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The Florida Agriculturist. A JOURNAL DEVOTED TO STATE INTERESTS. Vol. 1. Contents of this Number. •’a no aS—The Japan Plum— Loquat; The * •rwu Lake KciD ; Jacksonville Jottings. Page:s4—Mv Little Wile ami l. poetry: I lie Inwxie’s Party,poetry; Sanseript En tertains the Pastor: Love’s Young Dream; I’he Matrimonial Lottery; Subterranean Water Courses; Recipes, etc. Page 35—Atkekeoei; How to Dislodge tings; Water for Strawberries; Women as I'anners: Kain Gauges; Advertisements. Pnge :*}—Editorials; (.'imiinunivatioas; t.iKals, etc., etc. Page :>7—Flortdiaua; The Dreaded Tar smtnla; Market Report; Advertisements. 1 ’age !!8— Hints on Transplanting: Home <ources of Manure: Bees; Cotton Picker; Pea* as a Green Manure; Sand Pear vs. •►ranges; Save Your Soapsuds; How to apply Manure to Tree**; Roup Remedy; Legal Notices. Pgge St>—Across the Ocean; Adv’jnts. Page 40- Telegraphic; Adv'mts. THE JAPAN PLUM-loqua!, The Japan plum, Me*pifrts Japonioa is beginning to attract, much attention in Florida, both on account of its ex cellent fruit, and its licit; appearance ;ts a* ornamental tree. A person seeing one lor the first lime usually stops to gaze with adfmiratiou upon its symmetrical shape, its magnificent lunooolate leaves—often upward of a foot in length, of the deepest, darkest, green—and its sturdy curved branch es each tipped with <the lighter and more delicately tinted foliage of the neu growth. Most trees put on their flowi? robes in spring, and quickly take’them oft’again, but this, with the usual contrariness of everything anti podean, begins to bloom in Septem ber. and continues gay and fragrant for > nearly three months. 'l’he small JV* 7>v •. - ii .large racemes at the end of every r.wig and branch fill the air with a de liciocs perfume. IThe fruit, which yipens in March and April, a period when fresh fruits are scarce, is about the -size of pigeon’e egg, resembling : n -shape and color e yellow' crab ap ple, and grows in clusters of live to thirty like bunches of amber grapes- It w welting to the taste with a racy hlcn lung of sweet and sour, like the intermingling of a tart cherry with a juicy apple and contains from one to four.or five seeds. When first ripe it has (i-sharp acid and in this state might he best for culinary uses, but in a day ■.r two it becomes milder and more palatcaUe and if left upon the tree the vkiu slightly shrivels and becomes dry and perfectly sweet. This ten dency to shrivel and become mild and dry instead of decaying as soon as vine, as m usual with similar fruits, makes it capable of becring transpor tation to a distant market without in ju jy. If carefully gathered and kept ••not and dry it may lie preserved for -..everal week s in perfect condition. The Japan plum grow# wild on the mountain slojyo of central Asia. It ha- - been cultivated in /apan from time immemorial, and was brought into southern Europe at a very early period, indeed mention is trade of it by ancient Homan writers. It was first disseminated in the United Slates by (’oiumodorc Perry on his return from the Japan expedition. The fact t hat so excellent a fruit should have been so long known in Europe and yet so lately naturalized among us, should lead to perseverance in pro curing and testing other foreign trees and plants, as many may yet be found which will fiourish here and prove very desircablc and valuable. In lower Louisiana it is being quite ex tensively grown for the sake of its fruit, which is there held in high es- teem, out at present there are few bearing trees in Florida, and many native born Floridians have never tasted nor ever seen it. Others have tried hard to raise the trees, but with discouraging lack of success. The reason probably is that they have not planted in congenial soil. It appears not to do well on our high and dry sandy lands, such as are usually select ed for orange growing, neither is it roliable upon very low heavy ham mocks. In some cases it utterly re ftises to grow at all; in others, often flourishes for a time, it gradually be comes diseased, the leaves drop off, branches wither, the bark cracks and peels from the trunk and the tree finally dies out. The fruit also, if it bears any, is generally small, mis shaped and defective. But when planted in moist heavy pine land, this tree succeeds admirably, growing rap idly and producing large and regular crops of fine fruit. The experiment is worthy of trial whether a sufficiency of clay applied under and around a tree on dry sandy land would not remedy its natural defect. The much abused low flat wood spine lands, with dark compact subsoil, hardpan or stiff clay underneath seem perfect, lv congenial. In a favorable, locution this tree is said to attain a large size and to live many years, 'i’he only insect enemy that I have observed are the leaf rollers, which must be carefully picked from the young trees. These are worms w hich feed upon and roll themselves an in the j.w* l re tAav&iifaiTJCas am* j earth ing the growth. They also eat into the young fruit causing it to drop.