-^^ V -^^ n^ V^' « ^s^-^ ■% ^''^ ,00 A^^'-'^^- >.<^^ '^A v^ «^ * aV nN -r-. ^.^ / X^" '^^ .^ oV -b^'-^ S^ •^, .00 s.^t THE Florida Colonist, OR, . SETTLER'S (iUlDE. ANSWERS TO THE QIKSTION' "WHERE IX FLORIDA SHALL WE LOCATE!" SECOND EDITION, ENLARGED AND IMl'ROVEf). PREPARED BY J. S. ADAMS. Commissioner of Liuuls mid Ininilaration. l^eceiiibei-, 1H71. Entered acoorcilng to Act of Congress, In the year 1871, by J. S. Adams, In the ofllce of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington. JACKSONVILLE: FLORIDA UNION .TOD Pia.VnXC ROOMS. THE FLORIDA COLONIST, 7? Settler's Guide. " oi; ^ ,x<:5 OF Cc;^ ANSWERS TO THE (JOESTION. MVHERE IN FLORIDA SHALL WE LOiXfE!" PREPAREn BY .1. S. ADAMS, COMMISSIOXEn OF nfMKUlATIOX. PPiEFATORY. Moro definite information in ref;anl to the special cliaracteristies and adaptations of dif- ferent sections of Florida has been much souo-ht In- the crowds of stran^-ers wlio have visi- ted the State within a few j-ears. Well knowing- that information derived directlj- from the actual residents of each par- ticular count}' would be most desired, as well as intrinsically the most valuable, earnest efforts have been made to secure careful reports from individual residents in every part of the State. But only partial success has been attained as yet, many counties not having- responded at all. Still, in response to the uro-eiit demand, it has been deemed best to pul)lish at once what is available, in a form convenient for distribution, as soon as possible, with the intention of adding such other and further information as maj' be received from time to time. Sev- eral articles heretofore published in the newspapers liy the Commissionei-, or under his 'supervision, are given here as thus published. This tract must meet with a very wide circulation, and so largely diffuse a particular knowledge of each particular section that is reported. It is, therefore, hoped that all in all i)arts of the State, who will assi.st in bringing the mei-its of their own' section to the knowledge of those seeking homes in the State, will forward, for use in the future, careful and complete descriptions of their locality to the Commissioner as soon as may be. The main ])oints in regard to which information is sought areas follows, of each county : L(Jcation — Surface — Soil — Climate — Health — Natural Fertilizers — Water Sujtply— Tim- ber — Cost of Clearing — Price of Lands — Wages of Labor and Supply — Stajtlc Crops — Possible Crops — Fruits — Advantages of Church and School — Special adaptation to jiar- licular crops or different occupations and kinds of business — Means of access and distance from well-known points on Seaboard and Railroads — The disposition of ])enple towards new-comers. Information is also desired of all natui-al curiosities, tending to lend special inlerest to different localities. Information received will be added to and stitclied up with tliis pampldet, and tlius, in the end, a very perfect hand-book of Florida will be secured. Address communications to J. S. ADAMS, Conmiissionei' of Immigration, Jacksonville, Fia. IMMIGRATION. EY J. S. ADAMS. COMMISSIONER OF IMMIGRATION. PREUMIXAUy AKTK'LE. Editor Union : — Whatever may lie the valuable indueemenls which Florida holds forth to immigration, they must of course be mainly liroui;-ht to general notice through the public press, and as the time approaches when an unacclimated imniigi-ation may arrive with the least danger to health, it is desirable that these manifold inducements be set forth as fully as possible. In accordance, there^'ore, with our prexions arrangement, T projiose now soon to furnish a series of articles for the Union, \n wliidi more or less in detail, the various characteris- tics of the State may be set forth. The intention will be to describe the State generally, in the ilr.st instance, giving the facts in regard to the climate, soil, health, water, surface, timber, general capacity, and general productions, and then to give the peculiar characteristics of each different section of the State as far as attainable. With reference to the general character of the whole State, 1 ajiprehend no great difli- culty in the preparation of such articles as may be necessary or desirable. Indeed, the services of very competent men are already engaged for the treatment of these features of the topic, and now sufficient knowledge of these general traits is so prevalent that the ac- complishment of this part of the work is comparatively easy. But it is chiefly in regard to the collection of accurate statistics of tlie dififerent counties and special localities that difliculties will arise. People from abroad have, on account of the facilities of access to Jacksonville and the villages of the St. Johns, made tiiemselves quite familiar with the character of that portion of East Florida that is within reach of the eye of one passing on steamers up and down the St. Johns, and have taken this as a fair sample of the whole State, and formed their opinion accordingly, while the remaiijdei' of East Florida and the whole of Middle and West Florida have remained almost entirely imknown to strangers. To correct this false idea, and to give some reliable knowledge of other and better por- tions of the State, is a leading feature of the design of these publications. But, right here, if \.he work be well done, it will be through the intelligent co-operation of thoughtful minds in the diflerent localities. For, in the tirst place, such alone are cnn- vei'sant with the facts that go to make up the general character of these different sections ; and in the second place, such alone know and can give those special facts as to peculiarities of soil and surface, and, more particularly, such facts and statistics in reference to the ac- tual cultivation of different crojis imder varying circumstances as intelligent men most need in order to enable them to form an intelligent opinion, by which thej^ are willing to be governed in choosing a location for themselves. An earnest endeavor shall be made, so far as the knowledge now in possession, or that nuiy be attained, will ])ermit, to make a showing of each different section of the State, which shall be manifestly fair and impartial. Permit me, then. Mi'. Editor, through your columns, to solicit the thoughtful co-opera- tion of intelligent men of all classes in each o£ the different counties and sections of the State. Allow in(> thus to urge upon all who ma willing to take some trouble for the sake of exhibiting in a fair light tlie jjeculiar character, each of his own county or section, the desirability of communicating with me as soon as may be, and furnishing me the facts and statistics, that thej- may bo eml)()dieer, the wages of labor, access to market, cost of clearing, health, water, and, specially, facts as to cr<)i)S that may be cultivated and actuallj'have been cultivated, with cost of cul- tivation and net jiroceeds, stating tlie amounts raised to the acre of the great staples, col- ton, corn, sugar, tobacco, sweet and Irish jiotatoes, &v., together with the prevalent dispo- sition towards new-comei's. Articles embodying such information are most earnestly solicited from all. After these papers shall have betMi published here, it is proposed to procure their inser- tion in the })apers elsewhere, so far as practicable, and then to condense and collate them and publish them in pamphlet form that they may lie distrilnited to all applying for infor- mation in regard to the State. While, Mr. Editor, it is not thus proposed thai all the articles furnished shall be original with me, still, it is proportt-d tliat every ai'ticle lluis fiirni,~hed shall rome to you, and through you to the public, with my official cndorseniont. WHY SKEK A .NEW HOiyE IX I'l.OKIDA ? In the interest of the. State Bureau of Immigration, it is ])r(j]iosed to give, in oondenscd form, an authentic and perfectly reliable statement of the actual inducements to settlers which arc offered by the State of Florida. In consideration of tlie superior advantages which, in many important partnulars, the South posses.ses over the West; of the migrat(^rv character of a large portion of the [lop- ulation of the North and West ; of the condition of several of the countries of Europe, un- settled at present, and with little promise of improvement in the future, a large movem,£?nt of population southward may reasonably be expected within the next few years, and to answer in brief such questions as will naturally occur to the minds of men seeking a new home in the South, and inquiries about the peculiarities of tiiis State, is the purjiose of the following pages. Attention is called in the lirst place to some of the general characteristics of the State, with the view of subsequently going more into detail and speaking of special localities. ACCESSIBILITY. Tiiere are few sections of the Union that, iq)on the wliole, arc easier of access than the State of Florida. Situated between the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic, it is acce.ssible either by steamer or sail vessel from New Orleans on the West, or from Baltimore, Phila- delphia, New York, and Boston on the East, or from any of the European jjorts. If the settler desires, he may thus embark with all his household goods antl furniture on a sailing vessel, and w^ithout trouble or change, be landed within easy reach of his future home. Connected likewise on the West, tlirough Columbus, and on the Ea.st through Savannah by its own system of railroads, with the great system of Southern and Western and East- ern railroads, Florida is also thus by rail as easily and entirely accessible as any of tlie States of the West and Northwest. Within the last twelve months, more tlian six liundred vessels have been loaded with lumber and timber in the Florida ports, and dispatched to the Eastern ports in this country, and to the various ports of Europe ; and coming here mostly in ballast, and easily adapted to the bringing of passengers at light expense, they will promote immigration extensively when the inducements are fully known in other parts of this country and the world. ("MJIATE. The climate of Florida is not excelled by that of any of the Umted_^ States, and it may be doubted whether it can he equalled elsewhere in the world. Locafed (ui the very bor- ders of the torid zone, and, therefore, so far as latitude alone is concerned, entitled to rank among the hottest portions of the Western continent, still her situation betwee*i the Gulf of Me;cico and the Atlantic is such, that owing to her peculiar form, she is swept alter- nately by the winds of the Eastern and W'estern seas, and relieved from those burning heats with which she would otlierwise be scorclied, and thus it happens that by the joint influences of latitude and i)eculiar location, she is relieved on tlie one hand from the rigors of the winter climate of the Northern and Middle States, and on the other, from the ex- treme heat by which not only the other Southern States, but in the summer time, the Northern States, are characterized. While in winter the Northern and ^liddle States are covered with snow, and fmst i)ene- trates the earth to tlie depth of several feet, and tlie leafless trees wave tlieir bare and skeleton fingers in the wintry wind, in Florida most of the trc^s and shrubs ar(Mu full foliage, and the winter gardens are tilled with vegetables in their most thrifty growth. In the Northern States the frosts of November and December most effectually put a stop to all agricultural operations, anil the farmer is compelled to feed his stock foi- from four to six months, and is himself confined to the getting of fuel and lumber, thus in one ])ortion of the year consuming a large portion of the result of his labor in the other. But in Florida, this very winter season is better adapted to building, clearing land, and the performance of all necessary extra Avork on the farm, than even the sunmier. In the North, all regular farming work is of necessity crowded into the space of less llian half the year, while in Florichi thcr<^ is scarcely a single day in tlu'. wliole year that may not be devoted to purely agricultin-al work. In some of the Northern States the mean average range of the thermometer within the last two years, has been from 30 deg. below zero to '.H>end 100 deg. above. In Florida, for many years, the range of the tliermometer has been less than half as great. The following table gives the mean of three daily observations, taken by Dr. A, S. Bald- win, at Jacksonville, in the Northern ])art of Florida, and exhibits the record of the highest and lowest range of tlie tlnirmometer f()r five j-ears, from 3 So? to ]8(>1, inclusive; MONTHS. ia57 H I LH I L January 73 February !81 March a5 81 April. May . June. Julv., AuRust • ... 95 September 93 October 81 November |83 December 180 1858 1859 I I860 1861 64i86 43l85 27179 39! 78 39 79 34 84 49 39 79 40l79 H 76 79 45183 53 93 64 93 70 97 70t98 75 93 H Ice one to two Inches thick, Jan 19 and 20th, 1857. At 7 A. M., Nov. 25th. ]8erior to St. Augustine in healttli fulness. There has been an idea iTuaccountably prevalent in some portions of tlie country that Florida is an unhealthy State, and yet the common report of thousands of invalids, who have been" benefitted by the influence of the climate; the official reports of the military uutiiorities, and the statistics of the U. S. Census, have conclusively demonstrated the .general hcalthfulness of the State. The fact appears strikingly from the figures of t)ie census iu reference to the deaths from pulmonary complaints in the different States, ami the results .strike one more forcibly when it is considered that this State for inany yeai-s had been a very common place of resort for invalids afflicted witli all varieties of pulmonary diseases. From the census of 186(.», it is foutid that tlie deatlis from consumption in the various States of t)ie Union during the year ending May 31st, I860, were as follows: In Massa- cluisetts, 1 in 254 ; in Maine, 1 in 289 ; in Vermont, 1 in 404 ; in New York, 1 in 473 ; in Pennsylvania, 1 in 380; in Ohio, 1 in 670; in California, 1 in* 727; in Virginia, 1 in 957; in Indiana, 1 in 792; in Illinois, 1 in 878; in Florida, 1 in 1,447. Here is po.sitive evidence of infinitely more value tliau all the tlieorii's oi' hj'potheses whatever. And in the official rejxn-tof Sui'geon-(ieneral Lawson ajipears tlie following: "Indeed, the statistics iu this Bureau demonstrate tlui fact that the diseases which result from mala- ria are of a mucli milder type in the peninsula of Floridu ' tJuxn in any other State in the Union. These reeords show that, the ratio of deiilhs to llic nimihur of cases of remittent fever has been much h'ss tliati anion'; the Irooiis serviiii;- in any otlier portion of tlie United States. In the middle division of tiie United .States the proportion is one death to tiiirty- six oases of remittent fevers; in the Xortliern division, one to fifty-two; in the Southern- division, one to fifty-four ; in Texas, one to seventy -eig-ht ; in Ualifornia. one to one linn (h"ed and twenty-two; in New Mexico, one to one lumdred and forty -eight; wliile in Flori da it is but one'to two liuudred and eighty-seven." And the Sni-geon-General goes on to say : "The "eneral hualthfuhiess of many parts of Florida, particularly on its coast, is [iro- verbial. The average annual mortality of the whole peninsula, from returns in this office, is found to be 'i t5-lU0 per cent., while in the other portions of the United States, (previous to the war with Mexico) it is 3 3-100 per cent. "In short, it may be asserted without fear of refutation, that Florida jiossesscs a much more agreeable and salubrious climate than any other State or Territory in the Union." And in reference to the comparative character of the climate, Solon Robinson, in a let ter published in the New York IVlhuiic, says: "As to the salubrity of the climate, I fully believe its average equal to Indiaiui'or Illinois, and certainly no worse for immigrants from any of the Northern States than Central New York was in its early settlement for those who went into its forests from New England. There are here, as there, miasmatic locali- ties, and localities where mosc[uitoes are as pestiferous as they are in the Montezuma marshes — no worse, and eertaiidy no worse than 1 have often found them at vai'iousi)oints around New York." Where lands are swampy, or along rivers where the banks are low, or have been recent- ly cleared from a heavy growth of vegetation, there will be a liability to the same kinds of fever with which other sections of the counti'v similarly situated are afflicteil ; but it is easily discernible from th6 statistics, and is well known within the exjierience of every resident physician, and of evei-y citizen of the State, that all of the fevers ass\mie a much milder type, and are much less dangerous, than in alnnwt any other State. Witli common and proper care, the health of immigrants to Florida is as safe as in any other section of the countrj-. IHEAP I.AXDS. Another strong inducement to immigration into this State is found in the comparative cheapness of a large portion of the lands within her borders. There are within the State some fifteen millions of acres of U. S. lands, all subject to homestead entry in quantities not exceeding 160 acres. There are also some ten millions of acres of State lands for sale at from $1.25 to *;2.50 per acre. And while it is true that the lands along the St. Johns, and in the vicinity of the larger cities and towns are rapidly becoming quite valuable, still there are hundreds of thousands of acres that may be bought for from $2 to $5 per acre. These are improved lands ; but unimproved plantations in many parts of the State can be bought for no more than the clearing would cost now. Again, all over the State are scattered what are called "old fields," or old cleared lands that have been formerly cultivated, and afterwards abandoned for newer lands. These old fields are often situated in the near vicinity of large supplies of natural manures, furnish- ing such abundant means of re-invigoration as to make the restoration of these lands to their original strength easier and nu)re economical than the clearing of uew lauds, and such old fields, in many cases, can be bought for from .$2 to $5. Many of the more preferable lands of the State exist in large plantations or tracts, and it would be necessary to ))urchase large (quantities of land in order to obtain them on the most reasonable terms. Eut this fact constitutes no valid objection, because by purchasing- such large tracts, ojiportunities will be furnished for the establishment of colonies of set- tlers, each of whom, by a proper division of these lands, may obtain such quantity as he desires, and yet the comfort and convenience of all will be jjromoted by their conunon location in the vicinity of each other. IC.VSK OF TILLA(;K. The facility witli which the greater portion of the tillable lauds in Florida can be worked, furnishes another very strong inducenuMit to those who, in coming here, i)ropose to engage in agricultural ])urKuits. Lands in Florida can be, autl really ai'c, worked with very murli less force than is re- qtiired in the North. Whetlicr sandy, (;Iayey, or loamy, they are mucli more friable, atid more easily tilled. The fact that neai'ly all the plowing done in tlie State is by t lie us(; of single teams, in- dicates the ease with which the soil can be worked. Indeed, witli the same force, as much land can be prepared for crops in Florida in three days, as in the Northern and Eastern States can be thus worked in five days. Those wlio, in tliis State, know by experience the 6 lieavy laliur and the len,!2,th of tiuie required in tlie preparation of the clay spoils of the xSorth, with the freqnent dntentions caused by waitinnj for the proper decree of liumidity ; and those accustomed to the jerking of a plow running:; through lands tilled with stone, will appreciate fully the ease and rapidity with which all tlie ]H-eparatory labor of the farmer can be accomplished, and the postsibility of such labor at any and all seasons of the year. SURFACE. The apparently monotonous and unvarying level surface of Eastern Florida. ..o far ai. the same is o))en to the insjiection of casual ])assengers, is well calculated to give rise to erroneous notions of the general surface of the State. Tlie very existence of the magnifi- cent river, St. Johns, .-iveraging some two miles in width for more than one hundred and fifty miles in length, and rolling its vast current through a section of country so nearly absolutely level th.at no elevation of even one hundred feet is within the view of one pa.s- sing up and down the whole length of tlie river, is one of the most singular geographical facts relating to the whole country. But the stu'face of the remainder of the State is not to be judged by what is seen in the extreme East. In Middle Florida, i)art.icularly in the counties of Leon, (Jadsden, and Jackson, may be found (juite an uneven country, sometimes gently undulating, and some- times quite iiilly, although the hills have no great elevation, and none rise into the impor- tance of actual mountains. And the same is true of portions of AVest Florida. Through these regions the frequent springs, the running streams, and the beautifully varied (Surface are in strong and pleasant contrast to the monotonous levels of the East, and the "Flat- Woods" of the interior. No one wlio has not seen the middle counties of Florida can be said to !la^■e an adequate idea of the State. I.IGHT AVOKK AXI) AMPLE LEISUKE. While many })ortious of the State are exactly adat)ted to the pursuit of what is called "regular farming," in the same way in. which it is followed in the Northern States, still such is the mildness of the climate that the same "regular farm work" which, at tlie North, is necessarily obliged to be performed within the limits of six or seven months, in Florida m.-iy be allowed the Avhole year for its transaction. Thus the farmer, instead of being crowded for tune, and really, by the shortness of the season, constrained to overM'ork, or work constantly and hurriedly, may have the' whole year for the performance of his necessary labors, and of course can proceed more leisure- ly, and have vastly more spare time to devote to other and congenial jiursuits. But while it is true that the regular farm work can, fi-om the facility of working the soil, be much more easily performed, it is likewise true that the mildness of the climate allows the crops of vegetables and fruits, common to this and other States, to mature many weeks earlier than at the North, and allows the cultivation of many crops that cannot be cultivated elsewhere ; hence, an opportunity is given for those disinclined to the heavy work of ordinary farming, to engage in the much lighter labor of fruit cidture, or of rais- ing vegetables lor Northern markets, with a prospect of better returns than can be expect- ed from ordinary farm crops. Thus would be secured a nuich lighter and more agreeable^ kiml of citltivation. and the prospect of as certain and lucrative returns as can be relied on frtjui any ntjiei' agricultural employment. WIDE SCOI'E OF VE(,iETATIOX. The very great variety of crops, from wliich the farmer in Florida may make such selec- tions as he chooses, constitutes anotlier consideration of great inq)ortance. Wide as may seem the oj)portHnity of selection in tlie Northern and Eastern States, it, is narrow indeed, as compared with that of Florida. With very few exceptions, all that grow s in the other States of the Union may well be grown in Florida, and to these may be added a wry long list of productions, many of which can only be raised luulcr careful pi'otection, and some of which are unknown in the other States. Except in Central America, where the fre((uent luountaius, by diiTcrences of elevation, give that variety of temi)erature caused elsewhere by difference ot lalitudo, there is pro- bably no portion of the Northern part of the Western continent that gives so great and varied a list of actual and possible })roductions of value as tlie State of Florida. All cereals of the North, except wheat, have been raised with great success, and al- thougli in some localities fail- ci'ops of wlieat liave been made, still this ci'oj) can hardly be said to have had a fair trial. Without exception, all the vegetables tiiat can ije cultivated with success in the North .ore raised with greater success and facility here. All the Northern fruits, except apjdes, and some of the smaller fruits, such as currants and g-ooseliervios, do well in J^'loi-idn, and soino of then}, poaehos partioularlN-, tlirivp ro- nmricabl}-. Apples of very fair (luality have been raised, and it is elainiedtliat by proper care, they may be successfidly o-rown ; but it is probably true that they will not do as well as farther to tho North. Then to these are to be added, as among the crops which seem jieculiarly adapted to the climate, and which <>;row with remarkable vigor, rice, upland and lowland, peanuts or pin- dars, sweet potatoes, yams, cotton, long and sliort, indigo, sugar cane, oranges, lemons, limes, citrons, gniivas, figs, sisal hemj), arrowroot, and pomegranates, and in the central and southern portions of the State, pine apples, bananas, plantains, cassavas, cocoa-nut, paw-paws, various of the species, alligator pears, and probably cotlee, while tea can be raised throughout the State. Wonderful as sncli a list seems, comprising oidy the productions of a single State, it evidently must present great attractions to all wlio, by a more rigorous climate, have. been constrained to confine themselves to a more limited sphere of cultivation. '',• .jh*- ' Visitors to Florida have hitiierto found so much inconvenience and expense attending a journey through Middle Florida to the western portion of the State, that verj- few sti-angers have made a personal inspection of any other than the extreme eastern portion of the State. The magnificent river St. Johns, navigable for sea steamers one hundred miles to Palat- ka, and for river steamers more tlian one hundred miles further, to Enterprise, on Lake ilonroc, and for a still smallei' class of steamers up to Lake Harney, has made traveling '(• easy iuuT comparativelj' so cheap that strangers have confined their travels almpst ex- clusively to the extreme eastern part of the State. Of the far richer and more varied sur- face and soil of Middle and Western Florida, not more than one in five hundred of those who spend the winters in Florida have had adequate conception. Hence the characteristically sandy soil of Eastern Florida has been supposed to be li'uly indicative of the soil of the whole State. Thus many mistaken notions in regard to tlie ?oil of the State have originated. It is true that the extreme eastern and western parts of the State have, in the main, a sand}- soil, generally covered with pine timber, but more or less undei'laid with cluy or marl, and interspersed, to a greater or less extent, with what are called "hammocks," or lands covered with a growth of hard wood. But as one proceeds westward, along the northern boundary of the State, the character of the soil changes from sand to loam, and then to a strong clay soil, until in the counties of Leon, Gadsden, and Jaclcson, the larger part of the soil is composed of a strong and rather heavy clay. Then talcing a stretcli of laud in the northei-n tier of counties, extend- ing from Madison to Jackson, inclusive, and thence down to the Gulf and extending along the Gulf coast from Liberty to Hernando, and including Sumter, Marion, Alachua, Levy, and other counties, one can find almost every conceivable variety of soil, adapted to the growth of nearly every crop that may be selected. Here, reallj', in the counties above mentioned, witii whose character strangers are almost entirely unacquainted, is the very cream and flower of the State. An accurate and somewhat detailed account of the various soils in the State is of so much interest to incoming settlers, that a description drawn with some care and published in a fornu-r |)amphlet is here inserted : Fine lands (pitch "and yellow pine) form the basis of Florida. These lands are usually divided into three classes, denoting first, second, and third rate i)ine*lands. Tliat which is denominated "first rate ])ine laud" in Florida has nothing analogous to it in any of the other States. Its surface is covered for several inches deep with a dark veg- etable mould, lieneath 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, chiy, or limestone rock. Tiie fertility and durability of this description of land may he estimated from the well-known fact that it has, on the Upper Suwannee, and in se\ cral otiier districts, j-ielded during tVnirteen years of successive cultivation, without tlie aid of inanui-e, four lumdred 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. Tlu' "second ratc^ pine" lands, which form the largest proportion of Florida, are all productive. These hands afford fine natural jiastnrage; they are heavily timbered with the liest species of pitch and yellow pine ; they are, for the most part, high, "rolling, healthy, Hud well watered. They are generally liased ujion marl, clay, or liniestom\ Tliey will produce for several years without tlie aid of manui-e, and when cow-penned they will yield two thousand pounds of the best (|uali(y of sugar to the acre, or aliout three hundred pounds of Sea Island cotton. They will, besides, when properly cultivated, produce the finest Cuba tobacco, oranges, lemons, limes, and various other tropical productions, which must in many instances rendei- them more valuable than the best bottom lands in the more Xorthern States. 8 Evon the. lauds of the "third rate," ov most inferior class, are by no means worthless un- der tJie climate of Florida. This class of lands maj' be divided into two orders ; the one comprising high rolling sandy districts, which are sparsely covered with a stunted growth of "black jack" and pine ; the other embracing low, flat, swampy regions, which are fre- Tjiiently studed with "bay galls," and are occasionally inundated, but which are covered Mitli luxuriant vegetation, and, very generally, with valuable timber. Tlie former of these, it is now assertained, owing to their calcareous soil, are well adapted to the growth of the sisal hemp, which is a valuable tropical production. This plant, (the Agave Sisili- aua,) and the Agave Mexicanna hemp, also loiown as the maguay, the pulke plant, the cen- tury plant, (fcc, have both been introduced into Florida, and they both grow in great per- fection on the poorest lauds of tbe country. As tliese plants derive their chief support from the atmospliere, tiiey will, like the common air plant, jjreserve their vitality for many months when left out of the ground. It is scarcely necessary to add, that the second order of the third rate pine lands, as liere de,scribed, is far from worthless. These lands afford a most excellent range for cat- tle, besides being valuable for their timber and the naval stores which they will produce. There is one general feature in the to})ograj)hy of Florida, which no other country in the United States possesses, and which afibrds a great security to the health of its inhabi- tants. It is this, that the pine lands which form the basis of the country, and whicli are almost universally liealthy, are nearly every where studed at intervals of a few miles with hammock lands of the richest quality. These hanmiocks are not, as is generally suppos- ed, low wet lands ; they never require ditching or draining ; they vary in extent from twen- ty acres to forty thousand acres, and will probably average about 500 acres each. Hence the inhabitants have it every where in their power to select residences in the pine lands, at such convenient distances froui the hammocks as will enable them to cultivate the lat- ter, without endangering their healtii, if it should so happen that any of the hammocks proved to be less healthy than the pine woods. Experience in Florida has satisfactorily shown that residences only lialf a mile distant from cultivfited hammocks arc entirely exempt from m.alarial diseases, and that the ne- groes 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 gen- erally perfectly healthy after they have been a few years cleared. Xewly cleared lands are sometimes attended with the development of more or less malaria. In Florida, the diseases which result from these clearings are, as I stated in my former letter, generally of the mildest type, (simiilc intermittent fever ;) while in nearly all the Southern States they are most frequently of a severe grade of billions fever. Tlie topographical feature here noted, nan»elj-, a general interspersion of rich ham- mocks, surrounded by high, dry, rolling, healthy jjine woods, is an advantage which no other State in the Union enjoys; and Florida forms in this respect a striking contrast witli Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas, whose sugar and cotton lands are generally surrounded by vast alluvial regions, subject to frequent inundations, so that it is imi)ossible to obtain, within many miles of them, a healtliy residence. It would seem paradoxical that the malai'ial diseases of East Florida (abouiuling as it does in rich hammock lands, and exjiosed to a tropical sun,) shoukl generally be of a much milder form than those which prevail in more northern latitudes. That such, however, is the fact, there can be no doubt ; for this fact is proved by an aggregate of evidence, (ex- tending over more than twenty years,) which it is impossible to resist. It is suggested in explanation of this fai-t, that the luxuriant vegetation which in the Southern and Middle States, passes through idl the stages of decom])osition, is in East Florida generally dried up before it reaches the putrefactive stages of decomposition, and that, consequentlj', the quantity of malaria generated is much less than in clinuites more favorable to decomposi- tion. Tliis view is strengthened by the fact tiiat the soil of Fhjrida is almost everywhere of so porous and absorbent a cliaracter, tliat moisture is seldom long retained on its sur- face ; that its atmosphere is in constant motion, and that there is more clear sunshine tlian in the more northern States. It is further suggested that the uniform })revalence of sea breezes, and the constant motion of the atmosphere in tlu^ peninsula, tend so much to dif- fuse and att(^nuate whatsoever jioison is generated tiiat it will generally produce but the mildest forms of nuxlarial disease, such as intermittent fever. The lands which in Florida, are pur txcrl/our., denominated "rich lands," are first, the "swamp lands;" second, the "low hammock lands ;" third, the "higii hammocks ;" and fourth, the "tirst-i'ate pine, oak, and hickor}^ lands." The swamp lands are unquestionably, tlie most duralily rich lands in the country. They are tlu' most recently formed lands, and are still annually receiving additions to their surface. Tliey are intrinsically-tiie most valuable lands in I'loi'ida, being as fertile as the liammoeks, and more durable. Thej- are evidently alluvial, and of recent formation. They oecujiy natural depressions of basins whicli have been gradually filled up by deposits of vegelabii! debris, iScc. washed in frDUi the adjacent and higher lands. Ditching is in- ilispensaiile to all of them in tliefr {irejjiiraljou lor sirccessful cnlti vatioii. I'roperly pfe- j)ai-ed, however, then- inexhaustible fertility sustains a succession of the, most exhausting- crops with astonishinc: vii>-or. The gi-eatest yield of sugar ever realized in Florida was produced on this description of lanti, viz: four hognheads per acre. That this quantity was produced on Dummitt's plantation, near Xew Smyriia, is a fact well l sugar cane as any land in the State. The (xulf Hammock, in Levy county, comprises perhaps tlie largest body of rich land in Florida. It was bought tip years ago at from five to ten dollars per acre by private parties, l)y wliom it is mostly held at the present time. The Florida Railroad runs through it, and it will, no doubt, become, at an early day, one of the garden spots of the State. The clearing of tlie hammocks, howe\er, is expensive, and, as in every new country, we may t^^:)l(■(•t lo see ihe lands more lightly timbered first brouo-ht into cultivation. VIEW OF AN INTELLIGENT FRENCHMAN AS TO THE CAPACITY OF FLORIDA, PUBLISHED IX 182i'. Official statements in the interest of Immigration are sometiuies liable to a suspicion of undue bias and partiality tliat often detracts from their elRcieiicy, oxen when they .ire en- tirely witliin the limits of demonstrability. I am glad, then, to ask the insertion of the following Petition to Congress of the "Coffee Land Association," which was presented and made public some fifty years ago. The Association, under the lead of Peter Stephen Chazotte, who was a Frencli coffee planter of large experience and skill, and of great intelligence, ask for a grant oj; land for the encouragement of coffee planting and tlie raising of various other valuable and rave products. And in the petition, anxious to show tlie strong probabilities of success, an extended course of reasoning, based mainly upon known climatic and other con.siderations, and tend- ing to show, at least, reasonable grounds for expecting favorable results. The fact that the\)etition was presented fifty years ago, and by men seeking a grant iVoiii the government, relieves tlie reasoning and facts cited from all imputation of partizan iir undue bias. And again, the fact that thotisands of French emigrants are even now earnestly looking i'or a new and freer home in this Western World, gives peculiar and earnest force to these utterances and reasonings of a former generation, from a citizen of their own "La Belle France." J. S. A. No. 1. Juif/>i and obf:e7-i'rif!onii on the culture of VineK, Ollnes, Ci, Almonds, St. Augustine, Alabama, Mississip- pi, Louisiana, Pensaeola, and the northei-ninopt parts of East Florida. Fourth dinude in North Ai/irnro. — For which thfrc is no i)arallel climate in Europe or or Asia Minor. From latitude 29th to 'i5th, bordering almost on the tropic, and including the remainder of East Florida, containing about 3o millions acres of land. Let us now review those cliinates separately with respect to their jtrofhictions. Firnt Climate iv Europe. — There is not a single fruit, nor any grains or vegetables which the climate produces, even grapes, that are not likewise ))roduced in the first dimate of the United iStatex; for vines arc STiccessfully cultivated at Vevai/, in Indiana, wliich lies under the highest latitude of this climate. If, then, vines grow and bear pleiitifidly good and perfect ripe grapes iit Veveuf, what success would attend tlieir cultivation on ihe iipper land of Virginia, North Carolina, and Tennessee, where the climate is milder, the; season.