The Washington herald., 1912-01-10
CAPITAL COLONY
In EVERGLADES
Washingtonians Doing Well
on "the Avenue. y"

/
From among the several hundred WASH
ington City people who are Interested &
the Everglades. iourishlng colony ha
already been established. These people ar
located on the "Davie Tract" some sever
or eight miles west OF Fort Lauderdale
where two OF the large canals win empt.
into the Atlantic.
Because OF the annual overflow OF LAX
Okeechobee, the site Of this settIemen
was. about year ago. under water
The reclamation work now has progressed
so far that the lake has ceased to over
flow. In consequence the landds now dr.,
enough TO farm.
The Washington colonists are Dr. q. NJ
Muncaster. late Of the Rochanbeau: II
b. Walker, till recently Washington cor
respondent of the Newark Evening
News; Prof. A. W. Potter. former head oi
the Fisk Teachers Agency; r. A. Forbes
policeman on duty near the Government
Printing Office; a group OF young mer
from the United States Census Bureau
Mrs. Clara W. Porter. OF C street neal
Seventh street northwest. with her thres
young boys, and numerous others.
These people are living in tents. Ken.
yon houses. and shaclxs, located on whai
they call "PennsyIvania avenue" They
have numerous neighbors coming IRON
homes as remote as Panama on the
south and Alaska on the north. with
Chicago. St Louis. and other points be-
tween.
These glade dweIIers are already wei
along with their farming operations, foI
II must be remembered that this terri
tory is but three degrees north OF the
Tropic Of Cancer and that winter farm
/ IT, t. - - 81. a -.
crops now being grown are beans, BeT.
muda onions, cabbage. cucumberz. egg.
plant, lettuce. onions. peas. peppers
potatoes. radishes, squash, and tomatoes
while seed has been ordered for the
planting of beets, bush Iimas, carrots
Nassau corn. okra, mangelwurZels
parsnips, parsley, spinach, and straw
berries
The crops are fiourishing. Mr. Forbes.
six weeks after planting. reported po-
tatoes as large as hens eggs. for which
local hotel man offered him 81 a peck.
The Fort LauderdaIe Sentinel Of Decem-
Der % says his crop will average 100
barrels per acre. Early beans. peas, let
tuce, and radishes were being shipped
before Christmas, beans and peas bring
ing from 8 to 3 per box. The colonists
have fresh vegetables on their tables
every day and ''reveI'' in oranges and
grapefruit. the finest imaginable.
So fertile is the soil and so stimulating
the climate that little cultivation Is
necessary. In one patch, some potatoes
were planted on carefully prepared
ground, while others. a colonlst writes.
were planted beside them in "a furroW
broken in the grass. with the weeds left
growing between the rows. The pota-
toes are Of about equally good appear
ance in both tracts. Colonists are
doing well with beans, squash, and Gu
cumbers planted right in the grass. with
only a little grass broken for the hills
or rows"
The weather is excellent The tenn
perature ranges from 50 TO 80 degrees
Frequent showers fall. but the farmers
pay no attention to them The porous
soil promptly absorbs the moisture. and
the workers permit their wet clothing
to dry on their bodies Health conditions
are first class one colonist contracted
malaria outside the glades. The doctor
urges that he be taken into the glades
as quickly as possible because Of the
more healthful conditions there. The
one physician himself seems to devote
considerably more time TO fishing in the
canal than to attending to professional
duties.
Transportation conditions are very
good, a number Of boats making trips
daily. and one boat two trips daily, be-
tween Lauderdale and the colonies. A
rural mail service has been petitioned
for. A packing house and ice factory
have been established. Schools are yet
to come, but Sunday school has been
started.
In a word. the colonists are enthusias-
tic over conditions and prospects. and
feel that, at last, they have found the
land OF opportunity.