The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1880-04-21
The Gulf Hammock.
to1. OF the FlOrida Agricultnrist:.

Editor Of the Florida Agricutturist:
1t has been some time since have
written yoanin regard to the prosper.
lty' ahdpgrowth i'll Cult Hammock
The last winter has been one OF the
iveliest ever known here, the Gull
Hammock house was fairly opened
and was over-run with boarders and
among them was some of Florida's
first citizens, who were surprised to
find so delightful place, little dream
ing that there was the health and
prosperity that there is here, they
went away satisfied that this is the
place to really enjoy lite, for no
where in the State are the comforts
and necessaries OF life so easily OBJ
tanned as here. Already since the
opening of the Hammock House hun.
dreds OF acres of land have been
cleared and brought under cultiya.
tlon, and within the last two months
four thousand orange trees have been
set out and all can be seen from the
veranda Of the Cult Hammock House.
the hunters home. A great MANY
northern people have purchased land
here and are building and improving
1t and purpose spending six months
In the year with us, tor they say no
place In all their travels affords so
much sport in the way OF hunting
and fishing as this, and then thew saw
we have such a healthtul and invioor-
ating climate, that any one who visits
our place must certainly be satisfied,
and this Is truely SO, tor our inhabi-
tants here are robust and hearty and
enjoying the best of health. think
the prejudice that has existed against
the great Gult Hammock is losing it's
virtue, for the citizens in the interior
OF the State find that we enjoy equal
if not better health than they do.
so, Me haEs s,S s syery Y dSS fGssR meat xeA
caught In one OF the finest streams III
the State. The water (Wekiva river)
is as pure as it can be and as clear as
a crystal, we can stand at the landing
of the Gulf Hammock House and see
hundreds OF black bass, mullet and
other fish going up and down, and
we have, without exception, the finest
drinking water in the State, it is cool
the year round, We do not need ice
to make it palalable, we also have in
the immediate vicinity magnesia and
iron, also white sulphur springs, all
of which is beneficial to health, and
we are only six miles from the Gulf,
whose breezes are delightful and
pleasant the year round.
A number OF guests, who have been
here this winter have been SO de-
lighted that they have engaged rooms
tor next winter, and parties who have
never been here are writing tor &C.
commodation for the coming winter.
This l think speaks well Tor Gulf
Hammock.
One word in regard to orange
trees and vegetation. Last October
Mrs. Wlngate, hostess OF the Cult
Hammock House, planted some
grapefruit seeds and on the first OF
February they were about ten inches
high and one ot them had a bloom on
and fruited nicely; it remained on
until it was as large as a good sized
cherry and then unfortunately IL was
broken of. A still greater curiosity
was the budding of sweet bud on
to a bitter sweet orange tree on the
10th of November and to-day it is in
bloom, at the same time he was bud
ding some other trees, small ones, he
was called away before he got
through and the buds he had i'll his
hand al the time he stuck i'll the
ground along side OF the tree and
were forgotten, until he commenced
TO work around his trees this spring,
when he found they had rooted and
grown eight inches, this l think
speaks well for the productiveness OF
the soil in Gulf Hammock. Our
bearing orange trees are looking tine
and are full OF fruit, We are not
troubled with the dle-back, scale or
any OF the insects that are hurting SO
many orange groves throughout the
State. The young trees That Dr..
Ambrose set out OH the 10th ot Feb
ruary, about SUI, have TO day growth
on. some of them over thirty inches
long. Captain Wingate set out