Chapter XIII (2)

‘Heads of families,’ says our correspondent, ‘with “little to earn and many to keep,” with several sons growing up and having a desire to go abroad and see the world, will be glad to know that there are ways for providing for the olive branches other than sending them to Australia or Manitoba to earn merely nominal wages as farm-labourers. Until recently, the United States depended almost wholly upon the enterprise of foreigners for their supply of oranges; but, as if by an inspiration, the discovery has been made that they can, amongst the numerous other industries for which they are remarkable, grow their own oranges, and that, too, of better quality, both in size and flavour, than those which are imported. The great and unequalled facilities for cheap and rapid transportation have opened up nearly the whole of the peninsula of Florida to settlement; and what was only recently very correctly described as a vast expanse of swamps, lakes, and sluggish rivers, is now a vast system of drainage-canals and railways.

In Florida, four hundred pounds will buy forty acres of land, ten of which may be cleared, fenced, and planted with orange-trees. A house may be inexpensively erected at an average cost of ten pounds per room. The orange-tree will bear five years from the bud, or ten years from seed; but a man left in charge—say the son of the owner—would have no difficulty in supporting himself by the sale of small fruit, which, coming to perfection in the middle of winter, commands the best prices in the New York and other Northern markets. In ten years, oranges are handsomely remunerative, and the crop steadily increases in value with every succeeding year. For those who cannot wait so long, the lemon and lime may prove more attractive, as they bear much sooner. They are almost as profitable, though not quite so hardy.

The list of things which can be grown profitably in Florida is so long and various as to include such dissimilar articles as potatoes, cocoa-nuts, plantains, guavas, mangoes, tomatoes, pine-apples, pumpkins, water-melons—which frequently weigh a hundredweight—grape-fruit, citron, cotton, sugar, strawberries, coffee, tea, tobacco, mulberries, pears, quinces, apples, Scuppernong grapes, &c. The woods and forests which have been slumbering all these years are now alive with settlers, who are actively employed felling timber, clearing land, erecting fences, planting groves, building houses, and in numerous ways expending their energy on the improvement of the land. The old cry, “Go west,” has been changed to, “Go south;” and now thousands of families from the Northern States are there, having orange and lemon groves, with pretty cottages simply but comfortably furnished, situated on the banks of rivers and lakes.

For the man who is fond of outdoor exercise and has a taste for gardening, the life in Florida has a charm all its own, for fruit-growing is nothing but gardening on an extensive scale. The soil in Florida has the most unpromising appearance, looking like nothing so much as silver sand. Yet what a charm it possesses! Seeds put in this apparently hopeless material spring up almost immediately; and cabbages, lettuces, radishes, and turnips may be eaten three weeks from sowing in the middle of January. Fish of large size, from ten pounds upwards, abound in the rivers and lakes, and being easily caught, make a very welcome addition to the larder. Deer, wild turkeys, quail, and numerous other kinds of game have not yet learned to shun the haunts of men.

Extensive drainage-works have made available for settlement vast tracts of land which have probably been submerged for centuries, but which now, thanks to the remarkable system of drainage-canals, is as dry and firm and as healthy to live upon as the best land in the State. A pretty site judiciously chosen on the banks of a lake will eventually enormously enhance the value of the property when the surrounding country is settled up. The plan suggested for persons of small means is to take up forty acres. Having ten acres cleared and planted at once, the whole might be fenced in, and a comfortable house built in the middle of the allotment. The remaining thirty acres can be brought into cultivation by degrees, and in the meantime will serve to graze cattle and sheep, which, being turned into the grove at night, fertilise it in the most effectual and inexpensive manner.’

* * * * *

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.

Proof of the injurious effect of arsenic in domestic fabrics is found in the development of certain symptoms in the patient exposed to an arsenical fabric, followed by recovery on removal of the fabric in question. The occurrence of these circumstances in a sufficient number of cases leads to the conviction that the arsenical fabric was the cause of the malady. We act on similar proof with regard to sewer-gas; no one has ever absolutely seen the injurious action, but the fact of various diseases of a particular character frequently following a discharge of sewer-gas into a residence, has convinced medical men that the gas, or some germ contained in the gas, is the cause of illness, and that it is therefore desirable to exclude it from our homes.

As above stated, the same conclusion is arrived at, from the same line of argument, with regard to arsenic; and this proof alone would be sufficient. But with regard to arsenic, there are opportunities of observing what may be classed as experimental proofs, such as could not possibly occur in illness arising from sewer-gas. This further proof consists in the frequent alternate recurrence of illness and recovery—illness on exposure to, and recovery on removal from, arsenical surroundings, followed by final recovery on substitution of a non-arsenical fabric in place of that containing the poison.

Change of air is in all probability often credited with the benefits arising from removal from some unsanitary condition of residence, office, or workshop.

The effect on men employed in hanging or removing arsenical wall-papers is another proof of their injurious quality: men have frequently to leave their work unfinished, being too ill to continue under the poisonous influence.

Arsenic in domestic fabrics is so easily dispensed with, that there is no valid reason for the continued use of these poisonous colours. Several paper-stainers have for years conscientiously excluded all arsenical colours from their works, yet have still maintained their position in the open market, thus deciding the question both as to cost and quality of non-arsenical wall-papers. It is an interesting question to medical men and chemists, how it is that these minute quantities of arsenic, or of some combination of arsenic with other ingredients, when breathed, should be so injurious, when larger quantities can be taken into the stomach as a medicine with advantage. This question, however, is of no consequence to the patient. His course is simple enough: having found out the cause of illness, get rid of it, and be thankful it can be got rid of at so small a cost.

Arsenic also is found in the dust of rooms papered with arsenical papers, thus proving the presence of arsenic in the atmosphere.

