I •3i9 O6G2 ;--#■ V \3\ni^^ w Floridia; ^e l» *Yat. a- In iije Uniov^j QraiTk^G Tat-it nrPHLET Embraces a Description of the Climate, Soil, Health and Productions of the Entire State. Containing condensed Praclical Information for those who desire to make FLORIDA A PERMANENT HOME, BY DR. W. GANO. Published by ORAXGE PARK CO., JACKSOXVILLK, FLA. SUN JOB ROOMS. ORANGE PARK. While other parts of the State of Florida are widely advertised and described by a number of writers, little has been said of the iiuinediate vicinity of Jacksonville, on the west bank of the St. Johns river, extending from this city to Green C'ove Springs, 26 miles south. On going up the river, on the west side, just aliove Mulberry Grove, you will see the letters " O. P." on a large sign on the margin of the river. This designates the northern boundary of Orange Park, and the same letters, four and a half miles further up, denote the southern Ixnindary, while in the centre of the tract, near the wharf, is the largest sign in the United States, being 200 feet long and 15 feet high. Its surface is covered with ten letters of such a size that tourists can easily see, for miles, the location of Orange Park, which is already known as " The town with the big sign." The old Floridians know this as the " Col. Mcintosh Planta- tion.". Its original owner was Zachariah Kingsley, to whom it was granted by Spain in the year 1790. He selected this when he had, at that time, the whole St. Johns river front to choose from. In 1884, it passed into the hands of Col. Mcintosh, and from its great fertility, it soon became the largest and richest plan- tation in the State. It required over 500 slaves to work it, and was truly a princely home, while from its immense size, it wa.s a little kingdom of itself. This section contains the best lands in Clay county, and Is the most accessible and easily cultivated. The reason, in a measure, that it has been so lonu' overlooked, has arisen from the tiict that none of it has ever been offered for sale in small qiiantitieB, a* from the suburbs of Jacksonville to Green Cove Springs, the en- tire distance, the land was owned by five parties, therefore no at- tention has been drawn to it. The underbrush and vines, extend- ing quite down to the water, made it appear from the river, as being low and marshy, but this is not so ; the land now shows its bold bluff, in some places, 30 feet high, and continues a gradual elevation, until in a good portion of it, the height above the river is 70 feet. This elevation is attained only in the Orange Park tract. In all of its immense acreage there is no swamp or over- flowed lands to breed malaria. Until lately, it was impossible to purchase a small homestead on any part of it, but the bringing into the market of Orange Park, containing 9000 Acres of excellent land, will induce many to settle near the city of Jack- sonville who would otherwise have to go far away, and yet not be able to procure the advantages here offered. The Orange Park land commences eleven miles, by water, from Jacksonville, and extends up the river four and a half miles. Doctor's Lake, a beautiful sheet of water, connected with the St. Johns river, cuts it in two, the greater portion of the land being on the north ^de. Along the whole extent of river and lake front, the land rises boldly from the water, which has a clear, white, sandy beach. There is no marsh or muck along the river front, and a belt of woods, consisting of oaks, magnolias, bay, gum, &c., QKtends 'along the entire front. Three thousand acres of the land were formerly cultivated. Some of it has now grown up into small trees, which are easily extracted ; an expenditure of about $5 per acre wall make it ready for the plow. The soil is rich and easy to cultivate. There are no obnoxious weeds of any kind to be seen, but the wild plum grows luxuriantly, and the size of the fig trees, loaded with fruit, on the old home- stead, are an evidence of its adaptability for fruit culture. If any other evidence is wanted, a visit to the property of Mr. A. M. Reed, who owns and resides on the adjoining place, will convince the most skeptical that fruit of every kind can be successfully eulti- vated on the ivest as tvell as on the east side of the river. See Flori- da Agriculturist of April 28th, on the subject. Mr. Reed has oranges, lemons, grape-fruit, limes, peaches, apri- cots, plums, nmlberries, &c., in great profusion, and none show the effects of the severe cold of last winter, while on many places east of the river, serious injury was done to the young trees. • A Fine Medicinal Roaring Spring, slightly impregnated with white sulphur, gushes out of the ground on Orange Park land, near Doctor's Lake. This spring has a dis- charge of 2,000 gallons per minutq, with a temperature