PICTURESQUE SPOTS IN FLORIDA. 



711 



in a dense growth of native shrubs and ferns, by reason 

 of which Mr. Knowles has named his place ' ' The Ferns. " 



The bayou (not shown in the illustration) is crossed by 

 a rustic bridge, from which a stone-bordered path leads 

 to the vine-clad house. This stone border, a rare thing 

 in Florida, consists mainly of fossils, coral and curiously- 

 shaped pieces of limestone that have been brought piece 

 by piece from many distant places. The top of one of 

 the pines, left from a forest 

 that originally covered the 

 place, is seen in the dis- 

 tance, also one of the larger 

 orange trees. Behind the 

 house is a beautiful China- 

 tree, and a clump of orna- 

 mental grasses stands near 

 by. Rows of gladiolus may 

 always be seen in bloom 

 here in March, and bright 

 little phloxes, which have 

 been sown broadcast, 

 bloom here and there as if 

 they were so many volun- 

 teers instead of cultivated 

 flowers. 



How much more attrac- 

 tive is such a home than 

 one where the house is sur- 

 rounded with nothing but 

 orange trees and glaring 

 white sand ! The man who 

 has given us this good ex- 

 ample of how pleasing a 

 humble home may be is 

 standing in front of an 

 agave plant. He is ever 

 ready to welcome all lovers 

 of nature. Many natur- 

 alists, including the botan- 

 ist. Dr. Garber, have been 

 guided by him to fields of 

 research which otherwise 

 they might not have found, 



LONE PALM LSLANU. 



Following the many 

 curves of the beau t i f u 1 

 Hillsboro river for about 

 seven miles above Tampa, 

 on the gulf-coast of Flor- 

 ida, we find in the middle 



A few rods above the palm De Soto Spring, or Grouse's 

 Spring as it is sometimes called, mingles its sulphur 

 water with that of the river. So clear and pure are 

 these combined sparkling waters that the river bottom, 

 the submerged vegetation and numerous large fishes, 

 poised in the current, can be seen almost as plainly 

 as if only air intervened between them and your eye. 



This river-nook is a favorite resort for Tampa people. 



of the stream a charming little island 

 finest and rarest wild-flowers grow, sheltered only by a 

 few bushes and a single palm, from which the island 

 takes its name, This tree, so large in proportion to the 

 bit of land on which it stands surrounded by brilliant 

 waters, waves a thick cluster of great fronds from the 

 summit of its graceful trunk, and marks a spot that is 

 the most widely known of any place on the river. 



LoNK Palm Island, Hillsboro River. Florida. 

 Here some of our and by carriage-road is only about four 



from that 



city. In our picture the tiny island, with its lone, stately 

 palm, is well represented, but black and white pictures 

 can give only a cold idea of tropical vegetation ; so that 

 people who wish to form a correct idea of ' ' Florida as it 

 is" must visit such picturesque spots in person, not 

 through the medium of writers and cameras. The trip 

 will be a pleasant one ! James Shepard. 