— The tree is able to withstand a much greater degree of cold than the orange and on account of tbe beauty of its foliage, and the fragrance and long continuance of its bloom, Is often planted for ornament tar north of a latitude mild enough to perfect the fruit. While blooming it can endure considerable frost without injury to the incipient crop, but after the fruit is partly grown such an exposure is hazardous. For this reason,* in order to bo profitable, it needs a mild situ ation where there is little risk of hard frost in rrtid-winter or spring. For the same reason the late blooming ■sorts are the most certain, since be fore the fruit becomes large enough to sustain damage, the danger is nearly over. Fruit forming very early is also liable to destruction by the worms, that disappear os cold weather sets in. I have not as yet heard of any sys tematic attempts to improvo the J apan plum by originating, namiug and per. potuating by budding, varieties of an excellence above the average. Cer tain it is, however, that the product of some seedlings is far superior to that of others, and when horticultu rists turn their attention to its im provements as ardently ?.s they have other fruits, we may expect surprising results. I prefer the long stemmed kinds, for although they may not make such compact and showy clus ters, yet any unripe or imperfect ber ries arc more readily clipped ofl with out injuring the others. After attain ing the height of a foot or two, a tree becomes quite hardy, and with good culture will grow off very rapidly, but while very young it is delicate, requiring careful nursing and protec tion from the scorching sun. The soil about the roots should be kept moist, lightly mulched and frequently DeLand, Florida, Wednesday. June 12, 1878. stirred. Babbits ar6*i ftry fend of j brousing the leaves and nipping off the tops of the young plants which must be guarded against, as it seems to poison and often kill them j. e. the tree. To sum up, the Japan plum is really a delicious fruit,of rapid growth, early and abundant bearing, highly ornamental u a tree, and when it be comes more generally known, and has been improved in sbe and flavor by the intelhgena labor of horticultur. ists, it will undoubtedly, from its ex cellent carrying qualities become a notable article of export to Northern markets, where coming a it docs, the first of the spring fruits, it cannot fail to be particularly acceptable. E. 11. Hart Federal Point, June Ist, 1878. THE GREAT*LAKE REGION. L.VKK EUSTIS, NK VK PHNDRVVItIK. * OrangkCo., Fla.. Mai? 36.1878. > Col. C. CoDhi.vgt<S| \Yc con gratulate you on your fesuraption of t he editorial chair, and we arc greatly gratified to ?tnow that we are to have the Florida Agriculturist published once more and to be nnder \our edi torial charge. The fact is our great Peninsular State considetfngher rapid progress, her.advantageous geograph ical situation and superb climate, her great and varied resources and her vast interests involved, cannot do without a paper specially devoted to her agricultural and horticultural af fairs. it is true the Beir>t Tropical high reputation, replete with literary and bucolic excellence and well sus taining the industrial interests ol our State, it should be patronised by all able to do so; but there is a general demand for a iceekhf publication, a first class agricultural paper at a cheap rate—such we are glad to learn your paper is to be. I’he Great Lake Jlegiou during the past winter and spring has received comparatively few accessions to its population, but meantime our citizens have evinced unabated energy, for considerable progress hereabouts has been made in fruit culture (especially of the orange) aud general improve ments, and a sedulous care is almost universally manifested in the manage ment. of affair-, provident and antici patory of a bright future. Though our region is not at present becoming populous as last as we would deßire, we are patiently waiting for that better day coming when thousands will make happy homes among us and enjoy the fruitions of our favored land, but are deterred now from so doing from the stringency of the times. Withiu the last six or eight months it has been several times published that work was to be immediately com meuced lor the finishing of the Lake George and Lake Kustis railroad— these were but mere rumors; tbe directors of this company have now made arrangements on such a basis that we can soon confidently announce it as a real fact that in all probability the road will be finished during the present year. Having several weekly steamers regularly plying the Ockla waha and our lakes, we can well abide the time for the finishing of this rail road. And as the Apopka and Lake Dora canal company—naviga tion is already open into the latter— will very likely scon open navigation into Apopka, another link will have been forged in the grand chain of improvements, without mentioning others snre to follow, which will make the western portion of Change county, taken all in all, the most desirable in all South Florida. This we assert advisedly and disinterestedly and not in derogation to any other section, for ail have their advantageous as well as undesirable characteristics. Yet if an elevated country of extreme healthfulness, good lands, navigation conveniently accessible, railroad im provements certain in the near future, good society and unequalled climate are any attractions to the immigrant, he will surely find them here. In this connection we will call the attention of some good physician seek ing a location; here he will find a very fair opening, though as we say ours is a section of extreme salubri ousness, owing to the extensive range of his practice will compensate