^ more regular, tlie soil rich, and where tobacco grows in abundance, and even cotton suc- ceeds — a staple which cannot be raised in Europe in this parallel climate V An undeniable proof that this climate in the L'nited States is as favorable to tiie growth of grapes as that of France. We need but plant and our labors will be recompensed witli abundant riches. Seeoud CUirude in E^n-ope. — This climate, besides what grows in the first, jiroduces olivfcs, capers, almonds, oranges, limes, jjomegranates, and figs. Seeond (Jlinude in the United States. — This already produces oranges, limes, pomegran- ates, figs, (fee, and if olives, cai)ers, and almonds are not seen there, it is because none haAc yet been planted. It is a well known fact that indigo used to be cultivated there, and lias of late years been neglected, because of C(jtton being found more ]iroductive ; besides to- bacco and rice, which are great staples for exjiortation. Now, would it not exhibit a want of judgment to believe that neither olives, capers, almonils, nor vines, can succeed in so favorable a climate ? Facts demonstrate that, notwithstanding Itonaparte's coniniand to raise cotton in the southern provinces of France, every attempt was met with a discour- aging failure ; the siunmer was found to be too short, and all his endeavors to dispense with our cotton proved useless. Surely, then, that man must be ])rejudiced or blind who. after such strong evidences, will still doiibt of our success. Third Cliiuafe i)>. Eitroj>e nvd Ax-ia Minor. — This third climate produces only wiiat is slated in the second, Avith the addition of some cotton, fit only to manufacture coarse goods. Third' Climate in the United titntex. — In this climate is raised the finest cotton in the world ; and besides those staples that already grow, and may grow in the seeond, we may raise sugar, which is a production of the torrid zone. In vain did Bonaparte's empire ex- tend in the southernmost part of Europe ; unable to find it in an inch of ground where the sugar canes could grow, he Avas I'educed to extract a scanty supply of bad sugar from beets. It is then manifest, that our 1st, 2d. and od stated climates are, sei)aratcly and collectiveh", superior to those of Europe'; and if they do not produce Avines, olives, capers, and almonds, they are not to be charged Avith being unfavorable to their growth ; Ave alone are to be blamed for it. Fourth Climate South of the United States. — This fourth climate has no parallel in Eu- rope; it lies betAveen latitudes 29th and 25th ; and being four degrees farther to the south than any other section of the United States, it promises fair, from the nature of the soil and climate, to produce coffee, cochineal, and cocoa; as for sugar, it may evei-yAvhcre be raised abundantly. Coffee, cocoa, and sugar, are staples of the tropics, and a\ e are satisfied tiiat, as the lat- ter is raised in Louisiana, the climate in East Florida must/ be much more favorable. Doubts may arise on tlie success attending the culture of the two first nametl staples in tlie minds of such as are altogether unacquainted witli it; but let those wlio are conversant with the subject decide, and 1 am confident of being strengthened in my opinion by an affirmative. I shall here take a retros])ectivc view of the progress of the plantations of coft'ee in tlie West India Islands, and prove tliat, Avhere it was not expected to groAv, exiioriments at- tended Avith success liaA'e remoA'cd all doubts. In the year 1796, not a single coffee i)lant avus cultivated in the island of Cuba. In the ' year 17ti9, tliat plant began to be introduced iii^the islanil of Jamaica ; for in the year 1798, there was but a very scanty quantity raised in that island. That .plant Avas chiefly cultiA'ated in the colonies belonging to France ; and, were it not for the French revolution, it is probably that that rich staple would at this day be, as it formerly Avas, tlie principal cause of the ascendency of France over England in supplying the Aviiole of Europe Avith that colonial produce. Unfortunately, I do not say for France, but for planters of that ofice liajipy and favored island, St. Doiuingo, they were doomed to utter destruction by tlie evil genius of a single man. That nifin was named Calonne, prime minister to Louis the 16th. By that policA', whicli in European cabinets is i:a\\{i(i*'un coup de politique." ( 'alonne expected to arrest the revolution in its first brilliant progress, by diverting ttie minds of the Frencli peo]de, and directing it towards flu- safety of St. Domingo. Avhere tlu- 13 interests of France feecriicd, until then, to liave been concentrated. He resolved, and or- dered a dreadful revolt to be iiistig'ated there, and a man of color, at that time in Pari;-, whose name was Oge, was sent and lurni.shed with every facility the Government could afford, to stir uj) a revolt amongst the niulatoes. Ca^ic Francois was burnt, streams of human blood flowed, civil war was kindled all over the island. The French ])eo]ile were too Inisily engaged about redressing their grievances to be deterred from pursuing tlie object in view by i. teemed very superior. Thc'small size of the grain, and its rounded foi-m, indicates that, the land on which it grows is exhau.sted, and tliat the plant bears only a scanty quantity. In a virgin and rich hind this plant bears large crops; the grain is bigger, and flatted on one side, so that two grains united have an oval form, which lies in the centre, as the stone of a cherry, i> fruit which it perfectly resembles in size, shape, and color. * Bonaparte had thon eoiiquered the whole of Italy, and \\iis about sailing for Egypt : Moreau had silenced the northern powers; and Holland had, by the precipitated fliglit of the Duke of York, l)eeonio a sister republic of France. At this time Continental Hurope liad fiued for peace. 14 On the iron-bound coasts of Hispanola, .famaica. Cuba, aid river where the Chattahoochee and Flint rivers meet, to the source of the St. Marys river, and, by the course of said river, to the Atlantic ocean ; and to the eastward and southward by the Atlantic ocean and the Gulf of Florida, including all islands within six leagues from the seacoast." This govermnent being given to Colonel Grant, it was then expected tliat "rice, indigo, silk, wine, oil, anil other valuable conjuiodities would l>e produced in great abundance."' * In the W^est Indies this j)lant would grow to the height of ten feet. Experience has shown the advantages of limiting its height at four feet, by which means the branches, from the earth up, expand, and the plaut acquires a stronger body, which, in consequence of its low height, is sheltered from the ravages of a luirricanf^, or the two heavy load of its fruits, 15 The English, at that time, knew litth^ or nothing about coffee,* hence they did not men- tion it in theii- enumeration. ■ Some time after, an English gentleman of fortune went to establish himself in East Florida. His labors were crowned witji success both in the cul- ture of coffee and sugar canes; and his establishments were already considerable, when the American revolution, in its effects, made Florida pass into the hands of Spain. The Brit- ish tTOvernment finding Mr. Smitli, or sonu> such name, (for although this is an historical fact, yet, not having the book in which it is .stated before nie, my memory has not, jier- haps, retained tlie true name,) luul so far succeeded, would not allow him to remain there. They carried him off with his slaves, and destroyed everything he had planted ; for whidi loss'and damages the British (Tovernmeut awarded to him a considerable sum. Besides these, travelers, wlio liave visited that country, assert to have seen coffee plants in several l)lacea, not cultivated for profit and revenue, but as a curiosity, the intrinsic value of wliicli seems to be unknown to those who have planted them. Mr. Carvertf says, "So mild is tlie winter that the most delicate vegetables and plants of tlie Carribee islands experience there not the least injury from that season ; the orange tree, the plantains, the guava, the pine-apple, «fec., grow luxuriously." Fogs are unknown iliere, and no countrj- can, therefore, be juore salubrious." Mr. Wm. Stork, in his descrip- tion of East Florida, gives the following account of it: "The jjroduction of the northei'ii and southern latitudes grow and blossom by the side of each other, and there is scarcely another climate in the world that can vie w^ith this in displaying such an agreeable ami luxuriftnt mixture of trees, plants, shrubs, and flowers. The red and wliite i)ine and the evergreen oak marry their boughs with the chestnut and mahogany trees ; the walnut with llie cherry; the maple with the campeach, and the braziletto with the sas.safras tree, which, togetlier, cover here a variegated and rich soil." "The wax myrtle tree grows everywhere liere." "Oranges are larger, more aromatic and succulent than in Portugal. I'lums na- turally grow finer and of a quality superior to those gathered in the orchards in Spain. *Tlie wild vines serpentine on the ground, or climb up to the tops of trees. Indigo and cocluneal:j: were advantageously cultivated there, and in the year 17*77, produced a revenue fif 200,H00 dollars."^ In fine, I shall add, that this country will produce all the tropical h'uits and staples by tlie side of those belonging to a northern climate. Having, I presume, adduced suilicicnt evidence in support of the position I have taken, and demonstrated that coftee, cocoa, and sugar canes will grow everywhere in East Flori- da, as well as vines, olives, capers, almonds, &c., and that vines may likewise l)e success- liilly cultivated as far north as the Patuxeut, in Maryland, 1 shall now take a separate \"iew of each of these rich productions, and, from accurate knowledge, give a statement of the proceeds of a man's yearly labor. In this statement, I shall allow but one-half of the work which experience shows a man easily does ; 1[ and their moderate calculations being at no time liable to deceive our expectations, we may, with more certainty, form a pi'oper estimate of the advantages or disadvantages of those cultures, and whether we are not to be benefitted, both as individuals and as a nation, bj' immediately undertaking tlie grand work„or leave all the riches accruing from it to those who already enjoy them. It cannot be expected that I shall cuter into the particidars and minutia of the culture * At this period coffee had not yet been cultivated in the island of Jamaica, as is proved by a representation made about the year 177<> to the court of St. .lames by the planters and merchants residing in that island, and comprehended in seven chief grievances, the seventh of which I subjoin here : "That cocoa, or chocolate nut, which was heretofore one of the principal commodities of this island, is now lost by the heavy duties tliat are laid ujion it ; and probably our sugar, rum, ginger, tfec, must have the same fate if not timely remedied. And, as we have just now begun to plant coffee, we liojie for a bounty to encourage that plantation on our send- ing it to England ; at least that there might be no duties laid upon it." f Universal Traveller, page 604. i: I do not understand the raising of it, which is immensely productive, but 1 know that the neighborhood of Pensacola is the place where it will produce much. v;; In the year 1804, I was cast upon the southernmost point of East Florida, and al- though it was in the month of February, I beheld that country covered with green trees and flowers, the image of an everlasting spring. •[ Coffee — 2 acres to each man. There is no tilling or hoeing ; the only labor is to pre- vent gra,ss from growing between the plants, and the picking up of the fruits, which is the ino.st laborious ; otherwise, a man could easily take care of five acres of land. Cocoa — 4 acres to each man. There is no culture whatever; the laboi- is in cutting off the nuts and drying the fruit. Vine — 5 acres to each man. Which are to be j)loughed three times a year. In cutting off the fruits, or vintage time, additional hands are necessary. Olives, capers, almonds, need no cidture; hands are necessary only to get crops in, and extract the oils. !UiJ preparations of those commodities. My intention, at present, is not to teach, but to enlighten the mind on a subject foreign to the present agricultural pursuits ot om- citizens. A work, describing every particular, would, at tliis stage, excite curiosity, without promis- ing any real advantages. Such a work J shall cheerfully undertake when I see that spirit of enter})risfi which characterizes the American people roused and elevated to that degree of national pride and grandeur as shall warrant its publication. Fimt statement, an 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 '1 lbs. or more ; but I reduce it to one pound : therefore, a man will give, yearly, 3,528 lbs. of coffee, which, at 25 cents, produces 882 dollars. It is to be observed, that no crop is to be expected on the first and second year ; on the third year the plant yields a good crop, on the fourth an abundant one. which it will con- tinue to yield cA'ery 3'ear until the groujid 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 l)ct ween the ranges. Seeond utatement, on Cocoa. — Four acres of land planted in rows, and the trees at ten feet distant from each other, give 1,764 trees, A man is capable of taking care of them and of gathering the nuts. At seven years of age, each tree will yield two lbs., and the fj'iiantity will increase with its age; therefore, a man will gather 3,528 ll>s. of cocoa, which, at 15cts. jier llx, will produce $<529.2o. This cidtivation, differing from all others, requires some illustration. It was formerly 1 bought tliat its culture required much labor and a- virgin soil; but experienct; has shown that it grows on land half exhausted by the coffee plant, and in less than twelve years time •icquires such power as to destroy the coffee underneath. Hence, it is now planted be- 1 ween 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 hundred years for forests to rise i>ii it again ere it co\dd recover its first frnitfulness, the same land being again covered liy a new forest of productive trees, the fruits of which growing and maturing all tlxe year round, each day brings in its ci-op. 1 could not select a moie proper place to state, that it seems that Providence, in its wise dispensations, intended the cocoa tree shonld be tlie means of quickly renewing the soil exhausted by other productions. It is a fact known to myself alone, at this moment, because he who made the successful experiment, Mr. lierlie, and those who were eye Avitnesses to it, were, by the bloody effects of St. Domingo's re- generating system, doomed to an untimely grave, and I am the only survivor. The fact is ihis : Mr. Berlie, a ])lanter on the high land of Donna Maria, had planted, after the coffee had exhausted his land, the whole of his estates with cocoa trees. This answered well ; ))ut as coffee became more productive, be thought of making an expei'iment — which was to cut down twenty aei'es of cocoa trees, setting them on fire in the same manner as is done in clearing new land, and planting them again with coffee ; it was found that coffee grew more ])eautifidly than it had done before. The cocoa trees, when cut down, were twenty- live years old. The extraordinary effects of the cocoa tree in regenerating the ground upon which it grows may easily be accounted for. This tree seldom attains higher than fifteen feet ; it is liranchy. its leaves very large, and the body, or stock, of a middling size; the leaves con- linually falling off the ti-ee, whilst new ones grow, cover tlie earth with a thick bed of leaves, whicli allow not even a blade of grass to grow witli them. Hence the ground re- quires no culture, and the trees but a light pruning, wlien any ravages liave been caused liy some storm. This constant thick bed of leaves returns to the earth five times more nu- triment than the diminutive size of the tree requires from it, and in less than thirty years i( brings the soil back to its original fertile state. Third. •itatcnif nt, oti Vines. — Having given the proceeds of a man's yearly labor in the plantation of coffee and cocoa, I shall now quit P'lorida, and enter the territory of the Uni- ted States. An acre of land planted with viiieis, allowing forty-one ranges at five feet distant, and to each range 104 vines at two 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 ten vines to yield one-gallon of wine, it will produce 2,132 gallons, which, being rated at the low price of thirty cents per gal- lon, will ))roduce $639.00 for a man's yearly labor. This plantation is the most beautiful and luxuriant in nature : for nothing can equal tlie fascinating sight of a well cultivated vineyard. And as olives, capers, and alnumd trees ivquire. no jiarticular culture, they may be planted in ranges, at thirty feet distant, in the \ ineyard, where the mildness of the climate allows the plantation. In Georgia and Ala- bama these four productions may be raised on the same soil. In a more nortlu-rn climate the vines must he cultivated separately. So much may be said on this very interesting subject, that it would require more time than i ha\ c resohed to bestow on it at present. 17 ''•'l alialloiily udil, tluiL it uti'crs an iuL'-sluiUotible s-uurce of prlviiU- luuliiiitioniil , wealth, be- cause these plantations may be made to last for ages. ., ^ ^,,j ^ ,.i| Fourth Htah'iin lot, OH luncK, olivat, mperx, and alinondu, planted pH jfJi,c'-^amf, ffrqnml. — Five .Acres ill vines produce, as before stated, for a man's yearly labor,. ............ §039 -iO " 'lij5 olive trees, at thirty feet distant, will yield, after seven years of age, a^out ■' "one gallon of oil each, wliich, valued at 'tlielowpricepf i^lyjj.O per gallon,, is .^.;,, 262 50 ^n almond trees, } produce, A'aUied at f,>N.o-iu V / a// !j.' „ ' 25 papers do. 3 :j>l. 50. ..,.,... ■ '• • - 10300 ,70 ' Yearly proceeds of a man's labor ._ §l,O0G 80 ^ '' Review of th' above. — I shall now suppo.*e that, in the eourseof thirty years, we niay en1- i'' ploy 50,0(H)persons in the culture of vines singly ; they will cultivate two hundred and fifty thousand acres of land, wiiich will yield au annual revenue of $31,965,000 Fifty thousand persons in the culture of vines, (jlives, almonds, and capers, on •250,000 acres of land, will, yipld auau^usU, revenue of 50,340,000 . Total: ^ ;.:..^]....;V!.:'.'!'.'^',!.'!'!'1V. .,'.!'• M^ ss2,305,ooo Cocoa. — Fifty thousand jiersons engaged in the culture of cocoa, will cultivate 200,000 acres of land, which will yield an annual revenue of $26,420,000. iriy ^^.f^''- — One hundred thousand persons engaged in the culture of cofiee, will cultivate ,...|wo hundred thousand acres of land, which will yield au annual revenue of .$88,20r),000. |,s,i!j , ,tt RKC.APrrULATION OK THE PEECEDIXCl K.STIiMATKS. 'i'>tl0©i,flOOper.e estimated to be annually about, viz : Wines, olives, etc '...." '. . . . $17,305,000 Cocoa, (fee 6,420,000 Coffee,. .:>; . . 13,2oo,o(i() ■ .,„dl .---I ;■: Home consumption $36,925, oOO Leaving an bumeiise surplus for exportation to foreign countries, of — Wines, olvcs, drc '.'. $65,000,000 Cocoa, i':'ii;i!i'U.i'J.::'L!;i'ii;-i - 20,0oO.O(m) Coffee,.! .".»'.'. )'.■.;•.•':'.'.'. .i.'."; 75,000,(i()(i Exjjortfltion .".'.•'.'.■';'. I ibV'.' .■>} .".<>. i $160,000,000 ' It "vvill then become a matter of policy for the Federal CoTfTTiment to change the exist- 'o lug fiscal laws and regulations with respect to those staples of exptn'ts. The citizens pay- iil'ltig no longer any duties on those articles which now form the principal revenue of the ^■■' 'National (Tovernment, (hities on their exportations must of course be recurred to. The '■•■'estimate of which might, perhaps, give the following: Fixeal Dnf/e.s — Which I value at an aver.age of fifteen per ewt. It neither becomes me, nor does it enter into my plan, to trace scales of proportions on matters whioh must be left to the wisdom of Congress; and in forming that average, 1 merely have in view to as- <.lbi^ertain the probable results of my recapitulation and statement of surpluses; and I find the annual receipts in the several custom liouses would amoiuit to $24,ooo,O(i0. • There is no reason whatever that can prevent us from employing, in those several cul- _^.' tures at least five hundred thousand persons on eighteen hundred thousand acres of land, ' |.|Wluch would yield an annual income of $393,850,00(^. , . ^j' I ^ ,' ,^ ' / ,,■.', 'hul A\^^ supposing that, on account of our immense proclu9p,| we .lojvyered l]ie prices in all . ^,';|]l.ve markets in the world even one-third of the low prices at w-hicli I have valued them, , ,yet the labors of five hundred thousand workingmen would give annually the sum of ,;,',, '1262,566,667. ^ ^ j' Considerations of such vast importance are not to be overlooked. We have but to begin ",j,„the work, and before thirty years are elapsed^ more than five hundred thousand Euroiiean ,,] .j.eiJiigrants will be seen crossing the Atlantic ocean t-o unite their labors and industry with _^ ours; and everything concurring to increase our wealth, i>ower, and comnierce, and the '_j, Almighty making even the tyrants oi Euroj)c subservient to our grandeur, we shall tiien • ■■ 'be tlie most powerful, as we are now the freest and happiest nation on the globe. I need not, I tliink adtl anything to what I have already said on the importance of the acquisition of East Florida. Tlie sinii)le statements T have given, and it beiug the only laud adjoining the territory of the Cnited States where cotfee and cocoa will grow, is suth- ciently interesting to excite a lau(lal)l(! desire of seeing it jiass into our po.ssession ; how- ever, we must be contented with waiting patiently for the final decision of Congress. 18 To foi'm an accurate estimate of the. value set upon those rich productions, w^ heed but peruse the modern history of the nations of Europe. The whole of Germany. Denmark, Sweeden, Prussia, Russia, Poland, and Turkey may be set in a flame by wars, as in the time of Charles the I'ith, of Sweeden, and yet navigators will nowhere meet with war on the seas ; but the moment that France or Spain gets into disagreements with any of the nations of Continental Europe, not only is that section of the world kindled with flame and deluged in blood, but the seas around the g-lobe witness scenes of horror and carnage. And why ? Because the present object of warfare is ho longer what it formerly was. The acquisition of one or more provinces in Europe cannot move J^ngland ; but she sets the world on fire to sell her manufactured goods, monopolize commerce, and obtain pos- ses.sion of the French, Spanish and Dutch colonies. These she values more than king- doms, although she feigns to fight onl}- for the balance of power. Immediately after the peace of 1801, the French government sent armies to recover St. Domingo — the rebels must have submitted — the British ministry calculated the future consequences of such a submission, and Malta, a rocky isle, not worth a shilling in agriculture, suddenly became a pretence for the bloody and long war that ensued. France lost St. Domingo and the Isle of France, and Holland the Cape of Good Hope, Ceylon, *frc.* Thus Europe has fought thousands of battles, and slaughtered six millions of victims on the altar of avarice and commercial monopoly ! ' Spain, who, for many centuries, has been pursuing the most absurd policy, by discour- aging agriculttn-e to foster the working of her silver and gold mines; who has left unculti- vated the most fertile land on tlie face of the earth, and made of her formerly active citi- zens the most indolent j)eople in the world, is now endeavoring to rej)air the ruins caused by so blind a policy. Puerto Rico and Cuba are now tliought capable of producing ten thousand times more riclies than all the mines of Peru. The greatest efforts ai'e at this moment making by that regenerated government to place those two islands in a liigh state of cultivation ; emigrants are encourao-ed free of expense ; thirty -three acres of land are given to each individual ; they are fed during the si.x months immediately following their arrival, and furnished with every necessary tool and instrument of agriculture ; they ai-e, besides, free from all kinds of taxes for the space of ten years ; and, to such as wish to purchase land, the government sell 330 acres for $450, on credit of five years without paj- ing any interest ; after which an interest of six per cent, is required until perfect liquida- tion of' the whole debt. This enlightened and liberal policy would, in less than ten years, triple the actual revenue of those islands, were it possible to establish a mutual confidence between the Spaniards and strangers ;f a confidence which has so many times proved de- ceptive on the side of tlie Spaniards, and ruinous for the indnstrons stran.2:er among them. A government, founded as ours is on the most liberal principles of political economy. who.se very existence is a seal that secures the hapjdness and liberty of the least of its members ; whose policy is to increase the wealth of the nation, and whose chief magistrate i*, as it were, placed on a high tower to direct the uncertain steps of the enterprising pa- triots, and the inexperienced labors of the citizens, must, more than any other govern- ment, feel intereste(l in promoting the culture of whatever staples are found capable of in- creasing the prosperity and commerce of the country. 1 fondlj- cherish the hope that the goyernment will eagerly encourage the culture of the productions 1 have already enumera- ted. C'Ongress need, I presume, in those things for which they have not had any opportu- nity of acquiring practical knowledge, but to be made acquainted with the importance of thtlse plantations, by those whose lou«- exi)ei'ience enables them to comnmnicate these use- ful facts. As one of the very few in tlxe United States qualified to discharge tliLs impor- tant duty, and being, acted npon by those mighty considerations which work po powerfully * The British Government, notwitlistaMding the, inimcn.«>e profits accruing to the' nation from the rich commodities and staples' produced by its colonies, hiok upon them a.< 'mere marts for the sale of manufactui'ed goods, or stations for its nnmerous ships of war. The virtuous pursuit of :\griculturc (out of the limits of England) is cramped in all it.s efforts for the purpose of giving empl()yment to the corrupted I'abble of its mantifacturihg cities ; 1o enrich ship-builders aiul shi[) owners ; to protect privileged companies of monopolists ; to oppress the industrious artisans ; to drain the purse of the affluent, and midtiply the number of paupers. Hence, the interests of the colonists have seldom been attended to. Their colonial systerii is so bad that it seems to have been framed by an avaricious com- pany of sliip owners, whose chief object M'as to force the growers of sugar and coffee to load their ships and i)ay them a heavy freight. .V grower of coffee is oppressed by tiie ex- isting colonial system, and the crown again oppresses the consumer; for no ntiahl'rt Eng- land can roast his coftee as lie pleases; he must buy it from a monopolist. " " , '" f This new colony of Fernandina de Xagua is not likely to succeed, although iijjwards of two thousand emigrants Inuc already repaired there. I know the person who acts there as a chief for the Spanish Government,' and know, also, that his exactions Vill ultimately Vum that establishment. ^ ,■ i , i , If) on the head of a true citizen, I respcjctt'uUy submit, for the consideration of the President, the Senate, nnd the House of Representatives of (lie United States, the outlines of a pro- ject for eft'eotiially cncouras>-inii- the plantations of vines,' olives, capers, almonds, cofiee, cocoa, &c., tfec. , ! ,1. ' The first preliminary stejis to be tiiken in order to carry the proposed plan into e.xeoi»-i'' tion, must be the secui-in^- of Ivist Florida, the southern ])art of which ujay he jjlanted in lofFeeand cocoa, and is, iu fact, worth twenty times more than the swampy land claimed by the United States, west of New Orleans. This beino- obtained, several considerations of a primary nature offer' themselves to the mind ; for, althou;.!;h every citizen is free to choose his culture, yet it is not in the jiower of every one wisliini*- to cultivate those rich ])lants to jirocure them at the moment they are wanted. Hence, when citizens are left without a helpini>; hand, discouragement ensues, and what may be effected in three years by the fostering hand of government, may rc- ouire a century wIumi left to the discretimi and impotence of inexperienced individuals. Thev must be guided ; they nuist be taught ; they must have a place where they will ap- ])ly "for plants, and also acquire that information whicli no book can give ; they must be dissuaded from cultivating the aboriginal grapes, which, though they might prove of an excellent quality, are not worth the troble of a trial ; because, however productive they might be found in the end, yet, it would require more than forty years' culture before they could attain that delicacy of softness and perfection which ages of culture and care alone can give. The government, by means of its numerous consuls, may procure the first quali- ties of plants aaid seeds. From France and Italy, the best qualities of vines, olives, lige, capers, and almonds. From Matleira and Portugal, tlieir spirituous and astringent vines. From Samos, t'hio, t'andia. and Cypress, their sweet, delicate, and restorative cordial vines: There is a great analogy between men and plants. JMan must be subdued by the slow pro- gress of knowledge to the rule of civilization ere he attains that superiority of intellectual and spu'itual ideas which bespeaks him to be a being inferior to God alone ; plants obtain their perfection only in proportion as man improves his mental powers, and labors to raise them to the height of his intellectual faculties. Five ages have passed away, and yet the man who inhabited the soil which we at this day tread on, is still a fugitive in the desei-ts ; all our efforts to overtake him and make him a civilized man, have proved fruitless; he prefers death to civilization ; he flies off, avoids our meeting, and. before long, it will be said, "here were once innumerable nations of warriors that have evanished away" — a disappear- ance that will confound the sagacity of future philosophers, because they will know man only in his civilized state, and shall nowhere find that being in the simple state of nature. I beg to be excused for these fugitive ideas ; they have forced themselves on my pen. I resume my subject. From Cuba, in less than twenty-four hours, we may receive as many coffee seeds as we want. From the western part of St. Domingo, say Donna Maria, or from the Spanish Main, in the province of Venezuela, say Caraccas and Maracaibo, we may obtain the nuts that will afford the necessary seeds. These preliminary remarks bring me to the conclusiyu, which 1 shall improve, by hum- bly offering to Congress a plan for effectually encouraging the plantation of the 'foremen- tioned valuable staples. 1st. That it is requisite for Congress to allot one thousand acres of land, to be selected by a proper judge, for the purpose of establishing a grand national nursery of those rich plauts. 2d. That it is of the utmost national urgency, that, under the superintendence of the President of the United States, this establishment should be instantly commenced, and that, the President should select such person or persons as shall have given undoubted proofs of their qualifications, to conduct and superintend the establishment. Sd. That, to the end of immediately enabling this establishment to furnish Die citizen.s with the necessary plants, fifty thousand dollars ought to be appropriated for the perfect and quick execution of the object in view. 4th. That the President of the United States be authorized to ap]ioint a proper person to go as agent to Europe, to select those plants and sj^ecies of vines that are known to be most productive both for quality and quantity ; or otherwise, to empower the consids in those several countries to procure and forwai'd the plants and seeds re([uested, and to make a necessary distinction of species in the several plants in order that none but the very best should be introduced into America. 5th. That as coffee will, three years after it is plantctl, cocoa live years, vines four years, olives, capers, and almonds, seven years, produce sufficient seeds and vines to supply every demand, these should, on the first reception of the several plants and seeds, be cultivated in the establishment on a large scale, with a view, first, to multiply the plants and seeds, and to increase the nursery, which may also be commenced immediately. '2d. To form a school for the culture and management of those plants, where every citizen should have the privilege of repairiiig to acquire those informations and i)raetical knowledge that no -book extant can arive. 20 6th. That, with n view to (liscuinituname idlu tlfiiiand^, and tlieroby prevent the wanton w.aste of thet^o plants, a thiiisjj which woidd frequently happen if they were given gratis, the chief director, acting as snjicrinteudent of the establishment, sliould be authorized to 8cll them to individuals at the followiug rates: > CofFeo plants, 2 cents apiece; cocoa plants, a cents apiece ; vine plants, o cent s apiece; vines, 1 cent apiece ; olive plants, 100 cents apiece ; ca])ers and ahnonds, 75 cents apiece; which would yield a revenue which, in six years, would fepay the government the tiftv thousand dollars expended in the establishment, and leave a benefit of upwards of one liundred tliousand dollars. On the seventh year the demand for cofiee and cocoa j)lauts will begin to decrease, be- cause they Avill be procured from every individual who sliall have already planted them. For ten years more the vine plants and vines will be in great demand, when they will de- crease ; and the olive, caper, ami almond plants will, for twenty-five y(^ars longer, continue in great demand, wlien tlie establishment, as a nursery, will cease to be j)roductive iti this high degree. Thus, having afforded the means of planting t'le best si)ecies of vines in tiie world, wo may, ere ten years have elapsed, produce wijies equal in quality to any in the world — a (|uality which will vary according to the climate and soil where they may happen to be cultivated. It is a general, and yet very wrong impression, to think that vines will grow only on such and such soil. Vines grow even on the worst land, and steepest hills and mountains, in cold and hot climates. Hence proceeds the great difference in qualities-. On clay aiid very poor land, such that no other productions can gi-ow, is made those com- mon wines which, being imfit for exportation, are distilled into brandy ; for it requires seven casks, or 420 gallons of wine, to get a pipe of brandy of 90 gallons. What I have stated in the preceding slieets will exhibit, in a strong jtoiut of view, the importance of establishing a national nursery in order to promote, foster, and effectually afford the means of successfully cultivating, on a large scale, these highly rich productions, which, in less tlian twenty-five years, will double the actual revenue of the country, create new and inexhaustible resources, invigorate commerce, and reuder it at times tl(jurishing, by the exportation to foreign countries of our vast surpluses. Considei'ations of such magnitude as those will, I ha\e no doubt, o])erate jiowerfidly on the minds of our legislators, whose honor.ible nussion is to mature plans, form schemes, and ensure, by wise Laws, the happiness, prosperity, and glory of our country. And if it be not considered a departure from that reverence which a private citizen owes to the chief magistrate and representatives of a whole people, to dare impart to them ideas on sub- jects till now foreign to the sphere of their legislative labors, I hope that I shall not be thought too presuming to approach them with diffidence and respect, and entreat them to grant a moment's attention to the contents of these sheets. Should they prove worthy of those to whom they are respectfully submitted, I shall esteem myself honored for having thus far been instrumental to the increase of the wealth of the nation, and contributed a share in her welfare and prosperity. PETER STEPHEN CIIAZOTTE. NOKTIIEM, CENTRAL, ANI) SOUTHERN FLORIDA. In addition to the general information in regard to Elorida, now easily attainable from various recent i)ublications, every immigrant who has dcteriinned to establish a home in the State, or select a locality adapted to tlie prosecution of his own particular business, or to the furtherance of his own special enterprises, will desire a more particular and detailed account of the capacities and characteristics peculiar to tlie different counties or sections, as preliminary and necessary to a judicious location. An effort was made to provide fully for this anticipated and natural demand by secur- ing from intelligent citizens of each county well-considered and reliable descrijitions of their own localities. But the attempt was only partially successful ; for while this request- for statistical and other information was most courteously and ably responded to in some instances, as will appear from the following pages, still, from many counties no response whatever has as yet been made. Hence, while hoping to receive such responses for use in a future edition, it has been necessary to group together various counties, jiearly alike iu characteristics, and apply to a complete group, so far as practicable, the de.scrii)tions of counties from which local de- scri))tions have been rc^'cived, so far as they are typical of the entire group. 21 Florida i.s usimlly (Ifsci'ihfel m.