Southern standard. (McMinnville, Tenn.) 1879-current, 1881-05-21
The Land Of Flowers.

LoNGwooD, FLA, May II, 81.
Editor Standard = Everybody knows
Florida in general, or at least has heard of
its delightful climate, its flowers, fruit and
luxuriant vegetation few know it in partic-
ular except those who have been here and
seen it. There is much said about its flow
ers, but its thorns are never mentioned. It's
vegetation is magnifed wonderfully, but its
bAnenness is left untouched. Any one com.
ing to Florida, if he does not wish to be dis
appointed, had better lay aside his imagin-
sry forests and fields of flowers and fruit,
and prepare himself for pine woods where
there is nothing heard but the moaning of
the winds, nothing seen but pine trees, fan
palms and huckleberry bushes. 1t presents
monotony, aided by the glare of the white
sand, that is very unpleasant to the eve. In
all tropical countries there is more barren.
dreary pine woods, Florida has its beauties.
The pine woods is the rule, the hammocks
the exception. But see shall fail in my
description unless take up one thing at II
time and treat it.
THE HUMMoCKs.
have already described the pine lands.
Let us quit them ane go to the hummocks.
AS we walk through the pine wrods we are
suddenly confronted by dense forest of
palmetto, bay, magnolia, live oak, cypress,
sweet gum, poplar and other trees. 1t is
here that the visitors dreams and fancies of
tropical luxuriance and beauty are realized.
The trees lift their heads to an enormous
height, while the underground is a complete
mat of vines, fan palms, weeds, grass, flowers
aud bushes. The air is filled with perfume,
birds of beautiful plumage are screaming
among the trees, the mocking bird has as
many varieties in his notes as the kaleido.
scope in its views. Enter it il you wish.
You will have to crawl like an alligator il
you go any distance, and unless your clothes
are made of buckskin they will be in strings
when you return. Catamounts, panthers
bears, snakes, etc, may greet you on the
way. The hummocks are green all the year
and are the richest lands in Florida. 1t is
here that the wild orange tree is found grow
ing. The ground is covered with decayine
leaves, and when they are raked away the
soil seems to be nothing but moist sand. 8
little darker than that of the pine woods
This land will produce from % to 30 bushel,
of corn to the acre.
THE PEOPLE.
Let us go away from the hummocks, fol-
nobody lives there, and see what the people
are doing. We find them engaged in thu
cultivation of the citrous fruit. They ar,
pioneers at least all below st. Augustine are
who came here from almost every State il
the Union, some from Europe. Ten year
ago Orange county was wilderness almos
uninhabited. 1t is now dotted with grove
from one end to the other Ten mole year
from now the people will live comparative,
easy. There are very lew groves here tina
are now bearing, so the people must depent
on something else tor support, and a YER
poor support many of them have. 1t j
rarely the case they give any attention +
gardening or raising anything whatever be
sides citrus fruit. Everything they eat, o
nearly so, is imported from other States an
is therefore very high. Think of dried az
at 40 cents. 1t is not butter, either, bu
Oleomargarine. Corn at one dollar pc
bushel usually, sometimes more. Othe
things proportionably high. The emigrant
are energetic, intelligent and progressiv,
They all seem to be on an equal, very ger
eious and kind to each other The native
or Crackers" as they are called, are ofte
: indolent and content with nothing. Man
= live their days out and never plant a
l orange tree. Many of them are as yello
as mulattoes, and look very thin and bon.
r The girls among them have no person,
] beauty. Indeed, nobody here has much
that. If they bring it here they soon lo'
: it. The lily lips and rosy cheeks are SOC
Drowned by the wind and sun. The flu
face soon shows a prominent cheek bon
and the body shrinks in proportion. 1t do
not take long for the blood to become thi
There are not many negroes this far Sout
" They are not numerous this side of Jackso
vile.
One cannot get employment from othe
Z here unless he can handle the ak, the h,
" and the saw-lOg. Sawmills are all along Il
lines of transportation, cutting up the phi
u timber. At these mills common hands a
/. paid 81 per day, without board. Dram
y raisers employ hands to work on their grow
1t and pay them from SO to 800 a month wi
!, board. Teaching pays well enough for
10 new State, usually $50 month, but the p
n is slow. The railroads furnish some e.
! ployment; some get-out ship timbers. If
u man wants work in Florida the best plan
to put out a grove of his own, and he W
have what he can do. More ere long.
l. r. p. HUDSON.
Arrivals and Departures.
' 1,,,i,.oIe Pow Il u;olrp,an In. A