The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1882-04-26
aanother tack smosher it out by

'another tack smother it out by
heavy mulchipg.
Para grass is q Strong growing
coarse plant, running along on TOP
of the ground taxing root at the
joints, and each joint sending up a
stalk much after the style Of Bermuda,
but so far / have fonnd no under.
ground stems. 1t is e2actly like our
wild maiden-cane grass only that it
grows above ground, while that is
possessed .of innumeraSle deep under
ground runners. Mait;eE cane grows
well on our poorest soils. 1t and the
Para, would make very coarse hay,
but could be prodaSed cheaply.
Some orange grove owners desire to
have their groves thiekly set with
Bermuda and MaidenTcane. Every
few months the ground would be
covered with tair growth, of ''greeD
stuff to turn under (lightly) for the
benefit of the trees, and this green
crop would be produced AZ no cost for
seed and planting, for new crop
would come on after each blowing.
The truth might as wen be known
in regard to this matter 6f .'lawn and
pasturage,' which is, we don't have
many OF them. Florida i
"wE1L wATFR
4. e., it is seldom one can pursue a
straight line many milas without
coming to some little lase of clear,
pure water or some s7Ssam, quite
often "coffee colored" fl d the pres.
ence of humic acid. Blt many, such
colored water is cons Iered ague
producing. There are pa 6ne large
springs in--IISc -IISclariids. !. bat5s -e.ssaes
number 81 small spring 0na many
farms at the North. Onlow fiat lands
like unto the ordinary "hat woods"
Of Florida-much like the 'bottom
lands" along rivers at the North, at
least in some respects-well water
is obtained at depth OF FIVE to fiji.
teen feet, but in many cases it is not
desirable for house use, and in such
situations, cisterns are preferable. In
Orange county, on the high rolling
lands, the depth at which lone can
"strike" water, is like "tLo,' the
poor Indian" said OF his pale>faced
brother, "mighty anceTtain.p 1t ran
ges all the way from fifteen to eighty
feet. [ know of one well of the latH
ter depth, where water was obtained
in soft lime stone with evidences of
bone remains, and was not very de.
sirable in quality. Also another
where for large part Of the eighty
feet, the we'll is cut through soft lime
stones with shells in it. The water
was struck in the pure sand jnst be.
meath the stone, and seemed to be on
the same level with lake less than
half mile distant, as the water in
the we'll follows the rise or tall OF the
lake closely. This water is GA No.
II, and though am told that water
in wells over thirty feet deep is quite
warm, this, is nice and cool. Still no
well water here, and but one spring
know of, is as cool as the well or
spring water at the North but ! do
not find that miss the "cool draught
from the north side" Of my Kansas
we'll, halt so much as | had expected
to. A friend some ten miles east of
Tampa, Florida, where the land was
supposed to be but fifty feet above
ocean level, dug over seventy feet,
most of the distance through soft
limestone rock, to get six inches of
water in sulphur lime rock, which he
could not use. In this part of Orr
ange countY,my moreaccurate knowl.
edge, extending over about twenty
to thirty square miles, l only know
of three wells. We nearly all use
from our beautiful little clearwater
lakes, which are always "soft". The
coffee colored water is hard. We
regularly provide days supply OF
drinking water the evening before,
and expose it to the delightfully."- cool
night air. In the morning it is set
in some shady place, and despite the
rise OF, the thermometer too near the
nineties these fair April days, it tastes
nice and cool until near the close o.
the day. Within my knowledge oul