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262 FLORIDA. *. Semi-Tropical Products. The following are extracts from an interesting letter addressed to the Department of Agriculture at Wash ington, by Henry S. Sanford, esq., in reply to a request for information in regard to his experiments in the cul tivation of semi-tropical fruits in Florida. It will be seen that Mr. Sanford looks confidently to the suc cess of his own enterprising efforts, and to the ultimate full and profitable development, under proper direction and enconragement, of the semi-trop ical anvantages and capabilities of Florida. He says: I have been engaged since 1869 in the culture of oranges, lemons, etc., on my grant in Orange County, on the upper St. Johns river. It took two years aud $30,000 expenditure to satisfy me that all land in Florida •was not fit tor orange culture; ori the contrary, that the land best adap ted to it was in comparatively limit ed quantity. While my original grove of 100 acres, “iSaiut Ger trude,” is not abandoned, but is con tinued, though less successfully, and with the advantage of more experi ence, I am having very great success on another, “ Belair,” of 125 acres, which is on high ground, with light, friable soil, and there I am testing a great variety of semi-tropical plants, with a view to their permanent in troduction into Florida. Your de partment has kindly aided me in this work by sending me the, past. Spring, many valuable plants which, under the eye of a skilled horticulturist, will have careful attention, and, I hope with useful results to the south. It is too early to give them now; next spring, however, I propose fur nishing a report in detail. I-am doing on a small scale what Congress should provide to have done extensively under the auspices of your department; and the coun try, especially the southern states, would reap a rich harvest in return. There are numerous products that we now import at a great cost which I am satisfied can be raised in the south with great profit, but the peo ple qleed to be authoritatively in-' formed what they can raise to ad vantage, aud the same facilities given them in the distribution of seeds, plants, etc., adapted to southern cul ture as are given in respect to north ern products. For the culture of the orange, Florida has greater advantages than any country I have visited, in soil, climate and market. Uulike to Italy and Sicily, where artificial irrigation is necessary throughout the Summer —for five months in fact —the Win ter is the dry season in Florida, while the copious Summer rains render ar tificial irrigation unnecessary. Its fruit, too is of superior quality and flavor,- and is destined not only to take the place of the imported orange in the vast markets of our own country, but will, doubtless, also be in demand for export to those coun tries now supplied by the inferior Mediterranean fruit. S??I have introduced from abroad a large number and in every attainable variety of the trees of the citrus fam ily, expecting to improve those worth preserving by culture in our superior soil. The cultivation of the orange in Florida, till lately, has been rude and confined mainly to seedlings ot hap-liazzard varieties, but as it is prosecuted on a larger scale for com merce, will be of choice and known varieties and distinct grades, and therefore, propagated by grafts or buds, securing quicker returns, and giving trees by their size and absence of thorns better adapted for commer cial purposes. With regard to the lemon, which is even more profitable than the orange, I think its culture for com merce, save in exceptional locations, can "be undertaken north of Ihe 29th parallel, as it is less hardy than the orange. My experience is, that the lemon grown from the seed is less fit for com merce, because, with its thicker rind, more subject to rapid decay than the hard, thin-skined Sicily lemon, so called, which we import from the Mediterranean, but that the same fruit can be produced from the ira- Sorted trees. These I have intro* uced largely, and am quite suocess full in propagating from them on the native orange “ sour stock,” so that I fee 1 quite assured that the lemon, as wcll*a3 the orange, can be raised in Florida, and doubtless will the profit is very large) sufficiently to supply our home market, whiflh now absorbs imported lemons by the hundred million. Pine apples do well in my region in Florida, and bid fair to become an important article of commerce. After cultivating a few with satisfactory., results, I am now extending that cul ture, have introduced many varieties from different countries - besides the West Indies, and have in culture some 10,000 plants;}' ’ With the banana I have not been successful. I imported