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University of California.

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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

FLOEIDA:

ITS

CLIMATE, SOIL, PRODUCTIONS,

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AGRICULTURAL CAPABILITIES

3290—1

WASHINGTOK:

GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE.

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FLORIDA: ITS CLIMATE, SOIL. PRODUCTIONS, AND
AGRICULTURAL CAPABILITIES.

Florida, from its first discovery in 1512, has been in au unsettled
condition, conquered and reconquered, ceded and receded, harassed by
Indian wars, and when just entering on a period of stability and pros-
perity plung(^d into a civil contest, which decimated and impoverished
her i)eople. Ceded to the United States in 1821, and admitted as a
State in 1815, her resources have remained latent and undeveloped, and
her 60,000 square miles of territory comparatively wild and uninhabited
until about the close of the late civil war. Since that period the intelli-
gence of the world has been directed to this favored land, and thousands
have annually sought health and pleasure and new homes within her
borders. Other thousands will come, when informed of the advantages
and attractions of this productive semi-tropical State, only awaiting
capital and industry to render it one of the wealthiest and most pros-
X)erous of the Federal Union.

The peninsular portion of the State, known as East and South Florida,
is some 300 miles in length from north to south, and averages about 100
in width,' gradually narrowing towards its southern terminus. The
Gulf Stream on its eastern coast causes the trade winds of the Atlantic
to sweep over the land from east to west by day, while the returning
cool breezes from the Gulf refresh the land by night. These daily breezes
constantly purify and \ivify the atmosphere, and i)revent oppressive
heat or sultriness.

Generally the lands bordering on the ocean and Gulf are level and at
no great elevation above tide- water ; midway there is a table-land ele-
vation, reaching nearly to the everglades. The extreme southern por-
tion is low, though, from recent surveys, it is found tliat it can be eftect-
ually drained and made available for cultivation.

No State in the Union has such an extent of coast, being nearly 1,200
miles in length, extending from Fernandina on the north to Pensacola
on the west, indented every few miles by large bays, running inland in
many places from ten to thirty miles, with large rivers like the Saint
John's, Oclawaha,Kissimmee, Indian, Halifax, Saint Mary's, Suwannee,
and Apalachicola, navigable from north to south, and easterly and
westerly between the Gulf and Atlantic Ocean. There are other con-
necting navigable streams in all parts of the State, and lakes, large and
small, scattered and grouped together, all of which furnish local trans-
portation facilities, and abound in excellent varieties of fish j manycon-

4 FLORIDA : ITS CLIMATE, SOIL, PRODUCTIONS,

nect with navigable streams, and all can be easily connected by short
canals or railroads with each other and the great arteries of water lead-
ing to the sea and Gulf. The interior lakes of Florida, large and small,,
is one of its remarkable features. The largest of these is Lake Okee-
chobee, situated in the middle of the table-lands of the peninsula, and
contains an area of 1,000 square miles, without visible outlet to the sea.

The soil in the greater portion of the State is sandy, except in the
hill lands and hammocks, where large portions of clay and alluvium are
found. The sand is not the sharp, siliceous sand of the ocean, or resem-
bling the sandy lands of other States; this soil has more or less of loam
and a large percentage of lime and organic remains, giving* it much fer-
tility. The country is well watered, not only by its larger and smaller
rivers and lakes, but by innumerable creeks and springs. Springs of
great volume are found in every portion of the State, some'of such mag-
nitude that they form navigable rivers from their source ; of such are
the Blue Springs, in Jackson County, in the west; AVakuUa Springs, in
Wakulla County; Blue Springs, in Hernando County, in the middle;
Silver Springs, in Marion County, in the east; the very large Blue
Spring on the Saint John's, in Volusia County ; the Green Cove Springs^
in Clay County, on the shore of the Saint John's; also Clay Spring, in
Orange County. Some of these are medicinal — white sulphur, iron, &c.
Good water, so universally desired, is found easily at a depth of from
eight to fifty feet, according to locality, generally from twelve to twenty
feet, but, through the country, the many lakes, and springs, and branches
afford ample supply for house and farm purposes. If cistern water is
preferred, the average rainfall, being from forty-eight to flfty-fqur inches^
annually, insures a supply. The distribution of rivers, creeks, lakes,,
and springs is not only large, but remarkably uniform throughout the
State. Pine lands (pitch and yellow pine) form the basis of Florida.
These lands are usually divided into three classes, denoting first, second,,
and third rate pine lands.

That which is denominated ''first-rate pine land" in Florida has^
nothing similar to it in any of the other States. Its surface is covered
for several inches deep with a dark vegetable mold, beneath which, to
the depth of several feet, is a chocolate-colored sandy loam, mixed for
the most part with limestone pebbles, and resting upon a substratum of
marl, clay, or limestone rock. The fertility and durability of this descrip-
tion of land may be estimated from the well-known fact that it has in.
several districts yielded during fourteen years of successive cultivation?
without the aid of manure, four hundred pounds of Sea Island cotton
to the acre. These lands are still as productive as ever ; so that the
limit of their durability is yet unknown. The '' second-rate pine " lands,^
which form the largest proportion of Florida, are all productive. These
lands afford fine natural pasturage ; they are heavilj^ timbered with the
best species of pitch and yellow pine. They are for the most part high,
rolling, healthy, and well watered. They are generally based upon

AND AGRICULTURAL CAPABILITIES. 5

uiarl, clay, or limestoDe. They will produce for several years without
the aid of manure, and, when fertilized, they will yield two thousand
pounds of the best quality of sugar to the acre, or about three hundred
pounds of Sea Island cotton. They will also produce rice, tobacco, oats,
-corn, rye, and all the vegetable varieties, as well as the various tropical
fruits, which render them more valuable than the best bottom lands in
the more northern States.

The lands of the " third rate," or most inferior class, are by no means
worthless under the climate of Florida. This class of lands may be
divided into two orders ; the one comprising high, rolling, sandy dis-
tricts, which are sparsely covered with a stunted growth of ^'black-
jtjck" and pine ; the other embracing low, flat, swampj' regions, which
are frequently studded with "bay galls," and are occasionally inundated,
but which are covered with luxuriant vegetation and generally with
valuable timber. The former of these, it is now ascertained, owing to
its calcareous soil, is well adapted to the growth of the Sisal hemp,
which is a valuable tropical production. This plant (the Agava Sicili'
■ana), and the Agave Mexicana hemp, also known as the maguay, the
pulque plant, the century plant, &c., have both been introduced into
Florida, and they both grow in great perfection on the poorest lands of
the country. As these plants derive their chief support from the atmos-
jjhere, they will, like the common air-jjlant, preserve their vitality for
many months when left out of the ground.

These lands, besides being valuable for their timber and the naval
stores which they will produce, afford an excellent range for cattle, and
are susceptible of cultivation in the various productions, when properly
ditched and drained.

There is one general feature in the topogra^^hy of Florida which no
other country in the United States possesses, and which affords a great
security to the health of its inhabitants. It is this : that the pine lands
which form the basis of the country, and which are almost universally
healthy, are nearly everywhere studded, at intervals of a few miles,
with hammock lands of the richest quality. These hammocks are not,
as is generally supi)osed, low, wet lands ; they never require ditching
or draining; they vary in extent from 20 acres to 40,000 acres, and will
probably average about 500 acres each. Hence, the inhabitants have
it everywhere in their power to select residences in the pine lands, at
such convenient distances from the hammocks as will enable them to
cultivate the latter without endangering their health, if it should so
happen that any of the hammocks proved to be less healthy than the
pine woods.

Exi)erience in Florida has satisfactorily shown that residences on-ly
half a mile distant from cultivated hammocks are entirely exempt from
malarial diseases, and that the negroes who cultivate those hammocks
and retire at night to pine-land residences, maintain perfect health.
Indeed, it is found that residences in the hammocks themselves are

b FLORIDA : ITS CLIMATE, SO:

generally perfectly healthy after they have been a few years cleared.
Newly-cleared lands are sometimes attended with the development of
more or less malaria. In Florida the diseases which result from these
clearings are generally of the mildest type (simple intermittent fever),
while in nearly all the Southern States they are most frequently of a
severe grade of bilious fever.

The topographical feature here noted, namely, a general interspersiou
of rich hammocks, surrounded by high, dr3% rolling, healthy pine woods,
is an advantage which no other State in the Union enjoys; and Florida
forms in this respect a striking contrast with Louisiana, Mississippi, and
Texas, whose sugar and cotton lands are generally surrounded hj vast
alluvial regions, subject to frequent inundations, so that it is impossible
to obtain within many miles of them a healthy residence.

The lands which in Florida are, par excellence, denominated *'rich
lands," are, first, the '' swamps lands"; second, the '^ low hammock lands";
third, the "high hammocks"; and fourth, the "first-rate pine, oak, and
hickory lands."

The swamp lands are unquestionably the most durably rich lands in
the country. They are the most recently formed lands, and are still
annually receiving additions to their surface. They are intrinsically the
most valuable lands in Florida, being as fertile as the hammocks and
more durable. They are evidently alluvial and of recent formation,
and occupy natural depressions of basins which have been gradually
tilled up by deposits of vegetable debris, &c., washed in from the adja-
cent and higher lands. Ditching is indispensable to all of them in their
preparation for successful cultivation. Properly j^repared, however,
their inexhaustible fertility sustains a succession of the most exhaust-
ing crops with astonishing vigor. The greatest yield of sugar ever
realized in Florida was four hogsheads per acre, produced on a planta-
tion on Indian Eiver, on which is now located the large orange grove
which has given character to the oranges of Florida — the Dummitt
Grove, recently purchased by an Italian nobleman, the Duke de Castel-
luccia. Sugar cane is. here instanced as a measure of the fertility of
the soil, because it is one of the most exhausting crops known, and is
generally grown without rest or rotation. It is not, however, a fair
criterion by which to judge of the relative fertility of lands situated in
diiferent climates, for we find on the richest lands in Louisiana the crop
of sugar per acre is not more than one hogshead, or about half that of
Bast Florida.

This great disparity in the product of those countries is accounted
for, not by any inferiority in the lands of Louisiana or Texas, but from
the fact that the early incursions of frost in both these States render it
necessary to cut the cane in October, which is long before it has reached
maturity, while in East Florida it is permitted to stand without fear of
frost till December, or till such time as it is fully matured. It is well

AND AGRICULTURAL CAPABILITIES. 7

known that it "tassels" in East Florida, and it never does so in either
Louisiana or Texas. When cane "tassels" it is evidence of its having
reached full maturity.

In consequence of the heavy outlay of capital required in the prepa-
ration of this description of land for cultivation, and from the facility of
obtaining hammock land, which requires no ditching or draining, swamp
lands have been but little sought after by persons engaged in planting
in Florida, and there is now at least a million of acres of the best de-
scription of this land vacant in the country, which can be secured at
less than two dollars per acre.

Low hammocks, from the fact of their partaking of the nature of
hammocks and swamps, and sometimes termed ''swammock,"are not in-
ferior to swamp lands in fertility, but perhaps are not quite as durable.
They are nearly always lev^el, and have a soil of greater tenacity than
that of the high hammocks. Some ditching is necessary in many of
them. The soil is always deep. They are also extremely well adapted
to the growth of the cane, as has been well attested by the many plan-
tations which were formerly in operation here on this description of laud.
There is not so large a proportion of low hammock as there is of swamp
lands.

High hammocks are the lands in the greatest repute in Florida. These
differ from low^ hammocks, in occupying higher ground, and in generally
presenting an undulating surface. They are formed of a fine vegetable
mold, mixed with a sandy loam, in many places two feet deep, and
resting in most cases on a substratum of clay, marl, or limestone. It
will be readily understood by any one at all acquainted with agriculture,
that such a soil, in such a climate as Florida, must be extremely pro-
ductive. This soil scarcely ev^er suffers from too much wet, nor does
drought affect it in the same degree as other lands. High hammock
lands produce, with but little labor or cultivation, all the crops of the
country in abundance. Such lands have no tendency to break up in
heavy masses, nor are they infested with pernicious weeds or grasses.
Their extraordinary fertility and productiveness may be estimated by
the fact that in several well-known instances in Marion County three
hogsheads of sugar have been made per acre on this description of land,
after it had been in cultivation six years in successiv^e crops of corn,
without the aid of manure.

To sum up its advantages, it requires no other preparation than clear-
ing and plowing to fit it at once for the greatest possible production of
any kind of crop adapted to the climate. In unfavorable seasons it is
much more certain to produce a good crop than other kinds of land, from
the fact that it is less affected by exclusively dry or wet weather. It
can be cultivated with much less labor than any other lands, being re-
markably mellow, and its vicinity is generally high and healthy. These
reasons are sufficient to entitle it to the estimation in which it is held

^'^*^

8 FLORIDA: ITS CLIMATE, SOIL, PRODUCTIONS,

over all other lauds. There are, besides the lands already noticed, ex-
tensive tracks of savanna lands, which approximate in character, text-
ure of the soil, and period and mode of formation, to the swamp lands,
differing only in being destitute of timber. These savannas yield an
immense crop of grass, which if cut and properly' cured would afford a
quality of hay equal to the marsh hay of the Northw est.

In Middle Florida, the counties of Leon, Gadsden, Jefferson, and
Madison have large quantites of high, rolling hammock lands, also the
county of Jackson in West Florida. They are more undulating than
those in East Florida, and are underlaid with a stiff" red clay. They are
by/ar the best lands in the State for short-staple cotton, to which they
have been almost exclusively appropriated, and to wheat, rye, oats, corn,
tobacco, &c. In Volusia Oouuty there is a range of low hammock a
little back from the coast, from a half to two miles wide, and extending
from the head of the Halifax to the head of the Indian Elver, some 50
miles, as w ell adapted to sugar culture as any land in the State. The
Gulf Hammock, in Levy County, comprises perhaps the largest body
of rich land in Florida. It was bought up years ago at from $5 to $10
per acre, by private parties, by whom it. is mostly held at the present
time. The Atlantic, Gulf and West India Transit Eailroad runs through
it, and it will no doubt become at an early day one of the garden spots
of the State. The clearing of the hammocks, however, is expensive, and,
as in every new country, we may expect to see the lauds more lightly
timbered first brought into cultivation.

CLIMATE.

The climate of Florida, from i)arallel 31, its northern boundary, to
29, corresponds with that of Portugal, south of Oporto; the southerji sec-
tion of Spain ; Oran, Algiers, and Tunis, on the northern coast of Africa;
the southernmost part of Italy • the islands of Sicily, Greece, Morea ; the
isles of the Archipelago, and those of Candia, Rhodes, Cyprus, &c.;
Asia Minor, Syria, Mesopotamia, and Armenia. From latitude 29 to
25, bordering almost on the tropics, and including the remainder of
East Florida, containing about 33,000,000 acres of land, there is no par-
allel climate in Europe or Asia Minor.

As climate, Ia its effects upon the health and vigor of mankind, is of
fundamental imiiortance, and enters more largely into the considera-
tions connected with the industrial occupation and development. of the
country, and as Florida is receiving more special attention from the
migratory world than common, I shall be pardoned if I occupy some
space in giving the results of scientific investigations in regard to the
constituent elements of the climate of this semi-tropical region.

Dr. C. J. Kenworthy, of Jacksonville, a gentleman of extensive expe-
rience, as well as practical research, in an address before the Medical
Association of Florida, in 1880, presents a more thorough analysis of
the constituent elements of the atmosphere and climate of Florida than

AND AGRICULTURAL CAPABILITIES. \j

has yet been given to the public, and I avail myself of his work, and
embody the results in liberal extracts.* He says :

The climate of Florida is uot excelled by that of any of the United States, and it
may be doubted whether it can be equalled elsewhere in the world. Located on the
very borders of the torrid zone, and, therefore, so far as latitude alone is concerned, en-
titled to rank among the hottest portions of the western contiuent, still her situation
between the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic is sucli that^ owing to her peculiar form,
she is swept alternately by the Avinds of eastern and western seas, and relieved from
those burning heats with which she would otherwise be scorched ; and thus it happens
that by the joint influences of latitude and peculiar location, she is relieved on the
one hand from the rigors of the winter climate of the Northern and Middle States, and
on the other from the extreme heat hj which not only the other Southern States, but
in the summer time the Northern States, are characterized.

While in winter the Northern and Middle States are- covered with snow, and frost
penetrates the earth to the depth of several feet, and the leafless trees wave their bare
and skeleton fingers in the wintry wind, in Florida most of the trees and shrubs are in
full foliage, and the winter gardens are filled with vegetables in their most thrifty
growth.

In the Northern States the frosts of November and December most eftectually put a
stop to all agricultural operations, and the farmer is compelled to feed his stock for
from four to six months, and is himself confined to the getting of fuel and lumber,
thus in one portion of the year consuming a large share of the result of his labor in
the other

But in Florida this very winter season is better adapted to building, clearing laud,
and the performance of all necessary extra work on the farm than even the summer.

In the North all regular farming work is of necessity crowded into the space of
less than half the year, while in Florida there is scarcely a single day in the whole
year that may not be devoted to purely agricultural work.

In some of the Northern States the mean average rang^ of the thermometer is from
20'^ below zero to 90'^ and lOOc al)ove. In P'lorida, for many years, the range of the
thermometer has been less than half as great.

The word ''climate" in its common signification indicates a region bounded by certain
arbitrary lines, but in medicine it possesses a wider meaning. The eftect of climate
upon the human system is the sum of the influences which are connected with many
factors. The climate of any locality, professionally speaking, depends upon its tem-
perature, atmospheric vicissitudes, prevailing winds, humidity, its elevation above
the sea level, its proximity to the ocean or oceanic currents, its contiguity to mount-
ains, lakes, rivers, arid areas, soil, drainage, vegetable productions, malaria, general
sanitation and other factors, which we shall briefly consider.

Considering climatic factors, as a result of experience, observation, investigation,
and study, we are convinced that Florida presents more attractions and advantages
as a winter resort for invalids than any State in the Union . The temperature is favor-
able, the mean relative humidity is peculiarly adapted to the treatment of all forms of
pulmonary disease, the air is salubrious, and in a large portion of the State dry and
bracing ; atmospheric changes are infrequent, and not so great as in other sections
east of the Rocky Mountains. Rains are infrequent, and sunshine and fine weather
the rule. The State jyossesses insular, interior, dry and moist localities, semi-troj)icaI
and cooler sections; and if the nature of any given case should necessitate a change
of base, a suitable climate can be reached in a few hours and at a trifling expense.

Dr. Charles A. Lee, the learned editor of Co])elaud's Medical Dic-
tionary, remarks :

Proceeding south from Canada to Florida, the seasons become more uniform in pro-
portion as their annual temperature increases, and they glide imperceptibly into each

^Climatology of Florida, by C. J. Kenworthy, M. D., of Jacksonville. Reprint from

Transactions Florida Medical Association, session 1880.

10 FLORIDA: ITS CLIMATE, SOIL, PRODUCTIONS,

other, exhibiting uo great extremes. Compared witli the other regions of the Uiiitetl
States, the peninsula of Florida has a climate wholly peculiar. The climate is so ex-
ceedingly mild and uniform that, besides the vegetable productions of the Northern
States generally, many of a tropical character are produced. We liave already spoken
of the mildness of the climate of this region ; it appears to possess an insular temper-
ature not less equable and salubrious in winter than that atforded by the South of
Europe, and is, therefore, well adapted to those forms of puhnonary disease — as bron-
chitis and incipient phthisis — as aie benefited by a mild cliniate. Mildness and uni-
formity are the two distinguishing characteristics of the Florida peninsula. If we
compare the climate of East Florida with the most favored situations on the conti-
nent of Europe, and the islands held in the highest estimation for mildness and equa-
bility of temperatnre, in regard to the mean temperature of winter and summer, that
of the warmest and coldest months, and that of successive seasons, we shall find the
results generally in favor of the former.

After citiDg the mean difterence of successive months and annual
range of a number of climatic resorts in comparison with stations in
Florida, he remarks :

Thus it is easily demonstrated that invalids requiring a mild winter residence have
gone to foreign lands in search of what might be found at home — an evergreen land,
\n which wild flowers never cease to unfold their petals.

In discussing the most suitable climates for invalids. Dr. Wilson, late
medical inspector of camps and hospitals, United States Army, re-
marks :

Neither npon the southern coast of France, nor anywhere under the bright Italian
skies, can a winter climate be found so equable and so genial to the delicate nerves of
most invalids as can be enjoyed in our sanitary stations in Florida,

Temperature is an important factor in climate, and Dr. A. S. Bald-
win, of Jacksonville, in an address before the medical association, gives
tabular statements of mean temperature at eighteen different stations
iuFloridailuringaterm of years, including his own observations, which
extend through a period of thirty- six years.

From this table it appears that the mean temperature for the entire
State is : For spring, 71^ Q2' ; summer, 8()o 51' j autumn, 71° 6Q' ; winter,
70O05'.

For stations on and south of latitude 28° north : Spring, 74^ 94' ; sum-
mer, Sio 93'; autumn, 760 27'; winter, 63° 69' ; and for the year, 74^ 87'.

For the stations north of latitude 28° north : Spring, 70° 66' ; sum-
mer, 80O 10' ; autumn, 70° 23' ; winter, 58° 29' ; and for the year, 69° 82'.

During the spring the temperature south of latitude 28"^ north is 4°.
28' ; for summer, 1° 83' ; for autumn, 6° 34' ; and for winter, 5° 40' higher
than it is north of 28° ; showing that the difference between the summer
and winter temperature is less south than north of parallel 28. After
explaining the astronomical law which governs, the doctor remarks :

Although there is more absolute heat at Jacksonville, Fla., latitude 30°, during the
entire year than there is at Milwaukee, Wis., latitude 43° 03', yet there is more heat;
received from the sun at the latter place duiing the three summer months than at the
former during the same period, and Wisconsin is liable to experience a higher tem-
perature during the summer mouths than is Florida during the same time.

AND AGRICULTURAL CAPABILITIES.

The comparative humidity of Florida, as connected with health, is
shown in the appended tables, presented in the valuable address of Dr.
C. J. Kenworthy, of Jacksonville, before cited :

The mean relative humidity of the localities referred to, for the cold months, is as
follows :

Localities.

Cannes and Meutone

Augusta, Ga

Breckiniid<ie, Minn .

Duluth, Minn

Saint Paul, Minn

.Jacksonville, Fla

Key West, Fla

Punta Rassa, Fla

Per cent, i Per cent. Per cent. Per cent

71.8
71.8
76.9
74.0
70.3
71.9
77.1
72.7

74.2
72.6
83.2
72.1
73.5
69.3
78.7
73.2

72.0
73.0
76.8
72.7
75.2
70.2
78.9
74.2

70.7
64.7
81.8
73.3
70.7
68.5
77.2
73.7

Percent.
73.3
62.8
79.5
71.0
67.1
63.9
7-2.2

Per cent.
72.4
68.9
79.6
72.6
71.3
68.8
76.8
72.7

Per cent.

I 74.3
\ 72.7

From the above data it appears that the mean relative humidity of Cannes and
Meutone, during the cold months, exceeds that of Jacksonville by nearly 4 per cenlu
Three stations in Minnesota have a mean of 74.8, and three in Florida a mean of 72.7^
showing a per cent, of 1.6 in favor of Florida, and 5.5 per cent, in favor of Jackson-
ville over Minnesota.

If we take the entire year, for a period of five years, we will find but little diflfer-
ence in the mean relative humidity of Minnesota and Florida, as the following data,
kindly furnished us by the Chief Signal Officer of the United States Army, will dem-
onstrate :

Minnesota

Florida.

Years.

-1^

1875

P&r cent.
75.7
67.7
72.2
76.2
74.1

Per cent.
67.2
68.2
71.9
71.5
72.8

Per cent.
69.0
69.1
67.6
67.7
65.8

Percent.
70.3
67.2
69.3
68.7
60.7

Per cent.
76.0
73.9
70.5
72.4
72.3

Per cent.
71.5

1876

76.1

1877

74.1

1878

74.5

1879

74.2

Mean for five years

73.2

70.3

67.7

69.0

73.0

74.2

Mean for five years for States . . .

70.4

72.1

Thus it will be perceived that Jacksonville possesses a lower mean relative humidity
than most of the celebrated winter resorts. There is one important point to which I
wish to direct your attention, and thac is the remarkably low percentage of humidity
during the much dreaded month of March — the mean for five years being but 63.9, as
against 73.3 at Mentone, 76.8 at Atlantic City, 79.5 at Breckinridge, Minn , 68.4 at
Nassau, N. P., and 67.1 at Saint Paul. When referring to the effects of change of
climate, Dr. Madden remarks : "The temperature of a locality, to which so much im-
I)ortanceis properly assigned, is no criterion of its climate as a health resort, the fact

FLORIDA: ITS CLIMATE, SOIL, PRODUCTIONS,

l^eing that invalids are painfully sensible of variations in the hijgromelric 8tate of the
■aimosjilcere, which are in no way indicated by the thermometer, so much relied on."

The thermometric range in this city is not too high nor too low. As evidence of this,
we find the mean temperature for the iive cold months, for five jears, to be for Novem-
ber, 62°. 1; December, 55^.8; January, 56^.ii ; February, 56^.9 ; March, 62°. 7 ; mean
for five months, 58°. 7.

Dr. Lente, p. 17, when discussing temperature as a constituent of climate, and
referring to certain winter resorts north of Florida, remarks: "A mean winter tem-
perature of about 48° is too low to entice manj' of the feeble invalids out of doors, ex-
cept in calm and sunshiny weather. But in some of them this degree of cold is en-
hanced, as far as the sensations are concerned, by the winds which frequently prevail.
At such times, most invalids will, therefore, be found hovering over the comfortable
wood lires, and will be i^retty sure to keep all the apertures of their chambers closed
at night, thus dei>riving themselves, during by far the greater part of the twenty-four
hours, of the principal means of cure. In Florida the sun shines so brightly, the air
is so balmy, the songs of the birds so enlivening, and the orange trees in their bloom,
or laden with their golden fruit, lend such a charm to the outlook from the windows,
that the most indolent or the most cold-blooded invalid feels little inclined to stay in
doors."

Prof. J. Hughes Bennett, of the University of Edinburgh, remarks: "And when, in
our own country, the question arises, Where shall we send the consumptive patient
in order to avoid our changeable climate and cold winter winds in winter? we natur-
ally say : To a land where, during that portion of the year, the weather is warm and
equable. Much has been written on climate, but the one which appears to me best
is that which will enable the phthisical patient to pass a few hours every day in the
open air, without exposure to cold or the vicissitudes of temperature on the one hand,
or excessive heat on the other."*

With the exception of the month of December, fogs are seldom seen, and when
they do occur they are not dense, and disappear as soon as the sun ajipears above the
horizon. Interested parties have intimated that the city of Jacksonville is a "rainy
locality," and, in consequence, an "unsuitable jdace for invalids." To correct this
error, we will furnish data apjdicable to a few winter resorts, from reliable sources :

RAIKFALL IX INCHES AXD HUXDREDTHS.

Localities.

.Nice I 28

Men tone 9

Kervi 7

Genoa 29

Atlantic City, N.J 5

Augusta, Ga 5

Jacksonville, Fla 5

Key West, Fla 5

Punta Rassa, Fla 5

►t>

5.11

4.12

3.06

5.a4

3.15

1.70

6. 00

4.88

4.78

7.61

4.86

4.39

4.61

3. 60

2.76

4.56

3.09

3.70

3.02

3.38

2.34

2.43

1.33

2.18

2.38

0.99

1.69

^ I s

1. 68 i
2.18 I

2. .33
4.27 !
2.10 i
3.64
5.14 1
2.22 i
2.67 i

2.89
4.13
4.49
3.59
3.86
5.65
2.84
0.94
1.04

16.86
16.50
23.40
24. 72
16.93
20.64
16. 62
9.10
8.77

We have referred to sunshine as an important aid in the treatment of disease and
broken health, and as an evidence that Florida is favored with sunshine and fair
Aveather, and not "cloudy, foggy, and rainy weather," as interested parties have as-

Bennett's Practice of Medicine, i)p. 326, 476.

AND AGRICULTURAL CAPABILITIES.

serted, I shall direct your attention to the following meteorological data, furnished hy
J. W. Smith, the observer in charge of this station :

* METEOROLOGICAL DATA FROM SIGNAL OFFICE, U. S. A.. JACKSONVILLE, FLA.

Rainy days.

Date.

December.

January.

February.

Remarks.

1S74_1875 ..

6* i 15 10

4 j 4 8

10 ! 6 6

9 5 10

8 5 9

7
6
8

1875-1876

1 "Rainy days," all days on
j^which rain fell.

1877 1878 - - - •

1878 1879

3 }

37.4 days in five months.

Average

8.6

7.4, 7| 8.6

5.8

Cloudy days.

■

1
1

December.

Japuary.
February.

• s

1874 1875

4
8
6
10
9

• 12 3

1875 1876 :

4 5 7
3 2 1 10
11 11 9
11 5 ! 11

1876-1877 ■

( 7

1877 1878

1878-1879

35.6 cloudy <iays five months.

Average

7.4

7 7 8

6.2

J. W. SMITH,
Observer in, Charge.

When a day is marked ''rainj^," but a few drops may have fallen, and it is no evi-
dence that the entire day was rainy. A measurable or a non-measurable quantity
may fall in a few minutes, and the remainder of the day be bright and clear. In
Florida the rains are frequently "torrential, in short, severe bursts," followed by
bright and clear weather. For the purpo-ses of comparison, we will refer to the num-
ber of rainy days during the cold months in Jacksonville, Mentone, and Saint Paul.

RAINY DAYS (INCLUDING SNOW).

Localitv.

£?

