124 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[Sept. 14, 1882. 



comprising the pitch and yellow pint. There are also exten- 

 sive tracts of what, is called "bnmak lands," high and low, 

 il -.villi a dense growth of hard wood, such as Jive 

 oak, white 1 .oak. cypress', gum trees, hickory, cabbage pal- 

 mettoes. red cedars, magnolias, oleanders, and other varir 

 lies which 1 need nol enumerate. 



The - - 1 1 ; . 1 1 i : i u lands" are adapted tn the growth of trop- 

 ical fruits the hading species of which arc 1he orange, 

 lemon, lime, citron, banana, plantain, pineapple, guava. 

 pomegranate, and several kinds of nuts and grapes. The 

 black Hamburg's grow out of doors, but they arc not equal 

 to those cultivated" under glass bv our worthy president, 



I saw no potatoes growing in 'the country, other than fhC 

 swell potatoes. "What, they call ihe "Irish potatde, " our old- 

 fashioned "Murphy." will grow there, but all that came 

 under my ohservatiou were imported from the North, and 

 selling at. about, from $ti to $8 per barrel, and were served 

 out sparingly 1 can assure you. 



Cotton, sugar-cane, and rice are extensively grown, in fact 

 I believe that anything will grow there it' the ground is well 

 enriched with powerful fertilizers. It appears plain enough 

 fcj every one that the climatic advantages possessed try Florida 

 are counterbalanced by the porosity of her soil. U costs $50 a 

 year per acre to keep an orange grove properly fertilized, 

 and when .this is neglected, the effect can be easily seen by 

 the sicl.lv appearance of the trees. 



Thy orange is the leading crop. Three years alter the 

 transplanting of the young tree, it commences to bear and 

 become remunerative! and at ten years old il yields handsome 

 profits, some trees giving as much as $10(1* yearly returns. 

 Oranges usually ripen late in November or December and 

 if left there remain on the tree till March, constantly draw- 

 ing nourishment from the sap, and daily growing larger, 

 mure juicy, fweet and delicious, but these oranges will not 

 Stand a long journey. ThoSe Of the Indian Rivet district, 

 where I made my longest stay, are renowneil and justly 30, 

 for they deserved. 



Fancy a Quebeeer picking such oranges off the trees, in 

 February, stepping out into the garden in the morning, col- 

 lecting a handful of crisp, cool radishesaud lettuce— yet dear 

 old Q,ucli. ■ hasher charms, as we all know, and we return to 

 her with happiness, but a lilllc break in tin; long winter 

 months is. very desi i able, and I must say that Florida, so 

 easily peached, affords a delightful change. 



There was a peculiarity find struck me forcibly, it was 

 the lank, .sallow faces of some of the natives; they seem 

 to run to a point or an edge. The country white children arc 

 the color of putty in complexion, their lips perfect ly white, 

 null all have a very lazy look. If you slop to talk tij a man 

 or woman anywhere near a fence, building or tree, they will 

 lean again.- 1 it before answering. Thcv always appear to 

 want propping up : tbev lack the vim of a true Northerner. I 

 fell like a racer beside "some of these fellows. 



One noticeable feature of the population is the small num- 

 ber of foreign-born people and the very few Irish. 1 only 

 met one Irishman who bail a true touch* of the brogue, Mr. 

 Baiboursays in his extensive travels in Florida, audi fully 

 corroborate this from my experience. 



There is quite a colony of Swedes near Saudford and a 

 few Germans here and there. In the northern part of the 

 State there still dwell some of the old Southern aristocratic 

 families. Thoy are few in number, and trying to accustom 

 tbt mselves to the new slate of affairs consequent upon Ihe 

 destruction of the system of slavery under which they form- 

 erly flourished. 



tin negroes form a groat portion of the population in the 

 larger towns, and a strange, funny set of beings they are. 

