BISCAYNE BAY,
DADE CO., FLORIDA,
Between the 25th and 26th Degrees of Latitude.
A COMPLETE
MANUAL
OF
INFORMATION CONCERNING THE CLIMATE,
SOIL, PRODUCTS, ETC., OF THE LANDS BORDERING ON
BISCAYNE BAY, IN FLORIDA.
ALBANY:
WEED, PARSONS AND COMPANY.
1876.
INTRODUCTION.
THE information contained in the following pages has beencarefully collected almost entirely by Mrs. JAMES E. WALKER, ofAlbany, N. Y. The facts stated are but a small portion of the largeamount of material in her possession. The compiler has endeavoredto give due credit to all by name whose statements are given, so thatnone may suppose he has either drawn upon the resources of hisimagination or appropriated the ideas and language of others as hisown.
HENRY E. PERRINE.
June, 1876.
In our northern States there are thousands of health and pleasureseekers who every fall eagerly hasten away from comfortable andluxurious homes to escape the rigors of approaching winter. Oflate years the current of travel has been constantly increasing, beingdirected more and more toward that portion of our country which,beyond dispute, can now claim to be more healthful and free fromdisease than any other section of the Union. The statistics furnishedby the Surgeon-General of the United States establish thisfact. He says: “The diseases which result from malaria are of amuch milder type in the Peninsula of Florida than in any other Statein the Union. These records show that the rates of deaths to thenumber of cases of remittent fever has been much less than amongthe troops serving in any other portions of the United States. Inthe middle division of the United States, the proportion is one deathto thirty-six cases; in the northern, one to fifty-two; in the southern,one to fifty-four; in Texas, one to seventy-eight; in California,one to one hundred and twenty-two; in New Mexico, one to onehundred and forty-eight; while in Florida, it is but one to twohundred and eighty-seven.” More will be said upon this subject- 4 -further on. The facts compiled in this little pamphlet with greatcare, are not intended alone for the benefit of the invalid and mereseeker of pleasure. They are to attract the attention of the largenumber of people who for many years have been struggling inthe various avenues of business, in our cities and large towns,men whose earnings, even if large in the aggregate, have been eachyear swallowed up by the increased cost of living in these later days.For those who would like a home in a more genial clime, wherethey can, by patient industry, within from two to six years, lay thesure foundation for a permanent income, where the expenses ofliving are not more than about one-fourth as great as in the north,these pages will surely be of interest and will repay them for the timeconsumed in their perusal. The peninsula of Florida extends abruptlyfrom the main land of the continent, in a direction a little eastof south. It is nearly 400 miles in length, and has an average widthof 130 miles. Its formation is peculiar. Every other peninsula inthe world owes its existence to a central mountain chain, whichaffords a stubborn resistance to the waves. Florida has no suchelevations, and mainly a loose, low, sandy soil. It has another peculiarit