NOA

a
a

^
^

Jactsonville

8.6

7.4

;

8.6

5.fl

37.4

Mentone

10.1

7.25

5.1 1

5.66

9.55

37. 48

Saint Paul

Ozone is considered an important constituent of the atmosphere, for
by its presence pure air may be inferred to exist. This allotropic con-
dition of oxygen possesses great i)ower of destruction of organic matter
floating in the atmosphere. The Florida peninsula is surrounded by
the sea, and the land is almost constantly fanned by sea-breezes, con-
taining a large amount of ozone. According to the researches of Burdel,

he found as '' much ozone in the air of marshes as in other air." Clemens
says : '^ There is a large proportion of oxygen near the surface of lakes,
giving the reaction of ozone," more especialh^ if there are certain aquatic •
plants present; and he also remarks that at some feet above the surface
the reaction is lost. Grallois has lately stated that he ^* found more
ozone over marshes than anywhere else." Dr. Schreiber, of Vienna,
asserts ''that the turi>entine exhaled from pine forests possesses, to a
greater degree than all other substances, the property of converting
the oxygen of the air into ozone." In this connection. Dr. Denison
remarks: ^'If this be true, it will explain why a residence among the
balsamic odors of the innes has long been esteemed of benefit to the
pulmonary invalid." Florida is densely covered with pine forests, and
if we accept the statement of Dr. Schreiber, Dr. Jones is in error. Dr.
Moffat found the quantity of ozone in the atmosphere greater when the
mean daily temperature was above the mean. According to the re-
searches of Dr. Denison in Colorado, the excess of ozone appeared dur-
ing the spring months on the plains, and came proportionately later in
the season the higher up the observations were made. Says Dr. Ken-
worthy :

Malaria is a subject which enters into the discussion of «j.ll southern climes, and we
unhesitatingly assert that Florida has been misrepresented in this respect. " It is the
custom," remarks Dr. Lente, p. 21, ''of many persons living at Florida resorts, off the
Saint John's River, to represent, for obvious reasons, that fever prevails there the year
round, and that it is dangerous to resort to it at any time. In this manuer they have
excited senseless alarm in the minds of those proposing to come to Florida, and have
diverted them to other Southern resorts, thus in the end injuring themselves as well
as others." Unprincipled hotel keepers and runners, and the agents of steamboat and
railroad lines leading to other localities, aid more or less in this fraudulent attempt to
gain patronage. The bugbear, malaria, is, in my humble opinion, a prolific source of
disease among visitors to Florida. By misrepresentations (to use a mild term) tourists
and invalids have been led to believe that the entire water supply is productive of
disease, and as a consequence they refrain from drinking a suflHcient quantity of water,
or dilute it with poor whisky or brandy to counteract its bad effects Interested par-
ties have expatiated so much with regard to the air being charged with malaria in
winter, that invalids and patients become alarmed, and as a sequence they daily swal-
low quinine, and thereby produce nervous or functional derangements. They keep
the pure air out of their rooms, breathe an air contaminated with their own breaths
and exhalations, and at night assemble in halls and parlors and inhale vitiated air
poisoned by their own breaths and the elements resulting from the combnstiou of coal-
gas and kerosene. They inhale for hours at a time air charged with carbonic acid,
and shun the pure night air as they would the eaianations of the deadly Upas tree.
Visitors act imprudently, and as a consequence suffer from nervous derangements,
colds, and diarrha3as, which they attribute to malaria or the climate. The cause of
slight indispositions affecting visitors is not malaria, but indulgence at table, change
of drinking water, eating excessive quantities of fruit, or the inhalation of air poisoned
by human breaths, or the resultants of the combustion of coal-gas and kerosene, and a
deficiency of the pure air that a beneficent Creator has placed everywhere within their
reach. If visitors would let quinine and arsenical pills alone, control their appetites,
eat moderately, inhale plenty of the salubrious air of the State, and not swelter in
heated halls, parlors, and unventilated bed-rooms, we should hear less of the bugbear,
malaria.

AND AGRICULTURAL CAPABILITIES. . 15

At various times since 1844, I have navigated the larger streams of this State, vis-
ited the everglades and Lake Okeechobee, and almost every bay, inlet, and river,
from Cape Sable to the Suwannee River, and for over two months at a time slept in
an open boat, with nothing but a simple awning stretched over the boat's boom, and
in no instance did my companions or self suffer from malaria or a chill. Before I be-
came a resident of the State, my companions and self were unacclimated, and in no
instance were we so foolish as to swallow quinine, arsenic, or alcoholic liquors as an-
tidotes to malaria or chills. I speak from personal observation, experience, and ex-
tended inquiry in various portions of the State, and I unhesitatingly assert that the
opinion entertained with regard to the prevalence of malaria during the cold months
in Florida is unfounded. When discussing the advantages of Florida as a climatic
resort, the eminent Dr. Forry predicted, "from a long residence in Florida, attached
to the United States Army, that when the period of the red man's departure shall
have passed, the cliniate of this land of flowers would acquire a celebrity as a winter
residence not inferior to that of Italy, Madeira, or Southern France." *

"All know," remarks Dr. Brinton, p. 128, ''how terribly arduous must be cam-
paigning among the everglades of Florida, yet the yearly mortality from disease of
the Regular Army there was ouly 26 per 1,000 men ; the average of the Army elsewhere
was 35 per 1,000, while in Texas it rose to 40, and on the Lower Mississippi to 45 per
1,0 0." If i^ersons are suftering from malarial cachexia they may have chills at any
season in any climate. But a few weeks since I was requested to visit a young lady
visitor, whose home is Fifth Avenue, New York. The only time she had been dressea
for three months was the day she was driven to the Savannah steamer. Upon inquiry
I found that quinine, arsenic, and Warbeck's tincture had failed to cure her of chills.
She arrived in this city in the latter part of February, and at the end of two weeks
she departed for home, sans chills, sans malaria, sans debility. From my experience
in hospitals and private practice in and near New York, I have no hesitation in stating
that malarious diseases are more frequent there than in Florida. From my observa-
tions from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico, I am convinced that febrile diseases assume
a milder form, and are more easily cured in Florida than in States to the north of it.
I shall no doubt be met with the reply : ''Look at the waxy complexions and gaunt
forms of many Floridians, met with at some of the landings and depots." I admit
the mild impeachment, and can attribute their cachectic condition to bad water, in-
sufficient clothing, unsuitable and uncomfortable habitations, and the improper food
they eat from childhood to the grave. In any other State but Florida they would
be the victims of enlarged spleens, cardiac dilatation, chronic gastritis, tuberculosis,
dropsical effusions, or albuminuria. But contrast the natives referred to with those
who have comfortable homes, sufficient clothing, and who drink pure water and use
good and nutritious food; or with Northern ami Western people who have been in the
State for years, and the latter will be found to be pictures of health. I admit that
in Florida, as everywhere else, there are insalubrious localities, but they should be
avoided by strangers. A majority of the cases of illness occurring among visitors in
this State are referable to indulgence at table, drinking impure water, the inhalation
of impure air, the 'American weakness of rushing hither and thirher, occupation of
unventilated rooms, and a ridiculous system of senseless drugging as a consequence
of the advice given by phj^sicians who are ignorant of the climate and its diseases.

From my observations in the United States and in foreign lands, and in hospital as
well as in private piactice, I have been forced to notice the infrequency of chronic dis-
ease and broken health in Florida. In mj' visits to various portions of this State I
have met with many persons, old and young, who live from year to year on improper
food, and who drink water from shallow holes, near marshes, and yet, singular to say
(although such persons are somewhat ana'mic), they do not present any manifest dis-
eased condition. In cities, towns, villages, and rural districts, where residents are
supplied with proper food and drink pure water, a case of chronic disease or broken

* Copeland's Dictionary of Medicine, vol. 1, p. 41'

16 FLORIDA: ITS CLIMATE, SOIL, PPvODUCTIONS,

health is sehlom met with. And if we have a climate in which these conditions rarely
occur, are we not justified in concluding that it will exert a powerful influence in re
storing the invalid to health? I have, at various times, visited many portions of the
State, and have been surprised to meet so many persons who have settled in it as in-
valids and have heen restored to health or comparative comfort by the climate— a
large proportion of them having been suflferers from pulmonary diseases. And what
surprised me most, was the fact that none of their offspring manifested any constitu-
tional predisposition to pulmonary disease.

GEOGRAPHY AND TOPOGRAPHY. *

Florida is usually described as compOvsed of East Florida, or that por-
tion of the State between the Atlantic and the Suwannee Kiver, com-
prising the whole of the peninsula; Middle Florida, extending from the
Suwannee to the Apalachicola; and West Florida, comprising the ter-
ritory west of the last-named river. This division, suggested probably
by the existence of the distinctly-marked natural boundaries furnished
by the rivers named, may Ije well enough for the purposes of a general
description, but a different division suggests itself as better adapted to
the purpose of an agricultural description of different sections, whose
characteristic i^roductions would be determined in the main by their
special climatic conditions. Accordingly, in attempting to give that
sort of practical information that would be serviceable to actual settlers,,
and best enable them to make satisfactory locations, a different mode
of territorial division will be adopted, and for the purpose of properly
grouping the counties with special reference to those climatic conditions^
which control and determine their vegetable productions, the State will
be included in the three divisions of Northern, Central, and Southern
Florida.

Northern Florida will be considered as constituted from all the lands
lying north of the parallel of 30° north latitude ; the territory included
between the parallels of 28° and 30^ north latitude will be styled Cen-
tral Florida; and all south of 28° will be considered as composing South
Florida.

Thus apportioned, a general account of each division will be given,
accompanied by such local descriptions of the different counties as will
convey a definite idea of the topography and characteristics peculiar ta
each. • •

NORTHERN FLORIDA.

This division extends from the Atlantic Ocean on the east, to Per-
dido River on the west, a distance of 375 miles, and has an average
breadth of some 45 miles, and is comi)osed of the counties of Escambia,
Santa Rosa, Walton, Washington, Holmes, Jackson, Calhoun, Frank-
lin, Gadsden, Liberty, Leon, Wakulla, Jefferson, Madison, Taylor, Ham-
ilton, Suwannee, Columbia, Baker, Bradford, Nassau, Duval, Clay, and
the northern part of Saint John's County.

The climate of this section as a whole may be said to be mild, verg-
ing upon warm. All extremes of temperature are essentially modified

AND AGRICULTURAL CAPABILITIES. 17

by the prevalence of daily winds from the ocean or Gulf of Mexico.
The eastern portion, probably from the influence of the Gulf Stream,
has a milder and more agreeable climate than that west of the Suwan-
nee, and in winter suffers less from the cold northers and northwesters
that occasionally prevail. But through the whole section so equable is
the climate that although ice may be formed two or three times in the
course of a year, the thermometer very seldom falls below 35° in the
winter, or rises above 90^ in the summer. There are occasional frosts,
but during four-fifths of the winter season the prevalent temperature
is that of the mildest Indian summer at the North and West.

The surface of Northern Florida varies from the somewhat tame and
monotonous levels of Eastern and Western Florida to the undulating
and uneven lands of the middle i)ortion, and gives a much wider field
for selection than is commonly supposed, although extreme elevations
are entirely wanting. Many strangers, who only make a personal in-
spection of the Saint John's region, and gQ away complaining of the
tameness of the scene^ry, the lack of variety in the landscape, and the
sluggish movements of the streams, would find in the valley of the Saint
Mary's a deep and somewhat rapid stream inclosed between pictu-
resque bluffs and high banks in the midst of a rich and fertile territory.
The same is also true of the Suwannee, the Ohipola, and other rivers.

From Hamilton on the east and Holmes on the west, the intermediate
section is undulating, and in some parts quite broken ; many portions
of Jackson, Gadsden, and Leon Counties, in particular, bearing upon
their surface a strong resemblance to the less hilly portions of Pennsyl-
vania, New York, and New England, and thus is afforded in Northern
Florida a variety of surface, consisting of sandy plains and "flat woods,"
and an alternation of hill and vale, from which the divers tastes of dif-
ferent individuals can be easily gratified.

The soils of Northern Florida are as varied as is the surface. To the
east is found a light and sandy soil, with a subsoil varying in depth, of
clay or marl. In the west the poorer soils are sandy, while the better
are loamy in character. In the middle, or section commonly called
"Middle Florida," strong clay soils are often to be met, as is especially
the case in Jackson, Gadsden, and Leon Counties.

It is undeniable that here, as in the State generally, there is a good
deal of light and poor soil; but it is equally true that as rich and pro-
ductive lands exist in Northern Florida, and when considered with ref-
erence to the value of the staple crops, as productive and valuable lands
as can be found anywhere. The first year's crop of cotton and corn has
in more than one instance nSpaid the purchase price of a plantation.

From the broken and uneven surface of the middle counties on the
north, and from the comparative coolness of the climate, this division of
the State is better adapted than either of the others to what is under-
stood by ordinary' ''farming," as contradistinguished from "planting "
so called. Hence there is a greater diversity of the crops usually raised
3290 2

18 FLORIDA: ITS CLIMATE, SOIL, PRODUCTIONS,

in the Kortheru and Middle States than can ordinarily be found in the
other divisions. Here, instead of depending mainly upon the avails of
a single crop, as is usual with cotton, rice, and sugar planters, there is
more of what is understood by the term of farming, and each cultivator
aims at raising his own supplies as far as practicable; and cotton, corn,
cane, wheat, rye, oats, hay, potatoes, and tobacco are often, and indeed
commonly, made by each individual farmer.

The staple crops may be said to be corn, cotton, tobacco, rice, cane,
Irish and sweet potatoes, and oats. The principal fruits are peaches,
figs, grapes, oranges, though many others are raised. The apple and
pear do not generally flourish, except along the Saint Mary's Kiver
(which Is one of the best fruit regions in the whole South) and in the
strong clay soils of Jackson, Gadsden, and Leon Counties. The peach
and fig thrive everywhere and mature several weeks earlier than in the
States lying north. The orange is grown throughout this division, the
crop increasing in security as you go south; but very fine oranges
are raised in the northern counties, although, when young, they should
have some protection, ^o better oranges are raised in Florida than those
produced in Liberty, Calhoun, Wakulla, and Washington Counties, and
the world can show no better oranges than the best raised in this State.

This whole division is remarkably well watered. In addition to the
numerous rivers — ^the Perdido, Black Water, Escambia, Econfina, Apa-
lachicola, Chipola, Ocklockonee, Ancilla, Suwannee, Saint John's, Saint
Mary's, and Nassau — and the multitude of smaller streams, nearly the
whole region is abundantly supplied with springs, while good water is
easily obtained in wells of little expense.

The timber of the region is abundant. The supplies of pine and
cypress are apparently inexhaustible ; while hickory, oak, ash, cedar,
magnolia, and red bay are found everywhere. Game and fish are found
everywhere in good supply. On the coasts, oysters and turtle abound.
They are both abundant and good on the east coast ; but the oysters of
Saint Andrew's Bay, on the west, are not surpassed for size and flavor,
and are exceedingly abundant.

. So much will suffice for a general description of Northern Florida as
a whole, and for more particular information reference is made to the
local descriptions of each county in this subdivision, arranged in alpha-
betical order.

BRADFORD COUNTY.

Bounded north by Baker County, east by Clay, south by Alachua, and
west by Columbia County. Area, about 600 square miles. The surface
mostly level, but sufficiently^ high and undulating for cultivation. The
soil varies from light to strong pine land, and is covered, where not im-
proved, with a heavy growth of pine timber. This timber and naval
stores are largely exported. The Atlantic, Gulf and West India Tran-
sit Eailroad, which runs from Fernandina, on the Atlantic, to Cedar
Keys, on the Gulf of Mexico, runs southwest across the eastern border

AND AGRICULTURAL CAPABILITIES. 19

of the county. This is a progressive county, and has a thrifty popula-
tion of old and new settlers. All the usual crops do well, and the orange
groves look as well as in any section ; market gardening is also profita-
ble here.

Lake Butler is the county seat, though Starke is the largest, both in
population and business, and is situated directly on the line of the rail-
road.

BAKER COUNTY.

Bounded north by Georgia, east by Nassau and Duval Counties, south
by Bradford, and west by Columbia County. Area, about 500 square
miles. Its topography, soil, and general characteristics are similar to
Bradford County. Mostly level, hea^^ly timbered j soil, where culti.
vated, productive. The Central Railroad runs through the county from
east to west, furnishing easy transportation to Apalachicola River on
the west, to Jacksonville and Fernandina on the east, and connecting
with the railroad system north. Sanderson, on the line of the railroad,
is the county seat. Many small farmers are settling in this county.

COLUMBIA COUNTY.

Bounded north by Georgia, east by Baker and Bradford Counties,
south by Alachua, and west by Suwannee and Hamilton Counties.
Area, about 864 square miles. Its soil includes pretty much every variety
found in Florida. The surface is generally level ; the southern portion
well timbered : the western part, high rolling pine lands of good quality,-
very little waste land unfit for cultivation. There are twelve lakes of
moderate size. Alligator Lake being the largest ; all abound in good
fish. Muck, marl, limestone, sandstone, and clay suitable for bricks
are found. Several streams afford good mill sites, and at Suwannee
Shoals, on border of Hamilton County, there is sufficient water for large
manufacturing establishments.

The railroad from Jacksonville runs through the county from east to
west, with a dei>ot at Lake City. Lake City, the county seat, is a neat
place, surrounded by lakes ; is the center of a well settled agricultural
country, and does a large commercial business. Besides cotton, cane,
rice, tobacco, corn and root crops, raising vegetables for shipment to
North and West is becoming a large industry. Orange and grape cult-
ure is receiving special attention, with best results. Some of the largest
vineyards in the State are in this county.

CLAY COUNTY.

Bounded north by Duval County j east by Saint John's River, which
separates it from Saint John's County; south by Putnam, and west by
Bradford County. Area, about 425 square miles. The county is well
watered, sufficiently high and uneven to afford water-power on several
streams. Black Creek traverses the county, and is navigable for river
steamers to Middleburg, the center of the county. The Atlantic, Gulf

20 FLORIDA: ITS CLIMATE, SOIL, PRODUCTIONS,

and West India Transit Eailroad crosses the northwestern township of
the county, about twelve miles from the head of navigation on Black
Creek, so the county has excellent facilities to reach markets by water
or fail. There are several fine lakes in the southwestern portion of the
county, which afford, at all seasons, an abundance of food fish. Lake
Kingsley is the largest, in the near vicinity of which, and in the section
lying between the lake and the railroad, settlements and improvements
are being rapidly made. Most of the soil of this county produces well
all the staples of the country,- and the usual vegetables and varieties of
fruit. Bordering the many streams and lakes there are rich hammocks.
The land, where not opened, is Tt'ell covered with pine. Marl beds of
large extent are found, and on Black Creek fine stone for building pur-
poses. Middleburg, formerly the county seat, a town once of consid-
erable importance, at head of navigation, was formerly the place of trans-
shipment to and from the interior. The building of the railroad from
Fernandina has diverted this. The county seat, Green Cove Springs,
on the Saint John's, is a thriving place, and a great resort both for win-
ter travelers and others who seek benefit from the sulphur spring, which
is large.

CALHOUN COUNTY.

Bounded on the north by Jackson County, east by the Apalachicola
River and Franklin County, south by the Gulf of Mexico, which, with
"Washington County, form^ the western boundary. Area, 670,000 acres.
Lands in the northern part are elevated and rolling; in the southern por-
tion level, and in some places low. The Apalachicola River is navigable
for large steamers, and the Chipola River, which nearly bisects the county
from north to south, is navigable a portion of the year. Other streams
abound and afford amj)le water-power, which is used, whenever desired,
to advantage. Chix^ola Lake, 16 miles long and from 1 to 3 miles wide,
is situated near the center of the county, and is full of fish of many
kinds ', the forests abound in game. Very extensive beds of marl, some
quarries of stone, and clay suitable for brick are found in this county.
Cotton, sugar-cane, corn, and peanuts, are the principal crops raised,
as also vegetables and root crops. Orange culture is rapidly extending,
and successfully. Stock-raising is carried on to some extent, and profit-
ably.

DUVAL COUNTY.

Bounded north by Nassau County, east by the Atlantic Ocean, south
by Saint John's and Clay Counties, west by Baker and Nassau. It has
an area of about 860 square miles, embracing the mouth of the mag-
nificent Saint John's River, the natural outlet of nearly a thousand miles
of inland navigable waters. While the lands as a whole are not as rich
in an agricultural sense as some other sections, yet there are to be found
large and small tracts of rich hammock. Most of the land, however, is
light, but the modifying influence of the waters of the ocean and the

AND AGRICULTURAL CAPABILITIES. 21

broad Saint John's and other streams are favorable for crops, and espe-
cially for vegetables and fruit. Add to this the commercial facilities
of river navigation, outward to sea and interior, the railroads con-
necting north, west, and south with the great through lines, and Duval
County offers the very best advantages for general Southern crops, and
particularly for large and small fruit growing and market gardening,
which is rapidly extending. The light lands respond quickly to fertih-
zers, and marl, shells, and muck are found within easy distance. ^

Jacksonville, the county seat, is. in the center of the county, and is the
largest and most thriving city in East Florida, and in the very near
future may rank in commercial importance with Savannah and Charles-
ton. It is healthy, has many fine hotels, a complete system of water
supply; thorough sewerage, rigid sanitary and police regulations, and
is every way progressive. The Jacksonville, Pensacola and Mobile
Eailroad, the Savannah and Florida, and the Fernandina Eailroads in-
tersect the Saint John's Eiver at this point, and the Jacksonville, Saint
Augustine and Halifax Kiver Eailway is in process of construction.
Arrangements have also been made for building a railroad from this
city to Key West, touching at Palatka, Titusville, Tampa, and Punta
Eassa. Steamers ply to Savannah and Charleston, connecting at those
points with steamers to the principal :N^orthern ports. Lines of schoon-
ers run regularly to New York.

ESCAMBIA COUNTY.

This county forms the west end of the State. Bounded north and
west by Alabama, east by Santa Eosa County, and south by Gulf of
Mexico. Perdido Bay and Eiver separate it from Alabama on the west,
Escambia Eiver and Bay from Santa Eosa County on the east. That
portion of the county bordering the Gulf is level, with a light soil, cov-
ered with pine ; where this has been cut off, oak, hickory, bay, mag-
nolia, and other hard woods have succeeded. The northern part, being
over two-thirds, is uneven and hilly, and clay subsoil is near the sur-
face, occasionally cropping out. The area of the county is about 600
square miles.

Pensacola is the county seat, and one of the most beautifully located
and important cities in the State. Pensacola Bay has no equal in the
Southern States, and in capacity, depth of water, and safety is not
excelled by any T^orthern port. There is a large and well-equipped
United States navy-yard, dry-dock, and coal-depot, as also Fort Bar-
rancas, Fort Pickens, and the old Fort McEae. The recent extension
of railroads to Pensacola, connecting it with the great through lines
west, north, and east, will make it a great shipping port for products
of field, mines, and manufactures. Escambia Eiver is navigable for
steamboats for twenty-five miles, anfl the Perdido for same distance.
A railroad connects Perdido Bay with Pensacola Bay.

22 FLORIDA : ITS CLIMATE, SOIL, PRODUCTIONS,

FRANKLIN COUNTY.

Bounded on tlie north by Liberty and Wakulla, east and soutUby the
Gulf of Mexico, and west by Calhoun County. It is divided by the
Apalaeliicola River, and includes Ai>alachicola Bay, Saint George's
Sound, and the adjacent islands. It contains about 600 square miles?
and was formerly one of the most thriving and important counties of
the State. Apalachi(5ola, the county seat, was formerly a place of large
commerce; the lines of railroad from Atlantic cities west have almost
entirely diverted the tradf^, and from being one of the largest cotton
ports of the South, it has become only the port for a limited area of
country. But with a fair jilort on the Gulf, and steamboat navigation
reaching into Georgia and Alabama, by the Apalachicola, Chattahoo-
chee, and Flint Elvers, there is a good prospect of its future growth as
the country becomes settled. Many portions are rich, alluvial bottoms,
very productive. All the Southern staples are successfully cultivated,
and the orange and semi-tropical fruits fully equal, in growth, quality,
and quantity, those of other sections. The bays and waters of the
Gulf afford superior fish and oysters, and yield abundantly.

GADSDEN COUNTY.

Bounded north by Georgia; east by Leon, from which it is separated
by the Ocklockonuee River; south by Leon and Liberty; west by Jack-
son County, from which it is separated by the Chattahoochee River. It
contains an area of over 450 square miles. The surface is uneven, ele-
vated, and presents a strong contrast with the more level ^ands on the
Atlantic and Gulf coasts, the topography and soil in many portions re-
sembling the northern parts of Virginia. It is one of the best- watered
portions of the State ; clear running streams and springs of freestone
water are met with at short intervals, in every direction, which afford
water-power for manufacturing. The soil is mostly based on red clay,
lying from a few inches to two feet beneath the surface ; the lands be-
ing rich, productive, and durable, are thus adapted for the growth of
grain and forage crops, also cotton and cane. Previous to the war, this
county was noted for its production of superior tobacco, which equaled
Cuba tobacco in quality and price. The export previous to 1860 was
400 boxes of 400 pounds each of tobacco, annually. It is among the
richest agricultural counties in the State, and has little waste land,
and a larger proportion under cultivation than most others.

Quincy, the county seat, is a beautiful town, its location on high
elevation affording fine views of the surrounding country. The Jack-
sonville and Mobile iiCailroad crosses the county from east to west to
the Apalachicola River, thus affording good facilities for transportation
to the ^N^orth and West as well as to Eastern and Southern ports. Beds
of marl are found in this county, as also clay suitable for brick.

AND AGRICULTURAL CAPABILITIES. 23

HAMILTOX COUNTY.

Bounded north by Georgia, east by Columbia, soutb by Suwannee,
and west by Madison County. Area about 400 square miles. The Su-
wannee River forms its southern and eastern boundary, the Withla-
coochee River its western, the Alapaha River dividing in nearly in the
center. The Savannah and Gulf Railroad crosses from south to north,
nearly in the center of the county. The general surface is rolling, soil
light in some portions, with fine hammocks near streams. Jasper is the
county seat.

HOLMES COUNTY.

Bounded north by Alabama; east by Jackson, from which it is sep-
arated by Holmes Creek j south by Washington and Walton; west by
Walton County. Area over 500 square miles. The Choctawhatchie
River runs south through the center of the county, affording steamboat
communication with the Choctawhatchie Bay and the Gulf. Stock-rais-
ing, cotton-growing, and farming the principal business; sugar-cane,
corn, potatoes, and other food crops raised for sale and home consump-
tion. The land is mostly level, good pine lands, well timbered, varied
by rich hammocks. The great need of this and adjoining counties is
railroad communication. The Pensacola and Mobile Railroad will pass
through this county at or near Cerro Gordo, the county seat, which is
pleasantly situated on the high banks of the Choctawhatchie. A rail-
road is in jirocess of rapid construction that will connect the county
with Pensacola and Jacksonville.

JACKSON COUNTY.

Bounded on the north by Alabama ; east by Decatur County, Geor-
gia, and Gadsden County, Florida, from which it is separated by the
Chattahoochee and Apalachicola Rivers ; south by Calhoun and Wash-
ington Counties, and west by Washington and Holmes Counties; has
an area of 1,000 square miles. It is considered as one of the richest
agricultural districts of the State. Lands are rich, undulating ham-
mock; soil composed of clay, loam, and lime, in various proportions,
and pine lands of good quality of soil. The Chipola River, rising in
Alabama, flows south nearly through the county, emptying into the
Apalachicola; is navigable for boats of moderate draft. At a small
expense the river could be made navigable for steamboats. The Apala-
chicola and Chattahoochee Rivers, on the eastern boundary, afford trans-
portation to markets. The county exports largely cotton and other
agricultural products.

Marianna, the county seat, is a beautiful place, doing a large busi-
ness ; is located on the Chipola River, the lower valley of which is w^ell
adapted to orange- growing, as also other fruits ; soil rich and remark-
ably exempt from frost. The extension of the Jacksonville, Pensacola

24 FLORIDA: ITS CLIMATE, SOIL, PRODUCTIONS,

and Mobile Eailroad, now rapidly progressing, will afford facilities for
communication east and west, which cannot fail to render the county
attractive for immigrants and capitalists.

JEFFERSON COUNTY.

Bounded north by Georgia ; east by Madison and Taylor, from which
it is separated by the Aucilla River j south by Taylor County and the
Gulf of Mexico 5 west by Wakulla and IjCOu. Has an area of about 550
square miles. It occupies a central portion in the tier of counties
known as Middle Florida, and offers many and substantial inducements
to immigrants, especially to those who seek homes where they can enjoy
all the benelits of civilization and the facilities for easy and cheap com-
munication with markets. The face of the county, from the Georgia
line south for about 20 miles, is beautifully undulating, intersected
throughout with small streams fed by springs, and dotted here and
there with beautiful lakes, prominent among which is the Miccosukie,
which extends into Leon County and is 15 miles long by from 1 to 4
miles wide. The southern portion of the county is mostly flat woods.
The soil is varied — in the upper and middle are stiff, red lands, with clay
subsoil J on the Aucilla Eiver and bordering on the flat woods are rich
hammocks. It has a larger proportion of cultivated lands than other
counties, and is among the largest cotton-producing counties. With
Madison, Leon, and Gadsden it constitutes what is known as the rich
agricultural district of Northern Florida.

The Jacksonville, Pensacola and Mobile Eailroad crosses the county
near the center, with a branch to Monticello, the county seat, one of the
most healthy and delightful villages in the State.

LEON COUNTY.

Bounded north by Georgia, east by Jefferson County, south by Wa-
kulla County, and west by Liberty and Gadsden Counties, from which it
is separated by the Ocklockonnee Eiver. It contains an area of about
700 square miles. The surface of the county, like that of the adjoining
counties, which constitute what is known as Middle Florida, is varied ;
the northern portion uneven, the southern more level and interspersed
throughout with clear- water lakes, among which are Lafayette, Jackson,
lamonia, Bradford, and the Miccosukie, extending fron Jefferson County,
all abounding in fish. The soil is as varied as the surface. In the north-
ern half of the county it is rich loam, based upon red clay, very pro-
ductive. In the southern portion the soil is lighter, the clay lying deeper
and of a pale yellow color. Leon is the center of the rich agricultural
counties of Northern Florida, and no district of the same extent in the
country can otter superior inducements to cultivators of the soil. Short
staple cotton has been the i)rincipal source of reliance, but wheat, corn,
rice, rye, oats, sugar-cane, tobacco, and all the diversified products of a rich
agricultural district are successfully cultivated, and all kinds of stock

AND AGRICULTURAL CAPABILITIES. 25

raised with profit. Whether we consider its unexceptionable climate,
the beauty of its undulating surface, the variety, abundance, and value
of its timber, the fertility of its soil, with its adaptability to such a vast
catalogue of crops, its accessibility to markets, its abundance of good,
pure water, its geueral healthfulness, the ease with which the soil is cul-
tivated, the intelligence and character of its people, the number of its
laboring population, or the cheapness of its lands, no portion of the
State or the country can offer superior inducements to immigrants.

The beautiful city of Tallahassee, the county seat and capital of the
State, lies near the center of the county. The Jacksonville, Pensacola
and Mobile Eailroad crosses the county from east to west, and the Tal-
lahassee Railroad, from the port of Saint Mark's, on the Gulf, intersects
it at the capital. The name Tallahassee, signifyiug beautiful land, was
applied by the Indians to this region of country, and was properly appro-
priated to designate the capital at the time of its location.

LIBERTY COUNTY.

Bounded north by Gadsden ; east by Leon and Wakulla Counties,
from which it is separated by the Ocklockonnee Riverj south by Frank-
lin; west by Calhoun, from which it is separated by the Apalachicola
Eiver. It contains an area of about 850 square miles. It is sparsely
populated, and little of its area is cultivated. Its characteristics are
the same as Calhoun and Franklin. Cattle-raising is the principal busi-
ness, but the ordinary staples of the State are successfully cultivated 5
orange culture is receiving attention, and line groves attest the success
of this important product. Bristol is the county seat.

MADISON COUNTY.

Bounded north by Georgia ; east by Hamilton and Suwannee Coun-
ties from which it is separated by the Suwannee River; south by La-
fayette and Taylor, and west by Jefferson, from which the Aucilla River
separates it. It contains 750 square miles, and forms a portion of the
rich agricultural district of Middle Florida. The lands are generally
undulating, and some portions even hilly; a small part of the south-
eastern portion is flat. The western half is very fertile, the eastern
generally pine lands of fair quality and interspersed with lakes and
ponds. The better lands are generally underlaid with clay, and the soil
rich and generous. Long and short staple cotton have formed the chief
product for exportation, and as high as 12,000 bales have been produced
in a year. Now, while cotton continues the principal staple, the prod-
ucts are becoming more diversified, and grass, grain, sugar cane, and
vegetables are receiving more attention and are found remunerative,
while stock-growing and fruit culture are successfully prosecuted. A
larger proportion of the lands of Madison County are under cultivation
than of any other county.

Madison, the county seat, is a thriving place near the center of the

26 FLORIDA: ITS CLIMATE, SOIL, PRODUCTIONS,

county, on the Jacksonville, Pensacola and Mobile Railroad, which,
crosses the county from east to west. One of the largest lumber manu-
facturing establishments in the State, employing a capital of over
$300,000, is situated in the eastern portion of the county j $30,000 are
invested in grist-mills.