 They are not over industrious, very improvident, and light- 

 hearted. A little hominy and pork, a cup of coffee 8WI eteaed 

 with syrup, and an occasional fish, so easily caught, is their 

 principal food. The last meal of tile day over, fun begins, 

 ami banjos, riddles and guitars can be heard in many direc- 

 tions. A jig is played, and then their feet— and, oh, such 

 feet! — begin to keep time and become uncontrollable, a broad 

 smile overspreads his countenance, his mouth enlarges, Lips 

 pull out with a grin, off goes his jacket, up jumps Sambo. 

 and, with .-, tremendous chuckle, and peculiar yell he is off 

 in a double-shuffle, and will keep it up till he drops from 

 sheer exhaustion. As a rule, the blacker the darkey the 

 better aud truer the man. The. yellow fellows are considered 

 lazy and conceited in most case's, 



On the 10th of January, through the kindness of Dr. Ken- 

 worthy, we were, invited by Captain Hains to take a trip on 

 the Savannah, Florida & Western Railway, to a place called 

 "Convict Camp," thirty-six miles from Jacksonville. Our 

 object was to shoot quail, of which we were told we would 

 hud plenty. As we had no dog of our own, we engaged a 

 m ro called Joe CO go out with us and bring his setter, 

 which, he said, was staunch on such game. 



We arrived at our destination at nine in the evening, and 

 were met by the guards of the State, prison, whom we fol- 

 lowed to the quarters prepared for US, in a large room in 

 which some ten or twelve: of the force lodged. A good meal 

 (fftS soon kid before us, and we were Waited upon by a 

 smart voung darkey named Charlie, who was dressed in the 

 prisou"garb— black ii.od white stripes, Our hoj Joe took s 

 seal, sullenly, in a corner, crying and evidently in gr, • • :>- 

 tress, and refused all food. He sobbed 80 much that we 

 really pitied him, and tried to ascertain the cause of hi^ sor- 

 row," but without success, as we could not obtain any satis- 

 factory answer. 1 called Charlie over to me and told him to 

 try ami get Joe. outside and learn from him what was the 

 matter, which he did, and soon came back aud told us that 

 Joe believed he had been fooled by OS, that we had brought 

 him out there with the intenlioii of making him a prisoner, 

 he was sure of il, ami had confessed to Charlie that two of 

 his brothers were already convicts at that station. Joe mm,t 

 have felt that if he was not there also it was through no 

 fault of his. Mv impression was that he had an idea that he 

 deserved to be' there, and felt unsafe in consequence: he 

 neither ate nor slept that night, Charlie, will) his remarka- 

 ble anxiety lo lie useful and' agreeable, .said he would intro- 

 duce us. the next morning, to Joe's brothers. 1 answered 

 that we hftd no objection to see some other members of Joe's 

 family, but could do without the introduction. 



The Slate of Florida utilize! it- convicts in an excellent 

 manner, and Georgia adopts 4 Similar plan. So soon as a 

 person is convicted of a crime, for which the penalty is im- 

 prisonment exceeding t|,i,,e months, he is sold to the railway 

 company for SI a per annum, and sent out lo the camps to 

 work. The company feeds and clothe.-, him, and r- rc-pon- 

 sible for his safe keeping. 'There wan- bib men, nearly all 

 black, and about eight women, of whom four were black 

 and the remainder white. They were housed, in log build- 

 ings, surrounded by stockades. The women n,. 1 ,:, si 

 quarters, and do the sewing, mending, and C0akin| I : : 

 prisoners' clothing. Any men who arc unfit for hard labor, 



from physical infirmity, wash, cook, and keep the premises 

 in order.' The punishment for infringement, of discipline is 

 inflicted with a. long, broad leather strap, the number of 

 lashes being dependent upon the gravity of the misde- 

 meanor. They are fed on coru-mcal cake' pea soup, hom- 

 iny (which is corn boiled like rice) and pork. One ox 13 



killed every v. k lo afford fresh meat. 



When we arrived there, it being night, we found that the 

 prisoners Were all locked up in their sleeping quarters, 



in. raised about two feet from the earth, on either side of 

 the passage, and extending its whole length, was a long bed, 

 about 8 feet wide, capable of holding 100 men, oO occupying 

 e, eh side. On these were sleeping the convicts in their 

 working clothes, their great black feet near the edge of the 

 bed. and their heads resting on blocks of wood. At each 

 end of the passage Was a square box, 3 feet high by 4 feel 

 wide, filled witli earth, upon which were burning pitch-pine 

 knots, lighting up the interior and emitting an odor of 



from which hung a chain about 4 icet long, fastened to 

 another chain running the whole length of the building. 

