The Florida agriculturist., 1906-04-04

There are eight acres of land III the
place. sloping down to the north end
of RObles pond, giving it a nice drain
age and embracing ground which is
esteemed hereabOutS naturally good
garden land. The residence and ac-
companying buildings on the front are
handsome and substantial, but it per
haps is not to the purpose to go into
particulars about their arrangements
except to say they are a model of
taste, convenience and utility and that
hospitality is one of the tenants.
Surrounding the home and to the
rear of it it a small grove of per-
haps the handsOmest and thriftiest
orange trees in the country, which are
at this moment laden with prOfuSiOn
of bloom. Not a decayed or dead
limb or twig is to be seen, a cOndi-
ton which is the result of care and
cultivation-and all trees which have
received the same efficient attention
are in practically the same condition
everywhere. Mr.. Fessenden uses COM
mercia1 fertilizers on his trees, forty
pounds per year in four applications
and it seems to be very sufficient.
His grove yields him some net money,
but how much he does not know. 1t
night be said here that Mr.. Fessen-
lens home place is not a commercial
enterprise and he has only lately be-
gun the keeping of such records as
will hereafter be described, and the
ton between cost and return.
A large windmill supplies two tanks
at a sufficient elevation to give good
pressure on a system of pipes which
will hereafter be described and the
supply of water is always ample for
all purposes. The premises, even to
the servants houses, are supplied
with electric lights and bells, adding
greatly to the convenience. economy
and comfort of living. The system
of waterwOrks based upon the wind
mill is complete. and if there is a
modern improvement which Mr..
Fessenden and his family do not en-
10y it has somehow been left off the
list of such things. The grounds are
profusely planted with flowers, among
which roses of the finest description
are prominent, and the grounds,
though simple, are very charming and
effective to the discriminating eye.
To Get to the Garden-which is the
subject of this article, it will be neces-
sary to omit description of the fowls,
stock and accessories. Mention must
be made of couple of hundred or
more of plum and peach trees which
are planted in the vacant spaces in the
Grove and in rows around the garden
and here and there in groups Mr.
FeSSenden follows the advice of Hale.
the Georgia peach king. and he cuts
back all his trees so that no fruit
grows higher than can be reached and
picked from the ground. His trees
are now loaded with fruit and bloom
according as their season is advanced.
and there is not a twig among them
which is not bearing its full share of
the common burden. The trees are
carefully cultivated and fertilized and
most of them are just now coming into
full bearing-in their second and third
wears of growth from the nursery
They are a revelation and an encour-
agement to every man who has faith
in the culture of the right kinds of
deciduOus fruits in Florida Nowhere
on the continent are to be found
sturdier. stronger, sounder, more
symmetrical or more heavily laden
trees of their kind
A Grape Trellis,-three hundred feet
long, leads to the garden gate This
trelliS is covered with four varieties
of grape of the muscadine class. and
it is just now beginning to put out
buds for the seasons growth. The
vines are chiefly in their second yaar