of 72 de- grees, and having a fall of 15 feet to the lake, is of great value to the property. It is situated in a beautiful (Jry thicket basin, at the base of a bluff 15 feet high. It boils and roars like a great seething caldron, throwing up from its subterranean depths this .immense stream of warm, white sulphur water. The annexed analysis will show the proportions of its medicinal qualities, and as it is brought into use, both for drinking and bathing, it must become one of the most attractive spots on the St. Johns, both for the pleasure seeker and the invalid, especially those who wish to spend some time in the pine woods, as this spring is situated on the edge of a five mile tract of these pines. One gallon United States measure contains 7.5091 grains. Total quantity of salts consisting of Chloride of Sodium 1.0858 grains. Sulphate of Soda 0.3843 " Bicarbonate of Soda 0.3223 " Bicarbonate of Magnesia 0.5063 " Bicarbonate of Lime 4.4713 " Bicarbonate of Iron 0.1647 " Alumina 0.0427 " Silica 0.5307 " Organic Matter trace. The thriving town of Mandarin, opposite Orange Park, is the abode of a number of wealthy Northern people. Land there has been sold at the following prices this winter : One piece, contain- ing 21 acres, having 80 feet fronting on the river, with a few bear- ing orange trees, sold for $6,700. Another tract, 1 2 acres, with 10 young bearing trees, brought $3,000. 2\ acres unimproved wild land, $850. 4f acres, partly cleared land, $1,950. Among the advantages of Orange Park, a.s the location of a home, are : 1st. Its proximity to Jacksonville, the metropolis of Florida, giving at all times a market for farm and garden products, and furnishing supplies at a reasonable rate. 2d. The excellent water communication with all places on the St. Johns river and the North, the ocean steamers passing the place and landing at the wharf which has been built for that pur- pose, and is the largest and best ever built on the river. 3d. The healthfulness of the situation free from malaria of any kind. 4th. The excellence of the land, the richness of the soil, and the facilities for getting fiertilizers. 5th. The fisheries on Doctor's Lake, which being exempt from the disturbance of steamers and traffic, serves as a breeding place and also a refuge, AA'here fish of all sorts congregate. 6th. Its proximity to good schools and churches. 7th. Being in Clay County, just over the line from Duval, the Taxes are Much Lower than in Duval, of which Jacksonville is the county seat. The making of a road from Jacksonville to Orange Park and Doctor's Lake, skirting the banks of the river, will give a land communication, which will add greatly to the attractions of Orange Park as a place of residence, as the town will soon commence set- tling up. This will necessitate the employment of many mechan- ics and laborers, making the place an excellent one for that class of settlers, while the magnificent river fronts offer to the gentle- man of taste and refinement the most charming natural advan- tages to develop a beautiful winter home. In fact, within the boundaries of this 9,000 acre tract, with its variety of land and situation, there are homes for all classes of people, and no one visiting Florida should decide on a location until they have looked over this extensive property, and seen that the statements made in this little pamphlet can be fully verified. Health. The most important question to be settled in regard to Florida by those who are looking with interest to her rapid settlement, is this: "Can peJ>oi)s make this State their home and maintain the same degree of liealth they have enjoyed at the North ?" We answer plainly and unhesitatingly, "Yes." There is not a healthier State in the Union than Florida. United States Surgeon Gen- eral Lawson reports that the statistics of his bureau show that the malarial diseases are of a much milder type in Florida than in any other vState in the Union ; perhaps from the fact that the air of the peninsula is purified by the genial breezes of the Atlantic ocean on the east, and the Gulf of Mexico on the west. The ratio of deaths from remittent fever shows that there is one death in 36 cases in the Middle States, one to 52 in the Northern, one to 54 in the Southern, one to 78 in Texas, one to 122 in California, one to 148 in New Mexico, and but one to 287 in Florida. Strange as it seems, Florida is the healthiest State in the Union, if figures and statistics don't lie. I have recently seen statistics of the annual death rates of the several States of the Union, and I find there is one death each year in about each 250 inhabitants of New York State, while in Florida there is only one in every 1,400 of its inhabitants. Florida in all the statistics heads the list of healthy States. We jcnow it is the