xii INTRODUCTION 
from the work of hoeing, wheeling muck, digging and attending 
to my garden. 
My experience in gardening in Florida is confined to the lower 
part of the peninsula. In order to form some idea of what 
could and what could not be grown in different parts of the state 
I sent lists of plants to several growers of large experience in 
various places, asking them to mark such as had succeeded or 
failed and to give other data, also to add additional species to 
the lists and their knowledge of how they had done. Mr. Frank 
MacLaren of Fernandina, Mr. John Schnabel of Gainesville, 
Mr. C. E. Pleas of Chipley, Mr. E. N. Reasoner of the Royal 
Palm Nursery at Oneco, Prof. H. Nehrling of Gotha and Mrs. 
Marian McAdow of Punta Gorda have rendered the greatest 
assistance in this way. I have visited a large number of places 
scattered throughout the state and made notes on the cultivated 
ornamentals and asked questions. Mr. Charles Mosier of Little 
River has given me great help on the chapter on insects and 
plant diseases. 
I am indebted to Mr. Charles Deering who is developing a 
wonderful garden here, to Mr. David Fairchild and Mr. Wil- 
son Popenoe of the United States Department of Agriculture, 
and to Mr. Paul Popenoe of the American Genetic Association, 
for great and repeated favors and help in getting up this little 
work. 
The American Photograph Company of Havana, Cuba, has 
kindly permitted me to use the picture of the Cuban highway, 
the splendid group of royal palms, and the great bamboos over- 
looking the water. 
The chapters ‘‘In The Hammock”’ and ‘“‘A Midsummer Morn- 
ing at The Sentinels’? were published in the Tropic Magazine. 
While they do not strictly pertain to gardening they set forth 
the beauties of an ornamental home in Florida. 
There are 100,000,000 people in the United States today, and 
this number may be doubled within the lifetime of many of those 
who will read this little treatise. The wealth of the country is‘ 
increasing at a remarkably rapid rate. A constantly augmenting 
number of people are coming to Florida each year to spend their 
winters or to make permanent homes. It is becoming a rich 
