The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1879-03-26

aggravate the wound, the marauders
are mostly foreigners. If they were
our Summer friends-the cardinal,
the mockingbird, the busy chickadee,
and the restless, business driving
wren, we think we could consent to
a fair division of our products with
out harboring murderous thoughts
in our hearts, in consideration of
service rendered IN the insect line.
But these Winter visitors" who
raid upon us, instead of allowing us
to raid upon them as another class
does) are, am. afraid entirely out
side the pale of the charity with
which we enclose those who pay as
they go. That robin pies " have
been staple article Of diet upon the
coast during the past Winter must
therefore be taken, pot as want of
principle on our part, but that we
wanted strawberries and could get
them only by confseating and appro-
priating those who had got outside
of them.
With our present facilities for
shipment to market we do not pre-
tend to produce this, fruit beyond
what is required for our own use, aud
it has become a question of some
Importance what area Of plants is
necessary to give afamily reasona-
bic daily supply, also whether a
larger one will yield more than a
smaller-for it is assumed by some
that the larger the area planted the
more birds it will accommodate. 1t
is, therefore, they say quite plain to
be seen that II 4 .sm bed is ravaged
of both 1ruft and ieasts i larger one
might result in the lois of the soil it
was planted on.
Our next friend" however, who
superintends this de partment OF our
horticultural efforts,iis not of those,
who, when their cloak is stolen, make
a present, to the thief, of pair OF
boots to match,-on the contrary she
proceeded to TIE organization ofsum-
mary measures for future prote ction.
The house and immediate neighbor.
hood were ransacked for netting o1
every description without regard tc
race, color OF previous condition Of
servitude.
Mosquito, sandtly, cast-net, gill-net
all were requisitioned, even an old
seine was interviewed tor the occasion
But from too long residence in the
enervating climate of Florida it haG
become slack twisted" Pine leaves
were temporarily used to exc out the
supply, but they were found too easy
Of access by such sharp nosed inyesti
gators, and now the deficiency is to b,
made good by new netting made ant
fashioned by her own Industrious anC
skillful hands. She is beginning tC
wonder that she ever thought fifty
cents an extravagant price to ask fol
Strawberries.
A Florida crop OF strawberries i.
something that is worth doing a gooC
deal of work for. Think of five con
secuLive months Of this most deli
cious fruit a thing unheard of else
here, in the open air. And the ad
vantage Of our location is, that ne
matter how poor you are, you ar,
never tempted to sell them, but Cal
devote your entire product, more OF
less, to your own edification. Th,
fruit may be worth fabulous prices il
northern cities, or even in Jackson
vile, but all the same you eat and en-
JOY yours in untold content, undis
turbed by any controversy with youl
conscience as to the extravaganza O
it, it being, really, your only market
and do not political economists unan
imously agree that home market il
superior to all others In this con
test as for life with the greater rob
bers, we have lost sight of the lesser
to wit: The ants who are connois.
seurs in ripe fruit, though we notice
that if, by chance, any does get ripe