FLORIDA.


St. John's River extends for many miles above, but is a


small, shall
description
where it w
region. Nc
tempt its na
distance ab
 Having
advantages


completed i
ments on
timber front
and clearin
up the surr
hundred fe


ow
-a
ider
)ne
vig
ove


stream, very narrow, and too crooked for
winding brook in a flat prairie-land, except
is out into one of the many lakes of that
but little steamers of lightest draught at-
ation, and even these can ascend but a short
Sanford.


carefully considered, as I have said, the many
which he believed existed there, the General
ts purchase, and at once commenced improve-
i grand scale, clearing off the dense growth of
Sa large acreage on the lake-front ; cutting out
g up a number of broad avenues; and opening
wounding country. He also built a fine pier, six
et long, in the lake; erected spacious store-


houses, and an extensive saw-mill and machine-shop-this
being one of the largest in the State ; surveyed and located
the present city of Sanford, deservedly bearing his name;
erected the elegant Sanford Hotel, standing in ample and


well-kept and
face laid out
shrubs; and
tion with the
 Everythin
thrives excee
grapes, and


neatly fenced grounds, its clean, grassy sur-
with walks and ornamented with flowers and
established a telegraphic line of communica-
outside world.
g, except the characteristically tropical fruits,
dingly well here, especially oranges, 'lemons,
garden-vegetables; also live-stock. The fa-


mous Speer grove of oranges is only one and a half mile
south of Sanford. It contains five hundred and fifty trees,
standing on a little less than six acres of land. The trees
are about thirty-five years old, and yield annually from four
to five hundred thousand oranges. Upward of six hundred
thousand have been gathered in specially favorable seasons.
The crop of the season of 1880-'81 was sold on the trees for
seventeen dollars per thousand, and netted the owner up-
ward of six thousand eight hundred dollars. An object of