The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1880-08-11
Life in Florida.

"Mr: Samuel g. Upham, whose
popular songs and wonderful Cali.
fornia experiences Render him a Phil
adelphia celebHty, has now a large
orange plantation spear Jacksonville. y
1t is pleasing when one is tar away
to know that hesis not entirely for
COTTON by his friends but you are
slightly off your eggs when You say
l avn large orange plantation near
Jacksonville. / am located on the
Manatee river, eight miles above its
entrance into Tampa Bay, oD the
Cult coast OF South Florida, in lati-
tude 2710, beloM "frost line" 1
visited Jacksonville and all the towns
and landings on the St. Johns, Hall
fax and Matanzas rivers, and also
"did" the Suwanee pretty thoroughly
before locating al Braidentown. 1
prefer this part Of Florida to the At
lantic coast, for the following reasons:
Healthfulness OF climate, purity of
water and immunity from frost and
insects. My bealfh has improved
wonderfully since by arrival in the
'Land of Flowers, and | am pretty
thoroughly convinced that l have OBJ.
tanned new lease of life. The sea
breezes that fan my brow at morn.
ing, noon and nightac: as tonic on
my enfeebled constitution, and am
daily gaining strength and muscle.
l have to day walked six hours in my
banana grove, With the thermometer
at 90o in the shade, without expert.
encing any inconvenience from the
heat. The heat IS SO modified by
the constant sea breeze that one can
work in the sun at all, hours of the
day and in all seasons of the year.
Sunstroke and hydrophobia are un-
known here. This statement can be
taken without salt. In midsummer
Ue nights are Invariably cool.
5lAnkels at nigsx B I'VE !! The rule. not
cation and climate. Now, few
words about that orange grove"
My rancho is new aud consequent
ly rather crude. When l located
here in October last a large portion
of it, was S'howling wilderness"
Since that time l have felled the
trees, piled the logs, burned the
brush, grubbed and fenced fifteen
acres, on ten acres of which / shall
to morrow commence setting out 500
three .year.old sweet Seeding orange
trees, which / hope to live long
enough to see them bear fruit.
Some two months since set out two
hundred banana plants, and they are
doing remarkably well. Many OF
the stalks are six feet high. They
will bear fruit in about eighteen
months. also have patch OF sixty
pine.apples, which will bear fruit
next year. l have few coffee plants,
Japan plum and tamarind trees that
are growing luxuriantly. / brought
with me from Philadelphia half a
dozen cocoa nuts, which / planted on
the 1st OF November last, and had
given up all hope ofever seeing them
sprout, when to my great surprise,
some two weeks since two of them
threw up sprouts. They are now
one foot nigh and growing vigorous.
ly. l have paper shell almonds and
prunes, just sprouting from the seed.
1 also have few young olive trees,
which / think will succeed in this
soil and climate. The guava thrives
admirably here. l have several
trees, and expect soon to luxuriate
on guava Jelly of my own manufac-
ture. will send you few boxes.
Have you ever eaten Florida
orange fresh plucked, that ripened on
the tree If not, visit Florida and
enjoy the greatest luxury of your
lite. 1t is the fruit par excellence
fit food for the gods. i have in the
course of my somewhat eventful life
eaten oranges in the groves OF the
Mediterranean, South America, Mexi-
CO and the West Indies, but none
can compare with the orange OF this
State. Our soil is peculiarly adapted
to the growth and maturity Of the
perfect orange. No other soil can
produce it. The West India and
Louisiana Seeding orange is wonder
fully improved by being transplanted