The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1879-09-10
I I'd.
NEW SMYRNA.

The New Smyrna Agricultural
Society conduct their meetings on
system that combines comfort with
instruction. They meet at the houses
of the different members, on the pic
mic plan, and first discussing a good
dinner, in which the. housewives
strive to show the excellency of their
cookery, they all are then we'll pre-
pared for the business of the day.
The proceeding, as reported, are
very interesting to us, and make
us wish that we had been there to
partake of the social entertainment.
We recommend this plan of those in
other places who live far apart from
each other. Let a day be named and
the place appointed for the meeting,
and all carry their baskets and have a
good social time Of it in comparing
notes and discussing items Of mutual
interests. A society can be kept up
in this way. Following are the pro-
ceedings of the meeting of July Is:
Society met at the house of Mr.. M.
Lewis, but owing to the heat of the
day a motion was made and carried,
that the meeting adjourn to the shade
of large magnolia and hickory tree
in the hammock full 800 yards west.
Eatables, metheglin, etc, were soon
transported to the selected spot, a
table made and all doing justice to
the bountitul repast. After dinner
the meeting was called to order by
the President, the roll called, the
minutes of the last meeting read and
approved. 1t was then voted that
the letter ts" be added to "Vice-Pres-
idertn in the constitution. The es-
sayest for the day being absent no
essay was read. The subject OF hoe
ing pine-apples coming before the
meeting, it was thought best, owing
to the many large surface roots, to
mulch them well when first set out,
then to leave them unmolested.
DR.. J. M. Hawks presented the
meeting with specimen bottle of
sour orange wine, of his own manu-
facture, which was duly tested. Mrs.
Lewis also brought cut, to be tested,
some scuppernong grape wine of her
own make, which was pronounced
very fine.
A walk was then taken about the
field which contained about twelve
acres of hammock and savannah, the
latter well drained by old canals cut
by the Turnbull colony 140 years
ago. The fence is mostly made of
substantial cypress pickets and cedar
posts, and will, without doubt, last a
lifetime. About two acres of ham,
mock was found to be covered with
crops, most of which were good spec
linens of what rich hammock will
produce. They consist of corn, po-
tatoes. melons, bananas, cassava, egg.
plants, etc., also fine nursery of
young sweet orange trees, all of
which grow rank and thrifty. An
acre and half in the drained savan-
nah broken up last spring looks very
promising but the crop of corn now
upon it is quite light.
Returning to the house a very
prominent object is large wood pile
containing several cords OF oak and
hickory. Some fig, weeping-wilow
and mulberry trees and several SOUP
pernong grape vines about the house
have all made remarkable growth.
Scattered about the yard are about
forty colonies Of bees. In discussing
the bee question it was thought best
for the bee-keepers of this vicinity to
adopt the name OF Turnbull Ham.
mock Honey, for the sweet product
of their bees, and to ship under an at
tractive label with the name "Trum-
bull Hammock" printed upon it and
blank spaces left for the name OF the
aparian, the date Of putting up the
package and the name of the plant or
tree from which it was mostly pro-
duced. 1t was also suggested that a
committee be appointed to collect
statistics in regard to the number OF
colonies owned in the neighborbood,
the increase during the past year, the
amount of honey produced, ETC.,
but the matter was laid over to be
taken up at the next meeting. The
meeting now adjourned to meet at
Hawks Park, August Goth.
w. S. HART.
Secretary.