NASSAU COUNTY

Occupies the northeast corner of the State, and is bounded north and
west by the Saint Mary^s River, which separates it from Georgia, east
by the Atlantic Ocean and Duval County, and south by Duval. It con-
tains about 600 square miles, including Amelia Island, upon which the
city of Fernandina, the county seat, is located. The soil of Nassau
County varies from the light mulatto soils of the coast, through all the
intermediate gradations, to the stiff clays and marls in the lowlands of
the rivers, and its range of productions is as varied as the soil. On
Amelia Island, the edge of the mainland, and scattered along her rivers,
are soils of calcareous sand, that are adapted for the finest qualities of
long staple cotton, and the culture of the peach, grape, olive, and orange,
while the fresh marsh and black rush lands attached to them are es-
pecially suitable for gardening. These lands are easily reclaimed, rich,
moist, and close to shipping opportunities, so that the shipping of early
vegetables to Northern markets forms a profitable industry. The clay
bluffs along the Saint Mary's River, and the so-called sand hills in the
Xiorthwestern corner of the county, form a third distinct body of agri-
cultural lands. The balance of the lands of the county are pine barrens,
mostly sandy, and interspersed with numerous "bay-galls," cypress
ponds, and savannas. The harbor of Fernandina is the northern ter-
minus of the Atlantic, Gulf and West India Transit Railroad, from
Cedar Keys, and is one of the best harbors for sea-going vessels of deep
draught south of Norfolk, admitting of the safe anchorage of several
hundred vessels at once, and with an entrance easy of access, and giv-
ing from 14 to 20 feet of water.

SAINT JOHN'S COUNTY.

Bounded north by Duval, east by the Atlantic Ocean, south by Vo-
lusia, and west by Putnam and Clay Counties, from which it is sepa-
rated by the Saint John's River. It contains 970 square miles. The
general surface is level, and the land is not of the first quality, being
mostly flat pine woods and palmetto scrub, with some hammock j but
its location, between the Saint John's River and the Atlantic Ocean,
renders it more exempt from frost and better adai)ted to fruit culture
than more interior counties in the same latitude. Orange culture and
fruit and market gardening are now commanding attention, while stock-
growing, corn, rice, sugar cane, &c., are profitable branches of agricul-
tural industry. The Matanzas and North Rivers lie parallel with the
coast on the east, and the Saint John's River and Lake Crescent on the
western border.

AND AGRICULTURAL CAPABILITIES. 27

Saint Augustine, the oldest citj^ on the continent, rich in historic in-
terest, and once famous for its orange groves, from which for nearly a
century the nobles and grandees of Spain derived their best supply, is
the county seat, and a port of entry for sea-going vessels, and is connected
with the Saint John's River by railway to Tocoi, and a railway direct to
Jacksonville is in process of construction. It is proverbial for its healthy
and delightful climate, and is a popular resort, both summer and win-
ter, for visitors seeking health and recreation.

SUWANNEE COUNTY.

Bounded on the north by Hamilton County, east by Columbia, south
by Alachua and La Fayette, and west by La Fayette and Madison, from
which, with Hamilton on the north, it is separated by the Suwannee Eiver.
Its area is about 700 square miles. This county occupies nearly a cen-
tral position, from east to west, in the State, and the Suwannee and
Santa Fe Elvers form its boundary on three sides, a distance of over
100 miles. These streams are navigable for steamboats to the south-
eastern part of the county. The general topography is rolling. The
soil is sandy, in some parts mixed with a clay subsoil. Beds of marl,
shell, and white clay fine enough for pottery. Limestone and sandstone
abound, the latter white as marble, and, when first exposed, so soft that
it may be cut into any desirable form, and becomes hard with exposure.
Lumbering and naval stores form the leading industry, as the timber is
very fine. The Jacksonville, Pensacola and Mobile Eailroad crosses
the county from east to west, and is intersected from the north by the
Savannah Eailway at Live Oak, the county seat, which is now in process
of extension south, with Tampa and Charlotte Harbor as the objective
points.

SANTA ROSA COUNTY.

Bounded north by Alabama, east by Walton County, south by the
Gulf of Mexico, and west by Escambia, and contains about 1,600 square
miles of territorj^ The surface and soil and the natural productions are
very nearly like those of Escambia, which joins it on the west. Lum-
bering is the principal business, and agriculture has received little
attention. The country is well w^atered, the Escambia Eiver and Bay
form its western boundary, and Pensacola Bay and Santa Eosa Sound
lie upon its southern, while the Yellow, Black Water, and Clear Water
Elvers and various creeks divide the interior of the county and dis-
charge their waters into Pensacola Bay. Milton, located at the head
of the bay and at the mouth of the Black Water, is the chief town and
county seat. A large foreign export trade in lumber and timber has
long been conducted from this port.

TAYLOR COUNTY.

Bounded north by Madison County, east by La Fayette, south by the
Gulf of Mexico, west by the Gulf and Jefl'erson County j and has an area

28 FLORIDA: ITS CLIMATE, SOIL, PRODUCTIONS,

of 1,300 square miles. The Aucilla River enters the Gulf on its western
boundary, and the Isteenhatchie on the eastern, while the Econflna, Fiu-
holloway, and Warrior lie intermediate. There are several sulphur, iron,
and chalybeate springs. The surface is generally level, the lands are
pine and hammock, and toward the Gulf coast are comparatively i^oor.
The streams abound in fine fish, the coast in, oysters, and the forests in
game. It is a fine range for cattle, and stock-growing is the leading
business; though cotton, corn, sugarcane, and tobacco for home use are
produced by the farmers. Perry is the county seat.

WAKULLA COUNTY,

Bounded on the north by Leon, east by Jefferson, south by the Gulf
of Mexico, and west by Franklin and Liberty Counties, from which it is
separated by the Ocklockonnee River. It has an area of about 650
square miles. The surface is generally level, though sufiSciently undu-
lating for drainage. The lands vary from light pine to the richest ham-
mock, and are intersected by streams, the most important of which are
the Saint Mark's, Wakulla, and Sopchoppy. There are numerous
springs — sulphur, chalybeate, and pure water. The sulphur springs at
Newport, in the eastern jiartof the county, were formerly a popular re-
sort for invalids, and the famous Wakulla springs, whose transparent
waters create the sensation, while floating on its surface, of being sus-
pended in the air, forms one of the most wonderful and attractive feat-
ures. The port of Saint Mark's, at the mouth of the river of that name
and the terminus of the Tallahassee Railroad, was formerly a place of
considerable commercial importance; the. construction of the various
lines of railway from the Atlantic ports has diverted this trade. The
streams abound in fish, and the coast in oysters, and with the facilities
for communication with the markets of the world there are abundant
inducements for settlement and cultivation. Stock-growing and agri-
culture are the leading industries.

Crawfordsville is the county seat, and is near the center of the county,
and in a fertile and productive portion. The extension of the railway,
now in progress, will soon afford communication east and west with
the railway system of the country.

WALTON COUNTY.

Bounded north by Alabama and Holmes County, east by Holmes and
Washington, south by the Gulf of Mexico, and west by Santa Rosa
County. It embraces an area of about 1,800 square miles. The county
was first settled in 1823, by a colony of Scotch families, who located in
TJchee Valley, and whose decendants still possess the land. The
lands of Walton County are principally pine; along the eastern boundary
much of the soil is light, but there are exceptions, notably on the Choc-
tawhatchie, where there is a tract 15 miles long by 4 miles wide of ex-
ceeding fertility. In the Uchee Valley is another tract of rich land,

AND AGRICULTURAL CAPABILITIES. 29

witli clay subsoil, of about tlie same exterit. Along the eastern and
southern boundaries water communication with the Gulf of Mexico is
furnished by the Choctawhatchie Kiver and Bay, both navigable for
steamboats, while the interior is watered by numerous creeks and runs,
some finding their way into the Choctawhatchie, and others passing west
into Pensacola Bay. The Jacksonville andPensacola Eailroad will cross
this county.

CENTRAL FLORIDA.

This division is made up of the territory lying between the parallels
of 28^ and 30^ ]S^. latitude, and is composed of the counties of La Fayette,
Alachua, Levy, Marion, Putnam, Volusia, Orange, Sumter, Hernando,
and the southern portion of Taylor, Clay, and Saint John^s Counties.

The surface of this division is less broken, and, as a whole, more level
than Northern Florida. It has more of savanna and marsh, and is boun-
tifully supplied with water, having the Stinhatchie, Suwannee, Santa
Fe, Withlacoochee, Crystal,' Hillsborough, Acklawaha, and Saint John's
Kivers, and is profusely studded with ponds, lakes, and smaller streams.
The climate is very perceptibly milder, not only from its more southern
geographical position, but the narrowness of the peninsula here, giving
an average breadth between the ocean and the Gulf of only about ninety
miles, exposes it to the daily sweep of the winds from either side, and
by this means the extremes of both heat and cold are very essentially
modified and ameliorated. The exposure to daily winds from each side
increases, also, the rain supply, so that this division has more frequent
and abundant rains, and sufl[ers less from drought, than the northern
division.

The soils of Central Florida are similar to those of Northern Florida,
with a large proportion of hammock and savanna, and are perhaps of
better quality, as a whole. Levy, Hernando, Alachua, Marion, and
Sumter Counties, taken together, form a body of land that for produc-
tive capacity is not excelled by any similar body in the United States.

The staple crops are similar to those of Northern Florida, but the
peculiar adaptability of this division to the cultivation of the sugar
cane and all semi-tropical fruits has caused cane to advance rapidly
of late in the estimation of farmers, and within a few years it will prob-
ably become the leading agricultural production. The sugar cane in
this division ra toons for six or eight years in succession without pro-
tection, and often attains a height of from 10 to 15 feet, even when grown
for a number of years on the same land without manure.

Particular attention is asked to the statistical return of crops in Her-
nando County, which is appended, and which, with other facts given,
fully sustains the assertion that Central Florida is the best cane region
in the United States, and probably in the world.

The entire division is the natural habitat of the whole citron tribe;
numerous groves of the wild orange have been found and still occasion-
ally appear, and, as would naturally be anticipated, the orange, lemon,

30 FLORIDA: ITS CLIMATE, SOIL, PRODUCTIONS,

and lime are natural and very prolific and profitable crops. The i)eacli
and the fig* thrive everywhere; the guava and the banana do well with-
out protection; and the pine-apple is cultivated, although it does not
flourish as in South Florida. Irish and sweet potatoes, melons, and all
kinds of garden vegetables are cultivated with great success, and can
be brought to maturity at almost any season, at the option of the culti-
vator.

ALACHUA COUNTY.

Bounded north by Suwannee, Columbia, and Bradford Counties, from
which it is separated by the Santa Fe Eiver ; east by Clay and P¥itnam;
south by Marion and Levy; and west by La Fayette County, from which
it is separated by the Suwannee Eiver. It has an area of over 1,300
square miles, and embraces almost every variety of lands found in
the State, from the richest hammock, high rolling pine, hickory, and
oak, to the more level, heavy timbered pine lands. Its elevation above
the sea is from 50 to 250 feet; it has numerous lakes and streams,
■which afford good water-i)ower and abound in excellent fish. Lake
Santa F^, in the northeast portion of the county, is believed to be the
highest body of water in the eastern portion of the State, being on the
ridge from which waters flow to the Atlantic Ocean on the east and to
the Gulf of Mexico on the west.

The Atlantic, Gulf and West India Transit Eailroad runs directly
through the county, from the northeast to the southwest, entering the
county near Santa F^ Lake. The Peninsular Eailroad intersects it at
Waldo, a growing and thriving town in the northeastern i^ortion of this
county, and runs nearly due south to Orange Lake, some twenty miles,
and is being extended to Ocala and thence to Tampa Bay, on the Gulf.
A canal is nearly completed from Waldo, connecting with railroad, and
also connecting Lakes Alto, Santa Fe, and smaller lakes, opening up a
large area of excellent lands to easy access.

Gainesville, the county seat, is one of the most progressive towns
in the State, both in population and business. The population of the
county is increasing from year to year, ^nd the agricultural and horti-
cultural resources are developing more and more each season.

The fruit and vegetable industry, only as yet in its infancy, has al-
ready assumed large proportions ; 450,000 packages alone were shii^ped
over the railroad the past season. The staple crops are, long-staple
and upland cotton, sugar cane, rice, corn, root crops, vegetables of all
kinds, oranges and other semi-tropical fruits. This county was early
selected by the pioneer settlers as one of the best in the State, and time
has proved the wisdom of their choice.. From the northwest to the
southeast a peculiar limestone formation is found, the crust in many
places having, from some cause, sunk down; these depressions are gen-
erally more or less full of water, and connected by subterranean waters ;
these sinks are oval and conical downwards, and from 10 to 40 feet
deep.

AND AGRICULTURAL CAPABILITIES. 31

HERNANDO COUNTY.

Bounded north by Marion and Levy; east by Sumter, being separated
from these counties by the Withlacoochee River; south by Hillsborough
County; and west by the Gulf of Mexico. Its area, over 1,600 square
miles, fronts on the Gulf 60 miles, extending from the mouth of the
Withlacoochee south to Anclote River, embracing Crystal, Homosassa,
Cheseehowiska, Wekiwachie, Pithlochascotee, and Anclote Rivers,which
vessels of ordinary draft can enter.

No county in the State has a more varied topography, or greater ad-
vantages for the successful prosecution of agricultural and horticultural
pursuits, or is so attractive for a residence.

Lands high and rolling, like the red hills of Northern Georgia; high,
smooth tracts of pine lands ; extensive hammocks of the richest soil ; fre-
quent marl beds; limestone; large springs of the purest water; lakes and
rivers abounding in fish; a long coast with frequent harbors ; the bays
and Gulf always afford fish, oysters, and sponge; a climate and soil
adapted to cultivation of cotton, cane, rice, tobacco, corn, oats, grass,
and vegetables, having peculiar advantages for growing the olive, the
different varieties of the citrus, the pine-apple, guava, banana, and all
the semi-tropical fruits. Transportation is year by year becoming more
rapid and cheap, and access to and from markets easier. Immigration,
enterprise, and industry will make it one of the most prosperous and
desirable portions of the South. The county seat is Brooks ville. '

LEVY COUNTY.

Bounded north by Alachua, east by Marion, south by Hernando and
the Gulf of Mexico, and west by the Gulf and La Fayette County, from
which the Suwannee River separates it. It has an area of over 1,000
square miles. The surface is generally level, being mostly flat pine wood
land. The Gulf hammock, a tract of land of great fertility, of some
100,000 acres, capable of producing sugar cane equal to Louisana bot-
toms, occupies the southern portion of the county. The Suwannee
River enters the Gulf on the western boundary, the Withlacoochee on
the southern, with the Wacasassa about midway between. The Atlan-
tic, Gulf and West India Transit Railroad runs from northeast to south-
west through the county, near its center, and intersects the Gulf at the
harbor of Cedar Keys, where vessels find entrance, and freight and pas-
sengers are transferred from the Gulf steamers to the railroad, thus
affording enlarged facilities for direct communicatioiL with the markets
of the North and the ports of the Gulf. The county possesses peculiar
advantages for the production of sugar cane and rice, besides the ordi-
nary products of long-staple cotton, vegetables, semi-tropical fruits ; and
stock-growing forms a sure reliance for revenue. The waters on the
coast abound in fish, oysters, and turtle, which are largely gathered for
export to the interior.

32 FLORDA: ITS CLIMATE, SOIL, PRODUCTIONS,

Bronson, the county seat, is on the railroad, the centre of a well-settled
portion of the county.

LA FAYETTE COUNTY.

Bounded north by Suwannee ; east by Suwannee, Alachua, and Levy,
from all of which it is separated by the Suwannee River ; south by the
Gulf of Mexico ; and west by Taylor County. Contains an area of over
1,200 square miles. The land is principally heavy timbered pine lands,
with many large tracts of hammock, a portion with a strong clay foun-
dation and productive. The principal business is stock-growing and
lumbering, but it is eligible for agriculture and fruit-growing, and the
Suwannee, which skirts its eastern boundary, is navigable for steamers
to l^ew Troy, the county seat.

MARION COUNTY.

Bounded north by Alachua and Putman, east by Putman, Yolusia,
and Orange, south by Sumter and Hernando, and west by Levy County,
Containing an area of 1,000 square miles. It is one of the largest, most
fertile, productive counties of the State, especially in Sea Island cotton
and sugar cane. The lands are generally elevated and undulating, and
drain both to the Ocean and Gulf. There is very little poor and un.
available lands, the most being rich and productive. The pine lands are
almost uniformly good, underlaid with clay, marl, limestone. The ham-
mocks are extensive and very rich, and will equal the best lands of the
Mississippi in producing. Sandstone for building purposes is in great
abundance. The Ocklawaha River, a tributary of the Saint John's, and
navigated by steamers daily, runs north across the center of the county.

The celebrated Silver Spring forms a basin of two or three acres in
extent near the center of the county; it pours forth a volume of water
trom one to two hundred feet wide, discharging into the Ocklawaha.
Blue Spring, almost as remarkable, and not much inferior in size, lies
in the northwestern portion of the county, and sends forth a stream of
clear blue water into the Withlacoochee River, some twenty miles from
the Gulf. Sulphur springs are numerous ; the most noted is known as
Orange Spring, in the northeastern portion of the county, which was
formerly a great resort for invalids. Orange Lake, celebrated for the
large orange groves on its borders, which are the most extensive of any
in the State, occupying an area of over 1,000 acres, lies in the northern
portion of the county, and is now connected by the Peninsular Railroad
with the Atlantic, irulf and West India Transit Railway at Waldo.

Lakes Churchill and Bryant, in the eastern, and the beautiful Lake
Weir, in the southern part of the county, are the most prominent and
attractive of the inland water of the county.

Ocala, the county seat, situated six miles from Silver Spring, is a
growing business town. The Peninsular Railroad is completed to this
place, from which it will be extended southward to Tampa and Charlotte

AND AGRICULTURAL CAPABILITIES. 33

Harbor, on the Gulf of Mexico. The Florida Southern Eailway from
Palatka, on the Saint John's, and Gainesville, on the Fernandina Rail-
way, is finished to this place, and is to be extended south to Tampa
and Charlotte Harbor. The government lands as well as State lands
are being rapidly taken up by homestead and purchase, ^o part of the
State, or, in fact, the South, offers greater inducements for permanent
location.

OKAXGE COUKTY.

Bounded north and east by Volusia County, which is separated from
it by the Saint John's River, south by Brevard and Polk, and west by
Polk, Sumter, aud Marion ; with an area of 2,300 square miles. The
county is generally high, rolling pine land, interspersed with clear-water
lakes, bays, and hammocks. The rolling pine lands are of good quality
and heavil^^ timbered ; soil dark gray loam, with sand on the surface,
based upon yellow sandy loam, with a substratum of clay and marl.
Portions are fiat pine woods of less value. Some of the ijrominent lakes
are Monroe, Jesup, Harnej^, Eustis, Apopka, Dora, Maitland, Butler,
and Tohopekaliga. These lakes are from 3 to 50 square miles in extent.
There are innumerable smaller lakes, with areas of from 10 to 1,000
acres. The shores are generally abrupt, rising in some cases to 70
feet above the water. Fish and game abound. Stock-growing has
been the predominant industry until later years, with cottou, corn, and
cane ; but now fruit culture is absorbing general attention, and the
orange, lemon, lime, citron, guava, pineapple, and banana, and every
variety of Southern fruit, are extensively^ cultivated. Ko county in the
State has increased in population and improvement so rapidly during
the last ten years as Orange, and large accessions from the Korthern
and Western States, of refined, cultured, and wealthy citizens, are con-
stantly^ being made. A railroad from Sanford, on Lake Monroe, the
head of the larger class of steamboat navigation, to Orlando, the county
seat, has been constructed, and is in process of construction south
through the county, and to Tampa and Charlotte Harbor. The Saint
John's and Lake Eustis Railway, from Astor, on the Saint John's, to
Fort Mason, on Lake Eustis, has also been completed, an extension of
which to Leesburg will i>robably be made. The industry, energy, and
progressive spirit manifested in this county is of the character mani-
fested in the North and ]S^orthwest, and cannot fail of ultimate success.

Population, 1870, 2,195; 1880, 6,190— white, 5,494 ; black, 696. Num-
ber acres land tilled, 13,166. Farm values, $3,381,410 ; farm imple-
ments and machinery, $52,040.

PUTNAM COUNTY.

Bounded on the north by Clay County, on the east by Saint John's, on

the south by Volusia and Marion, and on the west by Alachua and Clay,

and contains an area of over 800 square miles. The Saint John's River

runs through the county for 30 miles, and skirts it on the east for re-

3290 3

34 FLORIDA: ITS CLIMATE, SOIL, PRODUCTIONS,

mainder, affording means unexcelled for transportation. Lake George,
a body of water about 10 miles wide by 20 long, is on its southern
boundary, and Lake Crescent, of beautiful, clear water, 12 miles long,
with high surroundings, occupies the southeastern corner, and connects
with the Saint John's through Dunn's Creek. The Ocklawaha River
crosses the southern portion of the county from the west, and enters
the Saint John's opposite Welaka. The portion of the county lying
east of the Saint John's, and extending to Crescent Lake, is called
Fruitland Peninsula, and is rich and fertile. The western ])ortion of
the county is undulating, in sections slightly hilly, with a sandy surface
soil and a red and gray subsoil, interspersed with fresh-water lakes,
and for cotton and general farming is the best part of the county. The
Xnne lands will produce 10 bushels of corn or 300 i)0unds seed cotton,
and the hammock 20 bushels of corn and GOO pounds cotton per acre,
without fertilizing. Nearer the Saint John's, generally speaking, the
lands are less rolling and fertile, but heavily timbered. Many portions,
however, of the soil are rich in humus and other products of vegetable
decomposition. The lands are generally high enough for culture. Dray-
ton Island, emt)racing 2,000 acres, and a part of the county, is famous
for its rich soil and marl. The county contains nearly every variety
of Florida soil — swamp lands, high and low hammock, heavily timbered
with hickory, oak, and other hard woods, and the different qualities of
pine land, clay, sand, marl, and shell. A number of the finest and oldest
orange groves of the State are situated in this county. There are fully
5,000 acres in the county sjiecially devoted to the cultivation of the
orange. The fruit culture and vegetable production for Northern and
Western markets form a leading and profitable business, while cotton^
rice, sugar, corn, and other staples are a permanent reliance for agri-
cultural industry. There are fort.y-three schools, twenty-one post-ofiices,
and more than a dozen places in the county where considerable manu-
facturing and a large mercantile trade is carried on.

Palatka is the county seat, and one ot the best business towns of the
State, situate at the head of navigation for deep draft steamers and
sailing vessels, and near the confluence of the Ocklawaha. It possesses
advantages which cannot fail of rendering it a tine commercial city. It
has beautiful churches, good schools, a nunnery, and two or three of the
largest hotels in the State. A narrow-gauge railroad from here to Gaines-
ville, and thence to Ocala, has been completed, and is being extended
to Tampa and Charlotte Harbor. Palatka is connected by telegraph
with all parts of the country. At San Mateo, 6 miles south of Palatka,
is an extensive orange-packing house, and the "San Meteo Institute,"
an excellent institution of learning, free in part.

SUMTER COUNTY.

Bounded north by Marion County, east by Orange, south by Polk,
and west by Hernando, from which it is separated by the Withlacoochie

AND AGRICULTURAL CAPABILITIES. 35

River, and has au area of over 1,300 square miles. The general charac-
teristics of Sumter are the same as Orange, Polk, Hernando, and Marion
Counties, by which it is surrounded. The Ocklawaha River connects
the waters of Lakes Griffin, Harris, and Eustis, in the northeastern por-
tion of the county, with the Saint John's j and Lake Pansofka, on the
west, connects with the Gulf through the Withlacoochie. A chain of
lakes in the southeastern portion of the county connects with Lake
Harris through the Pilaklikaha Creek. On the east of these lakes a
high rolling ])ine woods country extends for miles; on the west are fine
hammock lands and grass lands for stock. The lands in the northern
and western portion of the county also are exceptionally good, and
orange-growing is the prevailing interest. The acres planted in orange
groves are numbered by the hundreds, and the bearing trees by the
tens of thousands. Xo county in the State is better adapted to fruit-
growing, while stock-raising and the agricultural staples of the South
afford a sure reliance for the profitable investment of labor and capital.
Leesburg, located at the head of Lake Griffin and between that and
Lake Harris, is the county seat. The Ocklawaha River is navigable for
small steamers, and a railway extends from Lake Eustis to Astor, on the
Saint John's River.

The Tropical Railway connects with Fernandina, and the Florida
Southern with Gainesville and Palat ka. Both are in process of construc-
tion south, with the ^iew of completion to Tampa Bay and Charlotte
Harbor.

VOLUSIA COUNTY,

Bounded north by Saint John's County and the Atlantic Ocean, east
by the Atlantic, south by Brevard and Orange, and west by Orange
County, from which it is separated by the Saint John's River. It con-
tains about 1,800 square miles. The Saint John's River runs the entire
length of its western border, and the Halifax and Hillsborough Rivers,
or lagoons, traverse the' entire eastern boundary, with only a narrow
strip of land, formed by the winds and waves of the ocean, extending
between them and the ocean. It is one of the most progressive and
thriving counties in the State. The lands along the west bank of the
-Halifax and Hillsborough Rivers, four or five miles wide, are the richest
hammocks, and were cultivated in sugar cane at a very early period by
the English and Spaniards, the remains of whose extensive works still
exist. It is said that four hogsheads of sugar per acre have been and
can be still i)roduced on these lands. West of this is a belt of prairie,
interspersed with pine and cabbage palmetto, extending the entire
length of the county, and affording magnificent grazing for stock. Next,
further west, extending from the northern end of the county south about
30 miles, and varying in width from 2 to 6 or 7 miles, is a high rolling
pine country, considered by many the best for orange culture, on which
^re hundreds of beautiful young groves; from this southward is a high
j:olling pine scrub, until the Saint John's is reached with its varying

36 FLORIDA: ITS CLIMATE, ROIL, PRODUCTIONS,

banks of rich hammock and savanna. Springs, lakes, and i^onds abound
all through the county. Enterprise, on Lake Monroe, is the county seat.

SOUTHERN FLORIDA.

South Florida, consisting of that portion of tlje peninsula south of
latitude 28^ north latitude, is composed of the counties of Hillsborough,
Polk, Brevard, Monroe, Manatee, and Dade. From its low latitude, its
peculiar location, as interposed between the Gulf of Mexico and the
Atlantic Ocean, and its proximity to the Gulf Stream, this division has
marked characteristics which specially distinguish it.

The surface is in the main flat, and, excepting the extension within
its northern i)ortion of the flattened ridge or plateau upon which the
State is mostly situated, the greatest ( levations found are around the
external boundaries, while the depressions are in the interior, causing
it to resemble the basin of a shallow lake. Thus constructed, and under
the influence of the rain-bearing clouds from both sides, while the eleva-
tion of the exterior border prevents the easy egress of superabundant
water, this division is not only well supplied with rivers, streams, and
small lakes, but has also the broad, shallow lake of Okeechobee, and
that remarkable rec'eptacle of surplus fresh water, called the Everglades,
within its borders, and occupying a large portion of its extent. It is
quite probable that a clearing out of the obstructions formed in the
channels of the numerous river courses reaching out from the interior to
the Gulf and Ocean will relieve this section from overflow in the season
of excessive rainfall, and reclaim a large territory of rich and most
fertile lands, which, under the fostering influences of a climate of un-
surpassed mildness, become exceedingly valuable for their immense
productiveness in special crops. The savannas or grass prairies that
are liable to periodical inundation during part of the year, but hidden
with a rich growth of nutritious grasses during the balance of the time,
form a characteristic feature of South Florida, and constitute some of
the best cattle ranges in the world.

The climate is singularly equable and uniform, the difference between
summer and winter being very slight, and the range of the thermometer
during the year confined within very narrow limits. Warmer in winter
and cooler in summer than any other portion of the State, the climate
is equal to that of the most favored regions of the world, and nearly
resembles that of the Sandwich Islands.

The crops in this section would not include the cereals grown with
success in Northern Florida, and even corn is not grown with much suc-
cess, while the apple, pear, and peach dp not do as well ; but, on the
other hand, long-staple cotton, sugar cane, rice, jute, ramie, tobacco, in-
digo, cassava, arrowroot, coft'ee, the olive, grape, orange, lime, lemon,
citron, almond, date, cocoanut, pineapple, banana, plantain, and all
the semi-tropical and tropical fruits thrive as well as in any part of the
world. The keys and islands which line the coast on either side, and

AND AGRICULTURAL CAPABILITIES. . 37

vary in extent from a few acres to a number of square miles, are equally
available for tropical products.

BRKVARD COUNTY.

Bounded north by Orange and Volusia Counties, east by the Atlan-
tic Ocean, south by Dade, and west by Orange, Polk, and Manatee
Counties. It extends along the coast for 100 miles, and contains an
area over 4,000 square miles. The famous Indian Eiver extends along
its eastern boundary, the Kissimee Eiver and Lake forming its western
boundary. The climate is even and pleasant through the year. Game
is plenty, and green turtle, fish, and oysters abound. Stock-raising is
largely pursued; the cattle having a good range, are of good size and
in good condition. Along Indian Riv^er, the west bank of which is from
10 to 20 feet above the ocean, settlements are being made. Indian
River has a reputation for its oranges and pineapples, and all semi-trop-
ical fruits, which here grow in perfection. The county seat is Titus-
ville, a thriving town on Indian River.

DADE COUNTY.

Bounded north by Brevard County, east and south by Atlantic Ocean,
and west by Monroe County. Has an area of over 5,000 square miles.
Lake Okeechobee, an inland sheet of water, of over 500 square miles,
without any visible outlet to ocean or gulf, occupies the northwestern
corner of the county, the famous everglades the largest portion of the
remainder. Along the Atlantic coast there is a strip of elevated rocky
pine lands, 3 to 15 miles wide, skirted by a prairie or savanna, from a
half mile to a mile in width, reaching to the everglades. This rich al-
luvial prairie is covered with an immense growth of grass. The climate
is very equable, the extremes being from 51^ to 92^. From May to
October rains are frequent ; during the remainder of the year there is
little rainfall. In the vicinity of Biscayne the land is covered with an
undergrowth of comptie, which yields an excellent article of starch and
farina, similar to arrowroot. Dade County is the least populous county
in the State. Miami is the county seat.

The following detailed description of this county, and the section of
the State adjoining, was furnished by Lieutenant-Grovernor Gleason, a
resident of the county, and published in a State paper. It is of interest
as conveying a definite idea of the local advantages of this entire por-
tion of the State, extending from Jupiter Inlet to Cape Sable, including
the keys and islands along the reefs and everglades :

The keys are a series of islands extending along the south coast, from Cape Florida
to the Dry Tortugas, lying between the mainland and the Florida Reefs, and within
from 3 to 5 miles of the Gulf Stream. They are of a similar character, being of gen-
eral formation and very rocky. Some are only a few acres in extent, while others
contain as many as 15,000 acres. Cayo Largo is the largest. These keys are only a
few feet above tide-water, and are principally covered with a growth of hard-wood
timber, consisting of mastic, red and sweet bay, gumbo-limbo, crab wood, palmetto,

38 FLORIDA: ITS CLIMATE, SOIL, PRODUCTIONS,

mangrove, and a variety of oaks. The land is too rocky to admit of general cultiva-
tion, but is well adapted to the growth of cocoanuts, aloes, sisal hemp, and pineapples,
all of which seem to live on a rocky soil, and grow here with but very little attention.
Between these keys and the mainland is Barnes' Sound and Biscayue Bay. Barnes^
Sound and Card's Sound are interspersed with innumerable small keys, covered with
mangroves, and are under water at high tides, and are the resort of snipe, curlew, and
other birds. In both of these sounds and Biscayne Bay are great quantities of turtle
and sponges of the finest and best varieties. The sponges and turtles taken from these
waters exceed $100,000 in value per annum.