Mr Galloway alludes to a curious and interesting fact, namely, that men can be employed on arsenical works, some without being affected at all, others suffering much less than might be expected. The same singular fact of the immunity of those constantly exposed to evil influences is illustrated in the case of men employed in cleansing sewers; they work continually in the very atmosphere of the sewers, but do not suffer from those diseases which arise from the escape of sewer-gas into houses. No one, however, in consequence of this fact, doubts the importance of good sanitary arrangements, notwithstanding that these involve a considerable outlay. The exclusion of arsenic, on the contrary, costs nothing, and, moreover, there is nothing to be gained by the admission of these poisonous colours into our houses. The simple antidote for arsenic in domestic fabrics is therefore—exclusion.

Those desiring to see further details, illustrative cases, and modes of testing for arsenic, will find them in the pamphlet _Our Domestic Poisons_ (Ridgway), or in the lecture under the same title, delivered at the International Health Exhibition, and published by the Executive Council. For more numerous cases of illness, especially in the families of medical men, see the Report of the Committee of the Medical Society of London.

WASHING BY STEAM.

It may interest many housewives to know that dirty clothes can be thoroughly and effectively washed by means of steam, with a much less expenditure of time and trouble than by the old way of boiling and rubbing. Anything that lessens the labour and discomfort of washing-day will be welcomed as a boon by every housewife. Numerous washing-machines have been before the public for many years, and have been used with more or less success, and we venture to describe one constructed on this principle which has given satisfaction to ourselves. The chief merits of the Steam-washers made by Fletcher of Warrington, and Fingland, Leeds, &c. are—rubbing and boiling of clothes are done away with, and with their method, no servant or housewife need spend more than three hours over a fair fortnight’s washing. Fingland’s Washer (Morton’s patent) consists of a fluted copper cylinder, made to revolve in a strong polished copper case or box. Into the cistern-shaped box, water is put to a depth of three inches, then caused to boil by means of a gas-fire below. The construction of the Washer is based upon the fact of the expansion of the water into steam. The water is continually throwing off a large quantity of steam, which forces its way through all parts of the clothes in the cylinder, and in so doing slackens and carries away the dirt. The articles, duly soaked in water overnight, are put into the cylinder; a few finely cut pieces of soap are laid between each layer; then the lids of cylinder and box are closed, and the handle is turned once or twice. It now stands until the water is boiling, when the handle may be slowly turned for ten or fifteen minutes, reversing the motion occasionally. The steam having permeated the clothes in the cylinder, they may be taken out and rinsed first in cold, and afterwards in blued cold water. The water in the cistern needs to be changed every fourth or fifth boiling. Prints, flannels, and woollens require slightly different treatment. The clothes come out pure and clean after rinsing, and an ordinary washing can be accomplished in one-third of the usual time, and at less expense. Attachment with an india-rubber tube to an ordinary gas-pipe will usually give sufficient gas; but sometimes it is better to have a thicker pipe than usual with a special connection.

PARTING WORDS.

Although my early dream is o’er,
I ask no parting token;
Nor would I clasp thy hand before
My last farewell is spoken.
How coldly fair, thy thrice-false face
Dawns on my sad awaking;
No anguish there mine eyes can trace,
Though this fond heart is breaking.

Be as thou wert before we met;
Heave not one sigh, but leave me;
Those studied looks, that feigned regret,
Can nevermore deceive me.
The faltering tones that mock me so,
Betray the fears that move thee;
Cease to degrade thy manhood.—Go!
I scorn thee while I love thee.

Shall I forget the rapturous hours
Of my too radiant morning—
The hand that culled the dewy flowers
My girlish brow adorning?
Ah, no! for she who scorns thee now,
Will miss its dear caresses;
And sorrow to remember how
It decks another’s tresses.

Alas! this tortured soul of mine,
Though by thy treason riven,
Can never cast thee from its shrine
Unwept, or unforgiven.
Nay, I, when youth and hope depart,
The mournful willow wearing,
Must still deplore that shallow heart
That was not worth the sharing.

And have I sold my peace for this?
Or am I only dreaming?
To wake beneath thy thrilling kiss
From this most cruel seeming.
Oh, bid my fainting heart rejoice;
One word would make it stronger;
Then wherefore mute, thou magic voice?
Say, am I loved no longer?

The world thou hast deceived so long
May smile on thee to-morrow;
While I alone must bear the wrong,
The bitterness and sorrow!
O cruel world! O world unjust!
That passes by unheeding,
Where love betrayed and blasted trust
Low in the dust lies bleeding!

Go thou thy way; deceive it still!
(Its praise is false and hollow);
Ascend to fortune’s loftiest hill,
No ban of mine shall follow.
The memory of these days will be
To me a life’s regretting.
Most faithless lover! what to thee?—
Only an hour’s coquetting.

Shame, shame! to look, to breathe, to live,
To mock my loving madness!
The thought alone that I forgive,
Should fill thy soul with sadness.
No wonder heaven should strike thee blind,
To see me bowed before thee;
Most shameless wretch of all mankind
How, how could I adore thee?

In haste to go! Oh, cruel one!
Stay, stay, a moment only!
How shall I face, when thou art gone,
The world, so vast, so lonely?
Thy words are like my passing knell:
Ah me, and must we sever?
Forget that I have loved thee well—
Adieu! adieu for ever!

* * * * *

Printed and Published by W. & R. CHAMBERS, 47 Paternoster Row, LONDON, and 339 High Street, EDINBURGH.

* * * * *

_All Rights Reserved._

* * * * *

[Transcriber’s note—the following changes have been made to this text.

Page 799: arsensic to arsenic—“testing for arsenic”.]