The weekly Floridian. [volume] (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1867-19??, 1891-10-03

Recently Mr.. Stephen Powers editor o.
,,a Tlorida Dispatch, Farmer and-Frui'
Grower, lS visited Ethel Meadows farm neal
T.U Tallahassee, and here is what he writes
aboutit: e Ta,,oho &.
Aoou. ~ fne estate once owned by ex'
Suor See 10 urS Rloxham, of which 1,2OO acres
doveihoI hoionc 10 Mr.. c. ]. F. Allen, 9
now ohont % Of Louisville, Kentucky. The
melcham n,atSom residence occupies command
n,Ve DIV eminence in noble grove OF native
nlIs I and across the undulatlng stretcn
ora % nlainly seen the spires and cupolas ol
.So S,o ppill-crowning Kill capital barely towering
stS above u the trees planted seventy years ago
There % is perhaps nowhere on this contl'
non, a more beautiful situation, and 1t is
nons nonrce Of nleasue 10 the visitor to see that
.H spo no;serable shantes of the freedmen are
uroduallv or melting out of the magnificent
s6;o,nre and that other and finer cultures
are slowly supplanting the wasting DO
minion OF cotton. 1
Mr. Allen has as MS manager Hli. oOu u
Donk a HolandeE; himself and bis wife
beino skilled in cheese making, in which
thev have the assistance OF their fine,
healthy children. He pays him fixed
annual salary, and, and 10 encourage him
to thrift, he gives him, in addition, teo per
cent of the profits of the place. Mr.. Donk
sublets the cotton land at $3.50 per acre a
wear. Like most Europeans. he prefers
white tenants and is gradually getting
them in place of the negroes.
THE FARM.
Ofthe 1900 acres about 600 are sill
devoted to cropping, chiefly in cotton and
corn. and the remainder is occupied as a
dairy range or covered with forest. The
soil is sandy but every where underlaid
with red clay, though it does not retain
water very welI as the LeConte pear roots
20 down for many feet and the iarmstead
we'll is eighty feet deep. But lis natural
fertility is attested by the majestic proper
tons Of the oaks. Ii has been cropped in
cotton so long iha j. is greatly depleted
and the natural growth Of grass is scanty.
The principal dependence for cow pas
ture is broad and shallow depression of
$50 or 200 acres, part OF which in the rainy
season becomts lake In this low ground
there is fairly growth OF crab grass,
broom grass, carpet grass, black'op and
smut grass and some others. The her'i OF
about seventy head OF cattle now running
on it receive no feed, and have not for
months, but they are in as good condition
as mich COWS usually are in the North IA,
this season, The bulls aud dry stock being
fat.
The entire farm is surrounded with a
barbec fence, and the same material
encloses humber Of me ,dOws, pear Or
chards, sweet potato lois, etc. The BAN =
yards and the house lots are fenced with
bOards.
MEADOWS AND GRASSES.
There are fourteen acres in meadow OF
which considerable part is divided into
square lots fUr convenience in cDwpenning.
Inc manager pointed out one of these acl e.
lols which he cowpenned last fall with
twenty head Of cattle for about three
months. He sowed oats in February and
cut ion and half of hay. Then he let
grow up In crab grass and crowloot and
III august he harvested ton and a hall
again. 1t is now coming on thriftily and
c nS expects to cut in October ton or more.
Inc manager is Hollarder and ia not
gwen 10 the inflated statements which are
~ common in Florida. The hay. both
oas ana crowloot, shows for itself in the
3u gin house; it is an admirable article.
q -.
hassee for $780, " OLA"
,;1a aos' ol thls meadow yields only two cut
a"s' year, about ton and half TO the
,ho e .ne nrst lime and ton or three fOurths
VIC second time. One of the acre-lots 10
ISau'y lh'ested with nut grass, and here he
sa.;, sas se' hogs to work, roofing it up and
~;,I uk Inc bulbs, making a good living
I'M M 'ne addition of little corn and milk
-. iae manager has hearty contemn. for
or Spurs snT n,s as a material for hay for horses
on .uS ,S 1lner stock. When be first went
S,o. W. .ue place this meadow was nearly over
ovs' "u =. WIN 'hem, but he run the mower
the ssuSa aSn' number of times just before
Sesm;nos. were ripe enough to be able to
Tina!e ~ and so extirpated them.
mad ~ nouced a very vigorous, thick at. m.
crs.. nSu,ve ST grass. called bull grass or goose
ih,t stI !, lEluslne Egyptiaca), and believed
Win -. sxould make good quality Of hsv
hs "l.o a ns pocke,knfe he saved What U' Hsy Icy
he S'I had aoa sno sowed it. In a year or two
Sr., sE iour acres OF it and found # ~ " he ."o
foot f,hs o. aucle. Both this and the crow
quaintsd crao ;. grass all Floridians are ar.
su pronsssw with, and 1t needs no descrio,ion, G on
meanss msate ~ themselves from wear to wear earl" hy
' u '0e seed which falls to the ground, @
M THE COWS.
two o. soUo Donk Is now milking about twentv.
10 BE- ws 9,s.. and expects about teen r"rnoy moyc
milk fss',ssringly all the year round nsy snS come ne
ont Of ,hs a%s@ on an average eight nMu months hs
ssys er.Sst ,De twelve. He has full biooS G1tna ar
s natives 's are rsi'sss us :. and nd eds thai
v osty work in ibis Climate lUa olu,nsry a. sT
aud Lees csro sssad the winter with less feed =
COW oIy sheds il which h'sse'cys se cyone. he has
ssS, but BE- oSs 1S1 s1a sSsl on on cold or rainy
hss .s nIIns, ass is blowing, viii SHi'e eoms when o,3
a''n'as while e. e. ss',1a of 1shiyys.Ins ys IN the