The free South. [volume] (Beaufort, S.C.) 1863-1864, 1863-04-18

most certain crop raised in FLORIDA 1t Is
q native of the country, the pine barrensi
are covered with it. The old fields culti-
waited by the English eighty years ago, are !
still covered with it, in spite OF time and
cultivation in other products. The usual
product to each hand was one hundred
and seventy-fve pounds, which sold Tor
one dollar per pound. As the climate Is
the best in the world for the production OF
silk. and as there are considerable districts
of country, that will produce no crop so
we'll as the mulberry tree, the culture OF
this staple should be encouraged.
The Cochineal insectis native OF Flor
ida and as the male nopal is also native
nlant found about the Florida Keys, it Is
believed that this might be cultivated to
certain extent. Corn, Irish and sweet
potatoes grow in every part OF the state
| Florida has fine and extensive natural pas
turages, and produces large supplies OF
neat cattle for market. Of fruits the or
anpe seems indigenous, large natural
groves are found on the ST. Johns rlver
and in the very heart of the peninsuiar.
Shaddocks are cultivated; forbidden-fr7nt,
citrons, lemons, aad lines, are rapidly IN
creasing. The pomegranite is met on al
most every plantation. The ounce sue
ceeds but the apple does not. Figs are
abundant and richly favored. They are
raised with great ease. A limb cut from
bearing tree will produce figs the sec
ond year after planting. Peaches and ap-
ricots come to perfection. Large orchards
ore cultivated. The,persimmon OF Flon-
The fruit ,s I,. "a that of the middle states
,y. The Hawg 1s-and -and more soft anu 'a:. !.
grows upon, % large and 81 IN m,n,A'ule' ~
ing tree. The >eocoanut is-a nat,'@1 'ple"a ."a
or at least naturalized south of the 21tsS.--se
leg. of north latitude. Sugar and custard
apples grow perfectly well. The cocolobe l
,r seaside grape Aouf fishes on the south s
ern coast. It's abundapt clusters arc usu- 7
Illy abd tut cue pot lo,l :; the grape tastes e
much like n cling g-stonf peach. OF plums c
here are the chickasaH, the pickok, cork 9
sr, sowland, hueso, mastil, and pigeon;
III these are native. The plantain, ban
ina, and pine apple have been cultivated
With success. L
Vegetation varies with soil and climate.
The most frequent trees in the pine bar q
ems are, pitch pine, loblolly pine, yellow |
,ine, willow oak, and black jack. OF
ines the muscadine grape is most album
liant. The grasses are also numerous; :
here are few spots indeed of pine barren 8
hat are not covered with grass. 9
The uplands are clay formations which :
rise generally on the subtending lime e
tone; they unually commence about q
wenty miles from the coast. The trees
IN this soil are abundant, and form the
,leasantest groves imaginable; such as r
,aks; block, red, yellow, spanish, post, :
md white, yellow pine, black hickory, \
hick-shelled hickory, magnolia, umbrella q
rec, yellow poplar, dogwood, wild cherry, L
,ersimmon, holly, sassafras, mulberry, |;
block gum, catalpa, scarlet maple, plumb, e
.nnona, gordonia, hopea, white locust, +
,each, chestnut, birch, white, iron-wood, l
honey locust, sweet bay, which produces :
imber inferior only to mahogany. which i
t closely resembles, spice wood, ameri- l
an olive, spotted haw, cabbage palm, cot
on tree, juniper, red ceder. sweet gum,
i've oak, and saponaria. The trees most :
peculiar to swamps are: same as pine bar Il
ems, swamp ash, white ash, oval leaved, q
,lack; willow oak, lyre-leaved, chestnut,
md pignut; tupelo, plane tree, winter 4
,lumb, loblolly, ogechee lime, bumeia, C
md cyprus.
On approaching the 27th degree ofnorth =
attitude the whole vegetation begins rap t
dly to change. Oaks and yellow pines a
become rare, and at length disappear The l
lawly, cocoloba and gum elemi take their ;
,laces on the sea coast, and pitch pine I
axes the place of yellow pine in the inte- 4
ior. Among other timbers the following .
nay be found: The white mangrove =.
rows to the size of forest tree, one and @
half feet in diameter, and often rises to !
he height of sixty feet without limb. !
Slack mangove, lignumvit@, mahogany,
MADEIRA, logwood, wild cinnamon, satin
rood, mastil lockwood, water willow, a
apadillo, papayer, hickok, or coco plum, = J
ustard apple, red bay, manchineal, go :,
,al, wlite-stopper, tamarind, cocoanut, a
nd palms. /
Florida is plentifully watered by clear :
md wholesome springs, abundant in ev- s.
,ry direction. The bays and rivers abound