The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1880-07-28
Florida Viewed With English
Eyes.
From the English Globe.

Eyes.
From the English Globe.
The distance from St. Augustine
to Jacksonville is forty miles, and
the route is along the old Kings
road, made whilst the English held
' Florida. 1t was once a very good
road, but is now little used and full
ofdeep holes. All the bridges also
over the creeks have rotted away
and have not been replaced; the road
is very little travelled over since
Mr.. Astor, OF New York, built the
railway, fourteen miles in length,
from Tocoi to St. Augustine. This
places St. Augustine within four
hours Of Jacksonville, viz, by steam
boat IRON Jacksonville to Tocoi, and
thence to St. Augustine by rail.
Passengers complain Of the high
charge, 81, for the fourteen miles for
single ticket, but the railway is a
monopoly and they cannot help
themselves. A railway is contem-
plated between Jacks onville and ST.
Augustine by the route we took, but
it is not yet begun. 1t was a very
hot drive, and the horses suffered
dreadfully from the horse flies. One,
gray mare, looked as if she had
been riddled with small shot, and
was streaming with blood. There is
a peculiar fly here called the 'horse-
guard" which looks like hornet;
this fly follows the horse and catches
the horse flies that settle on them,
but does not bite the animals. The
horses are only shod on their fore
feet In this country, ana as there are
no stones, nothing bnt sand the shoes
last long time. 1t is not, however,
cheap country to keep horses in,
although a very good horse can be
bought for between e25 and f40,
and every body I -sAa buggy and
horse ora pair. fEay and corn are.
: bnth expensiye=the .foraeg i'm
portea from the north, costs 5 shil.
lings per 100 pounds corn costs,
per bushel of fifty-six pounds, Is
shillings 4 pence-this is Indian
corn; good deal is grown in the
State, but much is also brought from
New Orleans, and the hay from New
York State. / was much amused
by little incident that recalled to
me very forcibly our "beautiful isle
otthe sea" When in the pine woods
away from all human abodes, heard
a small darkle boy singing the air
from III NJ. S. Pinafore" Eyes, l
am Buttercup, sweet little Butter
cup" to the mosquitoes. Messrs.
Gilbert and Sullivan have certainly
immortalized themselves, and their
pretty operetta is still most popular
amongst people Of all colors.
Florida is certainly not a country
for a gourmand the meat is tough
and not good, but in this fine climate
little animal food is required. In
the winter beef is sent down from
the North. The people have still
that hospitality and kindness for
which before the war they were prov
erblal, and there is great deal of
Continental poIiteness among them.
In conversation the words ''Sir" and
''Madam" are constantly used and
give it a constrained and stiff sound.
Many OF the young girls are very
pretty, with the delicate refined
American features, and seem to re.
tain their beauty longer than in some
of the other States. This is a great
town for mocking-birds they are
trained to sing very prettily and
whistle airs, but cannot be compared
to the nightingale. You see the
notice, prepared mocking-bird
food" painted on the front OF some
Of the shops, where one might have
imagined some more important ad.
vertisement might have been placed.
The weather is considerably hotter
than when last wrote, and the ther-
mometer nearly touched 1909 Fahr.,
in the shade to-day, June IA. Every
one complains much, but l do not
lind the temperature so oppressive as
lower thermometer range in Zan-
zibar. The nights here are compara-
lively cool, down to 740 or so, with
breeze from the river, which here
Is a mile wide We went on Satur.
day down the St. Johns river to the
mouth to spend Sunday at Fort