impression all through the North that it retjuires one or two years to become acclimated to the South, but such is not the case in this State, although it is the only part of the South to which it is safe to come during any month of the year without fear of malarial fever, or the almost inevitable chills and fever. The climate is entirely different from that of any other State. It is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf, with 1,247 miles of sea coast, and the wonderful Gulf Stream flowing along the eastern shore for 300 miles within from 6 to 30 miles of the coast. The trade winds of the tropics are tempered by this inmiense «tream and blow soft, without their natural fierce heat across the peninsula. The average tenq^erature for the entire year is 67, rarely going above 90, and as seldom below 43 degrees. The intensity of heat experienced at the North during the brief summers there is not known here. The residents of Florida who went North to visit the Centennial all unite in saying they suffered exceedingly during the heated term, and were rejoiced to return home, where it was 8 comparatively cool and comfortable. During the middle of the day it is sometimes very warm in the sun, but there is ahvays so much of a breeze that in the shade one is not uncomtbrtable, and the nights are always cool, it bein(ji necesmnj to he covered with a hlanhet every night of the year. How juany of the inhabitants of New York and Philadelphia, last summer, when tlie pavements did not cool during the entire night, would have been glad to enjoy our cool saline breezes ? They could easily then credit our statement that our summers are even more delightful than our winters. A Siiustroke was Never Known in Florida, or a case of hydrophobia, as a rabid dog has never been seen. Neither do we have the fogs and dark, gloomy weather tliat surrounds London and the most of England, as well as nearly all other countries encircled by the sea. At the equinoxes, especially the autumnal, the rains fall heavily nearly every day, usually be- tween the houi's of 11 and 4, but the sun shines out almost imme- diately, never sulking behind the clouds, but breaking out and chasing the clouds away, as smiles drive away the tears on a child's face. During nearly the entire year there is a daily sea breeze, which commences at from 9 to 12 and lasts all day, either from the ocean or the Gulf, Florida being situated between them, and so narrow, they fan the whole peninsula. In fact, on summer evenings, one can sometimes scarcely sit on the verandas on the west bank of the river without wraps, it is so cool and the breeze so strong. There are sometimes as many as 30 days without a cloud, and the average number of sunny days in the year is 250. As for tlie winters, snow is never known in the State, and vege- tation continues during the entire year. The delicate plants of the West Indies are usually preserved through the winter. There have been winters Avith quite severe frosts, of which the past was one, during the month of December, when for 6 successive days the thermometer was down below 32, going as low as 26, but such is the life-giving power of this climate that vegetation was speedily in its former state, rallying at once, and now no traces of frost can be seen. It has been supposed by many that Florida is one vast hot-bed of malaria and fevers, but this is a mistaken idea entirely. This impression has arisen probably from the Everglades of the ex- treme southern portion of the State, which are, in fact, a large praii-ie overflowed with clear water. Wherever any malaria exists it is drawn towards the sun as it rises in the morning, and for that reason it is much healthier on the tvest bank of the river. This is probably the reason that all the old plantations were on the west side of the St. Johns. It is much more pleasant to have the sun rise over the water in the morning and the front of tlie house shaded in the afternoon. An east front is the most desirable all over the country, especially on the river. Most of the lands are high, dry and more healthy than any other state in the Union. To corroborate this statement see the reports of the U. 8. Surgeon Gen'l for the past 40 years in regard to the health of troops stationed here. These troops are composed of Northern me)i, and have been stationed all over the State at the different forts, and the mortality list has been lighter than companies of same number stationed in other garrisons of the United States. Wm. Stark says that during a stay of 20 months in East Flor- ida the monthly reports of the 9th regiment show that not one death occurred from natural causes, and that regiment was at several different forts during that time. During last summer and the unusually sickly season at the North, there