orange, and the lime,\\nAmid their verdant umbrage countless jxlow\\nWith fragrant fruits of vegetable gold\\nand where .ill the semi-tropical fruits, as the orange, the leiiion, the lime, the citron, liie\\nolive, the fig, the pine apple, the banana, the guava, and the ]ialm are produced in greater\\nperfection of quality, llavor, size and form, than in tlie more tropical climate of the West\\nIndies and Brazil, and with less care and attention, and with greater exemption from the\\nvicissitudes of clinuite and the hazards of injury from the insect ti-ibe, than are the com-\\nmon fruits of the noi\\\\th, as the apple, the [tear, the peach, or tljje plum^\\nNearly everj^ forest and woodland, south of 80 deg. noi-th latitude, abound with ^rdvcp\\nof the wild orange, some of which arc of enormous extent.* It is from these sources that\\n*The writer of this vi.sited one of tliese groves in K;i- l- i-nidfi. ^^aid 1o he ten ii ih s\\nlong and varying from lialf a mile to a mile in widlli.", "height": "3180", "width": "1905", "jp2-path": "floridacolonist01flor_0079.jp2"}, "80": {"fulltext": "tlie miiauruus groveN of sweet, oranges, limes, lemons, hikI citrons lue collected, by diggln\\nthe wild trees of the Hour and bitter-sweet varieties in the forests and hammocks, and\\ntransplanting- them into groves, at uniform distancea, where the new shoots are permitted\\nto grow, and are then budded with the sweet orange, lemon, te, and thus are established\\ngroves of every variety intended for the supply of the market.\\nWhether the orange was introduced into Florida by the early Spaniards, or some un-\\nknown previous race, is yet a mooted question, and would require more space than the\\nlimited character of this article would admit, to give the views of tlie writer, or the dif-\\nferent theories of others on the subject.\\nThe orange or Citrus family of fraits, comprising all the varieties of the orange, citron,\\nlemon, lime, and shaddock, numbers more than 100 known varieties.\\nDr. Sickler, who spent six years in Italy, and paid great attention to the kinds and cul-\\nture of tlie C i/rus family, ])ublished at Weimar, in 1815, a quarto volume, called Volkom-\\nmene Orangerie Gartner, in which he describes 74 sorts. He arranges the whole into\\ntwo classes, and these classes into divisions and subdivisions, without regard to their bo-\\ntanical distinctions or species, as follows\\nLemons\\nedrats, or Citrons 4 sort?.\\nRound lemons (i\\nPear-shaped lemons 11\\nCylindrical lemons 4\\nGourd-shaped lemons 2\\nWax lemons 5\\nLumies lemons 8\\nCedrat, lemons or citronats t\\nLimes 4\\nOranges\\nBitter oranges\\nSour oranges G\\nSweet oranges 12\\nFew other classes of fruits are more easily propagated than the citrus, and all of the\\nspecies may be rapidly increased and produced either by seeds, cuttings, layers, grafting,\\nor budding the lime being the most difficult, and the citron the most easy of propaga-\\ntion. They differ from deciduous fruits in the respect that like always produces like, the\\nseed of every variety invariably producing its kind. hittiugs of tlirifty wood, two years\\nold, strike fibres as readily as younger wood, though the mode of propagating almost uni-\\nversally adopted in Florida is by budding upon young stocks from the nursery, or from\\nthe larger stocks obtixined from the forests. The citrus family of fruits is supposed to\\nhave originated in the warmer parts of Asia, anil to have derived its name from the town\\nof Citron, in Judea, though it has been cultivated from time immemorial in middle ant!\\nsouthern Europe, and is now cultivated almost throughout the world, and in no higher\\ndegree of perfection than in East Florida, south of the 30th deg. of north latitude.\\nThe Orange, {Gifrux aurantinin.) The cultivation of tlie orange in East Florida, pre-\\nvious to 1885, had attained a degree of considerable commercial importance, and the ex-\\nports of this fruit from the small citv of St. Augustine are salt! to liavc amounted to\\n-1100,000 annually.\\nOn the St. Johns river, and in some j)arts of West I lorida, as at Tampa Bay, groves\\nwere being established as a source of commercial supjily the west coast is not considered\\nas favorable for the cultivation of this fruit, on account of its rough winds, as is the east coast.\\nIn February, 1835, a very severe frost visited the State, antl most of the orange groves\\nand other semi-tiopical fruits Avcre destroyed, or nearly so, leaving only the stumps and\\nroots to spring again. Many of these sent up shoots, and began to encourage hopes of\\nreturning prosperity to this branch of industry. These hoj-tcs Avcrc not permitted to be\\nrealized, however, for, in 1842, an insect called the ornnr/e cocam, or scale insect, appeared\\nin the orange groves, and spread with great rajiidity over the whole country, almost to-\\ntally destroying every tree attacked. This terrible calamity continued for 10 or 12 years,\\nand bid defiance to almost every effort made to staj its blighting force. Many became\\ndiscouraged in the contest and abandoueil further attempts to re-establish this heretofore\\nagreeable an l profitable branch of industry. In 1853, hf)wever, the insect began to de-\\ncrease in numbers and finally disappeared, since which time most of the groves now in\\nthe State must date tlieir birth although there are jirobably not now 50 bearing trees,\\nwhere there were 1,000, (some of which were 100 years old,) prior to tlic great cold of\\n1835, when the mercury fell below zero, yet a new interest is being revived in the culti-\\nvation of this fruit, and new groves, probably not less Hum 50,000 trees, have been plant-\\nted in East Florida since the close of the rebellion.\\n*A more recent writer in Florida estimates that from 75,0()0 to l(jo,000 orange trees were\\ntransplanted and budded last year and at least 1 50,000 since the close of the rebpUiou. Ed.", "height": "3180", "width": "1905", "jp2-path": "floridacolonist01flor_0080.jp2"}, "81": {"fulltext": "13\\nTlic oran[;-c tVoin llic seed iiroducos i niit in iruui 1 to 10 year^i, dopoiidin^ upon aitua-\\ntion, culture, ifec. Groves made from wild stocks, usually cut off at a height of three to\\nfour feet from the ground, and the new shoots budded, generally produce fruit in three\\nyears. The number of oranges produced from a single tree varies from 100 to 10,000\\naccording to the age, situation, mid treatment of the tree. The trees are usually set 20\\nfeet apart, and an acre will contain about 100 trees. Florida oranges were usually sold,\\nprevious to 1835, at 7.50 to $10 per thousand. JTow a demand exists for twenty times\\nour present supply, at $15 to $20 per thousand, as they hang upon the trees. Tlie present\\nn\\\\imber of bearing trees in East Florida probably does not exceed 10,000.\\nTin: Lemox is produced in East Florida to a degree of perfection far surpassing the\\nsame fruit grown in the West Indies, Sicily, Italy, or Spain, and persons familiar with\\nthis fruit in those countries are rather disposed to discredit the statement that the lemons\\nof Florida are of tlie same variety of fruit. The writer has a Sicily lemon tree in his\\n\u00e2\u0080\u00a2arden, which, last season, produced many lemons that weighed 2J pounds each; and it is\\nnot an unusual circumstance to pick from the same tree lemons weighing 1| to If pounds\\neach. The lemon, lime, citron, and shaddock are all produced and propagated in Florida\\nin the same manner as the orange, and of a quality superior to those of other countries.\\nThe Lime, {Citrus limetta.) Tiiere are five of the acid varieties of this fruit named in\\nEnglish nursery catalogues. The juice of the lime is preferred to that of the lemon, as\\nbeing more wholesome and agreeable.\\nThe Citrox, {Citrus medica.) This fruit isjcomniercially known in the United States as a\\npreserved confection, imported from the Mediterranean in oblong boxes, weighing 20 to\\n25 pounds each, and used by families as an addition to fruit cakes, pies, c. It is a native\\nof the warm regions of Asia. Heretofore but little attention has been paid to the cultiva-\\ntion of this fruit in Florida, except for variety and ornament, and it is not usual to ob-\\nserve more than one or two trees in a lai-ge garden of several acres in extent, though it is\\ngrown here with tlie greatest ease and perfection, frequently producing fruit weighing 10\\npounds, and there is no doubt but that it may be cultivated, preserved, and introduced\\ninto our home markets as an article of commerce, with great profit to the producer.\\nThere is no other variety of this species so easilj propagated, and none more hardy, or\\ntliat yields its fruit so quickly, or produces more abundantly and the circumstance that\\nboth the fruit and the sugar for preserving it are produced in the same field, with equal\\nfacility, gives to the American cultivator n great advantage over the foreign producer in\\nour market. The citron prepared and jireserved by private families in Florida for home\\nuse is of much finer quality, lighter colored, and more transparent than the imported.\\nThe writer supposes that tlie citron fruit may be profitably grown and sold here in its\\ngreen state at four or five cents per pound. The price of sugar in Florida, before the\\nwar, ranged from four to six cents per pound, and at the same period the wliolesalc price\\nof the imported citron in New York, from 15 to 20 cents per pound, and now in the same\\nmarket the price is about 25 cents j)er pound.\\nIt will be apparent to most persons tiiat the cost of prdjjaring this fruit for market on\\na large scale need not be great, and that the combination of two ai ticles, green citron and\\nsugar, the cost of producing which does not exceed one-half their actual value, where the\\ntwo are combined, must leave a large margin of profit to those who engage intelligently\\nand with proper facilities in the business of cultivating and preparing this article for\\nmarket. The writer has several citron trees in his garden which produced fruit in one\\nyear from the bud in the stock of the sour or wild orange.