The bay and all the passages between the keys and the streams rnnning into the
bay from the mainland are well supplied with a great variety of fish, such as mullet^
sheepshead, grouper, &c., while incredible quantities of kingfish and Spanish mack-
erel are caught on the border of the Gulf Stream.

Biscayne Bay is an excellent harbor for all vessels drawing less than 10 feet of
■water, and can be entered at all times. The everglades are a vast shallow lake, over-
grown with grass, pond- lilies, and other aquatic plants, interspersed with innumera-
ble small islands of from 1 to 100 acres each. These islands are principally hammock
lands covered over with a growth of live and water oaks and cocoa plums, with an
undergrowth of morning-glories, grapes, and other vines, and are extremely fertile.
The water is from 4 inches to 4 feet deep, and is very clear and pure. In many places
are channels and sinks where the water is from 10 to 50 feet deep ; these holes are well
supplied with fish, of which the trout is the most desirable. Alligators and turtle are
abundant, and panthers, wild cats, and bears are quite numerous.

Flowers of the sweetest fragrance, and of every hue and color, greet the eye. The
border and outer margin of the everglades is i)rairie of from one-fourth to one mile in
breadth, and comprises some of the finest and richest land in America, having once
been a portion of the everglades, and formed by the receding of the waters. The soil
is sandy, with a mixture of lime and vegetable matter, and freely effervesces when
brought in contact with acids.

The strip of land between Biscayne Bay and the everglades is from 3 to 15 miles in
breadth, and is principally rocky pine land, with an undergrowth of a species of sago-
palm, called by the Indians " koonitie," which name has been generally adopted by
the whites. It makes a very good article of starch, and excellent gavini, which can-
not lie distinguished from Bermuda arrowroot except by microscopic tests.

This section of the country has evidently been an uplift or upheaval, as the rock
dips at an angle of about twentj'-three degrees, and slopes both toward the bay and
the everglades. The rock, in many places, is in circular form, and is coral. The soil
is sandjv, which, mixing with the decomposed lime of the coral rock, forms an excel-
lent andinexhaustible soil for grapes and sugar cane. The country north of Biscayne
Bay, towards Jupiter Inlet, is of a similar character to that already described, with
the exception that there is no rock. Fine springs of water are found in different locali-
ties, and burst forth with great force; some of these are mineral springs, principally
chalj^beate. Sea-island cotton is grown here, and it is a perennial, and can be picked
several times each year. Grapes flourish well, and are not subject to mildew, and ripen
about the middle of May. Tobacco raised along the bay will compare with the best
of Cuba. Bananas, plantains, oranges, coffee, dates, pineapples, rice, indigo, sugar,
apples, arrowroot, cassava, all grow and thrive, as well as the garden vegetables of
the Northern and Middle States. Indigo, when once sown, remains in the ground and
ratoons as it is cut off. Sugar cane ratoons, and requires planting only once from
four to five years. Sugar cane can be raised here with less labor than in Cuba, as the
Jand is easier cultivated, and a sugar plantation can be made for one-fifth of the
money which it can in Louisiana.

This section of the State is capable of producing all the products of the West. In-
dies, and there is no doubt that when this portion of the country becomes known it
will be rapidly developed. Sea-island cotton can be raised with half the labor that

AND AGRICULTURAL CAPABILITIES. 39

i s required in the northern part of this State or in Sonth Carolina, as this is beyond
the region of frost. The climate is very agreeable, being tempered by the G»lf
Stream. It is not as warm here in summer as in New York, or as cold in winter
as in Cuba, as there are no mountains or high elevations of land. The thermometer
averages 73°, and the extremes are 51° and 92°.

There is a constant sea-breeze off the Gulf Stream, commencing about 8 o'clock a.
m. and lasting uatil nearly sundown. The climate is very exhilarating, and a white
man can do as much labor in a day as in any portion of the United States.

The constant Indian wars, which have been more severly felt in this county than
in any other portion of this State, have retarded its growth and prevented its develop-
ment. Biscayne Bay is within four days of New York, and is the best locality in the
United States for raising vegetables and fruit for that market. All kinds of vegetables
can be raised in the winter, and pineapples and limes are three weeks earlier at this
place than in the Bahamas or Cuba.

HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY.

Bounded north by Hernando, east b^^ Polk, south by Manatee County,
and west by Gulf of Mexico. It contains about 1,500 square miles, em-
bracing Clearwater Harbor, Tampa and Hillsborough Bays^ with the
Hillsborough, Alafia, and Little Manatee Rivers entering from the north
and west, and many keys or islands on the coast. The land lies more
level than in Hernando County, and though generallj^ lighter, is still
fertile. Tamj)a City, a port of entry situated at the head of Tampa Bay
and mouth of Hillsborough River, is a thriving place, and the county
seat. The citizens are enterprising, and the cultivated lands and orange
groves in city and vicinity show constant progress. Cattle-raising for
export has always been a leading business in this and adjoining counties.
Large numbers are exported annuallj' to Cuba. Recent immigration
and increased population has led to very extensive cultivation of oranges
and semi-tropical fruits and vegetables, for which there is no better sec-
tion, as climate, soil, and transportation are favorable. Some tropical
fruits have been successfully cultivated. The usual Southern staples of
cotton, cane, and rice are raised, as also field crops of all varieties com-
mon to other sections. There are now five lines of railroads in contem-
plation, three of which are in process of rapid construction, from the
Saint John's River and the Atlantic ports, with Tampa as the objective
point.

MANATEE COUNTY.

Bounded north by Hillsborough and Polk ; east by Brevard and Dade
Counties, being separated from the latter by Lake Okeechobee j south
by Monroe County, and west by the Gulf of Mexico; containing an
area of over 5,000 square miles, and embracing the northern portion of
Charlotte Harbor, the southern portion of Tampa Bay, Sarasota Bay,
and the numerous islands adjacent. Peace Creek, rising in Polk County,
subdivides the county near the center, and runs south to Charlotte Har-
bor, having numerous tributaries, which, with many lakes, water the
interior of the county. The Myakka River discharges into the harbor
further westward, and the Manatee River, in the northwestern part of

40 FLORIDA: ITS CLIMATE, SOIL, PRODUCTIONS,

the county, enters Tampa Bay. The surface is generally level, hinds
light, piney woods, hammocks, and prairie. Pine Level is the county
seat.

Along the rivers and borders of lakes the land is very productive j a
large portion of the country is given up to stock-raising, which is a lead-
ing and profitable business. Over 100,000 head subsist at no cost or
care, except* the gathering to brand and mark, or for sale and delivery.
Key West, Cuba, and other is lands afford a constant and good market,
and steamers and vessels are regularly engaged in the transportation,
mostly from Tampa Bay and Charlotte Harbor. There are many stock-
men who count their herds bj^ the tens of thousands. Peace Creek, a
large stream, is susceptible of steam navigation through the county,
and is attracting immigrants, especially those who seek an equable
climate, and to locate below what is called the frost-line. Long-staple
cotton, cane, rice, tobacco, do well, and will become leading staples of
export.

MONROE COUNTY.

Bounded north by Manatee, east b}^ Dade, south and west by the Gulf
of Mexico. It has an area of about 5,000 square miles, a large portion
of which is occupied by what is known as the Big Cypress Swamp and
the Everglades. The county includes the numerous keys and islands
off' the Florida southern coast, the most important of which is Key
West, where the principal wealth and population are located, and the
southern portion of Charlotte Harbor, Pine, Sanibel, and other islands.
The Caloosahatchie traverses the northern i)ortion of the county and
enters Charlotte Harbor, and is navigable as high up as Fort Thomp-
son, some 30 miles from its mouth. It is contemplated to connect this
river with the great lake Okeechobee and drain the extensive country
about the lake. The northern portion of the county is*adapted to semi-
tropical and tropical fruits, and also many of the keys, which are already
famous for cocoanuts, pineapples, and bananas. Key West is the
county seat.

POLK COUNTY.

Bounded north by Sumter and Orange Counties, east by Orange and
Brevard, south by Manatee, and west by Hillsborough. The Kissimmee
Lake and Eiver separates it from Brevard. It has an area of about
1,900 square miles, and its general characteristics are the same as Sum-
ter and Manatee. The surface is undulating, the lands hammock, pine,
and prairie, dotted all through with small lakes of clear water abound-
ing in fish. The i)rairies are the range for herds of cattle, of which there
are 100,000 head in the county. Bartow, situated on Peace Creek or
River, is the county seat, ^nd a thriving business place. The lands
within 2 or 3 miles of Peace Creek and its tributaries are excellent farm-
ing lands and well adapted to the culture of the orange and semi-tropi-
cal and some tropical fruits.

AND AGKICULTUKAL CAPABILITIES.

PRODUCTIONS OF FLORIDA.

Having" thus presented a general survey of the climate, soil, and
topography of the State, in which I have made free use of the material
furnished through official publications and well-authenticated sources,
I next proceed to consider the productions and agricultural capabilities
of Florida. In this I shall avail myself of the practical experience of
those who have labored to develope these resources.

So much has been said of the vast scope of vegetable growth in Flor-
ida that it is a cause of surprise to all strangers and susi^icion to many,
as though there might be well-grounded suspicion of exaggeration or
overstatement. On this account it is deemed best to refer to some of
the older standard writers on this subject.

In the "Observations" of Charles Vignolles, published in ^ew York
in 1823, on page 90, we find the following:

The following list of productions capable of being raised in Florida has been made
out with some pains, and it is believed all these stated are protitable and practicable
articles :

Oranges, various kinds.

Lemon .%,

Lime,

Citron,

Shaddock,

Mango,

Pawpaw,

Cocoa,

Dates,

Sweet Almond,

Bitter Almond,

Pistachio,

Acuaqua,

Gum gleni,

Fustic,

Balsam,

Hemp,

Camphor,

Frankincense,

Leeche plant of China,

The olive.

The vine, all varieties.

Currants, Zante,

Pineapple,

Figs,

Plantain,

Banana,

Yam,

Bread-fruit,

Arrowroot,

Gallnuts,

Doliahos, or soy -lean.

Jalap,

Tree rhubarb,

Ginger,

Gum guiacum,

Braziletto,

Senna,

Turkey madder

Balm of Gilead,

Cloves,

Liquid-amber,

Aloe,

Cinnamon,

Pimento,

Sago palm,

Red pepper,

Saponica,

Jesuit's bark,

Besine,

Palma Christi, castor-bean.

Tea,

Sugar,

Tobacco,

Rice,"

Cotton,

Silk,

Cork-oak,

Chestnut,

Sassafras,

Sarsaparilla,

True opium poppy.

Tumeric,

Nutmegs.

Such a list seems wonderful enough as attributed to a single State,
but this list, made fifty years ago, is far from comprising all the products
which may be profitably cultivated, or are within the capacity of this
soil and climate.

Besides the staples common to more northern latitudes, cotton, wheat,
rye, oats, peanuts, cow-pease, Irish and sweet potatoes, melons, and all
the variety of garden vegetables, and the strawberry, blackberry, huckle-
berry, plum, pomegranate, and quince, we may add coffee, cassava, in-

42 FLORIDA: ITS CLIMATE, SOIL,

digo, cochineal, Sisal liemp, the guava, tamarind, sapadillo, avocada
pear, mamie-apple, custard-apple, pecan-nut, &c.

The year following the acquisition of the territory of Florida, 1822, a
French gentleman, Peter Stephen Chazotte, presented to Congress a
memorial setting forth the advantages of the climate and soil for tropical
productions, aud asking that the government allot one thousand acres
of land in the southern portion of Florida, with an appropriation of
$50,000, for the establishment of an experimental farm and the intro-
duction and propagation of coffee, cocoa, and other x)roducts of tropical
countries.

At a still earlier period, a proclamation of George III, issued from the
Court of St. James, 7th day of October, 1763, and by the authority of a
treaty of peace concluded at Paris on the 10th day of February, the
same year, assigned to Colonel Grant —

The government of East Florida, bounded to the westward by the Gulf of Mexico
and the Apalachicola River; to the northward by a line drawn from that part of said
river where the Chattahoochee andFUnt Rivers meet, to the source of the Saint Mary's
River, and by the course of said river to the Atlantic Ocean ; and to the eastward aud
southward by the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Florida, including all islands within
six leagues from the sea-coast, with the expectatiou that rice, indigo, silk, wine, oil,
and other valuable commodities would be produced in great abundance.

The English at that time knew little or nothing about coffee, as its
cultivation at that period was confined to St. Domingo, and had not
been introduced upon the Island of Jamaica. At a later period, an
English gentleman of fortune went to establish himself in East Florida,
and entered successfully into the culture of coffee and sugar-cane, and
his establishments were already considerable when the American Kevo-
lution, in its effects, caused Florida to pass into the hands of Spain.
The British Government, finding he had so far succeeded, would not
allow him to remain, but destroyed his plantation, and carried him off
with his slaves, awarding him a considerable sum for his loss and dam-
ages.

Mr. Carvert says:

So mild is the winter that the most delicate vegetables and plants of the Carribee
Islands experience there not the least injury from that season; the orange tree, the
plantains, the guava, the pineapple, &c., grow luxuriously. Fogs are unknown
there, and no country can, therefore, be more salubrious.

Mr. William Stork, in his description of East Florida, gives the fol-
lowing account of it:

The productions of the northern and southern latitudes grow and blossom by the
side of each other, and there isscarcely another climate in the world that can vie with
this in displaying such an agreeable and luxuriant mixture of trees, plants, shrubs,
and flowers. The red and white pine and the evergreen oak marry their boughs with
the chestnut and mahogany trees, the walnut with the cherry, the maple with the
campeach, and the braziletto with the sassafras tree, which together cover here a
variegated and rich soil. * * * The wax myrtle tree grows everywhere here.
* * * Oranges are large, more aroijaatic and succulent than in Portugal. Plums

AND AGRICULTURAL CAPABILITIl^S. 43"

naturally grow finer and of a quality superior to those gathered in the orchards in
Spain. The wild vines serpentine on the ground, or climb jj|>H::0'^^e4o]paj9f^ee8.
Indigo and cochineal were advantageously cultivated there^
duced a revenue of $200,000. //TT I^T ^

Chazotte adds, in 1822 : C^^^'^ERSIT

This country will produce all the tropical fruits and stap^^Wtjhasfd^'of thos^j
longing to a northern climate. ' ^^^^n^^^* OP ^ \^^

This fact is now being demonstrated in the experience
population of the State.

In imi)ressiDg upon the attention of Congress the advantages of enter-
ing upon the cultivation of coffee and cocoa, or the chocolate plant, in
connection with vines, olives, capers, and almonds, Chazotte gives the-
following statement of feasibility and profits of cultivation :

Coffee. — One acre of land planted by ranges, and the plants at 5 feet distant from
each other, gives 1,764 plants. A man can take care of two acres, which gives 3,528-
plants. Each plant may, by an average, yield 2 pounds or more, but I reduce it to 1
pound ; therefore, a man will give yearly 3,528 pounds of coffee, which, at 25 cents,,
produces $882.

It is to be observed that no crop is to be expected on the first and second years ; on
the third year the plant yields a good crop ; on the fourth an abundant one, which it
will continue to yield every year until the ground is exhausted and the plant dies..
For the two first years of the planting, all kinds of vegetables and corn may be
planted between the ranges; they will yield two crops in one year. Cotton is not to
be planted between the ranges.

Cocoa. — Four acres of land planted in rows, and the trees at 10 feet distant from
each other, give 1,764 trees. A man is capable of taking care of them and of gather-
ing the nut. At seven years of age each tree will yield two pounds, and the quantity
will increase with its age ; therefore, a man will gather 3,528 pounds of cocoa, which,,
at 15 cents per pound, will produce $.529.20.

This cultivation, differing from all others, requires some illustration. It was for-
merly thought that its culture required much labor and a virgin soil ; but experience
has shown that it grows on land half exhausted by the coffee-plant, and in less than
twelve years' time acquires such power as to destroy the coffee underneath. Hence
it is now planted between the ranges of coffee when this last is about seven years of
age ; so that when the land would otherwise become a mere waste, requiring a hun-
dred years for forests to rise on it again ere it could recover its first fruitfulness, the
same land being again covered by a new forest of productive trees, the fruits of which
growing and njaturing all the year round, each day brings in its crop.

The extraordinary effects of the cocoa tree in regenerating the ground upon which
it gr.ows may easily be accounted for. This tree seldom attains higher than fifteen
feet; it is branchy, its leaves very large, and the body, or stock, of a middling size j.
the leaves continually falling off the tree while new ones grow, cover the earth
with a thick bed of leaves, which allow not even a blade of grass to grow with them.
Hence the ground requires no culture, and the trees but a light pruning when any rav-
ages have been caused by storm. This constant thick bed of leaves returns to th&
earth five times more nutriment than the diminutive size of the tree requires from it,
and in less than thirty years brings the soil back to its original fertile state.

Having given the proceeds of a man's yearly labor in the plantation of coffee and
cocoa, I shall now quit Florida and enter the territory of the United States.

Vines. — An acre of land planted with vines, allowing 41 ranges at 5 feetdistant, and
to each range 104 vines at 2 feet apart, gives 4,264 vines to an acre. Five acres for a^
man's labor give 21,320 vines ; and allowing the grapes of 10 vines to yield 1 gallon of

44 FLORIDA: ITS CLIMATE, SOIL, PRODUCTIONS,

wiue, it will proclnce 2,132 gallons, which, being rated at the low price of 30 cents per
gallon, will produce $639.30 for a man's yearly labor. As olives, capers, and almond
trees require no particular culture, they may be planted in ranges, at 30 feet distant,
in the vineyard, where the mildness of the climate allows the plantation. In Georgia
and Alabama these four productions may be raised on the same soil.
Vines, olives, capers, and almonds, planted on the same ground :

5 acres in vines produce, as before stated, for a man's yearly labor $H39 30

175 olive trees, at thirty feet distant, will yield, after seven years of age,
about one gallon of oil each, which, valued at the low price of $1..50 per
gallon, is 262 50

45 almond trees, 25 caper trees produce, valued at $1.50 105 00

Yearly jiroceeds of a man's labor 1, 006 80

I shall now suppose that, in the course of 30 years, we may employ .50, 000 persons in

the culture of vines singly :

They will cultivate 250,000 acres of land, which will yield an annual rev-
enue of $31,965,000

50,000 persons in the culture of vines, olives, almonds, and capers, on

250,000 acres of land, will yield an annual revenue of 50,340,000

Total 82,305,000

Cocoa. — Fifty thousand perscns engaged in the culture of cocoa will cultivate
200,000 acres of land, which will yield an annual revenue of |26,420,000.

Coffee. — One hundred thousand persons engaged in the culture of coffee will culti-
vate 200,000 acres of land, which will yield an annual revenue of $88,200,000.

Recapitulation of the preceding estimates :
100,000 persons cultivating 500,000 acres in vines, olives, &c., produce. . $82, 305, 000

50,000 persons cultivating 200,000 acres of cocoa 26, 420, 000

100,000 persons cultivating 200,000 acres of coffee 88, 200, 000

250,000 persons cultivating 900,000 acres, produce 196, 925, 000

The home consumption of this country may be estimated to be annually :

Wines, olives, &c $17,305,0D0

Cocoa, &c 6,420,000

Coffee 13,200,000

Home consumption 36, 925, 000

Leaving an immense surplus of exportation to foreign countries of^

Wines, olives, &c $6.5,000,000

Cocoa 20,000,000

Coffee > 75,000,000

Exportation 160,000,000

FIELD CROPS— SUGAR CANE.

Florida, both in climate and soil, is peculiarly well adapted for growth
of cane ; the earliest colonists cultivated it, and successive occupants,
French, English, Spanish, American, have grown it successfully; the
long period of warm weather, and the absence of cold, give a longer
period for the cane to mature. During the English occupation many
large plantations were opened, and later, since Florida became United

AND AGRICULTURAL CAPABILITIES. 45

States territory, tliere have beeu several large sugar plantations profit-
ably carried on.

Latterly, cane has only been planted for domestic use and neighbor-
hood sale. But, even rudely raised and rudely manufactured, Florida
sugar and sirup rival, in color, grain, and quality, the best Louisiana.

Fair land will produce from 1,500 to 2,000 pounds of sugar; rich land,
thoroughly fertilized, Avill produce from 2,000 to 4,000 pounds. Recent
improvements in sugar machinery have obviated the necessity of ex-
pensive works formerly required, rendering it possible for the small as
well as large planter to manufacture cheaply 5 its cultivation is as easy
as corn, and its immunity from all hurt by ordinary enemies to other
vegetation renders it a safe crop.

The superiority of Florida over any other section of the United States
in adaptability to the growth of cane is mainly based upon her milder
climate, the greater length of the seasons, and the correspondingly
longer growth and larger size of the cane. In Louisiana from three to
five feet may be taken as the average size of cane when harvested,
while in Florida from five to seven may be taken as the average size of
the cane over the w hole State, extending from north to south nearly 400
miles, and, w ith fair culture, eight, ten, and twelve feet are quite com-
mon lengths. As early as 1823, Vignolles wrote:

Respecting sugar, the recent successful trials that have been made upon it have de-
termined the curious fad that it will grow in almost any of the soils in Florida south
of the mouth of the Saint John's River; the great length of summer, or period of ab-
solute elevation of the thermometer above the freezing point, allows the cane to ripen
much higher than in Louisiana.

Williams, writing in 1837, sajs:

This (sugar) ought to be the staple of the country. Experiments in every part of
the territory prove tliat ail our good lands will produce sugarcane as well as any other
crop. * * " A general impression has prevailed that sugar could not be made to
advantage unless a great capital is invested; but experience abundantly proves that
a small capital may be as profitably employed in the culture of cane as in any other
product.

In an article on sugar cane in the new American Encyclopedia the
climatic disadvantages attending the cultivation of the sugar cane in
Louisiana are stated as follows:

Yet, the climate of Louisiana itself is rather north of that best suited to the plant,
the cane being frequently killed by the frost after starting in the spring, and at ma-
turity in the latter part of October and in November, the efiect of which is to materi-
ally diminish its production of sugar. In 18.^7, injurious frosts thus occurred in April
as late as the 2*2d, and on the 19th and 20th of November. In November, 1859, the
cold w^as very severe on the 12th, 13th, 14th, and 15th, in all parts of Louisiana, the
thermometer on the 14th standing at 25° F. at New Orleans, and thick ice being
formed in the most southern parishes. The eifect of this was that the cane was every-
where frozen, and land which had previously given above two hogsheads to the acre
yielded barely half a hogshead, and this of inferior quality. The climate is also sub-
ject to long- continued drought, which seriously injures the growing crops.

But in Florida frosts are of infrequent occurrence, and in South Florida
are unknown. Of the few frosts that do occur, instances as early as

46 FLORIDA: ITS SOIL, CLIMATE, AND PRODUCTIONS,

November or as late as April have beeu known only at intervals of
years.

With the protection against competition with foreign cheap labor
now afforded by the government, sugar will speedily become one of the
commanding industries of Southern Florida especially, and a source of
immense wealth to the State.

Dr. Westcott, president of the Madison County Agricultural Society,
in 1870, gave the following on the subject of cane culture:

It takes about the same labor to cultivate a sugar-cane crop as it does for coru. For
a farmer not cultivating more than 5 or 10 acres of cane, the expense of an iron mill,
boilers and brickwork, house or shed, &c., would not cost to exceed $400. To manu-
facture 10 acres of cane would require the work of six men forty days; one pair of mules,
horses, or oxen at the mill, and another pair to haul the cane from the field. The
profits of 10 acres planted in cane, from actual experiment, omitting capital required
rfoi boilers, mill, troughsforcrvstallizing, houses for draining, teams, «fcc., are as follows:

Dr.

Ten days' work of team to break up land, at |1.50 per day $15 00

24,000 seed cane, at $10 per M 240 <0

Fifteen days' work planting, at |1 15 00

Ten days' work with hoe 10 00

Fifteen days' work with cultivators and plows 22 50

Six men 40 days, equal to 240 days' work, manufacturing, at $1 240 00

Two pair oxen 40 days, at $3 per day 120 00

Barrels, &c «0 50

723 00
Cr.

By 3,700 pounds sugar per acre, 37,000 pounds, at 10 cents 3, 700 00

Showing a net profit of • 2, 977 00

It is no uncommon thing to produce, by proper fertilizing, 2,000 pounds of sugar
and 170 or 200 gallons of sirup, equal to 1,700 pounds of sugar, or a total of 3,700
j)ounds of sugar, of a superior quality, per acre.

Sugar requires natural strong land, or well-manured light land, the
latter making a better quality of sugar. By properly manuring the
ratoon, or cane springing up from the root, after the first crop from
i:)lantang, it will yield nearly the same product for two or three years;
after that time experience teaches it is best to remove the roots to other
ground. It will be observed that after the first planting there is no
more expense for seed cane.

COTTON.

Sea-island or long cotton is raised mostly from the Suwannee Eiver
to the ocean, and south of latitude 30o. The average product per acre
is from 150 to 200 pounds, though it often exceeds double that. This
species of cotton is only raised on the sea islands bordering South Car-
olina, Georgia, and in Florida, our State raising over half the total crop.
'The price ranges from 25 to 50 cents per pound, though there are planters

AND AGRICULTURAL CAPABILITIES. 47

who readily get more than these figures, but their cotton is exception-
ally fine. Short cotton is grown west of the Suwannee to the western
and northern boundaries of the State. It will average from 200 to 500
pounds to the acre. In grade, Florida cotton rates with the best. Cotton
raising, however, is subject to some risks; cold, rain, drought, or cater-
l>illar often sweeps localities. Generally speaking, it is a safer crop in
Florida than anywhere else. New methods of cnltivation, improved seed,
remedy for the caterpillar, are adopted by the intelligent and prudent
planter, who is not subject to a loss which a careless, shiftless man may
have. The methods of cultivation are simple, the crop itself affording by
its seed the very best fertilizer. As the seed is fully 75 to 80 per cent, of
the cotton as picked, it is largely sold and exported, and its increasing
value for manufacture renders the cotton crop profitable, even at the
present low price of the staple. At the late cotton exi^osition in At-
lanta, Ga., a bale of long cotton from Florida was pronounced by the
foreman of the Willimantic Thread Factory as the best in the entire col-
lection for his purposes, taking the first premium.

RICE.

Rice, which constitutes the main food of the great majority of the
population of the world, is raised here mostly for domestic use. There
are thousands of acres in every section of the State peculiarly adapted
to its successful culture. Its cultivation is as simple as any cereal j
usually drilled and kept clear of weeds, 25 to 75 bushels of rough rice
is a fair crop. liecent introduction of improved rice machinery, adapted
for individual and neighborhood use, will stimulate increased produc-
tion. Limited by climate, rice will always prove a remunerative crop.
It is generally supposed that rice is only successfully grown on low lands
which adjoin tide-water, and can be overflowed at certain dift'erent
stages of growth. It is true that the great bulk of the crop is grown
ju this way, but more recent experience has demonstrated that it can
be grown successfull}^ upon dry land, and upland rice is now becoming
one of the reliable and profitable field crops, more remunerative even
than wheat at the North. The upland rice from this State displayed
at Atlanta received the first premium.

A low, moist soil has generally been planted ; overflowing is not
needed, but on any good land it is successfully cultivated. It has
needed only introduction of rice-cleaning machinery to make its cul-
tivation universal in Florida. Quite recently a comi)any of practical
business men have been formed, who have put up extensive works,
which will be able to receive and j^repare all that may be raised. It
may be relied upon as one of the i^ermanent staple products of Florida,
which will add largely to the exports of the State and afford a sure and
profitable reliance for the farmer.

48 FLORIDA : ITS CLIMATE, SOIL,

CORN.

Coru, wbich is the great food staple raised iu the United States, es-
pecially in the West, and which exceeds bj^ many millions of bushels
any and all other crops, is grown in all portions of the State, and the
produce per acre is here, as elsewhere, more or less, according to fertility
of soil and cultivation. Ordinary pine land will produce, say, 10 bush-
els ; good hammock land, 20 to 50 bushels, according to the cultivation.
Extra culture here, as everywhere, will largely increase the product.
Ex-Governor Drew has raised, near his mills at Ellaville, in Madison
County, 120 bushels of superior corn to the acre. Corn here is planted in
February to April, plowed at intervals, laid by in June and July ; blades
stripped for fodder, and stalks with ears left in field to be harvested at
leisure. It may be cribbed in field in the shuck, suiiering no dam-
age from weather, or housed in corn-crib near the dwelling; shucked
and shelled if for sale or food. When fed to stock it is fed in shuck.
One person with one mule can easily cultivate from thirty to forty acres,
and as the time for planting to final plowing is only from four to five
months, it leaves ample time to cultivate another crop of pease or sweet
potatoes with same labor on same land. The corn usually raised is the
white variety, largely used in meal and hominy for food, especially at
the South. The Northern farmer who has been used to see 40 to 60
bushels ordinarily raised on the old homestead, should, in comparing the
relative production South and North, take into consideration cheapness
of land, number of acres which can be cultivated, time taken to make
crop, expense of gathering, saving, housing, and also value, transpor-
tation, and its quality. White is best for food. All things considered,
corn is one of the most useful and profitable crops to raise in Florida.

WHEAT, RYE, OATS.

Wheat in the northern section of the State is grown to some extent,
but is not generally raised as a regular crop. Eye and oats do well, and
are mostly sown early in the fall, affording a good winter pasturage ;
mature in early spring, and are not thrashed, being cured and fed to
stock in the straw.

PEANUTS.

The peanut, pinder, goober, or ground pea, as the plant is variously
called, grows well on almost any warm, light soil. The seed should be
planted early in the spring. The after cultivation is simple. A hun-
dred bushels to the acre is an average crop. They are worth $1 to $2
per bushel. The nut produces an oil which is said to be equal to the
finest olive oil.

PEAS.

The common English pea is nor. cultivated as a field crop, but as a
garden product is largely grown for the winter market, and affords great
profits. The cow pea is extensively grown and produces excellent crops.

AND AGRICULTURAL C!AP ABILITIES. 49

It resembles the bean family in tlie appearance of its foliage and the
manner of its growth. It is common to sow them between the rows of
corn at the last plowing. They will produce from 10 to 15 bushels per
acre, besides a large amount of forage. On account of the luxuriant
growth of the vine, on poor soils even, its culture as a green crop, to be
turned in, is fully as advantageous as clover at the IS^orth.

TOBACCO.

Tobacco will grow anywhere in the State. A superior quality of Cuba
tobacco, from imported seed, is mostly grown in Gadsden and adjoining
counties, and fully equals the best imported. Before the war it was ex-
tensively and profitably cultivated, and mostly sold to Germany, agents
visiting the State to purchase. It requires careful attentin, will yield
from 500 to 700 pounds to the acre, and sells for from 20 to 30 cents per
pound. Latterly there is an increasing home and State demand by cigar
manufacturers, and the area of cultivation is extending.

SWEET POTATOES.

