Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1880-05-07
Florida as a Place Of Abode.

Editors Vindic0tor.
Having just returned from an extended
tour of the Southern States and especially
of Florida, have thought it might be of
interest to some of our disseminated valley
citizens to have my views of it. Florida
deserves all that has been said Of it as a
land of flowers, land of beautiful lakes
and rivers, very fairy land of tropical
fruits. palms and plants, land of en-
chantment for pleasure travellers, and l
would advise any one, who has the money
and time to spare, to make a winter trip
to Florida. But for farmer to sell This
farm and move to Florida with view of
making his home and living there, would
he like eating bird for its fine singing;
it would be simply a question of time
when he would starve out.
The soil, it soil it Can be called-it would
be more proper to say the sand OF Florida
is without any exception the poorest l
have ever seen. and this Is saying great
deal, for I have Travelled through nearly
every State east of the Rocky Mountains
| and over great part Of Europe. Ordina-
| nv farming, such as as our people are ac-
customed to is simply impossible. Vege-
table gardening is necessarily limited for
you have to make the soil as you go by ad-
ditions of loan and manure. There is but
one source Of profitable production. that
IS, orang6 groves. These are really pro
ductive and profitable but it requires cap
ital, tin and skilled labor to have these
and the ground is pretty well occupied.
But new conner with capital OF $l5,-
600 or $40, 900 might buy bearing grove,
employ skilled labor and, if shrewd bus
mess man, may make it a success; and 1t
he has settled near village where he can
have school and church convenlences AND
the climate suits the health of himself and
family, such a man may like FLORIDA, but
nine-tenths of all who emlgrate there from
this country will regret it.
1t may be asked if the soil OF FlOrlGa
is SO sandy ard poor. how does it produce
such a luxurious growth OF trOacai trees
and flowers. 1t must be remembered that
there are many trorical.plants which will
flourish in sandy sol! that would not sprout
wheat or corn, and most OF this rlcn
growth is in swamps and along and in the
rivers here it is utterly unit for cultiva
ton A large part Of the upland is flat
piue barren, without any underground OF
shrubs, for the soil is too poor To produce
anything but the pine. There Is nue.
good land in Alabama in the market, but
it is so completely given up to the negro
| pOpuldGlOH Gudb Jul pcOpic Couiu hoo INV
there The lower Mississippi in Louisiana
is one of the richest countries in The world
but it requires fortuneto own Cane Oh
cotton farm there, and our people are com
pletely excluded from there by the mala
rious climate. In Texas | saw as tint
farm lands as can be found anywhere. bu
. there is a great scarcity OF water. ant
, other dra vbacks, which in my opinion
make it far inferior to the Valley OF Vii
giuia.
In short, advise any man who has ;
farm in the Valley, OF Piedmont Virgini
to think twice before he sells it to 60 else
where, and if he has got the Western 0
Southern fever, let him go first and Sc
the country he proposes to move to, and sta
at least Que month to study its advantage
and disadvantages. and if three-fourths Q
those who go do not come back bette
satisfied with the Valley of Virginia tina
l they ever were before, and thank me TO
; this advice, then my head is not level.
JAS. E. A. GIBBS.
Raphime, Va., april 20.