The Palatka daily news. (Palatka, Fla.) 1884-1888, 1888-02-26
REcLAlaING SWAMP LAND.
The Operations Of the Florida duck Land Com.
pany


pany
A correspondent of the Florida
Farmer, III. T.. Lagergreen, of Starke,
gives the following interesting account
of the operations of the Florida Muck
Land Company, of which Dr. j. L. Gas
kins is president:
DIR. Gaskins, who is the State Senator
from Bradford County, was ON the COM
mittee sent by the Legislature in Nav,
1887. TO settle the diff renee between Mr..
Disston and the State. He had then a
good opportunity of satisfying himself
as to the productiveness of the reclaimed
lands about kissinImee, and was so
pleased with what he saw that he seri-
ously thought of purchasing tract of
land. But he soon began to think that
he might find land of the same quality
almost at his own door. which could be
reclaimed at a comparatively small cost.
Three lakes near Starke-Sampson,
Rowell and Crosby-are surrounded and
separated by vast belt of periodically
overiiowed land which could be laid dry
by cleaning out and Strengthening Samp-
son River. the outlet for the lakes On
examination the muck was found to be
six feet and upward in depth almost ev-
erywhere. The thing was settled. The
Doctor forthwith tried to induce mon
tNttl bltH 10 40 WITH MN 10 hlSStnllee
and see what muck land was good for
with a view of afterward getting them
to b. copartneTs in his bold enterprise.
At last Col. &. l.. Peck. one of our real es-
| tate men, and one or two other gentle
| men, agreed to 20 along with him.
| Their survey could have only one result,
| and soon after the Florida Muck Land
| Company was formed. The coveted
land was purchased, mostly from Swan
| & Williams, Fernandina-5,O 900 acres, of
which az least four-fifths is swamp. The
work Of retaining was begun in Octo-
Der.
Through judicious engineering the
water in the lakes has been lowered sew
eral feet and the land now lies high and
| dry. That intended for cultivation is
very easy to clear, the wild growth be-
| ing only few scattered, stunted cy-
presses and button bushes. 1t is dead
level, not a mound or hollow to be seen
anywhere, except an almost continuous
ridge at the margin of the water formed
by the waves, and high enough for
building sites. The cleared part, about
| sixty acres, is most beautiful sight, as
| smooth as floor. Ii consists of pure
vegetable matter, very friable, because
not interviewer with roots like bay
muck. 1t contains much alkali, because
it rests directly upon the bed rock which
underlies the land around these lakes,
and consequently could not be leached
out. Owing to the evenness of the land
and freedom from distractions of all
kind, any agricultural machine, from a
ditcher 10 steam plow, could be used
| with success.
Although cool, clesr-headed men of
business, the company expect great
deal from their enterprise. All land now
cleared will be put in rice this spring,
and experimental plats of various vege-
tables and forage plants will be in order,
the latter with view to future dairy
farming. By next fall 80 acres will be
ready to plant. Tobacco will probably
form part of next years planting. and
a goodly acreage of straw berries will,
no DOUBT, be planted this fall. The COM
plete absence of sand will make mulch
ing unnecessary, and the water protec-
ton is thought to give the plants immu-
nifty from spring fTosts.
The company owns twenty-five miles
of water frontage, and, paradoxical as
it sounds, arrangements for Transports
ton can be made so that the farthest
point of shipping from any of the COM
pany's land viii not exceed two miles
and half. 1t is said that one of the
best locations in the State for a saw mill
can be found upon this land-yeIlow
pine, cypress, gum, red MAPLE. ETC.,
enough to last for twenty years. (No
land is at present for sale.)