-> cmiiposcd (if East, Florida, or Uial. iiurtioii of the State betwpen tho Atlantic aiul the Sinvaniicc River, comprising- tlic whole of the peninsula; Middle Florida, cxtcnilinp; from the Suwannee to the Aiialachicola ; and West Florida, comprising the territory west of the last named river. This division, suggested probably by the existence of the distinctly;Hiarked natural boundaries furnished by the rivers named, may be well enough for the purposes of a general descrii)tion ; but a different division sug- gests itself, as better ada[>ted to the; purpose of an agricultural description of different sec- tions, whose characteristic prodtictions would be deteriniiu'd in the main by their s]iecial climatic conditions. Accordingly, in attempting to give that soi't of practical informaticni that would be ser- viceable to actual settlers, and best enable them to make satisfactory locations, a different mode of territorial division will be ado])ted, and, for the purpose of properly grouping the counties with special reference to those climatic conditions which conti'ol and determine their vegetable ))roductions, the State will l)e included in the three divisions o*' Northern, Central, and Southern Florida. ' Northern Florida will be considered as constituted iVom all the lands lying niu-th of the' ]iarallel of Xo deg. N. latitude; tlie territory included between the parallel of 'J 8 and Sn (leg. N. latitude will be styled t'eutra! Florida; and all south (;f 28 deg. will be considered as composing South Florida. Thus apjiortioned, a general account of each division will be given, accompartied by' such local destriptions of the different counties as [ have been able to procure, and refer- ence will be made to individuals in the scn'eral counties, from whom further and more ])ar- ticular information can be obtained. NORTHERN FLORIDA. Northern Florida extends from the Atlantic Ocean, on the east, to Perdido river, on the west, a distance of three liundi"ed and seventy -live miles, and has an average breadth of some forty -five miles, and is composed of tln^ counties of Escambia, Santa Rosa, Walton, "Washington, llohnes, .laclcson, ('alhonn, (4adsdeii, Liberty, Leon, Wakulla. .Teflerson, Madi- son, Taylor, Hamilton, vSuwannt'e, Columbia, linker, Bradford, Nassau, Duval, Clay, and the northern part Of St. Johns county. The climate of this si'ction, as a Mdiole. uuiy be said to be mild, verging upon warm. All extremes of teni])erature are essentially modified by the prevalence of daily winds from the Ocean or (^ulf of Jlexieo. The eastern portion, probably from the influence of the Gulf Stream, has a milder and more agreeable climate than that west of the Suwannee and in winter suffers less from the cold northers and northwesters that occasionally pre vail. But through the whole section, so equable is the climate, that although ice may be formed two or three times in the cou.r^e of a year, the thermometer very seldom falls be- low 35 deg. in the winter, or rises above 1(0 in the summer. There are occasional frosts, but during four-fifths of the winter season, the i^revalent 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 portion, and gives a much wider field for selection tlian is cojnmonly supposed, although extreme elevations are entirely wanting. ^lany strangers, who only make a personal inspection of the St. Johns region, and go away complaining of the tamencss of the scenery, the lack of variety in tlie landscape, and the sluggish movement of the streams, would find in the val- ley of the St. Marys a d(icp and somewhat rapid stream, inclosed between })ictures(.jue bluffs and high banks in the midst of a rich and fei'tile territory. The same is also true of the Suwonnce, the Cbip(jla, and (»ther rivers. Froin Hamilton county on the cast, and Holmes on the west, the intermediate section is undulating, ami in some parts quite broken ; many poi-tionsof Jackson, Gadsden, and Leon counties, in ])articular, bearing upon their surface a strong resemblance to the less hilly l)ortions of Tcnasylvania, Now York, and New F^ngland ; and thus is afforded in Northern Florida a variety of surface, consisting of sandy plains and "fiatwoods," or an alternation of hill and vale, from which the divers tastes of different individuals can be easily gratified. The soils of Northern Florida are as varicfl as is the surface. To the cast is fcv.nd a light and sandy soil, with a subsoil varying in depth, of clay or marl. In the west the l)oorer soils are sandy, while the better are loamy in character. In the middle, or section commonly called "Middle Florida," strong clay soils are ofteii to be met, as is esjiecially the case in Jackson, Gadsden, and Leon counties. It is undeniable that here, as in the State generally, there is a gootl deal of light and poor soil; but it is equally true that as rich and ju'oductive lands exist in Northern Flori- da, and, when considered with reference to the value of the staple crops, as productive and valuable land's, A?, caii b« Vnet aniySvhere. The first year'.s croj) of cotton and corn has in 22 more than one instance, repaid the purchase price ul' a plantation, and that an old one, and cultivated without manure. , , From the broken and uneven surface of the middle counties on the north, and from the ?ievate(l and beautifully intefuiixod witii altfi-iuito sections of pine, oak, and hickoi-y and hammock. The greater portion of the population is in this division of the county. ' The western ilivision is slightly descending, and decidedly* undulating, with alternations of piney woods and hays, and the bays generally have greatev altitude than the l)iney woods, and are, Ihereforc. susceptible of easy and thorough drainage. In 1861), at my instance. Dr. Daniel Lee visited two of the most noted of those bajs — one foi' the excess of sand in the soil, and the other for the sceminglj' total destitution of sand therein — .selected samples of bay earth, and subjected them to a rigid chemical analysis, and reported to me the following results: "In one hundred parts of the sandj' bay soil I found of , -. Organic, combu.stablo substances, ;'...',. .^. .,,'.'> .vVi • • ■ ^Sij Mineral matter, 90.14 "The la.st named contained. Silica and silicates as sand SG.S5 Alumina, (the basis of clay,) ..^^ j^ij V/fniW '"■^'' Oxide of Iron i. .'..'..■.. .'. A'-' Chloride of Lime t. '. Vt-Ti Sulphate of Lime '. '.'.'}.'! ^; <•.'. Sulphate of Magnesia <•;! Chlorides of Potassium and Soda, Phosphate (^f Lime, and loss ()V "This .soil has an excess of sand, and is deficient in alumina or cla}', and the compounds of iron, which render clay either red or blue. But as the vegetable matter is both deep and abundant, it will produce well. There is no lack of lime in any of the bays. There is very little difference in the surface and subsoil of the rich bay. Much of the vegetable matter is thoroughly rotted, and exceedingly fine humus. "When thoroughlj' dried, it has great power of imbibing moisture from the atmosphere, (is very hygroscopic.) Dried at the temperature of 212 degrees, 1,000 grains carefully burnt gave 132 grains of incombus- tible ashes and earthy matter; 100 grains of this contained ; Silicates and Silica, (very fine,) SS.l't Alumina, (basis of clay,) ....,.,..,...., ^ 2.42 Oxides of Iron * ; .tj:i Carbonate of Lime, l.'^S Sulphate of Lime oc. Chloride of Calcium and Soda, o.'. Potassium and Phosphate of Lime, 04 And loss,. . .07 "As in a bank of rotten corn stalks or wheat straw, there is an excess of vegetable mat- ter in this bay soil ; and possibly uiay take some time to i-educe it to a fruitful condition. It is an immensely rich bay." Dr. Lee is a native of the State of Xew York, was for ma^iy years editor of the SoHlluru Cultivator, and was, at the time of making this analysis. Professor of the Agricultural De- partment of the State University of Georgia. T have discussed this question b}- reason of its great importance. There are tens of thousands of acres of immensely rich bay lands in Wakulla county that are susceptible of easy drainage, the soil of which is from ten to twentj' feet deep. Wikulla county is rich in timber suitable for lumber, naval stores and domestic purposes generally. The yellow i>ine, large and h>ng, abounds in every section f)f the county ; sweet bay, cypress, and black gum in the bays; sweet gum, live oak, white oak, hickorj-, ash, mulberry, cherry, magnolia, and Fhn-ida mahogany in the hammocks. There is no lack of rivers and creeks with sufhcient fall and calibre to drive machinery. There are seven grist mills and one saw mill in tln^ county, six of which are water mills, and three of them are within two miles of Crawfordville. J^umber is worth lifteen dollars jier thousand feet, and corn meal one dollar per bushel at the mill. Every section of the county is bountifully supplied with either branches, small lakes, or ponds for stocfe. For drinking, the (ritizens generally use well water, a few sj)ring, and fewer still, cistern. The drinking water, in some sections, is affected by rotten limestone ; in other sections it is onlj' slightly impregnated with lime, but mainly, it is entirely free from lime, cool and sweet. The welLs are from twelve to twenty-five "feet deep. Two hands can dig and curb a W(dl in two days. Grazing is good throug-hout the county, especially in the ea.stern and western divisions, and on the gulf coast. Stock of all kinds does well, and cattle and hogs especially are re- markable for their precocity. It is not unusual for heifers of two j-ears to have calves. Bear and deer are abundant in the remote and solitary recesses, and turkeys, foxes, coons, cats, (kg., are in every inan's plantation. The woods abound with wild hone}-. Domesti- cated bees are i)r()fital)le. Bee stands are wortii one dollar each; honey sixty cents per gallon. It co.sts a good deal to clear hammock land, and but little to clear pine; but I am not advised as to the actua]^^c(,)sto|, either,. Ttjer^v^^ cleared land enough in this county for 24 the present. Wakulla county is covered alnnwt entirely by what is kiiovviias the "Forbes' Purchase," so there is very little governineut land in the county, and that little is of very little account. The superabundance of tiniber contiguous to anj- suitable place to build, and the cheapness of labor, would enable one to build a comfortable log house for one hun- dred dollars. A cart-load of lightwood will reduce a cart-load of oyster shells to lime, and the lime and sand well )nixed, wet with water, moulded into proper shape, and dried in tlie sunshine, make good brick. A few clay brick, kihi-dried, are necessary for the hearth and back — perhaps seventy-five to the chimney. Tlie lime and s^and brick will en.durfe untA the end in the body and funnel of a chimney. .... , , I have yet to see the man wlio will acknowledge that he lives in a sickly place; but in- termittent and remittent fevers are not strangers in some localities, even in Wakulla coun- ty. But the county, all in all, is certainly healthy, and the acclimated citizens enjoy al- most uninterrupted liealth. Mosquitoes are numerous only on the gulf coast, and along the line of the rivers. I have not had occasion to put up my mosquito bars for years. Gnats and fleas annoy a little in the spring, but disappear on tbe approach rtf Mittnier. Not many snakes. . ' ' ' ' Aside from tlie equinoctial winds incident to all tropical climates, this.county is less lia- ble to storms than any with whicli I am acquainted. Mr. A. P. Tully, a gentleman of the highest integrity, Reports' that he produced last year, from one acre and three-eighths, accurately measured; tliirteen hundred and twenty pounds of dry sugar, and five hundred and twenty-five gallons of s^yru}) ; of sweet pota- toes, four hundred and fifty bushels tier m • . Labor is abundant, and can be obtained at from fifty to scvcjity -five cents per day, or from ten to twelve dollars ])er month, with rations. Good farm horses and mules are worth from one hundred to two hundred dollars each ; stock cattle from five to six dollfirs per head; stock hogs, two dollars; sheep, two dollars, and goats, one dollar and twenty -five cents. Large tracts of land in elcg-ible sections, much of thehi ' v6ry rich, with improvements thereon, can be purchased at from two to five dollars per acre. In some localities, more or less desirable, lands, with improvements, can be ptu-chased almost at purchaser's own ])rice. ".'['" , Prior to 18G0, turpentining was a lucrative avocation in this county, and there are pine trees already boxed, by sections, in localities convenient to shipping. One hand can chip and di]) four thousand boxes, which will yield about two hundred bai'relsof crude turpentine, worth inonfc hclJuni times two dollars per bai'rel. Tobacco, too, was a remunerative crop ; speckled tobacco, soft and silky, good as any ever pi-oduccd in Gadsden county or in Cuba, was produced in this county, where there are now many thousands on thousands of acres of wild hanunoek suited to its production. The coucullivation of tobacco docs not con- flict with the cultivation of other crops, but it is almost impossible to strip the fodder from a full crop of corn without neglecting the tobacct). "Five hundred pounds of speckled to- bacco is a good average ])er acre. ' . 1 believe there is not a vineyard in the county; hut a , ■jingle scuppernong vine in the neighborhood is rejiorti'd to have produced twenty-five or thirty bushels of grapes last year. Wild grajies are at home in Wakulla. Broad a<-res of wild hammock and "scrub" 25 lamls are clad with vigoi-ous vines, briraminc; witli clusters of oTapos, larg-o and luscious, and the suj)erabundance and great variety of wild grapes of a superior quality, and the wonderful production of scuppernong vines, are indications amounting almost unto a dem- onstration, that the climate and soil of Wakulla are admirably adapted to the production of grapes generally. Your i)amphlet, Mr. Adams, is worth more to Florida than your salary, and Floridians and immigrants to Florida will not be slow in acknowledging their obligations to you for the invaluable developments therein. The demand for your pamphlet is very great right here in Wakulla coimty. 1 could wish that tlie State was "sowed down" with it. It will do great good anyhow. Men of gravity and Avisdom, and verdant men, wlio never planted a fig nor grape cutting, having heard of the astonishing productions of wine, raisins, figs, itc, as promulgated in your pamphlet, are now calling for cuttings. Along the line of railroad from Tallahassee to St. Marks, tons on tons of lime could lie Imrned at a relativelj' nominal expense. Fisheries are established all along the gulf coast, and from more than one of them T have seen one hundred barrels (two hundred and fifty mullet to the Ijarrel) of mullet caj)- lured at a haul, with a seine not exceeding two hundred yards in length, and manned by less than a dozen men. Mullet are worth teil dollars per barrel on the beach. Think of it ! One thousand dollars at a haul. Mullet rim" in fishermen's phrase, in schools near the shore from the first of October to the first of December, and ten or twelve hands, with seine and boat, can capture five hundred to one thousand barrels within the brief period of eight weeks. About one-half the mullet have yellow roe, which are in great demand at a higher price per barrel than the mullet. Headless mullet only are packed ; and mul- let heads, by boiling, yield an oil equal to lard for frying fish, and superior to anj- other grease for leather. The entire gulf coast is ridged with oysters. The Newport Sulphur Springs are Avorthy of consideration. Before the war, scores of invalids resorted to these waters, many of whomAvere entirely restored to health long lost, and many more were greatly improA'cd. These Avaters are preventi\'e of debility, the forerunner of dropsy, and of physical disorganizations generally' ; and curative of dyspep- sia, rheumatism, neuralgia, etc. There are some interesting places for sale in the vicinity of these famous springs, and those Avho may desire to take a look at them are directed to D.aniel Ladd, a pioneer to Florida, and one of the most enterprising and useful citizens in the county. Mr. Ladd re- sides at Newport. The Wakulla Spring has a puft' (good one, too,) in your pamphlet, and yet another spring in Wakulla county is remai-kable for its medicinal virtues — a chalybeate spring, ten miles from Crawford ville, near Major James W. Smith's residence, in clear sight of the gulf. The waters of this spring is said to be a panacea for chronic diarrhoea. And noAv, Mr. Adams, in considei-ation of the inducements briefly itemized in this run- ning communication, some of which are the intrinsic value of the native lands, of their re- latiA'e cheapness, supplies of timber, muck, and marl, and mills, the cheapness of labor, accessibility of immediate and remote markets, proximity to the Capital, juxtaposition with the precious treasm-es of fish and oysters ; and sea breezes, health, schools, churches, societies, ciAil and social, Wakulla county fills the emigrant's bill. Last, not least, I am personally acquainted with every Avhite man in the county, and there is not a more law-abiding and Union-loving people in any county of any State in the Union or out of it, than the white people of Wakulla. There are citizens who reside near Crawfordville, in the same immediate neighborhood, avIio fought bravely on both sides during the late war, others Avho refused unto the bitter end to fight on either side, others, still, who Avere persecuted and imprisoned for their supposed devotion to the Federal flag, all living in peace and harmony. I can see no reason Avhy a Northern man should not feel at home in Wakulla county. All upright and honorable immigrants Avho may come to thi:^ county for the purpose of making it their homes, and of assisting in the development of its resources, Avill receive the most fa\'orable consideration from the citizens generally. 1 liave made it my business to inquire of the leading citizens in every section of the county as to how they would receive honorable immigrants from the Northern States, and all re- l)ort that they are willing and waiting to extend to all such immigrants the right hand of fellowshii). Yours, &c., JNO. L. CRAWFORr*. GADSDEN COUNTY. (condensed ¥110U A REPORT TO THE STATE AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY.) Thi.s county is a northern county, between the Georgia line on the north and Liberty county on the south, and between the Ocklockonee and Apalachicola rivers, its centre be- ing in latitude 30.30 north. The surface of the whole county is someAvhat undulating and broken, exhibiting frequent hills and vales, and running streams, and gives a variety of scenery larger than is found on the ocean or gulf coasts. The soil is of excellent quality, generally based upon a strong red clay which often crops out upon the surface. In the 26 best pine, and the oak and hickory lands, this clay subsoil very generallj' exists within one or two feet from the surface, and probably on this account such lands have an unusual per- manence of fertility, and a longer continued responsiveness to fertilization than is common. The hammock lands, where the subsoil is more remote, are of a lighter character, and though perhaps more productive at first, are not as lasting. There is less waste and un- cultivable land in this county than in almost any county in the State. Clay, muck, and mud abound tliroughout the county, giving ample assurance of unfailing supplies of natui-al fertilizers, and the value of these resources is now only beginning to be appreciated. The forest growth is of great variety, but the j'ellow and pitch pine, suitable for fenc- ing and milling purposes, very largely prevail. The oak ridges furnish the finest supply of red and black oak, post oak, hickory and dogwood, and the hammocks abound in the white, Spanish and basket oak, beach, magnolia, bay, walnut and cherry, and almost every other description of forest-growth that can be named. Tlie pine forests, besides furnish- ing an ample supply of fencing and building material, affords fine summer pasturage for the live stock, and the hammocks and branches are equally beneficial in that respect in the winter. Owing to the undulating surface of the country, the lands in this county were never very attractive to that class of immigrants known as large "cotton planters," and hence the county was settled up by men of moderate means and of industrious habits. This cir- cumstance has stamped upon the population more the character of "farmers" than of "plan- ters." With this characteristic they liave always produced their own supplies of provis- ions ; and prior to the close of the late war, it was a matter of rare occurrence, that either meat or bread was imported from abroad. The same spirit of independence is still obser- vable in the tone and bearing of the agricultural popidation of the county, and though cramped in their present means, and suffering under the great change whicli has so sud- denly and unexpectedly occurred in the system of labor, it is a cheering augury, that they are rapidly conforming to their altered circumstances, and fast returning to tlieir former thrift. In a word, the soil, climate, and habits of the population afford all the essential elements of a successful farming community. From a pretty thorough knowledge of the average productiveness of the soil, tlie com- mittee are of opinion that to the number of acres planted in cotton, no portion of the State can give a more satisfactory result. And it may be noted that of the amount produced, the Sea Island, or long staple, has always entered very largely into the aggregate. Such was the case before the war, and the indications of the growing crop show that there has been no change in that respect. The experience of our planters has fully demonstrated the fact, that the larger portion of our planting lands are admirably adapted to the pro- duction of tliis valuable species of cotton, and that from carefully selected seed, a fibre is produced, which for fineness, lengtli and strength is not excelled by that produced in any other section of the State. But the most distinguishing trait in the agriculture of Gadsden county prior to the war, was the great attention which was given to the cultivation of the Cuba tobacco. This cul- ture was inaugurated by a worthy gentleman by the name of John Smith, wlio emigrated from Virginia and settled in the vicinity of Quiucy about the year 1829. His extraordin- ary success soon induced otliers to go into the culture, and in the course of a few years, the Cuba tobacco became a staple product of the county, second only, if at all, to cotton. For a number of years immediately preceding the war, the production of this staple within the limits of the county averaged from three to four thousand boxes of four hundred pounds each annually, and readily commanded on the plantations, in cash, from twenty-five to fifty cents per pound. The purchases were generally made by agents of German houses, sent out from New York and Bremen. The pindar or ground-nut has always been successfully cultivated in this county, but only as food for swine. Tlie tediousness of gathering, and the fact that the gathering sea- son comes on at a time wlien we are most closely pressed by the picking of cotton, has heretofore prevented it from being adopted as a market crop. There is no doubt, however, that if made a specialty, and resort be liad to improved implements for gathering, it could be made one of the most remunerative crops that could be grown. The results in the State of North Carolina fully attest ihv. correctness of this opinion, and in point of soil and cli- mate we certainly have the advantage. But (Jadsden county does not rely alone upon her "field crops" for restoration to her former prosperity. A new business has been recently inaugurated, that of "gardening," and if tlie experiments of tlie past season afford any in- dication of tlie future, she has in tliat enterprise a most flattering promise of succes,s. One of the first shipments of garden peas tliat reached New York the past season was sent from the vicinity of Quincy, and tlie remuneration is well calculated to excite and stimu- late the enterprise of our citizens the coming season. On tlie same parallel with the cities of Jacksonville and St. Augustine, with a soil far superior in productiveness, and with di- rect and speedy railroad communication, there is no reason why this county may not enter into successful compotition in tliis line of business. It is an cstablisheil fact, that cabbap* and all the root crops are raised in as high perfection in Florida as iu any part of the Uni- ted States, and a further advantage is that all these products, with the exception of the Irish potato, may be permitted to remain in the ground during the entire winter, without suffering any material injury from the cold. It is also an established fact, demonstrated by actual shipments made during the past season, that vegetables shipped by railroad from Quincy have been delivered in New York on the fourth day after being started. The public have been educated to believe that the successful raising of the orange is confined exclusively to the banks of the river St. Johns, (the admitted pride of our State,) and to the country adjacent thereto ; but it requires only a visit to the Apalachicola river, the western boundary of Gadsden county, to dispel the illusion. The largest and finest orano-es that the committee has ever seen or tasted, were raised on the banks of that river. The sameness of latitude, and the great superiority of soil, gives to that locality advan- tages which cannot be ignored. Since the close of the war great attention is being paid to the planting of the sweet orange and to the improvement and extension of the groves heretofore inaugurated, and the committee are credibly informed, that within the last four months, five thousand dollars in cash have been refused for a grove of one acre in extent. It is within their knowledge that many individuals are now engaged in extending the cul- ture of the sweet orange on the banks of that river, and it is a fact worthy of being noted, that the insect heretofore so destructive to the groves in other sections of the State, liave never been known to infest the trees in that locality. This may be accounted for from the fact that the soil is of unsurpassed fertility, which keeps the trees in a healthy and grow- ing condition and renders them invulnerable to the attacks of the much dreaded enemy. The river communication with Columbus, Georgia, affords an ample outlet for all the or- anges that can be grown on the banks of the Apalachicola river. Another source to which we look with confidence for a restoration to our former pros- peritj", is the cultivation of the Scuppernong grape. This is no im tried experiment in this county. The neighborhood of Mt. Pleasant, situated about twelve miles west of Quincy, has been engaged in the cultivation of this grape for many years, and now produces a wine which is pronounced by good judges to be equal to the best of the California productions, and far superior to the great bulk of foreign importations, which are imposed upon us as the pure juice of the grape. Our people are now aroused upon the subject, and in the course of a few years Gadsden county will be as celebrated for the productions of wine as she has heretofore been for that of the Cuba tobacco. Of the provision crops, the Indian corn, or maize, is the great staple, and is chiefly re- lied upon as food both for man and beast. In consequence of the great length of our sum- mers, the climate is not as propitious for the production of a large yield as in more north- ern latitudes ; there is no deficiency in the size of the ear, but for the reason above stated, greater distance has to be given to the stalks to guard against the firing of the leaves, and hence there is a diminution of the number of hills to the acre. Upon the lands usually appropriated to the production of this cereal, (unless it has become greatlj^ exhausted,) from twelve to fifteen bushels to the acre is considered a good average crop, though upon first-rate bottom lands, from forty to sixty bushels are not unfrequently realized. Next to the corn come the various varieties of the sweet potato. It is food for both man and beast, and is esteemed of great value on every well regulated plantation or farm, as affording great relief to the exactions upon the corn crib. It is of easy production, re- quiring less work than any other crop, and the j-ield is greater than that of any other crop planted. When properly attended to, and upon suitable soil, from two to three himdred bushels to the acre may be confidently relied upon. The sweet potato may be propagated by ])lanting short pieces of the vines as late as the month of August, after the cultivation (jf the cotton crop has been terminated, and with one plowing and propitious sea.sons, in- variably affords fine rooting for the hogs in the fall of the year. Indeed, the most of the pork made in the county is fattened in the potato fields. The cow, or field pea is another valuable auxiliary to the provision crop. It is esteemed a siiie qua non by every judicious and provident planter, as it is the main reliance for fat- tening up the stock in the fall of the year. This crop requires no special appropriation of land for its production, as it may alwaj-s be planted between the hills or rows of corn, without interfering with the yield of the latter. Nor does it require any special or sepa- rate cultivation for its production. Upon fresh land, or when the soil is in good heart, it is invariably sowed broadcast and ploughed in at the last ploughing of the corn, and re- ceives no further attention as to tillage. "Where the soil is somewhat exhausted, it is best to plant it in hills or drills on each side of the rows of corn at the second ploughing, and this gives it a working when the corn is to be laid by. Rice is also cultivated in sufficient abundance for domestic consumption, and the straw is very highly prized as forage, being far preferable to that of oats or rye. This grain flourishes finely in this climate, and as it delights in moisture, is usually cultivated on lands which are too wet for cotton and corn. The soil and climate uf this county is welj adapted to the production of oats and rye. 28 Both of these grains have always been cultivated with success, and the former, especially, is much relied upon for the supitort of the plough team. Upon the clay soils, wheat has been tried with satisfactory results, but in consequence of the lack of flouring mills, has never been relied upon as a crop, except by a few. Witii proper facilities to convert the grain into good flour, a stimulus would be given to the i)roduction of this valuable grain, which would soon render the citizens of the county entirely independent on that score. Sugar cane is also a staple provision crop, is of easy culture, grows luxuriantly on good land, and the process of converting it into sugar and syrup is so simple that but little ex- perience is required to produce a good article. Except in a few instances, it has never been cultivated as a market crop, but it is of rare occurrence that any plantation does not produce an abundant supply for domestic use. I.ONG FORAGE GRASSES AND PASTURAGE. The blade of the Indian corn is the chief reliance for foraging the horses and cattle of the plantation, though large quantities of hay are gathered on many plantations. The hay thus gathered costs only the labor of cutting and curing. The grass from which it is made (the "crab" and "crow foot") is a spontaneous growth, which vegetates after the crop of corn has received the last ploughing, or the oats or rye have been harvested. The hay from these grasses is soft and pliable, very nutritious, and equal to any imported article. Any land broken up in the spring, and well harrowed, will produce from one to three tons of hay to the acre, and may be cut twice and often thrice during the summer and fall. What is true of C4adsden county equally applies to every part of Florida. Our theoretical agri- culturists have long racked their brains and exhausted inquiry, to discover a grass fully adapted to the soil and climate of the South, while we have at our very doors, and as pests to our cultivated crops, two grasses, either of which is fully etjual to tlie velvety "blue grass" of Kentucky, and far superior to the harsh "Timothy" of the north for haying pur- poses. Under the stimulus which is being given by the establishment of agricultural associa- tions to the develpment of new ideas, the day is not distant when the shipment of hay to the South will be about as profitable as "carrying coals to Ne\Y Castle." We have never suffered any inconvenience from the lack of pasturage. The grasses be- fore mentioned afford an abundant supply during the summer and fall, and the fields from which the provision crops have been saved, together with thereed branches, which abound in every part of the county, afford a sufficiency for winter and spring. It is found by ac- tual experience that the summer pasturage is greatly improved by breaking up and hai'- rowing the soil previous to the springing of the grass. This stimulates the growth and serves to keep down the weeds. FRUITS AND BERRIES. The peach and fig are among our most common fruits, and are produced in great perfec- tion. But little attention has heretofore been given to the raising of the apple and the pear ; but enough has been done to prove that there is no lack of adaptation in either soil or climate. Increased attention is now being paid to the introduction of a greater variety of fruits, and we are confident that in the course of a few years, apples, pears, and cherries will be as common as peaches. The smaller fruits or berries, such as the straw and raspberries, are also cultivated to great perfection, and the dew and blackberry grow spontaneously and in great abundance in every part of the county. Indeed, we see no reason why the cranberry, the gooseberry, and the currant may not be cultivated with equal success, and we confidently look forward to the time, not far distant, M'hen these delicious and highly prized fruits will be abun- dantly supplied. (TJMATE AND SOIL. The climate of this county, and indeed of the entire State, is far more ecpiable than is to be found in higher latiuides. Your committee are not jirepared to give the average range of the thermometer throughout the year, but they confidently assert that while the forma- tion of ice is of comparative rare occurrence, the maximum of heat is far below that ex- perienced in New York, Ohio, and the New England States. Your committee have no re- collection of ever having seen the thermometer rise to 100 degrees. The attention of one of the committee was especially called to'this matter by the rei)orts from those States dur- ing the present season, and at no time did either of three instruments consulted, register above 99 degrees, and that only on one day. It is true that our warm weather extends over a much longer period of time than in the States farther north, but the intensitj' of the heat is never so great as with them, and we are entirely exempted from the sultriness of utmosiihero to wliich they are subjected, Even in what is esteemed the "heated term," we are always relieved during some portion of the day, and almost invariably at night, by the cooling influence of refreshing breezes. This is doubtless attributed to our geographi- cal position, whicl} giyos us the advantage of both the Atlantic md Gulf influences, Aa 20 apprt)priiil('. to \\\o subji'ct. now umUir considoriition. it is a fact worthy of note, that so far as your coiiiiuittco are iiifoniicd, a caso of "sun-stroke" has nnver occurred in the countv, nor has an instance of "Ilahics" or "lIydro]ihol)ia" ever been known. To our goograjihical jxisiflon may also be attributed the "dry" aiul "wet" seasons. It is true that we occasionally suffer from droui^ht, and sometimes from excess of rain, but these occurrences arc not [>ei'iodi(;al, and cannot be anticipated with any decree of certain- ty. It is seldom that the crrowina,- crops are very materially injured by citlier the one or the othei'. JAC^KSOX COUXTY. Is bounded on tlu^ nortii by the Alabama line, on the east by the Chattahoochee and Apalacliicola rivers, on the south by Washington and Calhoun counties ; embracing an area of thirty or more townships of land, diversified and varied in quality by location ; somewhat undulating, trending to the water-shed, being about thirty miles from east to west, and forty from north to south. The arable lands have a substratum of lime at va- rious dej)tlis from the surfiice, and are classed as swamp, hammock and ))ine; forming an indistinctly defined line from tlie stream of water as indicated by name outwardly. The swnmp is wet, and subject, to some extent, to overflow ; soil alluvial ; heavily timbered witli gum, oak, magnolia, beech, and bay. Hammock dry; soil loam, with red cla^', sand and lime ill various proportions; timbered as the swamp, except the gum and bay; these lands are stiff and require heavier cultivation. They are considered iutermetliate between the swamp and pine. The pine lands are light, easily cultivated and desirable ; soil, loam, sand and lime; timbered with long-leafed pine, with oik runner, hickory, buckeye and ))apaw undergrowtli. Lime is an ingredient in all these, also in lands of dissimilar char- acteristics though of the same nature and class not described, to which all are mainly in- debted for their fertility and long endurance. Coarse sand abounds in the soil of some of the lands with the s.ame substrata, but they do not yield well without extensive culture. The lands are level, though the surface is formed so as to prevent the accunudation of stag- nant water or large open ponds without oiitlet. The Chipola river rises in several large springs in Alabama, flows south nearly through the centre of the county, and enqjties into the Apalachicola river, or what is known as the "Dead Lakes." This is the main drain or water-shed of the county, except on northwest, west, and southwest, the water of whicli flows west and southwest into Choctawhatchie river to St. Andrew's bay. The former I'iver is navigable for boats carrying two hundred bales of cotton, and is susceptible of steam navigation by a moderate outlay. The eastern portion of the county is furnished with facilities of transportation by the rivers, forming a boundary line. Drinking water is obtained from wells at various depths and is more or less impregnated Avith lime, as some large springs tind vent to the surface through fissures in limestone. "Water is obtained in some localities on and near the surface, which is nujre or less divested of lime. Wood is abundant and easy of acce.ss for any and all purposes. A lime rock or stone is found in many places near the surface, which is used for building chimneys, miderpinning houses, furnaces, ect.; it is easily worked. The atmosphere is more or less humid from the fact of the close proximity to the Gulf of Mexico, which is fifty miles distant, and the same cause gives rise to the diurnal changes, especially in the summer months. The summers are long, with the thermometer occasion- ally as high as ninety-si.x degrees ; the nights, however, are cool and jjleasant. In winter the thermometer recedes as low as eighteen degrees, usually about forty degrees Fahren- heit. The soil is generous and yields readily to the growth of any of the cereals except wheat and rj-e, which are uncertain. Cotton, sugar cane and tobacco are relied upon for exportation, to which may be added the pea-nut, palma-christi, and other })roduetions sui- table to the climate. All kinds of vegetables, except those requiring a low temperature, yield abundantlj?. The small fruits may also be raised with success. The apple and pear sometimes fruit well, but the climate is not congenial. The orange grows vigorously, and though above its proper limits, occasionally j-ields a full crop, which is equalin flavor and excellence to those of Cuba. The peach grows well and fruits abundantly of fine size and flavor. The scupernong grape is in its true element, and excellent wine is annually made from its fruit, which elicited high connnendations from connoisseurs, and created an inter- est in its cultivation that will lead to the most promising results. The only care necessa- ry to raise cattle and hogs to any extent is to provide against casicnltifs; the climate being so mild as to relieve from the necessity of shelter and providing food during the winter. The most desirable lands have been entered or titles otherwise acquired. The price, however, is so small comparatively, that inunigrants would prefer lands cleared with more or less inqjrovemeut. The western and southwestern portions of the county are sparsely settled — heretofore being a cattle range. It is heavily timbered with pine, and abounding in nutritious natural grasses. The health of the coimtry diff'ers but little from other parts of the State in the same lati- tude, Not a few peoi)le have attained a gre!