\\nThe Shaddock, {Citrus dn-uiaana.) A native of India or China, is now cultivated in all\\nwarm climates, and is called Arancio Massino by the Italians, Granger Parapelmouse by\\nthe Frencli, and sometimes in this country Mock-orange, or Forbidden Fruit. It was\\nbrought from China to the West Indies by Captain Shaddock, from whom it derives its\\npresent name. There are at least six varieties, only one of which is useful or desirable\\nas a fruit. Some of these attain a very large size, frequently weighing 10 to 14 pounds.\\nIt is chiefly used for ornament or show, and where several sorts of oranges are presented\\nat dessert, it forms a striking addition to the varieties in the waj of contrast. The most\\ndesirable variety of this fruit is sometimes called Grape Fruit. It possesses a reddish\\npulp, with most agreeable sub acid sweetness, and is excellent for cpienching thirst and\\nfrom the thickness of its rind will keep longer than the fruit of any other of the citrus\\nfamily. This variety is well worth cultivating for the excellence of its solid vinous pulp,\\nwhich furnishes a substitute for other acid fruits in pies, tarts, jellies, c.\\nLoQUAT, {Eriohobiya Japonicu.) This fruit is known in the South as the Japan plum.\\nThe tree is an evergreen, and grows 10 to 12 feet high, and is desirable in every southern\\ngarden on account of its hardiness, withstanding a greater degree of cold than any of the\\nsemi-tropical fruits. It ripens its fruit in February and March, when most other fruits\\nare gone is a profuse bearer, and is readily propagated by seeds and cuttings.\\nVi-nv.-Xvv\\\\.v., {Auaiiassa sativa.) This fruit is grown in some of the gardens at St. Au-\\ngustine, but iit a point so far nortli some slight winter ]irotection is necessary. At", "height": "3180", "width": "1905", "jp2-path": "floridacolonist01flor_0081.jp2"}, "82": {"fulltext": "H\\nCfipc Cduavoral, loO miles soUlh of Su Augilstitie, it U bvotluceil ifl j^tcst 6sedJ at8 ais(i\\niperiection, the pines frequently weighing 9 and 10 pounds each, This fniit ie a\u00c2\u00abilv pro-\\npagated fi om suckers and crowns, tne former preferable, hoM ever, the fruit maturing; in\\nthree to four months after planting the suckers.\\nPapavv, {Carica papaya.) The fruit of this tree is bometimes called the Bread-fi uit, and\\nis a native of South America. This remarkable tree, though not much cultivated at the\\npresent time in Florida, is worthy of great attention, not only for the excellence of it^\\nfruit, but also for its other extraordinai-y properties. The tree attains a growth of 20 feet\\nin height, and j-ields a large supply of fruit in three years from the seed, and should bv\\nin every garden in Florida, south of 80 deg. north latitude. It thrives well and bear^\\nprofusely at St. Augu.\u00c2\u00abtine. The fruit is pear-shaped, of a light yellow color, rar^ ing in\\nsize from three to five inches in length and from two to four inches in diameter, and is not\\nunlike a very ripe muskmelon in taste and flavor, though sweeter. It may be pared and\\nsliced and eaten raw as a dessert fruit, or cut into slices and soaked in water till the milkj\\njuice is out, and then boiled and served as a sauce, or by the addition of lemon or lime\\njuice, it supplies a most excellent substitute for apple sauce or tart fruit, to which it is\\nscarcely inferior. The juice of the pulp also forms an excellent cosmetic for remoyinti,\\nfreckles from the skin, and the leaves are frequently used, in the French West India is-\\nlands, instead of soap for cleansing linen. Its remarkable medical properties, howevei-,\\nare most important, as it is the most powerful vermifuge known, a single dose of the milky\\njuice of the unripe fruit, or of the powdered seeds of the ripe fruit, being sufficient to curt-\\nthe worse cases, and extirpate every worm from the system of the patient.\\nThe most extraordinary property of tlie pawpaw tree, is that related by Dr. Browne, iti\\nhis Natural History of Jamaica, in which he says that the toughest meat or poultry ma_v\\nbe made perfectly tender for cooldng, by steeping for eiglit or ten minutes iu the milky\\njuice of this tree. Dr. Holden, who witnessed its effects in the island of Barbadoes, says,\\nin the third volume of the Wernerian Society s Memoirs, that the juice of this tree causes a\\nseparation of the muscular fibre in meats that have been immersed tlierein, and that tlie\\nvapor of the tree serves the same purpose, it being a common custom with the inhabitant.-\\nto suspend joints of moat, poultry, ifec, in tlie upper brandies of the trees to soften and\\nprepare them for cooldng. Thompson, in his System of Chemistry, makes an extract\\nfrom a French work on chemistry, entitled Annalea de Chimie, which states that fibrine\\nliad been previously supposed to belong exclusively to the animal kim.;nom, but thie tree\\nhad been found to contain this substance.\\nThe papaw tree is a perpetual bearer of fruits and flowers, blossoms, and yiddR enor-\\nmous quantities of fruit, a single tree supplying enough for a large family.\\nCustard Apple, {Anona retievlata..) Sometimes called sugar apple. There are upwards\\nof forty varieties of this fruit, and nearly all the si)ecies are edible. Almost every tropi-\\ncal country lays claim to its own favorite variety. In Peru it is greatly esteemed, and\\nconsidered not iuferior to any other fruit in the world. The species derives its English\\nname, Custard Apple, from the consistence of the i)ulp of the fruit, and its rich color, fra-\\ngrant odor, and handsome appearance, are well characterized in the expression, Apples\\nof gold in pictures of silver.\\nThe Spanish-American Cherimoyer, (Aimm r/ ermw/m,) and the AVest India Soursop,\\n(Anon amurlcn(a,) vf eetsop. (Anonn sqvMmosa,) and Alligator A^\\\\A {Anona jxilmtrix,)\\nare of this genus. This delicious fruit is produced in excellent perfection as far nortk nr-\\nSt. Augustine, and is easily propagated from seed.\\nFig-Marigold, {Mcsembri/aii(hem.vm.)\u00e2\u0080\u0094Oi this genius of fruit, tlicre are upwards of 840\\ndifferent species described by botanists, the larger ])ortion of which are natives of the\\nCape of Good Hope. Probably not moiG tlian ten or twelve varieties are known and cul-\\ntivated in Florida.\\nThe ease with which this excellent fruit is propagatot!, and its great productiveness,\\nyielding two annual crops in southern Florida, and always bearing abundantly through-\\nout the State, should be a sufficient inducement for the extension of this branch of horti-\\n(\u00e2\u0080\u00a2ulture for the supply of our home market at least. It is easily propagated from cuttings\\nand seeds.\\nGuAi.vvA, {Psidlumf/ /aiam.) The name. Guaiava, is a corrnptleu of the Spanish word\\nffuai/nba. Of this friiit there are 1 7 different species. It is an evergreen tree or shrub,\\nand indigenous to Brazil, Spanish America, and the West In lie.\u00c2\u00bbi. It is propai^ated by\\ncuttings and seed, and is sometimes liable to injury from severe frosts north of 28 deg.\\nnorth latitude, but south of that line it is ever bearing, yielding its delicious, aromatic,\\nand wholesome fruit all the yeai- roiiufi. Only three nr i our varieties are known nnd cul-\\ntivated in Florida.\\nIn the island of Cuba, and in Brazil, tlie varieties produced are more numerous, and\\nlarge quantities of the fruit are made into jellies for exportation to all parts of the wftrld.\\nTlie fruit of the common Guaiava is pear-shaped, of the size of a large hen s egg, and\\nsometimes larger, and has a smooth, pale yellow skin, inclosing a many-seeded pnip \u00c2\u00abf", "height": "3180", "width": "1905", "jp2-path": "floridacolonist01flor_0082.jp2"}, "83": {"fulltext": "(\u00e2\u0096\u00a0Itlicioiw aciciKj. lu some vaiieties the \\\\m\\\\\\\\) is of a light cream, and in others a pal\u00c2\u00ab\\nr\u00c2\u00bbd lish foloi This fruit is \u00c2\u00bbTeatly esteemed wherever known, and being- slightlj astrin-\\nii,eut, as well as mucihi^inous, is very beneficial in bowel complaints. The roots and\\nfeaves are aUo astringciit, and are re-;arded as excellent for strengthening the stomach\\nand bowels. The plant is propagated by needs, cnttiug-s and suckers.\\nPoMKGRANAiE, {Pit /I iccc ffrmiatuin. )\u00e2\u0080\u0094This. delicious shrub, or bush-like tree, is a native of\\nPersia and Syria, and s^rows wild in those countries. It is perfectly liardy in all parts of\\nFlorida, and as fur north as Hilton Head, South Carolina, and is widely cultivated and\\nmncli esteemed in tliis State for the excelletioe of its fi uit, a\u00c2\u00ab well as for the medicinal\\nl)ro2 erties of the rind and the flowers, which are not only an excellent febrifuge, but pow-\\nerful astringents, aaid often used with groat benefit iu cases of diarrlia-a. Tlie pulp of the\\nfriiit is a delicious sub-acid substance, similar in taste and flavor to the retl currant, and\\nis excellent for allaying Iieat and quenching thirst, and is gently laxitive. The fi uit of\\nthe iX)megrauato is splierical, the size of an orange, with a gourd-like shell or rind, which\\nis filled with s ?eds, enclosed in membranous cells and surrounded with a juicy, reddish\\npulp. There arc several varieties of this fruit, comprising early, medium, and late. The\\ncarlj- and the medium varieties have a pale yellow skin or rind, with a beautiful tinge of\\nred upon the side or cheek, and are sparcely dotted with fine pippin-like spots. The lat-\\nter sorts have a dark russet-colored rind, and the seeds are of a pale pink color. This\\ntree bears a beautifid urn-shaped scarlet flower and there is no tree more showy than\\nthe pomegranate when in flower.\\nThe fruit begins to ripen at St. Augustine, Florida, about the middle of July, and con-\\ntinues until the middle of December. It bears transportation well on account of its hard\\nrind, keeps for several weeks after it has been taken from the tree, and no doubt may be\\nmade a profitable mai-ket fruit, it is increased by cuttings, layers, and suckers, and\\nthrifty wood two years old strikes fibres as readily as younger wood.