The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1881-06-08
THE FLORIDA AGRICULTURIST.
A NiSit0r'S LETTER.
o'the Florida Agriculturfst:


Ed'tor OF the florida Agricult,uist:
After having visited your city |
have come to the conclusion that
what has been told me about your
superior country, for orange groves
ami winter homes, is true. And II
you VIII lay aside your guilty con-
science, or fear OF fattery iii you
have such) l shall be pleased to say,
not as an interested party at all, not
as one who expects soon to invest on
your beautiful side, or anything of
that kind, that it has never, to my
knowledge been over estimated, but
as the Queen OF the South said, after
having visited the great and wise man
the Good Book speaks OF, "The half
has not yet been told" left your
wharf, which is said to be four and
nall miles from your city and walked
that distance, following your embank-
ment or soon to be railroad las I've
been told) and after about one miles
walk came to the prettest rolling.
country l have ever seen in my life.
Had it been due to nature alone |
could not have admired it half so
much. l am too, Mr.. Editor, one of
those blue grass corn crackers from
"Old herHtdck" where the folks have
pretty high corn, fast horses. But
since have left my old Kentucky
nome have never been able to fiDd
country hall SO beautiful until | got
INTO the rolling country between De
Land City and DeLand Wharf. 1t
is covered with straight TALL pines
that almost seem TO talk as they
bow 50 gracefully i'll the pleasant
breezes which seem 20 ever blow,
and beautiful and healthy orange
groves which are seen quite ire
quently. | have helped to survey
hundreds Of acres Of land in this part
OF Florida, but have yet to find u
place that will make half such a
country. \ GU have large space
seeming too high to have standing wa
ter even In the lowest valley and it
seems to be so tree from the great
pest OF the planter-the palmetto
roots. 1t was few weeks after the
old dry grass had been burned and
the new had come up SO fresh and
green, as it were, carpetlng SO beau
Lilully the rolling country. After
two and a halt miles | came to
high level country, and passed some
charming places whose fragrant
orange blossoms would almost en-
cham the sotSf that knew no love for
nature charms. The village was far
from being as l had expected. A
beautiful orange grove, then one
more beautiful i'll which stands the
DeLand Grove House, very appropri.
ately named for 1T was near the cen
ter OF one OF the most charming
orange groves | have seen since my
stay OF eight years in Florida. The
flowers surrounding it seem to have
a more delicate lingn, as | would
term it, sweeler beauty than any
have seen oil late elsewhere. | have
often times tancied, as l watched the
falr damSelS from abroad, GU their
return to homes that no doubt await
ed and Welcomed them back, that
they too were becoming as the
above mentioned flowers. | was
struck with many who passed my
landing from your town, who, but a
lew months since, went up looking as
II some wicked monster had 6een
gradually stealing their very lives
away. If this great change which is
nlaue In women is due to the health.
lui climate Of your lively and fast
growing city sincerely hope that
the many so"called putfs given your
country will be read, tried and pro-
| ven. ~
Ha'0hi"sriAs, F1a., May 5.