260 'TiiAysACTioxs of the American Institute. 



half an acre up. A man who knows liow to make maple sugar can 

 make cane sugar and S3-rup, and the process is not more expensive. 

 The yield from an acre varies from 300 gallons of syrup and two 

 barrels sugar, to 800 gallons and five or six barrels sugar to the acre 

 according to the condition of the land. The syrup has a ready sale 

 at Savannah, and other large towns, for from fifty cents to seventy- 

 five cents per gallon. Long staple cotton is also a favorite article of 

 cultivation, and when well handled is very profitable. Choice samples 

 often bring from ninety cents to one dollar and twenty-five cents 

 per pound, and no fear of competition to reduce the price. A crop 

 of early Irish potatoes is easily grown and can be planted successfully 

 in the forest, so that the emigrant need not wait to clear the land 

 before making a crop. Along the line of the Florida railroad the 

 first crop, if well managed, will net $100 per acre. The trans- 

 portation from Fernandina is regular and sure. Also from points 

 along the St. John and Ochlawaha, where there are large tracts of 

 fine land to be had almost for asking 



" I would not advise northern emigrants to go, earlier than October. 

 As Mr. Robinson said, people must prepare for a new country, but one 

 that can easily be subdued and made habitable, vastly superior to the 

 far off west, into which people are now rushing in such numbers. Mr. 

 Peters then read from a private letter, received from a planter in 

 Alachua county, dated May 23 : ' Thus far my crops are fine. I 

 suppose you will be somewhat surprised to hear that th« farmers 

 have all laid by their corn crops in this section. My corn is now in 

 full silk and tassel. My cotton is beautiful and has a great many 

 blooms.' He rolled his cotton seed in a fertilizer, and made a roller 

 go over the seed for nearly one hundred acres. Tvie seed was well 

 moistened before rolling. Great good resulted in the early germi- 

 nating. Speaking of the orange grove which they were just planting 

 among the newly fallen trees, when I was there, in Februar}', he says : 

 ' Brother is hard to work. He has planted four hundred trees. Out 

 of the number, only four died. He has budded a great many with 

 the China or sweet orange buds, which are growing finely. Some 

 are now two feet in length. If they continue as well we shall have 

 China oranges ready for the market in three years. TVe expect to 

 plant during the year about one thousand buds, which will keep 

 brother busy treding. The forty acre lot which you saw, we intend 

 to plant out to orange trees before we stop, which will give us an 

 orchard of 4,000. If we are successful, and thus far I see nothing 



