The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1879-10-15
DeIand VOIusa County, Florida Wednesday, October 15 1879

Vegetable-growers are thickly set.
tied all about here, and at Micanopy
twelve miles south. We are told this
industry is carried on even eighteen
miles from the depot, and the con.
tented faces of all you meet give evi.
dence of prosperity. The same class
OF lands extend on to Battons except
that after leaving Arredondo large
quantity OF lime rock is seen break.
ing through the soil.
Battons is on high land covered
with growth of pine and oak. AS
we proceed toward Archer the land
continues high and rolling, with pine
but no oak. Archer is outside ofth
Arredondo grant and the lands here
are railroad and government. As
far as Bronson we find the same class
OF land. We should Judge that this
locality was perfectly healthy and,
like all the high pine land in the
State, free from chills and fevers.
This kind of soil is well suited to the
growth of fruit trees and grapes.
Otter Creek is an eating station
near tie edge of Cult Hammock.
We passed through the Great Gulf
Hammock in a short time. This
hammock is dense growth of hard.
wood trees and bushes, where roam
the wild cat, panther, and bear. Deer
and turkey are also plenty. The
land is very fertile but hard to, clean,
and would be subject to tevers and
like slcknesses for some time after be.
ing opened to the sun.
The country along the road after
leaving the hammock is open. The
growth, once pine, is grass and scrub
palmetto. To the west is an un-
broken horizon line showing the di.
rection of the Gulf. We soon pass
Rosewood, a small place, with neat
houses and gardens, and then on
again.
For three miles out Of CAdsy. Kew
+ lg....l>.s,- wrrdIng creeks, ana Days
make up the surface of the country
and though the road is built mostly
on land yet two trestles are necessary
to complete the connection.
Before the war and before the rail.
road was built, very little business
was done in this locality. There was
a small settlement and mill for saw
ing cedar on an island nearly halt a
mile out from the one on which the
principal settlement is made. This
island is called Cedar Key. The
group of islands called Cedar Keys
is composed of several-Cedar Key,
Way Key, Snake Key, Sea-horse Key,
etc.
Since the building of the railroad
Way Key has grown rapidly and
boasts of dozen well.stocked stores
three hotels, six or seven bar-rooms
one drug store and two barber shops
Way Key is settled in the shape
OF a carpenters square with one
street running from one end to the
other. This shape is taken because
the island is narrow and the only
land high enough for building, is in
the form of right angle. There
are number of buildings being
erected with sort of concrete com
posed principally of oyster shell, lime
and sand. 1t makes a substantial
wall and looks neat, and at the same
time impressive. Mr.. McIlvaine il
putting up large hotel of this ma
terial. 1t was while experimenting
the work on this building that he tell
lately, aud was badly hurt. He is
fast recovering.
There is line of schooners running
from here down the coast to Tampa
Charlotte Harbor and other points
to carry the necessaries of life to the
settlers down that way. The mer
chants of Way Key supply al
this Gulf-coast trade. They get the
most of their goods from New Or
leans, when the quarantine is not il
force, but now the railroad supple!
them. There is, in addition to the
line of schooners, a steamer which
makes two trips week down the
coast.
We called on Mr.. J. Ira Gore, o
the JOaty7o0L whom we found to be al
earnest Journalist, it not a master o
the art preservative.
With Cedar Key at one end of tn
; road and Fernandina at the other
and line intersecting for Jackson