This crop, as an article of food, is as universal in all Southern house-
holds as rice is to the Chinese, macaroni to the Italian, or the Irish potato
to the Irishman. White or black, no family is so poor but what has a
potato patch. It yields all the way from 100 to 400 bushels to the acre,
according to soil, cultivation and season; is grown from roots, draws, and
slips ; planted from April to August, and maturing from July to No-
vember ; is of easy cultivation, and may be dug and safely banked in
field and yard, or housed ; is eaten raw or cooked, and the old-time cook
can make most appetizing dishes of it. There are many varieties planted,
good and indifferent, and there is no excuse for not raising the best.
It may be raised at a cost of fifteen cents a bushel, and brings in the
home market from 40 cents to $1.

IRISH POTATOES.

This crop does not produce as well as at the North, but is off in time
to be followed by a crop of sweet potatoes the same year. They should
be planted in December or January, although good crops are sometimes
obtained from later planting. A covering of muck, grass, or coarse
compost is very beneficial. The potatoes are fit for digging in May.
Thej^can be shipped without difficulty, and at a moderate expense, to the
Northern markets, where they are worth from $5 to $9 per barrel. The
culture is essentially the same as that practiced at the North.

ARROWROOT, CASSAVA, COMPTIE.

All these grow well when cultivated, and produce astonishingly.
Florida arrowroot grades in quality and price with the best Bermuda.
Cassava, from which starch and tapioca are made, attains great size.
3290 4

60 FLORIDA: ITS CLIMATE, SOIL, PRODUCTIONS,

Comptie, the bread root of the Indians, grows without any cultivation.
All of the above have only been grown for domestic use for starch and
for food, and have limited sale in this and adjoining States. The atten-
tion of Northern starch manufacturers has lately been drawn to them,
and Governor Sinclair, of New Hampshire, having tested the roots by
actual experiments, has introduced a pioneer factory in Orange County.
As either and all of these roots have a larger percentage of starch in
them than the Irish potato, and can be grown at the same price, and
manufactured all the year, we may look for a large business in this in-
dustry.

SISAL HEMP, RAMIE, JUTE.

All of the fibrous plants grown in warm latitudes are found here.
Some years ago the Sisal hemp was largely grown, but the Indian war
broke up the country where it was planted, and the cultivation has not
been resumed to any extent. A Key West writer says that a ton of fiber
may be grown to an acre, worth $300. Extensive preparations are being
made for the cultivation of jute in South Florida, and at no distant day
it will become a leading industry. Col. A. B. Lindermann, of Philadel-
phia, is at the head of a company, recently organized, to test the culti-
vation of jute and indigo upon a large scale. An ample supply of seed
has been imported from India j suitable lands have been selected from
the Disston purchase, in Sumter County, and arrangements are now
being made to procure the necessary workmen. An expert will visit the
crop during the coming summer, and should his report be favorable, a
large amount of English capital will at once be invested in the business,

A variety of wild jute is found growing abundantly in East and South
Florida. A sample of the fiber of this plant, roughly prepared, was
taken to Dundee, Scotland, where the principal jute factories of the
world are located, and was valued by the proprietors of the works at
$90 per ton. Two crops can be readily grown during the season, and
improved machinery has lately been devised for the preparation ot the
fiber. The plant grows vigorously upon low, wet soils, is difficult to
eradicate w^hen once planted, and promises to add another to the many
flourishing industries of Florida. It is believed by those who have in-
vestigated the subject, that this State is capable of furnishing all the
jute required for consumption in this country, now imported from Cal-
cutta at a cost of many millions annually.

INDIGO, CASTOR BEAN, AND SILK.

The indigo plant is indigenous in Florida; during the English occu-
pation it was extensively cultivated, manufactured, and exported ; now
it is occasionally made for domestic use. The castor bean here attains
the size of a tree often 30 feet high, grows rapidly, and bears largely ;
now only used for home purposes. Silk some years ago attracted a good
deal of attention, but is now only occasionally^ l^roduced as a pastime.

AND AGRICULTURAL CAPABILITIES. 51

The different species of mulberry grow here to perfection from root,
cutting, or graft; in leaf from March to October. In time, no doubt,
the business will become a regular industry. The company above re-
ferred to intends to engage largely in the culture of that valuable dye,
indigo. About the year 1770 this article formed the principal export
from Florida, and the old works still to be seen in the vicinity of New
Smyrna, on Indian Eiver, indicate the vast extent of the plantations
devoted to this enterprise.

FRUITS.

The most i)roraising and fascinating industry, now absorbing atten-
tion, more particularly in East and South Florida, is the cultivation of
fruits, of which the citrus family takes the first rank. This group com-
prises all the varieties of the orange, citron, lemon, lime, and shaddock,
numbering more than a hundred.

Dr. Sickler, who spent six years in Italy, and paid great attention to
the kinds and culture of the citrus, published at Weimar, in 1815, a quarto
volume, called Yolkommene Orangerie Gartner, in which he describes
seventy-four sorts. He arranges the whole into two classes, and these
classes into divisions and subdivisions, without regard to their botanical
distinctions or species, as follows:

Lemons : Sorts.

Cedrats, or citrons 4

Round lemons 6

Pear-shaped lemons 11

Cylindrical lemons 4

Gourd-sliaped lemons 2

Wax lemons 5

Lumies lemons 8

Cedrat, lemons or citronate 6

Limes 4

Oranges:

Bitter oranges 6

Sour oranges 6

Sweet oranges 12

Few other classes of fruits are more easily propagated than the citrus,
and all of the species may be rapidly increased and produced either by
seeds, cuttings, layers, grafting, or budding, the lime being the most
difficult and the citron the most easy of propagation. They differ from
deciduous fruits in the respect that like always produces like, the seed
of every variety invariably producing its kind. Cuttings of thrifty wood,
two years old, strike fibers as rapidly as younger wood, though the
mode of propagating almost universally adopted in Florida is by bud-
ding ujion young stocks from the nursery, or from the larger stocks ob-
tained from the forests. The citrus family of fruits is supposed to have
originated in the warmer parts of Asia, and to have derived its name
from the town of Citron, in Judea, though it has been cultivated from
time immemorial in middle and southern Europe, and is now cultivated

52 FLORIDA: ITS CLIMATE, SOIL, PRODUCTIONS,

almost throughout the world, and in no higher degree of perfection than
in East Florida, south of the 30th degree of north latitude.

THE ORANGE.

The cultivation of the orauge {Citrus aurantium) in East Florida, pre-
vious to 1835, had attained a degree of considerable commercial impor-
tance, and the exports of this fruit from the small city of Saint Augustine
are said to have amounted to $100,000 annually. On the Saint John\s
Eiver, and in some parts of West Florida, and at Tamjoa Bay, groves
were being established as a source of commercial supply. In February,
1835, a very severe frost visited the State, and most of the orange groves
and other semi-tropical fruits were destroyed, or nearly so, leaving only
the stumps and roots to spring up again. Many of these sent up shoots,
and began to encourage hopes of returning prosperity to this branch of
industry. These hopes were not permitted to be realized, however, for in
1842 an insect called the Orange coccus, or scale insect, appeared in the
orange groves, and spread with great rapidity over the whole country,
almost totally destroying every tree attacked.

This calamity continued for ten or twelve years, and bade defiance to
almost every effort made to stay its blighting force. Many became
discouraged in the contest and abandoned further attempts to re-estab-
lish this hen^tofore agreeable and i^rofitable branch of industry. In
1853, however, the insect began to decrease in numbers, and finally dis-
appeared, since which time most of the groves now in the State must
date their birth. These groves are rapidly multiplying in all parts of
the State, and the bearing trees are now numbered by tens of thousands,
while the young groves, which are being constantly started, comprise
millions of trees. The orange from the seed produces fruit in from
seven to ten years, depending upon situation, culture, &c.

Groves made from wild stocks, usually cut off at a height of 3 to 4
feet from the ground, and the new shoots budded, generally i^roduce
fruit in three years. The number of oranges produced from a single
tree varies from 100 to 10,000, according to the age, situation, and treat-
ment of the tree. The trees are usuall^^ set 20 feet apart, and an acre
will contain about 100 trees. Florida oranges were usually sold, previ-
ous to 1835, at $7.50 to $10 per thousand. Now a demand exists for
twenty times our present supply, at $15 to $20 per thousand, as they
hang upon the trees.

HOW TO MAKE AN ORANGE GROVE.

The judicious selection of the land is the first and most important
point, for on this success in a great measure depends. Choose high,
dry hammock or high rolling pine land that has natural drainage and a
yellowish subsoil. The low, flat lands which are underlaid with hard-
pan or sandstone, mixed with oxide of iron, require ditching or drain-

AND AGRICULTURAL CAPABILITIES. 53

ing aDd much care in setting the trees, so that the roots may have free
scope and relief from standing water. The most favorable locations are
ou southeast side of wide sheets of water, or high lands, which are more
generally free f.om frost. The land selected, cleiir thoroughly of all
trees, &c., break up well, and substantially fence ; sow with cow peas,
which turn under when in bloom — it improves and sweetens the soil ;
this may be done before or after planting trees. Dig holes 30 feet
ai^art, 18 inches deep, and 4 feet in diameter ; clean out all roots ; fill
up with top soil, which will retain the moisture ; procure trees from
three to five years old, take them up carefully, with all of the roots pos-
sible, pack uj) with wet moss as soon as dug, put in shade and out of
the wind, take to the proposed grove carefully; remove soil from holes
dug sufKicient for the tree, with roots carefully spread, trunk stand-
ing in same position as originally grown. Let the tree, when set out,
be fully an inch above natural level of land ; fill under, in and about
the roots, compactly — it is best done by the hand, filled to surface and
gently tramped down ; fill on some 2 or 3 inches of earth, which will
prevent drying ; the rainy season commencing, remove the soil about
the tree to the level about it. Cultivation should be frequent and shal-
low, and trash not allowed to accumulate near trunk ; light plowing and
raking near the trees is best and safest* Following these general direc-
tions, no one should fail. The cost of a five-acre grove, at, say, five
years from planting, at a liberal estimate where high pine land is chosen,
will be about as given below. If hammock land is taken, the cost of
clearing will be more. The grove will have begun to yield at the end
of the period named. Eev. T. E. Moore, Fruit Cove, Fla., has published
a good treatise on orange culture.

COST OF OEOVE.

Five acres of good land, variously estimated, depending on location.

Cutting timber, clearing $75 00

Fencing (post and board fence) and breaking up 75 00

Three hundred trees and setting out 200 00

Manures, labor, cultivating, taxes, &c., for five years 500 00

Total, less cost of land 850 00

Such a grove would readily sell now in Florida for $1,000 per acre.
From and after five years the annual growth of trees and increase of
fruit is constant for at least ten years, and the grove will hold its vigor
and fruit-producing qualities for a century or more. The orange is a
hardy tree, will stand great extremes of rain and drought ; it will show
the effects of a single season's neglect, and quickly show a single season
of care and attention.

THE LEMON.

"The lemon is produced in East Florida to a degree of perfection far
surpassing the same fruit grown in the West Indies, Sicily, Italy, or

54 FLORIDA: ITS CLIMATE, SOIL, PkODUCTIONS,

Spain, and persons familiar with this fruit in those countries are rather
disposed to discredit the statement that the lemons of Florida are of the
same variety of fruit. The Sicily lemon ^rown here frequently reaches
from 1 to 2 pounds in weight, and is of a sui^erior quality.

VARIOUS FRUITS.

There are five of the acid varieties of the lime ( Citrus Umetta) named in
English nursery catalogues. The juice of the lime is x^referred to that
of the lemon as being more wholesome and agreeable, and when freely
used is a preventive of fever. Combined with a little salt, it is regarded
by some of the old settlers as a specific for chills and fever.

The citron (Citrus medico) is commercially known in the United States
as a preserved confection, imi^orted from the Mediterranean in oblong-
boxes, weighing 20 to 25 pounds each, and used by families as an addi-
tion to fruit cakes, pies, &c. It is a native of the warm regions of Asia.
Heretofore but little attention has been paid to the cultivation of this
fruit in Florida, except for variety and ornaments, and it is not usual
to observe more than one or two trees in a large garden of several acres in
extent, though it is grown here with the greatest ease and perfection, fre-
quently producing fruit weighing 10 i)ounds, and there is no doubt but
that it may be cultivated, preserved, and introduced into our home mar-
kets as an article of commerce with great profit to the producer. There is
no other variety of this species so easily propagated, and none more
hardy, or that yields its fruit so quickly, or produces more abundantly;
and the fact that both the fruit and the sugar for preserving it are pro-
duced in the same field, with equal facility, gives to the American cul-
tivator a great advantage over the foreign producer in our markets.
The citron prepared and preserved by private families in Florida for
home use is of much finer quality, lighter colored, and more transparent
than the imported. The cost of preparing this fruit for market on a
large scale need not be great, and the combination of two articles, green
citron and sugar, the cost of producing ^yhich does not exceed one-half
their actual value, where the two are combined, must leave a large mar-
gin of profit to those who engage intelligently and with proper facili-
ties in the business of cultivating and preparing this article for market.

The shaddock (Citrus decuniana)^ a native of India or China, is now
cultivated in all warm climates, and is called Arancio massino by the
Italians, Oranger ]pampelmouse by the French, and sometimes in this
country mock-orange or forbidden fruit. It was brought from China to
the West Indies by Captain Shaddock, from whom it derives its present
name. There are at least six varieties, only one of which is useful or
desirable as a fruit. Some of these attain a very large size, frequently
weighing 10 to 14 pounds. It is chiefly used for ornament or show, and
where several sorts of oranges are presented at desert, it form.^ a strik-
ing addition to the varieties in the way of contrast. The most desirable
variety of this fruit is sometimes called grape fruit. It possesses a red-

AND AGRICULTURAL CAPABILITIES. 55

(lisU pulp, with most agreeable subacid sweetness, and is excellent for
quenching thirst; and from the thickness of its rind will keep longer
than the fruit of any other of the citrus family. This variety is well
worth cultiv^ating for the excellence of its solid vinous pulp, which fur-
nishes a substitute for other acid fruits in pies, tarts, jellies, &c.

Loquat [EHohotryajaponica) is known in the South as the Japan plum.
The tree is an evergreen, and grows 10 to 12 feet high, and is desirable
in evxry Southern garden on account of its hardiness, withstanding a
greater degree of cold than any of the semi-tropical fruits. It ripens
its fruit in February and March, when most other fruits are gone; is a
l^rofuse bearer, and is readily propagated by seeds and cuttings.

The pine apple (Ananassa sativa) is grown in some of the gardens in
the northern portions of the State, but requires protection. South of
parallel 28° it is produced in greal excellence and jierfection, the pines
frequently weighing 9 and 10 pounds each. This fruit is easily propa-
gated from suckers and crowns, the former preferable, however, the
fruit maturing in three to four months after planting the suckers.

Papaw (Carica papaya) is sometimes called the bread-fruit tree. It is
a native of South Ameria. This remarkable tree, though not much
cultivated at the present time in Florida, is worthy of great attention,
not only for the excellence of its fruit, but also for its other extraordi-
nary i)roperties. The tree attains a growth of 20 feet in height, and
yields a large supply of fruit in three years from the seed, and should
be in every garden in Florida south of 30^ north latitude. It thrives
well and bears profusely at Saint Augustine. The fruit is pear shaped,
of a light yellow color, varying in size from 3 to 5 inches in length and
from 2 to 4 inches in diameter, and is not unlike a very rix^e muskmelon
in taste and flavor, though sweeter. It may be pared and sliced and
eaten raw as a desert fruit, or cut into slices and soaked in water till
the milky j nice is out, and then boiled 'and served as a sauce, or by the
addition of lemon or lime juice, it supplies a most excellent substitute
for apple sauce or tart fruit, to which it is scarcely inferior. The juice
of the pulp also forms an excellent cosmetic for removing freckles from
the skin, and the leaves are frequently used, in the French West India
Islands, instead of soap for cleansing linen. Its remarkable medical
X)roperties, however, are most important, as it is the most powerful ver-
mifuge known, a single dose of the milky juice of the unripe fruit, or of
the powdered seeds of the ripe fruit being sufficient to cure the worst
cases, and extirpate every worm from the system of the patient.

The most extraordinary property of the papaw tree is that related
by Dr. Browne, in his Natural History of Jamaica, in which he says
that the toughest meat or poultry may be made perfectly tender lor
cooking, by steeping for eight or ten minutes in the milky juice of this
tree. Dr. Holden, who witnessed its effects in the island of Barbadoes,
says, in the third volume of the Wernerian Society's Memoirs, that the
juice of this tree causes a separation of the muscular fiber in meats that

56 FLORIDA: ITS CLIMATE, SOIL, PRODUCTIONS,

have been immersed therein and that the vapor of the tree serves the
same purpose, it being a common custom with the inhabitants to sus-
pend joints of meat, i^oultry, &c., in the upper branches of the trees to
soften and prepare them for cooking.

Thompson, in his System of Ohemistr}^, makes an extract from a
French work on chemistry, entitled Annales de Chimie, which states
that —

Fibrine had been previously supposed to beloDg exclusively to the animal kingdom
but this tree had been found to contain this substance.

The papaw tree is a perpetual bearer of fruits and flowers, or blossoms,
and yields enormous quantities of fruit, a single tree supplying enough
for a large family.

Custard apple (Anona reticulata) is sometimes called sugar apple.
There are u})wards of forty varieties of this fruit, and nearly all the
species are edible. Almost every trojMcal country lays claim to its
own favorite variety. In Peru it is greatly esteemed, and considered
not inferior to any other fruit in the world. The species derives its
English name (custard apple) from the consistence of the ])ulp of tin
fruit; and its rich color, fragrant odor, and handsome appearance are
well characterized in the expression, "apples of gold in i)ictures of
silver."

The Spanish-American cherimoyer {Aiiona cJierimoUa), and the West
India soursop {Anona muricata), sweetsop {Anona squamosa)^ and alli-
gator apple {Anona palustris) are of this genus. This delicious fruit is
produced in excellent perfection as far north as Saint Augustine, and
is easily propagated from seed.

FIGS.

Figs are easily raised from cuttings, and begin to bear in two years,
producing one good and one or two additional but inferior crops annu-
ally. Two hundred tre( s may be set at nominal cost on an acre. Th^
remarkable vigor and thrift attending the growth of the fig in this
State, and the many facilities afforded for an unlimited business grow-
ing out of its cultivation and preparation for market, are so decided,
that this fruit is worthy, like the orange and cane, of special attention
here. A simi)le preparation of figs by boiling in sirup will furnish a
most palatable and wholesome preserve, that only needs to be known
to become a universal favorite; and if figs can be prepared for a lucra-
tive market, by drying, anywhere on earth, it can be done in Florida.
The London Encyclopedia mentions fifty-six species, of which the follow-
ing are the most remarkable:

F. cerica, the common fig tree with an upright stem branching fifteen or twenty
feet high, and garnished with larg(5 palinated or hand-shaj)ed leaves. Of this there
aremany varieties, asthe common fig tree, with large, oblong, dark purplish bine fruit,
which ripens in August either on standards or walls, and of which it carries a great
quantity; the brown or chestnut fig, a large, globular, chestnut -colored fruit hav-

AND AGRICULTURAL CAPABILITIES. 57

ing a purplish delicious pulp ; the black Iscliia fig, a middle-sized, shortish, flat-
crowned, blackish fruit, having a bright pulp ; the green Ischia fig, a large, oblong,
globular-headed, greenish fruit, slightly stained by the pulp to a reddish-brown color;
the brown Ischia fig, a small, pyramidal, brownish-yellow fruit, having a purplish
rich pulp; the Malta fig, a small, flat-topped, brown fruit; the round brown Naples
fig, a globular, middle-sized, light-brown fruit, and brownish pulp ; the long, brown
Naples fig, a long, dark brown fruit, having a reddish pulp; the great blue fig, a
large blue fruit, having a fine red pulp; the black Genoa fig, a large pear-shaped,
black-colored fruit, with a bright-red pulp. It may be propagated either by suckers
arising from roots, by layers, or by cuttings. The suckers are to be taken oft" as low
down as possible ; trim off any ragged part at bottom, leaving the top entire, espe-
cially if for standard?, and plant them in nursery lines at two or three feet distance,
or they may at once be planted where they are to remain.

The best season for proi)agating these trees by hiyers is in antumn ;
but it may be also done any time from October to March or April.
Choose the young i^liable lower shoots from the fruitful branches ; lay
them in the usual way, covering the body of the layers 3 or 4 inches
deep in the ground, keeping the top entire, and as upright as possible j
and they will be rooted and fit to separate from the parent in autumn,
when they may be planted either in the nursery or where they are to
remain. The time for propagating bj cuttings is either at the iall of
the leaf or in February. Choose well-ripened shoots of the preceding
summer, short and of robust growth, from about twelve to fifteen
inches long, having an inch or two of the two years' wood at their base,
the tips left entire ; plant them six or eight inches deep, in a bed or bor-
der of good earth, in rows two feet asunder.

GUAIAVA.

The name guaiava {Psidium guaiava) is a corruption of the Spanish
word guayaba. Of this fruit there are seventeen different species. It
is an evergreen tree or shrub, and indigenous to Brazil, Spanish Amer-
ica, and the West Indies. It is propagated by cuttings and seed, and is
sometimes liable to injury from severe frosts north of 28^ north lati-
tude, but south of that line it is ever-bearing, yielding its delicious,
aromatic, and wholesome fruit all the year round. Only three or four
varieties are known and cultivated in Florida.

In the island of Cuba and in Brazil the varieties produced are more
numerous, and large quantities of the fruit are made into jellies for ex-
portation to all parts of the world. The fruit of the common guaiava
is pear-shaped, of the size of a large hen's ^gg^ and sometimes larger^
and has a smooth, pale-yellow skin, inclosing a many-seeded pulp of deli-
cious acidity. In some varieties the i)ulp is of a light-cream, and others a
pale-reddish color. This fruit is greatly esteemed wherever known, and,
being slightly astringent, as well as mucilaginous, is very beneficial in
bowel complaints. The roots and leaves are also astringent, and are
regarded as excellent for strengthening the stomach and bowels. The
plant is propagated by seeds, cuttings, and suckers.

58 FLORIDA: ITS CLIMATE, SOIL, PRODUCTIONS,

POMEGRANATE.

The immes^sniiite {Punica granatiun)^ a slirub or bush-like tree, is a
native of Persia and Syria, and grows wild in those countries. It is
X)erfectl.y hardy in all parts of Florida, and as far north as Hilton
Head, S. C, and is widely cultivated and much esteemed in this
State for the excellence of its fruit, as well as for the medicinal proper.
ties of the rind and the flowers, which are not only an excellent febri-
fuge, but powerful astringents, and often used with great benefit in
cases of diarrhea. The pulp of the fruit is a delicious sub-acid sub-
stance, similar in taste and flavor to the red currant, and is excellent
for alUiying heat and quenching thirst, and is gently laxative. The
fruit of the pomegranate is si^herical, the size of an orange, with a gourd-
like shell or rind, which is filled with seeds inclosed in membranous
cells, and surrounded with a juicy, reddish i>ulp. There are several
varieties of this fruit, comprising early, medium, and late. Tlie early
and the medium varieties have a pale 3 ellow skin or rind, with a beau-
tiful tinge of red upon the side or cheek, and are sparsely dotted Avith
fine pippin-like spots. The latter sorts have a dark russet-colored rind,
and the seeds are of a pale pink color. This tree bears a beautiful urn-
shaped scarlet flower; and there is no tree more showy than the pome-
granate when in flower. The fruit begins to ripen at Saint Augustine,
ria., about the middle of July, and continues until the middle of Decem-
ber. It bears transportation well on account of its liard rind, keeps for
several weeks after it has been tak(in from the tree, and no doubt may
be made a profitable market fruit. It is increased by cuttings, layers,
and suckers, and thrift^^ wood two years old strikes fibers as readily as
younger wood.

BANANA.

Banana {Musaparadisiacci). — Of the banana and plantain {Miisa sapien-
turn) there are several species. They are increased by suckers, and require
a rich, moist soil, with warm exposure. Some varieties of these plants
are successfully cultivated as far north as 30^ north latitude. The best
variety for cultivation north of 28^ north latitude is the one known as
Musa paradlsiaca cavendlshii. This is the most hardy, and seldom attains
a height above 8 feet, while the more tender kinds often grow 20 feet
high. When the i)lant is fruiting, and all the flowers are set, it is
advisable to cut off the spadix an inch or two above the last tier of per-
fectly-formed fruit, in order to hasten and perfect the remaining fruit.

There are few more excellent or delicious dessert fruits than the
banana, and as a food ]»lant its importance and value, as compared with
other food plants, can hardly be overestimated. In an economical
I)oint of view it has never been appreciated in Florida, where but little
attention has been given to its cultivation. When it is realized that a
plantation of bananas once established has never to be renewed, and
that one acre of this fruit will i)roduce as much food as 130 acres of

AND AGRICULTURAL CAPABILITIES. 59

wheat, or 45 acres of potatoes, its value and importance will be readily
acknowledged. As tLis plant is a great feeder, aud when once planted
lasts for a lifetime, it is of the utmost importance that jdantings shoukl
be made upon strong rich soil, or that the plants be kept highly manured,
to secure permanent supplies of the best fruit. In Brazil and other
tropical countries plantations are formed b3^ setting the plants 20 feet
apart; but as the kinds usually planted in those countries are of a larger
species than those recommended for Northern Florida, plants of the
Musa paradisiaca cacendishii variety should be set 10 feet apart each
way, and in a good soil they will soon cover the ground, as they increase
rapidly under favorable circumstances. Each i)iant produces one, and
only one, bunch of bananas, when it is cut down with a sharp spade
or ax to give i)lace to succeeding plants.

When the enormous yield of this fruit is considered, and the fact
taken into account that when once properlj^ planted it needs no other
attention than simply gathering the fruit, the demand for which is
almost unlimited, it is evident that its cuitiv^ation. could be made very
l)rofitable.

DATE PALM.

The date palm (Phoenix dactylifera) is an excellent and valuable fruit,
and is cultivated with entire success south of 28° north latitude, and
the tree often perfects its fruit as far north as 30^ north latitude. Nu-
merous large and beautiful si)ecimens of this tree may be seen in the
gardens at Saint Augustine. It is one of the most beautiful trees of the
vegetable kingdom. Its long, graceful, ever verdant, ever-waving, ever-
changing branches make it the most picturesque of all others for land-
scape gardening, and should adorn the grounds of every homestead in
Florida.

The fruit is greatly and justly esteemed by the inhabitants of Egypt,
Arabia, and Persia on account of its concentrated and nutritious prop-
erties; large numbers subsist almost entirely upon it. It is generally
the sole food of the Arabs and their camels in their long and tedious
journeys over the desert, the voyagers feeding upon the fruit and the
animals upon the stones. The inhabitants of these countries also boast
of the medicinal qualities of the date fruit, and of the numerous uses to
which the different productions of this tree may be applied. From the
leaves they make couches, "baskets, bags, mats, aud brushes ; from the
branches or stalks, cages for their poultry and fences for their gardens;
from the fibers of the trunk, thread, ropes, and rigging; from the sap, a
spirituous liquor, and the body of the tree furnishes fuel. The date palm
is propagated from the seeds and suckers, but more successfully from
the former. The cultivation of this fruit should be greatly extended, as
it may become an important and profitable resource of the inhabitants
of Southern Florida. The bunches or clusters of this fruit often attain
a weight of 15 pounds.

60 floeida: its climate, soil,

persimmon.

The persimmon is foand wild in every section of the State. The fruit,
at least to the natives, is agreeable to the taste, and, rii>e or dry, is used
largely for the table and for home-made beer. Some Japan varieties
are now being introduced, which are said to be of very large size, and
seedless. The Japanese esteem the persimmon as their most valuable
fruit.

GRAPES.

The grape is found wild in the forests of Florida, and grows luxuriantly.
The foreign varieties grow and fruit well, but are afflicted with the Phyl-
loxera^ and their successful cultivation is not permanently reliable. The
Saint Augustine grape, so called, is a choice grape for the table, or for
wines. It grows luxuriantly; but is subject to rot during the rainy sea-
son. It resembles the grape from w^hich tlie Madeira wines are made.
The Scuppernong, in all its varieties, is the most reliable, as it is a rank
grower, prolific in fruit, and free from disease. It makes a wine equal
to the best Oalifornia, and can be grown to great profit. Forty-five feet
square are allowed to each vine, and it soon occupies this space, yield-
ing many bushels to each plant. It is a late grape, and a good table
fruit. An acre yields upwards of 2,000 gallons of wine.

PEACHES.

The peach is a sure tree here, bearing in two years from tlie seed, and
early varieties of good size and flavor ripening in May, June, and July.
The apricot and nectarine are also safe to cultivate. As yet, no disease
has affected the trees, and they retain their vigor and prolific bearing
for many years.

The northern grown trees do not do well, as they do not seem able to
adapt themselves to the climate, but seedlings succeed, make a rapid
growth, and are true to the variety planted. Some very fine varieties
have been produced, and when this fruit shall receive the attention
due to its value and importance, it will be found a valuable product for
export to northern markets, where it can be placed in advance of the
products there, and command good prices.

PEARS.

The northern varieties of the pear do well here, though they grow and
bear fruit at uncertain periods. But the Le Conte pear, as it is called,
is a southern variety, equal to the Bartlett, free from disease, and pro-
lific to a high degree. It is rapidly graining favor, and its cultivation is
being extended. It brings from $6 to $10 per bushel in the northern
market, where it is placed in advance of the more northern varieties.
It yields aii enormous profit, greater than the orange in many localities-

AND AGRICULTURAL CAPABILITIES. 61

APPLES.

The cultivation of the ai3ple here is of doubtful utilitj^, though it is be-
lieved that some of the earlier varieties may be advantageously intro-
duced.

NECTARINE, APRICOT, AND PLUM.

The nectarine {Amy g dolus per sica)^ the apricot {Prunus armeniaca), and
the almond {Amygdalus communis) are all at home in Florida, and not
less vigorous and healthy, but not reliable for fruiting in all jjortions of
the State, whether from defective culture or adaptability to the variety
of soils is not yet determined, as very little attention has been given
to them.

The plum and prune [Prunus cbmestica) are also healthy and produc-
tive, but not exempt from the ravages of the curculio, so prevalent at
the north. All the varieties of the wild plum are indigenous and abund-
ant in every part of the State. Many of the varieties are of excellent
quality, and, when cooked, form a delicious preserve for family use, or
for canning.

OLIVE.

With the exception of a few trees grown for ornament, this most val-
uable tree, the olive, has not been cultivated in this State. That it will
succeed well here is evident from the specimens now growing. Ke-
cently, attention has been directed to its cultivation, and it will become
widely planted. It commences to bear at about ten years from the seed,
increasing yearly to the age of thirty years, bearing annually. They are
very long-lived 5 some trees in Europe are known to be eight hundred
years old, and show no signs of decay. The fruit and oil are valuable
as food and of commercial importance.

NUTS.

The pecan nut and the Madeira nut succeed well, and produce abund-
antly in the northern portion of the State.

The cocoa-nut and the Brazil nut are produced in the southern portion,
and the former is receiving special attention in Monroe County, where
thousands are being planted in the vicinity of Key West. Large groves
are also being set out on Lake Worth.

TEA.

The tea plant has long been successfully cultivated in Georgia, and
through the instrumentality of the Department of Agriculture, at Wash-
ington, it has been largely diffused through this State ^ and while it may
not, in the face of competition with foreign labor, immediately become
remunerative, yet it will be produced to some extent for home consump-
tion, and in time may become a i)rofitable product.

