The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1879-06-07
For The Cecil Wing.
LETTER FROM FLORIDA.
PORT ORANGE, NoluSia county,


disappointed that, for a short season, the col
umnS of The Wing have not contained 4
"lettcr from Florida" will just say that
my time has been occupied in consequence
of change of plans, and hard work so occu-
pied body and mind, that writing scarcely
was to be seriously thought Of but now that
| have somewhat "got out of the tannle"
and affairs are i'll running order, | am 4 little
more in situation to sit down quietly and
talk of the small part of Florida that comes
i'll compass of my very circumscribed view.
This morning, ut sunrise, the thermome-
ter stood at 100. which has been about the
point every morning at the same time for
nearly two weeks: during the day ranging
between the point mentioned and 800. For
Il week or SO previous to that We had it
warmer mt night-say 80 and some days
reaching 900 in the shade, and one or two
dayS, l think, nearly $50; but very COM
Portable nevertheless, there being fine,
fresh breeze. Every thing in the way of
vegetation is i'll vigorous growth, and If
trees and plants continue to grow through
the whole season rs they have thus far, the
seasons growth will be something wonder
full to our Northern experience. | have no
ticed pine trees, young pines, with an addi-
ton to their bougllS of two feet, and young
oak trees with new growth of from six
to twelve inches; So with hickory, maple,
ash, magnolia, red bay, &c y youn. peach
tree that | noticed had sent ont Il sucker
from the ground over three feet long, and
its branches had been heightened by an
average growth of two feet. Three weeks
ago saw peaches growing that We're three
fourths of an inch in diameter; figs as large
rs tilbertS are formed: corn in taSSel and
silk; watermelon vines are boSsoming, and
here and therca melon forming large enough
to see: string beans are i'll season, and in
two weeks more green corn will lie in order
for those who know how to appreciate smcco-
ush. Wild grapes are as large as duck shot.
| have not been any where to see cultivated
grapes, but have no doubt they are equally
forward WhortleberrieS, Judging from their
size, must be very near the ripcnin. season;
the dewberry season is past, and blackbr
rieS are now in order. Oranges range i'll
size from tilherts to Shcllel wanutS. Last
years crop of oranges In this neighborhood
were cleared up (trom the treeS) two OF three
weeks since, though had as many rs could
''make way" with since that, on Il visit
to Il grove, by gathering the scattering ones
that had been overlooked in gathering the
crop. | wish each of my readers could ell
JOY an orange directly from the tree in the
month of April May, that they might
KNOW Will an may III tlttS vi
the wild orange are still ladcnetl with ripe
fruit, though much of the crop has dropped.
The new crop is as forward As the sweet
variety. Our cooks Use the sour orange
juice in connection with soda in baking,
they (thc oranges) being rich i'll citric acid.
Since my last letter, have becoine &C
luainted somewhat with Il locality distant,
a few miles, from the scene of my former
letters; and am now located on Il home
S,,r h.,,r tx-.
miles from Port Orange, where my family
is located, and which is the nearest post
office (and it, Port Orange, is two miles
down the river from Blake). am writing
this in a shanty built of clapboards split
from cypress trees in the same manner that
shingles are split out. These clapboards
are about three or four feet long and half an
inch thick. The frame of said Shanty is
made of poles and posts cut from the woods
and put together roughly, rs is the whole
structure but though rough, it is perfectly
comfortable. 1t was built by i former o.
cupant, Il sea captain. who died three nr
four years since, AVID who had not occupied
the place long enough to obtain a title and
since his death the place had been entirely
deserted He had cut the timber off about
two or three acres bur the new growth had
been SO rapid that the rc-clearing is no small
job. The captain had planted about one
hundred and fifty orange trees, and after
they were nicely started, somebody, nc
doubt, told him that LIKE was good for
orange trees: 50 on one of his trips to Jack
Sonville he procured enough lime for few
hundred trees and had his man put it close
around the orange trees: and the result was
Il hundred and Twenty-Five dead orange
trees and wenty-threc sickly -looking, yell
low-twigged, yellow barked trees, that are
not half as large on an average as a goose
berry bush, though The trees OF stnmpS aver
aged when planted, perhaps, one and y hall
or two inches In diameter. Two Of tho trees
either escaped the application Of the lime,
or being situated at the shanty, had aplica-
tons of Stops, which neutralized it, for they
grew into quite large bearing trees, one OF
which was dug up and carried off last year;
the her having small crop of wild oranges,
started, nnd FenireS in :! good, vigorous
growth rs il waves its branches and tiut.Gts
its leaves in the sunlight beside me us
write. though it looked somewhat yellow
and unhealthy when first took it in hand.
| found Il few small fig trees almost choked
out by the surrounding thick growth also
a small Peafh tree and about Il half dozen
bananm pinntS. all ut which now look very
/ promising, after the care and attention given
them. The liz trees promise Il few dozen
figs, and the bananas a few lunches. | have
been here now about six weeks, and have
/ corn nearly knee high, beans in blossom,
waterlnclons do. about an eighth of an acre
of sweet potato di1firS growing nicely, peas
i'll blossom, and VIZ nrG still grabbing as
fast possible, in order to enlarge our space
| for sweet potatoes and vegetables generally
My building operations have hindered my
other work. or the quantity and variety of
my vegetables would have been greater
will now tell Of my building so far My
readers will remainder the account gave
them of the many uses 10 Whiuh the cab
bage palmetto can be applied. have now
to state another which l think | did not
! mention, viz, i'll building Il house. | have
just finished Notwithstanding and shingling
a room twelve feet square with the leaves of
the cabbage palmetto, which, for pictur-
esquencss and comfnrtablenesS, is, in nv
opinion, quite notable: the cash cost being
about seven pounds of nails, twenty feet
/ of boards for a door, and say fifty cents
more. | have begun another room (thiS
time l2N2O) adjoining, and intend to build
two more smaller than this last, which, with
our cook house (the old slianty), will give
us enough room, as We can make more Use of
0Ht-dDors than you can up North MY process
i'll building is not patented: but if any of
my readers come to Florida, they may per-
haps find it expedicnt to employ me as boss
carpenter" if they wish to live in COM
Portable and picturesque palmetto cottage,
as citizen informed Inc that mine was by
far the best he had soon.
In my next | will try to describe the ap-
pearance and location Of Spruce creek as