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Front cover illustration: Mazdaznan 14, no. 8 (August 1915). Communal Societies Collection, Hamilton College

American Communal Societies Quarterly 
Volume 11 Number 2 Pages - 
4-2017 
Cover 
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American Communal
Societies Quarterly
A Publication of  Hamilton College Library
Vol. 11, no. 2                    April 2017
Richard W. Couper Press
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American Communal Societies Quarterly 
Volume 11 Number 1 Pages - 
January 2017 
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Front Matter

Reprint of an article published in the September 16, 1909, St. Cloud Tribune

Stewart, Ezra J.

American Communal Societies Quarterly 
Volume 11 Number 1 Pages 3-14 
January 2017 
Our Thriving Neighbors. A Shaker Elder Tells of the Success of His 
Colony Adjoining St. Cloud. 
Ezra J. Stewart 
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3OUR THRIVING NEIGHBORS. 
A Shaker Elder Tells of  the Success of  His Colony Adjoining 
St. Cloud. 
Editor St. Cloud Tribune: It was in the Autumn of  ’94  that the Board of  
Managers of  the United Society of  Shakers in New York State appointed 
three of  their most experienced, well tried trustees to go South and locate a 
colony site for the members of  that fraternity. Out of  a body of  4,000,000 
acres land sold by the State of  Florida to Hamilton Disston, of  Philadelphia, 
the Shakers, through their trustees, selected an estate of  several thousand 
acres situated in the far-famed Kissimmee Valley adjoining the new town 
of  St. Cloud, in Osceola County, a region abounding in large fresh water 
lakes. The greater number of  these lakes have been connected by means 
of  canals dug by the Disston Company in fulfillment of  their agreements. 
Thus, with the addition of  a small amount of  work, it will be possible for 
residents of  St. Cloud to sail this magnificent chain of  lakes for hundreds 
of  miles–as far south as the Gulf  of  Mexico and as far north as Jacksonville, 
on out into the Atlantic. 
Healthiest Spot in Florida. 
This locality, now famous as the healthiest spot in all Florida, has proved 
a veritable paradise for an all the-year-round place of  residence. The 
climate, altho as balmy as any found in more ‘tropical latitudes, possesses 
in addition the element of  change–a period of  cool weather each year 
sufficient to preserve health and strength. Situated at a moderate altitude, 
these densely timbered lands of  pine and oak offer a natural sanitarium 
for the world’s workers as well as a playground for tourists and people of  
wealth. 
During the Winter of  ’95 a company of  people from the Shaker village 
at Mount Lebanon, N.Y., arrived in Florida prepared to become pioneers 
in real earnest. The delightful Winter climate, total absence of  snow and 
St. Cloud Tribune, 1, no. 2 (September 16, 1909).
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4ice myriads of  delicately-tinted wild flowers half  hidden ’midst the tall 
Winter grasses, the ever-changing cloud effects seen only at their best in 
semi-tropical regions, together with a thousand other new and wonderful 
things native to Florida–all combined to weave a web of  enchantment 
around the new comers. 
The Shakers, however, are noted as a practical people who, in common 
with all bread winners, well know the futility of  trying to live on sunshine 
alone or even upon the transcendent natural beauties of  so fertile a domain 
as the Florida peninsula. 
Starting a Herd of  Cattle.
Realizing the fact that cattle raising had for years been a thriving industry 
in Osceola County, the land was fenced and a small bunch of  cattle 
installed as the nucleus of  a herd. The many lakes in this County afford 
excellent drinking water for cattle besides curtailing fencing expensees by 
many dollars. Altho Florida-bred cattle do not command so much per 
head in the market as those fed on clover and timothy and corn on our 
great Western farms, it must be remembered there is no extra expense 
attached to the care of  livestock in this climate during the Winter months. 
Native cattle practically care for themselves, altho frequent change of  
pastures more than compensates for the trouble involved. Two- and three 
year-old steers are sold to local buyers each year for shipment to Cuba and 
elsewhere, and for home consumption. Twice each year calves are marked 
and branded, and this work, if  supplemented by good fences, constitutes 
practically the entire expense of  raising beef  cattle in this section. 
