The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1872-02-22
For the Virgin;an.
hfELLoNsvILLE, ORANGE Co., FLA.
February 10th 1872.

| Mr.. EDITOR: Having noticed quite an excite
ment in your Virginia press in regard to emmi-
grants leaving the old Dominion for our semltro~
pical Florida and other parts, and being urged
by some of your former ci izens to write you a
letter upon this subject, is my apology for intrud
ing upon your time now. | too agree cordially
with you when you say Va, is great State and
good enoughif your citizens will stare fate in the
face, and move on with their accustomed energy
and patience, and doubtless.with frugal habits a
competency may be obtained. But afterhaving Wis
tied your noble old State, and the other States of
the late Confederaey where the African race have
SO far been advance politically, that they have
forgotten their duty to employers, l cannot
Withhold the advantage Of south FLORIDA over any
portion of the United States, where tho negro is
used as a laborer, and comparing the net pro-
ceeds with the amount of labor, in Va, it appear
| ed to me that your wheat, corn and tobacco crops
are the staple crops and if good aborer melted
$3.50 per annum your landholders seemed salts
fed. We do not produce either, wheat or corn
in quantity yet we have all the eorn grown we
want, and are willing to buy our bread as to
tobacco we can excel in quantity and quality.
Mr.. Henry Overstreet of this county this year
raised, upon acres of pine land, 1000 lbs of a
No. sugar, 400 gallons of syrup, and made 8
bhs OF Orange preserves, on ordinary pine land
originally made fertile by native nanures Or
anges will become our principal export
there are bat few bearing groves, but one acre
will produce from SO trees SO, 900 Oranges, which
sell readily at &c each or $1,0o0.00 per acre at
the tree and one hand can cultivate and gather
10 scres These trees yield at 10 years old 1000
at IL years 1900, at - years 1900, at ID from g.,
600 to 5000, and by proper care and cultivation
will hold to average yield OF 3,00e oranges for
100 years. There are several banana and pine ap~
pie groves in Orange county, but are not GER
tain crop. Tobacco and Long Cotton are, certain
a,,d n,,r law If doc
Hammock,-the best for sugar, first rate pine
lands and second rate pine lands, these are best
for tropical fruits
We are building this county up rapidly, years
ago there were but mparatively few settlements
which have increased from Is to 1700 and '.still
they ceme.'' Fsoai Va, we have the Randolphs
AMI Dickensons, and your worthy citizen of Staun-
ton, DR.. A. B. Arthur, is setting beautiful Or
angc grove on most beautiful lake, and will in
few years excel most of us, owing to land and 10
cation. His energetic and reliable agent, NJ
Champ Stumbbeield, is now on the ground and
means aoork. The Turner's, Caldwels Russes
Boons, Areys, McMillans, Maltsbys and others
OF N. c. The Whitmers, Harlers, Chares, Wood
niffs, Kidney and others from South Carolina.
Marks, Bruces, Reefs and others of Ga, in fact
every Southern State is represented in our little
colony of 1900 families, and our members are be
ing augmented weekly. And for the 8 years that
your correspondent has lived here there has been
but little sickness, and not one death in the whole
colony, save two infant children. Gen Lauton,
Ex-Surgeon General, states that we have the
shealthiest State in the union and our experience
holds him truthful to the statement. This is
hard country to begin in, but once begun there is
no place on earth where the comforts and the en-
joyments Of life are more thoroughly presented
We can have gardens the year round. and fish
and game to go with them, and any man who
will arrive at Melonsyille, with $500 for himself
and the same for each member of his family
can by proper care in few years, become indie.
pendent. We are offering great inducements in
lands. will select and obtain 100 acres of as
good land as any wants for the culture Of
sugar and tropical fruits, and enter the same. and
procure his Homestead title for 500; will survey
post and define fully his lines, and if you have
any good Southern men, men who are not carpet
baggers, scallawags, politicians, bounty Jumpers
landsharks deserts, or hypocrits, no matter where
they now live, so they come to help US build up
the prettiest, healthiest county, of the best eli
mate, send them along, it will be good for them
and won't hurt old Va, as she is strong in her
weakness. God bless Her. ALAHA.