Fayette County herald. [volume] (Washington [Washington Court House], Fayette County, O. [Ohio]) 1860-1???, 1876-05-11
Letter from FLORIDA
MANATEE, SOUTH FLA,
ADriI 10 1916

MANAIEE, COC1 L La,
April 19, 1876. /
Noah Huktll, Esq, Washington, Fayette
County, Ohio:
DEAR SIR: Yours of 26th ult. has just
been received. Being person of an
obliging disposition, 1 proceed at once to
reply, to answer your interrogatories.-
You first desire to know something more /
of the climate. We have not had cold
enough during the winter and spring to
blight the tenderest bud or blossom; our
tables have been constantly supplied with
new Irish and sweet potatoes, tomatoes,
cabbage, and s'garden truck generally.
Next, cattle, hogs, sheep and horses are
raised in great numbers, without care or
feeding. This County pays taxes on
300, 900 head of stock ard meat cattle
Per 100 head they are worth five or six
dollars each; selected milch cows, fifteen
and twenty dollars per COW and calf; best
cows give about four or five quarts; the
range is excellent, pasturage abundant,
but the stock is poor for milking qualities,
being the native long-horned Spanish
| breed. Good butter sells readily for forty
and fifty cents per pound, cheese, twenty
/
North. Persons owning good cattle, who
design coming here, would do well to
bring them, or few at any rate. Hogs
sell for five cents gross here; shipped to
Key West they bring twelve and fifteen
cents. | do not know what sheep are
! worth they do splendidly here, but the
variety is not of the best. Wheat is not
raised in any part of Florida. Best St.
Louis and Tennessee flour sells for So. 90
and SO 90 per bbl.; xxx for seven and
eight dollars. Corn is raised here by eV-
cry one, and sells readily for one dollar
and one dollar and twenty-five cents per
! bushel. Rice, oats, peas and potatoes
yield abundantly. The land is easily cul-
tivated, is perfectly mellow and friable
all the year, does not get sun-baked and
crusted as many have supposed it did who
have moved here from your state; we use
only one-horse shovel and turning plows,
and one man with a good horse can ''tend''
forty or fifty acres with good farming inn
plements. 1t costs about fifteen dollars
per acre to cut down, clear, grub and
fence the pine land. All the lands with
in two miles of the village have been taken
up, but there is still plenty vacant three
and four miles out. Since the Dublica-
ton of my letters in the Enquirer, several
have come here from your state, Iowa, Il
linois and Indiana; they came on the
strength of those letters to view the coun-
try for themselves. 1t is gratifying to be
able to state that they seem entirely salts
fled, and have taken up lands near us, and
are preparing to have their families move
out early in the fall, which is the best
time for persons from the north to move
here. You wish to know what improved
places are worth. | know of but two in
, this section that can be bought at any
price. There is one a mile south of us,
which contains about 40 acres, has good
number of young orange trees on it, but
no building. The land is of the best l
think; heard the owner say he would
take five hundred dollars cash. The 9th
: er place is eight miles from the village,
} has fine grove of several hurdred trees,
4 part in bearing; guaras, lemons, &C.,
rot by bushels under the trees. 1t is con-
sidered fine place and can be bought for
{ $500. Village building lots are worth
forty and seventy-fiYe dollars per acre,
and owners are careless about selling even
, at these figures. If immigration continues
: to increase as it has done in the last six
, months, the day is not far distant when
land owners will reap a rich harvest
I But as before stated there are still vacant
several bodies of good land. The old cit
! izens are pleased to see ''settlers'' moving
in, but all are opposed to seeing the
land taken up for speculation; we want
> all who come to have an e@uaI chance and
not to be driven off by high prices. You
seem anxious to know from whence l
came to Manatee. / am native Floridian
'sborn and raised''. in East Florida. My
> husband is Il Georgian by birth, but has
. lived in Florida since '53. Y YOu asked his
. address. 1t is ''Judge Edgar NJ. Graham .
: In connection with his law office he has
y recently opened an agency for the selec-
= = ton and entry of lands; he was induced
: to do so by the solicitations of numerous
/, correspondents who read his letters to the
% % SdcanRah Neeos and my letters to the En-
= olirer. gentleman who came last weeE
al A,s,
cost him thirty dollars; he came via. New
Orleans. | think I have now answered
e all of your questions, and trust the infor
l. nation given may prove satisfactory.
t. have received many letters from your sec
ton, all containing like questions. AS i
II is not in my power to reply separately t.
d each, you may, if you wish to do so, pub
d lish this letter for their benefit--Or suel
II portions of it as will be of interest to you
E neighbors. Should you do so, send me
N copy of the paper. Very respectfully,
n MRs. ADELINE j. GRAHAM.