largely of choice varieties, but found it difficult to acclimate them or protect them from our slight December frosts, and I have abandoned that culture. Some of my neighbors continue it, with varied success. It is not a [certain crop. The olive tree thrives well. I have a small grove of 50 trees, which will fruit next year, and I do not doubt this important and profitable culture can be as successfully prose cuted in Florida as in southern France and Italy. Care should be taken in selecting the variety best adapted for the soil and climate of the locality. Those planted from seed are next to worthless, save as stock for grafting. The vine does extremely well. I commenced with some of our native varieties, and a thousand or so of the Deleware and Concord vines gave ripe fruit the first week in June. But I have concluded to raise finer varieties, only cultivated under glass at the north, and expect next bpring to ship Black Hamburg and others of that class; to the northern mar kots* f The tea-plant does well with us. I have but few specimens, but enough to prove its adaptability lor our soil and climate, and I observe by a re ceut letter to the South Florida Journal (published at Sanford) that it was of excellent flavor, as the writer attested after drinking a cup at Belair, where it is in use. My experience with the coffee plant has not thus far been satisfac tory. I imported a few hundred, and Also received, a low specimens from your department, but they were not properly cared for, and I propose giving this important plant a fair trial and believe it will succeed. I observe in a local newspaper mention made of a family near Tampa that raised coffee for its own consump tion. ’ * *. . The esparto grass (stipa tenacissi ma), so largely imported from south ern Spain and Africa for paper man ufacture, I have tried qn a small scale, and do not doubt that this product, whose consumption is meas ured by the hundreds of thousand tons, can be successfully raised throughout the lower tier of south orn states. The costliness of the seed alone prevented my introducing it gratuitously and widely, as I have done the Eucalyptus. It is of slow development, but once started grows on luxuriously without culture for generations. That more valuable tree, the Eu calyptus, I introduced several years ago, and distributed to all applicants some 1,200 packages. It generally thrives well. In my locality its growth is amazing; trees in my place have gained 10 feet in height this yeai’.* My suggestion to you is that you recommend an appropriation by Congress of the means[necessary to forni 3 an establishment in Florida for the purpose of introducing such economic plants as are found to be suitable for culture m the south. There are a vast number of foreign semi-tropical products, drugs, gums, oils, etc., for which we pay large sums, which we can raise perfectly well ourselves; and again, I would wish to see something done to en courage immigration from southern Europe. We erred egregriously a few years ago in discouraging the Italians who commenced flocking to our shores, and who would be of more importance to the south in in troducing the culture of the vine and olive, and the other finer cultures of their country than the north Europe ans; and that culture should be made second only to cotton and sugar in importance and value among semi-tropical productions. The Florida Agriculturist.. The best advertising medium in the‘ State. "Try it. THE FLOBIDA AGRICULTURIST. Turkey Feathers. Those of us whflr were bred in the country in our early days, remember with what anxiety the careful house wife saved the turikeys wings for dus ters. They were hung under the mantel, and weie supposed to be very useful. Perhaps they were. But it seems there is no market for all kinds of turkey feathers, and we can do no better than to quote the suggestions of oh 3 who says that now that the season for turkeys is ap proaching, we woild advise our read ers to take carel of the feathers. Heretofore very ittle use has been made of turkey fe ithers, there being uo market for the n. Occasionally a wing would be sa r ed to make ajfan, and that was about all. But now quite a demand sprung up for them for making and- dusters, and when the feathers are well taken care of, a good pripe may be obtained for them. In having them care must be taken not to paok them in bags like goose featherß, bat the body, wing and tail feathers should be kept separate, and each kind packed in a box by itself. ..For tail and .wing feathers, the boxes should be ajittle wider than the feather is long, and the feathers laid in the box straight, care being taken that tho sides and ends of the feathers do not curl up, as that spoils the feathers for making dusters, and thereby injures the sale of them. In selecting the wing feath erSj leave out the third joint, or that part commonly used as a fan, as the leathers of that;part of the wing are useless for dusters. Body feathers should be kept as straight as possible, and also packed in boxes. The feath er buyers of the city will pay good prices for all turkey feathers saved according to the above instructions.