|,t age, and specivnens to the "manor born" are 30 as well developed as in any country. The prominent syintom o' disease is fever ; but it yields readily to medicine, personal care, and circumspection Owing to isolation the country has not been settled as rapidly as some portions of the State of far less merit in every desirable essential, except facility of communication by rail, but this advantage is promised to be overcome soon by an extension from Quincy to Pensacola. Now is the time for persons desirous of acquiring a new home to visit this country. Lands can be bought cheai)er than at any subsequent period. The people are well dis- )>osed, kind and hosiiitable, and would gladly welcome good and industrious people, come from where they maj'. CLAY COUNTY. Your letter of the 16th instant has been received, and I hasten to give you a description of Clay county and its products. It is about twenty-eight miles from north to south, and twenty-two miles from east to west. The surface is generally level ; the highest part is on the west side, near Kingsbey's Lake. The county is well watered ; ^-ood water is easily procured by digging. There are ten or more good mill sites on the different streams in the county. It is healthy, with the exception of two or three locations, and they are con- fined to a small tract each. The court house is at Green Cove Springs, on the St. Johns river. There is a good school house within a quarter of a mile of Webster, and a good church within about a mile and a half of the same. There are four or five merchants selling goods in the county. There is one steam mill in operation. There are about four hundred voters in the county. About three-eighths of the land is third rate jiine, three-eighths second rate, and two-eighths first rate pine, including small pieces of second and third rate hammock, with a small portion of first rate hammock. Hard wood growth characterizes the hammock land. Several kinds of oak, hickory, dogwood, bass- wood, maple, ash, mulberry, iron wood, poplar, blue beech, black and white gum, red and white bay, magnolia, and elm abound. The lakes, ponds and streams are pretty well .stocked with fish and the woods Avith game. The climate is mild and generally pleasant. Lands sell at from fifty cents to twenty dollars per acre ; very little vselling at the latter price. Homesteads can still be entered at prices stipulated in the Homestead Act. Yellow pine lumber is worth from eighteen to twenty dollars per thousand. Wages for labor, ten to twelve dollars per month on the plantations ; for lumbering, eighteen to twenty-five dol- lars ; driving teams, twenty-five and thirty dollars and board found. Access to market. Head of navigation for steamboats on Black Creek is near the cen- tre of the county ; St. Johns river on the east side, and on the west side the railroad from Fernandina to Cedar Keys. Roads through the county are generally in good order. The lumber is mostly cut oft' within two miles of rafting water. Cost of clearing land varies from five to twelve dollars per acre. Cost of building a comfortable log house, from sev- enty-five to one hundred and fifty dollars. Framed houses from five hundred to two thou- sand dollars and upwards. If lands are manned and well cultivated, they will produce, with an average season, twelve to twenty bushels of corn to the acre ; of long staple cot- ton, one hundred and fifty to three hundred lbs. of ginned cotton, and four to six hundred lbs. of short staple to the acre ; sweet potatoes, one hundred and fifty to two hundred and fifty bushels to the acre ; four to six barrels of sugar to the acre. Very little tobacco is raised in this county, but where it is planted, the growth and quality compares well with other crops in other parts of the State. Grapes are very little cultivated in this county ; where they are, they appear to compare well with other sections of the State. Garden vegetables, with few exceptions, grow well here in winter. Vines of all kinds do well here early in the spring and the fore part of summer. Rice produces well on the low grounds — from twenty to thirty bushels to the acre. Peach orchards on the clay grounds do well, the quality and quantity compare well with any part of the State. Sweet, sour, and bitter-sweet oranges grow well where they have been cultivated. Plums of various kinds produce well in this county. Turpentine plantations will do well near the naviga- ble streams where transportation is cheap. The county is healthy for stock of all kinds. Poultry of all sorts do well. Blackberries, whortleberries, and mulberries are found in abundance in the woods and fields. Arrow-root, cassava, and tanyas produce well in this county. Irish potatoes grow well on our hammock lands, and average one hundred and fifty bushels to the acre. The people of Clay county, with few exceptions, are friendly to new comers. I am, very respectfully, yours, O. BUDDINGTON. SUWANNEE COUNTY. Suwannee county occupies geographically nearly a central position in the State, nearly surrounded by the Suwannee river, being bounded by it on the north, west, and south nearly. 31 This peninsula, geolog-ically, is in the tertiary formation, resting on wliat is called the bottom limestone. In many places in the undulating surface of Suwannee county, lime- stone crops out, from which quantities of good lime have been burned. This part of Florida is comparatively a new country. During the war with the Semin- ole Indians, the pioneer settlers, "like angels' visits, were few and far between." Agricul- tural implements were, as in most new countries, of the rudest kind, and farming opera- tions were performed in a careless manner; yet, such is the natural fertility of the soil, that its adaptation, in this genial climate, to the growth of cotton, (principally long staple,) sugar cane, Indian corn, oats, rye, sweet potatoes, ground peas, or pea-nuts, (the crops mostly cultivated heretofore in this part of the State,) that the planters were successful, and accumulated fortunes without the use of any fertilizers whatever, under the former system of labor. Considering the above, what would be the result of careful, iinproved, scientific cultivation. From recent experiments at market gardening, we are satisfied that vegetables of almost every kind can be successfully grown here, and so early as to be put on the Northern market long before they can be produced there. Cucumbers and tomatoes can, with care, be made ready to ship by the first of Maj-. Melons are produced here to great perfection, and with proper care, can be ready for shipment by the first of June. Fruit culture in this part of the State has been heretofore greatly neglected. Peaches grow well, and of a size and flavor that cannot be surpassed anywhere. The trees are healthy, and the crop annually almost certain. Quinces are of good size and flavor. The different varieties of the fig (Figus carico) grow here to great perfection, and it is, as we think, a wholesome fruit, quite a luxury both in a green and dried state, and its multipli- cation in Florida caimot fail to be fraught with great advantage. It will grow well upon the poorer and drier soils, provided it is sheltered, and can be propagated with great ease, growing well from cuttings. And such is the goodness and abundance of its fruits and the number of its varieties, that it may be grown here, as in parts of Southern Europe, in so great an abundance, that it may become the "providence of tlie poor." Semi-tropical fruits can, with care, be grown here. There are orange trees in this neigh- borhood which have been bearing good fruit for some years past ; also, the shaddock, of fine, large size. We are more exjjosed to frost than On the St. Johns, or on the southern coast districts, and sometimes the young trees are killed by the frost. Old trees and ripe, or well matured wood of the orange tree successfully resists the effects of frost. Grapes. Florida is certainly the home of the Scuppernong grape. It grows and pro- duces with certainty, annually, fine crops of fruit of the best quality, and both vine and fruit have so far been entirely free from any disease whatever, or depredations from insects. We think the Scuppernong should be extensively planted for a certain and reliable crop. Last winter the writer planted at Welborn, nearl}' one thousand grape vines ; about half were rooted vines, of one year's growth, and the balance cuttings. The varieties, "Ca- tawba and Isabella." Half were planted on hammock soil, and the other half on pine land ; top soil from a rich hammock was hauled and filled in with those planted on pine land. The vines grew nearly one hundred per cent, more than they do in one season in the Western States. So far as we are advised, the cultivation of the Catawba and other varieties of grape for wine in the States, has not as yet been fairly tested. It is the opinion of the writer that the celebrated "Mission Grape," which has been so successful!} cultivated for wine in Cali- fornia, should be procured and extensivelj^ planted in Florida, from the fact that in manj' places the Catawba, (our best wine grape,) for the last few years has been much injured by mildew. There are five varieties of grapes, which, by experiment carefully made by B. N. Bugbey, of Natoma Vineyard, El Dorado county, California, have been selected from many other varieties as the ■very best for future cultivation, valuing them in the or- der named, the first being the best, viz: Black Zinfindel, Red Traminer, White Malaga, Verdelho, and Los Angeles. By planting those varieties of the vine best adapted to the climate and soil of Florida, we have no doubt but grape growing will prove very profita- ble. In the rich hannnocks the wild grape vines grow to great size, reacliing to the tops of the tallest trees. In the greater portion of this county good water is obtained in wells of reasonable depth, and on the borders of hammocks are some very good sjirings of i>ure, clear water ; and strange as it may be thought by parties from mountain districts, there is in tiiis vicinity good and permanent water power; beautiful and clear streams, running from lake to lake, furnishing fall sufficient for good mills. The lands of this county are rich in their su})plies of timber, the i)ine forest furnishing almost inexhaustible stores of pine for lumber of the best quality, the moist, extensive, rich, dry hammock lands furnishing large, fine white oak, water oak, sweet gum, magnolia, hickory, red bay, or American mahogany, bass wood, and many other kinds of timber of value. The low, rich hammock land, which is susceptible of draining, and thus being re- claimed, contains a vast amount of valuable timber, such as white bay, ;iis. The lands of t'olunibiii courily cnmprohcnd pretty iiincli .dl tlir vnricties of .^oil to be found in Florida. Hammock — Grey and bliu k. Pine lands of A^ery superior quality ; many of thein with clay cropping out to the surface. Oak and hickory lands of excellent quality. All these lands are highly productive in their natural state, and yield a munificent reward to the judicious husbandman for the la- bor and expense of manuring and fertilizing. They can be purchased at from one dollar twenty-fiA e cents, the government price, to five dollars per acre, according to the improvements. Thei=e low prices bring the lands of this county within the rench ol' men of limited means. T'ROnUCTIOXS. Tiie priucii)al cropti now raised upon these lands, are cotton, botli short and long staple, sugar cane, Indian corn, oats, i-ye, potatoes, Irish and sweet, pindars, corn-field peas, rice, States that will surpass those of Leon. The extreme southern portion of the county is a light, sandy soil, with heavy pine growth, but the remaining portion, and by far the greater jiortion, consists of a fine, chocolate soil, supported find sustained by a imignificcnt clay subsoil, rendering the lands not only very productive, but extremely durable. Lands that were cleared some fifty years ago are still very productive, notwithstanding the little care given them in the way of cultivation, and the" entire absence of any manures or other fertilizers. The surface is soniewliPt undulating, particuhu'ly so, in locations where the best lands arc found. The county is well watered by large, lakes, pure streauis, unci splenelUl springs. The climate is delightful, the summer's heat being tempered by tlie winds from the Gulf coast. During the present summer the thermometer lias not ranged over 90, and very seldom reached that point. Our chief products have been short staple cotton and corn. Our lands, iVom their fer- tility and durability, are peculiai'ly adapted to the growth of cotton. Five hundred pounds of lint cotton have been often nuide from !in acre of land without the assistance of manure. Sugar cane grows maguiHcentl^', and is becoming a crop of importance. Rice will ma- ture two crops, and yields abundantly. Field peas, pindars, millet, .sol-ghum, bene, and (>alma christi are grown with entire success. Potatoes, both Irish and sweet, are st^mdard iTops, and the yield cannot be excelled in the South. Garden vegetables of all descriptions, grow in luxuriance and abundance. Our cab- liages, beets, onions, turnips, cfee., &c., cannot be surpassed. Melons grow to perfection. Peaches, apples, pears, tigs, plums, and pomegranates are among the fruits that are suc- cessfully raised. Grapes are receiving considerable attention of late. The Scuppernong grows to per- fection, and yields splendidly. Other varieties are now being tested Avitii every prospect of success. The price of laud varies from $5 to .";;;ir) per acre. Near Tallahassee, they are valued at $30. As an average, §10. , This county is accessible from all points by rail. Tallahassee, the capital, is situated near the centre of the county, upon higii. rolling lands. It is tlie centre of an educated and reliued society. Churches and scliool-houses abound throughout the countj', and the people, as a class, are intelligent, hospitable, and generous. Immigrants who come to cast their lot with us are warmly received, regardless of po- litical views. The labor of the county is good. In point of soil, climate, health, society, and profits, Leon county presents the most icmptiiig offer to immigrants of any in tlu; State, or, indeed, in the South. KSC'AMlilA COITNTY. That portion of Florida situated at the extreme west, is, on various aeeonnls, itii exceed- ingly interesting portion of the State. Somewhat isolated from the remainder of the State, the attractions which exist have been inadequately known, and tVom its remoteness there \cvy naturally arose a decided willingness in the minds of many of the inhabitants that the territory should be annexed to Alabama. Hence, during the annexation excitement of recent years, a disyosition to underrate the real value of Western Florida has been quite prevalent. But the present prospect, tlirough the completion of the railroad from Pensacola to New *;)rleans, to Selma, and to Jacksonville, which will eventually make Pcnsacola, with its al- most unequalled harbor, and its far-reaching railroad connections, the central point of the shortest line of communication between the moutli of the Mississippi and the Atlantic, and between the Mississippi upper valley and the Oulf, has very materially changed the aspect of things, and now tiie intrinsic value of West Florida begins to be fairly appre- ciated. The soil of this portion of Northei-n Florida is similar to that of the Eastern portion, but of decidedly better quality. Through the bays, rivers, and harbors in the vicinity of Pensacola. it is amply supplied with all facilities for ocean communication, and forms one of the best and most valuable timber regions in the world. But in the expectation of receivijig soon from resident citizens a detailed description of tiie extreme western counties, 1 will abstain for t!ie present from further description and simply add an article taken from the Pcnsacola Express: KYIDEXCE. At last some of our citizens art: awake to the importance of advertising anything they would wish to bring to the notice ot the public. And to do this effectually it requires a great deal more tact than people generally are aware of. It must be done in a liberal manner and in a style to attract attentio)i; if done in this way it trebly repays the outlay. The New City Company have at last made an effort in this direction, by issuing a neat ])amphlet, with a maji of the surrounding country near Pensacola. The jiamjihlet gives a description of Pensacola and of the country. It says : "The city of Pensacola has natural advantages which destiiie it to become, by ra[)id strides, the Chicayo of ihv. iSouf/i. It, is situated on the north coast of the CJnlf of Mexico, in latitude 30 deg. 28 m. north, and longitude 8Y (leg. 22 m. west of Grecuwich, only ten rniles from the open sea. Its thoroughly land-lockctl harbor covers an area of <)ver twn hundred square miles^ being alxjut thirty miles long and from five to eight miles in width. 86 haTing unemrpassed anchorage and a depth of from thirty to thirty-five feet. The entrance to the harbor is about half a mile wide, with an average depth on the bar of twenty-four feet. Tlie eame depth is readily secured at the wharfage line of the city. A laden ship of the largest tonnage can approach the city at any time in the year, or leaving its wharf can 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 protection from the cold in winter, wliilst 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, hammock, 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 brouglit under cidti- vation yielding heavy crops of corn, cotton, rice, and sugar cane. The great body of these lands is covered with oak and cypress forest, ready to the hand of the great ship-building interests, which the progress of commerce will speedily 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 re- turns for the labor bestowed on them. "The pine lands have an exhaustless wealth of the best timber, whilst the herbage of the forest affords permanent 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 timber, brought down on the rivers and creeks emptying into its magnificent bay. Want of com- mnnication has been an impediment to its growth. But the completion, in the winter ot 1870, of the Pensacola and Louisville railroad to its junction with tlic Mobile and Mont- gomery railroad, establishing a connecting link v:ith 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 Inciia islands, in Central and South America. The Pensacola route of transportation shortens the exchange of commodities between these markets and the teeminc West by thousands of miles and by many days, thus effect- ing .a double economy of time and cost of transportation. "A elanc« at the map will readily demonstrate the fact, so little known heretofore, that the distance from Chicago to Pensacola is only about nine hundred miJes. It will also show that, from Pensacola, the distance to Tampico is 900 miles ; to Havana, 620 miles ; to Mataanoras, SCO miles ; to Vera Oniz, 950 miles ; to Hausacnla, OoOmilea. The last named plac© is th© eastern port of the Isthmus of Tehauntepec. "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 magnifi- cent port becomes the most suitable outlet for the commerce of the entire Mississippi Val- ley. It has tliis great advantage over New Orleans, tliat it is close to the Gulf and not obfstructed in its commerce by a shifting and treacherous bar, causing costly delaj's to sliipping, and often upsetting the fairest calculation for commei'cial ])rofits. The vast ex- penditure in towage up and dov/n tlie river, to which the New Orleans shipping is subject- ed in reaching and leaving that inland port, is saved in Pensacola ; and is easily demon- strable that shippers in New Orleans can sjiip their cargoes more cheaply from the port of Pensacola than from their own levee. Still greater will be this economy wlieu 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 to lay them along side 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 afford facilities for coal depots, from which vessels can be supplied through shutes, thus saving greatly in expense of handling. "Having thus brifly alluded to the physical features of the port, we will now examine the advantages of its relative position to other ports. "Taking Chicago as the initial or starting point, as being equall3^ distant from New York and Pensacola, railroad trains destined to each of the cities would arrive at th(^ destination wit}\in ^he same tifoe. The ono arriving at New York would have traveled over 900 miles, and would then be as far Xorth as wlieu it started tVoui Chicago, whereas the one arriving at Pcnsacola would have gone directly South 900 miles, thus saving that number of miles between the 'initial' point (Chicago) and any other point south of Pcnsa- cola. This distance, to be balanced by transit to and from New Yorl;:, 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, ro]ific. It is the best possible sub- stitute for the lemon. It also comes in use earlier. The citron can be grown hei'c with ease and safety. When sugar becomes a staple crop, we think the citron will play a very important part in both our agriculture and commerce. Its production certainly may be made very profitable. The peach stands next to the orange in importance. It grows almost spoutancouslj'', hence its cultivation is attended with very little expense. Trees sometimes bear at the age of fifteen months, a thing unknown to any other section of the United States. For proof of this extraordinary growth, we refer all those who doubt to the nursery of Ed. Jones, a citizen of our town, for a living demonstration. Havana, Cuba, is an excellent market, and is only thirty hours distant by steam. I'cachos in that niarkct are worth fabulous prices. The fig is propagatetl vvitii greater ease than even the peach. It grows from cuttings, and generally bears in two ji-ears, and is a luscious fruit. There is no reason why the fig should not be made valuable as a commercial commodity. Pomegranates, plums, apricot, and nectarines flourish Inxm'iantly. They are not abun- dant, but should bci 39 Grapes arc not genevally cultivatetl, buL enough is known to establish the fact that tliis is their natural home. In the hammocks they flourish in the wildest luxuriance, wliich is?, j)erhaps, the highest possible evidence of their adaptability to om* soil and climate. TIk^ prospect now is, that their production will soon constitute an important part of home in- dustry. Wine, equal to California's best, can be made in imlimited quantities from the Scuppernong with tlie aid of a little sugar ; a vineyard can readily be established b}- eu- wrafting it into the wild muscadine. The Concord. Black Hamburs:, Isabella, nnd otlui- tine varieties have done well wherever tested. RAX AN AS. VVe have verilied the fact tiiat this luscious fruit can be raised here to perfeclitjn, and that under circumstances which seldona occur. Some of the finest we ever ate grew in our garden last summer. The freeze of 1868 and '60 did not kill them. They are propa- gated from suckers and ripen in about eighteen months. An unlimited number of plants can grow on an acre. Two dollars a bunch is a fair price. STAPLE CHOPS, Of these crops, we think sugar is destined to be the most important. The hammock lands of the county are exceedingly well adapted to its culture, also the better class of pine lands. On some of these lands cane has been known to rattoon for several years, rhus saving expense to the planter. The same natural causes that operate to protect the orange, apply equally well to sugar cane, thereby giving the county an advantage over even those further south. Believing as we do, that actual facts form the, only safe basis upon which to proceed, wc here submit two or three test cases. T. C. Ellis, Esq., of this place, sold the products of one acre of cane (pine land) for $300 ; J. E. Dodd, cf Xewnans- ville, raised fifty thousand stalks of cane on one and a half acres, which at the nsual sel- ling price, one cent a piece, would amount to S500. Mr. Hyre sold products of an acre at S896. The examples are, perhaps, above an average crop, but they nevertheless show the wonderful capacity of our soil and its adaptability to the culture of the crop. Cotton heretofore has been "king" of crops, and under the old system of crops wns quite remunerative. Of late years there have been certain causes which have operated strongly against its regal power, and which, we think, have worked its partial overthrow. The sequel will be, we predict, an introduction of a great variety of labor. Indeed some planters have alreadj' introduced a new order of things, and are giving sugar and fruit that consideration and attention their importance demands. The folly of relying on a sin- gle crop for food, raiment, and income is plain, and especiallj' so when that crop is cxjiof- ed to inroads from a thousand enemies. We do not wish to be understood as opposed to the production of cotton, only its exclu- sive culture, for we believe it can be made very profitable in connection with a full pro- vision crop. We know instances where 2,000 lbs. of "seed cotton" have been picked from a single acre. Cotton in the seed, last fall, sold readily at from 8 to 15 cents per lb. in our town market. We have made some considerable inquiry after the prices of Florida Sea Islands, at home and abroad, and from a fair comparison of prices, arc forced to the conclusion that Alachua cotton is the best made outside of the Islands. PPtOVISION CROPS. Corn, sweet potatoes, Irish potatoes, and rice constitute tiie principal provision crops. Twenty-five bushels per acre is an average corn crop ; sweet potatoes will yield as high as two hundred and fifty bushels, and Irish potatoes the same per acre as in the more north- ern States, Peas and pea-nuts arc very prolific and very remunerative. They sell readi- ly at from $1.60 to $3.00 per bushel. From twenty to one Inmdred bushels can be raised on a single acre. Peanuts arc a splendid substitute for corn to make pork with. Rye and oats are a profitable crop. The castor bean grows wild and luxuriantly ; tobacco would certainly do well. The 6(iua.-!i juid melon are in their element on our soil, and io tlii'ii- yield there is no end. fiAKDEN TKUCIL Is abundant in every month of tiie year. Feas, cabbage, beets, turnips, onion-;, lettuce, radishes, Ac, do admirably in winter and add much to our tables. Tliey can be raised in ijuantities sufficiently large to ship to northern markets with very little labor or expense and at a handsome profit. Tomatoes, beans, cucumbers, rhubarb, okra, egg-plant, pepper, are the most common prices. A'aval stores can be produced in abundance ; our pine forests are peculiarly adapted to the biisiness. Lands can be cleared here as clieaply as in other timbered States. Fertilizers are abun- dant in our swamps and marshes, and easy of access. immigrants will be kindlj'^ received, their politics respected, and we will here assure them that they will find a reasonable, woll-ordered, and peaceable commimity. We ad- \ise those who desire to settle among us to come and see for themselves. We will be jileased to show thera about. Yours respectfully, CESSNA & HILL. VOLUSIA COUNTY. The following rcjjorts were read at the late meeting of the State Agricultural and Im- iiiigration Association t 1. General Sketcli of History. II. Locality and Climate. III. Health. IV. Surface and Soil. V. Products of Forest, Field and Garden. VI. Accessibility to and Distance i'rom Market; Mail Facilities and Roads. VII. Supply and Price of Labor. VIII. Price of Land and Cost of Clearing. IX. Houses and cost" of Building. X. Water, the Sup- j)ly and Quality; References. 1. General Observations. — In 1836, tlie wliole Peninsula of Florida below the present south line of St. Johns county was comprised in tliree counties— Monroe on the south, Ala- chua on the Gulf coast, and Mosquito on the Atlantic coast. The wild region between the last named counties was known as the Indian River Reserve. 'J'he name Mosquito was afterwards changed to Orange, and in December, 1854, all that portion of Orange county lying east of the St. Johns river was incorporated under the name of Volusia county, since which time Enterprise has been the county seat. It is sup- posed that the early Spanish navigators landed on our coast. An ancient roadway is graded through tlie sand hills from the beach to the Indian river, near the south end o*' ''[crritt's Island. A similar road has lately been discovered near tlie upper end of the^ 41 Halifax. The first settlement in this county was made by Dr. Turnbull, who, in tiie year 1667, established a colony of fifteen luindred persons, of Spanish and perhaps, Grecian origin, whom he had induced to emigrate from the Island of Minorca, in the Mediterranean. Turnbull's wife bein.o- a native of Smyrna, therefore, the settlement was named New Smyrna. Tlie crop cultivated bj- TuriibuU was indigo, of whicli he raised thousands of dollars wortli annually. These colonists not being dealt with according to contract, all abandoned tiie settlement and located in ami near St. Augustine, wliere tlieir descendants now reside. The only permanent monument left bj' Turnbull is a large canal, draining the swamp that bears his name into the Hillsboro' river at New Smyrna. The old settle- ment at Spring Garden was mentioned by Bartram in his travels before the Revolution. Before tlie Seminole war, whicli broke out in 1836, there were eleven sugar plantations between New Smyrna and St. Josc])h, the site of Gen. Hernandez's plantation ; several of tliese establishments cost sixty thousand dollars each ; all were destroyed by the Indians in the first year of the war. The fir.st right with the Indians in this county was at Dunn Lawton, on the Halifax, in which sixteen Indians and one white man were killed. Log forts wei'e built at Bulow and at McCrea's on the Timoka, at which place the whites were surprised outside their fort and three men killed and scalped. At Volusia on the St. Johns, was one of the outposts and a fort. From this post (i en. Eustis, in command of the left wing of the army, com- posed mostly of regulars and ilrafted three month's men from South Carolina and Georgia, set out to cross the country to the Withlacoochee to join Gen. Scott. After the brief and fruitless campaign of three months. Gen. Scott and his ai-niy crossed the river at Volusia on their way to St. Augustine. Tlie first settlement at Volusia was made in 1816 by Horatio S. I)exter. This village, situated pleasantly on the east bank of the St. Johns, on a hammock formed of fre.sli water shells, although the largest village in the county, has but three stores and a half a dozen dwellings. At Enterprise is a large hotel and the county court house, one store and three dwelling liouses. There is no store on the coast north of Sand Point, at \vhich place there is one store and several families residing. Within a mile of New Smyr- na post office are six families; within two miles of Port Orange post office, on the bank of tlie Halifax, are eight vrhite families and four colored. The rivers on the coast furnish an abundance of salt-water fish and oysters. I)eer are Iroublesome to farmers by eating the vines of the sweet potatoes. This county contains about 1,8(X) inhabitants; most of them immigrated from Georgia iind the Carolinas, but every State is represented here. The northern settlers are along the coast and on the St. Johns. Those who live near the best lands are of moderate means and they have not cleared the richest lands; consequently, visitors passing through the country and only seeing the pine lands under cultivation, might get the impression that we have no first class hammock. TIk- public schools are not yet in operation. No clergyman resides within our borders. "We have no politicians; offices go begging ; two of my neighbors who have commissions as Justices of the Peace decline to act ; the office of County Treasurer has been vacant for two years, seeking a man to accept it. We have no jail and little need of one. When settlers come here and go to work and attend to their business, nobody cares where they come from ; they are welcomed and encouraged. In 1866 and "J an attempt was made to establish a colony of freedmen from South Caro- lina at Port Orange ; some 50() families were brought here by Gen. Ely, from the vicinitj' of Columbia, in three steamboats from Charleston ; but the proper preparation and loca- tion of their homesteads had not been made, and some disliked the pine land of the gov- ernment for homesteads, and most of them went into the interior counties ; not over a dozen families are left here, and probablj' not a hundred in the county. Some of the most intei'esting antiquities in the State are the Indian Mounds in this coun- ty. Turtle Mount, or Mount Tucker of the old maps, is a pile of oyster shells, variously estimated from fifty to eighty feet high, standing on the east bank of Mosquito Lagoon ; it is covered with bushes and small trees on the top and all sides, with the exception of the west face, fronting the river, Avhich is jierpendicular and of loose shells. Earth moimds are common near the river banks along the coast; but the most remarkable of these is on Spruce Creek, on the south bank, four" miles from the Halifax. It is about fifty feet high and a hundred feet in diameter at the base, and as steep on the sides as the soil would lie, excepting on the east side, which ascends gradually, as if for a roadway. Deej) excava- tions close by show where the earth was taken from to build this immense pile. In these and other mounds in this county liave been found pieces of potter}-, stone pipes, and other implements, charcoal and human skeletons in various stages of decay ; the latter are com- paratively i-ecent. These relics of a distant and unknown age lead the imagination back be3-ond the early dawn of written history ; beyond even the gray twilight of tradition, and leave it to grope in the night of the foro-otten past. 12 2. Locifliti/ and Clhnak. — Volnai;i counLy is boutttlcd on tlic north by tit. Johns couutr, east by the Atlantic ocean, south by Brevard county, and west by St. Johns river, whicli separates it from Orange county. It extends from near the Matanzas river on the fiortli to Lake Washington on tre sontli, about 100 nnlcs. Its widtli varies from 40 miles at the north end to 15 miles in tlie southern portion. It lies between the })arallels of 28 and 29 deg. 40 min. north latitude. Meteorological observations have been taken since 1SG6. whieii are published in the re- ports of the Department of Agriculture at Washuigton. Tlie following is the range of the mercury between the extremes, taking the lowest and the highest observations in each month of iS69: Januai-y, coldest, 47 deg., hottest, 80 deg.; February, 24—85 ; March, :>1— 8.S ; April, 54—81 ; May, CO— 00 ; June, 74—90 ; July, 71 — 92; August, 74 — 82; September, 72 — 90; October, 49—75; November, 35 — 81 ; De- cember, 33 — 81. The mercury rose to 90 deg. and upwards as follows: In April once, in May once, in June twice, in July ten times, in August nine times, in September twice. The prevailing Minds in the winter are from tlie northeast, north, and nortliwest ; the fi'osts are iisually brought about by the last named winds ; in summer the winds are southerly and southeasterly ; the west Avinds are tlic most disagreeable. When comfortable hotels shall have been erected along the beach, it will be a common place of resort in summer for the residents of the interior of the State. I speak from experience when I say that this portion of the coast is cooler and pleasanter in summer than Jacksonville, Savannah, or Charleston. Whatever injurj;^ the orange trees sufl'er from cold is in the spring, after they have start-' ed to grow, and not in the colder weather of midwinter. In February, 1870, (last month) Mr. Bostrom had roasting ears from a small patch of corn that grew in his field on the east bank of the Halifax. Bananas and pine apples do well in the southern part of the county, but cannot be relied on as a sure crop at the northern part. 3. Health. — The coast, or that portion which lies east of tlie Halifax, Ilillsboro', and In- dian rivers, all of which run parallel with the beach, may be set down as perfectly healthy. With reasonable care to provide comfortable houses and wholesome food, families may confidently expect to be exempt from any disease that can originate here. Patients suffer- ing from fever and ague, which tliey liave contracted in malarious regions, soon recover here. The high banks of fresh water creeks, above the reach of tide water, are also healthy. So is the middle region of the county, although much of it is taken up with flat, low pine woods and bay galls, and shallow cypress ponds are numerous. The whole length of the county along the St. Johns, at tlie distance of two miles back from the river, is also free from malarial diseases, excepting ahvays, low, flat bottom lands on lakes, rivers, or creeks that are subject to overflow. The danger in all these instances is not in the water, but in the action of the heat of the sun on the rich soil after the water has drained off or evaporated. The miasm which produces fever and ague, is a minute organic structure, whicli is in visible to the naked eye, or to an ordinary microscope, and is always j^roduced when the requisite degrees of heat and moisture arc brought to bear on decaying vegetable matter, on tiie same princijile that the plants forming mildew and yeast suddenly grow when the proper conditions are furnished, springing frdm invisible seeds that are constantly floating in the air. Salt marshes tiiat are regularly covered v.ith the tide do not produce this miasma; but where the marshes and bottom lands on the banks of creeks and i-ivers are occasionally covered with fresh or brackish water, intermittent fevers may be confidently looked for. An apparent exception to this rule jjrevails in the case of cypress and grass ponds in the interior, so long as they are filled with growing vegetation, such as trees, bushes, and grass. There are sevei'al families now living in perfect healtli near such ponds in this county, and I have no doubt that if the ponds shoidd be cleared of the growth of vegeta- tion during the summer, every member of such families would be attacked with chill and fever in a few weeks. The most common form of disease in this county is the intermittent fever, or chills and fever, and that only exists in the localities I have described above. 