332 



FLORIDA. 



in West Florida. There are nine counties in 

 Middle Florida, and very fine farming lands in 

 everv county. The productions of the Middle 

 and the West are about the same, and consist of 

 cotton, corn, oats, rye, wheat, rice, millet, goo- 

 ber, peanuts, chufer, cow-peas, sugar-cane, to- 

 bacco, potatoes, and casada, all of which, by 

 proper culture, do well. Vegetables of every 

 varietv are raised throughout the State. On 

 the Gulf coast, from the Ocklockonee River, 

 going west to the Perdido, there is a high 

 sandy beach, in many places from 20 to 60 feet 

 above the level of the Gulf, and at almost any 

 point along said coast is to be found as pure 

 fresh water as can be had in the mountains 

 of Virginia. East and South Florida lie be- 

 tween the Suwanee River and the Atlantic. 

 Many of the counties contain large bodies of 

 good rich lands suited for agricultural pur- 

 poses as well as for fruit-growing. Along the 

 St. John's River the lands are generally poor and 

 require fertilizing. On Lake Harris, Lake Jes- 

 up, Lake Eustice, and Lake Griffin, are lands 

 that will produce from 20 to 30 bushels of corn 

 per acre, and where most of the tropical fruits 

 can be grown. The above-named lakes are 

 tributaries of the Ocklawaha River, which 

 flows into the St. John's, and navigable for 

 small steamers. Frost is seldom seen at Mel- 

 lonville, and quantities of oranges, lemon, cit- 



ron, and grapes are raised between Jackson- 

 ville and Mellonville. All along the Atlantic 

 coast, from St. Augustine south as far as set- 

 tled, proves to be a fine fruit-growing country, 

 and much has been done to develop that sec- 

 tion of the State. In South Florida, Tampa 

 and Manitu are flourishing little towns, and 

 there are many fine orange-groves looming up 

 in the neighborhood of each. There are some 

 fine lands all along this coast, well adapted 

 to cane and long cotton. Farther south is 

 the Oaloosahatchee River, which empties into 

 Charlotte Harbor, and where fruit can be grown 

 with but little trouble, though the country is 

 low. The coast all the way from Cedar Keys 

 to Charlotte Harbor is very attractive. The 

 dark foliage of the mangrove and broad leaf 

 of the sea-grape, with the tall and graceful 

 cabbage-tree, all combine to present to view 

 a scene well worth looking at. 



In salubrity of climate Florida is called the 

 " Italy of America." This is owing chiefly to 

 its peninsular position ; for, with the Atlantic 

 on the one side and the Gulf on the other, 

 there is no spot within the entire boundaries 

 but what is fanned by the Gulf or sea breezes. 

 In Middle Florida they come from the south ; 

 at St. Augustine, and all along that section of 

 the State, they come from the east ; while 

 along the Gulf coast they come from the west, 



penetrating thirty and forty miles, and even 

 farther, into the interior. Coming as these 

 breezes do from the Atlantic and the Gulf re- 

 spectively, and laden as they must be with 

 moisture, the entire temperature of the State 

 s necessarily affected. Accordingly, during 

 the summer months, while the temperature at 

 St. Louis, Philadelphia, and other large cities 

 reaches to 100 and 102, it is very seldom 



higher than 90 in Florida. At Punta Rassa, 

 which is in 26 north latitude, the highest 

 point of the thermometer for twelve months 

 ending June 30, 1877, was 91-5. During the 

 months of June, July, and August of that 

 year it reached 90 but six times. The monthly 

 mean for July was 80'6, for August 81*6, for 

 September 81'1. The range for July was 24'5, 

 showing an approach to an equable tempera- 



