Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1896-02-13

| will sprout and grow. Tht, remainder
may be marketed, dessicated, or pre-
served at home prepared IN various
ways.
Florida is the only state in which they
grow to any extent. Transplanted they
are of considerable beauty. Their in
PRODUCTION here was accidental, being
washed ashore from vessel wrecked
off the coast Hundreds were planted
by pioneer residents, and the trees now
contribute largely to the beauty of the
country.
The nut is planted about IA inches
under ground, in damp, rich soil. The
nut or hickory nut, and this is the bet
ter one to plant. The young shoot
comes up jointed, redlis,. and in trans
planting is easily broken. Planters
affirm that this is stronger if sprouted
from nut with the husk on. The sprout
should make its appearance in two
months after planting, though they have
been known to wait for fourteen months
The growth of the little palm is some-
what slow at first, but hen six years
old and about fifteen feet high, it begins
to bear The bloom has the appearance
of grains of green corn strung on wire
end to end At least 200 of these are
set IN calyx and each "graln" makes
nut Nuts of all sizes and stages OF
ripeness are on bearing tree from Jan
uary to December, froll the bloom to
the matured nut. Man, fall before ripe,
but the loss is slight compared with the
great number that ripen. One tree has
been noted with 400 nuts upon it at one
time. The tree grows very tall, fifty
feet or more in height, and the leaves
are almost that high above the ground,
the nuts clustering al the base of the
leaves, where they join the trunk.
Florida is a peninsula varying from
ten to three hundred feet above sea
level. The ridge country is the highest.
The east coast is owned by Flagler and
his railroad and hotel system, the west
is under the domination of the Plant
system.
H. B. Plant and H. sM. Flagler, both
millionaires have bull hotels, railroads,
and steamship lines, developed counties,
and caused the desert sands to blossom
as the rose. Mr.. Plant is a native of
Connecticut but since 1853 has been
resident Of the south. He accumulated
fortune in the Southern Express Com
pany, and later in railroading added to
his vast wealth. He was pioneer in
the development of the south.
Mr.. Flagler was born in Ohio, and
was country merchant when the oil
boom made him rich. He is an associ-
ate of Rockefeller in the Standard Oil
Company. What Mr.. Plant has done
for the west coast. Mr.. FIagler has
accomplished forA She east coast of
Florida.
Both milllonaires are plain and unas-
suming and a casual meeting would
impress no one that their wealth
amounted to millions. The writer had
the pleasure of meeting them both and
but for the name we would not have
known but what they were every day
newspaper men.
We will not get through talking Of
Florida and the South in this issue so
we will simply say in conclusion for the
sportsmen here at home who love to
fish and hunt that Florida furnishes
plenty of game. Quail, ducks, geese,
crane, pelican and chickens are quite
plenty. Fishing is excellent with a
large variety from the small bass to
sharks weighing several hundred
pounds. We obtained a cut of party
who had been out fishing ole day
recently and met with extraordinary
success which we here present. Perhaps
no section can do better. Here we stop
for this ISSUE