4. Surface and Soil. — This county is surrounded and intersected by water-courses as fol- lows : The Atlantic Ocean w'aslies the eastern shore ; tlie Halifax river is formed by the junction of tlie Ilaloven and Bulow creeks and tlic Timoka river ; it is about a mile Avide in its whole length of thirty nules, and so straight that midway of its lengtli the horizon meets the water, as one looks to the northward or southward. It runs nearly parallel Avith the coast, and discharges its Avaters at Mosquito Inlet. The tide flows up tlie entire lengtli of this river, and renders the Avater brackish in the tributaries just named for six miles or more above their mouths. This river Avas formerly called Mosquito North Lagoon. The Ilillsboro' river, or Mosquito South Lagoon, extends from Mosquito Inlet, southwardly, jiarallel Avith the coast, thirty miles. For tAvelve miles south of the Inlet tlie river is •filled Willi marsh aiul nmngrove islands, and divided .into crooked iiud narrow ciiannels. 13clow these islands the river is a broad expanse of water five miles wide, varying from ■three to six feet deep. Tlie channel is rendered tortuons by coral reefs and sand banks. This portion of the river is now termed the Lagoon. This river is entirely salt, having MO tributaries from the land of fresh water. Indian river is separated from the Lagoon of Hillsboro' river by a narrov/ strip of land two hundred yards wide, called the Haiilover. A canal has been cut through con- necting the two rivers, and allowing boats drawing two feet of water to pass through. The Indian river is, more strictly, a bay. Its waters are salt, and it has no current in- dependent of the winds. It varies in wicUh from two to eight mile.'!. The portion east of .Merritt's island, thirty miles in length, is called Banana river. Indian river runs parallel with the coast about 100 miles, to the inlet of the same name. Elbow creek, which rises in the swamps near Lake Washington, on the St. Johns, empties into the Indian river, nearlj' opposite the south end of Merritt's island, and is the only stream of fresh water of any note that empties into this river within the limits of this county. In this region, for several miles, the Indian and St. Johns rivers are only six miles apart. On the whole length of the county, on its western border, is the St. Johns. Of the streams which drain the swamps of the interior, are Timoka river and Spruce Creek, witli its tributaries, viz : Turnbull Creek, Hawk Cypress, Sweet Water, and Little Spruce creeks, emptying into the Halifax, the first at its head, the latter only a mile north of the inlet, and I)eep Creek and IIow Creek running westerly, the first into Lake Harney, and last into Punn's Lake. Spring Garden Creek is a remarkable stream, rising abruptly in a spring, and furnishing a water-power of sufficient force to drive machinery for ginning cotton and other purposes. The surface of the county and its soil can be described most conveniently in five divis- ions, running lengthwise of the county. 1. Commencing on the east, Ave have a narrow strip of land between the beach and the _ Halifax, Hillsboro', and Indian rivers, extending the whoje length of the county, only interrupted by the Mosquito Inlet. The width of this peninsula varies from a half a mile to five miles, which is the distance across at Cape Canaveral lighthouse. This peninsula is composed mostly of sand hills; the more recent ones bordering on the sea are covered with grass ; those further west, with saw palmetto, oak, and other scrub, increasing in height as the river is approached, until near the river, in many ])laces, are fertile spots that would pay for cidtivation, and covered with tall pines, oaks, and other trees. Captain Dummitt and Burnham's orange, the largest in the State, is on the west side of this pen- insula. If this region is ever made use of, it will be for residences of those who culti- vate the swamp lands on the main. There arc no springs or streams of fresh water, but good water can be had from wells dug a few rods from the river on the beach. '2. The west banks of the three rivers above named constitute a peciiliar feature in the face of the county. On the whole length of the Halifax and Hillsboro', and in many places on the Indian riveu, is a range of oyster-shell banks, from three to ten feet high ; these constitute the ".shell-liammocks ;" the shells, when mixed with the soil, are a con- stant source of fertility by their gradual decay. The scattering of these shell-heaps over considerable tracts, probably by large bodies of Indians who came from the interior to feast upon fish and shell-fish during the winter, lias created much of our second-rate ham- mock ; this class of soil terminates abruptly at the last shell-heap, and the pine barren com- mences. Some portions of the banks of Indian river are fifteen feet high ; some places of sand, and at others, of coquina or shell rock. There is but comparatively little of this kind of shell-hanmiock on this river. In the vicinity of Mosquito Inlet are considerable tracts of land, where the subsoil is composed of disintegrated and decayed shell rock, which, a few feet lower, is sound enough for building purposes. This is the character of the river front from New Smyrna northwest some seven or eight miles. This soil produces well every variety of crop tliat has been planted on it. Tliere is no part of the St. Johns where all the advantages of a fine river prospect, good soil, and healthy location are com- bined as on the west banks of these rivers, which are generally within two or three miles of the sea, and constantly within the influence of its invigorating breezes, and within hearing of the surf 3. The tliird division from the east is the swamp region. This extends from Bulow'e on the nortli, across the Timoka, and, southwardly, the whole length of Halifax and Hills- boro', and for fifteen miles on the Indirai river, a distance of more than eighty miles in length, and varying from a lialf a mile to three nules wide. The celebrated Tnrnbull swamp, southwest of New Smyrna, is a part of tliir. ti-act, as is also the Dunn Lawton es- tate. The soil is a black alluvial, mo.stIy unmixed v/ith sand, and rOBtijig on a clay or shell marl foundation. This is probably a;i ijood land as any in tlie States It needs draining to vender it arable, and there is sufficient fall to allow of this, as 'in atilply proved hy some of TurnbuH's old canals, wliich still discliftrge the waters of the sw.imps into flie river. It was on these Hwamp landf! flint ihc Ku^ar plrrntations bffore iTicntionod wore Rituated,, that !4 were broken up by tjie Indians. The ruins of sleanvniills are still t.hL're, and the fields marked by the cane rows all covered with a dark forest of nearly forty years' growth. The greateiit obstacle in the way of the settlement of this county is the uncertainty of title and ownership of these lands. They are covered with' old Spanish grants, the owners of which are in the West Indies, or in the Northern States ; anywhere but here. Many of these have not paid taxes for twenty years. They will soon be taxed, and the owners or agents thus ascertained, or the lands sold for taxes. In the region of this county al- ready described, along tlie eastern shore, are 100,000 acres of these Spanish grants. 4. The fourth region may be called the interior of the county, situated about half way between the ocean and the St. Johns. It is mostly a table land of flat woods, from which the rains drain off slowly, interspersed with bay galls, savannas, cypress ponds, and spruce pine,. and dwarf oak scrub hammocks, which are worthless for cultivation. This region is better adapted to grazing than to any other branch of agriculture. It is thinly settled by fetock-raisers, and cannot sustain a dense poj)ulation until the prairies and savannas arc di'ained and turned to fruitful fields. The western portion of the county, bordering on IJio St. Johns, is undulating; many of the elevations are called hills, among which are numerous small lakes or ponds. The soil is variable, and comprises every grade of soil in the State, but is mostly i)ine land. Some of the best farmers in the county are cnltivating pine land. With cow-penning, it produces good corn and cane. Mr. George Sauls, who lives in this belt of undulating pine woods, six miles from the St. Johns, raised, in 1868, live hundred dollars worth of sugar, syrup, and molasses from one and three-quarters of an acre of pine land, witli no other fertilizer but the cow-penning. The prices he obtained were higher than will ever be likely to prevail again. He sold his sugar at fifteen cents per pound, syrup at seventy-five and molasses at fifty cents per gallon. The bottom lands on the St. Johns are of the most fertile character, and, when diked and cultivated will exceed in productiveness the sugar lands of Louisiana; for we have a great advantage in climate here, being more than a degree further south than New Or- leans. It was this kind of soil, bottom land diked, on the Timoka, on- which Ca]it. Dum- mitt raised at the rate of four thousand })ounds of sugar to the acre. ]Merritt's Island is mainly flat pine land, but its climate is milder than that on the mainland in tlie same lati- tude. It is a good location for the cultivation of the whole orange tribe. o. Prodnrbi of the Fored, Field and Garden. — Our forests produce abundance of pine ami live oak ; considerable quantities of cedar, bay, hickory, cypress, and asli. Various other varieties of oak are also found here, magnolia, sweet and black gum. sassafras, black cher- ry, soft maple, sumac, willow, bayberry, pricklj- ash, and on the salt marsh islands, the mangrove. In the eastern and southern portions, the coontie root is abundant, from which starch is made. The lumber business is neglected here, there being no saw mill in operation in the county. A large steam saw mill at Fort Orange, now idle, is soon to be started. The wild fruits are the sour and bitter-sweet orange, blackberry, hui^ldeberry, and haw, none of which are abundant. The field crops are sugar cane, both short and long staple cotton, rice, corn, potatoes, peamits, cow pieas, pumpkins, melons, and the semi-tropical fruits — oranges, limes, lemons, and figs. ^ Gardening is almost wholly neglected. Although nearly every variety of vegetable matter can bo raised here, as has been proved by experiment, few kinds are cultivated. The variety in a southern country garden is as follows : collards, cabbages, turnips, locks, or garlics, Irish potatoes, pepper, and sage. This is the natural climate for lima beans, egg plant, okra, and many kinds of vegetables that are grown with difficulty at the North. A few settlers raise beets, carrots, rutabagas, cauliflowers, cucumbers, and radishes. It is customary to procure the seed from the North every year, as it is supposed that that grown here is not as reliable. Among the other branches of Agriculture, should be mentioned tlie stock-growing in- terest. This is one of our most important interests. Cattle and hogs do well in every jiart of the county. As is usual in this State, the only attention paid to stock is the mark- ia the spring of the young. While the cattle are penned a few wefeks in the spring, the owners obtain a supply of milk, which is rather an incident of the marking, than an object to be attained. Beef cattle sell at about fifteen dollars a head ; whole droves, inducting "little and big," sell at six dollars per head. Beef sells at six and seven cents per pound. Horses and mules are generally scarce : not enough raised to supply the demand. Very few sheep are kept ; the citizens prefer dogs, of which the supply is abundant, and none are 80 poor that they cannot maintain several ugly, lean curs. Fov/ls of every kind do well. Bees do well, and many wild swarms are found in the woods 6. AecrxsiMlifi/ to Jfarkef, Pod Office and Roads. — The whole of our western lj(n-dcr, on the St. Johns and the lakes, is witlnn twenty-four hours' stenra navigation of Jacksonville. Steamers ply almost daily between that port and Enterprise, sto})ping at intermediate landings, On the east our communication with the world is through the New Smyrna or- 45 Mosquito Inlet, by means of pail vessels, which and weekly to Jacksonville. Tlie celebra- ted King's Road, projected and built by Gov. Grant, the first English Governor of Florida, extends from New Siuyrna, via St. Augustine and Jacksonville, to the St. Mai'^-s river. It is not much traveled now, and portions of it are overgrown with bushes, and the bridges are out of repair; still it is passable for teams. From Enterprise, on the St. Johns, a mail road extends to Port Orange and Dunn Lawton, on the Halifax, thirty -three miles; also, t« New Smyrna on the Hillsboro', thirty-five miles, to Sand Point on the Indian river, fifty miles. There are post oflfices at Volusia, Enterprise, Port Orange, New Smyrna, and Sand Point. A canal, through Haw Creek into the Tirnoka, connecting Dunn's Lake with the Halifax, woidd give our eastern border a direct inland route to Jacksonville, and is among the most important internal improvements that can be made. 1. Sxpphj and Price of Ixihor. — The supyly is limited and jirices high. Good hands get from twenty to twenty-five dollars ])er month and board on the coast, and five dollars less on the St. Johns. Persons coming here to open new lands should bring their help along witli them. The freedmen, of whom there are about a dozen families at or near Port Or- ange, all have entered homesteads, and only go out to work occasionally. We very much need an immigration of working men. 8. Prirr of Land and Cost of Clearinr/. — There is very little cleared land for sale at any price. The S2)anish grants, unimproved, are generally held at from four to six dollars per acre. The cost of clearing heavy swamp hammock at Port Orange is not less than $20 per acre, and in some instances may reach thirty dollars. By clearing, I mean cutting down all the trees and burning off all the logs. The Southern method of clearing, by girdling the large trees, is of course much cheaper. Some of our pine land is so thick- Iv covered with saw palmett.o as to cost fifteen dollars per acre to grub out the roots rea- dy for plowing. 0. Biiildbu/s and. tli.fir Cost. — With the exception of a few houses, our dwellings are rude affairs and poor apologies for houses. The cost of sawed lumber, delivered at Port Or- arige or New Smyrna, is eight dollars per thousand for freight, added to the cost in Jack- sonville. Most of the houses are built of logs, and in the interior puncheons are hewed from split logs for floors, and glass windows are not in general use. A log house, with two rooms, fifteen feet square, can be built for a hundred dollars, exclusive of chimney. New settlers along the rivers, frpqueutly thatch their roof with palm leaves. A well-to-do-far- mer has the following buildings: a house, a kitchen, a smoke-house, which also answers for storehouse, a stable and a corn crib ; if a cane planter, a sugar-house. Carts, wagons, plows, and all other farming tools are commonly exposed to the weather, and ruined in a year or two. 10. Waier,)k Supply and Quail! I/. — Under the head of surface and soil 1 have already spoken of the fresh water streams and ponds, which supply the stock in the woods. Wells furnish pure, sweet and soft water, all over the country, with the exception of the banks of the salt water rivers on the coast, where the water, though sweet and suitable for cooking and drinking, is usually too hard for washing. E.ain water, caught in cisterns, is used for this purpose. References : — For general information in reference to the county, address H. G. Lun- gren, M. D., Volusia; B. F. Buckner, Enterprise; J. H. Fowler and J. A. Bostrom, Port Orange. In relation to orange and cane culture and productiveness, Capts. Miles 0. Burn- ham and Douglass Dummitt, New Smyrna. In relation to stock raising, Bryant Osteen, Enterprise. Relative to game and fish, boats and guides for sportsmen, R. N. Sheldon, New Smyrna. J. M. HAWKS, M. I). Port Orange, Volusia Co., April, 18*70. HEIIXANDO COUNTY. Hon J. S. Adaiiix, L'oiiunisxioucr of Jiatnigration, Jacksonville, Fhi.: Dear Sir: — I pi-opose to give you a topographical sketch of Hernando county, hoping that some of the many immigrants to this State may desire a home in the southern portion of it, and that this may be of some interest to them. Hernando county is situated on the Gulf coast, and lice between latitude 28 deg. 15 m. and 21) deg. 30 m. It is bounded on the north by the Withlacooche river, on the east by the same river, and what is called the prong of it, on the south by the Hillsboro' river, for some eight miles, and from thence to the Gulf coast, by Hillsboro' county, and on the west by the Gulf of Mexico, for seventy miles — the entire length of the county. It is adjacent to Levy and Marion counties on the north, on the to ]\Iarion and Sumter coun- ties, and on the south to Polk and Hillsborough counties. The average width of the cotm- ty from east to west is about thirty miles, and from this you will discover that its general shape is that of a paralellogram, lying north and south. There is no part of the Stsjte, of the same area, whioli has greater on r.qual water facili. ties, nor can oft'ur ais great variety of inducements to enci'gy and capital. To particular- ize, I will commence by speaking- of the many water advantages. On the northern and eastern border we find tlie Withlacoochee river, already navigable one-sixth of the circumference of the county, and can be made so for fully one-fourth. From the interior of the county, we have the sources of Crystal river, Ilomosassa river, Cheisowilsky river, WickaAvachee river, and Anclote river. These rivers are generally about ten miles apart, and from six to one hundred miles long, emptying into the Gulf, at from ten to twenty miles apart. They are all navigable to some extent, and some of them to their sources. Aside from these rivers, there is a lake connected with the Withlacoo- chee river, (Lake Charliepopka,) which is one of the most extensive bodies of water in the State. It is about fifteen miles long and from one to six miles wide, and lies diagonally in a southwesterly direction across a portion of the counti-y. This lake seems to be a series of lakes running into each othei", and thereby creating long peninsulas of the most fertile land between theui, and in many instances, islands, which have proven to be the moat prodvictive. On the western border of this lake, the land is elevated, and so on the islandSj and some of the most beautiful locations are to be had within on the main or on some island. On the eastern border the county is flat and interspersed with cypress swamps for som« eight miles, where you will strike the river. In this "cave," as the jjeople call it, are to be found Avild cattle and hogs in abundance, with every imaginable species of indigenous vermin and some larger animals ; but this is a digression. This lake, with but little expense, could be made navigable into the AVithlacoochee river at all seasons, as it is now during the wet or rainy season. The connection of the lake, hov/evcr, is above the head of navigation on the river, but only about six miles, and no falls to encounter to reach the navigable point on the river for steamboats. The AVith- lachooehee river i«i a narrow but deep stream, and rises in the northern part of Polk coun- ty, runs north till it reaches the northern boundary of this county, when its course turns westerly until within a distance of about twenty-live miles by land from its mouth, when it turns due west and empties into the Crulf about twelve miles from Cedar Keys, the west- ern terminus of the Florida Railroad. Crystal river rises about twelve miles from its mouth and eight miles south of the With- lacoochee river ; nms Avest and empties into the Gulf ten miles from the mouth of the Withlacoochee river. It is navigable to its soui'cc with small schooners, and for three miles from its mouth with sea-going vessels. Its source is produced by numerous springs, all within an area of half a mile, producing a beautiful broad and crystal stream, from whence it takes its name. It abounds in fish and oysters of superior quality. A flourish- ing village is situated at its head, and takes the name of the river. Six miles further south, we find the Ilomosassa river, which is also produced by numerous springs, and is ten or twelve miles long ; runs west and empties into the Gulf eight miles from the mouth of tbe Crystal r!->"-r. It is navigable for small steamers and schooners, and inside its mouth many lar u vessels have loaded with cedar timber for New York. At the head of navigation on this river was farmerly the home of Hon. I). L. Yulee, whei'e he cultivated and manufactured sugar cane on a large scelc. This plantation is now in the hands of I^orthern men, who are working it to some extent. About four miles south we strike the Cheisowilsky river, wliich gushes out from numerous rocks and forms a bold and deep, but short river, not more than eight miles long. At the head of this river was (twenty years ago) tlie principal trading point for this count}'. It was the principal shipping port before the war for cedar timber taken from its adjacent swamps, where many cargoes of this val- uable timber yet remain. The river is navigable for good sized river steamboats and coasting sail vessels. It abounds in all the fish common to the Gulf coast. Twelve miles south lies the Wiccawachee river, a narrow and serpentine stream, winch is formed by a spring, the basin of which is about an acre large, but from fifteen to thirty feet deep. This streani is hardly entitled to the name "rivei'" until within about five miles of the Gulf, when it widens and becomes navigable for small steamers, and at its mouth there is enough Avater for sea-going steamers. The village of Bay Port is situate at the moutli of this river, anil was a place of considerable commercial importance during the war, as a point 'or "blockade running," and many a valuables were landed, both from sail and steamboats, at this place. A considerable mercantile and forv.'arding business is still carried on here. From the liead of this river lai'ge quantities of oediiv timber liave been rafted to its moutli for shipment to New York. About thirty miles south of this river, we find the Anclote river, wl.lch takes its oi'igin from numerous lakes in the sotheastern portion of the county, in tlie flat v/oods, and not a great distance from the source of the Withlacoochee river. Its course is southwest, and empties into the (rulf about four miles north of the county line. It is a v/ido and deep stream for about ten miles fr,om its mouth, but from tlience to its source it is but a shallow stream, the most of tlie time fordable. Some ton miles Pouth of its mouth. '■onim(>neO!=; the settlement of Cleor Wfitcr Harbor, of wltich you no cloubt havfi heard, 47 It is somewhat rnnarkabli^ th.-it all tlio rivers and crcek.s between this river on the wutli, anil the Withlacoocliee on the north, should take their origin, sonic from miiiicrou8 springs, and others gushing boldly tVom a rocky labyrinthine source, and all from the side or near a range of barren, high, sand hills running nortli and south, and from six to twelve miles from the coast. Th« first impression in referGnce to the quality of the land is, that where there is such an extensive water border, there must be a large quantity of that which is good ; and such is the case. Not only on the border of this extertfeive lake, but in the valley of all those sliort rivers, there is laud that will compare favorably with the Louisiana or Yazoo lands, but every location sinks into comparative insignificance to the large bodies of land near the centre of the county. The principal body of this land lies in Annattalogga Hammock, live-sixths of which is of the first quality of hammock land. It lies north and soutii, and is about thirteen miles long and from three to five miles wide. It lies between two ranges of high hills, whicli run parallel with the hammock on either side; and although the land is elevated, and in some parts rolling, you will very percejdibly discover that it is an ex- tensive valley when viewed from one of these liills, the altitude of which is from two to three hundred feet. In some instances, arms of the hammock project out between these high hills, but in no instance to obstruct the view, which, it nmst be admitted, is beauti- ful. As^ a general thing, the land on these ranges of hills is poor, Init affords the most beautiful and healthy locations as residences, aftbrding plenty of cool "spring water," from which one has taken the same of "Spring Hill;" another that of "Mount Airy," from its great elevation and the delightful breezes tiiat are almost continually wafting the in- vigorating salt air from the Gulf, which is only about fourteen miles distant. The survey from this hill is greatly beautified by a large and placid lake at its base. The growth upon this hammock land consists of white oak, live oak, water oak, ash, hickory, elm, sweet gum, cedar, mulbeny, orange, and all other trees indigenous to this climate, and which do not select their habitation in the \Ane woods. Some of these trees grow to an enormous size, such as the white oak, live oak and hickory. It is not uncom- mon to see them from four to six feet in diameter. Quantities of undergrowth are under these large trees, and it is in some places almost impenetrable, which renders the clearing of the land difficult and expensive ; but the greater part of it can be cleared for five dol- lars per acre, which is a trifling expense, considering the productiveness and durability of it when once under cultivation. It yields, per acre, of corn is from twenty to thirty bush- els, and when well cultivated and cared tor, will produce forty bushels, as is frequently the case. Tobacco does well. Oats yield about the same as corn when planted in November or December, but later they do not do so well. Cotton, as might be expected, does as well here as on the sea-islands. The land, climate, and atmosphere, all suit the growth of sea-island cotton. As a proof of this, the yield of this staple for the past three years when unmolested by the catterpillar, has been from five to seven hundred pounds of seed cotton per acre, and in some instances as many as eight hundred pounds have been raised. But it seems that Nature has more particularly adapted this land to the growth of sugar cane. It yields from two to three thousand pounds of sugar per acre, according to the age of the rattoon, and this runs from five to seven years. Those who are acquainted with the cultivation of sugar cane know that it is one of the most exhausting growths to the soil that is planted ; nevertheless the natural land of portions of this county continues to reproduce good stands of cane from the rattoon from five to six years without any de- terioration in the yield of sugar ; and that, too, without any aticmpt at fertilizing or en- riching the ground by the husbandman. This is certainly an evidence of the desirability of this land, nor is the failure of your seventh year's rattoon regarded as a failure of the soil, but of the cane roots, and all that the planter is required to do is to plow up and plant in the middle of the rows, when he will be i)repared for another five years' success in the growth of sugar cane. As further evidence of the desirability of this land, I will relate a little conversation that occurred not long ago. The writer suggested to one of the oldest and most successful planters in this county to subsci'ibe for an agricultural journal, and told him in a joke, that it would teach him liow to apply fertilizers of various kinds, i[ Hon. J. S. Adams, Tallahassee, Florida: '.''f( ■ ■'*'•■' Dear Sir : — In a former communication I gave a description of this section, which was published in the Florida Union. A longer residence here has deepened the favorable im- pression first made on me, and I am better satisfied that,, the statements madein my. first letter are fully borne out by experience. ; .,(,, I reside in township twenty -one, range twenty-eight, south and ea.st, in the county of Orange. As a general rule, our pine lands are high and rolling, the soil a sandy loam, in some cases underlaid with red clay, in others a sandstone. The principal growth is pine, in some portions the undergrowth is tuskey-oak, post-oak, and sumac, with white and post- oak runners. Most of the land, however, has no undergrowth except the oak runners. The cost of clearing is about $L50 per acre. Rails cost from $1.00 to $1.25 per liun- dred ; carpenters ;J;2.00 to $2.50 per day and board ; farm hands $10 to $15 per month, and hired laborers are scarce and hard to get. These lands are well suited for the growth of cotton, both long and short staple. The average is a 833 lb bale of long staple to the acre. They are not so well suited for corn without manure, though some plant it. This grain is geiierally raised in the hammock land, which has been planted twelve years in succession withoiit manure, and yet yields 20 bushels per acre.' Rj-e does well on pine lands, and a liiunber of my neighbors are sowing oats. I am told they do well, especially the black oat. By cow-penning, we raise sugar cane nearly equal in quantity to hammock land, while the sugar and syrup are of ftxirer quality, the average' being 300 to 400 gallons of golden syrup, worth here 74 cents per gallon, or from 1,200 to 2,000 lbs. of sugar per acre. From experiments made, swamp muck is equal if not superior to cow-penning as a manure. The orange, and fruit of that class, succeeds well, and many persons are planting out groves. Many of the semi-tropical fruits succeed Jiere, such as (he guava, plantain, bana- na, and pine apple. Sweet potatoes are raised throughout the year, and unless the winter is unusually se- vere, can be left in the ground and dug as needed.' The cassava and arrow-root might be made a profitable crop ; thus far I have only plan ted for family use. Tobacco will grow duriiig most winters. I have some plants of Cuba on the north side of my house, and they are still green. .' Our lands are well suited to the production of grapes, the land , being rolling. We do not have standing water. In fifteen minutes after a heavy rain the water ha^' all passed off. My grape vines produced abundantly, and in the fall a small second crop. The only enemy is the mocking bird, and I am willing to give them a share for the sweet music they give in return. ,. Tliere are some springs, but we mostly use well water, and it" is k good article. We hav(j but few creeks; the country is, however, well watered with clear water lakes of va- rioiis sizes. In winter they afford good drinking water and abound in fine trout, bream, and perch. There is a good opening for a steam saw mill, which would not only pay well but be- come a means of settling our county. There is a water mill within four mUes, but there is a difficulty at present of getting lumber as fast as we want it. Building lumber costs $15 to J;17 per thousand. Six miles off, at Rock Spring, is a large bed of blue limestone, which in many places comes to the surface, and only wants developing to become of great service in making muck compost. All kinds of garden vegetables do well, and there is no trouble in having a constant succession during the 3'ear. In most families vegetables are scarce, from the fact that they do not try to have them. 1 have had no difficulty in supplying my family through- out" the year, and on low ground have as fine cabbage as could be wished for. I have re- sided in Florida nearly ten years, and from experience can say that persons moA'ing here from a colder climate need not be uneasy in regard to health, provided they do not settle on Lake Apopka, or have their residences at least a mile oft", with timber intervening. The best time to move here is in the month of October. Though wc live in latitude about 28 deg. 40min., we have a delightful climate, enjoying the sea breezes both from the Atlantic and Gulf. Last summer, which was unusually warm, we did not have more than six nights that we did not re-Cjuire some bed covering. The Apopka lands are rich, being mostly hammock, and are held at high prices, while a large portion of the pine lands can be homesteaded. Steamboats now run regularly from Palatka, weeklj^, to Clay Spring on the "Wekiva Iliver, three miles from our post office. Fare |^6.00. Supplies can be obtained in the stores here or brought from Jackson- ville or Palatka. We welcome to our section all moral persons who are willing to work and a.