The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1880-04-24

few days ago. from trip to the st.
Johns River, the other side of our coun-
ty. The distance from here is from
twenty-five to thirty miles to Orange
City, which was my destination. Our
conveyance for the journey was cart
The motive power was a large grey horse.
which had been christened i'll his colt
hood Bonaparte," but the name had
been shortened first to EBONY and now
he is yclcpt Bones" lie was strong
and vigorous, which you will perceive
was very fortunate for us bipeds in the
cart for all his strength and vigor was
required
TO PULL Us THROUGH.
We started west in the early morning
and arrived at our destination little
before sunset. 1t was impossible to 90
faster than 4 walk. Three miles an hour
was the swittcst speed we could attain,
and for miles of the way we could only
attain to two miles per hour. Much of
the way we could not tell whether we
were in the road or not. save that the
trees We're ''blazed,' and on the prairieS
by stakes driven along the proper course.
For the first few miles Of our journey
we passed through scenes characteristic
Of the coast region, which | have. in
some Of my former letters, impertectly
described. We then entered into what
is denominated fiat tr00fs. which. as its
name indicates. is almost entirely level.
The water that accumulateS upon this
level in the rainy season is weeks. and
months even, before it flows off or evap-
crates. The highest moantain we saw
for miles was not over t,rO feet high, and
the deepest tolleyno much deeper. The
water varied iii depth from its mixture
with black mud to the horses girth.-
There We're not three miles of the twelve
or fifteen miles across this - fat woods =
that were dry when we passed over it.
Two months since there would not have
been a quarter Of a mile of this Goods
not under water, and should the rainfall
cease, as in drought, two months hence
there will not be Il half mile of the whole
distance even damp. This is how it is
looking doru. Looking out and around
the landscape Cor nottrscape. according
to the season. | saw long-leaved pine
trees thinly scattered, palmetto in patches
and coarse grass as underground. Here
and there Il grass prairie. one of which
that we passed through from east to west
was more than a mile across and from
one and half to two miles from north
to south. Here and there in these prai-
ries was cypress pond, their tall trees
looking like an
ISLAND IN THE SEA OF GRASS.
Here and there was a lonely looking pine.
The trail only deviated from straight
line through this fiat woods to avoid the
deepest part of the cypress ponds. which
were scattered along the way quite liber-
ally. | saw but few large cypress trees.
They grow close together and their tall
trunks, singular foliage (to me). their
singular taper from the ground or water
for few inches or feet according to
sizc) and the long. pendant. green.
d" southern moss" hanging from their
branches. made these isIaRds objects of
to me. For eighteen miles of
our way We saw no habitation of man or
met human being. We saw herds of
cattle. No wild animals save one beau
tiful fox squirrel. Though deer are said
to be plentiful we saw none. ''Sand
cranes, standing three feet in height to
the top of their heads, were visible here
and there along the way. White herons
were quite numerous: other birds We're
scarce. The way was mostly silent as it
was solitary. My companion said, when
| once heard Il loud noise at some dis
lance, that the noise was made by sand
hill cranes. | thought it sounded like
the singiHg of u mule.
Six miles this side (eaSt) of Orange
City we entered the sand hill region hor-
dering the ST. Johns, and what Il con-
trast 10 the 'tlat woods"' Patriarchal
looking pines and the sand carpeted
thickly with grass, no other underground. !
and nothing to hinder our f9TriGge going
III any direction, save here and there the !
remains of trees that hal been cut for !
rails or fallen monarch of the forest
Very frequently we passed by sparkling !
lakes. Homesteads and orange groves +
became more and more frequent We .
were seldom out of sight of an orange .
grove from our entering the sand hills
until we reached Orange City. and when !
we looked around us from the rprter of !
SAID city we saw orange slotea in every .
dlreetQH, there being in 3 mile radius /
sEFEN HUMMER ACRES oRANGE TIRES
planted. Five years ago thuru was but i
one house in this radius, where there are
no" lour huiureo lillaoitants, ana axes
are iesouiiaii'S III every difectloh' cutting .
w. {. P'i'I' " l'i'he renee r'f iie" groves.
from the East, North. and West. Many .
of the groves are owned hy ,aaY and /
women living North, seal,; If Whom have /
never seln ffte place Where they expect !
siioF!iI 20 hiaRe theiF permanent resi-
ieiitc' tahiHs 4lie easily AMONG their
orange Trees enjoying an ample income
,,onn 'nI soi'ei i.I run. ms region,
'liions tiae sano mus, IS oeSt SUITED TO
people haElilS an income derived from
NoI'h' or d lie" tiloliSs1i,'r:s N
nun, nun, az le'tSt 10 ,VVst, tHt .Ae aroyes
need ieft,'',z:'tt;n $40 teffi'i-eES cannot be
purS:ia'isnA Ptth9nt money. bone meals
i 0st .i,o "s1a' $751;, ''l, tne one that could SUP
Piy the "iIoIe aelhanu here at Il small
p Oii'' oo''i't S'"iI d grove LOT himself
naie Ono - Investments Aft Eeth%
-Lr-ra,,.; - ! 5@N totit''4l'eu ven
E 6T,%os nf a'5 NV Aahuleo
w CtfaraT II. nnh go 81. t'sn'-"e'e grow
.jino,i t,a <,st, IN ~ IVY i''~ gloNt, ah' "e-
mo- TX, ~ NV, ny ss'eso wee l1s' com
~ eiat' @ IA NV '""''' Noi' II. ..
md ha hos n,,s I,a "n - n o.'. i 'tees'
,ns.. .,,'' ~ " ie'P MS mar
nn Iof. IT, h;S "hanf :" .h; i,iioii oranges nay
rs wv his " n'ii .iile sG"so.l. y MI
i",ii 10 se i,. 'S 'tu eAan,Pc vi success ~
10; o $3.50 r iie soVt NJ H4an4e crop
Ill $3.50" ~ acpi TaH'eeA snoNs1iM +,
I'if ~ f!ti 't'!seA p'"N"e.' ms
'mi nv % IL fnr ltg eN M own i"'skans,
nam + h. I. nn .,,t Mne - m ~ tsas tolis:
,,.,, -. ~ t sia '' 49, W. aus -igrecW-