The sun., 1891-07-05
THE CoCoANUT IN FLORIDA.
Reasons for Supposine It VIII Not Thriv
-Northern Flowers In Florida.

| Reasons for SupposinE It VIII Not Thrive
| -Northern Flowers In Florida.
To THE EDITOR OF TIE SuN-Sir: The prof.
| ect that has been started for raising COCOA
nuts on large scale In Florida Is. as THE Sun
| says, very interesting, but thero are cortain
conditions thore which mako the project ono
OF doubtful success and these conditions
| ought 10 be Understood BY capitalists about
| to put monoy into such venture. Ihave somo
practical knowledge OF tho capabilities OF Flor
| Ida, and have passed considerable time among
the islands Of tho South Pacific. whore the
cocoa palm hns Its homo. and what say is not
moro mattcr OF theory.
Tho tres Ia essentially q tropical production.
and. although there are some spots utsido the
limits OF tho tropics whore 1t Is to be found. 1t
cannot bs eaid to thrive In those places ns 1t
should do to make It n commercial success
But oven within the tronics 1t is a fastidious
tree-even more so than the olive. aud It must
have exactly tho conditions that 1t wants be.
fore 1t will do its best rs . fruit bearer.
Are those conditions to be found In Florida |?
In my answer to this wish 1t to be under.
stood that my remarks apply to a latitude
south OF ST. Augustine. The coral formation
Of Florida is very differently set from that OF
most OF the Pacific islands, and know from
personal Investigation that much OF the cal
cnroous mari that We heur OF in that State has
no existence except In tho circulars Of land
sneculators. 1t 10 most abundant in Unian
county. but generally the coral formation,
whore IL occurs. lies deem. aud tho following
praised counties in the peninsula. Will. per-
haps serve 70 correct s9m; to1 popHla, i'm; m;
Department. a. follows:
Moisture LOS
Matter soluble in acid aeS
"h"e 20
Total.
Florida has not tropical climate; 1t Is
Ra @ sverass IN mV NJ se
is 81. and IN winter 81. but have seen the
ihsrmo%asssrF on sssF q ls In Alsehua county: Ia
In 1S7S-'79 there was . long ard severe frost.
A winter without frost Is rare, and the cold
lcicles more than a loot long hanging from the
house roofs. mention these facts merely to
shs climate sSa ns n sds
Horticuitaris,s know that neither latitude
nor Tho Thermometer Is always a sale guide
vi Sex ysls siste! MAT .Sass
would perish here. Tns coIree plant. Whos.s
Florida although am % sIsp'icai Of is sS@ Value
there: and on the other hand. tree. whica are
VII on es nnrSS S
cess s Il ISxas and csllioEn!.; but, thus far. it
and In 1877 Congress voted some money to en-.
eesied: though ia South carolina Din M Mr: suS K.
Chisholm has some ane trees.
s ahe1 TS som
Australia anil the South Pacific islands.
selected them for utility either ns ornament or
Value Of their products. At first I les estima,sd dE
,, p,y successes " g a: about % per cent: Iho seed
direct or from Kew and from washin ston.
Sixty per cent. failed 70 vegetate. and At least
Several sDeess Ass eucaSpus aaS aaso 0 acasa
and sR O.nsra psossa Will
d, dueed, an abundance 81 howers IN r.
eucaSpsas elobulus attain si a height Of thirty
icot IN lonr years. Somewhat to my surprise
satisfied with .heir surroundings. and for .
"Hs Bus ssnf .a tess
had! The frost struck, ali TO the ground ex-
eept ono eucalyptus; and about five feet Of that
ha o vsy s S sS s1s ap the
failed TO- V!hs,ans Florida wIrts, are ndic-
Alter this experience cannot feel much
cor conldsne. In IN hs , e9soanu. ~ palm on Florida
value. 4, wouli pe dsoiisdly ornamsntsi On
tnS Snnuy shores OF ne peninsula. Dut. with.
out my own experim .nts 10 influence me- l |
should still be- dou untfui. for do not think |
that either the climate or the soil Is such as to
m AXE the cocoanut commercially valuable. 1t |
is one thing to grow u fruit aud quite another |!
thing to grow 1t to pay. have grown onions |
In Florida that were nearly sixteen inches In |
circ1 mi ference but they cost me 81. IA each.
IT may interest some Of The SUNS readers II |
I adj! q fsw observations on the effects OF soil |
and climate in Florida. Roses deter!orats |
rap!dly. theIo. Such favorites as La Refine. |
Perle dos Jardins. Lofty Coles. ,Empress OF |
India, and Juos MarPotten passed ont Of roc
ognition In two years, while the old damask |
AID a few others blossom freely and retain |
their character Dahlias. penotemons. also the |
fuschia. tritoma t.o abundant at GihraltarL |
ppony. caicroiaria. hollyhook, cineraria and |
rome lilies were almost certain failures: car |
nntions. -milax. and even pansles were less un. |
certain; verbenas. halsaIns zinnias, and cello. |
malras. marantas. and caladlum. are at homo.
disllkes the sun. and tieridias, though 20 close |
TO their native place. cannot Withstand the |
summer rains.
lhs several mngnolias. ne,ium. gardenia.
crape m 'rtle. and .,omegrauite, and oven the |
lnurustinus manages to get along. but such |
shrub us tho cydOnis. syriuga. dentza cytsas |
kalmir. aznlia. lilac. ana rhododendrOn must |
be lo-erved for other States.
By the way. why ts not the laurustinus moro |
frequently grown IN tho Middle and Northern
States! HADDENHAM.