The herald., 1896-02-16

standing on the white sand of the once
beautiful groves as emblems of how
fearful was the breath of death as it
blighted the land February 8, 1895.
Harriet Bescher Stoves southern coun-
try home on the st. Johns river, like
many another that | saw ten years ago,
embowered in green and gold, is today
a decaying house amid dead brush.
Though sad, it is still tact that Cali
fornia has no longer competitor in
Florida, and If an unwise tariff law had
not lowered protection, the fruit grow
ers Of California would be receiving z
top notch prices for their superior
fruit today.
The northermost point in Florida is
still south of the southermost point of
California, and Lancaster is about on a
meridian with the southern central
part Of North Carolina. Along the
east coast Of Florida there extends a
railroad to Palm Beach on Lake Worth,
800 miles south of st. Augustine Ii. M.
tlagler, the STANDARD Oil magnate, not
only owns and operates this road, but
has system of hotels at st. Augustine,
Ormond- -on-the-Halital and at Falm
Beach. that cost millions and are royal
palaces in magniticence.
In each of these hotels the editors
were received and entertained. At
the Royal Ponciana at Palm Beach, in
addition to the regular guests, our
party, to the number of nearly 800,
were taken care of without delay or
confusion.
From Palm Beach the steamer runs
in a ter-hour trip to the Bahama Is
lands. As the gulf stream sweeps up
along this coast the water in the Allan
tic ocean had temperature of 70 de-
grees. Taking advantage of this con-
dition of things, a couple hundred of
US editors took our annual bath, though
it WAS in January.
Lake Worth is a beautiful sheet of
water, forty our miles long, separated
from the ocean by narrow peninsula.
Along the banks of this lake, in a
steamer ride from one end to the other,
with frequent stops, noted many new
forms Of vegetation and many most de-
lightful winter homes. AS this section
is so far south, it escaped the injury Of
the great freeze.
Here the cocoanut trees grow. It is
said that q ship with cocoanuts on was
wrecked here about twenty years ago,
and that these cocOanut trees along
Lake Worth have all grown since then.
They, like the palms, are endogenous,
and are quite similar to the tall palms
in appearance. A cluster of ten to
twenty cocoanuts grow on big stem
fifteen or more feet above ground and
coming out among the long, fan-like
leaves.
Here also grows the banyan tree of
the tropic orient The popularity
about this tree is that its limbs stretch
far and wide, and from these limbs
come straight, smooth suckers that
also take root. So the tree has one big
trunk and lots of little trunks reach
ing up to the branches. Its leaves are
like those Of the rubber tree. Here
also saw the traveller tree Of India,
which, being pierced, will soon run a
cocoanut she'll full OF cool sap for the
thirsty traveller.
Perhaps the most interesting, as we'll
as tho most profitable, of all the plants
grown in this tropic cline are the pine
apples. This is growing into quite an
industry, and ] believe could be car
ried on in some parts of California
successfully. Little plants Or suckers "
are planted OH rich drained bottom
land, two feet apart. thus making about
| 10000 per acre. In eighteen months
! the plant will have grown about two tt
| three feet high, had rich red bloom in
the center of it's stiff, serrated, radiat
| ing leaves, and matured a pineapple by
| June or July. The less rain it has had
the better the fruit. These pineapples
are shipped in crates Of two to four
dozen in each, aud bring the grower
from to 10 cents each. After the first
one is picked. two to five suckers are
left on the stalk, and this number of
pineapples are grown in twelve months
more on each stalk. One planting may
do for ten years il the conditions are
good. A pineapple patch is called a
pinery. Ia 1894 florida raised 60,000
crates of pineapples. Last year none
vera produced on account of the freeze
| This year ior Turner estimated there
would be about 10000 crates to ship
In the very limited area suitable to
pineapples it seemed to me that it was
one Of the best industries 1 saw in
Florida-almosteq equal to bleeding tour
| lists and catching suckers!
In 1885, when the fierce Seminole
war was being carried on and most OF
that tribe deportad to Indian Territory
a large portion escaped to the ever
| glades OF Okeechobee. where remnant
of about 500 still live. Some of these
dusky defendants of the great Osceola
| were seen in their own primitive lair
and garb. They use native steers fol-
| their mustangs. The men, bare legged
hunt wild turkeys, deer, ducks and
other game that abound. The Seminole
women could give Jenness Miller and
| other dress reform advocates pointers
about discarding corsets and other un
| healthful garments. The women had
| colored beads wrapped round their
necks up to their ears, no bonnets OF
hats, little sack over their shoulders
| then a vacancy as to garb till short
skirt at the waist extending down tC
the knees. 1t will be noticed that thi:
| is more simple than even the most ad
vanced new woman demands for either
the bicycle or seashore.
A willy old Seminole buck, at sta
ton in southern Florida, beat the edi
tors in great shape. While the engine
was taking water he drove four oxeI
yoked to a primitive wagon loaded
with oranges up by the train. The or
anges were bright and nice. AS all hao
been 80 anxious to get Florida oranges
| here was the chance. All rushed ou'
and the load went like hot cakes at q
cents dozen. In the rush none
stopped to taste them, but ere the trair
pulled out all found that the orange.
were bitter wild fruit unfit to eat.
At last the Red man was avenged or