The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1883-01-10
Braidentown Correspondence.

BraidentOWn Correspondence.
Editor of the Florida Agriculturist:
The frost question is one about
which the average Floridian hates to
tell the truth. There has been so
much said about localities exempt
from frost," and the ''frost line,"
which lays a little to the North of
us, that it is rather hard to come out
and confess that we have been visit
ed oy the "King of Winter" But
"an honest confession is good for the
SOUL" and ] know / shall feel better
if come out and speak "the truth,
the whole truth, and nothing but the
truth" Well, then, we had frost
throughout the entire Manatee re-
gion during the recent cool spell.
AT least I have heard of no locality
near here as yet, that, when the
truth was told, was exempt. Now
/ am aware that for making this
statement shall probably bring
down on my head the anathemas of
a good many honest landowners who
have always claimed that his part of
the country was exempt from frost.
But I think it is high time that peo.
ple began TO tell the truth about
Florida, and that we cease to draw
immigration here from the North by
gilded lies. On the night OF the 18th,
during a norther, we had a slight
frost, which was followed the next
night by a freeze.up. Some localities
were much more exempt than others,
but ice was formed in vessels of wa>
ter nearly everywhere. Along the
South side of the Manatee river, and
on some Of the keys and islands the
damage was slight, out back in the
country and on the North side of the
river ii cas severely. in some places
bananas have lost their leaves, and
the guavas have been blackened,
while the tomato crop has been ru-
ined. In others, such as the South
side Of the river, the guavas, custard
apples, sugar apples, bananas and TO.
matoes, were merely touched, or not
hurt at all. On Terraceia island the
tender vegetation of the North side
was almost unhurt, although there
was heavy white frost; but towards
its South side a great deal of dam
age was done. These facts go to
show the efficacy of water protec~
tion. The bloated land owner is de-
iected, and his cry of "below the
frost line" will have to remain un~
sung, at least until the people forget
about the winter of '82. And yet
there are men here on whose places
vegetation has been scorched, who
are pig headed. or idiotic, or false
hearted enough to declare that they
have had no frost; that while every
body else was visited, their little
patches were exempt; and if you
point to the withered banana leaves,
they will tell you 1t acds done by the
cold aoiud."
As 9Th ere is no great loss without
some SD lall gain," SO this frost will
have SO me good results. The man
who ha 5 been prophecying for the
last s. sveral seasons that we were
going to have terrible cold winter,
and who has missed it every time,
now takes you by the buttonAhole,
and with knowing shake of his
hef I'd that indicates the deep wisdom
GO ,ncealed within, says: "Didn't / tell
Y GU so? l know'd it all along; I see
;he signs last tall. You can't fool
me on weather" And the man who
has all along been publishing and de.
claring that the "trost line" lay just
North of Braidentown; who has stood
aud shook his fist triumphantly at
Roreas just across the river and said.
"thus far shalt thou come and no tar.
ther," has been compelled to pull up
stakes and make new survey, and
set the line-its pretty hard to tell
where now, his faith In imaginary
lines is sadly shaken. But I do not
think, excepting in certain localities,
the damage is permanent. Much OF
the vegetation that looked wltheIed
i, pashlng vigorously forward; the
sweel potatoes that looked 80 sad
and black are beuinning to smile