\\nBaxana, {Muxa pnradhiaca.) Of the banana and plantain, (Mum mpienUim,) there arc\\nseveral gpccien. lliey are increased by suckers, and require a rich, moist soil, with\\nwarm exposure. Some varieties of these plants are successfully cultivated as far north as\\nFernandina, in :J0 deg. 45 min north latitude. The best variety for cultivation north of\\n28 deg. north latitude is the one known as Muxu paradisiaea cavendhJtii.. This is the most\\nhardy, and seldom attains a height above eight feet, while the more tender kinds often\\ngrow twenty feet high. When the plant is fruiting, and all the flowers are set, it is ad-\\nvisable to cut off the spadix an inch or two above the last tier of pei fectly formed fruit,\\nin order to hasten and perfect the remaining fruit.\\nThere are few more excellent or delicious dessert fruits than the banana, and, as a food\\nplant, its importance and value, as compared with other food plants, can hardly be over-\\nestimated. In aii economical point of view it has never been appreciated in Florida,\\nwhere but little attention has been ^ven to its eultiration. When it is realiiied that a\\nplantation of bananas once established has never to be renewed, and that one acre of this\\nfruit will produce as much food as ISO acres oi wheat, or 45 acres of potatoes, its value\\nand impoi-tance will be readil} acknowledged. As this plant is a great feeder, and when\\nonce planted lasts for a lifetime, it is of the utmost importance that plantings should be\\nmade upon stTong, ricli soil, or that the plants be kept highly manured, to secure perma-\\nnent supplies of the best fruit.\\nIn Brazil and other tropical countries, jilantatious are formed by setting the pliints\\ntwenty feet apart; but as the kinds usually planted in those countries are of a larger spe-\\ncies than those recommended for orthern Florida, plants of the Mumi jxiradliiaca caven-\\ndijihii variety should be set ten fe\u00c2\u00abt apart each way, and in a good soil tliey will soon\\ncover the ground, as they increase rapitlly under favorable circumstances. Each plant\\nproduces one, and only one, bunch of bananas, when it is cut down with a sharp spade or\\naxe to give place to succeeding jilants.\\nWhen the enormous yield of this fruit is cousidereil, and it is taken into account, that\\nwhen once properly planted it needs no other attention than simply gatliering the fruit,\\nand tliat at reasonable prices the demand be almost unlimited, it is evident that its culti-\\n\\\\ation could be made very profitable.\\nr ATE Palm, {Phornix dactylifera.) This excellent and vuluaWi! IVuit is cultivated with\\nentire success south of 28 deg. north latitude, and the tree often p-crfects its fruit as far\\nnorth as JiO deg. north latitude. Numerous large and beautiful specimens of this tree may\\nbe seen iu the garrh-ns at St. Augustine. It is one of the most beautiful trees of the vege-\\ntable kingdom. Its long, graceful, evcr-vordant, ever-waving, ever-changing branches\\nmake it the most i)ictnresque of all others for landHca]K gai-dening, and shov.ld adorn the\\ngrounds of v\\\\{\\\\v\\\\ homestead in Florida.\\nThe fruit is greatly ami justly esteemed by the inhabitants of l^gypl, ^Vral/ia, anil\\nria, on account of its concentrated and nutritious properties; large numbers subsist ai\\nmost entirely upon it. It is generally the sole food of the Arabs and tlu-ir camels nu\\ntheir long an I ter]ious journeys over the desort, tha voyagers feeding upon tJiP iVuit and", "height": "3180", "width": "1905", "jp2-path": "floridacolonist01flor_0083.jp2"}, "84": {"fulltext": "T6\\nthe animals upon the stones. The inhabitants of these countries also boast of the medi-\\ncinal qualities of the date fi uit, and of the numerous uses to which the diflferont produc-\\ntions of this tree may be ajjplied. From the leaves they make couches, baskets, bags,\\nmats and brushes from the branches or stalks, cages for their poultry and fences for their\\ngardens from the fibres of the trunk, thread, ropes and rigging; from the sap, a spiritu-\\nous liquor, and the body of the trees furnish fuel.\\nThe date-palm is j)ropagated from the seeds and suckers, but more successfullj- from the\\nformer. The cultivation of this fruit should be greatly extended, as it may become an\\nimportant and profitable resource of the inhabitants of Southern Florida. The bunches\\nor clusters of this fruit often attain a weight of 15 pounds.\\nGrapes, Vitis.) The finer European varieties of this fruit, such as are cultivated un-\\nder glass at the North, are all hardy and are grown more or less successfully in the open\\nair in Florida, ripening at St. Augustine about the first of July. But the same diseases\\nwhich have affected this valuable fruit in other countries, and in our own, have been more\\nor less prevalent here. The northern or native varieties have not been suflRciently tested\\nto form a correct estimate of their value, as compared with their European rivals, for cul-\\ntivation in this climate.\\nSeveral vineyards, consisting of northern A ines, were established on the St. Johns river\\njust previous to the breaking out of the rebellion, during which they were abandoned,\\nand their cultivation has not since been properly or actively resumed. It is believed,\\nhowever, bj some who profess to know, that many of the northern varieties will succeed\\nwell in this climate, and that their introduction will prove an advantage.\\nEast Florida is generally flat, however, and the mean level of water in the ground only\\ntwo to eight feet from the surface, according to the season, wet or dry and as the vine\\nimperatively demands a uniformly dry, calcareous or rocky soil, and to insure the bfest\\ncondition for its successful propagation should never stand in water, it would seem that\\nFlorida is not the natui-al home of the grape, and that intelligent and experienced vine-\\ngrowers would not select it for the purpose of establishing vineyards, with the expecta-\\ntion of complete success.\\nThe Peach, (Amj/c/dahis Persica.) This tree is long-lived, healthy, and vigorous\\nthrougout Florida, and is never subject to injuries from the peach worm or the diseases\\nwhich so universally afflict the fruit in the Nortliern States. The most delicious peaches\\nmay be raised almost without care by every family, and in abundance sufficient even for\\nthe economical feeding of swine. The early varieties of this fruit ripen in the beginning\\nof June, and the latest sorts continue until late in August. The earliest and the latest\\nvarieties should be choosen for cultivation in Florida, as the rainy season commences in\\nJuly and continues throughout that month, causing much of the maturing fruit to crack.\\nThe Nectarine, {Amyydalus Persica,) the Apricot, {Pnmus Armeniaca,) and the Al-\\nmond, {Amygdalus comniums,) are all at home in Florida, and not less vigorous, healthy,\\nox productive than the peach; and all who will take the trouble to plant and care for the\\ntrees may be assured of an abundant reward.\\nThe Plu-V, {Primus dmne-stica,) and Prune, (Prunus domeMica,) are also healthy and pro-\\nductive, being entirely exempt from the ravages of the curculio so prevalent at the north.\\nAll the varieties of the wild plum are indigenous and abundant in nearly every part of\\nthe State. Many of the varieties are of excellent quality, and, when cooked, form a de-\\nlicious preserve for family use or for canning.\\nPears, {Pip-us commitiiis,) and Quinces, {Cydonia vulffiirh,) are worthy of more attention\\nthan they have heretofore received. It is believed that some varieties of the former will\\ndo well, but as yet their cultivation has not been sufficiently tested to fix their status\\namong the fruits of Florida.\\nApples, {Pynis malm.) The cultivation of tliis fruit here is of doubtfal utilitjr, though\\nit is believed that some of the earlier varieties may be advantageously introduced. Tlie\\nwriter has a dozen young trees in his garden, planted two years since, which are growing\\nthriftily and give excellent promise.\\nThe Olive, {Oka Europaa,) succeeds avcU in more northerly parts of Florida, and this\\nyear fine crops have been gathered at St. Augustine; but it is believed that the latitude\\nof Fernandina is more favorable to their successful cultivation tiian the former point.\\nThe Madeira Nut, or European walnut, {.Taglans nyia,) and the Pecau nut, {Carya ollvi-\\nformis,) succeed well and produce abundantly as far south as St. Augustine, and at Key\\nWest, the Cocoanut, (Cores \u00c2\u00ab?/c//Vr\u00c2\u00ab,) and Brazil nut, {BerthoUetia exceha,) attain their\\nhighest degree of perfection.\\nMelon, {Ououmis.) Floridians think, and often remark, that this fruit is nowhere else\\nproduced in such high perfection as in Florida. The watermelon, {Cacutnis cifridfim,) ma-\\ntures as early as May at St. Augustine, and might be made a jirofitable source of supply\\nto northern markets from this place.", "height": "3180", "width": "1905", "jp2-path": "floridacolonist01flor_0084.jp2"}, "85": {"fulltext": "11\\nCULTURE OF THE OKA!sGE AND CITRON.\\n!!V LAIRA I Ri;i)I j;X, SOUUKNTO, ITALV.\\nIt lias beou remarks d by scientific observers who have given attentiun to the subject,\\nthat very nearly all, if not all, the. different climates which predominate in the various\\ncountries forming the continent of Enro{ e, with their different gradations of heat and\\ncold, maybe found within the limits of the territory comprised by the United States.