Native cows when taken with first calf  and thoroughly milked often 
develop into excellent milch cows. In this connection it might not be out 
of  place to suggest the dairy business as a paying industry for newcomers 
who intend settling in the vicinity of  St. Cloud, an industry lacking 
development in a County which should abound in dairy products, lacking 
chiefly because attention has hithertofore been centered on beef  cattle.
Clearing Land and Cropping.
Attention was next directed to clearing and fencing land for cultivation, sand 
land which had to be cleared of  timber and undergrowth, muck land more 
easily prepared for plowing by removing grass and weeds. It was found, 
however, that in many respects sand land when well fertilized produced 
better results than muck, with some kinds of  fruits and vegetables.  
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5The Shaker pioneers soon had sufficient land cleared to plant a 
considerable acreage of  potatoes, both Irish and, sweet. These, properly 
fertilized and planted in right season, yielded in abundance and were 
marketed in surrounding towns.      
Cassava, a root rich in starch, also planted on sand land, yielded in 
great abundance, some roots being nine feet in length, altho commonly 
not more than from one to five feet long. Somewhat resembling the sweet 
potato in appearance, cassava is used principally as feed for milch cows, 
horses, and hogs. The colonists at first produced some fine tapioca and 
starch from this root for home use; it is said that a preparation similar to 
rubber is made from cassava. 
Good crops of  corn and velvet beans were grown for feed as well as 
beggarweed–a forage plant resembling alfalfa. Cow peas, some varieties of  
which are an excellent table pea, were grown in large quantities. 
Muck lands planted to sugar cane produced wonderfully after the soil 
became sweetened by exposure to air and sunlight with addition of  line. 
In the early days successful experiments were made in growing arrow root, 
peanuts and chufas, the latter a ground nut resembling peanuts without the 
shells, used for fattening hogs.         
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6Gardening All-the-Year-Round.   
From the beginning the Shaker colonists have been successful with garden 
truck in Florida, planted on a mixture of  muck and sand land. Eggplants, 
tomatoes and beans are unusually good crops, while Winter cabbage is as 
tender as cauliflower. Onion plants transplanted from cold frames make 
large onions; the Bermuda and Creole are the two best varieties for this 
section. Cucumbers, squash, pumpkins, watermelons and strawberries are 
staple garden products. Some seasons strawberries can be grown for table 
use six months continuously–from December to June. Blackberries and 
elderberries are heavy bearers in this latitude.    
Okra, a Southern vegetable used chiefly for flavoring soups, is found in 
most gardens in addition to the common vegetables such as beets, turnips, 
radish, corn, peas, lettuce, celery, etc. Jamaica sorrel, a thrifty shrub 
resembling somewhat the currant bush, grows a sour bud from which 
tempting sauce and jelly is made similar to that produced from cranberries. 
Spring gardening begins early here, some seasons in January or February, 
and it is quite true that our gardens can be made to produce some kind of  
vegetable every month in the year. Planting for Fall gardens commences 
in September. 
Semi-Tropical Fruits. 
When it comes to fruit raising it may be said without fear of  contradiction 
that Osceola County is capable of  becoming pre-eminent in the culture of  
semi-tropical fruits. For many years this County has been the acknowledged 
home of  citrus fruits–superior-flavored tangerines, oranges, grapefruit and 
lemons. 
The Shakers began soon after their arrival to set out pineapple plants, 
selecting the Smooth Cayenne, a fancy variety which produces the finest 
flavored, the most tender pineapples grown. At first experiments were 
made on low land, and, while it was found that such land produced fine 
large apples for a time, they gradually became inferior in size and quality. 
The pinery was then removed to high pine land (sand), where first-class 
results have been continuous. Of  course, the pineapple, being a tropical 
fruit, needs to be shaded in this latitude, and is protected by sheds of  three-
inch slats, making a half  shade. This arrangement affords protection from 
the sun similar to that obtained by wild pineapples grown underneath the 
giant trees of  South American forests. Shedded pineapples are admittedly 
of  finer flavor, more tender-meated than those grown out in the open. 