were only twenty deaths in Jacksonville (a city of 12,000 inhabitants at this season of the year) for sixty days. Five of those were accidental. The health of the native inhabitants is proverbial, many persons are seen here over 90 years of age. In looking over the mortality lists we find the chief causes of death to be old age and consump- tion, the latter being an exotic, as it is not known among residents here, but so many consumptives come here in the last stages and they must die. A Pernianent Residence in Florida will save the lives of nearly all wIkj are predisposed to consumption. About one-half the inhabitants of Florida have come here since the war from every State in the Union, and all unite in saying they never enjoyed such health before as in this delightfid climate, where they can live out of doors almost all the entire year, breathing the 10 soft, balmy air, laden witli re.'^inous odors i'roin the pine fbrest»,.. which gives health to disea-^sed lungs and strengthens weak piil- inouary organs, which have been sadly depleted by many loajg winters at the North, where one is compelled to breathe furnace- heated air so much of the time, but here eoery day in the year ?«v, tu/i breathe the air «••< (/iven us by nature. That makes Floiids* a sanitarium. The most important feature in connection witi* Orange Park is its peculiarly healthy location. It has sllways- l)een regarded so. (See Mrs. .Stowe's letter in this bo(jk on lasS page.) Most of the land is 2() feet above the river, and as it goes back,,, instead of cypress swamps and saw-grass marshes, it rises mt»> high, tertile, pine land, varying in height from 30 to 70 feet al>ova the river. Aside from the little brooks running through, there is ac& an acre of land unfit for cultivation on the whole 9,000 acre tract- In fact, so confident ai-e we that Northerners can maintain tbeu" usual health through the entire year by locating at Orange Pai'k^, that if it were })racticable we would be willing to guarantee it tc* them. At anv rate we coidtl safely agree to furnish them fi-ee ail the medicines required for the treatment of any local disease cois- tracted d\iring the first year, if the following rules are carefully observed : 1st. Although you can get as good water here as anywhere ii&-, Florida by means of wells, yet in nearly every Southern State we should insist on the exclusive use of cidern imter for all drinking; and cooking purposes. 2d. Your house* must be built so that the sun's i-ays will fall upon them the entire day. It will keep them dry and avoid damp- ness. There is so much health in the sun. Better have the shade by broad verandas and what fruit tree» will grow around your house, than be subject to the contiuiiaS' dampness which attends the large moss-laden forest trees during the summer months. 3d. Do not expose yourselves by sitting out in the sunnner eve- nings in the dew, which is so heavy here. Either be under the cover 4jf the veranda or else in the house, and if the evenings are sonse- what cool have a little fire at sundown, even if you have to opew the windows and doors. These rules, strictly followed, with eating good, nourl'jhiMg- 11 food, you will find will insure you a degree of health you never knew it was your lot to possess, especially if you have been sub- jected to the sudden changes of the Northern and Middle Statesi. This Climate is Especially Adapted to Old People. As they grow older, their blood becomes thinner, and they are more sensitive to the intense rigor of the northern wintei's each year. Also, any who have impaired circulation, will find that spending their win- ters in this life-giving, health-restoring elimate, will prolong their lives, no doubt, for many years. There are hundreds of our lead- ing citizens, now in the State, who came here years ago, clinging- to their " last hope " that Florida might save them. They found that hope realized under our genial clime, and have since devoted themselves to developing the country. Indeed, nearly all the de- velopinent Florida has had so far, has been at the hands of this ela«!S of people, who were driven here to save their lives, a.s no other spot in America promised them even a month's lease of life. The Hon. Michael C. Kerr, late Speaker of the House of Repre- sentatives, made the following reply to a Member from this State, who sought his assistance in obtaining some harbor appropriation : " For Florida ! yes, I will do what I can to assist her for this rea- son: There is not a family in America but has some viember in if whose life would be saved, or, at least, prolonged by living within her borders; really the whole peninsula is a vast sanitarium." Those who are afflicted with any pulmonary complaints, catarrh, rheumatism, neuralgia, and nervous debility, should make Florida