62 FLORIDA: ITS CLIMATE, SOIL, PRODUCTIONS,

COFFEE.

The coffee plant has been successfully introduced from South America,
and its production in South Florida gives the assurance that it may be
grown in that portion of the State at least, if not further north, and
that in time it may become an important factor in the varied industries
and products of the South. The first pound of coffee ever produced in
the United States by open-air culture was grown in Manatee, and re-
ceived the premium offered by the Department of Agriculture.

STRAWBERRIES.

This queen of small fruits nowhere in the world finds a better loca-
tion for culture; plants put out in September fruit often in January,
frequently in February, and may be counted in full bearing and ripen-
ing in March and April. The growers about Jacksonville and up the
Saint John's Eiver are many, and shii)ments have been made largely
and profitably. In size, color, bouquet, and taste, they are superior to
most, equal to the best, and surpassed by none *, the best varieties only
are grown. The cultivators pick carefully, select and pack honestly ;
and Florida strawberries, like Florida oranges, have earned a name.
By using refrigerators the fruit reaches New York and the Northern
cities, fresh and cool, only about four days from picking. Being always
in advance of any other locality by some weeks, the first shipments
bring large prices, and the demand keeps pace with the supply.

The low-creeping blackberry, or dewberry, abounds in old fields and
road-sides, and ripens in April. The high bush, also found in same lo-
calities, ripens in June and July; the huckleberry about the same time.
All bear well, and can be had for picking. The improved kinds do well
where tried.

MELONS.

Watermelons, muskmelons, and cantaleups are readily produced every-
where in the State, and the first are grown extensively for export to the
Northern cities. One thousand melons to the acre is considered a fair
crop, and the standard size for export is 20 pounds and upwards. They
are grown to the size of 60 pounds or more, and no better fruit is i)ro-
duced anywhere.

VEGETABLES.

Along the navigable streams and the lines of railway, the raising of
vegetables for export has become an important element in the pros-
perity of Florida, and is rapidly assuming proportions which claim at-
tention from the transportation lines and the cities of the North. To-
matoes, cucumbers, cabbages, celery, lettuce, beets, turnips, onions, Irish
potatoes, snai)-beans, Lima beans, pease, egg-plants, okra, and all the va-

AND AGRICULTURAL CAPABILITIES. 63

•
riety of vegetables are produced most successfully duriug the winter

and spring months, and as improved methods and better culture are

introduced, the results prove that every month in the year may yield

handsome returns to the cultivator of the soil, and demonstrate that

the cheap lands of Florida may aftbrd greater returns in value for the

same labor than the best lands of the North and West.

WORK OF THE SEASONS.

The farm and garden work for the year is briefly indicated, as follows:

In January plant Irish potatoes, pease, beets, turnips, cabbage, and
all hardy or semi-hardy vegetables; make hot-beds for pushing the more
tender x^lants, such as melons, tomatoes, okra, egg-plants, i&c; set out
fruit and other trees and shrubbery.

February. — Keep planting for a succession, same as in January ; in ad-
dition, plant vines of all kinds, shrubbery, and fruit trees of all kinds,
especially of the citrus family, snap-beans, corn ; bed sweet potatoes for
draws and slips. Oats may also be still sown, as they are in i)revious
months.

March. — Corn, oats, and plantingof February may be continued ; trans-
plant tomatoes, egg-plants, melons, beans, and vines of all kindsj mul-
berries and blackberries are now ripening. •

April. — Plant as in March, except Irish potatoes, kohl rabi, turnips;
continue to transplant tomatoes, okra, egg-plants ; sow millet, corn, cow
peas, for fodder; plant the butter-bean, lady pease; dig Irish potatoes.
Onions, beets, and usual early vegetables should be plenty for table.

May. — Plant sweet potatoes for draws in beds ; continue planting corn
for table ; snap-beans, pease, and cucumbers ought to be w ell forward for
use; continue iDlanting okra, egg-plants, pepper, and butter beans.

June. — The heavy planting of sweet potatoes and cow peas is now in
order; Irish potatoes, tomatoes, and a great variety of table vegetables
are now ready, as also i)lums, early peaches, and grapes.

July. — Sweet potatoes and cow peas are safe to plant, the rainy sea-
son bein g favorable ; grapes, peaches, and figs are in full season. Orange
trees may be set out if the season is wet.

August. — Finish up j^lanting sw^eet i)otatoes and cow peas; sow cab-
bage, cauliflower, turnips for fall planting; plant kohl rabi and rutaba-
gas; transplant orange trees and bud ; last of month plant a few Irish
I)otatoes and beans.

September. — Now is the time to commence for the true winter garden,
the garden which is commenced in the North in April and May. Plant
the whole range of vegetables except sweet potatoes; set out asparagus,
onion sets, and strawberry plants.

October. — Plant same as last month; \)ut in garden peas; set out cab-
bage plants ; dig sw^eet x)otatoes ; sow oats, rye, &c.

November. — A good month for garden; continue to plant and trans-
plant, same as for October ; sow oats, barley, and rye for winter pastur-

64 FLORIDA: ITS CLIMATE, SO]

•
age or crops; dig sweet potatoes; house or bank them ; make sugar and
sirup.

December. — Clear up generally; fence, ditch, manure, and sow and
plant hardy vegetables ; plant, set out orange trees, fruit trees, and
shrubbery ; keep a sharp lookout for an occasional frost ; a slight pro-
tection will pi:event injury.

TIMBER AND LUMBER.

Of the states, Florida has the largest area of origiaal growth of tim-
ber. Excluding land in cultivation, the area covered by lakes, rivers,
savannas, &c., there are probably nearly, if not quite, 30,000,000 acres
of land covered with timber, and of this the yellow pine is fully three-
quarters. The level lands, rolling lands, are mostly covered with the
yellow and i^itch pine, which attains a great size in girth and length.
The lower lands, near rivers, lakes, swamps, abound in valuable timber,
of which live oak, other species of oak, hickory, asli, beech, cedar, mag-
nolia, sweet bay, gum, cypress, constitute a great proportion. The red
cedar is particularly adapted for lead pencils, and largely exported to
Europe for the best manufacturers, as also North and East. The mag-
nolia and bay are fine woods for onamental furniture; the cypress val-
uable for shingles, sash, doors, blinds and Inside finish, railroad ties.
The yellow and pitch pine has a world-wide reputation as being the
best for an3' and all uses where strength, elasticity, and durability are
desired, and is now being largely used in ornamental and expensive
structures. Finished up in its natural grain for inside work, floors,
frames, pillars, arches, roofs, it presents that substantial as well as rich
finish not attained with other material. An extensive business has long
been prosecuted in the western portion of the State in the exportation
of pine timber and lumber, and live oak and cedar have been supplied
in large quantities for naval architecture and the manufacture of pen-
cils. Large establishments for the manufacture of lumber for exporta-
tion to northern and foreign ports are located on the navigable streams
and railroads. Naval stores are also largely exported, and afford a re-
liable source of revenue to the State and the manufacturers.

THE FORESTS OF FLORIDA.

From a gentleman who has been connected with the Tenth Census of
the United States the following information has been obtained relative
to the forest growth of this State:

The variety of trees in Florida is greater than in any other of the States, there being
nearly, or quite, two hundred arborescent species, or half of all in the United States.

One of these, the yellow pine, is a hundredfold more abundant and more valuable
than all the others combined. This is the most valuable of American trees for fram-
ing-timber, flooring, &c., and the present reserve of it is almost wholly confined to
South Georgia and the northern half of Florida. This is the tree from which turpen-
tine and rosin are obtained. There is very little yellow pine suitable for shipping
south of latitude 29°, but plenty for home consumption as far south as latitude "27°.

AND AGRICULTURAL CAPABILITIES. 65

South of latitude 27°, to the southern limit of the State, there is plenty of the South-
ern pitch pine, which is equally good for turpentine, and furnishes very good build-
ing material. There is also a belt of it, perhaps ten miles in width, bordering the en-
tire coast. There are five other kinds of pine in the State, of less value and in small
quantity.

Next to the yellow pine in abundance and value rank the bald cypress and live oak.
Both are found throughout the State in abundance and of large size. The qualities of
live oak are well known, better than those of the cypress, a timber only second in value
to yellow pine, and for durability and lightness superior to it. Several mills are now
sawing cypress, and the manufacture of it must increase.

The red cedar of Florida is celebrated as being the only wood suitable for pencils.
The demand for it is so great that the supply will probably be exhausted before many
years.

Throughout the pine Avoods, north of latitude 27°, are scattered much post and black-
jack oak, which furnish superior fuel. The other kinds of trees occur in groves or
hammocks and border water -courses.

Along the southern half of the Saint John's and ludian Rivers the palmetto is the most
abundant tree, but, as a rule, the hammocks are composed in most part of the live
oak and the water or willow oak, with much red bay, magnolia, and hickory. Besides
these, there is a great variety of smaller trees, with handsome evergreen foliage and
wood suitable for A^arious purposes. In some hammocks the sour and bitter-sweet
oranges abound.

The trees most noted for beauty of wood are the " curly" variety of the yellow pine,
the red or sweet bay (sometimes called Florida mahogany), the magnolia, black cherry,
holly, &c.

In Jackson and Gadsden Counties are found the black walnut, sour wood, bass
wood, beech, birch, sugar maple, cottonwood, sycamore, and many other Northeru trees.
This section is not suited to the growth of the orange.

Trees common in low hammocks and swamps are the white bay, tan bay, elm, ash,
hickory, red maple, sweet gum, sour gum, poplar, hackberry, iron-wood, &c.

The number of species of the most important genera are as follows : Oak, 13 ; pine
7 ; hickory, 5 ; elm, ash, maple, magnolia, and gum, 3 each.

South of the Caloosahatchie River, and on the east and west coasts, as far north as
Mosquito Inlet and Cedar Keys, tlie trees are nearly all of subtropical species, among
which are some of great beauty and value, such as the mahogany, lignum vitse, prince-
wood, mastic, wild tamarind, calabash, royal palm, Indian fig, crab-wood, &c. But
these are found in too limited quantity to be of any practical importance.

In additiou to these are the Madeira, frankincense, white-wood, cork-
wood, sea grape, green ebony, wild cherry, buttonwood, black and rock
mangrove, and numerous others.

A Aariety of the caoutchouc grows in South Florida, which furnishes
a gum possessing the qualities of the India rubber of commerce.

It is believed that the cinchona, which furnishes that valuable article
quinine, could be successfully cultivated. Other trees and plants of
great merit and utility can doubtless also be introduced.

An experimental garden,, under the auspices of the Department of
Agriculture, would be attended with signal benefit to the interests of
the country.

LAKE OKEECHOBEE AND THE EVERGLADES.

But little is known of the vast region covered by Lake Okeechobee
and the everglades. Much of that immense area is unexplored and un-
3290 5

Q6 FLORIDA: ITS CLIMATE, SOIL, PRODUCTIONS,

surveyed, and few, besides the wandering cowboys, ever traverse its
wild solitudes. Its almost absolute inaccessibility has practically shut
it out from settlement; and for years it has been occupied by the small
remnant of the Indian tribes that once owned the conntry, and by vast
herds of cattle, which thrive and fatten upon the rich pasturage.

Very recently the eyes of capitalists have been directed to this remote
wilderness, and science has demonstrated that this section can be re-
claimed and subjected to cultivation. A carefal analysis of the soil re-
veals the fact that it contains a remarkable percentage of the elements
necessary to sustain vegetation, and that the most exhausting crops can
be produced for years without any diminution of its natural fertility.
These lands, when drained and properly handled, will be found capable
of supplying a very large portion of the sugar now consumed in the
United States. They are admirably adapted to the production of this
important staple, and are fully equal, if not superior, to the most valu-
able lauds devoted to this crop in Cuba and Louisiana. Here the cane
reaches maturity, and regularly goes to tassel, showing that the stalk
has reached its highest point of development, and that its juices con-
tain the largest amount possible of saccharine matter. One planting of
the seed suffices for several years, the plant rattooniug for a number of
seasons from the old stubble. Another advantage of the utmost conse-
quence is found in the fact that, situated as this region is, below the
frost line, the cane can be cut and ground to suit the convenience of the
planter.

Mr. H. A. Hough, who resides on Twelve-Mile Branch, an arm of the
Caloosahatchee River, had his sugar-mill destroyed by fire in January,
1881, before his cane had been harvested. The building was re-erected
in the following April, when the cane was cut and ground, making a
full average yield of superior sugar and sirup, for which the highest
prices were obtained. It is customary in that section to replant cane
but once in seven years. The planter is never harassed by fears of
having his crop injured or destroyed by the sudden advent of cold
weather.

Besides cane and rice, tobacco, cotton, jute, indigo, and the whole
series of tropical and semi-tropical fyuits can be successfully and profit-
ably cultivated.

The soils and situation of this region are such that the entire range
of vegetables can be put into Northern markets before the truckers
around Boston, Kew York, and Chicago have commenced to break their
ground for the reception of seed. In this respect this region has no
rivals in this country, and can compete with the Bermudas and Bahamas.
The increase of wealth and the growth of luxury in the United States
have created a steady and growing demand for table dainties, and the
prices paid for fruits and vegetables out of their usual season are largely
renumerative. Tomatoes, English pease, string beans, egg-plants, okra,
and other garden jiroducts can be shipped from this section during the

AND AGRICULTUKAL CAPABILITIES. 67

entire winter — from December to April. In the cultivation of such
articles there is a mine of wealth opened to the enterprising and indus-
trious settler. But little heavy clothing, and scarcely any fuel, except
for culinary purposes, is required in this genial climate, so that there is
a great saving in these items, so costly in a more rigorous latitude.

The question of transportation, which has heretofore been a barrier
to the occupation of this desirable country, is about to have an early
and satisfactory solution. By the time this report will be given to the
jmblic a line of steamers will be in operation upon the Kissimmee River^
connecting Lake Okeechobee with the new city of Kissimmee, recently
laid out on Lake Tahopekaliga, in Orange County. Here a junction is
effected with the South Florida Eailroad, a line stretching from Sanford,
on the Saint John^s River, to Tampa and Charlotte Harbor. Communi-
cation will also be had with the West as soon as the Caloosahatchee
Eiver is open to navigation.

A company was chartered by special act of the legislature of Florida,
March 8, 1881, for the purpose of purchasing and improving certain
tracts of land in Florida, the building of canals and other lines of trans-
portation, and the carrying on of all other business incidental thereto.

The following information is taken from a pamphlet recently pub -
lished by the above company:

This company has a concession from the board of internal improvement of the
State of Florida for the reclamation of all the lands lying south of townships 24 and
east of Peace Creek, this area containing upAvards of 8,000,000 acres.

The United States survey, made in 1879 by Col. J. L. Meigs, established the eleva-
tion of Lake Hickpochee, adjoining Lake Okeechobee, • as being 22 feet above mean
low tide, and he recommended the construction of a drainage canal similar to that
now proposed to be established. These surveys and observations have recently been
veriiied by a corps of engineers in the employ of this company, who found Lake
Okeechobee to be 25 feet above tide water.

Lake Okeechobee, situate about the center of this 8,000,000 acre tract, is upwards
of 40 miles in length by 20 miles in width, or covering an area of over 1,000 square
miles. It has an outlet, but receives the drainage of a number of lakes intercepted by
the Kissimmee River, also the waters of Fish Eating, Taylor's, and Mosquito Creeks,
which vary from 20 to 150 feet in width. During very heavy falls of rain, this lake
rises to such a point as to not only overflow its banks, but to cause the waters of the
rivers to be backed up, so that the country becomes more or less submerged, until the
waters find the ocean and gulf through the tortuous and inefficient channels of widely-
separated streams.

It is proposed to provide against these periodical overflows by the opening of canals
from Okeechobee to the Saint Lucie and Caloosahatchee Rivers that will not only per-
manently lower the level of the lake, but at all times furnish a safe outlet to the gulf
and ocean for the waters of the lake and confluent streams, and which will also afford
means of transportation for the products of the Kissimmee Valley and surrounding
country.

The reclamation of the land included in that portion of the peninsula of Florida
south of latitude 28^ 15' N,, and generally east of Pease Creek, embraced in the coun-
ties of Monroe (5,000 square miles), Dade (5,000 square miles), Brevard (4,000 square
miles), and portions of Manatee (5,000 square miles), and Polk (1,900 square miles), is
a problem the magnitude of which can be more readly comprehended when we con-

68 FLORIDA: ITS CLIMATE, SOIL, PRODUCTIONS,

sider that the territory in question covers 1,000 square miles in excess of the combined
area of the States of Rhode Island (1,300 square miles), Connecticut (4,700 square
miles). New Jersey (8,300 square miles), and Delaware (2,120 square miles). In other
words, over 17,000 square miles of the most tropical portion of the most tropical State
in the Union are to-day ready to respond to an intelligent, systematic, and properly
directed eifort towards placing them in the category of tillable and available acres,
embracing no barren prairies nor mountain wastes. There are but few acres not sus-
ceptible to a high degree of cultivation. Lands which in a more northern climate
would be regarded as valueless will here yield luxuriant and remunerative crops.
For example, the scrub palmetto or poorest pine barrens of Southern Florida will pro-
duce, without fertilizers, large crops of Sisal hemp, yielding a profit to the acre which
compares favorably with the returns from the richest land when cultivated in sugar
tobacco, or cotton. The same character of land will produce from 50 to 75 bushels of
upland rice to the acre — a three months' crop; or at a trifling original outlay, 15,000
pineapple slips, set to the acre, will, from the poorest scrub land, yield a return far in
excess of the brightest dream of the Northern farmer. Other valuable tropical pro-
ducts adapted to these lands could be mentioned, which, in a more northern climate,
would yield nothing to agriculture. This glance at the possibilities to be realized
from the cultivation of third-rate pine and stunted ''Black Jack" lands prepares us
somewhat for a better appreciation of the capabilities of the soil designated as " rich
lauds," and named in the following order : First, *' swamp lands" ; second, " low ham-
mock"; third, "high hammock"; and fourth, ''first rate pine, oak, and hickory
lands." It will only be necessary to call attention to the fact that the "swamp" —
or lands subject to overflow — are intrinsically the most valuable lands in Florida. To
adapt them for successful cultivation a systematic plan for their drainage will be in-
dispensable; when thus prepared their inexhaustible fertility sustains a succession of
the most exhaustive crops with astonishing vigor. The greatest yield of sugar ever
realized in Florida (4 hogsheads per acre) was produced on this description of land.

It will be impossible to form or convey an adequate idea of the importance and ex-
tent of this enterprise, developing, as a consequence, a new and vast territory unlim-
ited in resources, and of such material and varied agricultural wealth as can be
furnished by no other State in the Union ; opening to cultivation a tract of sugar
lands the soil of which is identical to that of Cuba and Louisiana of a productive
power apparently inexhaustible and unequaled in area by any country on the globe
The prominent natural requisites to the growth and maturity of the sugar cane
under the most favorable conditions, obtain here in a marked degree.

A moderate proximity of these lands to the sea and gulf, a dry, warm spring, show-
ers during the afternoons in June, July, and August, followed by a comx)aratively dry
autumn, a condition necessary for converting the starch into saccharine matter, are
characteristics of the peninsula of Florida south of the 28th parallel of latitude. The
importance of this one crop as aff"ecting the material wealth of our country can be
more readily comprehended by a bare comparison with the enormous output in pre-
cious metals from our western mines, those great store-houses of national wealth. The
import duties on sugar for manufacturing purposes from the year 1847 to 1879 varied
from 2f to 4 cents per pound. We paid out for sugar and allied products during
this period $1,800,000,000. Our western mines produced ^1,700,000,000, or, in other
words, during a period of thirty-two years as a nation we paid out in round numbers
$100,000,000 in excess of the total output in bullion of our famed bonanzas of the west
for an article of consumption every pound of which could have been produced from
the soil of Southern Florida. \

The choice sugar lands of Louisiana are rated at from $100 to $150 per acre, similar
in character to those just described, which mature the cane to perfection, and are
located below the frost line.

The terms of the contract with the board of internal improvement of the State of
Florida give to this company one-half of all the land reclaimed by the lowering of
the waters of Lake Okeechobee.

AND AGRICULTURAL CAPABILITIES. 6?

The peculiar characteristics of the coraline foundation upon which the peninsula of
Florida has, by a gradual and cumulative process, been raised to its present level
above the waters of the ocean ; the configuration of its surface and that other marked
geographical feature as indicated by the enormous extent of her coast line, exceeding
1,100 miles on the Gulf and Atlantic, indented by numerous large bays and estuaries;
the uniform width of the lower portion of the peninsula and comparative short dis-
tance separating the waters of the Gulf and Atlantic; taken in connection with the
successive slight ridges or table lands, generally parallel with the coast line, compre-
hending within their borders long reaches of savanna, prairie, and marsh, and increas-
ing in altitude as we proceed towards the interior or water-shed of the Kissimmee
River, w hose flows empties into that grand island reservoir. Lake Okeechobee — we
have before us the necessary data upon which to develop the plan for the solution of
the ])roblem of successfully draining and reclaiming this vast territory of notably rich
lands.

An analysis of the soil taken from the saw-grass marsh on the border
of Lake Okeechobee, by the distinguished Dr. Eogers, professor of chem
istry in Universitj^ of Pennsylvania, gives the following results :

Organic matter (vegetable mold) 5.5. 00

Silica 2L80

Carbonate of lime 21. 50

Iron, a trace 0. 00

Water, not volatilized at 212° 1.70

100. 00

As the operations now in progress promise to add an immense area,
comprehending no less than 18,000 square miles of the very richest and
most productive lands to the agricultural resources of the country, all
matters connected with this vast enterprise contain information of the
greatest importance.

Col. Ingham Coryell, general superintendent of the Atlantic and Gulf
Coast Canal and Okeechobee Land Company, furnishes the following
information relative to the plans and points of operation for the i>ro-
posed drainage of Okeechobee :

We have been at work for the past two months, under the supervision and direc-
tion of Capt. F. A. Hendry, in cutting a channel from the headwaters of the Caloosa-
hatchee to Lake Hickpochee, and have succeeded in opening one 20 feet wide, and
now having a depth of 3 feet. His report is that it is daily deepening, and so soon as
the waters lower in Okeechobee, what is now a marsh overflow will be concentrated
from Hickpochee in the channel as now made. It will cut very fast, and thereby en-
able the dredge-boat, nearly finished, at Cedar Key, on its arrival on the Caloosa-
hatchee, to be forced up and over the IC-foot elevation into Hickpochee. When there
we are 3 miles from Okeechobee, with only 2^ feet elevation to overcome to get into
that lake, which is entirely practicable. By taking the dredge by a circuitous route,
throwing our excavation in our rear as we proceed, we dam up our passage en route,
as far as soft mud and vegetable growth will obstruct the passage of water.

It is not our intention to open a flood on the valley of the Caloosahatchee, and we
will use every means to prevent it. Our objective point of operations will be on the
southeast end of Lake Okeechobee, where our first cuttings will commence. We are
now building a second dredge on Lake Tohopokaliga, which is the head of the Kis-
simmee River, in Orange County, at the newly laid-out city of Kissimmee, and a
short cut of 2 miles at the southwest corner of that lake into Reedy Creek will aftord

70 FLORIDA: ITS CLIMATE, SOIL, PRODUCTIONS,

us plenty of water; thence into the Kissimmee River down to Okeechobee, where we
hope to join the Cedar Key dredge, and carry both to the southeast sic'e of Okeecho-
bee. The Cedar Key dredge has a cutting capacity of 22 feet wide and 10 feet depth.

The Tohopokaliga dredge will have a cutting capacity of 25 feet and over, and 10
^eet depth. Both dredges have stern wheels and are self-propelliug. At the south-
east side of Okeechobee there is an open slough from 4 to 6 miles in length, and evi-
dently at one time an open river, heading in the lake and emptying into the Atlantic
at Miami, New Hillsborough, or some other river now carrying the surplus waters of
the Everglades, reaching their head, into the ocean.

Further investigation may cause us to utilize this open slough as one of the points
to commence our cutting, which will first be by a cut 4 feet deep and the width of the
full capacity of our dredge. The other dredge will commence near by, and will con-
verge to a point, say 4 miles from thei lake, where^they will meet, and to which point
other cuts will be made if found necessary, concentrating the water and flows, and the
force thus concentrated will possibly cut its own channel from that point southeast to
the ocean. It will at least go somewhere on the down grade, and be gotten rid of in
a direction where no damage will be done to any one. As to the extent of the open-
ings to be made, I don't think it is within the power of engineering science to deter-
mine by a survey and calculation. We can calculate the surface level of Okeechobee
to the depth of one foot to contain 31,363,200,000 cubic feet of water, and the lowering
of the lake one foot reduces its contents fully one-fifth of its entire capacity and from
its shallowness will expose or reclaim possibly over one mile of its entire border; hence
the cubic feet of water by the next reduction of one foot will be very materially less-
ened, and so on by every foot of reduction. A reduction of one foot solves the prob-
lem. We have measured the inflow at the mouth of the Kissimmee, when the waters
were within its natural banks, but during a flood, its spread is for miles east and west
over a saw-grass marsh, and impracticable to measure with any certainty for several
reasons, the principal of w^hich is the irregularity of the flow at points through the saw
grass, where greater or less obstructions exist. For this reason, no actual calcula-
tion can be made of what cuts in area are required, but we are reduced to and forced
to accept the general positive requirement of making "the outflow greater than the
inflow to prevent overflow." The reduction of the lake one, two, or three feet will
form a reservoir that will prevent an overflow during an unusual rainfall, even if the
outflow should not be fully equal to an unusual rainfall and inflow, and will prevent
an overflow.

One important and encouraging point in success of the enterprise is the fact that
we meet with no rock, hard pan, or clay obstruction, and the cutting through the mud
formation by the force of water concentrated must be very great, and it is reasonable
to suppose will cut and deepen its own channel. Tests by the sounding rod have been
made from the Caloosahatchee up to and through Hickpochee, and thence to Okee-
chobee, and on the Atlantic side from Lake Worth, for a distance sufficient to know
that no rock or hard pan exist to a depth that will reach the bottom level of Okee-
chobee. Of this there can be no question. You ask will the lowering of Okeechobee
effect the whole of the drainage desired ? By no means ; the work is then only begun.
The straightening of the channel of the Kissimmee must follow, and a series of drain-
age operations at other points, which space will,not allow me to illustrate.

THE INDIAN RIVER AND LAKE WORTH REGION.

This interesting and attractive portion of the State is now engaging
a large share of public attention, in consequence of tlie certainty that it
will shortly be blessed with the advantages of cheap and rapid facilities
for transportation. The eastern shore of this river is washed by that
remarkable ocean current, the Gulf Stream, giving it at all seasons a

AND AGRICULTURAL CAPABILITIES. 71

uDiform temperatiiio, and very eflectually protecting it against sudden
falls of the thermometer. The orange grown in this region attains a
l^erfection of richness and delicacy of flavor not found elsewhere, and
brings the highest prices. Here seems to be the natural home of the
l)ine-apple and cocoanut, and these fruits thrive and flourish in tropical
luxuriance. Its waters abound in all the varieties of fish known in
these latitudes, and also in the finest oysters, and that prized product
of the sea, the green turtle. Here will be established almost certainly
extensive fisheries and canneries for the preparation of these delicacies
for distant markets, and such industries promise, in the near future, to
attain large ])roportious.

To the devotee of the gun and fishing-rod this country opens a new
and fertile field of operations. Game is found in the utmost profusion,
and in the winter especially, when the migratory birds seek a milder
climate, the abundance of fowls along the course of this river is won-
derful. Bears, deer, wild turkeys, and ducks of all varieties abound,
and birds of rare and beautiful plumage invite the attention of the taxi-
dermist. When this section is opened, and suitable accommodations
are provided, it is destined to become a favorite resort for sportsmen.

The same company that proposes to drain Lake Okeechobee and the
everglades has also contracted with the State board of internal im-
provements to connect the waters of the Saint John's and Indian Elvers
by a system of canals. The proper surveys have demonstrated the fea-
sibility of the proposed plan, and it is expected that the work will be
commenced at no very distant period. When completed, this enterprise
will open 330 miles of safe inland navigation, extending from Lake
Worth on the south to the mouth of the Saint John's Eiver on the
north, at a point somewhere in the vicinity of Jacksonville.

From the pamphlet already quoted 1 take the following paragraphs ;
This company has acquired by purchase the franchise of the Atlantic Coast Steam-
boat, Canal, and Improvement Company for the construction of a canal, suitable for
commodious light-draft steamboats, commencing at the Saint John's River, extend-
ing thence in a southerly direction, connecting Pablo Creek, San Diego, Mantanzas,
Halifax, and Hillsborough Rivers, Mosquito Lagoon, Indian River, Saint Lucie Sound,
Jupiter River, and Lake Worth, thus affording nearly 330 miles of continuous navi-
gable inland waters, lying adjacent to and generally parallel with the east coast of
Florida, being separated from the ocean by peninsulas and extended narrow islands;
these natural barriers guaranteeing a safe and continuous navigation throughout the
entire year. The water is salt, being constantly renewed from the inlets at Saint
Augustine, Mantanzas, Mosquito Lagoon, Indian River, and Lake Worth. These in-
land waters aflFording at present an almost unbroken line of communication, may, at
a reasonably moderate expenditure in systematic construction, presenting no embar-
rassing engineering problems, be developed into a grand canal possessing features pecu-
liarly its own. Merely where the artificial work of joining river to river is performed
can it be regarded as a canal proper, as from these points it develops into those ma-
jestic arms of the sea, from 30 to 120 miles in length, varying from 1 to 6 miles in
width, bordered on either side by a country generally well elevated, enjoying unbounded
natural agricultural resources, a semi-tropical luxuriance in beauty of foliage, scenery
of an exceedingly variegated and picturesque character, and blessed with a climate

72 FLORIDA: ITS CLIMATE, SOIL, PRODUCTIONS,

throughout the entire year the most equahle and salubrious enjoyed hy any State iu
the Union. The soil is generally sandy, with an admixture of disintegrated coral and
ghell with alluvial and organic matter, capable of supporting successive crops with-
out the aid of manure.

Large bodies of high and low hammock lands of palmetto, oak, bay, hickory, &c.,
extend along the shores, adjacent to which, on the west shore, are tracts of high
open pine lands, bordered by prairie, savanna, and marsh. Experience demonstrates
that the soil is'not aft'ected by drought in the same degree as other lands, nor does it
sutler from too much rain, and, being exceedingly friable, requires no other prepara-
tion than grubbing and plowing to adapt it at once for the production of crops cov-
ering the widest scope, embracing tropical and semi-tropical fruits and fibrous plants
in great variety, and maturing to that degree of perfection developed at no other
point within the bounds of the United States.

The topographical features of the country will permit of a general alignment for
the canal on the most direct route connecting the several rivers and navigable streams
above alluded to. The method of performing the major part of the excavation will
be by labor-saving appliances especially designed for this work, combining great
efficiency with ease of manipulation and economy in power.

It will be impossible to form or convey an adequate idea of the importance and
extent of this enterprise, developing, as a consequence, a new and vast territory,
unlimited in resources, and of such material and varied agricultural wealth as can be
furnished by no other State in the Union ; opening to cultivation a tract of sugar
lands, the soil of which is identical to that of Cuba and Louisiana, of a productive
power apparently inexhaustible and unequaled in area by any country on the globe.
The prominent natural requisites to. the growth and maturity of the sugar cane under
the most favorable conditions obtain here in a marked degree.