\\nExperience has shown that those latitudfes in which tlie temperature is most free from\\nthe extremes of heat and cold, are the most favorable to the perfect growth, health and\\ndevelopment both of the animal and the vegetable kingdom. The climate of some por-\\ntions of southern Italy is especially noted as possessing this much-prized jjeculiarity and\\nin such places vegetal)le life reaches a high degree of perfection, and has that peculiar\\ngloss} dark-green foliage which is never met with in the arid atmosphere of more torrid\\nlatitudes. The orange and citron jiarticularly display great profusion of growth. Among\\nthe many vast and undeveloped resources of the United States which may be regarded\\nas still in their minority when the question of utilizing their wonderful natural advan-\\ntages is considered is their capacity as a fruit-growing region, especially the adaptation\\nof the southern portion of tiiem for the production of the more valuable fruits peculiar to\\nwarm climates, and still more particularly for the cultivation of orange and of citron\\nl^lantations, there remains a wide and unopen field for agricultural enterprise and specu-\\nlation.\\nThe languishing condition of certain agricultural interests in the Southern States\\nwhich will in all likelihood be years in recovering from the injuries received, and in\\nadapting themselves successfully to the changed state of afi airs makes it necessary that\\nnew and unexplored veins in the undisturbed mines of our natural riches should be struck\\ninto and followed up to atone for the deficit made by the temporary stagnation of southern\\ntrade. I maintain that a great deal might be obtained from the orange and citron plan-\\ntations of the South to go to the filling up of this vacuum, if the cultivation of these fruits\\nwere only followed up as a specialty, in the best manner, and in an emulative spirit.\\nThat this is not the case now, and never has been, is but too clearly proved by the fact\\nthat at the present time, witli such wide stretches of land covered by orange groves in\\nour Southern States, we still continue to do a large business in importing oranges and\\ncitrons from foreign countries.\\nThe little plainof Sorrento, wliich is the orang e garden of the Neapolitan provinces,\\nexports annually large quantities of fruit to America. I propose to speak particularly of\\nthe method of cultivating these fruits employed in Sorrento as it came under my personal\\nobservation.\\nTo those sldlled in this special luMiuh of agriculture, my observations may be of but\\nlittle value; but to those who may think of buying up some of the deserted and ravaged\\nlands now lying idle in the south for th. purpose of speculation in orange plantations, a\\nfew practical observations on climate and mode of culture may be very useful as a guide.\\nA peopla who have for generations lived and died planting, and rearing, and harvesting\\noranges and citrons, sliould from their experience have something to tell us worth learn-\\ning, especially when we, in comparison with them, are just beginning.\\nThe more common and vigorous species, both of the orange and citron, attain to so\\nhigh a degree of excellence in the plain of Sorrento, that a simplified description of its\\nclimate and situation will be found useful. A French scientific writer has called this re-\\ngion not inaptly the Normandy of southern Italy, because Normandy is tlie province of\\nFrance in whic^ii the climate is most bracing and temperate, and Ihc people most robust\\nand vigorous.\\nThe plain of Sorrento, entirely and thickly covered witli tlie foliay,e ot ileuse orange\\ngroves, leaving but scanty space for the very narrow streets of its villages, is encircled\\n,and shielded ou three sides by high hills, and open only to the sea on the north and the\\nwinds which have the freest access to it are from the north and northwest. From the\\nsouth, the southeast, southwest, and northeast winds it is in great measure exempt, and\\nthey never reach it until their violence is, in some moas;ire, broken.\\nThis fact, the stillness of its atmosphere, and its situalion it being a ba.^in or valley\\nwith a high rim, formed by the crescent-shaped hills, and stretching down to the sea, to\\nwhich, however, it does not slope, as a high line of cliffs rise abrupll} from the beach,\\nand the plantations run down to the edge of these precipices preuisi)Oj*e its climate to\\nhumidity and it would, indeed, be very damp but for those north and northwest winds\\nof which I have spoken, which blow with sufhcient frequency to keej) it cool, and main-\\ntain the soil in that desirable state between complete humidity and too great dryness,\\nwhich is the great ultimatum in the successful culture of acid fruits. Orange and citron\\ntrees need a soil inclining to humidity, a temperature not too high, (for that would be\\ndrying) but rather cool, and a? oven as possible, ftud rotcction fwm violent winds. Ir-", "height": "3180", "width": "1905", "jp2-path": "floridacolonist01flor_0085.jp2"}, "86": {"fulltext": "78\\nregularity of temperatwre, suiideu cbuuges tVoni heat to oUi aud Hit ruYerst-, are tli\u00c2\u00ab\\ngreatest enemies to their euccessfiU culture.\\nRain ialls in Sorrento with much greater frequency than is generally tupporfed, and\\nduring the dry qiell, want of rain is compensated by constant vapor rising from the sea.\\nI state tliis to comiteract the erroneous impressinn that a very tropical climate is nece^i-\\nsary for the cultivation of acid fruits. If by \\\\evy tropical is meant a hurning and\\nparching heat, the deKcrii)tiou Avill not apply to tliis part of southern Italy, along the sea-\\nl)oard. The sea is eonstsintly sending, on the wings of the wind, mist and vapor to re-\\nfresh the land. The stm drinks up daily nujiplies of moisture, but they are renewed\\nnightlj Then, too, the greatest quantity of rain in the region about Sorrento falls dur-\\ning the last houi-s of the night and the iir.st of the morning. A great quantity fails, but\\nthe coimtrj by its soil and situation, lias every facility for drainage, and most of it runs\\notf or sinks in at once, and the sun of early morning soon dries up the remainder. So\\nthat from one day to another you would think it did not rain, if you were not a careful\\nobserver, and you would wonder how the country could be kept so green and fresh, quite\\ndamp in shady places, and so free from dust. I state these facts because some researches\\ninto peculiarities of climat\u00c2\u00ab are necessary to arrive at a knowledge of what situations and\\nwhat conditions of atmosphere aj-e most favorable to this species of agriculture.\\nThe time chosen for the culture of the oi-ange and citron should be cluring rainy or damp\\nweather, free from dry and frosty winds. Nothing is more unfavorable to them than cold,\\nstrong winds, or spells of freezing weather oi frost. Let the time be selected for planting\\nout the young trees be still and damp. They should be shielded against the possibility of\\nbeing shaken by the winds, chilled by chaiiges of temperature, or put back by too great\\ndryness.\\nA very liglit soil is the best in which to plant, the young trce\u00c2\u00ab. A clayey soil is preju-\\ndicial. When the earth contains too many parts of clay, the peculiar species of soil\\nwhich is found close around and madei old and decayed buildings on their demolition,\\nrich with rotten wood and other vegetable and animal matter, will he found highly bene-\\nficial as a mixture. Even iu heavy soil one mav succeed Avell, provided that the soil be\\nvery frequently moved, and kept constantly liglit. and soft about thf roots to facilitate\\ntheir spreading and growth.\\nThe next question to be considered iu that of niauuring the tietv. Tliey lequire a great\\ndeal of manure, but it muet be administered with care ajid pimdeuce. Tlie best manure\\nfor them is that of horses and cattle, but it is never to be applied in the raw state. For\\nit should be understood that these trees are always so dnlicate, especially when in their\\ninfancy, that a strong manure would injure, and, in many cases, destroy, tlieni, as it burns\\nup the delicate fibres of their roots. The proper method of preparing a compost for\\nthese trees is to thi ow the manure into pits prepared for the purpose, where it should be\\nmixed with vegotablc mattei- of diffei cnt kinds, putrid and decaying lea.ves and the like,\\nand remain a If^ ijer or shorter time jji order to diminish iti strenglh- The prudent cul-\\ntivator will usuiidy have manure in his pit\u00c2\u00ab. In some it will be in process of pr*i aratioii.\\nand in others in readiness for application at all timcfi as it may be needed.\\nThe best time for appljnng this reduced manure is during the rainy season in the fall\\nof the year, that the i-ains by dissolving it may carry the nutrition which it contains down\\nto the roots of the trees. It is the custoni to give a thorough and general manuring to\\nthe plantations only once in the year, and, i;s I liavc said, in the rainy season of autumn.\\nBut the same pi-udent miltivafor before alluded to will always have the proposed compost\\nin readiness in the pits at all seasons of the year, the summer months excepted, to be dis-\\ntribi;ted judiciously about those plants which, ))elng more delicate and less forward than\\nothers, require more care and nursing. After nnddng these statements I shall have no\\noccasion to warn cultivators against the use of guano, and to prohibit its employment iu\\nsoil where the orange and i^itron are cultivated, us it is altogether too strong a manure,\\nand would be j)eculiarly dangerous to young and deljcate tree^^.\\nThere are two rnethoils of propagating the orange and citron. Tlie first of these its\\nlechnically called by the Italians teste, that is, from the head. This consists in\\nplanting out the young branches of the young orange or citron, care having been taken\\nbefore severing tliem from tho tree to nnike tiiom. put forth their roots in u kind of vase of\\nearth which is bound around tlunn at the junction where they art; to Jjc separated. But\\nthis method is now almost abandoned, experience having proved tliat the trees thus pro-\\npagated are never .strong ajid long-lived like those produced from the seed of a tite whiclt\\nlias not been proj)agated by a cutting. They do not so well resist changes of temperature,\\nn jr do they benr IVuit for so many years, n jr in so great a quantity as the trees propa-\\ngated IVoMi tlu. seed. Tlie best mode of proijagating, therefore, is to take the young plant\\nproduced from the seed of a wild oi-ange ov citron tree. These little plants, of course, arc\\nalways springing up ovei plantations, and must have their share of attention.