 Thcv were covered with light blankets, but manv of them 

 had 'kicked theirs off. Outside, at the four corners of each 

 building, stood Ihe guards, armed with double-barreled guns 

 loaded "with buckshot, Ifo prisoner is allowed to rise 

 Without permission, or speak to another until four o'clock in 

 the morning, wdien free speech is permitted until breakfasl 

 time, which" is six o'clock. After breakfasl they an- chained 

 in gangs of nine, with a guard over each gang, aud marched 

 oil' to the work on the road, where each one still carries his 

 leg chain. They work till dinner-hour, their food being 

 .in: out to them, and at the expiration of the hour allowed 

 for this meal (hey resume their labors until six o'clock in 

 the evening, when they are again chained in gangs and 

 carried back to the stockade by the. labor train. 



I noticed three or four good-looking while men, who, I 

 was informed, had been convicted for embezzlement or 

 something of the kind. Thcv were chained to negroes, and 

 fared no better When prisoners attempt to escape, a pack 

 of hounds, kept for ihe purpose, is put on their track, aud 

 bv following thetr scent never fails in coming up with them, 

 and they are Overtaken b\ the guards on horseback. Some 



the mocassin snake. It appears that when bitten, a pint id' 

 whisky must be drunk as quickly as possible, which, it is 

 said, is absorbed into the system, neutralizing the poison; 

 Many travelers carry quite a quantity of whisky for the pur 

 : i qualifying Ihe water, often using more of tnc 

 qu" " 



■ha 



gilt i 



Wli 



he liad been there, he answered. "For live years." "How long 

 are you ill for'.'" I then asked. "For life, sir," said he. "What 

 did they send you here for. Charlie:'" "Because I killed a 

 man, sir." "What did you kill a man For!" "Because, sir, 

 he killed my father with a gun ; I grabbed the ^ un ,. lw i sno t 

 him 'lead. 1 was tried for murder. The judge said I had 

 no right to take the law in my own hands, and I was con 

 dcrnncd here for life. I. was here three years before 1 

 became a trusty, and I have been a, trusty nigh on two 

 years." 



Charlie's case is certainly a hard one, and be meets with 

 very much sympathy. The guards told me they expected 

 tlic'Oovernorof the Slate would pardon him very soon. 



By the means I have mentioned of disposing of her con- 

 vict's, Florida saves, in keep and attendance, over $12,000 a 

 year, when the amount of §15 per head is taken into ac- 

 count, The railroad company thus have constantly on hand 

 a certain number of men whom they can force to work, and 

 by this means Ihe road is mostly built, the State of Georgia 

 doing the same at its end, as the road lies between the two 

 States. There is considerable free labor employed in addi- 

 tion lo convict lahot, but it is not reliable, for 'the darkeys 

 will not work if they cau help it, aud white people are very 

 scarce, and will not 'work with niggers. 



looking fellow indeed until he gets a new job. 



When the work in the vicinity of the stockade is com- 

 pleted, the old buildings, which are mere log huts, arc 

 abandoned, the prisoners moved further off and new build- 

 ings erected bv them which they occupy as longas required, 

 wiieu they emigrate again. 



Sunday is a real holiday for the convicts, and they do pretty 



but I believe fun predominates, as it is the nature of the 

 negro to be very light-hearted. 



To observe a lot of negroes, men, boys, women and girls, 

 lounging around the wharves aud railroad stations, and 



quizzing each other, and the chuckles and hearty laughter 



they indulge in is very funny. They oflen have good 



executing it in a manner equal to any nnnslrel performance. 



