The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1878-07-31

perfection-but, as 4 rule, having
neither inclinations nor opportunity
to see or know at what cost of both
money and labor such splendid re-
suits are attained; they, very natur-
ally, write only of what they have
seen; it follows that, when one has
obtained his knowledge of the country
from such sources principally, and
come here with the idea that rough
ing it while making grove, means
merely a sort of prolonged picnicing,
disappointment must ensue; it is
merely a question of time, and usu-
ally governed by the amount of
money the individual possesses.
| believe that Florida suffers from
the cause l have attempted to des-
cribe, more than all the other South
ern States. 1t is a common occur
renee for we'll informed men-in other
respects-to come here, and, after a
steamboat trip, long or short as
means may allow, with stop over
OF, at most, a week, at some point
they have read about land in imagin-
alton pictured as only lacking little
of their surplus talent and energy to
make of it an earthly Paradise) to
start back to their Northern or w est
ern home, utterly disguised, cursing
the country, all it contains and every
body that by any chance are connect
ed with 1t. Whose is the fault ?
What do such persons-and they are
exceedingly common, to be met on
every steamer and rail road train
bound north-know of this country?
We have drawbacks enough, all can
did settlers will freely admit the facts,
and specify them too, but by far the
annoying, yes, the most hurtfal are
the " experiences " of the one week
or one Ronth Florida settlers " |.
was borIf silid raised OH rocky New
Esglaud farm, AN @f& the Rehs9
ion hlxee out haS M been further
from Atha2.1 y OF, CITY but$1ya
,contra STteh e|nele Sam obliged me
.sssg1-s.77 7s.ss77;.s sss.si:; the.. Land of
see more of it, if / was so fortunate
as to be IN condition to do so when
the war was over. Circumstances
prevented my return until the Fall of
1870, and, coming with very limited
means, [ have experienced my full
share of the rough life and hard work
of the new settler in new country
but I would not return North to live
permanently, for all New England,
nor have I, since my first few months
here, ever thought of such q thing;
and this would, in substance, be the
statement of a great majority of all
Florida settlers from the North or
West, who have been here one year or
more. But I'm off the track; now to
return: The months of July, August
and September are the best months
if parties propose to take advantage
of the necessities Of their fellowmen;
those are the dullest of the dull
months, and everybody is " broke"
Many poor, industrious man is forced
to sell his grove, perhaps almost
at the productive point, because his
last dollar is gone, and it has become
impossible for him to continue the
struggle longer-be is obliged to take
the best price he can get, but he rarely
leaves the State; his experience has
taught him valuable lesson, and
making a new start bis next venture
is a success.
Bargains in this line, however, are
not common of late. Steam facilities
for placing our early vegetables in
markets North, especially here on the
East Coast, until last year entirely
dependent on schOoners, are now
good, and as there is no difficulty in
raising any kind of garden truck on
our rich hammock lands, and as they
bring good prices if marketed early,
the one great drawback to success OF
industrious settlers is removed
Another very great advantage parties
come here now have, is that OF being
able to buy such laud and only such
as they want, as little as they want.
Until quite recently 1t was very diff
cult and often impossible to buy five
or ten acres of hammock land, it being
owned and held in large bodies; bat
during the last few years hundreds OF
the old plantations have changed
hands, and many of the most valuable