FLORIDA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
139 
there long uncultivated distances from one house to another. 
There is a small church and a school house, a railroad station 
and a postoflice, a store and the village inn. Conspicuous 
among the industrial enterprises is a canning factory, every 
producer bringing hither his surplus fruits and vegetables and 
having them canned, or the fruit made into marmalade, jellies^, 
jams, fruit juice and wine, and sold for the common good. It 
seems everywhere a community of homes. If there are none 
of great cost or elegance, neither are there any showing neg¬ 
lect or poverty. All vegetation is thrifty. The fruit trees 
are well grown and loaded with fruit. The lawns are green 
with verdure, and gay with flowers. The gardens are lull of 
growing and ripening vegetables. The fields are rich in prom¬ 
ise of good harvest. 
The traveler, perhaps even this body of skilled horticultu¬ 
rists, coming suddenly upon this vision of beauty and success¬ 
ful industry, is greatly astonished. The vast stretches of 
thirsty land on evt ry side are recalled. The ragged little pio¬ 
neer towns rise up to enforce the doubt. Abandoned houses 
and groves, and the wrecked hopes of unsuccessful venture, 
prompt the traveler to say: “Where am I ? Is this Florida?” 
Yes, this is the real Florida. Thus it is best to have from the 
first an irrigated settlement. This town of my fancy had its 
water put in before a lot was sold. Every lot averaging per¬ 
haps no more than five acres, and the whole aggregating a 
mile or more each way, had a water main brought to its 
boundary. The original cost of the plant w T as added to the 
cost of the land, and the purchase of the land carried with it 
a right to th»- perpetual delivery of water, a given quantity to 
each acre, subjected, however, to a perpetual annual charge 
upon each acre sold, for running expenses and renewal fund. 
When you remember the very low price of most unimproved 
land in this state, it will be seen that the cost of an irrigating 
plant divided among 600 or 1,000 acres, would not make the 
aggregate cost nearly so high as the speculators often put upon 
the bare land without water. The annual charge also would 
be almost nominal. 
I have supposed each owner to do the piping on his own 
premises. It is also necessary to suppose the management of 
this enterprise, its initiative and maintaining force, to be in a 
far-seeing and broad minded man or company, who would be 
content with a reasonable profit, who had sufficient capital, 
and great tact and good judgment. Such combinations are 
not so rare as is sometimes supposed. The chief difficulty is 
in interesting men of the right stamp. 
But I must not weary you with pictures or prophecies. I 
