The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1878-12-25

the profit is very large) sufficiently tc
supply our home market, which now
absorbs imported lemons by the
hundred million.
Pine apples do well in my region
in Florida,7 and bid fair to become All
important article of commerce. After
cultiyating a few with satisfactory
results, I am now extending that cul-
ture, have introduced many varieties
from different countries besides the
West Indies, and have in culture
some 10000 plants:s = g 2 '-'
d. With the banana / have not been
successful. I imported largely Of
choice varieties, but found it difficult
to acclimate them or protect them
from our slight December frosts, and
I have abandoned that culture. Some
of my neighbors continue it, with
varied success. 1t is notga certain
crop.
The olive tree, thriYes well. L
! have small grove of 30 trees, which
will fruit next year, and l DO not
doubt this important and profitable
culture can be as successfully prose-
cuted in Florida as in southern
France and Italy. Care should be
taken in selecting the variety best
adapted for the soil and climate OF
the locality. Those planted from
seed are next to worthless, save as
stock for grating.
The vine does extremely well. l
commenced with some of our native
varieties, and a thousand or so OF
the Delaware and Concord vines
gave ripe fruit the first week in June.
But / have concluded to raise finer
varieties, only cultivated under glass
at the north, and expect next Spring
to ship Black Hamburg and others
of that class. to the northern mar
kets. .<
The tea-plant does we'll with US. l
have but few specimens, but enough
to prove it's adaptability for our soil
and climate, and 1 observe by re-
cent letter to the South FLORIDA
Journal published at Sanford) that
| it was of excellent flavor, as the
writer attested after drinking cup
at Belair, where it is muse.
NV experience with the coffee
plant has not thus far been satisfae-
tory. imported few hundred, and
! also receiyedEa few specimens from
Your department, but they were not
nronerlv cared for, and / propose
giving this important plant a fair
trial and believe it will succeed. l.
observe in local newspaper mention
made of a family near Tampa that
raised coffee for its own consump-
ton. }ss 8fJs W tEsk q
The esporto grass (stipG te'aocissi-
maj, so largely imported from south
ern Spain and Africa for paper man.
ufacture, T have tried on a small
| scale, and do not doubt that this
product, whose consumption is meas.
ured by the hundreds of thousand
tons, can be successfully raised
throughout the lower tier of south
orn states. The costliness Of the
| seed alone prevented my Introducing
it gratuitously and widely, as ! have
done the Ehcdlgptsis. 1t is OF slow
development, but once started grows
on luxuriously without culture for
generations. lltl ~fiff
That more valuable tree, the Aat-
cdZjpt,ts. I introduced several years
ago, and distributed to all applicants
some 1900 packages. IT. generally
thrives we'll. In my locality it's
growth is amazing; trees in my
place have gained 10 feet in height
this year.
My suggestion to you is that you
recommend an appropriation by
Congress of the means, necessary to
form an establishment in Florida for
the purpose of introducing such
economic plants as are found to be
suitable for culture IN the south.
There are vast number of foreign
semi-tropical products, drugs, gums,
oils, etc., for which we pay large
sums, which we can raise perfectly
we'll ourselves; and again, would
wish to see something done to en-
courage immigration from southern
, Europe. We erred egregriously a
few years ago in discouraging the
Italians who commenced f1ocking to
our shores, and who would be of
more importance to the south in in
:, Producing the culture of the vine and
: olive, and the other finer cultures of
! their country than the north Europe
! ans; and that culture should be