All  about,  except  where  a  clearing  had  been
made  for  the  proposed  orange-grove,  was  a  prime-
val forest.  The  plantation  itself  was  chiefly  what
is  known  in  Florida  as  a  "hammock."  The
smaller  trees  consisted  of  different  species  of  bay
and  magnolia,   interspersed  with  groves   of  wild


PRINCETON  91

sour  oranges.  The  fine-leafed  water-oaks  grew
everywhere.  Shading  all  these,  and  towering  high
above  them,  were  the  giant  live-oaks,  often  five  or
six  feet  through  near  the  ground,  and  with  spread-
ing limbs  extending  seventy-five  feet  on  either
side.  It  will  give  an  idea  of  the  size  of  these
trees  and  the  difficulty  in  felling  them  when  the
reader  learns  that  the  usual  method  of  clearing
the  land  was  to  girdle  them  near  the  ground,  let
them  die,  and  then  cut  down  the  smaller  ones,  the
huge  skeletons  of  the  live-oaks  standing  for  years
afterward.
In  many  places  in  Florida  there  were  at  this
time  extensive  groves  of  wild  oranges.  Univer-
sally they  flourished  beneath  the  shade,  and  were
protected  by  large  trees.  Frost  nor  sun  nor  wind
injured  them  in  such  situations,  and  they  bore
luxuriant  crops.  No  hint  seems  to  have  been
taken,  from  such  conditions,  by  the  fruit  grower.
The  ensuing  result  tells  its  own  story.