\\nIt should be remembered, however, that an orange tree is always wild, and produces in\\nUe natuvfll istate only soni- fruit, uutil a scion of a cultivated tree, one bearing swefrt. fruit.", "height": "3180", "width": "1905", "jp2-path": "floridacolonist01flor_0086.jp2"}, "87": {"fulltext": "tvh \u00c2\u00abh Jwjmens lo tt trcu origiuaily nllil only nl tcr ycJU s ot cuUhittioe, h s been jjiaite^J\\nupon !t. The young plantis produced from the seed of the wild or uncultivated tree, after\\nuine or ton years have elapsed from the tiuio the seeds fifst pushing up shoots, must ha\\nii:rafted iu order to produce sweet fruit. This consists in uniting a young and tender\\nbranch of a cultivated tree, bearing sweet fruit, with the young wild tree in such a man-\\nner that the sap of the two will commingle and tlie wood grow together; the scion receiv-\\ning the sap of the wild tree will bear sweet fruit. The grafting must be done as expe-\\nilitiousl} as possible, as it is necessary that the branch to be grafted upon the wild tree\\nnhould be united with it while freshly cut, and before losing any of its vigor.\\nTlie process of grafting orange trees is a science by itself, of which it is necessary lo\\niiave u practical knowledge. In Sorrento even old and experienced cultivators do not at-\\ntempt it themselves, but always have recourse to a class of men whoso avocation it is lo\\ngo from plantation to plantation to perform the process of grafting upon the trees and\\nto do it successful!} one must first learn it practically from an experienced grafter.\\n1 should have stated before that the young plants during the first nine or ten years of\\ntheir life should be kept Mell weeded, the earth around them soft, light and damp, and\\nlightly manured. At the end of the fourth year tliey are separated by thinning out where\\nI hey have naturally sprung up closely together, and transplanting the young trees about\\ntwo feet apart, into earth which has been dug up and broken to the depth of two feet,\\nand the same treatment as before is continued for them. After seven or eight years,\\ncounting always from the time of the coming up of the seed, a selection is made of the\\ntinest and most robust plants, and they are transplanted to a separate site at the distance\\nof about three feet three inches one from another, and the same cultivation is continued\\nfor two or three years, according to the backwardness or forwardness manifested, and\\nthen they are grafted according to the method which I have before described. After they\\nare grafted they remain two years longer imdisturbed before !)eing transplanted to the\\nsite where they are to remain permanently.\\nThree j ears after this final transplantation they prothice, ordinarily, their first friul\\nthus it will be seen that young nui-scry jdants produced from the seed sliould be grafted\\nfive years before the time at whi(^h they produce fruit. Calculating from these facts, a\\nyoung tree produces fi-uit 14 or 15 years from the time that the seed sprouts up. A prom-\\nising young tree narc^fully cultiv.ited will produce during it\u00c2\u00ab first year from 20 to 2.\\noranges.\\nIt must be borne in nilnd tliat, in all the various operations just described, the earth\\nnmst always be well spaded and hood previous to transplantation, and nnist be kept so to\\nfacilitate the spreading of the young and tender roots. The cjuality of the soil and the\\ncare wliich is bestowed upon the young plant will retard or abridge more or less the pe-\\nriod at which the tree bears its first fruit. Of course this method of propagating from\\nthe seed can be rendered less tedious by transi)lanting young wild trees, which will be\\nfound ready to the hand in the various stages of growth, and grafting tlie sweet fruit-\\nbearing tree upon them.\\nWhen a considerable number of young trees arc to be planted permanently, or a planta-\\ntion to be laid out, there are several mcthod. 5 of jjlanting. But no matter what the dis-\\ntances may be which are fixed upon to be left between the plants, they should bo adhei ed\\nto with mathematical regularity. One methofl is to plant two orange trees and two citron\\ntrees at regular distances, forming a square, and in the centre of this square to place an\\nolive tree or a nut tree, or any other iniit-bearin^- tree whose presence will not interfere\\nwith the cidture of tlie acid fruits.\\nThe Italians call this jdanting co/qnaiiro. In this case 1(5 feet and .1 inches are left be-\\ntween the trees. But if it is not desired to plant a tree in the centre of the square, about\\n13 feet distant from tree to tree will (.iiflicicnt. Tht following diagrams may give\\nflight idea of these two methods\\nI 16ffc. a in. IGft. Gin. 13^, l-f\\nP d\\nf lOft. n in. f 16 ft.. 3 in.\\nThe l,\u00c2\u00abat method is to leave the centre vacant .\u00c2\u00abo as not to crowd the trees when full\\n^rown; but if preferred for the purpose of Pronmnimui; \u00c2\u00abpa. e. it i* best 1i\u00c2\u00bb plant a filth", "height": "3180", "width": "1905", "jp2-path": "floridacolonist01flor_0087.jp2"}, "88": {"fulltext": "so\\nIi ee in the centre ul the \u00c2\u00bbqiuii e in iu eference let it bo an oraMi;u tree ur cilrun tree, as It\\nis not best to mix othei trees with those bearing acid fruits.\\nWhen tlie young tree has borne fruit for six years it is considered full grown. The\\nSorrentines have a sort of basket which is used as a measure for the fru:t. This is called\\nthe colletta, which will hold about luO oranges or citrons. This is used in gathering the\\nfruit. When the fruit of one tree tills the basket that tree is considered full grown.\\nFrom that time the yield continually increases until the tree gives ten baskets full that\\nis to say, 1,000 oranges, when it is considered at the height of its fruit-bearing capacity.\\nThis usually occurs about the twenty-fifth year of its age, counting always from the seecl.\\nThe trees, however, do not bear uniformly the same quantity of fruit every year. For\\nthis reason the harvest is considered complete only every two years and note should be\\ntaken of those years when the tree is resting, especially the year after a very full harvest,\\nwhen the tree will 3 ield but little fruit comparatively. An orange tree in its natural or\\nwild state, before being subjected to cultivation and grafting, is called in Italian cedran-\\ngolo. I will make use of the word hereafter in speaking of such trees, as we have no\\nword in the English language which will so conveniently designate the species meant.\\nAn orange tree which is the product of the seed of the cedrangolo, and which has been\\ngrafted, is very long-lived, and has the advantage in this respect over every other species,\\nbeing stronger, more vigorous and better able to resist all accidents of temperature. One\\nmay calculate on 60 or 70 j-ears as the limit of its fruit-bearing capacity, in proportion\\nto the vigor and natural superiority of the plant, always bearing in mind the possibility\\nof some unusual cold or freezing spell which may impair the vitality of the tree. These\\npossibilities excepted, the preceding figures give the correct limit of the period during\\nwhicli the tree bears fruit.\\nAn orange tree, therefore, under the best method of cultivation and favorable circum-\\nstances, will tlourish for 75 or 85 years from the time of the planting of the seed after\\nthat it may be considered as a cumberer of the ground. But its usefulness even then is\\nnot at au end. The wood of the orange tree is much prized by the workers in inlaid\\nwoods in Sorrento for its beauty, duraoility, and peculiar fragrance, and always brings a\\nfair price. The most beautiful articles are made from it. Its hardness renders it suscep-\\ntible of high polish and elaborate carving.\\nThe tree which is produced by the operation called teste, before referred to, is much\\n.shorter-lived, being much less hardy. After 80 years, it begins to grow old, and is con-\\nsidered as having passed its prime, while on the contrary the tree produced from the seed\\nof the cedrangolo resists more successfully all the variations of temperature, and even\\ngreat negligence in its culture.\\nOrange and citron plantations must be thoroughly dug over twice a j ear. The best\\ntimes for this ojieration are just before the conmici\\\\cement of the rainy seasons in the\\nspring and the fall. A kind of circular ditch, or pit, is left at the foot of the tree, in which\\nthe manure is deposited, and which serves for receiving the rain and facilitating its pas-\\nsage to the roots of the tree, while at the same time it carries along with it the nutriment\\ncontained in the layer of manure through which it percolates to reach the roots. These\\nholes around the trees are called, in the Sorrento idiom, scalzatine, and it is both useful\\naud important to make them about the trees frequently at other seasons of the year, es-\\npecially when, after a long drought, rain is expected. In regard to jirunning, it should\\nbe known that trees bearing acid fruits, especially the orange and citron, cannot be pruned\\nlike otlier fruit-bearing trees. Those branches alone which are sterile and give no promise\\nof fruit, after a fair trial, should be lopped off. This is done to concentrate and increase\\nthe vigor of the tree, but requires much prudence and discrimation.