The Florida agriculturist., 1905-11-15
A Florida Flower Garden in the Rainy
CaocOn
Season.

Gardeners Chronicle of London, Eng
land, from Dr. H. Nehrling, contain
ing an account of his garden written
by himself Though occupying con-
siderable space, we do not think that
any flower loving reader will consider
it too long:
1t is the latter part of August. We
have now fairly entered the second
half of the rainy season, which usual
ly begins early in June, and ends in
the latter part of October The rain
at this time of the year is not continu
Gus, and people are preparing to
make their hay for the winter-Beg
weed and Crabgrass hay. But we
are never sure of sudden downpour,
not. even during the brightest days.
The soft breezes blow, the air is balmy
and salubriOus, the young mOck1ng
birds are singing from all sides, and
the stranger is apt to make the re-
mark that there will be certainly no
rain today But suddenly few white
clouds accumulate above us. In the
distance the thunder rolls, and
heavy wind begins to blow. In a
very short time the whole sky is
covered with dark, low-hanging, quick
1y-passing clouds. We observe the
rain in the distance in long perpendic-
ular streaks-but it may not strike
us; there may be heavv fall only a
quarter of a mile away, and not
drop falls in our locality. AS a rule,
however, we may expect a shower ev-
cry dav, never during the night, while
the rainy season lasts. Usually it an
nounces itself by heavy wind. We
Il - ,{ ,efo Af
a mile or more as white, misty mass;
we hear its roaring, and usually we
have sufficient time, when in the or
ange grove or in the Caladium and
Alocasia garden on the lakes edge,
to seek shelter in the houses. No
coat and no umbrella can protect us
against such a deluge. Presently the
rain comes nearer and nearer like a
wall 1t does not rain-it pOurS! |!
The character of such a rain is total
ly different from rain in the rest OF
this country The first drops fall.
They are enormous, heavy like hail
storms, one being sufficient to spatter
over the circumference of plate. The
shower roars, so that people can not
hear each other without shouting,
When such a rain is accompanied by
high wind no roofing seems able to
shut out the cataract. Another pc
culiarity is that it appears to rain at
the same time from all directions, so
that even on the different verandas
we do not find shelter. Objects but
short distance away become lnvlsi-
BILE behind the heavy curtain of falling
water AS | have already stated such
rains may occur almost every day
during the rainy season, but there
are frequent pauses of day or two
and even a week. These daily show
ers are, as rule, of short duration,
lasting only an hour or two, and the
thunder and lightning are not nearly
so heavy as farther north, though the
whole atmosphere seems to be satu-
rated with electricity. After the rain
is over the air is always remarkably
cool and clear, often too cool for us
to spend our evenings on the veran-
da.
The summer time in Florida is
much more congenial and much cool
er than the same season in the north
ern parts of our country, where days
and nights are often exceedingly hot,
and where no breeze moderates the
heat. The early morning hours and
particularly the evenings and nights
are perfection. The nights have
splendor that seems strange to
northern eyes. The countless num-
hers of stars are very bright, very