The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1881-01-26
Deland Vousa County, Florida Wednesday, January &C. 1881

ject very important, and that anv
one who throws light on it renders
the State, and intending settlers a
service. think it important tor the
following reasons:
lst. What are known as fat.
woods embrace a large portion of
Florida lands and as a general thing
these are situated near water or
other lines of transportation.
End. 1t has been the custom of the
majority OF writer's on orange culture
to condemn them as utterly unfit for
that purpose and the consequence is
that intending settlers pass them by
without the slightest examination as
to these merits, when from these
convenlences to transportation if 1T
could be shown that they were
adapted to orange culture they
would be very valuable This is
notably the case all along the St.
Johns river. Having had little
experience though not as yet worked
out to satisfactory conclusion, /
propose to give the result OF it, hop
ing that it may call forth letters
from others and especially something
more from Mr.. Hart. 1t 80 happens
that all OF my orange trees are on
the kind OF land generally con.
demned as untavorable for orange
culture namely: Low hammock and
flat pine land underlaid by hard pan.
1t may be asked why | selected
such apparently untavorable land.
My reply is firstly it was near trans
portation being only three and half
miles-on good road-from Haw-
klnsville on the St. Johns. Secondly
the low hammock though much too
low according 10 the general re-
ceived theory was susceptible Of
drainage 10 certain extent.
Thirdly, the land was evidently OF
good quality from the heavy growth
OF hickory, gum, live oak an stnagno-
llass that stood unsgs II a u
ana most important it contained a
small but handsome and thrifty wild
grove. The hammock being in the
edge OF the st. Johns Swamp, was of
course nntit tor building site, |
therefore took a homestead close.
solely TO obtain a healthy location
tor a house. This homestead con.
sists chiefly of scrub and fiat woods
land, l built on gentle eminence
about ten feet above and just in the
edge OF the flat woods, the land on
which the house stands though not
strictly speaking flat woods has most
OF it's characteristics, that is, it is
covered with saw palmetto and un.
derlaid at the depth of three feet
with hard pan. | filed my yard
with orange, lemon and other kinds
OF trees. They are now generally
making satisfactory growth and
looking healthy, several of the
orange and lemon trees from three to
tour years old have bloomcd and one
little lemon not more than two years
old furnished me Two ripe lemons of
good quality tor my Chrrtmas din
ner. ! used no kind OF fertilizer, but
what l obtained in the place, chiefly
manure from the COW pen. | con,
tess to having had some misgivings
as to the wisdom OF my location Tor
q grove when older settlers said that
my hammock was 100 low, and when
| replied that my buds were making
very satisfactory growth was told
that they would die as soon as the
tap.rools reached the water.
l have been in Florida FIVE years,
my .rees show no signs of dying but
are still making rapid and healthy
growth. This year thirteen trees
brought fruit to perfection and
twenty including the thirteen
bloomed, their ages ranging from
three to five years and the truit was
Of excellent quality. So tar, there
fore my experience has ialsi6ed the
predictions OF the croakers. The
highest portion OF my grove is not
more than seven feet above high
water, and many OF the trees that are
now doing we'll are not more than
tour feet above the ordinary water
in the swamp. The experience of my
friend and neighbor Mr. w A.
Lowell is still more to the point. He
has budded wild grove in sight on
low shell hammock, don't think that
the highest part oft ismore than eight