\\nThe orange tree bears fruit only once a year. It flowers in tlie inonth of May. Six\\nmonths are required to ripen the fruit, at the very least; but to mature it thoroughly be-\\nfore gathering, the fruit hangs on the boughs until December. In climates where the tem-\\nperature of late autumn and early winter nights may be severe enough to injure the fruit,\\nit can be gathered in September, as it will ripen after gathering. This is the rule in Sor-\\nrento, where a considerable trade is carried on in exporting oranges and citrons in sailing\\nvessels to America.\\nThe fruit is gathered in September, while yet green, and being wrapjied separately in\\nvery light paper, is carefully packed in wooden cases and shipped upon a voyage which\\nlasts several weeks and on reaching their destination they are found fresh, sweet and\\nquite ripe. This does them no harm, but, in fact, im})roves their flavor, as an orange\\nplucked before quite ripe and kcjit for some time is superior to one just from the tree.\\nThe latter has a crude and acid taste, which is lost by keeping. The distinguished quali-\\nty of the oranges of Sorrento is that, from the jiecnliarity of the soil, they contain more\\nspirit and flavor and a stronger essence than those of Spain, Sicily, Calabria, or even of\\nthe neighboring })rovinces of Salerno; this peculiar quality renders them more suitable\\nfor packing for long voyages. A fruit which is perfect in taste when taken from the\\nbough, is almost sure to have lost its flavor and to become insi[)id after having been\\nkept for a lime Viut the orann-es of Sorrento are the revei se of this.", "height": "3180", "width": "1905", "jp2-path": "floridacolonist01flor_0088.jp2"}, "89": {"fulltext": "si\\niiiy one. snacit s o* cirnHi^o h I scogtikcd ns being cultivated in Son flnto. Thare ia the\\nbiooil oran^ej m it in calied, which. oU beln^ cnt open, is found pMfoctly aanguino iuhuc\\nbttt thia is not considcfed \u00c2\u00ab9 a different apecicH, iind is identical in taste vritli the ordinn-\\n\u00e2\u0096\u00a0TV omv^e of Son-eiito, which attains a great size, and gro\\\\v3_ t^iriftilv. The skin ia very\\nthick on being first gatliered, but becomes thinner with keeping.\\nrhe Mandarin, that little beauty, v.ith its delicate and fragrant rind and delicious tla-\\nvov, does not succeed well in Italj-, nor anywhere outside of Sicily, and is only cultivated\\niis a fancy fruit in Sorrento bj- some growers who can afford tlie time and care necessary.\\n;is thetrcH which produces it is most delicate and sensitive, and a peculiar soil is needed\\nto bring the fruit tp perfection.\\n!n the island of Ischia, thel^raudarin has been lijund to succeed better than anywhere\\nelse in the Italian provinces. In otlier places its flavor is degenerated. The difference\\nia the lineness of texture of the rind, and in the size and flavor, is so great as to render\\nit difficult to believe tliat they belong to tlie sa)ne species.\\nNeither the climate nor the soil of Sorrento is favorable to tlie Mandarin, which re-\\nquires a particular sort or culture, and, wherever a plantation of Mandarins is iouud tliere,\\nit, is necessary to cover the trees with ntets in the winter time and otherwise protect them\\nfrom the cold. They also require a very light manure, different from that used for the\\nconunon trees, which must be frequently and carefully employed,\\nThere is one interesting operation in connection with the cultivation of the orange tree,\\nwhich I have now a good opport Anity of mentioning. Tliis is the grafting of the citron\\niipon the orrfhge, or rather the coinbination of the two fruits upon one tree. This ia not\\nprofitable in a practical point of view, and is solely a matter of fancy for tiie sake of the\\nnovelty of having two kinds of fruit upon one tree. I was Siorely perplexed/ when I lir^-t\\nsaw orangey andciti ons botli growing tJiickly upon one tree. It is identical with tlie\\noperation called teste, before mentioned a young braucli of the citron tree is coupled\\nwith th^young branch of an orange tree, both fresbly cut and united in such a manner\\nth rt the sap of the two will commingle. All that has been said in regard to the culti^ r-\\ntion of the orange tree applies strictly to the cultivation of the citron.\\nTliere is this difference between the two fruits the tree Avliich produces the orange is\\nmore delicate than that which produces the citron. Eut the fruit of the citron tree is\\nmore delicate than that of the orange tree. Take for illustration an orange tree and a\\ncitron tree, laden with fruit during the winter time. At tha very slightest frost the frnii.\\nof the citron will suffer, and lose its juice, but the trai which bears it, will more successful-\\nly resist the cold, while on the contrary, the cold v/ill not much injure the orapgo fruit,\\nwill prove dangerous to the tree.\\nunderst.md whjf the fruit of the citron is found hanging on the boughu at the con;.-\\nL ncenient of cold weather, thus running so many riska, it is necessary to know that the\\ncitron bears fruit twice in the year, and for this reason its cultivation is often preferred\\nto tbftt of the orange. It flofvers Avith tlie orange tree in Maj and again, but not so\\nplentifally, in the autumn. The fruit can bo plucked antl used at any time after it lias\\nattained a reasonable size, although it may be still green. As a convenience it is gatiier-\\n::t the same time with the orange yield in .September, for e:cjtortatlou. Another but\\n;er crop is gathered in the early winter.\\nhere are three varieties of the citron cultivated iii Sorrento. One of thebo is called in\\n.;an Lnstrato, and is preferred to the others; tlicn, tliere is the ordinary or common\\n::ty and a tliird. whicii is xevy small and always green, and of a very peculiar and\\nrent flavor, quite different from the others. Tiie culture of this last variety is on the\\nrease in Italy, tnd in a short time will most certainly be altdgother abandoned. The\\nL lstrato is of larger size than the ordinary citron. Indeed, it is frequently enormouf-,\\nand, on this accomit, as well as for its handsome rind, and its property of preserving its\\nvor for a greater length of time, it is preferred for exportation to America and other\\n;int countries. It is from trees that produce the Luscrato that are obtained those enor-\\n.s citrons, as large as a small melons, which are gathered in Italy at Easter, and as\\neats fseeiii to have the sanio significance as Easter-eggs, a, custom anciently in use\\nng us. Comparatively few of these arc produced. They are obtained by gathering,\\nie yet green, all the citrons from a tree, with the exception of a few, whicli are left to\\ng, and which, by absorbing all tlie fruit-producing nutriment of the \u00c2\u00abtree, obtain an\\ni;mou8 growth, and are so heavy that they must be propped up to prevent them from\\n\u00e2\u0096\u00a0.king the boughs to which they are attaciied.\\nhe ordinary citron is cultivated for consumption in Naples, and for exportation to\\n:\\\\ince and other adjacent countries. For this purpose it is gathered and shipped during\\nsummer time, and during the hot weather tlio demand for it is so great that from $12\\n15 per thousand are often given. It is not so suitable for long voyages as the Lustrato.\\nlie different varieties are produced by grafting and the operation called teste. But\\n1 i ac tree.i will not again bear fruit for two years after the operation ia performed. The\\ngrafting can be performed on the young trees, which are .still tender, and any variety of", "height": "3180", "width": "1905", "jp2-path": "floridacolonist01flor_0089.jp2"}, "90": {"fulltext": "cilruii may bo thuiipruiliircii. Thiri lus u uiutiiud i-i lo \\\\)v iii rI L i ri. (l a^: Ikmul;- iuoil cxpoili\\ntious. Gi-ent quantities of IViiit iire shipped yoai-ly to America IVom JSorreiito by estab\\nlished houses which maku this exportation a specialty, but so far, it lias been impossible\\nto obtain any definite i-eport as to the precise A alue of these ex ports.\\nOrange-flower water is not nianufnctured here, the plantations not being- extensive\\nenough to make this speeiesof industry profitable. It is, therefore, monopolized bv Cala-\\nbria and Cieily. But of late years a c.onsideraljle manufacture of the essence, which is\\nextracted from the leaves of the cedi angolo, has been coiumiMieed and the trade carried\\non in Sorrento. This is a medical preparation, iiud has all the soothing qualities of an\\nopiate without any of the subsequent eflects, and is most agreeable to smell and taste.\\nFrom the rind of the cedraugolo is also uiade a kind of marmeladc or confiture, which\\nis largely in ilemand and sells at a very higli ju ice. lieing in great repute as a stomachic\\nand promoter of promjit digestion.\\nBees sliotdd always be kc|)t wliert* Uicn- ai-e ni-aiig plaiitatiuii,-. If maintained on a\\nlarge .scale great profits may be obtained, as Ihc very i)est honey is made fi om the flowers\\nof the citron and the orange, which are the same in shape, size, color, and odor. All the\\nlioney made in Sorrento smells and tastes of the ravishing perfume of tlie orauge-flowei s,\\nand it has become classical as t hi best tjial is jir nluccil. ana!o\u00c2\u00a3;-iius (o the honey t f llv-\\nrnettus.\\nAnd now to make a summary of wl)at has been said, we have seen that there is no pari\\nof the orange tree or the citron tree which does not yield its share of profits. The fruit,\\nthe flower. (lie leaf, and finally the w(jod if the worn-out tree itself are all items of ])rofit\\nto the planter, and. in connection with their culture, can la; carried on another industry\\nequally as profitable, which requires but a small outlay, and is dependent only on the\\nmaintenan(. e of the bees and the blooming of the (U ange flowers. The outlay, the time,\\nand the labor involved in the cultivation of acid I ruils are very much less, (-onq aratively.