The Thomas A. Edison Papers Digital Edition

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Title

[N318005], Letter from Thomas Alva Edison to Eli Thompson, April 1886

Editor's Notes

instructions and drawing of plantings for Ft. Myers property -- Fort Myers, Fla., March–April, 1886]###Mr. Thompson—### It will require 280 lighter loads of muck to cover 8 acres 4 inches deep— Each lighter load 30?000 lbs or 8000 cart loads 1000 lbs Each—or about 1500 5 ton loads on wood brick### We shall want a Bannanaa Bed about 20 feet square. You can probably buy these. I noticed up by the wind mill on the Island up in the narrow channel of the Calahousehatchie, lots of banana bushes.b### Shall want about 1,000a pineapple. I believe there are two ways of planting: one of which is longer but surer sure, plant [--------]c thisd kind—b in garden across road.e <Ordered them of Montgomery from Key Largo—>### Set out towards woods two ponciana trees. It might be best in cases like this to set outa duplicates very close together at the end of a year if both should grow the poorest one can be cut down. This will insure having at least one.### I think we should have a lemon hedge inside fence towards woods. The lemons procurable here seem to be a poor variety—if you cannot procure the regular Italian Lemon shoots elsewhere or raise the slips yourself from seeds found in the lemon we have north then you will have to use the lemon and lime (the limes seem to be good) procurable here. <Use Lime altogether except few Lemon|Reg Sicily Lemon if you can>### I saw near Jacksonville some very fine pecan trees please see if you can propagate slips from the nuts procurable from the stores. Also, propiogate alsoa soft shell almonds, Brazil nuts, dDate palm from Dates procurable in stores, English walnut, Filberts,—### Procure some fig tree slips, and set out about g1/2g* dozen—put them out towards the old house as they are an ugly tree. I don’t know if there are any fig trees around here if not per[haps?]f you will have to get them from Jacksonville where there is a nursery— Major Evans will tell you about the nursery there and what you can get there.### As peaches grow in perfection down here, ascertain what period of the year when the season is not backward that the peaches ripe|if they ripen as early as April 25 or May 1st set them out. perhaps there is an early variety|g1/2g* trees will answer.### What time do grapes ripen here|if during our stay which will be hereafter from January 15 to May 1st—set some out### We want a strawberry patch about 20 by 100 of best early bearing strawberries— also about 25 current bushes, also a bed of Red and black Raspberries mixed— I think a [----]c a bed about 20 x 100 will do for both.###<l>###Wild coral plantg###Lavender Bushesh###4 Castor beans###5 Olives###5 Jamaca apple###5 Egg fruit ###about 10 mangos### " 10 alligator pears <House [------]>i###10 Sapidillos###2 Spanish gooseberry|Frierson had one tree last year ###4 paw paw trees|<landscape—>###6 pomegranate###2 mulberry native.###2 custard apple.###</l>###I think 10 as manyi orange trees of best variety will do us on the grounds as will go on end of the House plot will answerj as I propose to plant some across the road— plant a lot in garden in case we want to transplantb###g1/2g* doze Guavasa if they bear during our season if not one will do—b I think you better plant some peanuts so as to obtain about 3 busheTAEDl s for our use— <garden>###I wonder if plum pear & Siberian Crab will grow here if so put out couple of each— Landscapea###I will send you from NYork on my arrival several good books on floriculture and Horticulture etc. also as soon as possible Ship you a full catalogue of assortment of seeds and bulbs. I think about 1800 varieties— also wiàll send you a supply of good garden truck seeds, the later youa Can plant at such time as will insure us a good and regular supply for the table during out stay—###I propose to have 4 acres cleared across the road and a board fence put around it thus.### ph-1###The garden truck and propagating beds can be placed over here. you should set out plenty of Extra slips over there so in case of a failure on the River side lot of a shoot you can transplant###I suppose Cotton seed will sprout & grow in this part of the Country any time if so plant so we can see some while her say 10 or 15 hills—###I think perhaps the strawberry bed might go across the road—###You better use some of the space across road to Experiment on with different fertilizers—b###You are authorized to have 4about 4 acres cleared which I understand [a?] man who has charge of the place next to old house will do for $35 per acre###Now I want it perfectly cleara of everything Except the large trees, Even if it costs more— you are also authorized to build a board fence around the whole### ph-2###I shall send you Every kind of grass seed so you can experiment on small patches in the garden—###Also procure 4 cabbage palmetto about 8 feet from the ground to where the leafa rods come out|Set them out on grounds—### ph-3###8 feet|Lattice work complete from ground to top###I think###What I desire in the flower line is a few nice ones of Every variety that I can procure.###You should carefully study the books I send relating to the care and planting of the flowers.###I will send you about 1,000 yards of common print cloth which you can place around the more tender shoots when a freeze approaches|This cloth will prevent radiation|If run through boiled linseed oil & hung out until dry it will prevent radiation almost entirely—###Will also ship barrel of boiled oil—###We propose to have our ground the best manured in florida|Therefore you may order for the River grounds, 6a Ton of oil coke, two ton of phosphates, and two Ton of guano—and for the garden 4 ton of Oil Coke—2 ton phosphates and 4 ton of guano, providing the guano does not cost more than $50 per ton=###I think you should go back from the river & look for black muck fresh water muck. There are plenty of ponds back of Myers which appear to have black ground|You can hire a cart or use the lighter & yacht and get it up the river wheeling it to lighter by wheelbarrow and line of boards.###It evidently wants some fine decayed fibrous spongy matter like they are putting in the Coconut holes to hold the manure & prevent it going clear through to China — You can doubtlessly discover a good spot to get it which is accessable don't stint it but procure plenty of it— I want to Carry Everything to Extremed Excess down here|You will probably have to pay the owner of the ground for it.—###I think you better get some better shoots of Bamboo from Major Evans and plant them keeping them well manured and wateredb###If Cherry trees will grow put out 2 or 3. ox heart,a Red, etc###2—grapefruit trees### ph-4###Plant in garden about 20 ft square of tobacco= gardenb###4 Trees of Japanese plums in House plot—###g1/2g* dozen gooseberry bushes. House plot.###2 apricote trees|House plot.###2 persimmons "###2 Tamarind "###62 mulberry trees outside in street as shown on map###Any tropical fruits you hear of get shoots, if you can.###You###Among the Oranges get at least 2 Mandarin Oranàge trees.###2 Green gage plum in House plot###In garden set out a doublea row of sugar can 50 foot long—b###Plant in garden dozen hills of poor mans dish rag—it's a species of squash|plenty at St Augustine [FLORIDA].###Want twoa hives of [beese?]c bees over in gardenl for our flowers. You can purchase these about 2g1/2g* miles from Myers on the river road to Parkinsons or up the river above Parkinsons###Edison House### ph-5-6###<l> à###15 ton for Lighter Load—###25 lbs per square foot.###4300 tons.###280 Lighter Loads###</l>######

Supplied year and month

Author

Edison, Thomas Alva

Recipient

Thompson, Eli

Date

1886-04-00

Type

Letter

Subject

Agriculture

Folder ID

N318-F

Microfilm ID

43:144

Document ID

N318005

URL

https://edisondigital.rutgers.edu/document/N318005

Rights

Thomas Edison National Historical Park

Publisher

Thomas A. Edison Papers, School of Arts and Sciences, Rutgers University

Has Version

Archive.org Viewer, Microfilm Series Reel 43

Item sets

[N318-F] N-86-04-05 (1886)