The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1880-03-17
Letter From Florida.
L. E. c. Brinly. in Louisville. KY. Agriculture

L 4. Z, Brlnly, IN LOUISVILLE KY, Agrlculturist
| wrote you several days ago, Civ
ing my opinion of Florida so FAR as
had seen; since then / have visited
several other points of interest. On
last Friday l boarded the steamer
Bromly, at Jacksonville, commanded
by the McGill Bros, as clever fellows
as I have met with, they are Georg-
ians, both young men, one of them
gave me short history OF their start
out in life. They first started
out to raise oranges; not being very
successful on account of frosts, they
gave that up and commenced boat
ing. In short time their boat was
burned; not discouraged, they went
to work without money, only their
own energy and skill, and built Der
up again, and now she plows the ST..
Johns river. Being a mechanic my
self like to speak Of such men. One
OF them acts as captain and the other
as engineer. Their kind and cour-
teous treatment to travellers will make
them many friends; may they never
have any more bad luck.
We landed at Pilot Town, on Man.
hatten Island, and stopped al the
Spencer House, where / would advise
all to go who may travel that way.
Many thanks to Mr.. Spencer, who
was so kind as TO gear up his horse
and take us over the Island to Fort
George, showing us the great shell
banks, the beautiful palmetto groves
and the house built many years ago
by Mr.. Kingley, out of oyster shells.
History tells us that this house was
wedding present to his daughter, but
she never occupied it, it never was
finished. These oyster shell banks
are quite curiosity. No one has
1 suarl been. alale to Give a eorrect idea
as to their origin and how they came
deposited there; some think they
were washed up at one time by the
ocean; some biologists say they must
have been placed there by the Span.
iards. would like to speak of other
things | saw at Fort George, but 1
fear my letter will be too lengthy.
| returned the next day to JACK
sonville, and with wife and daughter
boarded the steamer Rosa for the
upper St. Johns. On this river there
are some beautiful .places, orange
parks ana many pretty little towns.
We had the pleasure of seeing Mrs.
Beecher Stoves place, pretty place,
but oh, that "Uncle Toms Cabin"
The St. Johns river up as far as Pa
latka is the widest river and the pref
tiest l have ever seen; above we
enter Lake George, which is nine
miles wide and eighteen miles long.
After we pass through this lake, the
river became very narrow tor hun
dreds of miles some places scarcely
wide enough tor boats to pass each
other, and l think the crookedest
river anywhere to be found, has the
most dismal appearance, nothing to
be seen on either side but swamps of
cypress and palmetto trees. After
we lett this river we entered Lake
Berestord, which we crossed, took a
conveyance to this place, DeLand,
Volusia county, growing little
place, high sandy pine lands, some
what rolling, but beautiful and in my
opinion one of the healthiest places
in Florida. We are now CHARTERED
at the house Of Mr.. O. L. Terry,
formerly OF New York. lie has
opened up nice grove, and keeps
one of the very best boarding houses
for the accommodation of those COM
ing here.
1 am now visiting the various
groves in the county getting all the
information | can in regard to the
kind of implements most needed in
the cultivation OF the orange trees.
From DR.. Gillian / received some
valuable information and sugges-
lions. DR.. Gillian came to this
country about four years ago from
Indiana he commenced in the woods.
He now has three or four large and
tlourishing groves, some Of his trees
have commenced to bear. 1t is esti.
mated that his groves are worth at
least fifty thousand dollars. What
will they be worth when they pro-
duce two thousand oranges to each
tree which is said Ia he a low esti-