\\nthan that involveil by other branches of agriculture peculiar to warm climates, it is not\\nto the point to say that we have already in the s jut.hern Slates vast grovrs ui these frvnts\\nwhich grow and rijien with little or no culture. The point i to bring tlie culture of them\\nto perfection, U) make ita specialty, and thu;^,jn some measure make U[ for the temporary\\nloss of some imjiortant staples for which iv peculiar kind of lalior seems lo be re(iuired,\\nand laborers also of jieculiar (jualilications while for the cullm eof orange i)lantations ni\\nskilletl hands arc required, except for the operation of grafting, and fewer laborers needed.\\nThe improvement and cultivation of our colmlry to the utmost, of its great agricultural\\n(\u00e2\u0080\u00a2apabilities will i orm one of it.^ most powerful biihvark^ ao-nijist national verty and\\nabject dep( ndence u} on foreign nationi.\\nCOUNTY TOWNS AND COUNTY UFFICEK S.\\nFor the convenience of those who may desire^iarticular information, and that more in\\ndetail, from any particular section of the State, I here subjoin a list of the county -towns\\nin the varions counties. Stranger s, tiesiring special information of any county, by ad-\\ndressing comumnications to the County Judge, Sherifi Clerk or Post-Master of the county-\\nto\\\\yns, will receive courteous, reliable and more or less comjilete replies to such particular\\nquestions as they may propound, for all our people are nf iir miud in desiring tu eneour-\\nflge an intelligent inmiigration to the Stale.\\ncoUNTtKS. COrNTr-TnW v C -H-NTH-- I I Vi V-ri VV\\\\,--.\\nAlachua Gainesville. Baker S;iU(lcr-on.\\nBradford, Lake Butler. Brevard,\\nCalhoun, Abe s Spring-. ^y Green Cuvc Springs.\\nolumbia, Lake CitA Dade, Miami.\\nDuval Jacksonville. Escambia, I ensacola,\\nFranklin Apalachicola. Gadsden, Quincy.\\nHamilton Jasper. Hernando,. Brooksvillc.\\nHillsboro Tampa. Jbjlmes, O-rro (Jordu.\\nJackson, Marianna. Jefferson, ^lonticello.\\nLaFa yette, Mcintosh, Leon, TallahassiT.\\nLevy, Levyvillc. Liberty, Bristol.\\nMadison Madison. Manatee, Pine-Level.\\nMarion, Ocala. Monroe, Key AVcst.\\nNassau Fcrnandina. Jrange, Orlando.\\nPolk, Pease Creek. Putnam, .Palatka.\\nSanta Rosa, -.Milton. St. Johns St. Auguslinc.\\nSumter, Leesburgh. Suwannee Houston.\\nTaylor Perrj Volusia, Enterprise.\\nWakulla, Crawibrdville. Walton, Ucheeana.\\nW ashington, Vernon.", "height": "3180", "width": "1905", "jp2-path": "floridacolonist01flor_0090.jp2"}, "91": {"fulltext": "AX KSTLMA l K VF I HE AUK OF FLOKIDA LANDS.\\nIll 1857 tliiTi ;i[iiKai-fil :i tln ii pi t ^iMii pi OrSpect i.\u00c2\u00bbt llin iiuuiedirtte comijletiou of u vM-\\n.-oad oxtendiiiu- tVinu tln Apallifliicola vivev to Pt iisaeola, Vfaohiui;- l. miles along thu\\nline of tho .laoksouvillc. I l iisucola. and llolnlii Railroad, beinp; ra])idly cxteuded\\nbeyonil iuiiit v, and under conlract. v, f.*l.\\\\\\\\ aid undcf eiri-unistancos warrantinL;- ii reason-\\nable ferlaiiil\\\\- of its coiniiletion to Mobile now within a \\\\ery short, time. At tliat time\\nMr. Jiultili, a i-ailroad i nj;iiieer with :i national reputation lor competency and aceu-\\nraev, made a crv laluirious and (aroful exannuatiou ul the route, and an extended ami\\nvaluable rejiorl, iuxludin;; an e-iiiiiMli- o( llie lusl i,\\\\ innsii ucliou, tlic probable busines.N.\\nand the re-iourees of I lie rnaii.\\nIf eoiistnu ted at tlial, tiinc. lli. road wuiild lin\\\\i- lufii enlitled to some iiOtt.OOO aercB of\\nI S. hind, and l(K i i aerc^ nf swamp and mcillowed lands from the State; and in mak-\\ning- Ids silmalc of liie resource.-* of the road, he of course inchules an e.ttimato of the\\namount of lumber wldeh would depend npou tiie road for transpoi tation, as bein^ easily\\naccessible lliercfrom, ami the \\\\aluc of lumber, timber and hind of tlu! lOO.Ouii acres which\\nit was sujiposed would bi couie the property of the road. I .xtracts from this lleport of\\nMr. Judiili are \\\\alualile because they furnish data for a present reasonable estiniate of the\\nvalue of Florida hinds L;enera!ly, allhoii!;-h the I eport. contemplates lands which, beyond\\n.laclcsou eoimly, Inn e il lioul sullieient rea. ioii, lon^ and a ery fj^enei-jdlv been considered\\ne.s of less value than the a\\\\erai;e of land in the State.\\n1 ii ive tlu^ cxtracl.-. in full iliai ih(^ liases of the eii^^ineer s esiimales may appear and\\nprove i)V disprovi- llu^ conclusions reached, and thus the value of the lands in the estiina-\\nlioii ol a careful, competent and practical business man may fully ap^iear; for it is of\\nspecial iinperf;iuee lo f joriila lh.it the \\\\-alue of her land: to tlu iimilieiianu, the railroad\\niiiil 111! I ai-iiicr leiul.l be luiiri; wiilelv l:no\\\\vn.\\nTAT.UT3 OF THE I.AXiDS.\\ni ii. \\\\aUii ile-\u00c2\u00bb l,i;ul- i.in ^ilh dili u ully be -oi leil.l e.^li^tlatctl. Their value i.s\\n\\\\\\\\\\\\o I oid. They OB.-ess at I he pre.senl time an intrinsic, \\\\alue whii-h is estimated at \u00c2\u00a71.25\\nI er acre. l!ut the construction oi a railroad lhrou;;h thcui immediately confers an addi-\\ntional value wlneh is dillieull lo determine, il bein^- depenrlent on\\ny-M-.v/. the s.diii of ihe ualiir.d pioehelion imw i;-r i\\\\\\\\ iul; upon theni;(\\\\i/:: yellow jiiufe\\nliuubei- and turpeinine) wiili llie r.ieililics for t;eltiii;.;; thrm to market.\\nSecoiidl j, upon till ir fertility or e.ipiiliiliiy of raising- the natural aurieiiHural jnoduc-\\ntioiLs of the country .-iftcr the. liriibi.i- rhall h.-ixe been taken nfi.\\n77uV(%, uiion the induceniPufg oflevpil to .\u00c2\u00bbc(ller and the amount of-c tt-lcim-nl that can\\nbff broili;-ht on lo them.\\nI iiesc ipleUion, are lll\u00e2\u0096\u00a0iell^ an.-\\\\veri\u00c2\u00abd by .ilrtline:--\\nFirst, Y\\\\w lumber on Ihc.-.e lands lit for cult iii^:; iido saW-Jo;. i.s .suflieient t(j furnish\\nalone a prolilable. busincs.^ to the road, which will require live daily lumber triiiu.s to carry\\nlo inarket tjie inci-e.-ise, or to transjiort it as fast as it !;-rows, i;ivinj;- a perjietual supply.\\niSixumU;), II can be shown !hal tho fertility of the soil is not surpassed by that oi the\\nbest western lamls, and yield, with an equal amount of labor .Miid care, as much, if not\\nmore, jirolil. as i-aii he made per aer. on the best western lauds.\\nThinllii, The liihihcr biisiues.i will induce that kind of immli^-ralion most, needed to de-\\nvelop the fertility of the soil, and the iiosition of the line upon the nearest and best lyi^ h-\\nway from ^ew York to New Orleans, renders it ea.sy of access, wdiile tho market for the\\nstaple productions of tho soil is inexhaustible, and not. subject to the fluctuations to wldeh\\nthe -iTaiu market is liable, and the healthfuhijss (jf Jhis section of the country is uuex-\\n,celled, and the climate unsurpassed.\\n\u00e2\u0080\u00a2One gTC it advan1ay;c which the.se lands po.ssess over western l;uids, lies iu their ability\\nto produce si\\\\: ^reat stajile produclious, the most valuable known, and (\u00c2\u00bbf which the supply\\ncan not cmjuuI the demand; while the western lands produce hut two ercat staples, viz.,\\nwheat ami corn. Tin; construetion of the road also eive.v the advanta^c^ of a niaiket on\\nboth tho Atlantic and tho Gulf of Mexico.\\nThe.se staples ai-e, yellow pi.ie lumber, turpeiitiue, cotton, tobacco, su;j;ar aud rice; in\\naddition to which may be enumerated amono- other productions, liay, corn, oats, potatoes.\\noranL:;es, bananas, lig-s, peaches, quimre.s, and nuiny other tropical fruits whieli can be\\n.vu no wliore else iu the United States as v. cll ns liprc.\\nriif fil .st production of thcso. lands is", "height": "3180", "width": "1905", "jp2-path": "floridacolonist01flor_0091.jp2"}, "92": {"fulltext": "I\\n,84\\nLUMBKli.\\nJTearly the entire body of these lands is covered with h, donee afrowth of yellow jjiu(\\nlumber of a quiility unsnrpnpsed by that of any other Wtate in the Ujiion. Tlio principal\\nhnnber trade of Florida is carried on from Santa Kosa county, nearly the entire popuhition\\nof whicii is eng an-ed in and dependent upon tliis trade for their support-. Son^i? of tlie\\nlarp;est and iineist lumber mills anywhere to bo found in the United States are in opera-\\ntion in this county, the principal amonfj- which are located upon the Blackwater River, in\\nthe vicinity of the town of I^lilton, which is situated near the month of the Blackwater\\nand at the head of the naA igable waters of Pensacola Bay.\\nThe amount of lumber annually shipped from this district is about 50,000, 000 feet per\\nyear, yielding upward of $500,000 to the manufacturers and costiiig the mill-owneri?, de-\\nlivered in the log, upwards of -^tOO.OOO. The logs to suj^ply their lumber are principally\\ncut upon the margins of the Blackwater and Yellowwater rivers and their tributaries.\\nTlie cutters seldom go further than 1-} miles back from the margins of the rivers. Tlid\\ntimber on the margin of the rivers is smaller and not of so good a quality as that grow-\\ning further back from the rivers.\\nThese logs contain an average of about 200 feet when cut into lumber, the minirauiri\\nlimit of si^e is that the logs be large enough to square ouc foot. It is estimated that the\\nlogs at a distance of six to ten miles from the river v. ill yield about 1!50 B. l\\\\l. feet of a\\nbetter quality than now furnished.\\nTrees will furnish from two to three logs per tree, but for purposes of this cstinriate,\\nthey are considered to yield two logs per tree. The mills generally buy their logs by\\n^contract, paying $4 per M feet for them delivered. Those mills cutting their own logs\\nFrom lands owned by themselves find that it costs them about the same price.\\nThe best of the timber lying near the margin of the rivers is becoming exhausted, ;io\\nthat the cutters are obliged to go further back, and consequently to haid the logs further\\nin consequence of -which they are preparing to demand \u00c2\u00a75 per M feet, and the mills vvil\\nsoon be obliged to pay the increased price.