AND AGRICULTURAL CAPABILITIES. 97 



good facilities for transportation. The more desirable lands near the 

 towns are held at high prices ; but still, by using much care to avoid 

 unhealthful localities industrious and skillful agriculturists may obtain 

 good homes. Successful ice manufactories have been established, and 

 by using cistern water many Northerners live here all the year in toler- 

 able comfort. The yearly farm productions, consisting chiefly of cattle, 

 poultry, rice, corn, potatoes, molasses, and honey, are valued at $100,000, 

 and many fine orange and lemon groves may be seen about Sauford, 

 Orlando, Bellaire, and Altamont. 



PUTNAM COUNTY. 



Comprising over 800 square miles, with 1,500 acres under cultivation, 

 this is in many respects the most desirable and flourishing county in the 

 State. The numerous lines of steamers on the Saint Johns' together 

 with the South Florida Railroad, afford facilities for transportation un- 

 excelled in the State. Many beautiful lakes are found in this region, 

 fully stocked with excellent food fish, and game in many parts is abun- 

 dant. The portion of the county lying east of the Saint John's is appro- 

 priately called the " Fruit-laud Peninsula," and is very fertile, containing 

 also celebrated sulphur and medicinal springs, which are much frequented 

 by the sick from all the adjacent region. The county contains a great 

 variety of soil, high and low hammock, high rolling pine land, much of 

 which is heavily timbered with hickory, oak, and yellow pine. Many of 

 the finest orange groves in the State are found here, and more than 5,000 

 acres are devoted to the cultivation of the orange alone, while cotton- 

 rice, sugar, corn, sweet potatoes, and all the semi-tropical fruits form a 

 permanent reliance for agricultural industry. Palatka, the county seat, 

 is a very flourishing city, connected by rail and telegraph with all parts 

 of the State which have railroad communications. San Mateo and Cres- 

 cent City are flourishing towns, and the county is rapidly filling up with 

 a good class of people from the Northern and Western States. The 

 yearly farm productions amount to nearly $200,000, comprising princi- 

 pally cattle, butter, milk, swine, poultry, rice, grain, cotton, sugar, sweet 

 potatoes, and honey. 



GENERAL OBSERVATIONS. 



This completes the list of localities visited by me, and they are in 

 many respects the best counties in the State. 



Except near the sea-coast marshes, mosquitoes are not very trouble- 

 some, and the noxious insects and reptiles avoid the settlements and 

 generally confine themselves to the overflowed lands and swamps. 



While much of the soil in this State is practically worthless in its 

 present state, there are large tracts in the aggregate which are rendered 

 very productive by the peculiar character of the climate and by the 

 subterranean waters to which the roots of the trees find access, thereby 

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