«sist in de- veloping the vast, and in many cases, untried resources of our State. Respectfully yours, Z. H. MASON, M. D. MARION COUNTY. Marion is one of the central counties of East Florida, and occupies a commanding posi- tion among the best agricultural counties of the State. Surrounded by and bordering upon Levy, Alachua, Putnam, Orange, Sumter, and Hernando counties, it participates in the characteristics of all of them, and may with propriety, be called the agricultural heart of. East Florida. Although entirely an inland county, and nowhere extending to the coast, still, bordering upon j^ake George, upon the east, divided nearly in twain by a branch of the Ocklawaha, and comraunicating through its numerous and beautiful lakes with the St. Johns, it is not by any means deficient in the means of access to market and the facilities for exportation of its produce. It expends in latitude from 20 deg. to 29 deg. 30 min., and thus has a mild and genial climate, well adapted to the grov.'th of many semi tropical fruits. Nearly midway between the Atlantic and Gulf coast, it is daily visited by the winds from either side, which meet over her tei;i*itory and pay frequent tribute from their mois- ture-bearing clouds, so that c(vutiuued droughts are almost unknown. In addition to the facilities of access by water, there is now a strong probability of the speedy completion of the r.ailroad from Waldo, on the Florida Railroad, to Ocala, the coun- ty site, through a recent organization of energetic business men, under a new charter. The surface is generally level, but in several sections is gently undulating, and, inter- spersed here and there with numerous lakes and ponds and beautiful springs, is character- ized by a beauty of natural scenery seldom found in Florida. The soil in Marion county is better than that of the average of the State, having an un- ueual proportion of hammock, both high and low, and the pine lands haA^ing a richer sub- soil and nearer to the surface, than is commonly foimd. Marl and muck, giving abundant supplies of natural fertilization, are to be found in all portions of the county, and easily accessible, and insure a permanent agricultural capacity. Cane, cotton, corn, and sweet potatoes may be cited as the staple crops, but so favorable is the geographical situation that almost any of the strangely varied productions of Flori- da can bo successfully cultivated here. Oats, rye, the peach, the fig, and the grape, with the tobacco of Northern Florida, succeed equally as well, while the natural adaptation to semi-tropical fruits, indicated by tJie existence of numerous and extensive natural groves of the wild orange, is amply demonstrated by the succes.sful cultivation of the orange, lemon, lime, citrpu, and banana. The county is unusually provided with rivers, lakes, and springs, and good water can be secured in all parts by wells of little expense, furnishing abunclnut siippHes of whole- some watei\ 52 Good health, as a rule, prevails throughout the couuty, and the only diseases that can bo said to be prevalent are those always encountered in a rich and new country, and con- sist in the lip;hter types of bilious and intermittent fevers. Valuable kinds of timber abound everywhere throughout the county. Yellow pine is universal, and in the hammocks are found ample stores of ash, oak, live-oak, cedar, bay, cypress, and magnolia. Sea-Island cotton has hitherto been a favorite crop, but the ravages of the caterpillar have turned preponderating attention to short cotton and cane ; and, with perhaps the single exception of Hernando, Marion will probably become the cane county of the State. If the actual sugar capacity of these two counties was well understood and fairly appre- ciated abroad, the price of land would double in one year. Two routes are open to those wishing to visit Marion county, one by the St. Johns to Palatki, and thence by the Ocklawaha steamers to Silver Springs and Ocala, or still fur- ther up the river to the lake region. Another is by the Florida Railroad to Gainesville, and thence by hack via Micanopy and Ocala. Orange Spring is simply the bursting forth of a full-sized river from the very bowels of the earth, and with its beautifully clear waters and circular basin, carved out of the evergreen of the forests, forms one of the gems of nature. The admiration of strangers would be equally divided between this singular freak of Nature and the quiet and placid beautjr of the upper lakes. Lands in this coimty are comparatively cheap, improved places being in the market at reasonable terms. Good sugar lands can be bought at from ^S to $10 per acre, and large quantities of United States and State lands are open to entry and purchase. The people are well disposed and orderly, and will extend a hearty welcome to all new- comers. With its genial climate, agricultural capacity, cheap lands, varied crops, and command- ing position, the future of Marion county is not uncertain. In Florida, sugar will, ere long, dispute supremacy with cotton, and sugar lands that are good for an average crop of 2,500 pounds per acre, must soon command a ready market at good prices. INDIAN EIVER REGION. The following description of the Indian River region, by an intelligent resident planter of long experience in Jefferson county, confessedly one of tlie best counties of the State, and iu'duced to migrate by actual and personal knowledge of the special inducements offered, will bo of more than usual interest. It conveys the impressions, not of oni? coni- ing down from the cold regions of the North or West, who would of course be tempii^arily captivated by the climatic attraction necessarily enhanced by force of recent contrast ; but of one long accustomed to the mild atmosphere of Northern Florida, and the agricul- tural advantages there afforded. In transmitting the communication, Mr. Magruder remarks : "Enclosed you will find an article in reference to Indian river. I have endeavored to set forth the advantages and attractions of the river in the strongest light possible consis- tent with facts. But for such strong corroborating evidences from other sections, I would hesitate to place before the public such flattering accounts and enormous results ; yet 1' verily believe I have not done full justice to our section of country." Hon.! J. S. Adams, Comrmssiojfiar of Immigration: Dear Sir : — Allow me to call your attention to a section of country which I conceive to be the most desirable now known. Indian river runs parallel with the Atlantic coast 23 dcg. N. W. and S. E., extending south of latitude 27 deg., and running north of 28-} de^., measuring from one and a half to seven miles in width, and fi-oni four to sixteen feet in depth of channel, though in many places one may wade more than half a mile from shore. She abounds in everjr variety of fish, but is distinguished for her most superb mullet, the general weight of which is from two to five iiouuds, but in manjr instances they weigli from six to nine pounds, measuring twenty to twenty -two inches in length. The sheep- head, sea trout, cavalier, and bass are large and fine. There are A'ery extensive beds of oysters in the southern portion of the river, of the largest size and most superior flavor ; and these are so accessible that the canning of them would prove a profitable occupation. Turtleing is carried on to some extent and proves quite lucrative. The river is separa- ted from the Atlantic by a narrow strip of land from one to three-fourt!>s of a mile in width, the majority o*' which is poor, sand scrub, though it contains bodaes- of very rich hammock. Approximating thus near the Atlantic, we have the benefit ofithe sea-breeze' in its pure slate, and tliis, combined with the mild, genial climate of a sf)uthern latitude, is what renders it so famous for henltli, such a thin9: n- sickness l)eitig scarcely Iniown upon the river. 53 Tlic ijiuu laiuls largely iiredoiuiiuile, uoiae ol' very lair protluctive quality-, witli beauti- ful sites immediately upon the river, liaving on altitude of eight to sixteen feet above the water. There are also fine bodies of the most splendid hammocks peculiarly adapted to the growth of tropical fruits ; the leading varieties of which are the orange, lemon, lime, citron, banana, plantain, pine-apple, guva, and pomegranate. I am now testing the more tender growths, the tamarind, sapadillo, avocado, pear, French lime, mama-apple, sugai-- apple, mango, paw-paw, cocoa, date, cocoanut, English walnut, pecannut, 3'am, ginger, casava, etc. The orange is the leading crop of all others. It requires three years from tVansplanting to commence bearing, then pays hundreds of dollars per acre, and soon runs to thousands, there having been four to six thousand dollars per acre realized this sea- son. Bananas grow considerably north of this and pay from twelve hundred to two thou- sand dollars per acre. Pine-appUs promise from eight to twelve hundred dollars per acre. Sugar cane grows astonishingly, attaining a height of twelve to sixteen feet, single stalks yielding more than a gallon of juice, which being boiled down, makes over a quart of tliick syrup, and produces five to six hundred gallons of sj'rup per acre. Of peas, pump- kins, two crojis from the same vine are raised in abundance, and potatoes flourish the year round. The natural growth of the hammock is the sturdy live-oak measuring from two to six feet in diameter, the stately hickory, two to three feet in diameter, and twenty to Forty feet to first limbs, the red elm, mulberry, wahoo, cabbage palmetto, with an undor- .1-rowth of hack-bush, torch-wood, marl-bush and vines. There are also the iron-wood and ■•rab-wood, approximating in weight to the lignumvitje, and susceptible of the finest polish. We have springs of good water just under the bluff, and by sinking wells 12 to Iti feet )btain water almost anywhere. The water in the hammocks is more or loss impregnated ■ vith lime, there being a stratum of coquina rook underlaying the surface, forming an in- xhaustible supply of the most valuable fertilizer. Our woods abound in small game and n deer, bear, and an occasional panther, with the most superior range for every kind of -;'.tock. Four year old steers weigh from four to five hundred pounds ; two year old heifers irom 250 to 300 pounds, and they calve at that age. Hogs are raised with but little at- tention, to weigh 150 to 200 pounds at two years old. Here is the white man's refuge. ^et him quit his large itlantatiou and his cotton, and upon a few acres here make his nett acome of two to ten thousand dollars. Incredible ! you may think, nevertheless true. i?he labor of one man, v.'hen once properly established, may make his thousands. We Vant transportation. By referring to the State map, you .will perceive that a canal eight niles in length will connect the Halifax and Matansas rivers ; then a little work upon the • laulover, between Halifax and Indian I'ivers, puts us in connection with St. Augustine. H>o that a line of light draught steamers plying through 'these rivers, a distance of over '^00 miles, connecting at St. Aug'istine with large class steamers outside, and by railroad '0 Jacksonville, gives us direct communication with the world. It will also attract the • rade, and devclope an extensive section of country, the Kissimmee, that is nov/ lying al- ,;iiOEtin obscurity. We also desire to r;.:vc an outlet or pass from opposite the mouth of Jit. Sebastian, into the Atlantic, (there being eight feet of water in the river, and a steep ■ .shore on the Atlantic, which we think will prevent its ever being filled with sand,) admit- :'.flg large class steamers and increasing the turtle interest. '■■ Give us these connections, and then Indian river comes into repute for vegetables. She ,^ftn supply even New York in the months of January, February and March, with the most • elicate varieties; tomatoes, peas, beans, green corn, cabbages, melons, etc. I have rea- lm to believe the varieties of grapes can be grovv-n here with success, — the scu])pernong perfection. Where is there a country combining so many advantages '! The most • nial, delightful climate, perfect health, fine sporting, fine range for stock, and a soil pro- -iuicing in abundance ahnost every variety of ju'oduction? Ilcppectfully submitted, 0. B. MAGllUDEFv. SOUTHERN FLORIDA. Soutli Florida, consisting of that j)ortion of the peninsula south of latitude 28 degrees north latitude, is composed of the counties of Ilillsboro', Poll:, 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 Ihc Gulf Stream, this division has marked characteristics which sjiecially distinguish it. Tlie surface is in the main flat, and excepting tlie extension witliin its northern protion of the flattened ridge or plateau upon which the State is mostly situated, the greatest cle- vntions fonnd are around the external boundaries, while the deiu-essions are in the interiov, causing it to resemble tlie basin of a shallow lake. Thus constructed and under the influ- ence of the rain-bearing clouds from both sides, while the elevation of the exterior border prevents the easy egress of superabundant water, this divi.sion is not only well su[)plied with rivers, streams, and small lakes, but has, also, the broad sliallow lake of Okeechobee, and that remarkably receptacle of surplus fresh water called the Everglades, within its 54 borders, and occupyint;- a large proportion of its axtent. It is quite probable that a clear- ing 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 much of its ex- cessive humiditj^but at present a large part of this territory is so liable to submersion as to derogate largely from its value for cultivation, although scattered along the exterior borders, and upon the banks of its many lakes and streams, can be found rich and fertile- lands, "which, under the fostering influences of a climate of unsurpassed 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 tiie 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 singularlj' equable and uniform, the difference between summer and win- ter being very slight, and the range of the thermometer during the year confined \vithin very narrow limitfi. AVarmer in Avinter 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 success, while the apple, pear, and peach do not do as well ; but on the other hand, cane, cotton, tobacco, the orange, lime, lemon, citron, and grape find here a congenial home ; and the semi-tropical and tropical fruits thrive as well as in any part of the world. And on the "Keys" or islands which line the coast and vary in extent from a few acres to a number of square miles, forming a ver^"- peculiar feature of the section, the bananas, pine-apples, and cocoa are easily grown in great abundance and of great size. A more complete idea of the region will be obtained from the accompanying account of Manatee county, and the letters of Lieut. Governor Gleason, who resides in extreme South Florida, and is thoroughly acquainted with the wliole region. MANATEE COUNTY. Manatee Co., Fla., March 4th, 1870. '/. S. Admv-f!, Esq., Cominrisioner of Lnndqratio.i : Tour letter of Feb. 1st, and circular of January, reached me tlie 22(1 ult., at Manatee. In answer to your inquiries, I will endeavor to answer so far as this county is concerned. The surface is, with very few exceptions, level ; soil sandy, divided into pine woods and hammocks, with co::sid6rable prairie. The pine land is well adapted to all the crops of our climate when sulficiently fertilized by cow-penuing ; but especially for raising sweet potatoes, which ;jrnw the year through, and average in price from fifty cents to one dollar per bushel. The }• iKimoeks arc from a light to a dark grey color, and naturally rich ; they constitute oiu- cv_ :r cane land, principally, and will average two hogsheads of sugar and eighty gallons of molasses to the acre ; rattooning from six to eight years, or longer, ac- cording to the cultivation. Also best for oranges and corn. The prairie is regarded as poor, and has never been cultivated to my knowledge. It constitutes a part of the great ranffe for cattle, hogs, i , D. S. Walker, O'vi'cnior : Sir: — Agreeably to your request, 1 will undertake to give you a description of the southern portion of Florida, through which 1 ha^■e been traveling for the past few months, its products, its capabilities, and its resources. My examinations have been confined prin- cipally to that portion of the State south of the railroad leading from Jacksonville to Cedar Keys, and, more particular!}-, south of the 28th deg. of latitude, which 1 shall de- nominate as Tropical Florida. This portion of the State com}>rises an area of 20,000,1)00 square nules, and a popula- tion, previous to the war, of about 6,000 inhabitants. The population has not materially diminished, as there is quite an immigration tending in that direction, and is sufficient al- ready to compensate for its losses occasioned by the war. About one-half of this popula- tion reside upon the island of Key "West and the neighboring keys and islands, and are engaged in the business of wrecking and fishing, w bile a large proportion of the remain- ing one-half are engaged in the raising of cattle. Farming and the growing of crops has hitherto been neglected, and has been confined principally- to small i)atclu's or gardens around the houses of the woodsmen. The raising of cattle upon the mainland is the all-absorbing business of the inhabitants, who reside fi-oni 30 to 40 nules apart, and allow the cattle to graze upon the public do- main. As the food disappears in one place, they change to another, so that the people have become migratory in their habits. The raising of cattle upon the plains and prairies of this portion of the State is a profit- able business. It is not unconnnou to find men who, a few years ago, had no means, that are now the owners of from two to ten thousand head of cattle, and this after furnishing large nundjers to the armies of Lee and Johnson. The country is divided into hammocks, ])inc-openings, and prairies. The hammocks are very rich, and are covered over with a dense growth of timber, consisting of live and water oaks, m.agnolia, bay, and a variety of other hard-wood timber. The soil is sandy and mixed with marl and limestone. The ])ine-openings are covered with scattering pines and a grass which affords fine pasturage. The soil is sandy and not as desirable as the hammock lands or prairieg. The prairie lands occui)y the interior portion one-half inch in depth. This process has been goijig on for centuries, ami has provided one of the richesL soils in Uie world. Tlic rich laiidw wliicli skirl the savannas upon tha coast side are covered with rotten limestone, and have mixed Avith the vegetable matter to that extent that the soil will effervcce as soon as it comes in contact with acids. Tliese savannas are valuable for sugar plantations, as the sugar cane requires a large per centagc of lime, and the climate is so mild that the cane will not require planting oftener than once in ten or twelve years. The Palma Christi, or Castor Bean is here perennial, and grows to be quite a tree. I saw a number as large as peach trees, twenty feet high. Sea Island cotton seems to be a jjerennial in this section of the State, and is of a fine quality. The pure water, the chalybeate and other mineral springs, the magnificent beauty of its scenery, the salubrity and equability of its climate, must make Biscayne Bay. at no dis- tant day, the resort of the invalid, the tourist, and tlie lover of adventure. The bay i.si filled with green turtle and a variety of fish, and, indeed, the entire coast of Tropical Florida is one immense fishery. At Chaidotte Harbor we found quite a number engaged in fishing with seines. The value of the fish caught averages per hand, for the season, (three months) $600. 1 doubt if any fishery pays better. The fisheries of Charlotte Harbor could profitably give employment to 1 ,000 persons ; and the fisheries at Sarasota and Indian river are equally good. Every river, creek and lake seems to be alive with fish, and oysters are foiind in great abundance at different places all along tlie coast. All that portion of the State which I have denominated Tropical Florida, is capable of producing oranges, lemons, limes, arrow-root, cassava, indigo, sisal hemp, sugar cane, sea- island cotton, rice, figs, melons of all kinds, as well as the vegetables grown in the more nortliern States. The country around Charlotte Harbor and Biscayne Bay is susceptible of producing coeoanuts, cocoa, pine-apples, guavas, cofiee, bananas, plantains, alligator pears, and all the fruits and plants of the West Indies. Like all other tropical countries. Tropical Florida has its wet and dry seasons. The wet or rainy season is during midsummer, which has a tendency to cool tlie atmosphere, and vender the sunamer months cooler than it is in tlie more northern portions of the State, or in other portions of the South. D\iring the rainy season nearly tlie whole country is flooded, the country being so flat and level that the water does not flow ofl" readily. A great portion of the country requires ditching and draining, and when some systematic method shall be adopted to let oft' the surplus water during the rainy season, this portion of the State will prove the most productive part of the Soutli. It has but few swamps or marshes, unless you consider the Everglades a marsh. They can hardly be considered as such, but more properly a lake. The water is from six inches to six feet in depth, is pei-- lectly clear, and is grown up with grass, pond lilies, and other aqueous plants. The Al- pativkee swamp, upon the liead waters of the St. Lucie river, is the only swamp of any magnitude in Tropical Florida ; and this part of the State has less swamps than Northern Wisconsin or Michigan. The country north of the 28th dog., east of the St. Johns rivei", and south of tlie railroad, is more thickly settled than the part just described. There are quite a number of plantations under cultivation, and more attention is paid to agriculture. The lands are more rolling than tlie country farther soutli, and produce a fine quality of sea-island cotton, which ii the principal crop raised. It produces good sugar and an ex- cellent quality of tobacco. Alachua, Marion, and Hernando are all fine counties of lantl for farming purposes, and have many beautiful lakes. The country east and soutli of the St. Johns river has more swamps than any other part of the State through which we have traveled. They are principally covered with cypress timber, and being easy of access from the St. Johns and Indian rivers, are valuable. Tlu^re are fine land upon Halifax river, Mosquito Lagoon, which, at a former period, were under cultivation, but were aban- doned during the Indian war by their owners. I think that there is no part of the South that ofters as great inducements to the immigrant as Florida. The salubrity and health- fulness ot its climate, the equability of its temperature, its accessibility, the cheapness of its lands, the ease with which its products can be marketed, are inducements which are not to be overlooked by the Lmraigrant ; and the fact that Tropical Florida is the only por- tion of the United States susceptible and capable of producing the fruits and plants of the West Indies, needs only to be made known for an immigration to settle in that direction to a sufficient extent to supply the Northern cities, and the entire North, with oranges, lemons, and all other troi)ical fruits. We have traveled upwards of fifteen hundred miles in the newest and most un.^ettled portion of the State; we have mixed freely with the people of all classes, and being North- ern men, and wishing to learn the sentiments of the people, as well as to cxamtne the country, discussed tlie leading questions of the day, the war and its results, negro-suftragc, and, in fact, everything connected with the war and secession. We were everywhere hospitably received, and although many did not agree Avith us in all our views, all agreed that hereafter the grievances of the South, or of any portion of the country, must be set- tled in accordance Avith law and tlie Constitution, upon the floor of Congress, and not by a resort to nrnis. An immijjration from the Noi-th will be welcomed by a large majority I 59 ijf the ijeupk', and aliiiosi uvevy one is anxious to see the State settled ii|i and fully devel- oped. A northern man of the most radical views is perfectly safe in traveling through any portion of Southern Florida, and to give full vent to his ideas and sentiments. The people have no real love for tlie Is^orth as a section, but they will treat Northern men with respect and courtesy, and will encourage them to settle. All seem to be heartily sick of tlie war, and we heard no expression of hostility to the general government. On tlie contrary, the feeling seems to be, upon the part of many who Avere formerly seces.sionists, to carry out and enforce the laws, and they will give tiicir aid and sanction in so doing. Like all new countries in the South and West, the laws have been loosely carried into effect, and the people have heretofore been in the habit of settling their grievances without an appeal to the law; but things, as near as we could learn, have changed for the better in that respect since the war. Respectfully yours, WM. 11. GLEASON. LETIEK TO GKX. CI! AISLES JIUXDEE FKO^St AV. H. GLEASOX. Miami, Fla., September 3, 1S68. Agreeably to }onv rL'(|uesl, i will endeavor to give you a description of this portion of tlie State, extending from Jupiter's 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 rcefs'i aud Avithiu from three to five miles of the Gulf Stream. They are of a simi- lar character, being of general formation and very rock}^ Some are only a few acres in extent, while others contain as man}- 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, crabwood, pal- metto, mangrove, and a variety of oaks. The land is too rocky to admit of general culti- vation, but is well adapted to the growth of cocoanuts, aloes, sisal hemp, and pine-apples, 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 Biscayne Bay. Barnes' Sound and Card's Sound are intersjoersed with innumerable small kej's, covered with man- groves, 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 arc great quantities of turtle, and sponges of the finest and best varieties. The sponges and turtle taken from these waters exceed $100,000 in value per annum. The bay and all the passages between the Keys and the streams running into the bay from the mainland are well supplied with a great variety of lish, such as mullet, sheep- head, grouper, etc., while incredible quantities of king-fish and Spanish mackerel are caught on the border of the Gulf Stream. Biscayne B.ay is an excellent harbor for all vessels drawing less than ten feet of water, and can be entered at all times. The Everglades are a vast shallow lake, overgrown with grass, pond lilies, and other aquatic plants, interspersed with innumerable small islands of from one to one hundred acres each. These islands are principally hammock lands cover- ed 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 four inches to four feet deep, and is very clear and pure. In many places are channels and sinks where the water is from ten to fifty 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 arc quite numerous. Flowers of the sweetest fragrance, and of every hue and color, greet the eye. The bor- der and outer margin of the Everglades is prairie 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 con- tact witli acids. The strip of land between Biscayne Bay and the Everglades is from tln-ee to fifteen 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 cannot be distinguished from "Jjernuula arrow-root, except by microscopic tests. This section of the country has evidently been an uplift or upheaval, as tlio rock dips at an angle of about twenty-three degrees, and slopes both toward the Bay and the Ever- glades. The rock, in many places, is in circular form, and is coral. I'lie soil is sandy, which, mixing with the decomposed lime of the coral rock, forms an ' client and inexhaustible soil for grajjcs and sugar cane. The country north of Bis- ■ , ne Bay, towards Jupiter Inlet, is of a siinilar char.-ictcr to that already described, with 60 the cxcc))tion tlial. there its no rock. Fiiiu sprhigs of water are found in different localities, and bnrst forth with great force; some of these are mineral springs, princii)ally chalybe- ate. 8ea-Island cotton is grown here, and it is a perennial, and can be picked several times each j-ear. Grapes flourisli well, and are not subject to mildew, and ripen about the middle of May. Tobacco raised along tlie Bay will compare with the best of Cuba. Bananas, plantains, oranges, cofi'ee, dates, pine-apples, rice, indigo, sugar, apples, arrow- root, cassava, all grow and thrive well, and the garden vegetables of the Northern and Middle States. Indigo, when once sown, remains in the ground and rattoons as it is cut off. Sugar cane rattoons and requires planting only once from four to five years. Sugar cane can be raised here with less labor than in Cuba, as the land 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 of the different products of the West Indies ; and there is no doubt that, M'hen tliis portion of the country becomes known, it will be rapidly developed. Sea-Island cotton can be raised with half the labor that is required in the northern part of this State or in South Carolina, as this is beyond the region of frost. The climate is very agreeable, being tempered by the Gulf Stream. It is not as warm here in summer as in New York, or as cold in winter as in Cuba, as we have no mountains or high eleva- tions of land. Tlie thermometer averages 7^1 degrees, and the extremes are 51 degrees and 92 degrees. There is a constant sea breeze off the Gulf stream, commencing about 8 o'clock a. m., and lasting until nearly sundown. The climate is very exhilierafing, and a white man can do as nnich labor in a day as in any portion of the United States. The constant Indian wars, which have been more severely felt in this county than iu any other portion of this State, have retarded its growth and prevented its development. Biscayne Bay is within four days of New York, and is tlie 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 pinc-applcs and limes are three weeks earlier at this place than in the Bahamas or Cuba. Grapes ripen from the 15th of May to the 1st of June, and lands can be purchased at the government price; and the healthfulness of the climate, for which it is noted, even here in Florida, will have a tendency to settle up this portion of the State as peace and quiet are restored. Yours, itc, W. II. GLEASOX. SUGAR CANE. Sweet potatoes, cotton, corn, sugar cane, tobacco, rice, peaches, oranges, lemons, citronr, grapes, melons and garden vegetables may be said to be the leading staple crops of Florida. And of all these, sugar cane lias gradually been winning its way in general estimation as taking the lead of the whole for desirability, for the cerlainty of the ci-op and the profit attending its cultivation. ITeart-sick of the manifold vicissitudes attending a reliance upon tlie cultivation of cotton alone, multitudes of tlie best cultivators of the State are turning towards other crops, and by a general and rapidly increasing public sentiment, cane is believed to be, /wr excellent. fhe crop of Florida. It is more cei'tain, less exacting, more simi)le in its management, occupies less time, is sulgect to less danger and gives a more profitable return than cotton, and probably equals, if it does not excel, any otlier crop in tliese particulars. But to tht' new-comer it is a cro]i entirely unknown, and such hesitate to engage in it on that accouut. It seems important, therefoi-e, both to commend this crop to new-comers and to enforce its claims to the attention of all, that correct and reliable information in regard to it, its cul- tivation and its claims to consideration, should be disseminated as widely as pos.sible. I have therefore deemed it advisable to gather from all attainable sources such information in regard to sugar cane as is within my reach, and embody it in a i)raciical essay to be herein incorporated. Ileliance has been mainly liad u[)oii the New American Encyclope-;! dia, the London Encyclopedia, the Latent Uflice Lejiorts, and also iqion conversations" with practical men and their written jiroductions, that are reliable and attainable through the news])aper and periodical press. Believing in the desirability of cane as a leading crop in the State, witli full faith in its luci-ativeness, the aim is not to produce a pretentious essay, but simply to fairly and fully set forth its real claims and to furnish such plain and fundamental hints as to its manage- ment as v.'ill otter good indncements to ncw-<'omers, who may bo unacquainted vrith it. to enter u'">oii il-' cidiir-nlion. (U SUGAR rXSK NOT A XOVKI/l Y. .Sii;^-ar, recently and iiniverisally roi>'anlc(l as a leading jieeessarj el' human life, allhoui;!! known and used by ]>ovtions of the race for many centuries, has only at a comparatively recent period come into ijeneral and common use. It was undoubtedly referred to in tlio Old Testament as the product of a sweet cune, and was probably known and used at that date by tlie nations of the East. It was lirst introduced to the nations of Juirojie by the conquests of Alexander the Great. Strabo states it to have licen found in the East Indies some 300 years before Christ, and it was alluded to by Theoplirastus ; and Varro who lived 63 years before Christ; and, indeed, it is mentioned or referred to by many others of the ancient writers as being found in Arabia and the East Indies. The Saracens introduced sugar cane into lUiodes, ('yprus, Crete and Sicily in the '.Uh century, and very ■soon the cultivation and manufacture of sugar were established in tlie Levant. It was introduced into Venice as early as 9f)(), and in the 12th c:entury was largelj' exported from Egyjjt a7id from Sicily. And the cane was quite widely spread, too. Thunberg found it in Japan in l'r84; Osbach found it in China in 1*751 ; Marco Polo in 1250, reported it in Bengal; Yasco de Gama, wlio first doubled the Cape of Good Hope, in 1497, reported a considei-able ti-ade in sugar in Calicut; Diascorides and Pliny state it to be a native of Arabia; Mr. Bruce found it in Egypt; in 1500 it was reported in Xubia. at Thebes, and in other parts of Northern Africa. The Crusaders found it in the East anil brought it back with them to Europe, and it was found in Hispaniola or vSainL Domingo diu"ing the second voyage of Columbus. Indeed, there is a very strong proba- bility that sugar cane is an indigenous production of the West as well as the East Indies, and quite widely spread before tl'.e advent of Europeans to this continent, and that the West is indebted to the I'^ast not for the introduction, but only fn- improved methods of cultivating and manufacturing, sugar cane. vai;if;hks (if [ETnOD OF PIIOPAGATIOX. Sugar cane, like other similar plants, has blossoms and what appears to be seeds, but whether from want of perfection in the seed or from custom founded on experience, it is never attempted to be propagated from seed, but is raised from "cuttings" so called. In- deed, a very competent English authority, Mr. Wray, in the "Practical vSugar Planter," saj-s: "As I have often been applied to on the subject, and have instituted many inquiries and experiments, in order to satisfy myself and others, I take this opportimity of stating what I have ascertained on this point. First, that no variety of sugar cane is known to perfect its seed, (or indeed to produce anything like seed) either in India, China, the' Straits of Malacca, Egj'pt or in the South Sea Islands ; as in all those countries the cane is entirely propagated by cuttings. Second, I have myself tried numerous methods which 1 imagined miglit by some possibility cause the plant to perfect seed." Sugar cane grows in joints of from 3 to 6 or 9 inches in length, like the reeds used for fishing poles, with a sort of partition between each two joints of a hard vegetable sub- stance. At or near each of these partitions, on one side of the cane, is an eye, which is always exactly opposite to the eye attached to the next joint above or below. So that the eyes on a i)erfect cane tog-ether form two rows of eyes on opposite sides of the cane. From each of these eyes, when covered with earth to the proper depth, proceed the sprouts and roots which constitute in time the complete cane. MODES OF PLAXTIXCi. Cane is planted in the Soutii, either in drills or ii} hills, and each method has its special advocates. If in drills, double furrows are drawn across the field at a distance of from three to five or more feet from each other, and the canes, either whole, or in pieces con- taining two to four joints, are laid, usually in double or triple lines, in the furrow and lightly covered to a depth of two inches, in Spring planting, and five or six inches if planted in the Fall, requiring greater depth for protection in Winter. If the cane is to be planted in hills, three heavy furrows, doubled if necessary, are run across the f -r*''!, at the required distances apart, which must be the line of the rows one way, and cross-furrows are run to mark the place of the hills in the row. At the inter- section of the furrows two pieces of cane, each containing tsvo to four eyes, are carefully dropped and then lightly covered. In which ever way the cane may be planted care must be taken that none of the eyes are turned downward, for this always retards and some- times prevents the sprouting of the cane. Each way of planting has its advocates, and tJie drill-planting method is more v.'idely prevalent. Drill-planting requires more seed, and probably will secure a larger number of canes; while it is claimed that hill-planting, in addition to requiring less seed, V, ill give much tlie larger canes and as many as the land will thoroughly sustain. The conviction is becoming general among planters of experience that the value of the crop is more apt to be injured I'rom planting too much than too little seed, and that rows and hills should be farther apart than is customary. In Mr. Flcichman's report to the Patent office, lie says: "There exists a great difl"ereuce of opinion among the Louisiana planters with regard to the distance that cane should be jilanted apart. Many still adhere to the old mode of iilanting, that is, in rows from three to five feet, while others plant it, with great advanta<;e, eight feet apart, or at such distance that the carts and cattle strad- dle the rows in carting cane from the field without injury to the rattoon." I have seen cane planted at eiglit feet, which was so luxuriant in its growth tliat the rays of the sun could scared}' penetrate, although it was a field planted with cane for twenty successive years, and had only tlie year previous a crop of Indian corn and peas on it; tiiat one year's rest, wide planting, and projier cultui'e, gave it such a vigorous growth as I never saw in agricultural produce. Mr. Ooo. L. Squier & Brother, in their Sugar Slanual, remark as follows : "There is great diversity of opinion and practice among cane planters with regard to the distance the rows shoidd be apart, and different individuals plant all the way from three to twelve feet apart. But the weight of authority seems to be in favor of planting T'Om G to feet apart, or so that the cai'ts and cattle can straddle the rows in carting tlie cane Iroiu tlie field without, injury lo tiie stubble, iconic very wondci'ful results have been attained by planting tlie ri)\vs 12 I'ect apart. "The foilowiuii; plan has been tried with ii;ood result.-i, and has many points to commend it: Lay otl" the ground in rows six feet apart; plant two rows of corn and two of cane. In the corn, peas may be planted to enrich the land, and it may be farther heavily man- ured after the corn is gathered. The cane will aflbrd a good crop of stubble the second year. I'lant the corn and peas also the second year. Tlien in the fall after the <'orn i>i gathered prepare the corn ground for cane, and cut the cane from the rows along side antl plant before the grinding season. The atlvantages of this system are these : The ijlant- ing is done early, inline weather; all hauling and matting of the cane is saved, and sound cane is secured.'with no risk of its spoiling in the mat. This mode gives an alternation of two years of cane and two years of corn and peas, with an opportunity to cultivate and enrich the soil, and gives nearly or quite as great a yield of sugar to the acre, be- sides a very good crop of corn." K.VTT0OXrN(! Cane does not of necessity re(juire replanting every year, the stalks being cut in the fall. From the same roots, in the next year, unless the root is injured by cold, drougth or ex- cess of moisture, there springs a second growth of sprouts similar to the first. This sub- sequent repeated growth from the same root is called rattooning, and may be repeated from year to year for several years. The value of these succeeding or rattooning crops is variously e'stimated, some asserting that it continually deteriorates after the second year, and others maintainuig that with care it may be rattooned iudeiiniteij'. The conunon opinion is that replanting is necessary once in 3 or 4 years. But Judge Dupont, of Quincy, in Gadsden county, one of the northern counties in this State, told me that he had raised cane from the rattoon six successive years without either diminu- tion or deterioration. 