In view of the natural advantages generall}^ cited, experience and statistics guar-
antee that continued health may be anticipated with as much confidence as in any
other section of the country ; lands, cheap and readily accessible, easy of tillage, from
the fact that, owing to the friable character of the soil, cultivation is neither laborious
nor expensive ; the harvesting of crops covering the widest scope, embracing nearly
all of the grains, fruits, and vegetables of the Northern, Middle, and Southern States ;
besides tropical and semi-tropical fruits and fibrous plants in great variety, and ma-
turing to that degree of perfection developed at no other point within the bounds of
the United States, or indeed anywhere north of Central America — it is fair to assume
that immediately subsequent to its completion the unoccupied lands bordering the
canal will be entered upon by those experienced in agriculture ; caT)italists, mer-
chants, speculators, and all of the elements that enter into the thrift and prosperity
of a new country will settle among its borders, forming the nucleus of future thriv-
ing villages, communities, and cities, constituting the pioneers of that great and in-
evitable people destined to populate and harvest from the rich prairie, savanna, and
upland of the interior bountiful and staple crops, for the production of which nature
for past cycles has been preparing the soil by the enriching process of growth and
decay of a luxuriant vegetation.

As the cultivation of sugar will probably be the largest and most im-
portant industry of this region, it may not be amiss to insert a valuable
article upon that subject from the pen of the well-known Dr. 0. J. Ken-
worthy, of Jacksonville, from whose writings copious extracts have been
previously taken :

The list of Florida productions is a long one, embracing nearly all the cereals, fruits,
and vegetables of the Middle, Northern, and Southern States, as well as the fruits,
vegetables, and medicinal and fibrous plants of semi-tropical and tropical countries.
Since the settlement of the State the inhabitants have confined themselves to the cul-

AND AGRICULTUEAL CAPABILITIES.

ture of two or three crops, and old customs cling to the majority as do barnacles to the
hull of a stranded vessel in a tropical sea.

Under English rule sngar cane proved a profitable crop, and for many years anterior
to 1861 it was extensively and profitably grown by Hon. D. L. Yulee and others. For
the successful culture of sugar cane a comparatively dry and warm spring, a high
thermal range, coui)led with frequent torrential showers, preceded and followed by
sunshine during the summer, and a dry and warm fall and winter, are essential. These
climatic conditions exist to an eminent degree in Southern Florida, as established by
observations taken at I'ort Myers, on the Caloosahatchee Eiver, and at Fort Dallas,
Cape Florida.

MEAN TEMPERATURE.

'^ .

Stations.

i®

•c

4
4 6

750.4
740.7

820.4
810.5

770.0

760.3

650:3

660.6

750.0

Eort Dallas

740.7

Rainfall is an important factor in the growth and maturation of the cane; and the
necessary hyetal conditions exist in the southern portion of this State.

RAINFALL IN INCHES AND HUNDREDTHS.

StAtioDS.

Fort Myers

Fort Peace, Ind. T .

c
cc

p
<

11.07

31.61

11.09

8.33

62.91

n.i3

26.25

16.84

8.76

62.98

With a high thermal range and ample rainfall during the summer months, the cane
attains a development rarely excelled in the West Indies. In the southern j)ortion of
the State it ratoons and tassels, and attains saccharine maturity. Even in the northern
portion of the State it reaches a more perfect growth and development than in a large
portion of Louisiana. We have seen it stated that from ten to fifteen ripened joints
to a cane is deemed a good yield, and this can be excelled on the high sandy lauds of
the northern portion of the State. It is admitted that Cuba is the home of the cane,
and that climatic conditions are the elements of its success. For th^ x^^^rpose of com-
parison we will give the mean temperature and rainfall at Havana :

8
5

750.7
7.5

84°. 2
14.23

750.5
11.48

680.4
6.54

750.9

Rainfall

39.76

■

From the data quoted, it will be seen that the rainfall at Havana is less than one-
half as great as that at Fort Myers, and as a result the cane attains a greater develop,
meut of stalk and amount of saccharine matter in Southern Florida than in Cuba.
Even the mean annual temperature of Havana is but nine-tenths of a degree above
that of Fort Myers. But the great advantage Southern Florida possesses over the
West Indies is the excessive rainfall during the summer— frequent orrential showers

FLORIDA: ITS CLIMATE, SOIL, PRODUCTIONS,

followed by bright suushiue, witli a high mean temperature, causiug a luxuriant
growth of cane that surprises the resident of the tropics.

With a duty of upwards of three cents per pound on imported sugar it is surprising
that the culture of cane in Florida has been so long neglected, more esiiecially when
we take into consideration the fact that the people of the United States have paid more
for sugar and its allied products since 1849 than the value of the precious metals pro-
duced by the mines of the Western States and Territories duriug the same period.

Sugar-cane is extensively cultivated in Louisiana, but the climatic conditions are
not as favorable as those of Florida. For the perfect maturation of the cane it is ad-
mitted that an annual mean temperature of 75° F. is necessary. As a rule, in the former
State the summer rains are insufficient for vigorous growth except in the lowlands;
the occurrence of cold rains during the autumn, early frosts, and a low thermal range
in the autumn seriously interfere with the vito-chemical action necessary to change
the starch into sugar. Taking New Orleans as a point of comparison, we find the tem-
perature and rainfall to be :

a
"E

39
39

68°. 9
1L8

80°. 9
15.9

690.3
11.2

55°. 7
12.3

680.7

Rainfall .

50.7

In Southern Florida the cane need not be ground until after Christmas, but to escape
early frosts in Louisiana they are compelled to crush it before it is matured. In a New
Orleans paper of recent date we find the following: ''Many plantations are grind-
ing, but the cane is somewhat too green yet. Estimates based on reports from a large
number of plantations promise a yield of about 136,000 hogsheads, a falling off of four-
tenths as compared with last year." Even with this diminished yield the State will
receive over $15,000,000 for its sugar crop, and these and many more millions should
be made to enrich Florida.

In Louisiana it is necessary to cultivate the cane on the low alluvial soils, but owing
to the rainfall in this State during the summer the cane will yield large crops on high
and even sandy lands. In his work on Florida, published in 1823, Vignoles remarked •

''Respecting sugar, the recent successful trials that have been made upon it have
determined the cnrious fact that it will grow in almost any of the soils of Florida south
of the mouth of the Saint John's River. The great length of summer, or period of ab-
solute elevation of the thermometer above the freezing point, allows the cane to ripen
much higher than in Louisiana."

From the best information we have been able to obtain, the cane produced in Duval
County on elevated lands is larger, longer, and more perfectly ripened than the pro-
duct of Louisiana. We have examined cane grown on the Indian River which had
from forty-six to fifty-four ripened joints. In the beginning of this year Professor
MacCauly, of the Smithsonian Institution, visited the Indian camp in the Big Cypress,
60 miles east of Fort Myers. On his return he informed me that the Indians were en-
gaged making sugar, and that the ripened cane-stalks would measure from 18 to 22
feet in length.

Vignoles says : "Perhaps it may be thought that Florida presents but little to tempt
the large sugar planter; granted, but it is undoubted, if the culture of the cane should
be adopted on a small scale, by the same proportionate number of cultivators that are
in the habit of raising cotton in Carolina, Georgia, and Alabama, their labor would
be amply repaid and a source of wealth opened ; particularly should some public-spirited
and enterprising individual establish, at central and eligible points, sugar-mills to re-
ceive the small crops, precisely on the same principle that cotton-gins and rice-mills
exist in Southern States. This would augment the population and increase the re-
sources of the country sooner and better perhaps than any other n^iode."

AND AGRICULTURAL CAPABILITIES. 75

If the establishment of sngar-Diills at central and accessible points was desirable in
1823, it is more so in 1881. For years I have advocated the erection of a large sugar
mill and refinery in Jacksonville, where cane can be supplied by small growers and
converted into sugar and molasses. Land and labor are cheap, taxes are low in the
country, firewood at the saw-mills is costless, and instead of consuming sugar grown
in Louisiana and Cuba we should produce enough for home consumption and a half
million hogsheads for exportation. With a suitable climate and soil, coupled with
cheap labor and an opportunity to obtain a supply of cane on reasonable terms, it
seems farcical that Floridians should consume sugar produced within one hundred
miles of the State ; pay the freight from Cuba to New York, an import duty at the
rate of on No. 13 to 16 sugar, 3 fg^ cents, and on No. 16 to 20, 4 -/g- cents per pound ;
the cost of refining in a Northern city, where labor is high, and where firewood and
coal are expensive, coupled with freights, commissionvS, profits, &c. There may not
be " millions in it," but there is a profitable investment for some person who will erect
a sugar mill and refinery in Jacksonville. If a market could be found for cane, its
production would be insured, and thousands of persons would engage in its cultiva-
tion ; the young orange grower, small farmer, and the owners of small patches and
town lots would plant it, and an ample supply for a mill and refinery could be secured.
This city is connected by river or railroad communication with every portion of the
State, and with' low freights the cane could be shipped from distant points. Or, to
avoid the cost of transportation of cane, producers at a distance could press the cane,
barrel the juice, add the milk of lime, and ship it to its destination. The superan-
nuated third-class machinery at present used in the State consigns nearly one-half of
the juice of the cane to the bagasse heap ; hence an annual monetary loss. The cen-
tral factory system, with perfect machinery, would materially increase the yield of
sugar from the cane produced. From the best information before me I have reason
to believe that a central mill could aftbrd to pay the producer $4 per ton for the cane,
and he would find it a more profitable crop than cotton. A central factory means a
divorce of the agricultural part of the sugar production from the manufacturing, mer-
cantile, and financial part, and that it would prove a profitable investment Ave are as-
sured. In 1858 the growers in Louisiana produced 1,124,592 hogsheads of sugar, worth
$120,000,000; and if this can be done in the unsuitable climate of Louisiana, the ques-
tion arises, what can be done in Florida with her soil and climatic advantages ? We
might furnish many facts and figures relating to this industry, but space says, hold,
enough.

ORANGE CULTURE.

This is one of the industries of Florida that has suddenly attained
very considerable proportions. From barely nothing, in a commercial
sense, at the close of the war, the business has grown to be worth
$1,000,000 in 1880. Measured by the progress of the past, it is destined
to become, in a very short time, one of the leading industries of the
State. Last year there were exported at least 45,000,000 of oranges.
The business so far has been very successful, and is daily inviting more
capital and enterprise. There is already $10,000,000 iovested in orange
groves in the State, with a field open for the profitable emj)loyment of
$50,000,000 more. Lands suitable for growing oranges are in abun-
dance and at low prices. Orange groves can be found in almost every
part of the State, and on all varieties of soil well drained, the groves
numbering each from 10 to 10,000 trees. Hardly a family outside of
the cities but cultivates a greater or less number of orange trees, and
many residing in the cities do the same. Some of the largest groves in

76 FLORIDA: ITS CLIMATE, SOIL, PRODUCTIONS,

the state are owned by persons living in tbe towns, or bj^ non-residents.
In some of tbe counties there were raised as high as from 4,000,000 to
6,'100,000 of oranges last year j and narrow-gauge railroads are rapidly
being built to aiford the middle counties facilities for shipping their enor-
mous crops to market. Tliree such roads have been completed Avithin
tlie past few months, and others are projected, while more are under con-
templation. Oranges are shipped from off these roads to New York in
eighty and ninety hours' time.

Within the past few years orange culture in Florida has also attained
great perfection. It has reached that position where it is possible to
analyze the cost of production. Abundant evidence exists that can be
brought forward to show the value and profit in it for the investment
of capital. Eesults have shown that there is not at present any pur-
suit, where the tilling of the soil is involved, that will yield larger re-
turns with less fluctuation. It is always pleasant to be able to confirm
such statements with facts. An extensive orange grower in Putnam
County has kept, from the beginning of his grove, an accurate account
of the expenditures and receipts to the close of the thirteenth year, end-
ing 1879. The number of trees vvere 300. They yielded 442,600 oranges,
selling for $7,590, as against an expenditure, omitting cost of land, first
cost of trees, and interest on the money, of $1,950. This gives receipts
over expenditures, $5,640. This is only one instance, but it is as good
as many, because it is only one in a very large number. It conclusively
demonstrates that orange culture is not at all transitory. Nearly all
the obstacles in the path of orange culture have been removed.

The future of the business is still more promising. Florida oranges
are conceded to be superior to all others. In point of numbers, com-
pared to the great quantities consumed, they are few; yet by their
greater merit they have come to occupy the foremost place in the market.
The genial climate and peculiar soil of Florida, together with sufficiently
warm sun to mature and concentrate the juices without destroying the
lively aromatic flavor of the fruit, impart this quality — a value nowhere
else attainable to such an extent. The field they are yet to occupy is
practically illimitable. They are yet to possess our own market, the
best in the world. This will be the labor of years, and after a great por-
tion of our orange lands have been brought under cultivation. In 1879,
there were 257,000,000 of oranges entered at the port of New York alone
from foreign countries. Double the number, at least, were entered at
all the other ports, making a grand total of 771,000,1)00 consumed in and
lost on the voyage to this country, in addition to our Florida crop. We
cannot predict when the domestic will take the place of the foreign
l^roduct, but it is inevitable in course of time. Our inability to supply
the demand is the main obstacle.

That this will be the ultimate result is clear from another cause, inde-
pendent, or nearly so, of merit. The liability of loss and damage result-
ing from uncertainties of a sea voyage forms an important factor in the

AND AGRICULTURAL CAPABILITIES. 77

conduct of the foreign fruit-trade, serving to make it extremely hazard-
ous — a circumstance against which dealers do not have to contend in
the shipment of Florida oranges. We have railroads leading to all the
great markets in America, and when the fruit is transported by water,
all the facilities are afforded by perfect and commodious steamships.

Orange culture, therefore, may go on indefinitely in Florida, without
fear of reaching a general redundance of product. When Our own market
is occupied those of Europe and elsewhere will be open to us. The grow-
ing desire everywhere, also, of jjeople for semi-tropical fruits, which the
efforts of producers are trying to satisfy, is unlimited, and, therefore,
efforts in orange culture can continue to be put forth until this unlim-
ited and independent desire is met — a goal which, perhaps, never can
be reached.

To persons of foresight and capital, who are looking to the future
rather than the present for remunerative returns, Florida presents, in
her orange pursuit, the most extended as well as the most inviting
field. But aside from the question of profit the culture of oranges pre-
sents other practical advantages. It is not only a pleasing but an in-
dependent occupation. Its pursuit is no dead level of monotonous ex-
ertion, but one that affords scope for the development of gm ingenious
mind. As a producer, the orange grower is working under conditions
of constantly increasing advantages. Young men, sometimes with
little or no capital, are starting every year in the business, often away
from communities of old and experienced growers, and have succeeded
by dint of tact and industry. In point of regular profits j in point of an
industrious, frugal, and cheerful occupation ; in point of a very general
desire to become independent; in point of success and freedom from
penury, and in point of repressive and adA^erse influences in other pur-
suits, they have found orange culture, and its practical workings, the
most pleasing of occupations. Persons who own groves in Florida are
entirely well satisfied, as a rule, with their investments. A bearing
grove is worth a gFeat deal of money, and to purchase one would require
a large cash outlay. In ten years' time groves are usually in full bear-
ing — often in less time — and the inducement to plant one is very giieat.

Finally, we would say, that the motives that induce men to labor in
Florida are the same as in other States — for profit; and if the energy
and persistence of the work be proportionate to the constancy and press
of the motives, then will they most certainly succeed, and make the
aggregate profit of their investment equal, if it does not exceed, that of
nearly all other pursuits involving no greater outlay of money. More-
over, the occupation of orange-growing has a tendency to make one
hopeful for the future. The tilling, too, of the soil immeasurably im-
proves the character of the cultivator. Add to this the beauty of the
country and climate, and the attractions of country life ; the tranquillit;y^
of mind w^hich they promise, and the enjoyments which they really
afford; the charm of proprietorship and self-guiding exertion, and the

78 FLORIDA: ITS CLIMATE, SOIL, PRODUCTIONS,

buoyancy of outdoor employment, and we bave all tbe essentials for
acquiring bealtb and bappiness, as well as independence.

WHAT THE POOR IMMIGRANT MAY DO.

In previous pages we briefly made some remarks as to new-comers.
We believe tbat a idain relation of wbat may be reasonably assured to
tbe poor as well as ricb immigrant will be received as useful informa-
tion. Florida is no exception to other countries, and the present but
repeats the past in the various phases of immigration. The early col-
onists and colonies in America, the periodical and frequent later immi-
gration to new States and Territories, and from old to new localities, all
have had experiences, good, bad, and indifferent, yet we find, after a
brief period, that the new countries are filled up with a prosperous and
contented population. It is not necessary to review the varied causes
of this universal experience j although the local historian may dwell
upon them, the new generations of the present look forward and not
back. The characteristics of Florida, general and special, we have truth-
fully noted; other things being equal, the climate, soil, health, cheai)-
ness of lands, staple and special productions, easy access and egress by
land and water, form of government, low taxes, a small State debt, all
present superior advantages, especially for the poor, or those in mod-
erate circumstances, for securing a good home. At the outset, how-
ever, the immigranj^ asks, how shall I at once procure a support for my-
self and family? Now, premising that the new-comer means to work —
intends to stay — ^lie can go to work at once and raise food from the soil.
New pine lands, broken up with the grass turned in, will grow good crops
of sweet potatoes and cow pease, with but slight cultivation. These crops
in, fields inclosed, the grass covered soon becomes rotted, and the soil
easil^^ worked. Corn, cane, and cotton may now be planted, as also vege-
tables; in the same field and with the crops, orange, lemon, and other
fruit trees may be planted, where they are to remain, at regular dis-
tances apart, both ways. The vineyard may also be put out, as well as
smaller fruit, about the premises. The pea- vines, with pease, will afford
forage for stock ; pease and potatoes for food. Succeeding the pease and
potatoes, turnips and onions, beets, cabbage, and similar semi-hardy
vegetables may be grown from the late summer to the next late spring
months, nearly the year round. The immigrant can easily gather about
him hogs, which will range for their own living, potatoes being fed to
them in the fall. Poultry are no care for feed or support ; game and fish
are to be had for the seeking. It will be seen that the food question is
easily solved. Year by year his crops are increasing, his comforts added
to; he has within himself the accessories of a comfortable home. In
the meantime his grove of oranges, lemons, his vines, are growing apace ;
in a few short years he scents in the early s])ring the sweet odor of the
orange bloom, sees the green friiit gradually increasing in size, and, as
autumn months come on, gladdens his eyes »vith the sight of the golden

AND AGRICULTURAL CAPABILITIES. 79

fruit which now will yield him a substantial return — waited for and won.
It has taken less than half a score of years for the piney-woods pioneer
to make a new home which yields him ample support and sure increas-
ing income for the future.

WHAT THE RICH IMMIGRANT CAN DO.

To the man of capital, Florida offers a large variety of specialties to
employ it surely and profitably, whether as an investment looking to
the future for increase, or present employment and quick returns.
There are millions of acres of United States, State, and railroad lands,
Spanish grants of large areas, and private improved and unimproved
lands, which can now be bought cheaply. These comprise timber lands,
which are increasing in growth and value every year, also improved
lands already cleared and ready to cultivate, now unoccupied hj reason
of death of owners, or want of means to hire labor and jjurchase stock.
A few thousand dollars judiciously invested in lands would be sure to
pay a profit. Manufactories of cotton, and cotton-seed oil mills, starch
factories, rice mills, paper mills, tanneries, saw mills, furniture shops,
&c., offer good opi)ortunities for present jjrofit.

There are many good openings for mercantile business, purchasing
the staples of the country, such as cotton, sugar, sirup, naval stores.
Fruit raising on a large scale can be done with assured profit j with
means, one can have hundreds of acres in trees, and millions of oranges
and lemons to sell or ship. The shrewd real estate dealer can buy and
sell at a profit; the money-lender loan at high interest, with ample se-
curity. All this has been done, is done, and doing now. If the capital-
ist would desire to farm on a large scale, no better field than here.
There are hundreds of large plantations in Middle Florida, lying con-
tiguous, which can be bought low, and a farm of 100 to 10,000 acres
can be made, and planted in cotton, cane, corn, rice, tobacco, and other
crops. Labor is plenty and cheap, crops sure and good, always in de-
mand, and fair prices rule.

HOMESTE m AND OTHER EXEMPTIONS.

One hundred and sixty acres, or one-half acre of land within city or
town, owned by the head of a family residing in the State, together
with $1,000 of personal property, and the improvements on the real
estate, 'Shall be exempted from any forced sale under any process of law ;
and real estate shall not be alienable without the joint written consent
of wife and husband. In addition to the above exemption, there shall
be exempted from sale by any legal process, to the head of a famil}',
one thousand dollars in any kind of property which said head of fam-
ily may select, in cases where the indebtedness was contracted or judg-
ment obtained before the 10th day of May, 1805. Taxes can only be
levied for State, county, and municipal purposes. Married women are
protected by law in the ownership and control of p roperty separate and
apart from the husband.

FLORIDA: ITS CLIMATE, SOIL, PRODUCTIONS,

WHO MAY VOTE.

Every male person twenty-one years of age, who shall be, or shall
have declared his intention to become, a citizen of the United States,
has resided in the State one year, and in the county six months, may
vote in the election district where registered. Bribery, perjury, larceny,
wagers on election, fighting a duel or accepting a challenge, disfranchises.

Table showing the mortality and population of the State of Florida for the year ending June
1, 1880, as returned to the Census Bureau at Washington, D. C, and also the deaths from
consumption and other pulmonary diseases for the same period.

Alachua

Baker

Bradford

Brevard

Calhoun

Clay

Columbia

Dade.-..-.

Duval

Escambia

Fiauklin

Gadsden

Hamilton

Heniando

Hillsborough

Holmes

Jackson

Jefferson

La Fayette . .

Leon

Levy

Liberty

Madison

Manatee

Marion

Monroe

Nassau

Orange . .

Polk

Putnam
Santa Rosa. ..

'Niiniter

Saint John's..

jsuwaunee

Taylor

Volusia ......

Wakulla

AValtuu

"Washington .

Counties.

Total 2,514

12
19
46
91
3

234

107
15

191

182

153
11

282
78
15

134

88
62
67
35
28
53
19
37
58
91
45
31
11
31
31

11
as

9-^ i §

^-5 1 -I

sis ' -= .

^ cs o « i e CO

<^ s «'5 1 is

4) C ® Pi o

18, 597
2.312
6,167
1,486
1,375
2,755
9,594
195

17, 762

12,217
1,741

11, 588
6,486
4,254
5,888
2, 774

14, 487

16, 126
2,600

20, 325
5,776
1,237

15,118
3,674

13, 000

10, 9-z7
6,546
6,190
3,156
6,250
6,701
6,072
4,595
7,379
2,280
3,407
2, 750
4, 270
3,238

141 I 271,664

Total deaths in 1,000 of all ages 9

Total deaths from consumption in 1,000 of all ages •- 6. 10

Total deaths from other pulmonary diseases in 1,000 5. 10

* A large proportion of the deaths from consumption are cases of invalids from other States and
countries.

AND AGRICULTURAL CAPABILITIES.

Table showing the population of Florida by race, as returned to the Census Bureau at Wash-
ington, D. C, Junes, 1880.

Total

271, 864

Population in 1870 187,748

Increase in ten years 84, 116

3290 6

FLORIDA: ITS CLIMATE, SOIL, PKODUCTIONS,

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84 FLORIDA : ITS CLIMATE, SOIL, PRODUCTIONS,

HARBOR AND CITY OF PENSACOLA.

The Gulf of Mexico is the natural basin for a larger extent of coun-
try than any similar sheet of water on the globe, and the finest bay
and harbor on its coast is that of Pensacola, on which are located
Forts Pickens and Barrancas and the Warrenton navy-yard.

The city of Pensacola, located at the head of the bay, is a most beau-
tiful place, and deserves special mention as the most attractive feature
of West Florida. The following description is derived from an official
publication of the Commissioner of Immigration :

The city of Pensacola has natural advantages which destine it to become, by rapid
strides, the Chicago of the South. It is situated on the north coast of the Gulf of
Mexico, in latitude 30° 28' north and longitude 87° 2*2' west of Greenwich, only 10
miles from the open sea. Its thoroughly laud-locked harbor covers an area of over
200 square miles, being about 30 miles long and from 5 to 8 miles in width, having
unsurpassed anchorage, and a depth of from 30 to 35 feet. The entrance to the harbor
is about half a mile wide, with an average depth on the bar of twenty-four feet. The
same depth is readily secured at the wharfage line in the city. A laden ship of the
largest tonnage can approach the city at any time in the year, or leaving its wharf
€an be in the open sea in an hour and a half.

As a place of residence, Pensacola is attractive by a healthy and genial climate. It
has an abundance of excellent pure water, and the regularly changing land and sea
breezes make it a pleasant abode at all seasons. Its gardens afford flowers and fruit
winter and summer. Most tropical plants grow there, and require but little protec-
tion from the cold in winter, whilst all kinds of cereals and northern fruit yield early
and abundant crops. The soil of the immediate vicinity is sandy and the drainage
perfect.

The lands of the neighboring country are of the character known as swamp, ham-
mock, and pine. The swamp lands are those lying on the Escambia and Perdido
Rivers and their tributaries, and are remarkable for their exhaustless fertility, those
brought under cultivation yielding heavy crops of corn, cotton, rice, and sugar-cane.
The great body of these lands is covered with oak and cypress forests, ready to the
hand of the great ship-building interests, which the progress of commerce will speed-
ily foster.

The hammock lands are intermediate between the swamp and pine tracts. They
afford the healthiest localities for settlements, and are easily cultivated, yielding
abundant returns for the labor bestowed on them.

The pine lands have an exhaustless wealth of the best timber, wliilst the herbage
of the forest affords j)ermaneut pasturage for cattle, which require no shelter and very
little care.

All these classes of lands are readily reclaimed for agricultural purposes, whilst the
forest will for a century to come supply the growing export trade in timber.

The commerce of Pensacola has hitherto been limited to the export of Florida tim-
ber brought down on the rivers and creeks emptying into its fuagnificent bay. Want of
communication has been an impediment to its growth, but the completion, in the winter
of 1870, of the Pensacola and Louisville Railroad to its junction with the Mobile and
Montgomery Railroad, establishing a connecting link icith the entire railroad system North
and West, must speedily lift Pensacola to the dignity of a first-class commercial city.
By this link in the great chain of railroads, Pensacola is brought as near to Chicago
as is New York.

The best customers and consumers of the great grain and produce growing West live
upon the shores of the Gulf, in the West India Islands, in Central and South America.
The Pensacola route of transportation shortens the exchange of commodities between

AND AGRICULTURAL CAPABILITIES. 85

these markets and the teeming West hy thousands of miles and by many days, thus
effecting a double economy of time and cost of transportation.

A glance at the map ^\ill readily demonstrate the fact, so little known heretofore,
that the distance from Chicago to Pensacola is only about 900 miles. It will also show
that from Pensacola the distance to Tampico is 900 miles; to Havana, 6*20 miles ; to
Matamoras, 800 miles ; to Vera Cruz, 950 miles ; to Hansacula, 950 miles. The last-
named place is the eastern port of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec.

No vessel has ever been driven ashore in any storm in the harbor of Pensacola, and
no gale has produced a freshet. The rivers emptying into the bay are clear and free
from alluvial deposit, and the depth of water on the anchorage ground, as well as on
the bar, remains unaltered since the earliest Spanish surveys.

With the railway connection recently established and daily expanding, this mag-
nificent port becomes the most suitable outlet f r the commerce of the entire Missis-
sippi Valley. It has this great advantage over New Orleans, that it is close to the
Gulf, and not obstructed in its commerce by a shifting and treacherous bar, causing
costly delays to shipping, and often upsetting the fairest calculation for commercial
profits. The vast expenditure in towage up and down the river to which the New
Orleans shipj^ing is subjected in reaching and leaving that inland port is saved in Pen-
sacola, and it is easy demonstrable that shippers in New Orleans can ship their car-
goes more cheaply from the port of Pensacola than from their own levee. Still greater
will be this economy when the canals now proposed and under survey shall connect
the Mississippi with Mobile Bay, Perdido Bay, and Pensacola Bay, permitting steamers
to bring their upland cargoes directly to Pensacola, and lay them alongside the sea-
going vessels.

The splendid water-front of the city admits of running railway freight directly
down on the wharves, and to load vessels immediately from the cars. The elevated
bluffs on this water-front affords facilities for coal depots, from which vessels can be
supplied through shutes, thus saving greatly in expense of handling.

Having thus briefly alluded to the physical features of the port, we will now ex-
amine the advantages of its relative position to other ports.

Taking Chicago as the initial or starting point, as being equally distant from New
York and Pensacola, railroad trains destined to each of the cities would arrive at their
destination within the same time. The one arriving at New York would have traveled
over 900 miles, and would then be as far north as when it started from Chicago,
whereas the one arriving at Pensacola would have gone directly south 900 miles, thus
saving that number of miles between the initial point (Chicago) and any other point
south of Pensacola. This distance, to be balanced by transit to and from New York,
is equal to a gain of six days in favor of Pensacola.

Take now the return cargoes, one*via New York and the other via Pensacola, say cof-
fee, &c., from Havana, distant from Pensacola 620 miles. The one by way of Pensa-
cola would have reached its ultimate destination, and have been distributed, before
the other could possibly have reached New York. These remarks apply with equal
force to all the cities and towns lying along and in connection with this great national
artery of intercommunication, trade, and commerce.

The Pensacola and Louisville Railroad line and its connections, unlike those lead-
ing to the Atlantic ports, bisect the parallels of latitude of the United States ; hence it
must collect and transmit the productions of these different latitudes, consisting of
wheat, flour, corn, pork, bacon, lard, cheese, bagging, rope, iron, lime, coal, and a great
variety of industrial products, such as furniture, clothing, machinery, implements, &c.,
concentrating them all by one line at one single point of shipment, and giving that
point the same advantages to be offered to the shipping interests of the world that
are now afforded at the said Atlantic ports through a hundred different channels at a
vastly increased expense, both in time and money, and enabling ships desiring freights
to any part of the world to make such selections as their interests or exigencies may
require.

8(5

The commerce of the world will hereafter be carried ou through the agency of steam,
and will exi)aud in the use of that agent just in the ratio in which fuel (coal) can be
easily and cheaply obtained for that purpose. The coal-beds of Alabama, estimated
to cover between 4,000 and 5,000 square miles of area, are intersected by this line of
road, and, from their contiguity to Pensacola, must become the great source of supply
for the steam marine and coaling stations of all points south of Pensacola. The coal
now used for this purpose is principally brought from Great Britain, adistaiice of 3,000
miles. From the Alabama coal-beds to Havana (which can be thus supplied) the dis-
tance is about 810 miles, and coal from these mines can be placed on shipboard at Pen-
sacola at $4.75 per ton ; the sea transportation is but 620 miles. These facts and figures
l^uarantee that the day is not far distant when Pensacola must become the great coal
depot of the Gulf, making annual shipment of millions of tons of this article, devel-
oping the resources and wealth of the country, and expanding into one of the first
cities in the world.

The rapid development of the iron mines of Alabama, whose natural outlet to the
markets of the world is the port of Pensacola, will not only contribute a cousiderable
quota to the commerce of this port, but will, in connection with the Florida forests,
furnish superior material for ship-building, which at no distant day must rival in
extent the similar industry of Northern ports, the proximity and cheapness of all ma-
terial required, giving builders in this locality peculiar advantages.

