The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1894-02-23

roads to be found, being hard and sell
dom cut through The lakes not only
add to the beauty, but are necessity as
well, serving, by evaporation, to cool the
air, and also for drinking purposes, and
affords food supply as well. Their so
called lake trout are black bass, and the
flesh is firm. Turtles are also found and
served as soup and cooked Ia terrapin.
They are fighters and best handled as
presented at table.
h One thing we have fail"1 TO speak Of
1t is the dete ,tible sal spur grass. 1t
grows everywhere, about ii foot or less
high, and the top not unlike wheat
head, but armed with sharp claw-like
points or punches, that adhere to every
thing. They can only be gotten rid of
by plowiDg under.
This calls to mind the plow. Here no
one thinks of turning furrow over three
inches deep. In fact, simply skins over
the tops of weeds and grass turning
them over. The natural grass is the
famous wire grass, growing haphazzard
1t grows in punches or tufts, starting
from the root in early spring, generally
in piney woods. 1t is tender when
young, and grows fast until late in the
fall, then, slowly, and dries tough, leav-
ing no substance. Cattle then go deeper
in the moss hammocks and possibly live
until spring-as often nOt-and if so,
come out frames only. Bermuda grass
is cultivated. 1t is a turfy, fine, dark
green grass, and spreads rapidly; looks
well during the months of December and
January, although standing still as to
growth. 1t crowds out weeds. 1t was
named "Bermudy'' grass from a sea
captain who introduced it.
Oleander trees grow from twig in
four years to ten feet in height. and to
thirty feet when fully grown. They have
large, oval, stiff, dark green leaves and
bright pink flowers. Morning glories
are of the dwarf variety-trail on the
ground for some three feet-and have a
small flower, yellow, with black centre.
Another popularity needs mentioning.
Hammock land in its original state, bet
ter at the start, deterioates. Pine land,
poor at the start, improves constantly.
This fact hardly seems possible, but
many poor fellow has so found it. This
may be accounted for in part, from the
use of fertilizers. an actual necessity on
pine land, while the hammock, already
rich in measure, gets little or no food
as the years 60 by, and eventually runs
out.
Many town in Florida advsrtises ''no
frost" or "below the frost line" You
would be safe to accept this statement
with grain of salt The fact remains
frost is not an unusual thing. Even
Cuba is not frost proof. Sunday, Janu-
airy 10th, 1886, the me curry throughout
this section touched 23o, while 100 miles
south, 19o, and this with the
wind from the west southwest, in
stead of from the north, as usual. The
places damaged the least were near lakes
which afforded some protection. The
results of this freeze are still to be seen.
Large orange trees were frozen and
killed, and still stand as reminders of a
never-to- be-forgotten "cold snap" This
one freeze has been the means of keep
ing away many purchaser, fearing a
repetition. Again, one seldom finds a
day here without wind. This is the
cause given for comfortable summers,
aId the more you go down the State the
more breeze. With mercury at so since
we have been South, the ever present
wind tempers it so nicely, you cannot be.
lieve it is above 60', and find it much
more pleasant on the veranda the oppo-
site side from which the wind is blow
| ing.
People learn to depend upon them
selves in new country, and it surprises
one to see how readily you adapt your
self to the surroundings. With no one
to apply to for help in time of need you
undertake what seems TO be the impossi
BILE, and are surprised, agreeably so, at
results. Encouraged, you attempt a
still greater task, and again succeed !;
soon you consider yourself quite fell
| low and with more nraCtica acuuira a
degree of proficiency. Then your neigh
Dor, seeing you are so handy, solicits
help, and almost before you are aware
your local reputation is assured. You
are full-hedged carpenter, painter or
plumber, or all combined. Parties now
here from the North, with no previous