1 am informed that on the lands of Indian river, the nineteenth croj) of cane from the same planting, and on the shores of Lake Worth, cane is now growing which has not been replanted since the early Indian wars. The probability is that the character of the rattoon and the extent of their repetition depends upon the quality of the original seed, the cultivation and the fertilization it has received. MODE OF CULTIVATION OF CANK. The cultivation of cane is almost exactly the same as that given by good farmers to corn, and is so nearly similar that special description is not necessxry. Like corn, it re- quires to be kept clean of weeds and grass, and thorough tillage, and if any difference exists, it is in this, that cane Avill, more surely than even corn, repay the cultivator for frequent and deeper cultivation. SELECTION OF SEED. It is as true of cane as of many and indeed of most other crops, that a heavy per cen- tage of loss is incurred in its cultivation from carelessless and pinching economy in the selection of seed. As with every other known crop, good seed, other things being equal, will produce good fruit, and vice versa. In reference to this point, Mr. Fleichman well observes : "It is with cane as with all other plants; imperfect seed produces a poor plant and bad fruit. The planter cannot expect that seed-cane with delicate, imperfect eyes and short joints will produce a cane like one of vigorous growth, with perfectly well de- veloped eyes and and a great deal of juice, which supports the young shoot till its roots arc strong enough to obtain nourishment from the soil. The young sprout from poor cane is less able to support the inclemency of the climate and is more liable to disease." And he goes on to make some remarks as applicable to Louisiana, which apply with near- ly equal force to cane growing in Northern Florida. "In the ^Yest Indies, wo are told, tiie few upper joints of the plant nearest the leaves, conmionlj' designated as the 'cane- tops,' are used for seed-cane. In the West Indies, where the cane arrives to perfect ma- turity, where every joint is ripe, and every eye well developed, tlic top joints may an.- swer ; but in Louisiana, where the cane is never entirely matured, where it must be cut before the upper joints are formed, the tops are not fit seed, and the result must necessa- rily be bad." TIME OF I'J-ANTIXG. In the West Indies, where no danger is to be apprehended from frost, cane is almost universally planted in the Fall, at the time of euttin.g; but in Louisiana and the northern fi4 lialf of Florida, tlio Si)ring, IVoiii Februai^ to April is the safer time, wiiile in Central aiul Southern Florida the Fall doubtless would be the best, being equally safe and saving- any extra handling of the eane-seed. which is injured in keeping over winter. i'};ESEi;VAT10N 0\' CAXIC AM) I'JIOTEC 'I'lON AGAIASl' CulJ). "Whenever cold weather prevails in the V»'inter, of a degree sullieient lo freeze or injure cane, such cane as it becomes uecesssary to i)rcserve for grinding at a later period or for seed, is secured against the effect of cold weather by a ]irocess of very simple character called "matting." Matting consists in throwing the cane after being cut, into beds nf such thickness and so arranged, that the overlapping or covering of the butts of one por- tion by the tops of another will insure sufficient protection. Beginning at one end of a bed 10 to 20 or more feet in width, the newly cut cane is tlirowu upon the ground from six inches to a foot or more in thickness across the width of the bed, the toi)S projecting outward, the butts of the cane so laid arc then covered with the tops of other parcels and so on, giving to the bed when finished a thickness of from 1-1 to 3 feet, according to the expected degree of cold, and continuing it in length as far as necessary. And when fin- ished the sides and ends are covered with dirt, raul if severe cold is apprehended, the top also. i'jioTJ':(TiX(i riiK noov:-.. in cold cliuuites, and in i»roporlion to the degree of cold aiiprehended, the roots of tlu- cane upon wdiich reliance is had for rattooning, nnist receive more or less protection. This is accomplished by first throwing the refuse leaves and tops which remain after liar- vest upon the roots or stubble of the cane, and then additional protection is accomplished by running a furrow close to and on each side of the drill, tluis turning a furrow of dirt upon it, and thus it remains till Spring, v.'hen the refuse or "trash" is raked olf aiul soon new shoots sjiring up from the okl roots. FEirriLIZATIOX'. Cane is a plant of so succulent a nature, and of such strong growth, that it must of lu- cessity be an exhaustive crop, and requires a deep, strong soil for favorable results. There- fore frequent and thorough fertilization is an essential condition precedent to success. Indeed one look at a thrifty growth of caiie of full size is enough to convince any one that it is hardly possible to give too much stinudus in the way of proper food to this crop. While cane is one of the most certain of all known crops, and one of the hardiest, that will tolerate a degree of neglect that would be fatal to almost any other crop, yet it as cer- tainly resi^onds to deep and frequent cultivation and generous feeding as anj^ crop tliat can be cited, and in its varying result of from 500 to 5000 pounds of sugar to tlie acre, will bear unmistakable testimony to tlie degree of care awarded it. SIZE OF SUGAll CAXK. In Louisiana, says Mr. Fleichmnn, "the length of the ripe joints varies ; those of the Bourbon and Red "llibbon varying from four to nine inches in length. The cane cut for grinding measures from three to live feet in length. I saw some over eight feet high and with from tM-enty-four to twenty-eight good joints, but they are rare instances." The New American Encyclopedia says : "It grows in a succession of joints, or rather nodes, from 4 to '20 feet high and the stem is 1 to 2 inches in diameter. The Otaheite grows in Jamaica, it is said, to the height of 10 to 12 feet the lii-st year, with stems six inches in circumference, and joints six inches apart." Tlie London Encyclopedia saj's : "The sugar cniw ov fral important additions are proper. Coffee may, with little doubt, be grown to great profit at least in all South Florida, and probably in a great portion of the State. Coffee trees are now in existence in the South, and practical coffee planters are confident of suc- i-ess wlienever the effort shall be made to cultivate tlais important staple. The experi- ment is now being thoroughly made, and thus a practical test will be applied ; and since th« revenue duties on the jiroduct will amply repay tiie expense of cultivation, the ques- tion is an important one. llye, Oats, Wheat, Sweet Potatoes, Irish Potatoes, Pindars or Peanuts, and Pecannuts can be added. Si.sal Hemp, common Hemp and Ramie can all be very profitably raised. Sorghum and the Silesian or Sugar Beet, both can be relied upon for certain and good crops. Lands, upon which such a varict\' of valuable productions can with ease and certainty be raised, must ere long be sought with avidity. And such prospect is still more reliable when consideration is given to tlie proliabilities that unquestionably exist for the success of several leading avocations and emj)]o}'ments. Such is the fortunate conjunctive effect of soil and climate, that countless herds of cat- tle may be raised and sustained absolutely without care, and at almost no expense, when allowed to run wild. And if tlie opinion of many intelligent dairymen, that even in the best grazing States cattle can be "kept up" and fed with green crops even through the summer, more profitably than they can be provided with pasturage, then surely there can be little question about the chances for cattle-raising upon these lands where either grow- ing grass or green crops (^an be made use of throughout the year. If so, then the raising of cattle, the disposition of the hides and tallow, the curing of beef, and the manufacture of leather must go to swell the actual inducements offered. The vast extent of excellent yellow jjine and pitch pine timber lands, accessible as they are, by railroad and navigation, present, in the growing scarcity of first-rate timber, ex- cellent chances for the manufacture f)f lumber and for speculation, the timber being of more value than enough to pay for the land ; leaving the land itself in improved condition for settlement as a margin for additional profits. The turpentine farms are, to a great ex- tent, operated by men from the Carolinas, who find here a better field for enterprise, and with the known ca))acity of this section for tlie cultivation of cordage plants, a fine field is open for the pro(hiction and manufacture of naval store,?. The Orange, the Lemon, the Bay, llio Mangrove, tl^ Box, .and the varieties of Palm, and the Magnolia, as well as the Cedar and Live Oak, show the worth of these lands for the production of rare ami valu.ablo woods. The inexhaustible supplies of Cypress, a wood standing next to Cedar foi- diU'ei-ent varieties of wooden-ware, procurable at only nominal prices, nmst soon stimulate to the establishment of a great variety of manufacto- ries. Add to all these the fact that witli very little care for forage or feed, or expensive buildings there is no civilized country where a man of small means can be more absolute- ly certain of a comfortable living for liiniself and family, and the list of inducements to the purch.ase of these lands is nearly full. It is hardly possi[)le for a man from tiie Northern or Western States or from Canada, to believe that it is practicable in any one locality, without the varied temperature that i.s given in the immediate vicinity of elevated mountains, to cultiv.ate successfully within the same enclosure, tlie oats, rye and wheat of Canada, the peach, quince and sweet pota- toes of the Middle States, the corn, cotton and tobacco of the Southern, the coffee, indi- go, ginger of the \\'est Indies, the orange, lime, lemon and citron of (.Central America, the olive and the gr.ape of the East, tlir' d.'ite and palm of the desert, the guava, the sugar can* and the tea of Southern Asia; yet the dweller in llernanda and Man?ltce actually does tliis very thing and can do so every d.a}- in (he year. WH.VT MAY r.E iioyiv: 0>< TlIK I..\Nt>s l>; yr.OTJlD.V. Skvaj!. — This is thr> best sugai' rfa;ion known. Sugar lani^ tbn' in tlio We^-t, Indies nve 68 raleil afc $2oO to ^500 \>cv awf. ciiii here be bought at $1 to .^IS. The etiaboii is lunger than in Louisiana. Cane fit for grinding grows on these lands I'rora 7 to 10 feet in length, while in Louisiana 5 feet is very good length. The planting of sugar is a little more ex- jjensive than that of corn, but where, as upon these lands, cano will rattoon 6 and 8 con- Hecutive yea^-s, the cost may be called the same. And Avith the same preparation, the 8ame fertilization, and the same cultivation required for a crop of 45 bushels of corn to the acre in the Northern, Middle, orAVestern States, worth $60, at $1.33 per busliel, Florida lands will produce on an average 2,000 pounds of sugar, at 12 cents per pound, worth $240. Three thousand lbs. have often been raised. Three plantations in llernando county made, in one neighborhood, an average of 3,200 pounds, and as high as 4,000 pounds to the acre, has been made in Florida. Again, from 15,000 to 25,000 canes can be raised on an acre well manured and well cultivated, and these canes sold for seed from ] ^ to 2-^ cents, which at the average of number and price, give $338 to the acre. Oranges. — Oranges may be made to begin to bear fruit in 4 years from the sour stock and 7 years from the seed. The land occupied may be cultivated in various crops until the trees bear. 1 50 trees may be set on an acre. A bearing orange tree is worth from $50 to $100. A bearing grove of five acres, on the St. Johns, is now held at thirty thousand dollars. Ten thousand dollars and upwards is the value of its actual crop. Hundreds of thousands of acres of these lands ai-e exactly adapted to oranges and all the citrus tribe, and the same figures will apply to the lemon and lime. Where and in what way, and by the use of what means, can a young man, in ten years, secure by the cultivation of ten acres, a more ample or certain competence V What better inheritance can a man leave for his children V Citron. — A thrifty and well cared for citron tree Avill produce 100 lbs. of fruit, and 200 may be set on an acre. Five acres of these trees would produce 1,000 trees, annually yielding, at 60 lbs. to the tree, 50,000 lbs. of fruit. One acre of cane would furnish the syrup to preserve the fruit. When well cured, it may be boxed and held for transporta- tion and a market, and sold for 25 to 40 cents pei' pound. Tigs. — Figs are easily raised from cuttings and begin to bear in three years, producing one good, and one or two additional but inferioi* crops annually. Two hundred trees may be set at nominal cost on an acre. There is no reason why, where the cost of fuel is so insignificant, figs may not be well cured, if not by natural means, then in a few hours by artificial heat, in a dry house that any man can build with an axe. Castor Beans. — Throughout the whole extent of these lands, the Palma Christi or Cas- tor Bean can be made a more profitable crop and raised with less trouble than corn or wheat in the North and West. Ginger. — Jamaica Ginger grows vigorously in any part of the State, and might be cul- tivated to great profit with a little care. Bananas. — One thousand bananas may be set on an acre. Each plant fruits in the second year from setting, and sends up, while it is bearing fruit, three to six shoots, which themselves, transplanted, will fruit in the succeeding year. Each plant will bear one, sometimes two bunches of fruit, worth $1.50 to $3.00, and all with little attention, though it requires rich, moist land. All of these lands, fmm (Jainesville to the Gulf, will raise bananas. Arrow Root. — Dift'erent varieties of arrow-root can Ije successfully raised with Icse care than is required for Irish potatoes, and once planted are difficidt to eradicate. GrvVpes. — The tremeiidous growth of the wild grape in the woods, demonstrates con- clusively the special adaptation of these lands to the growth of the vine. The Scupper- nong seems to be the most common variety, and in Gadsden coimty, 1,000 gallons of wine from an acre is reported as a reliable yield. But other choice and many of the rarest imported vines do exceedingly woll. This section cannot fail to attract universal notice as a wine-growing region. Zante Currants. — These Currants can as well be raised here as anywhere in the Le- vant, and their cultivation and curing can easily, and with little labor, be made profitable. Pine Apples. — The whole of the southern portion of the State is capable of yielding an immense profit from the cultivation of the pine-apple. It thrives especially on the south- ern islands or keys. Upwards of $3,000 has been realized from a single acre on Key Largo. Oysters. — No larger or finer flavored oysters exist than those which abound on both the east and west coast of Florida. They are now found in incalculable numbers. The canning of oysters is a very profitable business, and may here be carried on to almost any extent. There is no danger of a failure in the supply, as they may be multiplied
    ly, are I'lilly wjual to those of Newfoundland. Hundreds of barrels have been taken on the Florida coast at a single haul of the seine. Pe,\ches.^ — When iieaehes Ix^gin to bloom in Delaware and New Jersey, they are one- half grown in Florida, and no better peach country can or need be found than along the Hue of tlie Florida Kailroad. At one yiiar's growtli from the pit, peaches often attain, oven in W. Florida, the height of ten feet. Care, selection and attention can place in the Northern market Die elioicest peaches from Waldo and Starke, several weeks before they can be raised North. There is no country where the marketing of peaches, whether fresh or dried, can be made more luci-ative, or where they can be more profitably canned. LuMifiER C.^p.^ciTV. — The reputation of the Yellow Fine of this State for flooring, strong timber and for naval purposes is such as to render any comments upon it unnecessary; and the growing scarcity ot rir.st-class pine lands, available for lumber, enhances the vahu^ of these lands. There are .several hundred thousand acres, along and in the vicinity oi the Florida Railroads, that are either now available by means of the road, or could be made so by the construetioTi of short branch roads, that are shown by the experience of our own lumbermen to be both practicable and profitable. And these lands, many of them, carefully selected by competent men, can now, for a short period, be proctired on exceed- ingly favorable terms. Although the cutting of timber and the manufacture of lumber liave long and profita- bly engaged the attention of enterpjrising men, and altho\igh the majority of the timbt^r within two miles of navigable water, and of other roads has been consumed, still the lumber capacity of the State has never been half appreciated, and much of the best tim- ber land of the State is included among the lands now offered.' Manltature of Woodkn Ware. — The simple fact that fi-om among the lands now offer- "ed, purchases may be so made as to give the manufacturer a half century's supply of stock for less than one per cent, of what a single year's supply now actually costs in the vicinity of some of the most flourishing manufactories of this kind to be found in the country, gives almost positive assurance that a wonderful development in this direction must ere long take place. Oak, ash and hickory abound, and of Cypress, which closely approximates cedar in value for tubs and pails, and forms first-class m.aterial for sash, doors and blinds, the supply is inexhaustible, while still, by careful selection, quantities of excellent Red Cedar and Live Oak may be secured. J'urely the attention of manufac- turers is not solicited without giorl reason. THE 1 ir; IN FLORIDA. The i-emarkable vigor and thrift attending the growth of the Fig in this State, and the many facilities afforded for an unlimited business growing out of its cultivation and pre- paration for market are so decided, that this fruit is worthy, like the Orange and Cane, of special attention here. A simple preparation of figs iiy boiling in syi'up will furnish a most palatable and wholesome preserve, that only needs to be known to iiecome a universal favorite; and if figs can be prepared for a lucrative market by drying, anywliere on earth, it can be done in Florida. For special and reliable information concerning the Fig 1 here insert au excellent article from the London Eiuyclopedia, simply reminding readers that it is written in and for tlic climate of England, and i^ of so much the more force as considered with reference to tlic climate of Florida. "Ficus, the fig-tree, a genus of tiie tFueciii order, and pulygami.'i class of ])lanls: luitural order fifty -third, scabridie. Tiie receptacle is common, turbinated, oarnous, and i-onuivant; enclosing the florets either in the same or in a distinct one: male, nil. trijjartite: cor. none: atam. three: female, cal. quinquepartite: for. none: pistil, one; and one seed. There arc fifty-six species, of wdiich the following are liie most reuiai-kable; F. ccriw, the common fig-tree, witii an Ufiright stem branching, lifiei'ii or twenty feet high, and garnished with large ])alniated or hand shaped leaves. (»f this there are many varieties; as. The common fig-tree, with large, oblong, dark ]iurplisli blue fruit, v.-hich ripens in Augu.st either on standards or walls, and of \vhi(;h it carries a great (juantity. The brown or chestnut fig; a large, globular, chestnut-colored fruit, having a |>urplish delicious j^ulp, ripening in the middle of .\ugust. The black. Isehia fig; a middle si/.ed. .shorti.sb, tlat-crowned, blackish fruit, having a l>rig)il- pulp; lipening in the middle of August. Tho green Isehia fig; a large, oldong, globnlar-liendcd, greenisii fruit, slightly stained by the jiulp to a reddish lirown color; rii)ens in lli'' 'H'l "f August. The bi-o-.\i. Isciiialig; ;i snjall, pyramidal, ))rownis)i-y(-'!low fruit, haviij^- a )mr{»lit;!) very I'icl) pulp; ripeaini::; iu August and September. The Malta %; a small, flat-topped, brown fruit, rlpeniiig- iu the middle of September. The round brown Naples lig; a globular, middle ^ized, light brown fruit, and brownisli pulp ; ripe in tlie end of August. The long, brown Naples fig; a long, dark brown fruit, having a reddish pulp; ripe in September. The great blue fig; a large blue fruit, having a fine red pulp. The black Genoa fig; a large, ]>ear-shaped, black-colored fruit, with a bright red pulp ; ripe in August. The carrica is frequently cultivated in this country, and is the only species which does not require to be kept under glass. It niay be propagated either by suckers arising from roots, by layers, or by cuttings. The suckers are to be taken off as low down as possible; trim off any ragged part at bottom, leaving the tops entire, especially if for standards; and plant them in nursery lines at two or three feet distance, or they may at once be planted where they are to remain; observing that if they are for walls or espaliers, they may be headed to six or eight inches in Marcli, the more effectually to force out lateral shoots near the bot- tom ; but, if intended for standards, they must not be topped, but trained with a stem, not less than fifteen or eighteen inches for dwarf standards, a yard for half standards, and four, five or six feet for full standards. Then they must be suffered to branch out to form a head; observing that whether against walls, espaliers, or standards, the hrauf-hcn or .■'hoots must never fie Hhortened unless to procure a necessary SMpply of wood: for the fruit is idways pjrodueed on the upper penis of the youn,g shoots ; and, if these are cut off, no fruit can be expected. The best season for ])ropagating these trees by laj^ers is in Autumn; but it may be also done any time from October to March or April. Choose the young pliable lower shoots from the fruitful branches; lay them in the usual way, covering the body of the layers three or four inclies deep in the ground, keeping the top entire, and as upright as possible ; and they will be rooted and fit to sepai-ate from the parent in Autumn ; when they may be planted either in the nursery or where they are to remain. The time for propagating by cuttings is cither at the fall of the leaf or in March: choose well ripened shoots of the preceding Sunm)er ; 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 en- tire; and plant them si.x'or eight inches deep, in a bed or border of good earth, in rows two feet asunder. "When planted in Autunm, it will be eligible to protect their tops in lime of Iiard frost tlie fii'st winter, witli any kind of long loose litter." 'tMJOPKlvVL FLOTMDA. ijv 1.. 1). .STirKNrcv, Koirr :\fYKi:s, fi.oimj)a. That portion of Florida south of 2Y deg. of latitude has generally been believed to be covered by swai'ips and everglades, and unfit for cultivation; but it has been found by actual reconntv' mce to contain large bodies of high land fit for agricultural purposes, and equal to -.ins, in the State for fertility. The climate of this region is more uniform than in any country in the same latitude not sinalarly situated in contiguity witli the Atlantic ocean and the Mexican gulf, being too remote from tlie north to admit the dominion of the cold winds to prevail long enough to produce any sensible effect, while its proximity to the tropics affords tlie mild and refresh- ing coolness of the trade winds. The soil is generally ligbt, and will not bear many exhausting crops, such, for example, as sugar, without nianurck; but in no country are tlie means of improving land more avail- able — lime, marl, argil, silica and hunms are abundant and accessible to all. By a skill- ful condiination of these, compost can be formed adapted to any land — suitable to make j)oor land rich and keep it so. The rivers abound in fish ; tlu^ li^goons bordering on the ocean supply turtle and oysters; the earth ])roduces the cooute and the cabbage tree, and the forests are alive \\ith wild deer and other game. Food is everywhere within reach, and can be prndnced witli th(> least possible exoj'tion. The writer about ten years ago purchased an extensive tract of land on the Caloosa- hatchcf,' river. on(! liundrcd n*id tv.'euty miles noi'th of Key West, and engaged iu the cultu.re of tro})ieal pl;uits. The point selected. Fort Myers, had, during the Indian wars, Ijecn oeetiined by tlr' United Slates troops as a military [)ost. The ofiicers stationed there caused aliont titty ai^-es lo l)e cleared, fenced, and ])lanted in a variety of tropical plants. The orange, leuioH and lime trees have come into bearing, producing abundantly. The Sicily lemon transjihmtcd there is much imju-oved from the original. In this locality the cocoa-nut, date, guava, pine-apple, banana, jdantain, sappatlillo, tamarind, alligator pear, sugar api)le, grape fruit, arrow-root, cas.sava, ginger, and coffee, are all growing, and might be successfully cultivated to supply \n t,he States of a colder latitude much of those ])roducti(ms which are now impcu'tod from foreign countries, tlms ff)rming hi.ghly iin 71 Live-oak, yelluw pine, cabbago ti'ee, nnd inanfn;i'uve are tin; most iibiuulant forest tree though forineily a yood deal of fustio, iniihof|,'aii3-, li^-uium'ittv, and braziletto was to be met with; but these valuable jsperics of timbei" have been so iiuicii in demand foi* ship building and connnerce that treeri of any size are rare. The must formidable obstacle the farmer meets in jirepariui;; i^round for cultivation is the saw palmetto, [cJuuiuerojjs serrn- htta) willi plaited palmate fronds and sharply serrate stipes. Tlie roots cover the surface of the ground, and are removed by the slow process of the grubbing-hoe. Several spe- cies of this genus of jialms afforded the Florida tribes food, wine, sugar, fruit, cabbage, fans, darta, ropes, and cloth. Some have g(jod fruit, like plums ; others austere like d'ates. They are now chiefly used to make hats, fans, baskets, and mats, witii the leaves. The land bordering on the Caloosahatchee river and its tributaries is accessible by ves- sels drawiuCT' not more than si.v feet; contains enough live-oak to sui)ply the navy of the Uinted States for a quarter of a century. Other valuable tind)er for ship-building is found in the same locality. Such being llie natural udvanta<;-es which invito enterprise to this quarter, there can be no doubt that when its agricultural resources are more generally understood, southern Florida will be covered with a dense ])oimhition of thrifty farmers. Cuba, with almost a correspondin;^ climate, has several hundred ))lants which serve as a basis to her agriculture, such as grains, farinaceous roots, edible seeds, vegetables, salads, saucee, and fruits; the great staples of exjiortation — sugar, cofi'ec, and tobacco, plants for dyes, yielding oil, suitable for cordage or cdoth, yieldino- 2,-ums and resins, good for tan- ning; grasses; and woods employed in various uses. Xow, it is well known that most of the productions of Cuba are growing in south Florida, ami, Avith cultivation, might be made to rival those of that- celebratecl Island. Sea Island cotton of a fine cpiality has been produced in the very centre of the peninsula. Florida surpasses Cuba in variety and delicacy of vegetable culture. At all seasons of the year beets, onions, egg-plants, carrots, lettuce, celery, Ac, are produced with the luost indifierent culture, wliile every- thing that grows upon vines is in abundance and in great iierfection. Cabbages and Iri.sh potatoes, if planted in Octolier, produce well. The former have been grown at Fort My- ers, a single head weighing forty pounds. Cattle, hogs and jioidtry increase astonishingly. Until the rebellion of the slave States, south Florida supplied the Havana market with beef at the rate of one thousand head jier month; besides considerable quantities were shipped to the Bahamas, Key "West, and Tortugas. FLOllIDA FllUlTS. In view of the ])eculiar adaptation of Florida to the growth of tropical aud semi-trop- ical fruits, the following articles are extracted from the Reports of the Agricultural Department of 1861 and 18(57 : THE FRUJTS OF FLORIDA. HV GEO. W. .\TW00D, ST. AUGUSTIXK, FLOKIDA. In considering the subject of this comnnmication, the writer would ju'emise that com- paratively few among our own peoj)le are aware that within less tlian 00 hours' travel by railroad from New York citj', in our own country, t.Jiere exists a fairy-like land of fruits and flowers, not less beautiful, inviting, or attractive than that described by the dramatic poet in his picture portraying the romantic and blissfuU abode which the ardent lover had prepared for his mistress ujjon the sliores of the Lake of Como, whose balmy breezes and delightful atmosphere are ever redolent with the odorous perfumes of fragrant Hovv- ers, and ever-expanding blossoms of the orange, and where "■ the lemon, orange, and the lime, Amid their verdant umbrage countless jxlow With fragrant fruits of vegetable gold ;" and where .ill the semi-tropical fruits, as the orange, the leiiion, the lime, the citron, liie olive, the fig, the pine apple, the banana, the guava, and the ]ialm are produced in greater perfection of quality, llavor, size and form, than in tlie more tropical climate of the West Indies and Brazil, and with less care and attention, and with greater exemption from the vicissitudes of clinuite and the hazards of injury from the insect ti-ibe, than are the com- mon fruits of the noi\th, as the apple, the [tear, the peach, or tljje plum^ Nearly everj^ forest and woodland, south of 80 deg. noi-th latitude, abound with .'^rdvcp of the wild orange, some of which arc of enormous extent.* It is from these sources that *The writer of this vi.sited one of tliese groves in K;i-< l-'i-nidfi. ^^aid 1o he ten ii'ih's long', and varying from lialf a mile to a mile in widlli. tlie miiauruus groveN of sweet, oranges, limes, lemons, hikI citrons lue collected, by diggln'^ the wild trees of the Hour and bitter-sweet varieties in the forests and hammocks, and transplanting- them into groves, at uniform distancea, where the new shoots are permitted to grow, and are then budded with the sweet orange, lemon, Limes 4 Oranges — Bitter oranges '' Sour oranges G 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 propaga- tion. They differ from deciduous fruits in the respect that like always produces like, the seed of every variety invariably producing its kind. ( hittiugs of tlirifty wood, two years old, strike fibres as readily as younger wood, though the mode of propagating almost uni- versally adopted in Florida is by budding upon young stocks from the nursery, or from the larger stocks obtixined from the forests. The citrus family of fruits is supposed to have originated in the warmer parts of Asia, anil to have derived its name from the town of Citron, in Judea, though it has been cultivated from time immemorial in middle ant! southern Europe, and is now cultivated almost throughout the world, and in no higher degree of perfection than in East Florida, south of the 30th deg. of north latitude. The Orange, {Gifrux aurantinin.) — The cultivation of tlie orange in East Florida, pre- vious to 1885, had attained a degree of considerable commercial importance, and the ex- ports of this fruit from the small citv of St. Augustine are salt! to liavc amounted to -1100,000 annually. On the St. Johns river, and in some j)arts of West I'lorida, as at Tampa Bay, groves were being established as a source of commercial supjily ; the west coast is not considered as favorable for the cultivation of this fruit, on account of its rough winds, as is the east coast. In February, 1835, a very severe frost visited the State, antl most of the orange groves and other semi-tiopical fruits Avcre destroyed, or nearly so, leaving only the stumps and roots to spring again. Many of these sent up shoots, and began to encourage hopes of returning prosperity to this branch of industry. These hoj-tcs Avcrc not permitted to be realized, however, for, in 1842, an insect called the ornnr/e cocam, or scale insect, appeared in the orange groves, and spread with great rajiidity over the whole country, almost to- tally destroying every tree attacked. This terrible calamity continued for 10 or 12 years, and bid defiance to almost every effort made to staj" its blighting force. Many became discouraged in the contest and abandoueil further attempts to re-establish this heretofore agreeable anermw/m,) and the AVest India Soursop, (Anon amurlcn(a,)&vf eetsop. (Anonn sqvMmosa,) and Alligator A^\A&, {Anona jxilmtrix,) are of this genus. This delicious fruit is produced in excellent perfection as far nortk nr- St. Augustine, and is easily propagated from seed. Fig-Marigold, {Mcsembri/aii(hem.vm.)—Oi' this genius of fruit, tlicre are upwards of 840 different species described by botanists, the larger ])ortion of which are natives of the Cape' of Good Hope. Probably not moiG tlian ten or twelve varieties are known and cul- tivated in Florida. The ease with which this excellent fruit is propagatot!, and its great productiveness, yielding two annual crops in southern Florida, and always bearing abundantly through- out the State, should be a sufficient inducement for the extension of this branch of horti- (•ulture for the supply of our home market at least. It is easily propagated from cuttings and seeds. GuAi.vvA, {Psidlumf/'/aiam.) — The name. Guaiava, is a corrnptleu of the Spanish word ffuai/nba. Of this friiit there are 1 7 different species. It is an evergreen tree or shrub, and indigenous to Brazil, Spanish America, and the "West Inerties of the rind and the flowers, which are not only an excellent febrifuge, but pow- erful astringents, aaid often used with groat benefit iu cases of diarrlia-a. Tlie pulp of the friiit is a delicious sub-acid substance, similar in taste and flavor to the retl currant, and is excellent for allaying Iieat and quenching thirst, and is gently laxitive. The fi'uit of the iX)megrauato is splierical, the size of an orange, with a gourd-like shell or rind, which is filled with s ATE Palm, {Phornix dactylifera.) — This excellent and vuluaWi! IVuit is cultivated with entire success south of 28 deg. north latitude, and the tree often p-crfects its fruit as far north as JiO deg. north latitude. Numerous large and beautiful specimens of this tree may be seen iu the garrh-ns at St. Augustine. It is one of the most beautiful trees of the vege- table kingdom. Its long, graceful, evcr-vordant, ever-waving, ever-changing branches make it the most i)ictnresque of all others for landHca]K> gai-dening, and shov.ld adorn the grounds of v\{\v\ homestead in Florida. The fruit is greatly ami justly esteemed by the inhabitants of l^gypl, ^Vral/ia, anil !'< » ria, on account of its concentrated and nutritious properties; large numbers subsist ai most entirely upon it. It is generally the sole food of the Arabs and tlu-ir camels nu their long an'I ter]ious journeys over the desort, tha voyagers feeding upon tJiP iVuit and T6 the animals upon the stones. The inhabitants of these countries also boast of the medi- cinal qualities of the date fi'uit, and of the numerous uses to which the diflferont produc- tions of this tree may be ajjplied. From the leaves they make couches, baskets, bags, mats and brushes ; from the branches or stalks, cages for their poultry and fences for their gardens ; from the fibres of the trunk, thread, ropes and rigging; from the sap, a spiritu- ous liquor, and the body of the trees furnish fuel. The date-palm is j)ropagated from the seeds and suckers, but more successfullj- 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. Grapes, ( Vitis.) — The finer European varieties of this fruit, such as are cultivated un- der glass at the North, are all hardy and are grown more or less successfully in the open air in Florida, ripening at St. Augustine about the first of July. But the same diseases which have affected this valuable fruit in other countries, and in our own, have been more or less prevalent here. The northern or native varieties have not been suflRciently tested to form a correct estimate of their value, as compared with their European rivals, for cul- tivation in this climate. Several vineyards, consisting of northern A'ines, were established on the St. Johns river just previous to the breaking out of the rebellion, during which they were abandoned, and their cultivation has not since been properly or actively resumed. It is believed, however, bj' some who profess to know, that many of the northern varieties will succeed well in this climate, and that their introduction will prove an advantage. East Florida is generally flat, however, and the mean level of water in the ground only two to eight feet from the surface, according to the season, wet or dry ; and as the vine imperatively demands a uniformly dry, calcareous or rocky soil, and to insure the bfest condition for its successful propagation should never stand in water, it would seem that Florida is not the natui-al home of the grape, and that intelligent and experienced vine- growers would not select it for the purpose of establishing vineyards, with the expecta- tion of complete success. The Peach, (Amj/c/dahis Persica.) — This tree is long-lived, healthy, and vigorous througout Florida, and is never subject to injuries from the peach worm or the diseases which so universally afflict the fruit in the Nortliern States. The most delicious peaches may be raised almost without care by every family, and in abundance sufficient even for the economical feeding of swine. The early varieties of this fruit ripen in the beginning of June, and the latest sorts continue until late in August. The earliest and the latest varieties should be choosen for cultivation in Florida, as the rainy season commences in July and continues throughout that month, causing much of the maturing fruit to crack. The Nectarine, {Amyydalus Persica,) the Apricot, {Pnmus Armeniaca,) and the Al- mond, {Amygdalus comniums,) are all at home in Florida, and not less vigorous, healthy, ox productive than the peach; and all who will take the trouble to plant and care for the trees may be assured of an abundant reward. The Plu-V, {Primus dmne-stica,) and Prune, (Prunus domeMica,) are also healthy and pro- ductive, being entirely exempt from the ravages of the curculio so prevalent at the north. All the varieties of the wild plum are indigenous and abundant in nearly every part of the State. Many of the varieties are of excellent quality, and, when cooked, form a de- licious preserve for family use or for canning. Pears, {Pip-us commitiiis,) and Quinces, {Cydonia vulffiirh,) are worthy of more attention than they have heretofore received. It is believed that some varieties of the former will do well, but as yet their cultivation has not been sufficiently tested to fix their status among the fruits of Florida. Apples, {Pynis malm.) — The cultivation of tliis fruit here is of doubtfal utilitjr, though it is believed that some of the earlier varieties may be advantageously introduced. Tlie writer has a dozen young trees in his garden, planted two years since, which are growing thriftily and give excellent promise. The Olive, {Oka Europaa,) succeeds avcU in more northerly parts of Florida, and this year fine crops have been gathered at St. Augustine; but it is believed that the latitude of Fernandina is more favorable to their successful cultivation tiian the former point. The Madeira Nut, or European walnut, {.Taglans nyia,) and the Pecau nut, {Carya ollvi- formis,) succeed well and produce abundantly as far south as St. Augustine, and at Key West, the Cocoanut, (Cores «?