FACILITIES FOR TEANSPORTATION.

No State in the Uniou has so extended a sea-coast as Florida, and
none contains a larger extent of inland navigable water ; nor is there
any State which enjoys greater facilities for permanent, reliable, and
cheap communication with the commercial marts of the world and the
interior cities of the North and West. Ocean steamers, with the most
ample accommodations for passengers and the most extended appoint-
ments for freight, ply regularly between New York, Boston, Philadel-
phia, Baltimore, Charleston, and Savannah, and the Florida Atlantic
ports. At Fernandina these lines connect with the Gulf and West India
Transit Eailway, which^ at Hart's Koad, connects with the Jacksonville
and Fernandina Eailway ; at Callahan intersects the Savannah and
Jacksonville Eailway ; at Baldwin with the Florida Central Eailway ; at
W^aldo connects with the J*eninsular Eailw^ay to Ocala, and with the
Santa F6 Canal to Santa Fe Lake; at Gainesville with the Florida
Southern Eailway to Palatka and Ocala ; and at Cedar Keys with lines
of steamers to Tampa, Key AVest, Havana, New Orleans, and all the
Gulf ports.

At Jacksonville connections are made with the numerous steamers on
the Saint John's and Oclawaha Eivers, which connect at Tocoi with the
-Saint John's Eailw^ay to Saint Augustine; at Palatka with the Florida
Southern Eailway to Gainesville and Ocala; at Astor with the Saint
-John's and Lake Eustis Eailway; at Sanford with the South Florida
Eailway to Lake Apopka and the Kissimmee Eiver ; at Salt Lake with
the Saint John's and Indian Elver Tramway to Titusville ; and at Lake
Pi insett with lines of stages to the Indian Eiver at Eock Ledge.

At Jacksonville connections are also made with the Fernandina and
Jacksonville Eailway ; with the Savannah and Florida Eailway, which

AND AGRICULTTRAL CAPABILITIES. 87

intersects the Gulf and West India Transit Railway at Callahan ; with
the Florida Central Railway, which intersects the Gulf and West India
Transit at Baldwin ; connects at Lake City with the Jacksonville, Pen-
sacola and Mobile Railway, which, at Ellaville, intersects the Suwannee
River, which is navigable for steamers to Cedar Keys ; at Live Oak con-
nects with the Savannah, Florida and Western Railway ; at Tallahassee
with the Railway at the Gulf at Saint Mark's ; and at Chattahoochee
with the Atlantic and Western Railway, now in process of construction
to Mobile, and with lines of steamers to Aj>alachicola, Eufaula, Ala.,
and Columbus, Ga. All rail routes, with close connections and through
parlor and sleeping cars for passengers and fast freight lines, with ven-
tilated cars for fruit and vegetables, connect Florida with Montgomery,
Atlanta, Louisville, Cincinnati, Saint Louis, and Chicago, in the Westj
Savannah, Charleston, Richmond, Washington, Baltimore, Philadelphia,
Kew York, and Boston, in the ISiorth, thus affording the largest facili-
ties for rapid transit with the numerous competing lines, and the ocean
steamers prevent exorbitant charges.

The completion of the lines of railway now under construction will
render all portions of the State immediately accessible. The State au-
thorities have granted about 16,000,000 of acres of her swamp lands in
aid of works of internal improvements, thus giving a powerful impetus
to these enterprises, while Northern capital is pushing them to rapid
completion.

No less than five lines of railway are now in progress in East Florida,
running south, with the view of reaching Tampa Bay, Charlotte Harbor,
Indian River, and Key West.

1st. The Tropical Railway, an extension of the Peninsular, is progress-
ing rapidly from Ocala southward, with its iron purchased, and more
than a thousand hands at work.

2d. The Florida Southern, from Palatka to Gainesville, is pushing
south also from Ocala to the eastward of the Peninsula.

3d. The South Florida, from Sanford, is extending southward still
farther to the east.

4th. The Live Oak, Rowlands Bluff and Charlotte Harbor Railway
is backed by a powerful company.

5th. The Jacksonville, Saint Augustine and Halifax River Railway
is under construction, from Jacksonville to Saint Augustine, with a
view to an ultimate extension down the coast to the Indian River.

The Atlantic and Western Railway, an extension of the Jacksonville,
Pensacola and Mobile Railway, from Chattahoochee to Pensacola, is
under contract and being rapidly constructed, with a view to immedi-
ate completion.

A large portion of the route of the Jacksonville, Tampa and Key
West Railway has been surveyed, and no doubt exists of the early com-
mencement of that important enterprise.

Those in i)rocess of construction, and others projected, with the sys-

88 FLORIDA: ITS CLIMATE, SOIL, PRODUCTIONS,

tern of canals connecting the lower Saint John's with Korth Halifax and
Indian Rivers, and the Upper Saint John's with the Kissimmee, Lake^
Okeechobee, and Caloosahatchee, when all completed, will give Florida
the most complete system of internal communication of any Southern
State, and render her one of the wealthiest and most desirable for resi-
dence and cultivation.

FISHERIES.

The extent and wealth of the fisheries of Florida are, beyond compari-
son, greater than any other State of the Union. Her twelve hundred
miles of sea-coast from Fernandina to Key West, and round to Cedar
Keys and Pensacola, with the extensive bays and harbors, abound in
turtle, oysters, and sponge, while the waters teem with fish in the^
greatest variety.

It has been remarked by an experienced observer that a fee-simple to^
three miles wide of her coast line of waters was more valuable than the
same amount of land adjacent. The annual exportation of oysters, fish,
and sponge amounts to hundreds of thousands of dollars. Hundreds of
families in Florida, Georgia, and Alabama annually resort to the sea-
coast and gather a supply of fish, with which they return home.

State legislation has, as yet, furnished no adequate protection for these
fisheries, and they are annually used by fishermen from other States,
'^ without money and without price,'' and the State derives no revenue.

The inland waters, too — the rivers, creeks, innumerable lakes and
ponds — all abound in the varieties of fresh-water fish, which are gath-
ered without let or hinderance for food and enriching the soil, while the
supply seems inexhaustible. With proper care and protection against
waste and destruction, the supply would last for generations before it
became necessary to resort to artificial cultivation.

STOCK GROWING.

Cattle raising has long beeu one of the most lucrative branches of
business in Florida. In large portions of the State, notably in the south-
ern, the growing of crops has been neglected for the all-absorbing busi-
ness of cattle raising, which is attended with no expense, save the per-
sonal supervision of the herds, and in gathering the stock for marking"
and for market. The cattle range on the public domain through the
year, and the plains, savannas, and swamps of South Florida have
afforded pasturage for innumerable herds, from which, during the civil
war, the Southern army drew large supplies, and from which the mar-
kets of Key West and Cuba derive their i)resent supply. It is not un-
common to find men owning thousands of head of cattle without the
proprietorship of lands, and many of the herdsmen count their stock
by tens of thousands. The ^profits are fabulous, as the cost oC keeping
the cattle is only the expenditure for herding and marking, no food being
required other than the natural supply. The annual burning of the

AND AGRICULTURAL CAPABILITIES. 89»

grass, which has long prevailed in the winter, has seriously impoverished
the soil and reduced the quantity of grass, so that the native stock of
later grass has become dwarfed and inferior. As population increases,,
and the lands become absorbed by settlers, the stock range becomes
more restricted, improved methods are being adopted, and improved
stock introduced. No State offers greater inducements for stock grow-
ing, either upon the wild method heretofore existing, or upon the system
of thorough cultivation and high breeding. The facilities for cultivat-
ing green forage crops during the winter, when the grasses become
tough and innutritions, afford great advantages over those sections of
the country where cattle must be housed and fed for from one-third to
one-half the year.

The raising of sheep and growing of wool is also a most profitable
industry, as sheep thrive through the year on the natural pasturage, and
require no care except herding and protection from vagrant dogs, of
which there is too great a number. With no legal protection against
these depredators the business, when it has been prosecuted as a reli-
ance, has yielded from 33 to 90 per cent. i)er annum profits. It can be
seen at a glance, that with an annual increase very largely greater than
in the cold States, and no expense for feed, and entire exemption from
the cold northers which sweep off whole flocks in the West, the profits
must be very great and the industry so remunerative as to induce a
rapid extension of the business.

Hogs are raised more cheaply and easily here than in the colder
climates. They do well '*on the range," as in the winter there is a large
8ui)ply of acorns, and in the swamps and hammocks of roots and native
products. There is no reason why i)ork should not be raised in suffi-
cient quantity to supply the home market at least, although the want
of frost, or freezing weather, is not conducive to profitable packing for
export.

Bee-keeping is rapidly engaging attention, and will soon become a^
source of large State wealth and individual revenue.

THE TREES OF FLORIDA.

Dr. A. W. Chapman, of Apalachicola, author of the Flora of the-
Southern States, in 1875 made a journey along the western coast, for
the purpose of obtaining specimens of trees for the Centennial Exhibi-
tion. He made a thorough exploration from Anclote Keys to Cape Sa-
ble, and ascended the Caloosahatchee. The following is the list of trees
obtained, as given in his report:

The number collected exceeds your estimate by ten species, and falls short of my
own by the same number. I believe I obtained all the native trees known down there^,
except Simaruha, and perhaps Calyptranthus, if it is a tree. I found several trees which,
I supposed to be shrubs, aud vice versa. I made a thorough exploration of the whole
western coast, from Anclote Keys to Cape Sable, wherever we could find smooth
"Water for safe anchorage. At Charlotte Harbor I diverged from the cbast and ascended

:90 FLORIDA: ITS CLIMATE, SOIL, PRODUCTIONS,

Caloosaliatchee River, in order to get such woods as do not grow in the influenoe
of salt air. This was really the most interesting part of the route. Gigantic Acro-
stichums, 10 feet high, covering acres, Epiphtyes loading the trees, and the entire
vegetation tropical. A peculiarity of these tropical trees is that for miles they occur
to you as mere shrubs, when at some other locality you find them lofty trees. I was
much disappointed in the size of most of the forest growth in that region. On the
Keys you can scarcely anywhere find a large (or rather a tall) tree. Some of these
were large enough at the base, but we generally found such hollow, and of some we
never did find a sound one. You will be disappointed, as I was, to find the growth
-so small. I do not remember to have seen a tree, during the trip, 2 feet iu diameter,
with the exception of the Live Oak, and on the Keys none of them get to be more than
^0 or 40 feet high. The Mahogany is not found in Florida, and should be erased from
the Flora. My authority for introducing it was a pod picked up on the beach by Dr.
Leitner.

Hibiscus tiliaceus was not seen by me, and I think Dr. Blodgett nnist have got it
from cultivation. In Jamaica it is a shrub 12 to 15 feet high. Terminalia is not a native,
and is, I believe, local along the Saint John's or near Saint Augustine. The others
mentioned I did not meet with on any of the Keys I visited. Whether they become
trees I cannot say, for I forget the sources of my information regarding 1 hem when
writing my book. It was of course impossible to visit all the hundreds of Keys along
the reefs, and it is probable that these omissions may occur on more westwardly ones
than those I visted.

The following is a modified arrangement of Dr. Chapman's list of
Florida trees :

Anona (Custard Apple). — No flowers or fruit ; 15 to 20 feet high. The fruit is said to be
egg-shaped, H inches in diameter, and eatable when fully ripe.

Capparis Jamacencis (Caper-tree). — A low tree.

-Canclla alba.

Guaiacum sanctum (Lignum Vitae). — Only found, if I am rightly informed, on the Lig-
num Vita^ Keys, and quite rare there.

Xanihoxylum Pteroia, 12 to 20 feet high.

Bursera gummifera (Gumbo Limbo, Gummer Limmer). — The largest of South Florida
trees, abounding in gum.

Amyris Floridiana (Torch-wood).— Mostly shrubby.

Xymenia Americana (Hog Plum).— 2 to 20 feet high.

Sehaefferia frutiscens (Crab-wood). — A small tree.

Sapindus (White-wood).— This is scarcely the tree of the Southern States and of my
-t'lora ; I suspect it is S. saponaria.

Hypelate paniculata (Maderia-wood). — This wood is very like Mahogany, and is highly
valued. It is not abundant, and was only found on Metacumba Keys.

Bhus meiopium, 20 to 30 feet high. It is very poisonous, and we all got peppered by it.

Biscidia et-ythrina (Dog-wood). — A rather large tree.

jPithecolobium unguis-caii. — Rarely a small tree.

BhizopJiora mangle (Red Mangrove). — Commonly a low spreading tree. On the Thou-
sand Islands it attains its largest size— 40 to 60 feet. All the low Keys are formed by
this tree.

•€onobarpus erecia (White Buttonwood.) — It comprises almost the only fuel used in
Southern Florida, and extends north as far as Auclote Keys.

Xuguneularia racemosa (Black Buttonwood). — A small tree everywhere, or a mere shrub,
except among the Thousand Jslands and north of Cape Sable, where it forms a
large tree.

-Eugenia buxifolia (Iron-wood). — 25 to 30 feet high.

Eugenia Monticola. — South Florida; about 30 feet high.

Eugenia ( ).

AND AGRICULTURAL CAPABILITIES. 91

Euf/mia ( ), near dichofoma, but probably distinct. This was only seen at Cax-

imbiis Bay, and was called ''naked-wood."
Ewiema (Stopper-wood). — A small tree, in fruit.
Guettards Blodgetti. — Mostly a shrub.

Raudia clusiofoUa (Seven-years' Apple). — With flowers and fruit.
Sideroxylon padUlum (Mastic). — A middle-sized tree.
Sideroxi/Ion padlUum, var. sphm'ocarinim. — A small tree.
Sideroxylon. — A large tree.

^hrysophyllum mifroophyUiim. — 6 to ^JO feet high.

Mimusops Sieherl. — A large tree. We found the trunk invariably hollow.
BnmeJia parvifoUa. — A shrub or small tree.

Jaquinia armiUaris. — A rather small tree with most curiously grained wood.
Myrsine Floridana. — Mostly a shrub; rarely a small tree.
Ardisia Pickeriugii. — Mostly a shrub, but on the Keys a small tree.
Vitharexylon viJIosum (Fiddle-wood). — Rarely a small tree.

Avicenna ohlongifolia (Black Mangrove). — Only a tree among the Thousand Islands.
Avicennia tomentosa (Black Mangrove). — At Cedar Keys only.
Pisonia ohtusaia. — With male Howers.
CocGoloha Floridana. — 20 to 30 feet high. In fruit.
Coccoloha nhifera (Sea-side Grape). — In fruit.
Persea Catesbaei. — No flowers or fruit.
Drypetes crocea. — A small tree.
Mcus anrea (Wild Fig). — A large tree full of milky juice. It is also called gum-tree, and

the juice forms a kind of India rubber.
Ficns. — Perhaps the same as the preceding.
(Silver Palmetto or Silver Cabbage Tree). — The berries are white, but in the

absence of flowers the genus is doubtful. It attains a height of 30 to 40 feet. It

occurs flrst at Cape Roraauo, and is found sparingly on the mainland southward. It

is more common on the Keys, but I never heard of it before.
Yucca aJoifolia. I found this from Manatee southward, 15 to 25 feet high.
Finns clausa, X. sp. — At Apalachicola. Dr. Engelmaun is doubtful. Perhaps it may

be a variety of P. inojys.

ORANGE STATISTICS OF FLORIDA.

Judge A. A. Kuigbt, the supervisor of the Tenth Census for the State
of Florida, was, in addition to his other duties, intrusted with the task
of ascertaining the number of bearing orange trees in the State, and
their production for the year 1881. He has kindly permitted me to
take the following figures from the papers in his office. Twenty-five
thousand circulars were issued, which elicited about 70 per cent, of re-
l)lies. Twenty-five of the thirty-niue counties in the State are embraced
in the report, fourteen failing to return replies. The deficiency in this
direction is conterbalanced by the supplement which closes the report*
It is expected that the yield of fruit will very rapidly increase from
this time forward, both from the large number of new groves coming into
bearing with each succeeding year, and the increased productiveness
^f the older trees.

FLORIDA: ITS CLIMATE, SOIL, PRODUCTIONS, ETC.
REPORT.

Counties.

Number of
bearing trees.

Yield in 1881.

Value.

^iRolins -• - .....

13, 111

3,377

10, 884

841

738

436

500

10, 131

No report

Number.

2, 250, 000

9,450
338, 850
1, 250, 000
282, 400
165, 700
157, 850
500, 000

3, 000, 000

$33, 750 00>
141 75

Bradford

4 815 50

Brevard .........■...■■.•...■••• .. .............. ..

18 750 OO

nallinnTi .. . ....

4 170 50

Clay

2, 522 25

Columbia

2, 741 OO

7, 500 00
45, 000 00

Duval

Escambia .

Franklin

Gadsden ......... .. ..... ................

. do

Hernando . .. ...... .. .........

7,685
18, 683
No report

2, 500, 000
4, 409, 150

37, 500 00
45,410 25

Holmes ...

... do

...do

La Fayette -• •

1,157

43, 800

662 00'

Levv .. .... ........................

1,460

500, 000

7, 500 00

Libertv

Madison . ...... ....

594
17, 291
46, 195

500
No report

512, 900
2, 000, 000
6, 000, 000

500, 000

7, 685 OO
30, 000 OO
90, 000 00

7, 500 00

Manatee

Marion ... ...

Nassau L ....

Orange . ..... .............. ....

29, 049

2, 283

64,170

4, 000, 000
1, 500, 000
7, 120, 631

30, 000 OO

Polk

22,500 OO

Putnam . .. ...................

108, 414 80

Santa Rosa

Saint John's . . ...........

12, 006

13, 029
157

1,846

24,638

No report

2, 000, 000

2, 250, 000

120, 700

255, 200

4, 000, 000

30, 000 00
33, 750 OO

Sumter .. .. ........................

2,060 OO

Taylor

2,747 50

Volusia

60,000 OO

Wakulla .

Walton

;

W ashinffton

...do

■j

Supplement ........ ..... ............ ............

11, 536

451, 225

7,056 10

Total

292, 324

46, 097, 856

672, 176 65-

Respectfully submitted.

GEORGE B. OARSE.

FLORIDA : ITS SOIL, EESOUECES, AKD MEAKS OF TEANS-

POETATIOX.

For reliable information in regard to all points of agricultural interest
I must confine myself in this report to the counties of Nassau, Duval,
Clay, Saint John^s, Yolusia, Orange, Marion, Brevard, and Putnam.

NASSAU COUNTY.

This county contains an area of 600 square miles, and has but about
4,000 acres under cultivation owing to the fact that much of the land
is "pine barrens" and "flat- wood" country, of but little value to agri-
culturists. Scattered along the river is some land which produces
grazing for cattle, a limited amount of long-staple cotton, corn, pota-
toes, and peaches. Here fertilizers are necessary, and winter vegeta-
bles are liable to be nipped by the frost j still, the annual yield of farm
products reaches the value of $50,000, consisting chiefly of cattle, swine,
poultry, corn, potatoes, and peaches.

This county is well supplied with railroads, and may have a prosper-
ous future, shouhl its people, the great majority of whom were once
slaves, ever attain to that state of intelligence indispensable to agricult-
ural success. Fernandina, the county seat, has a fine harbor and quite
ii lumber trade.

This county cannot be recommended for the raising of oranges or of
the semi-tropical fruits, but may be reasonably successful with the or-
dinary farm crops.

DUVAL COUNTY.

With an area of 860 square miles this county has only about 5,000
acres of land under cultivation. While the greater part of the soil is
light and sandy, there are some tracts of rich "hammock" which may
be utilized for the cultivation of rice, corn, potatoes, cane, and cotton ;
but it is to much exposed to the cold northwest winds for the success-
ful raising of oranges or of the semi-tropical fruits, with the exception
of that portion east of the Saint John's Eiver. Here, as elsewhere in
this State, the eastern shore of the Saint John's is much better protected
from the cold than the western banks, owing to the fact that the cold
northwest winds are considerably warmed in passing over this wide
expanse of water. Although the county is much frequented by in-
valids, the climate is not conducive to the health of those suffering from
pulmonary or bronchial diseases, as the changes in temperature are very'

94 FLOJIIDA: ITS CLIMATE,

sudden aud severe, ice being frequently formed near the mouth, of the
river, immediately followed by very hot weather. The annual farm ])ro-
ductions are valued at about 150,000, consisting principally of cattle, milk,,
butter, swine, poultry, rice, cotton, j^otatoes, and molasses. The means
of transportation in this county are ample, both by rail and by water,
the rates here, as elsewhere in this State, averaging about five cents per
mile by rail, and three cents per mile by steamer. Jacksonville, with
its numerous hotels, furnishes a good market for garden farmers. Land
in the city commands very high prices, building lots being frequeutly
sold at the rate of several thousands of dollars per acre. Skilled farm-
ers, with the aid of fertilizers, can do well in some parts of this county,

CLAY COUNTY.

With an area of 425 square miles. Clay County has about 4,000 acres
of land under cultivation, and raises farm productions to the value of
about $64,000 yearly, including some cotton and sugar. There are
several fine lakes in this county, containing many excellent food-tish ;
but lands must be selected here with great care to avoid malarious
districts, and it should not be recommended for raising fruit of the Citrus
family, though many trees are being set out near Green Cove Springs,
the county seat, which may succeed in sheltered places protected by
heavily-timbered pine lauds. There is considerable yellow-pine timber
in this region, with some rich hammock lands, well adapted to the pro-
duction of the ordinary farm crops. No railroad is found in the county,
and it has but a small population, with no large towns. There are several
hotels at the county seat, but those afflicted with pulmonary or bron-
chial elifificulties should go farther back among the pines, away from the
chilling, damp night air of the Saint John's.

SAINT JOHN'S COUNTY.

This county contains 970 square miles, and has but about 3,000 acres
under cultivation, owing to the fact that it is mostly a ''■ flat pine-woods
and palmetto-scrub country," with but little rich hammock land. Its
location, hoAvever, between the Saint John's Eiver and the Atlantic
renders it more exempt from frost and better adapted to fruit culture
than more interior counties in the same latitude. Colonel Hart's famous
orange groves are located in this county, opposite Palatka, and demon-
strate the fact that with skillful cultivation and the aid of fertilizers
excellent oranges can be raised here. The farm productions amount to
over $90,000 per annum, including considerable rice, sugar, cotton, po-
tatoes, and corn. Here skilled labor, backed by energy and sufficient
ready money to tide the settler over for a few years, will in due time reap its'
reward ; but the impecunious and the ignorant will find no bonanza in
Florida. This county has but one railroad, that connecting Saint Au-
gustine with the Saint John's at Tocoi, fourteen miles in length, over
which the fare is $2.

AND AGRICULTURAL CAPABILITIES. U5

MARION COUNTY.

Comprising an area of 1,000 square miles, and having nearly 50,000-
acres under cultivation, this county contains some of the richest and
most elevated land in in the State. The high hammock lands are exten-
sive and very productive, but much better adapted to the raising of
vegetables than to the development of healthy men, and much care
must be taken in locating dwellings, or, as in the West, fever and ague
will take off all the profits for the benefit of the doctor. Although there
are some flourishing groves in sheltered places near Ocala, oranges there
are liable to suffer from frosts, and the extreme eastern and southern
portions of the county are better suited to the culture of the Citrus family
of fruits. Farm productions are raised in this county to the value
of $300,000 yearly, including principally corn, potatoes, rice, molasses^
and poultry. Lands near transportation are held at high figures, and
there is but little government land to be obtained.

Two railroads run through this count}^, and the means of transporta-
tion will soon be exceptionally good via these roads and the Oeklawaha
River, which is navigated by two lines of steamers from Silver Springs
to and over the Saint John's. There are some beautiful lakes in this^
county, the eastern shores of which are well adapted to orange culture^
being thus protected from the cold "north west winds. Considerable game
is found in the heavy-timbered tracts, and food-fish abound in the
lakes and rivers. The Florida Southern Railroad, owned by Boston
capitalists, is developing an extensive and profitable lumber trade along
its line, and many of the settlers build houses, barns, and fences with
the beautiful yellow pine, green from the saw-mill. Industrious settlers
who can afford to wait until the acidity of the soil is removed by culti-
vation will succeed here, provided they can secure good land at reason*
able prices. No injurious acids are found in the hard- wood lands, but
unless great care is taken the farmer will suffer from chdls during the
first year's cultivation.

BREYABD COUNTY.

Containing an area of 4,000 square miles, this county has but 2,00(>
acres under cultivation. Much of this county is composed of '^ flat
lands," often overflowed and not easily drained, with a stiff-clay subsoil,
through which the tap-root of the orange tree cannot i)enetrate to water;
consequently the Citrus family of fruits will not thrive in the greater
part of this region. Along the banks of the Indian River, however,
excellent oranges and semi-tropical fruits are raised ; but the land in
this county adapted to such culture is limited in extent, and is held at
high prices. Oysters, fish, and game abound in some localities, and
much good grazing land is found ; but malaria must be carefully guarded
against, and there is but comparatively little land in the county adapted
to the w^ants of people from the North for a permanent residence. Yearly

■f)6 FLORIDA: ITS CLIMATE, SOIL, PRODUCTIONS,

farm productions are valued at about $47,000, including principally
<;attle, swine, rice, and potatoes. The South Florida Railroad extends
40 miles from Sanford, on Lake Monro, Orange County, to Lake Kis-
simee, Brevard County. Titusville, the county seat, is reached by a
long steamboat ride from Lake Monro to Eock Ledge, and thence by
carriage. Drainage may open large tracts of rich lands to the settler;
but until then this region is more attractive to the sportsman than to
the agriculturist.

VOLUSIA COUNTY.

This county contains 1,800 square miles, and has but 4,000 acres
under cultivation. The eastern portion along the Halifax River com-
prises some rich hammock lands, which in years past have produced
great quantities of sugar, and with good cultivation ma}^ again yield
much cane. West of this belt is a vast prairie, iuterspersed with pine
and cabbage palmetto, affording excellent pasturage to large herds of
cattle during the entire year. On the extreme west, extending from the
northern end of the county south about 30 miles, is a rolling pine country,
on which are hundreds of young orange groves; from this southward
is a rolling pine scrub until the Saint John^s is reached, with its vary-
ing banks of hammock and savanna.

With much care to avoid miasmatic swamps, and the chills which
arise from newly-plowed rich hammock lands, desirable farms may be
found in this region, which, when cleared and dispossessed of their acidity
by cultivation, will produce semi-tropical fruits and vegetables in abun-
dance. At present the yearly farm i)roductions are valued at $60,000,
including principally cattle, poultry, cotton, molasses, and potatoes.
The present yield of lumber is one and one-half millions of feet per an-
num, which can be increased almost indefinitely.

Transportation is confined to steamers on the Saint John^s River, but
several railroads are chartered. Enterprise, the county seat, has demon-
strated the important fact that oranges and vegetables can be raised at
a profit by skilled laborers, with the aid of fertilizers, the most popular
of which is that made by George B. Forrester, of New York.

ORANGE COUNTY.

Orange County, comprising 2,300 square miles, and having 14,000
acres under cultivation, is generall rolling pine land, interspersed with
large lakes, rich hamnlocks, and comparatively worthless flat pine landls,
all more or less heavily timbered. Stock-raising has been the predominant
industry until recently, with cotton, corn, and cane; but now fruit cult-
ure is absorbing general attention, and the orange, lemon, lime, guava^
pine-apple, and banana are cultivated to considerable extent. The South
Florida Railroad runs from Sanford southerly through the county, which,
with a short road from Astor, on the Saint John's, to Lake Eustis, to-
gether with the numerous Saint John's steamers, furnish exceptionally

AND AGRICULTURAL CAPABILITIES. 97

good facilities for transportation. The more desirable lands near the
towns are held at high prices ; bnt still, by using much care to avoid
unhealthful localities industrious and skillful agriculturists may obtain
good homes. Successful ice manufactories have been established, and
by using cistern water many Northerners live here all the year in toler-
able comfort. The yearly farm productions, consisting chiefly of cattle,
poultry, rice, corn, potatoes, molasses, and honey, are valued at $100,000,
and many fine orange and lemon groves may be seen about Sanford,
Orlando, Bell aire, and Altamont.

PUTNAM COUNTY.

Comprising over 800 square miles, with 1,500 acres under cultivation,
this is in many respects the most desirable and flourishing county in the
State. The numerous lines of steamers on the Saint Johns' together
with the South Florida Railroad, aftbrd facilities for transportation un-
excelled in the State. Many beautiful lakes are found in this region,
fully stocked with excellent food fish, and game in many parts is abun-
dant. The portion of the county lying east of the Saint John's is appro-
priately called the " Fruit-land Peninsula," and is very fertile, containing
also celebrated sulphur and medicinal springs, which are much frequented
by the sick from all the adjacent region. The county contains a great
variety of soil, high and low hammock, high rolling pine land, much of
which is heavily timbered with hickory, oak, and yellow pine. Many of
the finest orange groves in the State are found here, and more than 5,000
acres are devoted to the cultivation of the orange alone, while cotton-
rice, sugar, corn, sweet potatoes, and all the semi-tropical fruits form a
permanent reliance for agricultural industry. Palatka, the county seat,
is a very flourishing city, connected by rail and telegraph with all parts
of the State which have railroad communications. San Mateo and Cres-
cent City are flourishing towns, and the county is rapidly filling up with
a good class of people from the Northern and Western States. The
yearly farm productions amount to nearly $200,000, comprising princi-
pally cattle, butter, milk, swine, poultry, rice, grain, cotton, sugar, sweet
potatoes, and honey.

GENERAL OBSERVATIONS.

This completes the list of localities visited by me, and they are in
many respects the best counties in the State.

Except near the sea-coast marshes, mosquitoes are not very trouble-
some, and the noxious insects and reptiles avoid the settlements and
generally confine themselves to the overflowed lands and swamps.

While much of the soil in this State is practically worthless in its

present state, there are large tracts in the aggregate which are rendered

very productive by the peculiar character of the climate and by the

subterranean waters to which the roots of the trees find access, thereby

8G4m 7

98 FLORIDA: ITS CLIMATE, SOIL, PRODUCTIONS, ETC

causing the trees of the Citrus family to flourish even during protracted
drouglits which in the I^orth would destroy every living thing. .

There is a great demand for a government experiment station in Florida,
which would be of incalculable service in showing the people what can
be raised here and the best methods of culture.

The tea plants sent to this State hy the Department of Agriculture,
have not received proper care ; but the few that have survived the neg-
lect demonstrate the fact that tea can be grown here successfully by
intelligent culture.

It is believed by thoughtful men that many tropical products can be
raised here in sufficient quantity to save to the nation many millions of
dollars annually which are now sent to foreign countries. I refer espe-
cially to tea, coffee, sugar, silk, and the many articles of commerce now
imported from the Indies, China, and Japan.

Colored laborers are hired here at wages averaging about $1 per day,
without board.

Orange trees four years from the seed and one year from the bud will
boar fruit in from three to four years.

Orange trees can be bought at prices ranging from twenty-five to
seventy-five cents each, and they should be set out during the months
of November, December, or January.

Lemon trees bear fruit in four years from the setting.

Bananas are produced in eighteen months from the setting, and rijien
from June to December.

The transportation 'of a box of oranges from Sanford to IS^ew York
costs about 45 cents.

It is a curious fact that while oranges begin to ripen in October, they
may be left upon the tree without material deterioration for twelve
months after they are ready for use.

Hoping this report may be of service to the most important of all our
government departments, as well as to the interests of agriculture at
large,

I remain yours, very truly,

JAMES H. FOSS.

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