496 



Tlio soil of Florida is mostly waiidy ; some 8fictio7)S, liowever, h;ive clay aud othcFS 

 liavo limestoue formations. Much of the sandy portions is nnderiaid with clay, and 

 when near the surface the land is good. The State has large stores of natural ferti- 

 lizei's; muck and marl beds are often met with. The lauds generally being light, re- 

 <]nire manure to produce large crops, though good ones are often made without it. If 

 our people used the same amount of manure used in New England, our crops would 

 compare favorably with any section. 



The climate is favorable to the jtrolongation of life, the extremes of heat and cold 

 are less than in the other States, aud the air is bland and healing. The out of door life 

 led by the inhabitants tends to health, and when they live in a comfortable manner, 

 have suitable food, and take reasonable care of themselves, there is very little sick- 

 ness, aud very many Avho come here sick and drawing near to death, recover and 

 become hale and hearty. The new settler should take care to secure a high and dry 

 l)uikling-8pot. as far from stagnant water as may be. The pine-lands are most salu- 

 brious, though old clearings in the oak hummocks are usually healthy. There is more 

 or less fever, chills, &c., but ordinarily these readily yield to proper remedies. Much 

 of such sickness would be avoided by suitable care ; new-comers should not work out 

 of doors during July, August, aud September between the hours of 11 a. m. and 2 p. m., 

 nor shoyld they expose themselves to the night-air if located in a maLarious region. 

 We have a long warm summer, but the thermometer does not rise so high as in the far 

 North. A trip to the sea-coast or to the North by those who live in the interior helps 

 to brace the system up, if by chance it becomes debilitated ; in short, a change of 

 scene is a good thing here as elsewhere. 



The State has many latent sources of wealth that need to be developed by the busy 

 hands of settlers from older parts of the world. There is room for many thousands ; 

 many thousand acres of land are vacant, on which capital, both iu money and in labor, 

 can be safely and profitably invested. The people are well-disposed toward all who 

 come among them to settle and mind their own business. Persons wishing to settle 

 here should first come and examine for themselves, go over the State, see what has 

 been done, gain all the information they can from old settlers, he sure to sift truth from 

 fiction in all that ie told them, aud then buy whex'e they like best. 



AGRICULTURAL STATISTICS OF IRELAND. 



The official report of William Donelly, re^dstrar- general, states that 

 the agricultural statistics of Ireland for 1872 were collected by about 

 3,800 enumerators, taken from the royal Irish coustabularji and metro- 

 politan police, the agency heretofore employed for the purpo.se. The 

 number of " holdings " visited was about 600,000. The only returns usu- 

 ally required are those of area under each crop, and numbers of farm 

 animals. The census requires two mouths, and is made in June and 

 July. 



The total acreage under all crops was 5,486,5213; m 18 «1, 5,621,437,- 

 decrease, 134,915. All classes of crops suffered diminution of area, viz, 

 cereals, 33,361 ; flax, 34,667 ; a total loss of 68,028 acres in white crops. 

 The decrease in the green crops was 37,773 ; meadow and clover, 

 29,114 ; or 66,887 acres of the broader class of green crops. 



Subdividing these classes, the only crop increased among the cereals 

 was that of beans aud peas, while the decrease in wheat was 16,262; 

 oats, 14,323; barley, 2,085; bere and rye, 1,560. In green crops there 

 was increase in turnips, 19,429 acres ; mangel and beet root, 2,999 ; cab- 

 bage, 6,387 ; carrots, parsnips, and other crops, 1,334. Potatoes showed 

 a decrease of 66,632 acres ; vetches and rape, 1,290. 



The returns give for the total of land in the island, exclusive of the 

 larger rivers, lakes, and tideways, 20,325,693 acres, made up as fol- 

 folloAVs: under crops, 5,486,522 acres ; grass, 10,241,513 ; fallow, 18,512 ; 

 woods and plantations, 325,173 ; bog and waste, unoccupied, 4.253.693. 



