The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1881-06-01
The Halifax.
What is It2 Where Is 1t? who Lives
There, and What do They DO?

There, and What do They DO?
1t is an arm of the sea, one hall
mile wide, twenty-five miles long and
extends parallel TO the ocean and sep
arated from it by strip of land
three,fourths of mile wide, north
northwest from Smyrna Inlet, u
which is on the east coast of South
Florida sixty-fve miles south of St
Augustine. This country is mot
thickly settled, but has an extensive
assortment of settlers, being inhabited
by ypeople from all parts.ot the Ufased
States. The colored element is very
small as is also the native white pop.
ulation. Those who have gone there
most of them being from New York,
Connecticut, Mass, Ohio, and Ken.
tucky, were those who had the nerve
to 90 to region off the regular lines
of communication with the business
world, Tor the sake of attractions that
could not be found elsewhere, and
tor the privilege of having selection
OF lands at low figures which they
could not have gained had they been
content to have attached themselves
to the older settlements of the State.
They came here to make pleasant
homes i'll pleasant climate and to
engage in semi.tropical fruit culture.
A few examples Of success attained
by these pioneers may be of interest
to those who are studying up the
country Of the Halifax. We will
begin with orange culture, that being
the main business of the county One
example is the grove of Mr.. Marcus
L. Smith, formerly of Plainfeld, ILL.,,
his grove being at Daytona, beauti-
full little town ten miles north of
Smyrna Inlet or the mouth of the
Halifax.
He planted his grove Of ten acres
in February and March, 1877, on
heavy live oak and palmetto ham
mock soil ("hammock," dense hard
wood growth). In clearing, all tim
ber was cut but the palmettos, which
were saved as protection against
wind aDd frost; the other timber was
piled and burned and the ashes
spread over the ground. The method
OF setting the trees was quite different
from the ordinary way and adopted
on account OF the lowness and wet
ness of the ground. No holes were
dug, but a mound raised on the sur
face OF about the size of small cart
load and four to five feet in diameter.
The top was then opened and the
trees set so that the collar was about
six inches above the general level OF
the. ground. Trenches have since
been made between the rows about
three teet wide and eight inches
deep and the soil thrown between the
trees leaving them standing on raised
beds. The trees used were mostly
sweet seedlings about one inch in di-
ameter and Judging from their ap-
pearance three to four years old, ex-
cept twenty-five that were six years
old and two and half to three inches
in diameter He cut the large trees
nearly back to stumps, yet in Feb
ruary, 1880, a year ago, they had
trunks five to five and halt inches
in diameter and fine spreading tops
eighteen totwenty,five feet high. The
others did as we'll in proportion to
their size and age. One hundred and
fifty sour seedlings were budded the
summer after setting and in year
from the following spring twenty Of
them bloomed. The next spring,
three years from setting 100 bloomed
The grove now, 1881, four years
from setting, is a perfect forest and
will probably bear $4,000 oranges the
ensuing season. He is continually
adding to his grove and follows the
same method of clearing and setting
except that he uses one-half bushel
of ashes mixed with the soil in setting
each tree. The cost of such a grove
is, rating land at 500 per acre, with
careful clearing, grubbing, and tenc.
ing in lots not less than five acres
with the trees and planting will be
from $10O to $110 per acre. Careful
tending with hoe only from $25 to
$50 per acre year. The grove at a
low estimate at five years old should