Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1881-03-26
Letter from Florida.
NO. 6.

" distributed population OF 2'o,o9o'
- - ticures plainly indicate that there |
o,nnIe room for all the immigrants
~, may come into the State, at east for
lbs next two centuries. VI the Y. states
f"nds there are yet remaining about 49,
nno 400 acres, located in all sections OF
,En State, aud purchasable at $l.25 per
,rrs: or, if taken by homestead entry,
I60 acres for Sl4; so acres for 81; 10 acres
for 81 residence of 1ve years necessary.
The State lands comprise about 10000
600 sores, varying in price from 20 cents
20 & per acre. 4 large amount of land
has been granted to the three main rail
ads in the State; not less than l,0O0,OOO
acres, which is offered at Sl.25 per acre,
with tree transportation over the X. Koad;
~ purchasers with their families ana
perSenal effects. -,
Florida lands are ordinarily clasSlileu
"a pine lands, hanmOcks, Glands cover
ed with hard woods and swamp llnus'
Tho greater portion OF the state issco!el-
ed with pine, the pitch ana yelioW p'ne'
Nuch of the land is being bought Tor tue
t;u,har that is on il, which, Wien the
,imber is removed, is often allowed 10 De
sold AGAIN for the payment OF taxes. n
Mr Tfmple. living near Kingsley, owns
over 80. 900 acres, having lately purchased
= claim of - 900 acres for Sll ,OOo. As
soon as the heavy timber Is removed his
land is offered for sale, and very often
NAV be purchased for the amount due
for taxes; sometimes selling rs low as
~ cts per acre. Though land is so cheap
and plentiful, there are no large tracts
under cultivation. Excluding orange
groves | have not yet seen Il cultivated
firm of 100 acres, though have ridden
4 a
five miles, and that, too, one of the most
nopulouS portions of the State. | have
frequently travelled five miles without
seeing a home, and where l have found
= residence, the cultivated land around 1t
would be more likely to be below ten
acres than above il. There is no fencing,
except around the few cultivated acres.
Travel through such a cOuntryiS painful-
Nv monOtonous and exposed TO many dli-
ticulties An illimitaGle forest, without
any landmarks or any distinct roads,
will not allow a traveller TO be sure OF
anvthng, except that he is sure to travel
ON the wrong road.
4 short time since, in company with
two OF KingSlcy's citizens, | took trip
some twenty miles southwark, along
chain of lakes, fifteen or more IN number
One OF my companions was sure he Knew
the way. was ''pertcctly familiar Win IL
- hc himself asserted. 1t Is possible
that We were on the right road one hour
out Of every five that we Travelled. we
rot minute directions from every man
we met, which we faithfully followed
till We met the next man, who always told
US We were OH the wrong road.
one day we travelled eight hours, and
then were informed that we were juSta
half mile from the place from which we
started. This was a little d:scouragimg
to one who had walked twelve miles III
the meantime, and had helped TO tote
spring wagon, and TO coax stubborn
mule across several impossible raNlncS.
If orr guide had not been ''pericCtly IA
miliar" with the route, we would prob
ably be i'm the woods To this day, so com
ulctely lost that We could not even hnd
ourselves.
Uuly last week the Mayor of Kingsley
spent i whole night in the forest trying
10 find the residence of u nCighbOr who
lives but mile from his home. lf>uch
things happen To an old resident, what
may not happen toa new conner Al
though have been al Kingsley month,
| would not venture into the forest one
mile oil the main road, with any hope OF
returning, unless accompanied bya guide
or secured by Il tcthcr.
The productions of Florida present
long and varied list, embracing nearly
AL the crops grown in Southern states,
aud in addition, great variety OF SEMI
tropical and tropical fruits ami vegcta-
b!e>. There is no wheat grown III the
lcnin>ular portion of the State, and but
very little corn; the latter planted in
rows five feet apart, one grain to the NH,
four feet apart. Hay and oats are raised
10 very limited extent. Horses and
mules, consequently, arc very high IN
price and very inferior in quality. Few
farmers have more thrn one borse or
mule. Some of the more wealthy have
two. Sea Island cotton is raised mostly
from the Suwannec river to the ocean;
and in grade Florida cotton rates with
the best, being used only for the manu-
facture ofthread. Rice is raised i'll some
of the lOw-landS, but mostly for domestic
use Fruits and berries of almost every
variety, melons, peanuts, pccanS, aim
onds, all can he grown IL great abund-
ancc. The growing of carly vegetables
is becoming profitable industry. On the
shore of Kingsley Lake, a Chicago man
has set out ten acres in cucumbcrS, ant
in the course of Il few days will ship the
vegetable to Northern markets.
The sweet potato. is the chief, indis-
pensablc, and omnipreSent article of food
in Florida, white or black, no family Is
So poor, but what has 4 potato patch. III
Yields from 100 to 400 bushels TO the acre,
with but little care or labor. A gentle
man in the western part of the State last
wear. raised COO bushels to the acre by
special care and the application of fertll-
iLcr. The usual price is % cents per
bushel. 1t is the chiefstaple of food tor
man and beast. Hog, horse and hound
grow poor upon it; while the native
children and Northern immigrants are
!attened upon it. 1t appears upon the
table at every meal, and in every variety
Of style; raw, fried, roasted, stewed,
hroiled, baked, steamed, appearing again
as DESSERT, in the form of pie or custard.
Vale, sweet potato, until the next meal
Orange culture is the most promising
pursuit in the State. New groves are
being started in all sections of the State.
Within the last few months the interest
has so increased that the nurseries can
not supply the demand for young trees.
1t is estimated that $40, 900, 900 are invest
ed in orange groves in the State. Last
year, owing TO the freeze, the crop was
short, but the year previous at least To-
600, 900 oranges were exported from the
State. Measured BY the progress of the
last ten years orange culture is destined
TO become ut an early day the leading III
duStry Of the State. Results have shown
that there is not 1t present amy pursuit,
where the tilling of the soil is involved,
that will yield larger returns with less
fluctuation. Nor need there be any fear
of general redundancy of the product.
In 1879 more than 0.000,GO oranges
were entered at Northern ports from for
Cign countries, in addition 10 the Florida
crop. Florida oranges are conceded to
be superior to all others, and have come