The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-06-14

gardens q week or ten days in advance Of the
sane products raised in northern Florida OF
southern Georgia. and it is the early crop that
pays The first invoice of Strawberries which
small lot shipped from Jacksonville on the St
Johns river They sold for $l.25 per quart,
and cost no more to raise than later berries,
which sold for 10 cents Ger quart.
Jacksonville is in latitude 300 BOY. South OF
20 they could have been marketed about four
days earlier. Now, the counties of Dade, Mon
roe and Manatee, with the greater portion of
Brevard Polk and Hillsboro, all lie south of the
twenty eighth parallel and contain, collectively,
more than half million acres OF fertile lands, open
to settlement at very moderate price, say from
So to 500 per acre, according to situation, soil.
etc. The best and highest-priced land will be
found the cheapest in the end, so it be rail
road facilities. for you do not need large farm
in Florida. Five acres is enough. One hundred
orange trees, sixty to the acre, will occupy one
and two third acres Plant twenty trees OF
grape fruit on the remaining third of an acre
If the orange trees of the best varieties, and
budded on the rough lemon, they will
commence to yield four years from
the bud; and the grape fruit will
do the same. Six years from the bud you will
have some fruit to sell, and thenceforth the
profits will increase rapidly. There are many
old orange trees in the State that yield annually
more than $50 each. Keep one acre of we'll
titled and fertile land in Strawberries 1t will
give you. with intelligent cultivation, at least
LOCO qusrts--quite likely you may get 2, 400.
This. if you among the first in market, will
give You more clean cash than the average
Northern granger realizes on his l00acre farm
Keep another acre in tomatoes, early cucum
bers, and such garden truck as your observation
teaches you is most profitable and reliable te
ship North--the tomato has the lead at TIE
present time. And plant the remaining acre to
guavas, lemons, figs, mangoes, alligator pears
and bananas. Plant lightly of the last three.
They are very tender, and whatever you may
1No fNl6 tOt hn 4lNn
southern Florida that is absolutely safe from
frost. Even at Key West there have been light,
white frosts.
Any intelligent gardener will arrange his
ground for supply of such vegetables he
may need for mis- own use. And don't neglect
to plant dozen, two dozen, or more scupper-
nong grapevines. These may be placed in the
spaces between the orange trees, around the
house, at the roots of shade trees, or almostany-
where that there is room in an upward direction
They will bear in less than two years; the fruit
is excellent, and there is always sale for il,
either South or North. And just here / will
mention feature in grape culture that is likely
to prove of great Importance to southern Flor
ida. Northern people coming here to make
home were naturally DESTROYS of seeing their
favorte vines growing around them. But the
standard varieties of the North succeeded but
indifferently here, and the Concord and Della
ware grew feebly, or dried up entirely IN the hot
months, until some one tried the experiment of
grating them into the common wild
grape of the country, which grows ram
PANTY in almost any soil situation.
The experiment seems big success. There are
such gratis within two miles of where write
that are scarcely year old, which have not only
grown vigorously, out have borne several bunch
es OF fine, large grapes. They are of the Con
cord variety, which succeeded worst of all on its
own roots. Delaware, Isabella Catawba and
Diana are reported as doing equally WELL !"
In conclusion, will say that such a five-acre
grove and garden as have outlined will keep
the owner pretty busy, with the help of mus
cular colored brother during the busiest times,
and will require wire-grass pony two
wheeled cart, light pillow and some common
garden implements. If the owner has a few
leisure days and happens to have turn for
field sports or angling, he can put in the time to
good purpose-for nowhere on this green earth
is there better fishing. in fresh water salt,
than on the gulf coast of Florida, while beach
birds. wild fowl deer and turkeys afford abund-
ant sport Tor the gunner, concerning which
will speak more at length in my next.