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8Florida peaches are a profitable crop, being ready for shipment much 
earlier than those grown farther north; those raised on sand are much 
superior to any produced on muck. Orchardists having the best success with 
peaches practice thinning the fruit by pulling off the greater part of  a crop, 
leaving the balance to attain a superior growth. Such peaches command 
the highest prices in early Northern markets, their fine appearance and 
good quality always being guaranteed by this system of  raising. 
Bananas. 
While the Shakers have given some attention to peach culture they have 
more recently been experimenting with bananas, and find this a fruit which 
offers fair returns for the labor and expense involved. 
As a fruit for table use it can hardly be surpassed. Our first experiment 
was in planting about one-fourth acre of  muck land, setting out 160-odd 
plants, eight feet apart each way. Being hardy these plants started growing 
immediately, and in 12 months the first bunch of  bananas appeared–rather 
prematurely. The plants by this time had attained a marvelous growth 
of  stock and foliage, reaching a hight of  some 18 or 20 feet, having five 
and six giant plants to each hill. During the twelfth month (January) the 
leaves were practically all killed by a slight frost; they immed1ately began 
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9unfolding again from the center of  the stock, and in two months were as 
luxuriant as ever. In 15 months from planting splendid bunches of  fruit 
were harvested, and have since then been yielding continuously. 
Hart’s Choice or Lady Finger banana is the variety best suited for 
this section, as it is hardy and of  superior flavor. Being a dwarf  variety, 
it does not produce so much fruit to the bunch as some larger kinds, but 
what is lacking in quantity is abundantly compensated for in quality, in 
the freshness of  home grown fruit as compared with that shipped from a 
distance. 
Guavas. 
Another fine fruit raised in South Florida is the Guava, of  incomparable 
flavor, resembling somewhat that of  the quince. Unlike quinces, however, 
guavas can be eaten raw; they are delicious when picked fresh from the 
bushes. Would he who has once partaken of  guava Jelly or of  guava butter 
or of  sauce made from this delectable fruit meekly return to the common 
things of  life? I reckon not. Some varieties of  guava grow wild in this State, 
there being an unusually large crop reported for this year. 
Other fruits grown in this section are the fig, pomegranate, lime, pear, 
loquat, and kumquat, the latter belonging to the citrus family. Grapes are 
said to thrive here; especially the Niagara and Scuppernong varieties, but 
as yet we await experienced and thrifty vineyardists to demonstrate the 
commercial possibilities of  grape growing in this County. 
It is, of  course, not to be expected that vineyardists and fruit growers 
generally will find no drawbacks in Florida, but is may be truly said that 
this State offers exceptional opportunities to those who would engage in 
fruit raising for Northern markets and for home consumption. 
Sugarcane Syrup. 
The old-fashioned method of  grinding sugarcane with the help of  a mule 
hitched to the end of  a long sweep has been in vogue throughout the South 
from time immemorial. The cane juice is then boiled in large iron kettles 
over pine-wood fires, necessitating constant attention to prevent such 
disasters as burning or boiling over. This system produces good new syrup; 
it, however, lacks in keeping quality on account of  the juice not being 
properly cleaned before boiling. 
A small syrup mill was early installed on the Shaker estate fitted out 
with modern appliances for producing cane syrup by steam. After being 
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thoroughly cleaned by an adequate process of  straining, the juice is pumped 
into galvanized boiling pans where it is cooked by steam coursing thru coils 
of  copper pipes. Syrup made in this manner is always in demand, as it has 
good staying properties in addition to being A No. I in quality–not given to 
blowing out the bung nor exploding on the pantry shelf. 
Red Ribbon cane is the kind mostly grown here, as it is hardy and a 
good producer. Green cane, the best variety for chewing purposes, makes 
the most delicately flavored syrup, altho on account of  being less hardy 
than other varieties, it is not raised in such quantities. A very prolific kind 
is the Japanese cane, a small stock which grows in large, tall clumps much 
like the Japanese bamboo. The syrup is light colored and highly prized by 
some on account of  its flavor. This cane is used much the same as sorghum 
for feeding cattle and hogs. 
We have produced some excellent sugar for household use, enough to 
demonstrate possibilities in that line, should our energies ever be turned in 
that direction. 
