The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-04-24
FLORIDA.

/
in full force.
The new Methodist church at Windsor
was dedicated on Sunday.
There are more dry wells in Alachua
county just now than ever before.
A patent has besn granted Cd Thomas
Newman of Columbia for lumber meas
uring device.
The prize money 5000 won by the East
Florida Seminary Cadets at Jacksonville,
has been distributed among the boys.
Marion county lumber builds just as good
| wagons as auy built in the word. so says
the proprietor of the Ocala wagon works.
A curly ash log Is feet in length aud 50
| inches in diameter, was cut at the Gaines
vile Furniture Factory Tuesday. There
were four - feet cuts in the tree. There is
said to be great deal of this very valuable
timber near the city.
The following changes in Florida post
masters have been made: p. II. Walters
appointed at Belleyiew. Marion county, vice
| N. L. Smith, removed; c. G. Wright at
| New Augustine. st. Johns county, vice n.
| Il. Thomas, resigned.
Hon. F. D. Poser Of Palmetto, on the
Maaatee river, is experimenting a 100-acre
lemon grove in which j. N. Stro0har and
| Albert Jones are joint partners with Mr..
Poser. and he reports everything in
fourishing condition.
The Pasco comfy grand jury found a
true bill against Budd Stevenson aud John
| Mcneil, charged with burning Mr.. Hud-
| sons store at Hudson some time since. and
were admitted 70 bail in the sum of 500, 10
appear at the September term Of the cir
cult court.
At Gainesville, Monday, Judge Gardner
issued warrant for the arrest of the party
who broke into and stole about $40 worth of
goods from the store of w. +. Hughey of
High Springs, in Alachua county, on April
2. The party is now under arrest in an
other county.
New Troy Enterprise: James r. Ridge
way was killed by a tree falling on
him on Sunday, April IS. A fire caught
out from his cow pen and fired q number of
| trees. Mr.. Ridgeway mad taken his ak and
went to cutting on one that was burning.
He was warned by party near by that
the tree was cracking. He walked off, and
in a short time returned toward the tree
and stopped. when there came a puff of
wind and blew the tree down, which struck
him and killed him instantly. Mr.. Ridge
way was originally from Alabama. He
came here eighteen or twenty years ago,
and lived on one place and was a successful
farmer.
Mr.. Easton Of England is trying to COM
plete the purchase of 10000 acres Of laud
in Levy county, negotiated through Samuel
A. Swami of Fernandina. There is q hitch
in the sale, however, and Mr.. Easton has
commenced suit in the United States court
to enforce aadelivery of the deeds TO him.
These lands, il is said, are situated on both
sides of the Florida Central and Peninsular
railroad, and embrace some of the best
timber and agricultural lands in the state
In view of his purchase, Mr. Easton has ar
ranged to purchase several saw mills near
Bronson. As much of these lands lie be.
tween the great Dunnellon phosphate fields
and the extraordinary one at Archer, the
purchasers may find themselves enriched by
phosphate mines. 1t is also learned that
Mr.. Easton has, negotiated for a mill at
Fernandina, through which port he proposes
to ship his lumber
Consul Mclean, in report to the depart
ment of state, calls attention to the wonder
full success OF sisal culture in the Bahamas
de expresses a firm belief that it may also
be very successfully cultivated in tho gulf
section of the United States as quantities
OF the sisal plants are found growing In q
native state along the coast of Florida. He
says OF the industry in the Bahamas tbs
there can be no doubt of success, and that
it will be source of wealth to all con-
cerned. Its cultivation has passed be-
yond the stage OF experiment. The poorer
and more sterile the soil the better the re-
suit The plant hourishes where the grow
ing of ordinary vegetation seems almost i'm
possible. 1t will live without rain to
moisten the soil, and you eau scarcely exter-
inmate it If you try. 1t requires but little
cultivation, at an expense below that of
almost any other agricultural product and
its value is substantial The discovery that
it grows spontaneously in Florida Is consid-
cred very important, as evidence of the
practicability OF its production in this
country.
In the vicinity of Railroad Gales" land
ing on the Ockla waha river, opposite Inter-
lachen, are a number of orange groves that
have never received an ounce of fertilizer,
and yet they are noted for their rapid
growth and the excellent quality and large
quantity of their fruit. In this vicinity a
Boston capitalist and a New York manu-
facturer have been prospecting for some
time past with the result of discoveries of
phosphate analyzing from 80 to IS per cent
and the soil covering these phos-
phate beds Is So permeated with
phosphoric acid and lime that
the orange groves need no other fertilizer.
The inference 10 that portions of this de-
posit are SO far soluble in water that it
needs crushing to make it available for
plant food. The soil OVERLAPPING these de-
posits has long been known as fertilizer,
| and portions have been used with good re-
suits. 1t is believed by the parties interested
| that it has sufficient commercial value 70
| pay for transportation. An analysis will
soon be made indicating its value as plant
food. Several pits were opened with salts
factory results options obtained on several
| hundred acres of land in the vicinity, and
| the formation of a company for its be-
velopment, with headquarters in Inter
lachen is in prospect.