On the lith, after Breakfast, wiih' one nrf the guards as a. 

 guide, we left our quarters for a ramble through the forest 

 aud wumps, and soon came upon quail. These beautiful, 

 gamv little creatures generally found in coveys of twelve 

 or thirteen birds, whin hushed fly off two or three acres, 

 alight and separate. The dogs point ihem as they do snipe, 

 anil when again Hushed they rise singly or one or two to- 

 gether. They Hew so swiftly thai tvi end iheiu very dif- 

 ficult to hit, or else they must have carried away lots of om 

 shot ; however, wc managed to hag twenty-six to our two 

 guns. They are found on the open portions of the pine 

 lauds. 



While tramping along the edge of the forest, 1 came slid 

 deulvupoi) a lar.g, Ma, I-: snake, six feet long, and not know- 

 ing what his intentions migkl be, I gave ' ' 



all 



ted 



afterwards on being informed that this species, called if 



kin" snake is harmless to human beings, but a deadly enemy 

 rjf the dreadi d rattlesnake, which it vigoiously attai-hs, and 

 quickl. kills by winding itself around its foe, and exerting 

 its constricting power. I may here mention that I saw no 

 rattlesnakes in Florida., aud that they are seldom met by 

 any one. The hogs, running wild, sand cranes, and other 

 large birds destroy a great many snakes of all kinds. One 

 kind, called the "niooeassin snake, is very common m the 

 swamps. It is not known to attack anyone, but will Strike 

 if si: pped upon, and although iis bile is venomous, it is not 

 H aeadly in its effects as that of the raillesnnke. 

 All strangers carry whisky with them as an antidote 

 I against the poison from the fangs of the rattle, as well as 



During part of I hi.-, day we i 

 forests, where we witnessed tin 

 from that, tree is collected for t 



extensive pitch-pine 

 •r in which the gum 

 oscof making turpeu 

 tine, rosin, and pitch. Large slices aie cut out of 'the side 

 r , , is, the thicK gum -oon fill- up these wounds, when 



i is raj d off and carried lo a building near by, where it 

 is distilled into turpentine, the residue making rosin and 

 pitch, which are among the leading exports of Ihe country. 

 Ihe pine woods are remarkable, the trbfifl being almost 



within about fifteen feet of the top. where they shoot out in till 

 directions; the branches of one tree almost touching those of 

 another, thereby forming a shady grove. The trees ■ 

 seldom in closer proximity to each otner than fifteen or 

 twenty feet, with, no hush between them, and were it not 

 for the fallen, decayed trees here and there, one might drive 

 a coach and four for miles through such a forest without 

 difficulty. The land is sandy and consequently dry, and 

 covered' with short coarse grass. 



Outside of the pine wood one come* upon swamps, which 

 arc seldom deep. I saw none of them where boots over Ihe 

 knees would be required, the general depth being about up 

 to the ankle. In these swamps arc. found the snipe, which 

 makes Florida its winter quarters, 



I was told by non-residents thai the water of Florida, was 

 not wholesome, but the old settlers deny this, and we fre- 

 quently drank it out of the swamps and creeks, without mix- 

 ing it, with the "qualifier," never experiencing any bail 

 effects, and as we were not bitten by venomous snakes, we 

 did not poison ourselves with liquor, which, by the bye, 

 costs a dollar tind a half a bottle, and, T should say, would 

 kill at forty yards. 



The thermometer, during the entire day, stood at about 78 

 in the shade, but the heat was tempered by a delightful 

 breeze. 



Our time having expired, we left Convict Camp for .lack- 

 sonville, by the evening train. On out arrival wc found in- 

 volutions awaiting us, to attend a "hop," given by the 

 Florida Yacht Club, which wc accepted, and had the 

 pleasure of making Ihe acquaintance M some of Florida's 

 fairest ladies, who"," with the gentlemen, v. ere very agreeable. 

 lie,- .,„,,!, the Knglish language without Ihe nasal twang 

 noiiieable in some Northerners. The dancing was to the 

 music "fa, band of Kalians with harp, flute and violin, anil 

 wa.- kepi up mild, shortly after twelve. The refreshments 

 consisted simply of lemonade, oranges, and cakes, no wines 

 or spirits of any kind being allow ed. The gentlemen were 

 dressed in their afternoon suits, swallow-tails and white 

 chokers being quite a rarity; in fact, one need not make any 

 display of flic kind, as it would not be appreciated. The. 

 figures of the dances were called out by a member of the 

 committee who stood upon a platform' near the musicians, 

 for Ihe purpose. We also had Ihe pleasure of meeting at 

 our hotel Mr. George >]. Harbour, who has written an ex- 

 cellent hook on Florida, and from whom we obtained much 

 valuable information. 