in some degree for his lack of patients in a more circumscribed territory. And any one desirous of engaging in the mercantile or saw mill business will find an excellent opportunity to do well here, as we are but meagrely supplied a- yet, with these conven iences. Kn pamsaut. we beg lo enter our demurrer against the people of the Santa Fe lake country in trying to rob or filch from us our well known title, in.presuming to call their’s the Great Lake Region. Now the truth is, firrg*. the numberfer- lakes y~*>. domain, there are “lake regitikS” all over the State; but this section of country has been known for yearn past by the distinction and proper appellation of the Great Lake Region, in contradistinction to all others. For our five large lakes, viz: Apopka, Dora, Fastis, Harris and Griffin, from their size (Apopka being next to Okeecholiee, the largest ia the State,) and almost immediate proximity and connections, their beauty and mag nificence, form a constellation incom parable with auy within, and with but lew out of our State. So we re spectfully request the Santa Feans to no longer persist in trying to “rob us of our good name.” This to some may seem a matter of small import, a mere quibble, but to the stranger and immigrant it might prove well worthy of consideration, Mr. Editor, we would be pleased to have an expression of your views, and that of some of your readers, in regard to Mr. L. W. Moore’s articles on the causes of rust of tbe orange, recently published. e. b. m. Jacksonville Jottings. May 23, 1878. Mis. t lon KINGTON, Dear Sir A copv of the ?i eio Florida Agricul turist, No. 1. came into ray hands yesterday, and it affords me pleasure, as a personal friend, and one who desires the prosperity of a sheet ad vocating the agricultural interests of the State, as you propose to do, to communicate, from time to time, to your columns, such thoughts as may come to me. At the time of the suspension of the old Agriculturist, 1 had been in the city, as anew comer from Massachusetts, only a few weeks, but long enough to be come thoroughly convinced that the paper filled a vacuum that its publica tion fully supplied, and ita temporary suspension was a loss which your valuable services will once again retrieve. So much for our introduc tion. Providence permitting, my present intentions are to raise my voice in New England, at times, daring the intervening four months, in behalf my adopted State—for a residence (xf seven months convinces me that it* climate cannot be equalled, either<ia this or in foreign countries. This is saying much, but it is the truth, m thousands will gratefully testify. Look, for instance, at the death rate of this growing city, for the last ft** months ending at date. When, ac cording to official reports, only fif teen (15) deaths occurred, and one half of this small number were non residents—cases of consumption - visitors from the North who came too late, as many do, to partake of the health-giving and life-extending balm y air which, on every breeze, is waft® and to them. Where is there a city with upwards of 12,000 inhabitants, to sa y nothing of the 4,000 or 5,000 visitor s who annually come to our hospitable borders, that can boast of a like rec ord V In the language of the late Speaker M. C. Kerr, House ot Rep resentatives at Washington, D 0., “ The State is fast becoming a vast sanitarian'., and hardly a family in the United States but what has a repre sentative within the limits ot Flor ida." But aside from this cheering rXM ■ with settlers who are improving her lands, and beautifying many a spot which heretofore appeared to be a barren deser'. Thanks to the spirit of enterprise on the part of Northern and Western men, who, in seeking a home in this comparatively new coun try, have, by energy, perseverance and brains, shown to the entire coun try what cau he done, either in orange culture, fruit and vegetable growing, or in building cities, even, within the short space of ten yoars. Capitalist® are also finding out that Florida baa productions which can be utilized, by their wealth, and eventually turn out immense revenues into the coffers of individuals and, through them, into the treasuries of the State and coun try. One production, alone, only, need be named in this connection, and that is the Palmetto. Already negotiations are going on by North ern manufacturers to convert the raw material into printing paper, in addi tion to the immense amount, now an nually consumed by its conversion into mattresses, etc. And who can estimate the benefits this production will bestow upon the world at large, with her millions of printed sheet* which are daily thrown broadcast, even to the four corners of the earth f Is there, then, any cause for despair, even though financial revolutions and political upheavings are going on throughout the country ? On the other hand, is there not everything to encourage the old residents and pioneers, with the constant accession of new comers to our growiug State, that is, at no distant day, determined to arise and shine, and take on anew departure, so to speak, which will, before anew century dawns, enable her to rank high with sister States ? We all have a work to perform, and to you, Mr. Editor, is given an im portant post of duty, and that “ suc cess'’ may be indeed “a duty’’ with you in your present undertaking, in the heartv wish of, Truly yonrs, __ W. W. W. " No. 5.