The Florida agriculturist., 1906-03-07

duct1ve as the garden land IN fenn-
sylvania.
Twenty-Five miles from the rail-
way and in a beautiful section OF
country as any of our famous Blue
grass lands, nestles the little settle
ment of FrostproOf, consisting OF
few growers, who have pitched their
tents upon the sandhills between two
picturesque lakes. Upon the shore
of one of these (Clinch Lake, | find
the prolific orange grove of our neigh
Dor, M. F. Coomes, who, with rare
good judgment, sought the elevated
section of Polk county where the
additional protection from frost is
received through the proximity of the
lakes; here frost never does much
damage to vegetation as is sometimes
suffered in lower attitudes and in
sections not favored with water pro-
lection.
The word "Frostproof" tells to the
world that the winter garden and the
citrus fruit hanging upon the trees,
and the JacqueminOt roses blooming
in the yard make summer a long
season and winter but a winters tale.
Lands fronting the shore of Clinch
Lake are held at $50 per acre, and
lands in the vicinity are held at from
$40 to SIS per acre, while the bearing
orchards of orange and grapefruit,
budded trees, are for sale at only
such prices as seem to be quite fabu
1Ous
For instance, Mr.. Carson showed us
(meaning Col Albertus Voygt, prop
rietor of the Phoenix Hotel at Barlow,
and myself through his orchard, and
pointed out to us a row of about
twenty grapefruit trees, which were
damaged, but not killed, in 1905, which
had since that year yielded him $4,000,
or 5000 per tree in aggregate.
There are specimens of bearing or
chards in this section where the
budded fruits can be grown with ap
parent safety. These sell for so
much better prices than the seedlings
grown in less favored sections that
the grower can pay twenty-five cents
per crate for hauling the fruit to
Fort Meade, on the Atlantic Coast
Line railroad, and still make more
money on the budded orange, grape
fruit and tangerine.
We were shown one grapefruit tree
in Carson Brothers orchard so
weighted down as to bring the branch
es of the tree to the ground on every
side. and one tree is estimated to
now bear enough grapefruit to fill
forty crates.
am aware that this reads like
fiction, but truth is stranger than
fiction,
The King orange is of larger size
than the usual seeding orange, and
is of the tangerine class, while tan
gerines grow here to the size of an
orange of good size, and are the most
beautiful appearance of all the
tanperines which we had ever seem
The sandy soil here rests upon a
clay subsoil, and peaches. grapes, figs.
DineaDD1es, guavas and kumQuats. even
bananas flourish here and all along the
lake region, where the altitude and
water protection prevail
Indeed, some portions of South
Florida seem quite tropical, and Col.
VOyt, who is the discOverer of phos-
Dhate in Florida and is a hunter of
much experience. tells of turkey and
deer vet to be found. and points to
twenty sets of deer horns hung on Mr.
7 w. CarsOn's porch as evidence that
there is game hereabouts as we'll as
fruits and flowers, and says that here.
in the heart of South Florida, among
primitive people. is Gas near heaven as
any one can get on earth"
It remains only to be said that South