\\nThe Black and Yellowwater rivers run uorth-westwardly through anta Ilosa county\\naveraging about 12 miles apart. The timber on the margins has been principall3- cut fui^\\nabout l-l miles back. The timber lying between is untouched, is larger and of a quality\\nsuperior to that growing upon the streams. It is proposed to locate the line of this road\\nnbout midway between these two rivers running north-westwardly through the county.\\nThe nature of the country will admit of this. The lands belonging to the company will\\ntherefore comprise a portion of the best timber lands iii the county.\\nIt is proposed to furnish this 50,000,000 feet of lumber in the log to these milis by\\nrailroad. It is believed that the logs cut from this section will yield 230 feet each. To\\nsupply the aiijount ^^dll therefore reqiiire 200,000 logs cut from 100,000 t?ee.-:, or about Cy.\\nlogs daily. Allowing each log to contain 300 feet B. M. before beicg sawed, and it giv.-s\\ntlie araoiiat of 195,000 feet B. 31. as the dailj- quantity to bs hauled.\\nThe y%-eight of tlie lumber manufactured is about 2 tons per M feet, but it is here esti-\\nmated, in order to be safe, at 3 tons per M feet in the log. This will give the quar.titj-\\n585 tons to be hauled by railroad. Allowing each cai- to be loaded with 10 tons thou C\\ncar loads per day would snpply the mills. Two daily lumber trains of 30 ears each wcr.M\\nthen, supply the demand.\\nThe grades through Santa Eosa county will be light and descendir.g towards tiu\\nmarket.\\nWo will assume that 20 miles of road arc first built, the average hai-d upon which %vi i\\nV,e tea miles. -Thepriees at present paid for cutting are 10 cents per log. The haul or\\nthis timber to the railroad would for the first year or two be comparatively little, as the logs\\nv, oald be cut from the immediate vicinity of the road. It is estimated that for the n:-l\\nlive years the cost would not average to exceed 2.5 cents per log or ^1 per M feet.\\nthus, then, wc find the cost of i M, Bt M., of lumber as follows:\\nCutting 4 logs at 10 cents, Ci0.40\\nHauling to railroad at 25 cents l.OO\\nLoading the same on cars, 5 cents,\\nOr, cost of logs loaded on cars, per il feet _.^ .^l.( )0\\nAssuming railroad charges for hauling to be 4 cents i)er ton per mile,\\nthe average distance of hauling to be 10 miles, and the cost of railroad\\ncharges is -.51\\ni^iakiug the total cost of lumber delivered in log fi2.80 per M feet.\\nThus it is found that after making a liberal allowance to the railroad for their charges.^\\nthere results a net profit to the company of $1.20 per M feet. At the present prices of\\nlogs, Viz. $4, this on 50,000,000 feet \u00e2\u0080\u00a2per year amoimts to \u00c2\u00a760,000, Avhich v.-Ul pay the in-", "height": "3180", "width": "1905", "jp2-path": "floridacolonist01flor_0092.jp2"}, "93": {"fulltext": "85\\nt .^rest oil the S;20U,000 of bonds {uUhorized to be issued by tho c^sipauy at 1 }*er cent.\\nunci accumulate a fund sufficient. t.o retire thoin iii livo yenri :_ kavino- th* vj uole of the\\ncurnings (aiYer dodiictiny- iiecessary oxpenses) t(^ be applied to diyicyndiS.\\nIt fs believed that permanent conlracts fan bo inade with tJie. milis-ft- r ^jUipjpiying-.tipeir\\nlogs at \u00c2\u00a75 jjcr il feet, ivhich would g iv.! an additioual pvoiit oij ^lip.OCO. .year.. I Kii*\\n;,^reatest average hard by railroad will not exceed 20 miie;!, *ul tlie grea e.Vc cxfrema haul\\n40 miles; showing tho i ;..:i.. .-.j;:,. i^ivM),^.:-.\\nThere are four points c.n the line of the ro.^d fron) which :v: c^v f i V--v n i-\\nshipped, vi\\nlet. JTmciion.of U;e Alaban;a and Floj-ida Jl. .ii: o;; l\\nJd. The Blackwater lliver, 15 miles further;\\n?,i\\\\. I he Chattahoochee River, 80 miles further\\n4th. The Apalachicola River, 5f) miles further.\\nThus it v. ill be seen that the longest division of couiiLry to be liaule.l nvf,-\\n.lilton and the Chattahoochef? River, a di:5ta:ice of 8- mile-. Assuming \u00e2\u0096\u00a0l^\\nhauled cacli way on tliis division, and tlic extreme lengtlv eaeli ub-d:vis;.;.i\\nitdles, tho aver-^ge haul iiyo!i v. hic i would be :20 nnlf-.\\nrt^IViS ^VliKKT^ SAVV-li.j|.i, i CA^S liK JiSXAKLI-\\nTO :-7AYI(iABLK WAT\\nThere are several point*! wllfire th-c railroad will er.js^ .:;-e;:. ;m,l riv^r. u otjiav ig ajj e\\nfor sailing vessels, but available for rafting down log. \u00c2\u00ab0!;;e of which reach into Ala-\\nbama and .Georgia, and upon v.hich grow large qr.antitiiis of pine timUcr, winch will\\nfurnjsh a supply for railroad transportation entirely independent of that esLiuiated .a.s be-\\nlonging to the raih oad compaii\\\\\\\\ These points are the Sho.al River, with its branches;\\nthe branches of the Choctawhatchee, Hahnes Creek, tlie Chijiolii and its branches, and the\\nbranches of the Chattahoochee and Flint rivers; with sevetiiil miuor streams and creeks.\\nThise points are available locations for saw-mills, depending upon their supyjly u\\nonly on the railroad lauds but also upon the lands lyi r; t l\\nr.^i!road. in Alabama and Geor::i:i.\\nAlio via:; io tree.^ per acre fit. for cut)t.ing into Siiw-lijgs, averaging 2(W feet M.\\nper tree, and the quajjtity amounts to 6,0i.i0 millions of feet of lumber, which is worth\\ninanufacti\\\\red, at only %V1, .$T2,0000,000. At onlv live trees per acre, the quantity i.-;\\n1,250,000,000 feet of lumber worth manufactured .til 8,000,000. Allow is worth ^JtJ.50 per\\nZd feet standing and it w-ill pay the whole cost of the road. Cut but one tree per acre per\\nyear and it affords an annual yield of 300,000,000 feet, or about 1,000,000 feet j-^er day, to\\ntransport which would tax the road to its nthiost capacity, \u00e2\u0080\u00a2gi^\u00e2\u0080\u00a2ing al ons pei;\\nday, or nearly 1,000,000 tons per year.\\nIt is also the fact that timber makes anew again iu from 20 :.-.t after\\ng, /,ng over a body of timber cutting off that large enough for su ,^;mailer\\ntimber, this smaller timber will l!a\\\\- .)\\\\vii r-;!-.i i( nti n i -.o yield\\nanotljer supply equal to the fir. ^f.\\nExists nowhere in greater abundance or of better (jualiij tiian r-.:\\nall the land lying on the streams having been exhausted, of thi\\nalong the railroad will be brought into immediate reqi.\\nHeavy European contracts have boon lilled from thi? h\\nobtained to any extent that cau be lilled. Good t:-\\nReliable parties wiio liave traversed these land.s Ini.-\\nwh.cre 12 spars could be cut fi om an acre. Tiiese sp;\\nmain so until the construction of the road, when :1\\nactivity, and CA^ery acre of land that ha :i spar on it\\nper acre.\\nAllowing that ono spar can be cut from each five ac 25,000 spar.:;,\\nv, iiich at only AUX) each are worth ^^13,0n0,000 at tide-watv, unlikely that the", "height": "3180", "width": "1905", "jp2-path": "floridacolonist01flor_0093.jp2"}, "94": {"fulltext": "IhihI nuij yield jiii itverage of oui; ai* yev .icre, wliicli would give us thv %alue of spar-\\ntiint)\u00c2\u00abr alone, standing, of |62,500.000. The spars of Florida are well known in Europe,\\nluul are believed to be equal to anj^ in the Ihiitcd States.\\nThe value of such a domain as this can scarcel} be ostiniatetl, and if a thorough exam-\\nination confirinis a present reasonable lielicf, the value of the lumber alone oh these lands\\nwill exceed the total \u00c2\u00abo- ;rey;ale co^t tif the Illinois Central Railroad.\\nWhether all of Mr. Judah s eoni-luriionts aie correct, or not, it is utost evitlent IVoui the\\nReport, that the completion of the great work of internal improvement now in contein-\\njilation will develop soiu-ees of immense wealtli in regious comparatively Avorthless front\\ninaccessibility, Hud ,i i\\\\e a jiowerful impulse to all liio business of the Htivte.\\nSuch ai e some of the nninifold and powerful irnhicements offered by Florida to those\\nwho are seekinji a new home in a kindly and genial clinnde.\\nThousands i)f men and women are thoroug-lily tired of the continuetl conllict wilU frosty\\nand inclement weather, and are looking southward for the better place which they\\nhope to find, but are deterred by ajiprehensions of unwlujlesoineness or fears of impleas-\\nant collision. Thousands more, botli in this counliy and in Kurojie, would gladly fake\\nnny anticipated risk did tliey know of tiie actual attractions of this State.\\nTlie object of this publication is to spread abroad tlie largest amount of reliable inform v-\\nu)ation upon subjects of most interest and importance to intelligent inquirers who are or\\nwho may become particularly interested as contemplating settlement here.\\nThe very object of the organization of the Bureau is to lend all practicable aid to iliose\\ndesiring new homes in this State, but from tlie want of sufficient means for jnorc direct\\nand efficient aid our labors were mainly confined to the dissemination of correct and trust-\\nworthy information from reliable sources.\\nThis I have endeavored to do as efficiently as the means given will allow, and ii nv close\\nkiy saying- that all further infornnition of more special or local character, will be cheerfully\\nto all desiriug it and addressins,- me. paving postage.\\nJ, S. ADAMS,\\nf omm r of Lands and Immigration,\\n.Tacksouvillc i la.", "height": "3180", "width": "1905", "jp2-path": "floridacolonist01flor_0094.jp2"}, "95": {"fulltext": "", "height": "3180", "width": "1905", "jp2-path": "floridacolonist01flor_0095.jp2"}, "96": {"fulltext": "", "height": "3180", "width": "1905", "jp2-path": "floridacolonist01flor_0096.jp2"}, "97": {"fulltext": "", "height": "3180", "width": "1905", "jp2-path": "floridacolonist01flor_0097.jp2"}, "98": {"fulltext": "", "height": "3180", "width": "1905", "jp2-path": "floridacolonist01flor_0098.jp2"}, "99": {"fulltext": "", "height": "3034", "width": "3565", "jp2-path": "floridacolonist01flor_0099.jp2"}, "100": {"fulltext": "", "height": "3180", "width": "1905", "jp2-path": "floridacolonist01flor_0100.jp2"}, "101": {"fulltext": "Office of Commissioner of Lands and Immigration,\\nthfcki^onvf lU, Florida^ Deceml)er, 1871.\\nThis ])ook will In- forwarded to all who forward po^^tage\\nwith their a])plieations.\\nxVdditional 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