274 FLORIDA.

strength, elasticity, and durability are desired, and are now
being largely used in ornamental and expensive structures.
Finished up in its natural grain for inside work, floors,
frames, pillars, arches, and roofs, it presents that substan-
tial as well as rich finish not attained with other material.
While there are many mills on the Atlantic and Gulf sides,
and a few on the railroad, which manufacture pine lumber,
as yet the consumption is small, and future supply is as-
sured for years. Recently some cedar mills have been built
which prepare the wood of size for pencils. Most of the
cedar, however, is shipped in the log, roughly hewed. Some
oak and hickory is shipped in rough-hewed sticks, but as
yet not much use is made of the hard woods. Lumber of
fair quality sells for from five to fifteen dollars per thou-
sand feet at the mill.
 VEGETABLE-GARDENING.-In other portions of the book
I have already cited a number of instances of the extraor-
dinary success attained in vegetable-gardening, and will
therefore content myself here with a few general state-
ments. In Middle and South Florida fresh vegetables may
be had during each and every month of the year, and there
is no portion of the United States where the ordinary gar-
den-vegetables produce so abundantly or attain such mar-
velous size. Recently, the raising of early vegetables for
the Northern markets has attained the dimensions of a lead-
ing industry-rivaling in magnitude and profitableness the
production of tropical fruits. Tomatoes, cucumbers, green
peas, egg-plants, strawberries, and the like, can readily be
placed upon Northern tables at a season when such vegeta-
bles have hardly begun to be planted in the New England
and Middle States; and the price obtained for them at
such times affords an almost incredible profit. Indeed,
comparing resultsfor a series of years, it is probable that
the vegetable-gardenerwill be able to show returns sur-
passing those of even the most successful orange-growers;