The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1881-06-15
Report Of the Agricultural and
Fruit Growers Association of
Sumter County.

Fruit Growers Association of
Sumter County.
FTomthe Sumter County Adrance.
Ladies and Gentlemen Of the IA
ricultatraI and Frat Groacers' AsSoci.
alton Several weeks ago a commit
tee Of four members of the society
were appointed to write up the diff
terent sections of our county, and
after their reports were received, it
was made the duty of the President
of the Association to take these re
ports and condense them into the
form of description OF the county,
giving her agricultural, fruit growing
and vegetable capacity. Two OF the
committee have responded in full one
in part, and from the other l have
received no report.
l have concluded TO wait no longer.
and will proceed with the informa.
tion | have obtained from the com.
mittee, and by my own observation
and experience alter residence OF
twelvesyears in the county.
The county was named in honor
of General Sumter, OF South Carolina,
who is known ln history as the Game
Cock Of the Revolutionary war. 1t
originally formed portion of Mar
ion county, situated between 280 and
29' north latitude and is nearly equi
distant between the Gulf and The
Atlantic, and thereby not so subject
to the heavy northeast and southwest
winds incident to either coast. The
county embraces an area of about
1900 square miles, a little over forty
miles north and south, and about
thirty miles east and west. 1t is
bounded on the north by Marion
county, and on the east by Orange,
on the south by Polk, and on the
west by fernando county. The pop
nlation by the last census was 6,0T2,
whites 5,993, blacks 1913, having
more than doubled during the last
decade. Its mortuary report Tor
last year was thirty seven about one
halt OF one per cent.
The county embraces almost every
variety of soil and is capable OF a
great variety OF predictions. The
western portion of the county is one
of the finest agricultural sections in
the State, if not i'll the South, (all
things considered) we'll adapted to
corn, cotton, oats, rye, rice, potatoes,
(both sweet and lrish) and nearly
all varieties OF vegetables that have
been tried seem to do well. The cit
rus family which has been somewhat
neglected until within the last few
years, seem TO do well and be at
nome both on the sandy and ham,
mock lands. The want OF transport
tation has heretofore kept this Sec
tion Of our county in the background,
but from present indications it will
not be long before she will be one of
the booming" sections of our
county. For better and more mi
mute description OF this section OF our
county l refer you to Prof W. Z.
Dodd's report and description Of it.
What he says in regard to the two
precincts he mentions in his report
will apply with equal force to the
SumtervilIe precinct lying south of
the two he describes The Sumter
vile precinct also borders on the
Panasoffkee Lake, and contains much
valuable land tor general farming and
also for fruits and vegetables. Both
sandy and hammock lands can he
bought at fair prices, and much land
can be had at government prices,
both state and government lands.
The want OF transportation has kept
this portion Of our county from be-
ing settled up; this difficulty has been
partially removed by the opening up
OF The Withlacoochee river and Pan
asofflkee Lake to transportation. The
southwestern portion of the county,
in places, is rather troublesome to
cultivate on account OF the rocky
nature of the soil. This soil is good
and produces finely, and in some
places it is exceedingly rich and fer
tile, and this section is known as the
Egypt OF the county, and it was
named by the Indians Pilatlakaha,
meaning 'Spotted Country" The
Palatlakaha creek flows from this
section of the country, runs north
and empties into Lake Astatula or