AND AGRICULTURAL CAPABILITIES. 25 



raised with profit. Whether we consider its unexceptionable climate, 

 the beauty of its undulating surface, the variety, abundance, and value 

 of its timber, the fertility of its soil, with its adaptability to such a vast 

 catalogue of crops, its accessibility to markets, its abundance of good, 

 pure water, its general healthfulness, the ease with which the soil is cul- 

 tivated, the intelligence and character of its people, the number of its 

 laboring population, or the cheapness of its lands, no portion of the 

 State or the country can offer superior inducements to immigrants. 



The beautiful city of Tallahassee, the county seat and capital of the 

 State, lies near the center of the county. The Jacksonville, Pensacola 

 and Mobile Eailroad crosses the county from east to west, and the Tal- 

 lahassee Railroad, from the port of Saint Mark's, on the Gulf, intersects 

 it at the capital. The name Tallahassee, signifying beautiful land, was 

 applied by the Indians to this region of country, and was properly appro- 

 priated to designate the capital at the time of its location. 



LIBERTY COUNTY. 



Bounded north by Gadsden ; east by Leon and Wakulla Counties, 

 from which it is separated by the Ocklockounee River; south by Frank- 

 lin; west by Calhouu, from which it is separated by the Apalachicola 

 River. It contains an area of about 850 square miles. It is sparsely 

 populated, and little of its area is cultivated. Its characteristics are 

 the same as Calhounand Franklin. Cattle-raising is the principal busi- 

 ness, but the ordinary staples of the State are successfully cultivated; 

 orange culture is receiving attention, and fine groves attest the success 

 of this important product. Bristol is the county seat. 



MADISON COUNTY. 



Bounded north by Georgia ; east by Hamilton and Suwannee Coun- 

 ties from which it is separated by the Suwaunee River; south by La- 

 fayette and Taylor, and west by Jefferson, from which the Aucilla River 

 separates it. It contains 750 square miles, and forms a portion of the 

 rich agricultural district of Middle Florida. The lands are generally 

 undulating, and some portions even hilly; a small part of the south- 

 eastern portion is flat. The western half is very fertile, the eastern 

 generally pine lands of fair quality and interspersed with lakes and 

 ponds. The better lands are generally underlaid with clay, and the soil 

 rich and generous. Long and short staple cotton have formed the chief 

 product for exportation, and as high as 12,000 bales have been produced 

 in a year. Now, while cotton continues the principal staple, the prod- 

 ucts are becoming more diversified, and grass, grain, sugar cane, and 

 vegetables are receiving more attention and are found remunerative, 

 while stock-growing and fruit culture are successfully prosecuted. A 

 larger proportion of the lands of Madison County are under cultivation 

 than of any other county. 



Madison, the county seat, is a thriving place near the center of the 



