The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1878-07-24


what kinds are likely to be success
fully grown here to foster taste for
the ornamental as well as useful
in tree planting and to exert their
| influence in the introduction and dis
semination of this valuable class Of
plants which must at some day be
extensively raised in Florida. No
| other class of trees yields so great
| variety of useful substances as these,
and many of the more tender kinds
that could not be grown here for
profit, will, with little care, do well
enough to ample reward the labor
of the amateur. People should be
encouraged to experiment with them,
for no one can say positively what
may be done with anything until it
has had a fair trial. Ten years ago
/ was solemnly assured by people
who ought to have known, that
Strawberries could not be grown in
Florida; others made the same state
ment with regard to the Japan plum,
yet experience has now proved that
both can be successfully grown
Now has it ever been satisfactorily
demonstrated, how far north the
cocoanut tree will survive" Dr. Mays
of Orange Mills, told me that he had
one growing on his place at the break
ing out of the war, which was then
as high as mans head, but on his
return home after the troubles were
over, he found the surrounding trees
had been cut away, and the spot
where it stood washed into the river
A gentleman of Fruitland peninsula
says that he has four year old plant,
in the open air that never has been
protected in winter and which bore
unscathed the ordeal of December
1876 when the guava alongside of it
was frozen to the ground. By all
means let US have further experiments
of this kind. Is it wise to discourage
people from planting the date be-
cause it might not produce an edible
fruit here? Some experiments with
it would be interesting, especially as
fruit is not its only valuable product.
In some parts of the east, as Morocco,
excellent dates are grown where they
have a rainy and dry season, but
the trees receive a certain amount OF
fostering care in order to bring the
fruit to its highest perfection. If dry
weather is requisite while the fruit is
growing, this condition certainly OBJ
tains in California I will not ques-
ton your statement that good dates
cannot be produced in this hen1is-
phere, but I would ask, whether con-
| sidering. its dioccious character, the
experiment has been fairly tried of
| planting sufficient numbers of them
together, and reasonable care taken
to properly fertilize the blossoms,
and render those other little atten-
tions which even the Arabs find nee
essary in order to secure the finest
fruit?
Again,--if the wild date, Penir
| SyIvestris, the greatest sugar produc-
ing tree known planted Is feet apart,
200 to the acre yield fifty cents to one
dollars worth of sugar to the tree per
annum in India, where this sugar isvery
cheap, it would seem that it might be
proitably grown here for the same
purpose, where sugar is dear. Prob
ably the other varieties Of Pheni1
are as hardy here as the ?. Dactyli-
fera has proved itself to be. AS or
namental plants some Of them are
more desirable than the P. Dactyli-
fera, the foliage being less stiff and
spiny-the leaves of the P. Reclinate
are dropping, with edges of an ashen
hue, the P. Canariensis more erect
and edged with pink.
1
In the Argentine Republic, where
winters are as severe as in Florida, tray
elers speak Of species of palm bear
ing small, sweet oily nuts resembling
the pecan, relished by the people, and