Altogether, sugarcane is one of  the surest crops in Florida, and 
profitable withall. 
Other Industries on the Shaker Farm. 
Among other industries pursued by the Shaker fraternity might be 
mentioned logging and the sawing of  lumber, the demand for which has 
always exceeded the supply. 
Fishing with seines at some seasons of  the year is attended with 
considerable profit, albeit an industry involving a large measure of  
uncertainty. The fitting out of  a fishing crew with seine, electric launch, 
boats, etc., involves “right smart” expense; it sometimes grates on one’s 
nerves to observe the obstinacy of  the finny tribe in their preference for 
deep waters. 
The locality adjoining St. Cloud is a paradise for Nimrod, the mighty 
hunter, for the patient angler, in fact for all who delight to commune with 
Nature in a land of  perpetual sunshine. 
Chickens and bees do well in Florida. Goldenrod, palmetto bloom, 
and orange blossom are the main sources of  honey supply. Other blossoms 
add their quota of  nectar almost continually, so that an apiary in this 
section continues to do business nearly the whole year thru. Moreover, it 
is not necessary to house bees during the Winter months in this climate. 
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Setting Out Shade Trees. 
Soon after locating in Florida we began casting about for suitable trees 
to plant in the door yards for shade and ornament. The stately long leaf  
pine, towering above every other tree in the forest, altho very beautiful, is, 
nevertheless, rather unsatisfactory for shade on lawns and about dwelling 
houses on account of  a proclivity for shedding its long, slender needles in 
all directions, and on account of  its too sparse foliage. 
Among the oaks it was found that the water-oak was most suitable 
for shade trees, having a dense foliage which retains its dark green color 
almost the entire year. Altho a deciduous tree, the oak in Florida renews its 
leaves almost imperceptibly, which fact adds greatly to its value for shade 
and ornamental use. 
The Texas umbrella, a tree having a splendid canopy of  fern-like, 
dark-green foliage, is very popular on account of  its beauty, as well as for 
the large amount of  shade which it affords during the Summer season. 
Chinaberry, mulberry, cypress, maple and cabbage palm each have their 
particular use about the home place. 
The lovely magnolia, while not primarily a shade tree, is everywhere in 
evidence throughout the South. Its green-and-russet foliage, its magnificent 
cream-colored blossoms heavily laden with perfume combine to make this 
majestic tree a valuable addition to one’s dooryard. 
The camphor tree, from which gum camphor is made, is easily grown 
in this latitude, as are also several varieties of  bamboo, some species of  
which attain a hight of  60 feet or more. These large, stately clumps of  
giant bamboo nodding their feathery foliage in the balmy, perfume-laden 
atmosphere seem to beckon the home seeker, the Winter tourist out of  the 
frozen North into a land where delightful climatic conditions obtain well 
nigh the whole year thru. 
Among a large variety of  garden shrubs and vines may be mentioned 
the pink and white oleander, single and double hibis cus, cape jasmine, 
honeysuckle, crape myrtle, and last, but not least, the yellow, purple and 
white allamanda, a hardy rapid growing vine said to be native to this 
peninsula. 
In conclusion it might be suggested that a country in which it is 
possible to work out of  doors almost every day in the year should not be 
rashly designated a pseudo-paradise; it is, in fact, the real thing, especially 
for those who enjoy living next to Nature, for those who would work in 
the open, as well as for that class who are in need of  physical and mental 
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recuperation. 
When the substantial saving in fuel and clothing is considered, when it 
is known that horses and livestock in general can be wintered in this climate 
with little or no expense compared with Northern latitudes, Florida begins 
to loom up as an economical place in which to live. 
Those who, like the writer of  this article, have summered and wintered 
in this section of  Florida for a number of  years can testify to its desirability 
as a permanent place of  residence. There are, indeed, many people of  
means in this State who formerly returned North Summers, but who, since 
learning of  the cool breezes from ocean and gulf  which Floridians enjoy 
during the Summer season, have concluded to reside here the whole year 
thru. 
EZRA J. STEWART. 
Shaker Colony, Ashton, Fla.  
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