— N. Y. Herald. A Novel Railway. - Mr. Jj'Hi Haden, ex-Enginecr-in- Chief of the Ottoman Government, says an Eastern exchange, is said to be the inventor elf anew kind of rail way, which was invented to meet the needs in the East for the cheap, speedy and effective means of trans porting men and munitions of war over a wild country, without the ne cessity of surveying, leveling and pass ng through, the ;preliminary stages of ordinary railway building. The new railway is a one-rail struct ure, and the line it represents re quires neither sleepers nor founda tions, the line running upon seven feet posts, 440 to the mile, the roll ing stock upon it being shaped like an inverted Y, designed upon the camel saddle. principle. The car raiges and engines fall from either side like the paniers on an animals’s back 1 , the wheels of the engines, trucks and Jcarraiges being horizon tal, and gripping on each side of the rail. The material of the new rail way is wholely ol timber, the posts of the fence which constitutes the road are firmly sunk into the grouqd. Its height rarely exceeds three feet, because it follows as nearly as possi ble the natural undulations of the country through which it passes, small hollows being graded out by varysng the height of the posts. The cars of the whole train form a continuous iron skeleton, on which the freight is carried in boxes con structed so as to be moveable with out breaking bulk. The seats are turned down when troops and bag gage are transported together, but turned up out ol the way when only freight is carried. The empty freight boxes are arranged to do duty as am bulances, palanquins, or pontoons. The engine which weighs only four tons and is of one hundred horse power, does not require weight to give it tractive capacity, and can con sequently, by means of its eight hori zontal grip-wheels, actually climb a bill-side (grade one in ten) with a load of one hundred tons. , STATE FAIR. Premium List. B.—FLORAL- H. E. Dotterer, Nassau County, Superintendent. Leopold Beugnet, Duval County, Assistant Superintendent. Judges. —\Y. B. Lipsay, AlaChUa Cos; Mrs. D. G. Ambfer, Duval County; Mrs. A. J. Cartis, Putnam County. OPEN TO ALL COMPETITORS. . 1. Best coll display of Pot P&uts diploma and, $2§.00 Second best . . . 15.00 2. Best display of Native Palms .... 10.00 3. Best dozen roses in pots and in bloom, distinct va rieties . . . • 3.00 4. Best six Begonias. • . 3.00 5. Best six Palms . . 3.00 6. Best six Pelargoniums, in . l bloom . . ; . h 3.00 7. Best six Geraniums in blootn . 3.00 8. Best six Coleii, distinct varieties. . . 3.00 0. Best six Cacti, distinct {species . . . • 3.00 10. Best six Camelias, in bloom . . . . 3.00 11. Best six Ornamental Fo liage Plants . . 3.00 12. Best six Ferns, distinct species .... 3.00 13. Best six Azaleas,in bloom 3.00 14. Best six Gloxineas . 3.00 15. Best Wardian Case. . 3.00 16. Best Hanging Basket, , . with plants . . . 3.00 17. Best Rustic Vase, with plants .... 3.00 18. Best specimen grafted Cactus . . . . 3.00 CUT FLOWERS. 19. Best twenty-four varie ties of Rose, cut blooms, one bloom of each varie ty . . . . . 5.00 20. Best twelve varieties of Rose cut blooms, one *bloom of each variety . 3.00 21. Best six varieties of Rose, cut blooms, one bloom of each variety . . . 2.00 22. Best six spikes of Tube Rose . 3.00 23. Best collection of annuals cut blooms . . . 3.00 24. Best collection of Peren nials, cut blooms . . 3.00 25. Best collection Verbenas cut blooms . . . 3.00 26. Best bunch Orange blos soins . - . , 3.00 27. Best Floral Design . 10 00 28. Best basket of Flowers. 5.00 29. Best bouquet for table. 5.00 30. Best bouquet for hand. 3.00 31. Best Bridal bouquet 421, 3.00 32. Best collection' i of Cut [Flowers, correctly named Note—No exhibit in'this depart ment will be allowed to,: enter into more |jtban gone Jcombination; or in any way compete for more than one premium. DEPARTMENT C. POT PLANTS OPEN TO AMATEURS ONLY. 1. JBest six Roses, in'pots ; £ and in bloom . . -8 5.00 2. Best three Begonias . . 3.00 3. Best three Geraniums in bloom . - * 3.00 4. Best three Petunias in bloom . • . 3.00 5. Best three Cacti. . • 3.00 6" Best three Ornamental Foliage Plants. 7 . 3.00 7. Best three Ferns, distinct species . . . . 3.00 8. Best three Gloxineas in bloom .... 3.00 9. Best three Azaleas in bloom . . 