their home. These are facts plainly stated. We could get letters from thousands, that would till four or five books like this, corroborating these statements and attesting to the truthful- ness of these suggestions. It is often said, if Florida had no other attractions, her climate, when it is fully known, would make her a grand success. As one evidence of her present as well as prospective success, we will call attention to the fact that this is the only State in the Union where real estate has not depreciated in value during the pa.st three years. Instead of depreciating, the price of land has been steadily ad- vancing ; in some places it has doubled within four years, and is still on the increase. Assuredly, a great and noble future awaits this beautiful growing State, whose broad acres offer homes to the 12 multitude, aud whose balmy air Ls waiting to give new life to the thousands who are vainly struggling to regain their health under the rigors of a northern climate. Orange Culture. This fascinating branch of industry is still in its infancy in Florida. It has been, so far, mostly a series of experiments, con- ducted principally by a class of men who came here for their health, being driven away from the northern clime to seek the balmy air of this, "the only Florida." The beauty of the grow- ing crop, the prolific yield, and the increasing demand for the fruit, at largely remunerative prices, has attracted the attention of most of the new comers, and this has awakened the old settlers to a realizing sense of the advantage and value of an orange grove. The remark is often made, that orange growing W'ill be overdone and will soon prove disastrous to those who are so largely invest- ing in these lands, but we have this fact before us, that nearly every State in the Union produces apples, and has constantly in- creased the production for the past fifty years, and the country has never yet been overstocked ; in fact, orchards are being planted now with as much prospect of remuneration as there was thirty years ago. In view of this fact, with the limited amount of land in Florida adapted to orange culture, and the ever increasing de- mand for Florida oranges, it does not seem probable that the busi- ness of orange growing can be overdone, in this one State. The more these oranges are known, the greater will be the demand for them, and when this rich, ripe and delicious fruit can take the place of the tasteless, insipid Mediterranean oranges, (that are picked half ripe, and change color in transit, without maturing,) and can be sold on the street corners at the North, at 40 cents per doKen, the demand will be tenfo/d what it is to-day. And as to prices, experienced growers tell us, if they can get $1 per hundred, they do not want a better jjaying crop or a surer one, They have brought $3 and $4 per hundred this year. ' It is estimated that 100 full bearing trees will pay interest on $20,000. For the past two winters, there has been an European demand for this fruit that will continually increase, for the reason that • 13- Florida Produce.s the Best Oranges in tlie World, they having a peculiar viclmess aud flavor not found in any other fruit. Also, tha«e orange.s mature at a season when there is no other fruit to come in competition with it on either continent. This crop is peculiarly a(hipted to successful cultivation on ac- count of giving nearly five months in which to market it, while other fruit crops have to be gathered at maturity. The past winter has demonstrated to orange growers \vhat they never fully knew before, that the orange can stand a lower degree of cold iu Florida and live, than in any other country in the world ; also, that nature has adapted the whole of this peninsula, from Feruaudina south, on both sides of the river, to the growing of this fruit. . It is now apparent that the t< belt, the mp, during the winter months, remains in the rjoots and the cold is not so likely to injure the tree as in the more southern sections, where the sap being up in the tree, renders it more active and liable to injury from the frost. This is no theory ; the past winter has made it a fact. It has also fully shown that there have been two mistaken notions in this State in regard to orange culture. First, there is no " frost line " in Florida. Second, water protection is, to a great extent, an imaginary idea. The groves south of Orange 'Lake and east of the St. Johns, suffered more than some groves on the west side, which had the best now known protection — a heavy belt of woods on the north and west. Any cold that is severe enough to hurt the orange, cannot be averted by any water surftice in Florida ; they are not broad enough. AVith these facts in view, the atten- tion of parties starting orange groves now, is directed