On the 12th, after lunch, we hired a negro with a boat, to 

 row us upon the river, and taking fishing tackle with us, we. 

 were soon engaged catching fish called shoepshcad. To 

 th, jeaemf tomi I to fly-fishing for salmon and troul, the. 

 catching of sheep-head with a book baited with shrimps, is 



Wi: were in the' immediate, neighborhood of an extensive 

 orange grove, of several hundred frees, loaded with luscious, 

 ripe Iruit, the odor of which was wafted towards us by the 

 refreshing breeze. The thermometer was at about seventy- 

 three degrees, and a pleasant breeze. 



"We directed our boatman tolandus, whichhesoon effected, 

 and passing through an avenue of live oaks, we entered the 

 beautiful ground- of Mr. .'Mitchell, a wealthy gentleman, 

 Whose- northern home is m Wisconsin, and whose family 

 spend the winler months here. We walked Ihrough the 

 gloves, carefully keeping our hands behind our b ack,- : think 



bug it would give us a very bonesl appearance, as m w r| 



treading upon tempting ground, and the inclination to pluck 

 an orange was almost iriesistible. When we came opposite 

 the. house wc observed a couple of ladies on the verandah 

 bareheaded, and evidently engaged in some fancy work. 

 We apologized for our intrusion, and at the same ti me 

 handed I hem our earils, af'ti.i which (Vi wcr, \ eiy kindly in- 

 vited to walk over another portion of the grove and taste of 

 the diffe.'i-ui varieties of oranges, one of the ladies offering 

 lo conduct us. You can well imagine- that the offer Wa 

 thankfully accepted. We were handed oranges of tour or 

 five varieties, all perfectly delicious. We also saw 

 the date palm tree growing iiom a seed brought by Mrs. 

 Mitchell from Egypt, and planted by herself in this grove, 

 and appeared to be flourishing. A round the house wire ,-ev- 

 eral kinds of rose's, japouicas, jessamines, catneliftS, and 

 other plants in full bloom, from which handsome bouquets 

 were composed, and given to my companion and myself as a 

 souvenir of our visit. 



Near Jacksonville, aud for many miles up the St. John 

 River, on cither side, are many beautiful residences, the 

 winter homes of Wealthy Northerners who spend this season 

 in the sunny South. Among' others, is the romantically situ- 

 ated cottage of Mrs. Harriet Bceeher Stowe, at the dcliglil- 

 ful spot called Manderiu. All these, residences are sur- 

 rounded by orange groves aud flower gardens, the air m all 

 directions being perfumed with their sweet and delicious 

 odor. 



On the 18th at one P. M., we left Jacksonville, on board' 

 In si iici ({rorge M. Bird, for Orange City, about 200 

 miles up the St, John River. The fberuionieier during the 

 greater pari of that day stood at about 76. By the attention 

 and courtesy of Mr. O'rr, the represental ive in Jacksonville 

 of the firm of Messrs. Leve A Alden. passenger agents, we 

 were allotted room .No. «, the largest and most comfortable 

 on board the boat. I may mention here thai having bought 

 our tickets in Quebec, from Mr. Harris, (lit obliging agent 

 here of Messrs. Leve & Alden, this gentleman very kindly 

 wrote on to the office in Jacksonville, requesting Ihem to 

 show lis some attention, and their effort in Ourbi 6 llf tended 

 greatly to our comfort, and was very much appreciate d. The 

 steamer was heavily laden with freight, among which was 

 a large quantity of hay in bales from the Stale, of Maine. 

 [tglli r i I oats for the -,v >rkr.;g h;.rs:;s and m.des in 

 Florida, I believe, all comes from Ihe North, as their own 

 grass is Of a rough, wild description, .and not SUffiCjcnlly 

 nourishing for working animals. 



We were about twenty cabin passengers, and the decks 



