FLORIDA : ITS SOIL, RESOURCES. AND MEANS OF TRANS- 

 PORTATION. 



For reliable information iu regard to all points of agricultural interest 

 I mus 5 confine myself in this report to the counties of Nassau, Duval, 

 Olay, Saint John's, Yolusia, Orange, Marion, Brevard, and Putnam. 



NASSAU COUNTY. 



This county contains an area of 600 square miles, and has but about 

 4,000 acres under cultivation owing to the fact that much of the land 

 is " pine barrens" and "flat-wood" country, of but little value to agri- 

 culturists. Scattered along the river is some land which produces 

 grazing for cattle, a limited amount of long-staple cotton, corn, pota- 

 toes, and peaches. Here fertilizers are necessary, and winter vegeta- 

 bles are liable to be nipped by the frost; still, the annual yield of farm 

 products reaches the value of $50,000, consisting chiefly of cattle, swine, 

 poultry, corn, potatoes, and peaches. 



This county is well supplied with railroads, and may have a prosper- 

 ous future, should its people, the great majority of whom were once 

 slaves, ever attain to that state of intelligence indispensable to agricult- 

 ural success. Fernandina, the county seat, has a fine harbor and quite 

 a lumber trade. 



This county cannot be recommended for the raising of oranges or of 

 the semi-tropical fruits, but may be reasonably successful with the or- 

 dinary farm crops. 



DUVAL COUNTY. 



With an area of 860 square miles this county has only about 5,000 

 acres of land under cultivation. While the greater part of the soil is 

 light and sandy, there are some tracts of rich "hammock" which may 

 be utilized for the cultivation of rice, corn, potatoes, cane, and cotton ; 

 but it is to much exposed to the cold northwest winds for the success- 

 ful raising of oranges or of the semi-tropical fruits, with the exception 

 of that portion east of the Saint John's River. Here, as elsewhere in 

 this State, the eastern shore of the Saint John's is much better protected 

 from the cold than the western banks, owing to the fact that the cold 

 northwest winds are considerably warmed in passing over this wide 

 expanse of water. Although the county is much frequented by in- 

 valids, the climate is not conducive to the health of those suffering from 

 pulmonary or bronchial diseases, as the changes in temperature are very 



93 



