Another correspondent has favoured us with the following notes:
‘Upon landing at New York City in the beginning of April of the present year, the weather was particularly disagreeable—cold, rainy, and sleety, and I was only too glad to leave the inclement North for the bright sunny South.
On the morning after landing at New York, I took my ticket for Jacksonville, Florida, and on the journey, stopped a few hours at Washington, and also spent a night at Savannah, Georgia; reaching Florida, the land of flowers, romance, and orange groves, in three days from the time of leaving New York.
Florida was first discovered by Sebastian Cabot in 1497, and after various vicissitudes in its history, became one of the United States in 1845. It is gratifying to know that the undoubted advantages and attractions of this country are becoming better known, and more and more appreciated, by all classes both in the United States and England. A great amount of English capital and English energy is now being attracted to Florida, which is a country offering inducements to the capitalist, sport to the sportsman, novel and romantic scenery to the tourist, health to the invalid, and very considerable advantages to the intelligent emigrant. The area of Florida comprises sixty thousand square miles; and the soil is adapted to an infinite variety of products, such, for instance, as corn, oats, rice, beans, peas, potatoes, turnips, cabbages, strawberries, tomatoes, melons, cucumbers, oranges, lemons, limes, peaches, figs, &c.; and in South Florida, cocoa-nuts, pine-apples, bananas, and other fruits and vegetables too numerous to mention. The climate is charming. In winter, the thermometer seldom goes below thirty degrees, or in summer above ninety; and although the State is the most southern of the United States, hot nights or oppressive days are comparatively rare. This is accounted for by its peculiar position, shape, and surroundings. The constant breezes, either from the Atlantic Ocean or the Gulf of Mexico, purify the atmosphere, and render the Floridian climate enjoyable the whole year; and I may add, that after a four years’ residence in the State, I know of no disease that is indigenous or prevalent.
Jacksonville is situated on the grand St John’s River, and is the largest and most important city in Florida. It has a population of over twenty thousand, and will ere long take rank with Savannah or Charleston in commercial importance. This is the point at which all Northern visitors enter the State, and from which they radiate in search of health, work, or sport. Here there are fine buildings, shops, churches, schools, and about one hundred and fifty boarding-houses and hotels, the latter being filled during the winter months with invalids, principally consumptives.
The most absorbing question of interest to the greatest number now, however, is the great money-making business of orange-growing, which is peculiarly adapted to the Florida soil and climate. Since I first visited the State (in 1873), this industry has gone far beyond the commercially experimental stage, and I have been an eye-witness to its undoubted success. It is particularly interesting and instructive to travel over districts now, and observe bearing orange groves, the owners of which are securing handsome incomes, where ten years ago not a tree was planted. In Orange County, many emigrants who first went to Florida for their health, have improved sufficiently to earn their living and raise an orange grove in addition. Many of them took up one hundred and sixty acres of land under the Homestead Law, and selling off portions of it to later comers, have realised enough money to cultivate the balance retained. Others, who knew a trade, worked part of their time for their neighbours, and spent their unemployed hours in planting an orange-tree here or there for themselves, until they finally had a five or ten acre grove, of sixty trees to the acre, which when bearing would give them an annual income of from three hundred to one thousand pounds. Owing to recent railway and shipping facilities, a man nowadays may—if his land is well selected—grow early vegetables, &c., without interfering with his orange-trees, and ship them north to Baltimore, Philadelphia, or New York, and realise profit sufficient to enable him to pay his expenses whilst his grove is coming into bearing; for it must be borne in mind that the Floridians can grow any vegetable in winter which the Northerners grow in summer; and the Northern people are quite willing to pay a high price for such luxuries as peas, tomatoes, or strawberries at Christmas.
These are some of the attractions Florida holds out to the man who has industry, perseverance, and ordinary intelligence.’
ARSENIC IN DOMESTIC FABRICS.
Chronic poisoning by arsenic in domestic fabrics is without doubt an important subject, affecting the public to such an extent as to render attention to the question essential. Serious illness frequently arises from this cause, in some cases even attended by fatal results. A very general effect is a lowered condition of the system, such as to render the individual more susceptible to the attacks of other diseases. Action has been taken by the Medical Society of London, the Society of Arts, and the National Health Society, on the question of the prohibition of arsenic in articles manufactured for domestic use, such as wall-papers, dyed furniture materials, paint, distemper, &c. The fact is remarkable, that although this question has been thus brought prominently before the public, those supposed to be interested in the sale and use of arsenic have hitherto maintained a judicious silence, manufacturers abandoning the use of arsenical colours to a very large extent, instead of defending it. This silence has, however, now been broken by Mr Galloway, M.R.I.A., who deals with the question from a chemical point of view, describing his own special mode of manufacturing emerald green in an article in the Journal of Science. Mr Galloway asks: ‘Has it ever been conclusively proved that persons who inhabit rooms stained with emerald green suffer from arsenical poisoning?’ Notwithstanding the fact that Mr Galloway leaves the question unanswered, as though it were unanswerable, the reply shall now be given—though in certain quarters it is still doubted—that it has been proved, and that by the careful observation of medical men of eminence in all parts of the country.