Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1872-04-10
FLORIDA.
The land of Flowers Deser,bed.

unprOpltlOusneSS Oh the weather, was de-
livered last night in the Christian Church,
on Church street, between High and Vine,
by Judge j. Wofford Tucker, formerly of
South Carolina, but subsequently resident
of one of the Bermuda islands and now of
Florida. Having been introduced by Rev.
p. S. Fall, he said he would not deal in
glittering, pOetical generalities, although the
theme was one which afforded fine oppor-
tunity to do so, but confne himself to prac-
tical information that could hereafter be
used to advantage by immigrants and would
prove serviceable also to tourists.
The newspaper correspondents who visited
Florida, and fioated upon the surface
Of things as it were, and the pleasure and
health-seekers who would also be CORES
pondents and the newly married couples
who while on their honey-moons saw every
thing with silver lining and gold front be-
cause they were then in an enviable state
Of happiness, naturally wrote very differ
emily from one another, and not unfrequent-
ly not even Appropriated to the truth of
that about which they were writing. The
reason of this was that they had not devot-
ed the necessary time for obtaining reliable
information, and again because they were
not competent and in position to obtain
it. But still they wrote and one would
suppose that either the pros or the
cons were most inveterate fabrication
lists, judging only from what was
published. Sc it was, too, with some who
would be settlers there. They came,
planted, supposed that what little they
knew about agriculture, as it ought to be
conducted in Florida, was all that it was
necessary to know, very naturally failed,
and disappointed, said the grapes were sour,
when in fact the failure was the result of
what the experimenter did not know and
never attempted to learn. No correct
knowledge of the tropical portion of Florida
could be obtained in that way. That por-
ton of the State to which he referred was
perhaps a hundred miles square. 1t was
high compared with the most part of the
State, evident from the fact that her rivers
on the one side, emptied into the Atlantic
ocean, and on the other into the
Gulf of Mexico. The general
character of the soil was light
and sandy. 1t looked poor, and it was not
rich. An up-country farmer would say it
would not sprout peas; but it did sprout Or
anges. When examined, it was found
composed Of disintegrating shells. This
was the invariable character Of the soil for
hundreds of miles. The trees generally
were very beautiful, and of great variety,
and valuable. The scenery was best OBJ
served by travelling up the st. Johns, COM
mencing at Jacksonville, the principal town
thereabouts, and port of entry, Of 1900
inhabitants, and growing rapidly. There
were great number of fresh water lakes
in the tropical belt, ranging, squared, from
a quarter of mile to three miles square.
The water was as clear as crystal, and
abounded in great variety Of fresh wa
ter fish, and were bordered by beautiful
and noble trees. The water was
used by the people who lived along the
borders of these lakes for culinary, drinking
and household purposes generally. These
lakes had no visible connection with any
water courses. They rose but little in the
rainy season and did not fall great deal In
the dry season. The average temperature
of the summers was surprising. 1t was
from II to ii degrees cooler there in the
summer time than it is during the same
season in Nashville. He had found it nee
eSSdry for three summers to sleep under
blankets at night. This delightful tenn
peTature was partially due to the sea
breezes, but mainly to the vast extent of
the water surface of the lakes collectively
presented for evaporation. Thus it was
that these lakes seemed highly benefcent
purpose in the economy of nature there.
The general character ofthe surface of the
country was fiat, but still it was sufficiently
undulating for under draining. The lands
do not vary much in intrinsic value. The
lands in the nsighbOrhood where be lived,
or about Lake Monroe, had acquirr high
premium compared with others further
back. They sold from S25 to $50 an acre.
But there were as good lands, further back,
that could be bought for from 81 to s. an
acre-in places between the Lake Monroe
settlement and Tampa Bay. The price of
land did not depend upon its intrinsic
value but upon its location. The cost of
putting an acre of land in cultivation there
it was true would be much greater than it
would be in this part Of the country-three
or four times more than here. 1t would cost
not less than from $50 to $40 an acre. Once
put in cultivation, however, the labor Of
keeping it in cultivation was extremely
easy. 1t would be little more than cult
waiting a soil of sand. The whole
country was covered with a natural growth
of the saw palm, which had large spongy
root. These roots have TO be removed in
JlC llllu lOI CNullNdIlOlly dllu Ills
is done with a sharp hoe. Again, these
palmettos are worth something. When
the roots are burned the ashes is found to
contain a merchantable potash. The
leaves, too, would bring $50 a ton when !
packed ready for shipment; and recently a
mill had been started, near to the Lake |
Monroe community, for the manufacture
Of paper from those leaves. Sea island cot |
-, oo,,lI ha h,,E
to any extent, because other crops could be |
raised to more advantage. The method for |
the cultivation ofthe sugar cane was very
similar to that for the cultivation of corn. |
The method for the cultivation of the |
orange was very much like that for cult |
waiting apples. He described the interesting |
process by which sweet oranges were |
grated on the trunks of |
the wild orange trees, that in their |
wild state produced only sour oranges. 1t |
would be safe to say, that in from five to
six years an orangery could be established |
that would prove highly remunerative. |
The method of cultivating the banana was
by planting the dubious roots apart about |
the same distance that the planting is done |
for Indian corn. The ground had to be !
thoroughly prepared. The multiplication |
was prodigious. The method for cultiVat- |
ing the pine apple was very much the same |
as raising the common garden cabbage. |
The ratio of increase was from to for /. |
OF pine apples, about 1900 were planted
to the acre; bananas, about 5000 to the
acre; orange trees, from go to GA trees
to the acre. An acre of sugar
cane was $3.50 on an average
for several years. The market price of
oranges was two cents piece; al average
of 60 trees to the acre and an average Of
/ 900 oranges to tree. An acre of bana-
mas was worth 81 800 per annum; Of pine
apples, $4,000 per annum. lie knew of
one gentleman who had realized as high as
s., 900 per acre in the cultivation of pine
apples. In general terms it would be stat
ing the case very mOdestly to say that these
G. Deral staples could be relied upon to
net 81 900 per acre, one year with anoth-
er. Besides there were other precious
fruits which PROFESSIONALLY could be rails