March 27, 1890. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
253 
j 
FLORIDA AS A HOME. 
I 
--P- 7 
A S regards climate Florida is one of the best favoured countries 
in the world. Since the termination of the great American 
civil war fruit culture has taken the place of that of cotton, the 
mild climate and balmy atmosphere of this beautiful Southern 
State being most congenial to the requirements of the Grape Vine, 
Orange, Peach, Strawberry, and other fruits, the culture of which 
is the chief industry of the country, and is annually increasing in 
importance. Florida, however, is no country for a regular farmer. 
Cattle run wild in the woods ; hogs also, and such hogs ! They go 
by the name of razorbacks, and are appropriately named, for they 
are almost as thin as a razor on edge. Having to live on anything 
they can pick up in the woods they fare badly, and consequently are 
in the habit of sneaking around cultivated groves at night, and if 
a loose picket or rail can be found in the fence in they go, and if 
there are any “ Sweet Potatoes ” within a quarter of a mile the 
razorbacks will root through the rows from end to end. As the 
country is now becoming rapidly settled, many coming in from 
Northern States, considerable agitation is going on, and an attempt 
is being made to pass a herd law to compel the owners to keep their 
cattle and hogs within their own land, and prevent trespass and 
damage. The passing of this very desirable Act is only a question of 
time. Local markets for farm produce are limited, the population 
being too small, consequently fruit growers have to rely on 
northern and western markets for disposing of their produce. 
The first .crops of the year are Strawberries, the second crops of 
the year are Peaches. Here we grow the earliest Peaches in the 
United States, and a grove of the earliest varieties will realise a 
very good income in spite of the excessive railroad charges for 
conveying them to New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Washington, 
Baltimore, and other northern and western cities. 
Strawberries are extensively grown in this vicinity (Waldo) and 
also at Starke and Lawtey in the adjoining county Bradford. Hun¬ 
dreds of acres of the Nunan Seedling and Hoffman Seedling are 
grown, and as the land in heavily fertilised with commercial manure 
the crops secured are enormous, and for the earliest shipments 1 dol. 
to 75 cents, per quart are realised. The later shipments realise 
50 cents., or 2s., down to 15 cents., or 7^d. per quart. Below that 
price few are shipped, as the transportation charges swallow too 
much of the amount which the produce commission agent gets for 
them, and the growers then sell all they can in the local markets 
for preserving, or canning as it is called here, and use the remainder 
for home use. Most of the Strawberry plantations are mulched 
with Pine leaves, or Pine needles as they are termed. These keep 
the ground moist and the fruit from the sandy soil, and so the 
berries are picked clean and in fine condition. I have travelled 
considerably both in Europe and on this western continent from 
extreme northern New York to the republic of Salvador in Central 
America, indeed as far south as the Isthmus of Panama, which I 
hive crossed twice, but nowhere have I seen any climate where 
Strawberries bear fruit continually from the middle of January to 
the middle of June except in Florida. Last year, 1889, I took 
down into Waldo the finest Strawberries ever seen in the town 
raised from seed of Filbert Pine sown the previous July under 
the shade of a thin canvas, which prevented the young tender 
leaves being scorched by the hot sun of August. These seedlings 
were planted out in rows in October, and the plants were fringed 
No. 509.—VoL. XX., Third Series. 
round with berries as close as they could hang, and appear to be 
much more prolific than the American varieties. Thanks to friends 
in England I am now growing all the best early, midseason, and 
late varieties cultivated in the mother country. 
The earliest Peach to ripen in Florida is the Peen-To, or Peen 
Tau, imported some years ago from Australia by Mr. Berkmans, a 
nurseryman in Georgia, and is now in almost all parts (except the 
extreme south) of the State. This is a flat Peach, like an Apple, 
very much flattened at the eye and stalk, and contains a small 
round seed slightly flattened at both ends, like the Peach itself. 
The flavour is very refreshing, is sweet, with a very slight trace of 
bitterness. It is said by some to be of Chinese origin, by others 
from Afghanistan, “ having been seen growing there by Aitchison.’^ 
Many seedlings of this Peach have been raised in this neighbour¬ 
hood, most of them being the ordinary Peach shape, and some of 
them are a great advance in quality, size, and flavour. Amongst 
them may be named BidweU’s Early, Kite’s Seedling, Yum Yum ^ 
Maggie, Dickerson, and The Waldo—the last not yet generally 
disseminated, and if it continues its present free-bearing character 
will be numerously planted. I have seen this week (first week in 
March) shoots 18 inches long, which are the growths of buds inserted 
into an old Peach tree last summer, now bearing twelve Peaches 
within a space of as many inches on the branch. The second 
Peach to ripen of a distinct race from the Peen Tau and its seed¬ 
lings is the Honey Peach, said to be from Japan. The fruit is of 
moderate size, highly coloured, with a curved suture at the point ; 
is very sweet, without any acid, and by many would be considered 
insipid. This Peach has evidently been used to hybridise the Peen 
Tau, and has resulted in the seedlings already named. To illu- - 
trate the precocity of Peaches here and their free-bearing character¬ 
istics I may just mention that it is a common practice with th's 
variety to plant Peach seeds in February, and in May the following 
year get a small crop of a dozen or twenty Peaches from tbe 
seedling tree. 
Following the strains of Peaches already named (Peen Tau and 
Honey) come Dickerson, ripening in June ; Onderdank, July ; 
Freestool, August ; and for canning and evaporating September 
Peach, Thomas Peach (October), the individual fruits of which 
frequently attain to a weight of 1 lb. ; November Peach, as well as 
other numerous varieties of less note, ripening every month from 
the middle of May to the end of November, the several varieties 
being planted in separate rows ■ 15 feet apart, and at the same 
distance from tree to tree in the row, according to their time of 
ripening. The earliest Peaches shipped, of course, realise the best 
prices. When the main crop is being sent to market a clear profit 
of 1 dollar per crate, containing one-third of a bushel of fruit, is as 
much as can be obtained after all expenses of picking, packing, 
crates, transportation and commission charges are deducted. As 
the trees are very prolific Peach growing pays even at the sum 
indicated, and as the rates of transportation are about to be 
reduced the growers will henceforth secure more money for their 
crops. 
There is a fine opening for gentlemen of capital to start a large 
plantation of two or three hundred acres of Florida native free¬ 
stone Peaches for preserving and evaporating. There are large 
tracts of land, formerly cotton plantations, but which have not 
been cultivated since the war between North and South. This 
ruined thousands of cotton planters in Florida, whose capital con¬ 
sisted sclely of land and slaves, and the Act of Emancipation left 
them without the means to work the land, which can now be 
bought from 10s. to £1 per acre. These places are, however, eight 
to twelve or fifteen miles from the railroads, which accounts for 
the low price of the land. The ground thus neglected has become 
covered with Pine saplings, and would require clearing again, but 
the cost would be infinitessimal in comparison to clearing the 
regular forest land. Peach trees can be bought for five cents to ten 
cents (from 22d. to 3d.) according to the variety, and as they are 
No. 2165,—VoL. LXXXII,, Old Series, 
