Delaware gazette and state journal., 1895-12-12

Potatoes, Green Peas, String Beans and
Other Ioothsome Vegetables Already on
Hand-TobHcoo Culture to lie Tried Next
spring-A "Dry" Elcction-An Interest,"
Ing Letter from '.tudse."
Special iaioorrespondencs OF tiSzette and Journal
Bloomland, Fla, Dec. l. Il enclose
herewith something possibly novel to
you-a sweet potato blossom. Az you
will notice, il tho flower does not
wither irremediably in transit, it
resembles somewhat a morning glory
and still more the bloom of the So
called Indian potato of lower Delaware,
which iatter l always supposed 80 be a
species OF wild sweet potato. But did
you ever see regular sweet potato
bloom in Delaware? For myself, /
never even heard of a sweet potato till
l came to Florida, but ! find them
quite common here. fancy the longer
Geuson OF growth accounts for them !;
for sweet potatoes may be grown here
nearly the whole year round. ] have
in my own garden vines in all stages
Of development, from few weeks to
aeven or eight months old and from
aix inches TO 20 feet or more in length.
But the sweet potato rs crop, has
its regular season here as elsewhere !;
IL does best set out in May and fruit
ing, it may SO cali it, in October,
after which they may be left in the
ground to be dug almost any time
during the fall or winter. For spring
and summer eating it is customary to
set out small patches, generally for
home use only, in September. for
stand y Such ''stand- -oyers''
produce small potatoes in February
or March, which are dug, cut in two
and planted like round potatoes for
regular crop. As | may have said in
a former letter, this is a great country
for sweet potatoes and they both look
and taste as good as Jerseys, which
is a pretty big thing to say, There is
an allied vegetable, species of yam,
also grown here to some extent.
Other things are beginning to put
out flowers hereabout notably peaches
and Strawberries. Here is a young
peach orchard, Just across the lake,
already pink with bloom. How's that
for tho first day of December? Green
peas, string beans, ripe tomatoes, now
potatoes, radishes, and some other
vegetables are already with us and the
preparation Of ground for spring 'crops
is about beginning. In the absence
of oranges, we Floridians must hustle
on other crops.
a new venture in this line, which
is likely to be entered on rather exten-
sively next spring, is tobacco culture.
1t is claimed that tobacco but little
inferior to and indistinguishable save
by experts from choice Havanna can
be produced in this State, and Cuba's
extremity is regarded as Florida's
opportunity. Cuban refugees, who
know it all, = are expected in swarms,
to show us how to grow and euro the
leaf in the most approved style, and
county meetings are being held to die
cuss tobacco culture and manufacture
and to project the establishment Of
cigar factories to handle the expected
crop, and, altogether, tobacco cul-
ture boom appears to be developing.
This county has just held an election
and gone "dry' by an overwhelming
majority. 1t was practically dry be-
fore, the only bar in all Lake county
being at Tavares and that will con
tinue open until next October under
its pre-existing license. Tho system
hitherto, prevailing was that of district
local option; the signatures of ma
jurity Of the registered voters in dis
trict to license application being
necessary to the granting Of license
to sell intoxicants in that district.
Consequently the temperance men had
everything to gain and nnthing to lose
in this electiun-the issue being simply
between absolute prohibition and the
continuance Of the existing syatem.
The vote resulted in favor Of absolute
prohibition by 500 to l3s, about two.
thirds of the qualified voters not voting
at all. This is u section where pro-
hibition does prohibit, too; no farce
about IT. In over a years residence
| have not seen or smelt even
spoonful of beer, and drunkenness is
almost unknown in Eusts On the
rare occasions when stranger is en-
countercd with indications of the
ardent about him, the residents say /:
THAT fellows been to Tav." (Ta-
wares,
Thanksgiving Day, as last year, was
damp--tho festival seems conducive
to rain here, but rain is always addi.
tlonal cause for thankfulness in Florida.
Taking November as a whole, it was
an exceptionally favorable month for
agriculture. There was sufficient
moisture, while the temperature was
all that could be desired. The lowest
recorded by the thermometer at Bloom
land was i3 degrees, on tho morning of
the 18th, and the highest S8 degrees.
On the morning Of November 18th last
year the mercury was down TO b de-
grees. AT this writing the tempera-
ture is 7S degrees
Thnrn ie ,,,,J ,,o,, ~ ,,a..;
this year, which is some little conpen
sation for the loss of oranges and
guayas. The persimmon trees were
among the fortunates that came I'M
scathed through tho memorable cold
snaps of last winter. l am speaking of
the Japan persimmons--but we have
plenty Of the wild native variety here
which, unlike their Northern brethren,
do not require frost TO make them
edible. You sometimes see Japan per-
simmons in Wilmington, but not in the
perfection of fruit freshly plucled from
the tree. Take fully ripe 'simmon
as big as man fist and in all the
! glory of its rich and beautiful coloring
and you have "a delicious fruit. Some
Of them reach weight of pound or
more and can be eaten skin and all.
To the average Northern purchaser one
Japan persimmon is taken as the type
of all, but to the grower they are per.
| plexingly numerous in variety and
diverse In taste, marketable value and
period OF ripening. This period ranges
with the variety, beginning in August
and continuing with some of the later
kinds until January. Some varieties
also are edible before they mature
others, like our native persimmon, are
puckery until fully ripe. The uncer