The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1870-02-28

The Snnn0M, Ath1 ;tlmes the ctttVa, say
romerranAse, the guava, the 1g, aud ot a,
fruits. Will grow With little care. Inc
peach and the grape flourish as though ,ney
loved "a grow and bear In the eoutherh
.parts the pineapple can be raised win no
more culture than we give to che cabbage.
r. Ia. perhaps, the most most pfoutao's
So,d cran :. even better than the banana.
From the grape tho best wine-scuppef-
nene and Catawba--is made.
Ibaye not time to enumerate the iru''s
and vegetables Of Florida. r,.:a.
"a far as fruit only is concerned fiofiaa
ION no made to resemble tho Garden Oh
EJan every tree will grow that is pleasant
to the sight and good for tood. inc lana 10
we'll watered, too, and the ciimate III sum
mer warm enough not to require closnine.
Yet any one who undertakes 10 wear the
Garments of Paradise will rue his naked
ness. The mosquitoes prove a. worse pest
than any of the plaques of Egypt, and the
richer the soil the more numerous and
yenomous they are. Where there are go
many sources of enjoyment there must be
some drawbacks.
These are so abundant and SO easily
caught that they are largely used for ma
nure. There are oil the kinds we have,
and some others peculiar to the nature OF
Florida.
The saw-fsh will weigh from fifty to
three hundred pounds; the scales are as
large az the palm of the hand. 1t is very
abundant and easily caught in Indian
river.
A native told me that after the frost OF
December, 1868, the water OF indian river
was literally covered with the dead bodies OF
fish killed by the cold.
The jumping-mullet is another fine fish.
You catch them at night by putting fire of
liehtwood in your boat and padding out
among them. They will jump i'll in great
numbers.
It is favorite sport to 60 out spearing
fish at night. The light attracts them, ana
thew will swim towards it until In reach OF
your barbed spear.
The devil-fsh is O dreaded monster on
the coast some are very large and dam
gerous. It is long fish, and with extern
sive feelers spread out on each side, was
told, sometimes as far rs twenty 1eet.
There are many of these feelers, and ut the
end of each q fat button, with which the
fish seizes its prey, holding fast by the
power of suction just as boy will lift
brick by using wet piece Of leather with
q string in the centre. This creature will
seize a boat or man, or the anchor OF
vessel, and make of with it in its own
fright, never thinking, or not being able, to
let 60 its hold.
4 valuable industry on the Florida coast
might be made in catching fish for market
or for manure. The sea-mullet especially
is full of oil, and they are easily caught.
By pressing out this oil you have one pro
duet :. the refuse is better than guano. For
guano is nothing but the bodies of sea-ish
that have passed through the bodies Of sea-
birds.
: SPONGE.
About Key West the sponge fishers make
money. They drag up from various depths
this sea ANIMAL Shiny, gelatinous, often
sive mass. They bury this In the sand to
rot the animal parts decay, the skeleton
left We call sponge.
This trade mi ht be very much increased,
for it is very profitable. Vessels could be
properly fitted out for catching fish, press
ing out oil, and making guano, at one sea-
son Of the year, and the same vessel and
crew employed in "sponging" at another.
Nothing yields such a profit as the sea.
God cultirates the :rop, man merely gathers
in the harvest.
/ see no reason why this fishing for oil
and guano should not be carried Oh in
Chesapeake bay. The jumping mullet is
abundant there, and ready sale can be had
for everything caught and made. Our wa
tiers should be the source Of our best ma
nures.
And the sponge can lie transplanted to
our waters. 1t will flourish here, and n
new and profitable industry can thus be
created in our State.
will resume this subject III another ar
ticle. J. Z. L.