The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1901-09-14

| thus planted is covered by an awning
of Stats one by three inches and
! placed four inches apart and about
eight feet above the surface; this COW
ering protects from both heat and
! cold. After planting the slips will pro-
duce fruit in eighteen months to two
years. tho suckers In one year They
need but little attention, their luxuri-
! Gus growth soon shades the ground,
| preventing the growth Of weeds and
| rapid evaporation of moisture. The
| cost of planting, fertilizing and culti-
walton for one acre in pineapples, the
same covering period of eighteen
months from beginning to maturity of
the first crop will be about $4,000.
| At present prices the crop is worth
| about $1,000. With necessary fertil-
| i2ing, etc, withoutsctting new plants,
the same land will twelve months later
| yield another crop worth fully as much
a: a cost not to exceed $500. and with
| proper care this repetition OF crops
| may be continued ten or twelve years.
| The pineapplcs ripenen on the stem
and eaten when freshly plucked is of
better flavor and as superior to the
| imported as the oranges from the
groves of Florida are superior
Banana Culture.
The banana is not properly tree,
but a plant of leafy, succulent growth.
| The stock is formed of the stems Of
| the leaves in Concentric layers. reach
| ing with its leaves height of IL or 20
| feet and to 10 inches in thickness
| and contains no woody fibre. From the
centre comes the fruit-bearing stem,
| which turns and grows downward.
| The end has the appearance of an ear
| of corn with purple shuck. This un-
| folds, one leaf at a time, displaying
| two rows, eight to twelve each. of
| tiny little fruit with their delicate bios
SONS, until 1t attains a length of two
| or three feet, covered with fruit. The
| leaves are marvel for size and ap-
| pearance, sometimes reaching length
| of six feet and eighteen inches wide
| of a glossy pea green. The root is
perennial. 1t is large and neshy, some
| times the size of "A half bushel meas
ure, from which is put forth rootlets
| half an inch in diameter. From the
main root are constantly springing
numerous suckers, which go to form
new plants.
There are several varieties of BAN
ana, among which is the dwarf"
| This plant rarely attains the height
OF more than seven feet. The fruit is
| noted for its large size and delicate
| flavor. 1t has been successfully Culti-
waited for years at Lake Worth. Each
| stock bears but one bunch of fruit.
They are planted ten feet apart; this
gives 400 to the acre, and the second
year there will he six or eight plants
to each hill. Three lunches year per
hill Is "A fair estimate; this will give
loo lunches per acre. Many of these
will contain over 100 bananas each. 1t
is a profitable and safe investment,
and $1,000 per year from a single
acre, including plants sold, have been
| netted.
An Ostrich Farm.
Palm Beach has branch of the
Florida ostrich farm. Here are 10
ostriChes from there OF great beauty
and value This company owns six
hundred OstriChes and now control the
domestic output of ostrich feathers in
the country.
Palm Beach owes TO shlpwreCk
| the coCoanut trees which have given
to it distinguishing beauty and name.
Years ago, the spanish brig, Pro-
violence, laden, was cast
away off this coast, and the cOCoanuts
were washed ashore to find growth in
a congenial soil. There is quite AS
much romance in the coming of the
date palm to Florida. From Syria the
Conquering Moors carried it to Spain
and the Spaniards brought it here.
The palms indigenous to Florida. are
the low-saw, or scrub palmetto, which
covers vast areas of the state and
the babbage- palmetto. so called, be-
cause of the cabbage like growth
which is edible. The palm is typical
of the South, as the pine is of the
North. The palm speaks of brilliant
skies and tropical sun and easy in
dolent existence, while the pine speaks
of struggle and endurance, defying
wind, frost and snow.
Palm Beach is the social center of
southern Florida. AS winter resort
1t Is extremely popular, so many per-
sons are annually coming here that
Its reputation is almost a household
word everywhere. 1t is strange how
the chills of the icy north recede from
thought, as one walks here through
these long, arched avenues of palms,
with the song of the sea hard by
amid homes Of Northerners whose
wealth has assisted the desert of a
dozen years ago, TO bloom as the rose
This season has been the most sue
cessful of any in the history of Palm
Beach The present accommodation
being inadequate. Mr.. Flagler will add
400 more rooms to the Royal Poinciana
making it the largest hotel in the
world. 1t is estimated, so says the
Hotel Gazette" that one million dol
lars Will be expended in building
grand winter homes by eastern capt.
talists, who have secured $lOO. 900
worth OF property south of the Poin-
ciana, aside from the outlay of Mr..
Flagler, who has already advertised
for one thousand mechanics.
From Palm Beach we continue down
the coast 67 miles to Miami the ter
minus of the East Cast Railway and
the jumping off place" of Florida. At
intervals, the train passes over tres
ties and bridges spanning the numer-
GUS rivers, sounds, and bays that run
from the coast to the interior. on
the border of these streams can be
seen pineapple plantations and vege-
table gardens without end. As we
pass the fifteen stations southward the
land seems more and more productive,
If possible. We parallel the shores Of
Lake Worth awhile and soon enter the
heart of the celebrated Morning
Glory" muck lands, on which are
phenomenal yields of various vege-
tables and fruits, At Santana the
southern end of Lake Worth is the
commencement OF the great drainage
canal, of which will speak later. At
Boynton and Sinton are colonies from
New York and Michigan engaged I'm