The weekly Floridian. [volume] (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1867-19??, 1885-11-26
HIS LETTERS FROM ITALIA.
HASSEE.
Early Erufs anA Vegetable Calsnre
I'm Leon County.
TALLAHASSEE, October 81, 1885

TALLAHASSEE, October 81, 1885, )
Istepped on the scales yesterday and scored
a clear gain of 134 pounds If there is any vir-
ture in an appetite, am likely to beat the above
record, for never did a sick man improve in that
particular as have done.
The abundant supply of excellent milk to be
had in Tallahassee, from real Jerseys, and other
imported cattle, is luxury one scarcely knows
how to estimate.
With the perfect rest, regularity of habits,
wholesome food, pure water, perfect air and sys-
tematic exercise on horseback, feel that al
ready l am wonderfully the gamer by my So
journ here, and although little homesick for
the dear girls and the rest of you, shall keep my
spirits up bravey until l welcome them here in
January. By that time, suspect there will be
in operation between this point and Thomas
vile, Ga, on the Savannah. Florida & Western
Railroad, real Tallyho line. The citizens here
are taking steps 10 establish it. shall meet the
girls in Thomasvile. The ride across the beau
tiful country, on top a spanking coach and six,
will be real picnic. 1t is certainly great deal
| pleasanter than q long rail journey around by
Jacksonville. 1t cannot be long before the ne
cessities of the case will induce the construction
of a railroad over this line between Townsville
! and Tallahassee, and when this is an accom-
plished fact, there will be activity aroused in
! this section akin to some of the Developments
along the lines of our Western railroads thirty
years ago.
In some book or other on Florida, have seen
this hlly upland section of Florida spoken Of as
ian oasis in the great pine wastes of South
Georgia and Florida" and so in reality, it is
1t is perhaps the only place in the great ex
panse of country beween the Mississippi and
the Atlantic, and the Gulf OF Mexico and the
Northern lakes, where edrtsness of season, adapt
ability and fertility of soil, facilities of rapid
transportation and exemption from frontier and
bdck~oods drdW6dcks are all 80 happily conjoined
for the sure and cheap production of marketable
lururies, in the form of fruits and vegetables to
supply the great demand for such things in
Northern markets.
Moth of this. in Southern Georgia. the lands
are much thinner, and entirely lacking in those
mineral properties of soil that seem to lend such
lustiness and breeding vigor to plant life here
besides being so much behind this section in
earliness. Only few days difference in the time
of the arrival of crate or basket of strawber-
ries makes great difference in price, difference
of ten days or two ,ceeks represents Just the diff
ference between a bonanza and q failure. Many
portions of South Florida have decided advan-
tage OF Leon county in mean winter tempera-
ture, but unless 1t be in regions away below
1dm pa Day, IL Is very QucStOuaDie 10 my ml0O
whether there is an appreciable difference in the
earliness of spring season but if there be, such
advantage is more than counterbalanced by the
hopeless poverty of the land in most sections
there, the great expense of fertiizing and labor,
and the additional time and freight in getting TO
market. So that for certain kinds of fruits and
vegetables, there Is an unQuestiOnable fitness OF
conditions in Middle Florida, that is rapidly be-
coming appreciated and turned to profitable ac-
count
| Extensive experiments for a year or two last
past by q French gentleman of taste and culture
has most satisfactorily demonstrated the excep-
tiOnal suitableness OF both climate, seasons and
soil here to production of all the choice Ameri-
can varieties of marketable grapes, especially
the popular and profitable favorite-DeldudTe,
but also select varieties OF European wine
grapes This gentleman, who / understand is
the son Of one of the most extensive wine mer-
chants OF France, and has for many years been
familiar with the practical growing of grapes and
their manufacture into wine in France, declares
hi self enthusiastically impressed with the ad-
vantages attending grape growing here. His ex-
perience and example is tending to popularize
the crop here, and many new acres are going
into vineyards.
In almost every direction, along the roads
leading out of Tallahassee, one finds large or
chards filled with thrifty pear trees. These
pantato are on most extensive scale, gener-
ally covering from ten to fifteen acres The Le-
SOutC, hCuCl ouO L 1itCtt oIC TUG VoItcGcS mOSt
planted, and which seem most peculiarly suited
to surroundings here. The method of propaQ at
ing young stocks of these trees IL to cut up the
waste wood taken of in trimming, stick it in the
ground, and it makes q new tree / saw re-
Gently in the well-kept orchards of Mr. John s.
Winthrop, shoots se" feet long, the growth Of the
first year, from one OF these twig cuttings, and
the average first years growth Of a nursery of
several thousand Of these pear cuttings would
be six or seven feet What an exhibition
of the fitness of soil and climate. What
proportions pear culture Is likely to assume here
cannot we'll be limited ii future results are to be
determined by past experience In disposing Of
the fruit. Sales of Leon county pears. in New
York, for two years last past have 0oeroged
about $500 per bushel crate. 1t is claimed that
25 bushels per tree at eight or ten years old is
not an excessive yield, and an acre Of land will
support fifty trees somewhat more proba-
BILE estimate it seems to me Of $1.e0 per bushel
net and from FIVE to ten bushels per tree would
give the very satisfactory return of from $3.50
to $500 per acre. That this is fair estimate of
what an eight or ten year old planting of pear
trees may be expected to do here, I have no
reason to doubt, as 1t is positively far below any
estimate or experience / have heard from those
engaged in the enterprise. If this is true ii
seems to promise Q harvest of shekels to the
fortunate proprietors of these plantations, and
bids fair to be the successful rival of the orange
or any of the semi-tropical bonanza That Pc
ing pucked before ripening with benefit rather
than detriment to its edible qualities gives 1t q
great advantage over almost any other fruit in
shipping and keeping in dealers hands, besides
another great feature II possesses In being con-
vertible, by drying processes, into an excellent
and staple article Of food that becomes NO longer
q perishable luxury.
In very much the same light may be considered
that, yet rather unfamiliar, but most excellent
fruit, kaS or japan persimmon. A few days
ago I had an opportunity Of examining bearing
trees Of several varieties Of this new cnmer on
the premises of Messrs. B. @. Lewis 3 Sons, the
bankers of whom have told you before. went
further and thoroughly tested iis eating qualities
and yum, yum, yum, ID my unqualified expess-
sion. am NOT happy in describing tasse and
| favors, or think could "make your mouth
water" Japan persimmous are . coming
leader in the fruit market With quite tho
| delicacy, (but with lc0 pronounced davos) Of
| the banana, there b melting lnsci0us nuttinass
| akin to the ripe fesh Of ths cantaloupe. with .
caromel farewell that suegests rlisfn or date.
| II 4 most snowy or ornsmsntal fruit ahouk the
sine and shape Of tomato, and vsying in color