The Florida agriculturist., 1907-10-09

You will find it interesting and val
liable One assertion which he makes,
we think that the people On the west
coast, at Punta Gorda, Fort Myers
and below, will be sure to dispute,
that is that the southeast part of the
Florida peninsula is the only part
of the United States which possesses
a truly subtropical climate, etc. Sure
ly the southern part Of the west coast
is about as exempt from frost as the
east coast Mr.. Beach's article is as
follows:
The Southeast part Of the Florida
of the United States which possesses
a truly subtropical climate, that is
where tropical products can be grown
and where tropic sunshine and equator
climate can be enjoyed without actu-
ally passing the Tropic of Cancer.
This is due to the vast body of warm
water which the Gulf stream pours
along this favored coast, 90 miles wide
and hundreds Of fathoms deep, it
warns the billiards in winter and
tempers the heat Of the Sun in sum-
mer The temperature Of the water
is 70 degrees and when heated term
is on the Mississippi Valley, the trade
wind coming over the coast keeps
the air we'll down in the low eighties
while during the winter northers
warm up the air and take out the
frost The soil of this section is sandy,
but seems particularly adapted to the
growth of the pineapple, mango and
avocado pear, while orange and grape
fruit trees also thrive, and where the
deposit of vegetable humus are found
all sorts Of vegetables are at home in
the winter, thanks to the climate.
From January to May, the farmer is
shipping beans, tomatoes, peppers and
Irish potatoes, also oranges, grape
fruit and lines. Then the pineapple
crop begins and when that is over,
comes the season for mangoes and
guavas followed by the avocado pears.
The mango and avocado (alligator
pear) are just as valuable and stand
ard fruit as the pineapple, banana
and orange. But the former (the king
of all fruits) has never as yet been
placed upon the market Of Our cOun-
try tho England, has been enjoying
them for some wears, shipped via Suez
Canal from india The reason for this
is the difficulty Of propagating true
from that choice fruit Mangoes grown
from seed are nearly worthless, being
of inferior flavor and filed with FIBRE
with generally a turDentine TASTE
These trees are growing Dlentifully
all through the West Indies and are
an article Of food for both man and
beast, but thev are not of a quality
that would command much respect
in the Northern markets. There are
trees at this place. 3 feet in diameter
and in Cuba and Porto Rico, T have
seen them 4 feet through and 90 feet
tall. Their yield is enormous and they
stand all sorts Of vicissitudes and are
entirely proof to the insects that af-
feet the orange. They are sometimes
hurt by an unusually severe winter
but the size Of Our oldest trees proves
that thew are at home in this section
The original home of the tree is India
and there for hundreds Of years, the
fine varieties have been propagated
bv marching.
studying the matter Of introducing
this king Of all fruits into Our sec
tion in all its glory, and have found
it knottv problem, owing to the fact
that the tree does not come true from
seed. have sunk hundreds Of dol
'nrs in importing seed from the finest
fruit Of India and Cev1on, only to be
disappointed when in 8 or 7 years,
thew bore common, ordinary ''turpen-
time and tow like orr own trees