'lt ' 2.00 10. Best three Camelias in bloom .... 3.00 11. Best tnree Pelargoniums in b100m.... 3.00 12. Best three Cacti, distinct species .... 3.00 13. Best Hanging Basket with Plants . . . 3.00 14. Best Rustic Vase \vith Plants .... 3.00 Note—All the articles referred to above must have been in the posses sion ot the exhibitor for at least one month; and all exhibits, except Nos. 13 and 14, must be iu flower pots. Exhibits will not be received or staged unless this rule is complied with. JjJCUT FLOWERS —VICK’S PREMIUMS. James Vick, Florist and Seedsman, Rochester, N. Y., offers the following liberal premiums to amateurs only, who grow the flowers themselves for Jleasure alone: t 5. For best collection of Cut Flowers.... 820.00 16. Second best . . . 10.00 17. Third best . . . 5.00 18. Fourth best . Floral Chromo. 19. For the best Ornamental [Floral W ork, (either bou quet or Floral Ornament 5.00 These flowers are not to be made into bouquets, but prepared expressly to fhow the Wat collection. 20. Best twelve varieties of I- Rose, cut* blooms, 6ne bloom of each variety . 5.00 21. Best six varieties of Rose, cut blooms, one bloom of each variety . . . 3.00 22. Best three varieties of Rose, cut blooms, one bloom of each variety . 1.00 23. spikes of Tube Rose . * \ 2.00 24. Best collection of Annual !>lants, cut blooms, not ess than six species. 2.00 25. Best collection of Peren nial plants, cut blooms. -V not less than six Speoies. ■ 2.00 26. Restbunjch Orauge Flow era fJ| u . . . . 2.00 27. Best Collection of Wild Flowers i . . . 2.00 28. Best Floral Design. . 3.00 29. Best Basket of Flowers . 2.00 30. Best Bouquet % Table . 2.00 31. Best Bouquet for Hand . 2.00 32. Best Bridal Bouquet . 2.00 33. Best Collection of Native Grasses, ornamentally ar ranged, in Vase or other t wise .... 2.00 Note—All exhibits in this depart ment, under the head of Cut Flowers, with the exception of Nos. 27 and 33, must be grown by the exhibitor. Prizes will be withheld in every in stance, in which this rule is violated. The word “ amateur ” shall mean a person who cultivates pla flowers for pleasure and no award will be made in the Amateur List to any person who cultivates plants and flowers for sale. Note—No exhibit in this depart ment will be allowed to enter into more than one combination; or in any way compete for more than one premium. Recipe for Curing Meat. To one gallon of water, Take lbs. of salt. 4 lb. of sugar. 4 oz. saltpetre, i oz. potash. In this ratio the pickle can be in creased to any quantity desirgtt Let these be boiled together until all the dirt from the sugar rises to the top and is skimmed off. Then throw it into a tub to cool, and when cold, pour it over your beef and pork. The meat must be well covered with pickle, aud should not be put down for at least two days after killing, during which time it should be slight ly sprinkled with powdered saltpetre which remoyes all the surface blood, etc., leaving the meat fresh and clean. Some omit boiling the pickle and find it to answer well, though the opera tion of boiling purifies the pickle by throwing off the dirt always to be found in salt and sngar. If this reci pe is strictly followed, it will require only a single trial to prove its supe riority over the common,way or most ways of putting down meat, and will not soou be abandoned for any other. The meat is unsurpassed for sweet ness, delicacy and freshness of color. —Germantown Telegraph. —To the people of DeLaud, Volusia Cos and mankind in general, Greeting: When you visit Jacksonville don’t fail to call at the ’ Boss felloe Store ” of Deinary & Cos 85 west Bay street, ff ’ Consumption Cured. in old physican, retired from practice having had placed in his hands by an East India missionary the formula of a simple vegetable remedy for the speedy and per manent cure for Consumption, Bronchitis Catarrh, Asthma, and all Throat and Lung Affections, also a positive and radical cure for Nervous Debility aud all Nervous Com plaints, after having tested its wonderful curative powers in thousands of cases, has felt it his duty to make it known to his suffering fellows. Actuated b v this motive and a desire to relieve human suffering I will send free of charge to all who desire it, this recipe, with full direction for proper ing and using, in German. French, or Eng lish. Sent by mail by addressing with stamp,namingthispaper,W. W. Siikrar, 149 Powers’ Block Rochester, N. Y. Chew Jackson’s Best Sweet Navy Tobacco. —lf not convenient for you to visit the city; send yonr orders for boots and shoes to us and if goods are not perfectly satis factory they may be returned at our ex pense. Be particular to state size and style of shoes required aud we will make the prices to suit. Dema v A Cos. tf