AND AGRICULTURAL CAPABILITIES. 33 



Harbor, on the Gulf of Mexico. The Florida Southern Eailway from 

 Palatka, on the Saint John's, and Gainesville, on the Fernandiua Eail- 

 way, is finished to this place, and is to be extended south to Tampa 

 and Charlotte Harbor. The government lands as well as State lands 

 are being rapidly taken up by homestead and purchase. No part of the 

 State, or, in fact, the South, offers greater inducements for permanent 

 location. 



OKANGE COUNTY. 



Bounded north and east by Volusia County, which is separated from 

 it by the Saint John's Kiver, south by Brevard and Polk, and west by 

 Polk, Suinter, and Marion ; with an area of 2,300 square miles. The 

 county is generally high, rolling pine land, interspersed with clear-water 

 lakes, bays, and hammocks. The rolling pine lands are of good quality 

 and heavily timbered ; soil dark gray loam, with sand on the surface, 

 based upon yellow sandy loam, with a substratum of clay and marl. 

 Portions are flat pine woods of less value. Some of the prominent lakes 

 are Monroe, Jesup, Harney, Eustis, Apopka, Dora, Maitland, Butler, 

 and Tohopekaliga. These lakes are from 3 to 50 square miles in extent. 

 There are innumerable smaller lakes, with areas of from 10 to 1,000 

 acres. The shores are generally abrupt, rising in some cases to 70 

 feet above the water. Fish and game abound. Stock-growing has 

 been the predominant industry until later years, with cotton, corn, and 

 cane ; but now fruit culture is absorbing general attention, and the 

 orange, lemon, lime, citron, guava. pineapple, and banana, and every 

 variety of Southern fruit, are extensively cultivated. No county in the 

 State has increased in population and improvement so rapidly during 

 the last ten years as Orange, and large accessions from the Northern 

 and Western States, of refined, cultured, and wealthy citizens, are con- 

 stantly being made. A railroad from Sanford, on Lake Monroe, the 

 head of the larger class of steamboat navigation, to Orlando, the county 

 seat, has been constructed, and is in process of construction south 

 through the county, and to Tampa and Charlotte Harbor. The Saint 

 John's and Lake Eustis Eailway, from Astor, on the Saint John's, to 

 Fort Mason, on Lake Eustis, has also been completed, an extension of 

 which to Leesburg will probably be made. The industry, energy, and 

 progressive spirit manifested in this county is of the character mani- 

 fested in the North and Northwest, and cannot fail of ultimate success. 



Population, 1870, 2,195; 1880, 6,190 white, 5,494 ; black, 696. Num- 

 ber acres land tilled, 13,166. Farm values, $3,381,410 ; farm imple- 

 ments and machinery, $52,040. 



PUTNAM COUNTY. 



Bounded on the north by Clay County, on the east by Saint John's, on 



the south by Volusia and Marion, and on the west by Alachua and Clay, 



and contains an area of over 800 square miles. The Saint John's River 



runs through the county for 30 miles, and skirts it on the east for re- 



3290 3 