/c//Vr«,) and Brazil nut, {BerthoUetia exceha,) attain their highest degree of perfection. Melon, {Ououmis.) — Floridians think, and often remark, that this "fruit is nowhere else produced in such high perfection as in Florida. The watermelon, {Cacutnis cifridfim,) ma- tures as early as May at St. Augustine, and might be made a jirofitable source of supply to northern markets from this place. 11 CULTURE OF THE OKA!sGE AND CITRON. !!V LAIRA I'. Ri;i)I>j;X, SOUUKNTO, ITALV. It lias beou remarks d by scientific observers who have given attentiun to the subject, that very nearly all, if not all, the. different climates which predominate in the various countries forming the continent of Enro{>e, with their different gradations of heat and cold, maybe found within the limits of the territory comprised by the United States. Experience has shown that those latitudfes in which tlie temperature is most free from the extremes of heat and cold, are the most favorable to the perfect growth, health and development both of the animal and the vegetable kingdom. The climate of some por- tions of southern Italy is especially noted as possessing this much-prized jjeculiarity ; and in such places vegetal)le life reaches a high degree of perfection, and has that peculiar gloss}', dark-green foliage which is never met with in the arid atmosphere of more torrid latitudes. The orange and citron jiarticularly display great profusion of growth. Among the many vast and undeveloped resources of the United States — which may be regarded as still in their minority when the question of utilizing their wonderful natural advan- tages is considered — is their capacity as a fruit-growing region, especially the adaptation of the southern portion of tiiem for the production of the more valuable fruits peculiar to warm climates, and still more particularly for the cultivation of orange and of citron l^lantations, there remains a wide and unopen field for agricultural enterprise and specu- lation. The languishing condition of certain agricultural interests in the Southern States — which will in all likelihood be years in recovering from the injuries received, and in adapting themselves successfully to the changed state of afi'airs — makes it necessary that new and unexplored veins in the undisturbed mines of our natural riches should be struck into and followed up to atone for the deficit made by the temporary stagnation of southern trade. I maintain that a great deal might be obtained from the orange and citron plan- tations of the South to go to the filling up of this vacuum, if the cultivation of these fruits were only followed up as a specialty, in the best manner, and in an emulative spirit. That this is not the case now, and never has been, is but too clearly proved by the fact that at the present time, witli such wide stretches of land covered by orange groves in our Southern States, we still continue to do a large business in importing oranges and citrons from foreign countries. The little plainof Sorrento, wliich is the orang'e garden of the Neapolitan provinces, exports annually large quantities of fruit to America. I propose to speak particularly of the method of cultivating these fruits employed in Sorrento as it came under my personal observation. To those sldlled in this special luMiuh of agriculture, my observations may be of but little value; but to those who may think of buying up some' of the deserted and ravaged lands now lying idle in the south for th.' purpose of speculation in orange plantations, a few practical observations on climate and mode of culture may be very useful as a guide. A peopla who have for generations lived and died planting, and rearing, and harvesting oranges and citrons, sliould from their experience have something to tell us worth learn- ing, especially when we, in comparison with them, are just beginning. The more common and vigorous species, both of the orange and citron, attain to so high a degree of excellence "in the plain of Sorrento, that a simplified description of its climate and situation will be found useful. A French scientific writer has called this re- gion not inaptly the Normandy of southern Italy, because Normandy is tlie province of France in whic^ii the climate is most bracing and temperate, and Ihc people most robust and vigorous. The plain of Sorrento, entirely and thickly covered witli tlie foliay,e ot ileuse orange groves, leaving but scanty space for the very narrow streets of its villages, is encircled ,and shielded ou three sides by high hills, and open only to the sea on the north ; and the 'winds which have the freest access to it are from the north and northwest. From the south, the southeast, southwest, and northeast winds it is in great measure exempt, and they never reach it until their violence is, in some moas;ire, broken. This fact, the stillness of its atmosphere, and its situalion — it being a ba.^in or valley with a high rim, formed by the crescent-shaped hills, and stretching down to the sea, to which, however, it does not slope, as a high line of cliffs rise abrupll}' from the beach, and the plantations run down to the edge of these precipices — preuisi)Oj*e its climate to humidity ; and it would, indeed, be very damp but for those north and northwest winds of which I have spoken, which blow with sufhcient frequency to keej) it cool, and main- tain the soil in that desirable state between complete humidity and too great dryness, which is the great ultimatum in the successful culture of acid fruits. Orange and citron trees need a soil inclining to humidity, a temperature not too high, (for that would be drying) but rather cool, and a? oven "as possible, ftud ]'rotcction fwm violent winds. Ir- 78 regularity of temperatwre, suiideu cbuuges tVoni heat to aratioii. and in others in readiness for application at all timcfi as it may be needed. The best time for appljnng this reduced manure is during the rainy season in the fall of the year, that the i-ains by dissolving it may carry the nutrition which it contains down to the roots of the trees. It is the custoni to'give 'a thorough and general manuring to the plantations only once in the year, and, i;s I liavc said, in the rainy season of autumn. But the same pi-udent miltivafor before alluded to will always have the proposed compost in readiness in the pits at all seasons of the year, the summer months excepted, to be dis- tribi;ted judiciously about those plants which, ))elng more delicate and less forward than others, require more care and nursing. After nnddng these statements I shall have no occasion to warn cultivators against the use of guano, and to prohibit its employment iu soil where the orange and i^itron are cultivated, us it is altogether too strong a manure, and would be j)eculiarly dangerous to young and deljcate tree^^. There are two rnethoils of propagating the orange and citron. Tlie first of these its lechnically called by the Italians "teste," that is, "from the head." This consists in planting out the young branches of the young orange or citron, care having been taken before severing tliem from tho tree to nnike tiiom. put forth their roots in u kind of vase of earth which is" bound around tlunn at the junction where they art; to Jjc separated. But this method is now almost abandoned, experience having proved tliat the trees thus pro- pagated are never .strong ajid long-lived like those produced from the seed of a tite whiclt lias not been proj)agated by a cutting. They do not so well resist changes of temperature, n«h Jwjmens lo tt trcu origiuaily nllil only nl'tcr ycJU's ot cuUhittioe, h&s been jjiaite^J upon !t. The young plantis produced from the seed of the wild or uncultivated tree, after uine or ton years have elapsed from the tiuio the seeds fifst pushing up shoots, must ha ii:rafted iu order to produce sweet fruit. This consists in uniting a young and tender branch of a cultivated tree, bearing sweet fruit, with the young wild tree in such a man- ner that the sap of the two will commingle and tlie wood grow together; the scion receiv- ing the sap of the wild tree will bear sweet fruit. The grafting must be done as expe- ilitiousl}' as possible, as it is necessary that the branch to be grafted upon the wild tree nhould be united with it while freshly cut, and before losing any of its vigor. Tlie process of grafting orange trees is a science by itself, of which it is necessary lo iiave u practical knowledge. In Sorrento even old and experienced cultivators do not at- tempt it themselves, but always have recourse to a class of men whoso avocation it is lo go from plantation to plantation to perform the process of grafting upon the trees ; and to do it successful!}' one must first learn it practically from an experienced grafter. 1 should have stated before that the young plants during the first nine or ten years of their life should be kept Mell weeded, the earth around them soft, light and damp, and lightly manured. At the end of the fourth year tliey are separated by thinning out where I hey have naturally sprung up closely together, and transplanting the young trees about two feet apart, into earth which has been dug up and broken to the depth of two feet, and the same treatment as before is continued for them. After seven or eight years, counting always from the time of the coming up of the seed, a selection is made of the tinest and most robust plants, and they are transplanted to a separate site at the distance of about three feet three inches one from another, and the same cultivation is continued for two or three years, according to the backwardness or forwardness manifested, and then they are grafted according to the method which I have before described. After they are grafted they remain two years longer imdisturbed before !)eing transplanted to the site where they are to remain permanently. Three j'ears after this final transplantation they prothice, ordinarily, their first friul ; thus it will be seen that young nui-scry jdants produced from the seed sliould be grafted five years before the time at whi(^h they produce fruit. Calculating from these facts, a young tree produces fi-uit 14 or 15 years from the time that the seed sprouts up. A prom- ising young tree narc^fully cultiv.ited will produce during it« first year from 20 to 2."> oranges. It must be borne in nilnd tliat, in all the various operations just described, the earth nmst always be well spaded and hood previous to transplantation, and nnist be kept so to facilitate the spreading of the young and tender roots. The cjuality of the soil and the care wliich is bestowed upon the young plant will retard or abridge more or less the pe- riod at which the tree bears its first fruit. Of course this method of propagating from the seed can be rendered less tedious by transi)lanting young wild trees, which will be found ready to the hand in the various stages of growth, and grafting tlie sweet fruit- bearing tree upon them. When a considerable number of young trees arc to be planted permanently, or a planta- tion to be laid out, there are several mcthod.'5 of jjlanting. But no matter what the dis- tances may be which are fixed upon to be left between the plants, they should bo adhei'ed to with mathematical regularity. One methofl is to plant two orange trees and two citron trees at regular distances, forming a square, and in the centre of this square to place an olive tree or a nut tree, or any other iniit-bearin^- tree whose presence will not interfere with the cidture of tlie acid fruits. The Italians call this jdanting co/qnaiiro. In this case 1(5 feet and .1 inches are left be- tween the trees. But if it is not desired to plant a tree in the centre of the square, about 13 feet distant from tree to tree will !>« (.iiflicicnt. Tht' following diagrams may give « flight idea of these two methods : I 16ffc. 'a'in. ; \- IGft. Gin. | | 13^,' | l-f'. | P d \^ + f lOft. n in. f 16 ft.. 3 in. \ The l,«at method is to leave the centre vacant .«o as not to crowd the trees when full ^rown; but if preferred for the purpose of Pronmnimui; «pa.'e. it i* best 1i» plant a filth so Ii'ee in the centre ul' the »qiuii'e ; in iu'eference let it bo an oraMi;u tree ur cilrun tree, as It is not best to mix othei" trees with those bearing acid fruits. When tlie young tree has borne fruit for six years it is considered full grown. The Sorrentines have a sort of basket which is used as a measure for the fru:t. This is called the colletta, which will hold about luO oranges or citrons. This is used in gathering the fruit. When the fruit of one tree tills the basket that tree is considered full grown. From that time the yield continually increases until the tree gives ten baskets full ; that is to say, 1,000 oranges, when it is considered at the height of its fruit-bearing capacity. This usually occurs about the twenty-fifth year of its age, counting always from the seecl. The trees, however, do not bear uniformly the same quantity of fruit every year. For this reason the harvest is considered complete only every two years ; and note should be taken of those years when the tree is resting, especially the year after a very full harvest, when the tree will 3'ield but little fruit comparatively. An orange tree in its natural or wild state, before being subjected to cultivation and grafting, is called in Italian "cedran- golo." I will make use of the word hereafter in speaking of such trees, as we have no word in the English language which will so conveniently designate the species meant. An orange tree which is the product of the seed of the cedrangolo, and which has been grafted, is very long-lived, and has the advantage in this respect over every other species, being stronger, more vigorous and better able to resist all accidents of temperature. One may calculate on 60 or 70 j-ears as the limit of its fruit-bearing capacity, in proportion to the vigor and natural superiority of the plant, always bearing in mind the possibility of some unusual cold or freezing spell which may impair the vitality of the tree. These possibilities excepted, the preceding figures give the correct limit of the period during whicli the tree bears fruit. An orange tree, therefore, under the best method of cultivation and favorable circum- stances, will tlourish for 75 or 85 years from the time of the planting of the seed ; after that it may be considered as a cumberer of the ground. But its usefulness even then is not at au end. The wood of the orange tree is much prized by the workers in inlaid woods in Sorrento for its beauty, duraoility, and peculiar fragrance, and always brings a fair price. The most beautiful articles are made from it. Its hardness renders it suscep- tible of high polish and elaborate carving. The tree which is produced by the operation called "teste," before referred to, is much .shorter-lived, being much less hardy. After 80 years, it begins to grow old, and is con- sidered as having passed its prime, while on the contrary the tree produced from the seed of the cedrangolo resists more successfully all the variations of temperature, and even great negligence in its culture. Orange and citron plantations must be thoroughly dug over twice a j'ear. The best times for this ojieration are just before the conmici\cement of the rainy seasons in the spring and the fall. A kind of circular ditch, or pit, is left at the foot of the tree, in which the manure is deposited, and which serves for receiving the rain and facilitating its pas- sage to the roots of the tree, while at the same time it carries along with it the nutriment contained in the layer of manure through which it percolates to reach the roots. These holes around the trees are called, in the Sorrento idiom, "scalzatine," and it is both useful aud important to make them about the trees frequently at other seasons of the year, es- pecially when, after a long drought, rain is expected. In regard to jirunning, it should be known that trees bearing acid fruits, especially the orange and citron, cannot be pruned like otlier fruit-bearing trees. Those branches alone which are sterile and give no promise of fruit, after a fair trial, should be lopped off. This is done to concentrate and increase the vigor of the tree, but requires much prudence and discrimation. The orange tree bears fruit only once a year. It flowers in tlie inonth of May. Six months are required to ripen the fruit, at the very least; but to mature it thoroughly be- fore gathering, the fruit hangs on the boughs until December. In climates where the tem- perature of late autumn and early winter nights may be severe enough to injure the fruit, it can be gathered in September, as it will ripen after gathering. This is the rule in Sor- rento, where a considerable trade is carried on in exporting oranges and citrons in sailing vessels to America. The fruit is gathered in September, while yet green, and being wrapjied separately in very light paper, is carefully packed in wooden cases and shipped upon a voyage which lasts several weeks ; and on reaching their destination they are found fresh, sweet and quite ripe. This does them no harm, but, in fact, im})roves their flavor, as an orange plucked before quite ripe and kcjit for some time is superior to one just from the tree. The latter has a crude and acid taste, which is lost by keeping. The distinguished quali- ty of the oranges of Sorrento is that, from the jiecnliarity of the soil, they contain more spirit and flavor and a stronger essence than those of Spain, Sicily, Calabria, or even of the neighboring })rovinces of Salerno; this peculiar quality renders them more suitable for packing for long voyages. A fruit which is perfect in taste when taken from the bough, is almost sure to have lost its flavor and to become insi[)id after having been kept for a lime Viut the orann-es of Sorrento are the revei'se of this. si . iiiy one. snacit's o*" cirnHi^o h I'scogtikcd ns being' cultivated in Son'flnto. Thare ia the biooil oran^ej m it in calied, which. oU beln^ cnt open, is found pMfoctly aanguino iuhuc ; bttt thia is not considcfed «9 a different apecicH, iind is identical in taste vritli the ordinn- ■TV omv^e of Son-eiito, which attains a great size, and gro\v3_ t^iriftilv. The skin ia very thick on being first gatliered, but becomes thinner with keeping. 'rhe Mandarin, that little beauty, v.ith its delicate and fragrant rind and delicious tla- ' vov, does not succeed well in Italj-, nor anywhere outside of Sicily, and is only cultivated .' iis a fancy fruit in Sorrento bj- some growers who can afford tlie time and care necessary. ;is thetrcH which produces it "is most 'delicate and sensitive, and a peculiar soil is needed to bring the fruit tp perfection. !n the island of Ischia, thel^raudarin has been lijund to succeed better than anywhere " else in the Italian provinces. In otlier places its flavor is degenerated. The difference ia the lineness of texture of the rind, and in the size and flavor, is so great as to render it difficult to believe tliat they belong to tlie sa)ne species. Neither the climate nor the" soil of Sorrento is favorable to tlie Mandarin, which re- quires a particular sort or culture, and, wherever a plantation of Mandarins is iouud tliere, it, is necessary to cover the trees with ntets in the winter time and otherwise protect them from the cold. They also require a very light manure, different from that used for the conunon trees, which must be frequently and carefully employed, • There is one interesting operation in connection with the cultivation of the orange tree, which I have now a good opport'Anity of mentioning. Tliis is the grafting of the citron iipon the orrfhge, or rather the coinbination of the two fruits upon one tree. This ia not profitable in a practical point of view, and is solely a matter of fancy for tiie sake of the novelty of having two kinds of fruit upon one tree. I was Siorely perplexed/ when I lir^-t saw orangey andciti'ons botli growing tJiickly upon one tree. It is identical with tlie ' operation" called "teste," before mentioned ; a young braucli of the' citron tree is coupled with th^young branch of an orange tree, both fresbly cut and united in such a manner th underst.md whjf the fruit of the citron is found hanging on the boughu at the con;.- L ncenient of cold weather, thus running so many riska, it is necessary to know that the citron bears fruit twice in the year, and for this reason its cultivation is often preferred to tbftt of the orange. It flofvers Avith tlie orange tree in Maj', and again, but not so plentifally, in the autumn. The fruit can bo plucked antl used at any time after it lias attained a reasonable size, although it may be still green. As a convenience it is gatiier- ' ::t the same time with the orange yield in .September, for e:cjtortatlou. Another but :';er crop is gathered in the early winter. here are three varieties of the citron cultivated iii Sorrento. One of thebo is called in .;an "Lnstrato," and is preferred to the others; tlicn, tliere is the ordinary or common ::ty ; and a tliird. whicii is xevy small and always green, and of a very peculiar and , rent flavor, quite different from the others. Tiie culture of this last variety is on the rease in Italy, .'tnd in a short time will most certainly be altdgother abandoned. The L'lstrato is of & larger size than the ordinary citron. Indeed, it is frequently enormouf-, and, on this accomit, as well as for its handsome rind, and its property of preserving its '^' vor for a greater length of time, it is preferred for exportation to America and other ;int countries. It is from trees that produce the Luscrato that are obtained those enor- .s citrons, as large as a small melons, which are gathered in Italy at Easter, and as eats fseeiii to have the sanio significance as Easter-eggs, a, custom anciently in use ng us. Comparatively few of these arc produced. They are obtained by gathering, ': ie yet green, all the citrons from a tree, with the exception of a few, whicli are left to : g, and which, by absorbing all tlie fruit-producing nutriment of the «tree, obtain an i;mou8 growth, and are so heavy that they must be propped up to prevent them from ■.king the boughs to which they are attaciied. . he ordinary citron is cultivated for consumption in Naples, and for exportation to :\ince and other adjacent countries. For this purpose it is gathered and shipped during '.:>-■ summer time, and during the hot weather tlio demand for it is so great that from $12 15 per thousand are often given. It is not so suitable for long voyages as the Lustrato. :'lie different varieties are produced by grafting and the operation called "teste." But 1 i'ac tree.i will not again bear fruit for two years after the operation ia performed. The ' grafting can be performed on the young trees, which are .still tender, and any variety of cilruii may bo thuiipruiliircii. Thiri lus'u uiutiiud i-i lo \)v iii'rI'L'i'ri.'(l a^: Ikmul;- iuoil' cxpoili tious. Gi-ent quantities of IViiit iire shipped yoai-ly to America IVom JSorreiito by estab" lished houses which maku this exportation a specialty, but so far, it lias been impossible to obtain any definite i-eport as to the precise A'alue of these ex'ports. Orange-flower water is not nianufnctured here, the plantations not being- extensive enough to make this speeiesof industry profitable. It is, therefore, monopolized bv Cala- bria and Cieily. But of late years a c.onsideraljle manufacture of the essence, which is extracted from the leaves of the "cedi'angolo," has been coiumiMieed and the trade carried on in Sorrento. This is a medical preparation, iiud has all the soothing qualities of an opiate without any of the subsequent eflects, and is most agreeable to smell and taste. From the rind of the cedraugolo is also uiade a kind of marmeladc or confiture, which is largely in ilemand and sells at a very higli ju'ice. lieing in great repute as a stomachic and promoter of promjit digestion. Bees sliotdd always be kc|)t wliert* Uicn- ai-e ni-aiig'; plaiitatiuii,-. If maintained on a large .scale great profits may be obtained, as Ihc very i)est honey is made fi'om the flowers of the citron and the orange, which are the same in shape, size, color, and odor. All the lioney made in Sorrento smells and tastes of the ravishing perfume of tlie orauge-flowei's, and it has become classical as t hi' best tjial is jir'nluccil. ana!o£;-iius (o the honey t>f llv- rnettus. And now to make a summary of wl)at has been said, we have seen that there is no pari of the orange tree or the citron tree which does not yield its share of profits. The fruit, the flower. (lie leaf, and finally the w(jod aratively. than that involveil by other branches of agriculture peculiar to warm climates, it is not to the point to say that we have already in the s for the temporary loss of some imjiortant staples for which iv peculiar kind of lalior seems lo be re(iuired, and laborers also of jieculiar (jualilications ; while for the cullm'eof orange i)lantations ni> skilletl hands arc required, except for the operation of grafting, and fewer laborers needed. The improvement and cultivation of our colmlry to the utmost, of its great agricultural (•apabilities will i'orm one of it.^ most powerful biihvark^ ao-nijist national ]><>verty and abject dep(>ndence u}>on foreign nationi. COUNTY TOWNS AND COUNTY UFFICEK'S. For the convenience of those who may desire^iarticular information, and that more in detail, from any particular section of the State, I here subjoin a list of the county -towns in the varions counties. Stranger's, tiesiring special information of any county, by ad- dressing comumnications to the County Judge, Sherifi", Clerk or Post-Master of the county- to\yns, will receive courteous, reliable and more or less comjilete replies to such particular questions as they may propound, for all our people are nf <>iir miud in desiring tu eneour- flge an intelligent inmiigration to the Stale. coUNTtKS. COrNTr-TnW>''"v C'-H-NTH--' I "I Vi V-ri'VV\,--. Alachua Gainesville. Baker . . S;iU(lcr-on. Bradford, Lake Butler. Brevard, Calhoun, Abe's Spring-. ^^■^'^y> Green Cuvc Springs. ("olumbia, Lake CitA'. Dade, Miami. Duval Jacksonville. Escambia, I'ensacola, Franklin Apalachicola. Gadsden, Quincy. Hamilton Jasper. Hernando,. Brooksvillc. Hillsboro', Tampa. Jbjlmes, O-rro (Jordu. Jackson, Marianna. Jefferson, ^lonticello. LaFa'yette, Mcintosh, Leon, TallahassiT. Levy, Levyvillc. Liberty, Bristol. Madison Madison. Manatee, Pine-Level. Marion, Ocala. Monroe, Key AVcst. Nassau Fcrnandina. 'Jrange, Orlando. Polk, Pease Creek. Putnam, .Palatka. Santa Rosa, . -.Milton. St. Johns St. Auguslinc. Sumter, Leesburgh. Suwannee Houston. Taylor Perrj'. Volusia, Enterprise. Wakulla, Crawibrdville. Walton, Ucheeana. W'ashington, Vernon. AX KSTLMA'l'K VF 'I'HE \ AUK OF FLOKIDA LANDS. Ill 1857 tliiTi' ;i[iiKai-fil :i tln'ii pi't'^iMii pi'OrSpect i.»t' llin iiuuiedirtte comijletiou of u vM- '.-oad oxtendiiiu- tVinu tln' Apallifliicola vivev to Pt'iisaeola, Vfaohiui;- l.")-! miles along thu line of tho .laoksouvillc. I'l'iisucola. and llolnlii . Railroad, beinp; ra])idly cxteuded beyonil ."i>i' aerc^ nf swamp and mcillowed lands from the State; and in mak- ing- Ids <'silmalc of liie resource.-* of the road, he of course inchules an e.ttimato of the amount of lumber wldeh would depend npou tiie road for transpoi'tation, as bein^' easily accessible lliercfrom, ami the \aluc of lumber, timber and hind of tlu! ('lOO.Ouii acres which it was sujiposed would bi'couie the property of the road. I'.xtracts from this lleport of Mr. Judiili are \alualile because they furnish data for a present reasonable estiniate of the value of Florida hinds L;enera!ly, allhoii!;-h the I'eport. contemplates lands which, beyond .laclcsou eoimly, Inn e \\ il lioul sullieient rea.'ioii, lon^' and a ery fj^enei-jdlv been considered e.s of less value than the a\erai;e of land in the State. 1 ii'ive tlu^ cxtracl.-. in full iliai ih(^ liases of the eii^^ineer's esiimales may appear and prove i)V disprovi- llu^ conclusions reached, and thus the value of the lands in the estiina- lioii <){ ol' a careful, competent and practical business man may fully ap^iear; for it is of special iinperf;iuee lo f'joriila lh.it the \-alue of her land:' to tlu' iimilieiianu, the railroad .'iiiil 111!' I'ai-iiicr : leiul.l be luiiri; wiilelv" l:no\vn. ■' TAT.UT3 OF THE I.AXiDS. i'ii.' \aUii ■>! ile-»' l,i;ul- i.in ^ilh dili'u ully be <-oi leil.l \ e.^li^tlatctl. Their value i.s \\\o I'oid. They |>OB.-ess at I he pre.senl time an intrinsic, \alue whii-h is estimated at §1.25 I'er acre. l!ut the construction oi a railroad lhrou;;h thcui immediately confers an addi- tional value wlneh is dillieull lo determine, il bein^- depenrlent on — y-M-.v/. the s.diii'of ihe ualiir.d pioehelion imw i;-r and the amount of-c tt-lcim-nl that can bff broili;-ht on lo them." 'I iiesc ipleUion, are lll■iell^ an.-\veri«d by .ilrtline:-- • First, 'Y\w lumber on Ihc.-.e lands lit for cult iii^:; iido saW-Jo;.'> i.s .suflieient t(j furnish alone a prolilable. busincs.^ to the road, which will require live daily lumber triiiu.s to carry lo inarket tjie inci-e.-ise, or to transjiort it as fast as it !;-rows, i;ivinj;- a perjietual supply. iSixumU;), II can be shown !hal tho fertility of the soil is not surpassed by that oi' the best western lamls, and yield, with an equal amount of labor .Miid care, as much, if not more, jirolil. as i-aii he made per aer.', on the best western lauds. Thinllii, The liihihcr biisiues.i will induce that kind of immli^-ralion most, needed to de- velop the fertility of the soil, and the iiosition of the line upon the nearest and best lyi^'h- way from ^ew York to New Orleans, renders it ea.sy of access, wdiile tho market for the staple productions of tho soil is inexhaustible, and not. subject to the fluctuations to wldeh the -iTaiu market is liable, and the healthfuhijss (jf Jhis section of the country is uuex- ,celled, and the climate unsurpassed. '•One gTC'it advan1ay;c which the.se lands po.ssess over western l;uids, lies iu their ability to produce si\: ^reat stajile produclious, the most valuable known, and (»f which the supply can not cmjuuI the demand; while the western lands produce hut two ercat staples, viz., wheat ami corn. Tin; construetion of the road also eive.v the advanta^c^ of a niaiket on both tho Atlantic and tho Gulf of Mexico. "The.se staples ai-e, yellow pi.ie lumber, turpeiitiue, cotton, tobacco, su;j;ar aud rice; in addition to which may be enumerated amono- other productions, liay, corn, oats, potatoes. oranL:;es, bananas, lig-s, "peaches, quimre.s, and nuiny other tropical fruits whieli can be ■' ".vu no wliore else iu the United States as v.'cll ns liprc. riif fil'.st production of thcso. lands is ' I ,84 LUMBKli. JTearly the entire body of these lands is covered with h, donee afrowth of yellow jjiu( lumber of a quiility unsnrpnpsed by that of any other Wtate in the Ujiion. Tlio principal hnnber trade of Florida is carried on from Santa Kosa county, nearly the entire popuhition of whicii is eng'an-ed in and dependent upon tliis trade for their support-. Son^i? of tlie larp;est and iineist lumber mills anywhere to bo found in the United States are in opera- tion in this county, the principal amonfj- which are located upon the Blackwater River, in the vicinity of the town of I^lilton, which is situated near the month of the Blackwater and at the head of the naA'igable waters of Pensacola Bay. "The amount of lumber annually shipped from this district is about 50,000,'000 feet per year, yielding upward of $500,000 to the manufacturers and costiiig the mill-owneri?, de- livered in the log, upwards of -^tOO.OOO. The logs to suj^ply their lumber are principally cut upon the margins of the Blackwater and Yellowwater rivers and their tributaries. Tlie cutters seldom go further than 1-} miles back from the margins of the rivers. Tlid timber on the margin of the rivers is smaller and not of so good a quality as that grow- ing further back from the rivers. , "These logs contain an average of about 200 feet when cut into lumber, the minirauiri limit of si^e is that the logs be large enough to square ouc foot. It is estimated that the logs at a distance of six to ten miles from the river v.'ill yield about 1!50 B. l\l. feet of a better quality than now furnished. "Trees will furnish from two to three logs per tree, but for purposes of this cstinriate, they are considered to yield two logs per tree. The mills generally buy their logs by ^contract, paying $4 per M feet for them delivered. Those mills cutting their own logs From lands owned by themselves find that it costs them about the same price. "The best of the timber lying near the margin of the rivers is becoming exhausted, ;io that the cutters are obliged to go further back, and consequently to haid the logs further', in consequence of -which they are preparing to demand §5 per M feet, and the mills vvil 'soon be obliged to pay the increased price. " The Black and Yellowwater rivers run uorth-westwardly through ^>anta Ilosa county averaging about 12 miles apart. The timber on the margins has been principall3- cut fui^ about l-l miles back. The timber lying between is untouched, is larger and of a quality superior to that growing upon the streams. It is proposed to locate the line of this road nbout midway between these two rivers running north-westwardly through the county. The nature of the country will admit of this. The lands belonging to the company will therefore comprise a portion of the best timber lands iii the county. '• It is proposed to furnish this 50,000,000 feet of lumber in the log to these milis by railroad. It is believed that the logs cut from this section will yield 230 feet each. To supply the aiijount ^^dll therefore reqiiire 200,000 logs cut from 100,000 t?ee.-:, or about Cy. ■ logs daily. Allowing each log to contain 300' feet B. M. before beicg sawed, -'*'c^v"f''i V--v"- ■■• -'n ■ i- shipped, >vi>:: let. JTmciion.of U;e Alaban;a and Floj-ida Jl.''.ii:'o;;'l ; 'Jd. The Blackwater lliver, 15 miles further; ' ?,i\. I'he Chattahoochee River, 80 miles further : 4th. The Apalachicola River, 5f) miles further. "Thus it v.'ill be seen that the longest division of couiiLry to be liaule.l nvf,- '.lilton and the Chattahoochef? River, a di:5ta:ice of 8-<) mile-. Assuming ■l^ hauled cacli way on tliis division, and tlic extreme lengtlv (;!' eaeli >ub-d:vis;.;.i itdles, tho aver-^ge haul iiyo!i v.'hic'i would be :20 nnlf-. rt^IViS ^VliKKT^ SAVV-li.j|.i,ai* yev .icre, wliicli would give us thv %alue of spar- tiint)«r alone, standing, of |62,500.000. The spars of Florida are well known in Europe, luul are believed to be equal to anj^ in the Ihiitcd States. "The value of such a domain as this can scarcel}' be ostiniatetl, and if a thorough exam- ination confirinis a present reasonable lielicf, the value of the lumber alone oh these lands will exceed the total «o-<';rey;ale co^t tif the Illinois Central Railroad." Whether all of Mr. Judah's eoni-luriionts aie correct, or not, it is utost evitlent IVoui the Report, that the completion of the great work of internal improvement now in contein- jilation will develop soiu-ees of immense wealtli in regious comparatively Avorthless front inaccessibility, Hud ,i>i\e a jiowerful impulse to all liio business of the Htivte. Such ai"e some of the nninifold and powerful irnhicements offered by Florida to those who are seekinji' a new home in a kindly and genial clinnde. Thousands i)f men and women are thoroug-lily tired of the continuetl conllict wilU frosty and inclement weather, and are looking southward for the " better place" which they hope to find, but are deterred by ajiprehensions of unwlujlesoineness or fears of impleas- ant collision. Thousands more, botli in this counliy and in Kurojie, would gladly fake nny anticipated risk did tliey know of tiie actual attractions of this State. Tlie object of this publication is to spread abroad tlie largest amount of reliable inform v- u)ation upon subjects of most interest and importance to intelligent inquirers who are or who may become particularly interested as contemplating settlement here. The very object of the organization of the Bureau is to lend all practicable aid to iliose desiring new homes in this State, but from tlie want of sufficient means for jnorc direct and efficient aid our labors were mainly confined to the dissemination of correct and trust- worthy information from reliable sources. This I have endeavored to do as efficiently as the means given will allow, and ii Immigration, Jacksonville, Fla. V A>'-^. .^'' V- aV v\' >;-;:. •% '^'■\ ^^ c^^ .av^ .^^ '^t .,=, ^^'' 't. "t. V^' .-^^ o %i . N^" "^^ ,A^- CX'' * ' .0 A' ^^ ■''^ '^.. >> c ^ % ■' »>> -'■ * % "^ %^ , V V '' l> ^'.^' . . '' ^ \V.y a 0^ \^^^. aV^'' •'^- Oeacidiffed using the Bookkeeper process JUL » PRESERVATION TECHNOmfil JT. d .,'?-• <^ v^ .0-^. v"?-' i^>. v^' '<:> O''