to sections near the marketable centres of the State, ivhere they can easily dispose of their agricultural ptroducts irhile their groves are being developed. Also, the lands that will grow bountifully all the large variety of crops Florida only can produce, are rapidly be- ing sought after, as parties that have located on the light sandy soil that so much of this State is covered with, are now realizing that " man cannot live on oranges alone." Orange Park is situated nearly in the centre of this belt, and ha^, among its several thousand acres, some of the .14 Bent T>and in Florida for Orange Growing. In order to cultivate the orange profitably, the grove must he located on land that ivill groiv supplies for both, house and stable. In placing this tract before the public, we can fully verify all that is said about its fertility by responsible parties, who knew its richness as a sugar plantation. Every acre is adapted to orange culture, small fruits, vegetables and field crops, including sugar- cane, tobacco, &c. The most of the extensive river and lake frontage, 7] miles, is a fine shell hammock extending one mile back. Adjoining this is heavy pine land with rich, dark soil, hav- ing a clay and marl foundation. Almost the entire tract is from 10 to 70 feet above the liver. These lands are best adapted for orange culture. Many a grove now planted in the State is going to prove a failure, from one of three reasons : It is on too poor light, »andy soil, or is on lands that are too low and wet, so that when the tap j-oot runs to water the trees will stop growing, or else they are on laud with a hard-pan foundation, which tlie roots cannot penetrate, hence they are stunted for nourishment. The growing of this crop is not all poetry, it has many stern realities in its successful development, but there is not another tree known that is so susceptible to care and cultivation and that shows swoh results for a little attention. Fine thrifty trees that are well taken care of have very few enemies, (the neglected groves are the ones attacked by scale insect, die-back, &c.,) and they are easily overcome. We have not space in this little pamphlet to go into the different plans for starting orange groves. Thei'e are a number of these books that give full directions in the matter. (Bee Fowler on Orange Culture.) We have ah-eady set out 3,500 ^lees at Orange Park, and purchasers of lots on the river will have one acre of five year old sweet trees growing on them. This is tlie only tract we know of on the St Johns where parties who wLsh to start grovas can have them looked after and the best attention given to the wants of each grove. There is no surer real estate investment in America than a judiciously selected location for a home on the banks of the St. Johns River, and to grow the most beautiful fruit ever 15 ^ven to man by a bountiful Creator. See the language of Mr. J.. 11. Fowler, of Port Orange : " Of all the fruits we unhe?etually green foliage, besprinkled with snow-white blossoms of sweetest perfumes, or aAlorued with luscious fruit, whose color is shared only with the Mttost precious of metals and reflected from the sun-kissed rain drop. Called forth from her native forests in the East, this queen eoaies forth in the glory of the morning sun to open and adorn a tlay of horticulture, more brilliant than any fabled golden age of the past." We could fill tin's painphlet with instances of partie>s who are wiaking this enterprise a success in connection with other crops, and groves that have l)een planted but a few years and (.mly cost their owners a few hundred dollars, cannot be bought now for ie.-w than as many tlu)usands. Thus showing it is not only a pleasure but very profitable to cultivate the orange t^\ithfnlly. We will mention one or two instances. Mr. P. P. Bishop, of ^n Mateo, has charge of a grove owned by two widow ladies at the North. They bought 12 acres, and the present estimate Is that 4 years from the day the axe was first put in it the grove will be worth $20,000, while the aggregate cost, including purchase riioney, was only $8,000, Col. Dancy estimates the j)rofits from his grove last year at $20 per tree. Mrs. Stowe's brought her $15 per tree. We will sell the land and plant orange groves at the following prices, taking 5 acres of our lowest priced lands a.s a ijasis of estimate, larger areas somewhat lower in proportion : Five acres pine orange laud, S20 per acre §100.00 Fencing same 80.00 Clearing land and plowing, S80 per acre 180.00 Two drive wells ior watering, $15 oO.OO Two hundred and fifty sour stumps, 2 to 4 inches in ili- a meter, or 4 year >A<\ <\seex ^ecllii 250.00 $590.00 We Avill also take charge of groves, for parties desiring it, on the following terjns : We will give the trees proper cultivation an