The weekly Floridian. [volume] (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1867-19??, 1883-05-15

ginning establishments three livery and sail.
stables, two depots (te Transit and Florida
Southern, two iirst-cltss hotels, the Arlington
and Varnum House, 0fe former about the size Of
our Leon,) and quite number of boarding
houses have not spate in this letter to devote
Ia the above business enterprises the attention
which each deserves, srfce il to say that Gaines.
Vile is on q big boon, new brick blocks have
lately been erected, Others are in contemplation,
and the report of gold having been discovered
while boring well III the public square is no
April fool as some u this part OF the State
seemed nclded to thin for your correspondent
has seen aud handled Dme of the gold-bearing
quartz brought up by The drill A few of the
live business men oi Gainesville are IL F. Dut-
ton Il Co., Philip Miller, Captain l.. G. Dennis
J. b. Dell, Colonel ". w. Scslt, ). c. Saddler.
the Messrs. Endcll, and host of others. in fact
this city can boast of as many clever gentlemen
and beautiful ladies as any city of its size in the
State Six miles furtt.T on We come to
ARREDoNDo,
the boss vegetable station of the Transit road
| have not spoken Of tbs industry heretofore be-
cause | was at n loss how TO convey to the minds
of your readers a iuS idea of the magnitude of
this business on the line of the Transit and Pen
msular roads. All dong we had observed at
the different stations large lots of vegetables in
clatcs waiting shipL mt but here we saw the
entire platform jove. e. with piles on piles of
crates filled with, beans cucnmbers, peas, Irish
potatoes and cabbage, while HARDLY in a pack
ing house number OF hands were engaged night
and day in filling crates and barrels Some idea
OF The extent OF the business may be CLEANED
from the tact that twice week, Mondays and
Wednesdays, an ertra train for reget,t5es onlu is
run from bronson to Fernandina to connect with
the steamships OF the Mallory line, in addition
t" the &"ly freight train. Large quantities OF
these vegetables also 20 by express The pas
scnSc7 train upon which we returned had in adj
dition 10 its coaches, baggage and mail cars four
box cars OF vegetables by express. | heard one
shipper AT ArrcdOndO say that on the previous
day he had made from his farm alone one ship
mcnt OF over three hundred pack ages. From
the above facts our Middle Florida truckmen
may form some conception Of the extent Of this
business in other parts OF the State.
ARCHER,
also in Alachua county, live little town with
five ar six stores and contributes its quota To the
vegetable business. Peach culture bas here
been brought into some prominence by the Rev.
J. + DcPass, well known 10 many in our section.
BRONSON,
the county site of Levy county. is distant from
Cedar Keys about thirty tive miles. Ii has four
stores, and besides being lhc shipping point of
vast scope OF country for miscellaneous exports
such rs cotton. hides wax, &c., being situated in
the midst of fine grazing country large num-
bcrs 0i beet cattle arc annually shipped from here
To the markets of Savannah and Charleston.
Alter passing Otter Creek, a flag station, we
next arrive at
ROSEWOOD.
the residence ol &. B Dibbe, Esq, who, in adj
dtion to his orange grove, has developed an
entirely new industry YOU who are familiar
with the lovely flower gardens OF the Floral
City, Just think oi eight or ten acres in Tube
Roses. The flowers are sold in Gainesville,
Cedar Keys and other places, while the bulbs are
shipped North, and am told the proprietor has
found it profitable Soon after leaving this station
we pass through spur Of the tar-famed
GULF HAMMOCK,
probably the largest and finest body of ham
mock land in the State, whose sylvan depths
furnish alike wealth TO the enterprisng cedar
cutter, and the tattcSt turkeys and jucicst vcni-
son which ever ticklcd the palatcs OF tourist ep-
icurcs al The EgmOnt and st. James. Swiftly
skimmng over the few remaining miles We soon
alghtctl at
CEDAR KEYS,
the Venice of The Gulf, whose cool sea breeze,
fresh from the "craGlc OF the Deep famed our
very dusty brows, and tossed the smoke -plumcs
of our locomotive in fantastic wreatls and cnrls,
the same whose shriil t.nistle had in the early
morn mingled with the hoarse roar of old ocean
aS ne piled his white-capped waves high on the
smooth beach at Fernandina. Repairing to the
Mcllvaine, with one IN. from which we respect
fully beg leave TO differ. we were soon d0mi-
Cilcd in one OF It's most comfortable rooms, and
after refreshing dip, in a short while enjoying
from lis r0f one OF the most lovely landscapes
We had ever behcd The far-reaching water
mngling in the distance its pale green with the
deep azure OF the sky, dotted here and there with
its emerald keys each fnll of busy life, hecked
with white sails 81 like sheep upon pasture
wide, while far oft on the dim horizon the trail
ing smoke marked the track OF some passing
steamer, all bathed in The streaming glory of
the setting sun, and forming picture to linger
long IN tho chambers OF memory and to be
tcrrcd To with pleasure in after years when other
scenes less fair shall be covered with the dust
from the roadway OF time Cedar Keys has
been so often written up and is so well known
by reason oi its importance Gull port, that any
attempt otmy weak pen TO do it Justice would be
futile The Suwannce hotel, at which stopped,
is large concrete building of about the same
capacity as the Arlington, at Gainesville. Its
rooms are large and well ventilated, its beds
clean, and its cuisine all that lover OF good
fare. especially fish and oysters, could desire,
while the promenade around its upper piaZZas,
famed by the brecZcs from the Gull, is perfectly
delightful. In the clerk, Mr.. Sheman, we found
a very clever and accommodating gentleman,
uniring in his cndeavors TO satisfy all the wants
of his guests.
popular and well conducted hotel, and receives
Il large share of the public patronage. The prin
cipal Industries of Cedar Key are its lumber
mills. of which there are four or five for the
manufacture of pine lumber, and two cedar
mills belonging respectively to the Faber and
Eagle Pencil Companies. In addition to the
above lis export OF fish and oysters is a source of
great revenue, while its sponge trade is by no
means an inconsiderable item of its business
The odors emanating from below the decks of one
OF these "spOngers, is not at all like " the sweet
South blowing DER bank of roses, nor yet like
the scent OF barrel of pippins, but is so.t of
cross between spoilt oysters and fish guano.
Taking small boat we had pleasant sail across
the channel past vessels OF several different ma
tionaities, some loading with lumber, Others
just arrived, to the Faber Mill, where upon pre-
fcrring modest request to inspect the mill we
were met with the gruff reply, visitors not al
lowed 10 enter" We don't think we look like a
fire bug or dynamite fiend, and we certainly
had no intention of pocketing a log of the
cedar scattered i'll such rich prOfusOn on all
sides, but certain it was we could not enter and
we had 10 content ourselves by peeping through
the half open portal glowing" Calling our gon
tl0iier we were soon once more dancing over the
waves toward the city, reaching which we called
at the Eagle Mill and were treated with The
greatest courtesy and attention by Mr.. J. f.
Richards the very gentlemanly superi ntendent,
which went far to reconcile us to the churlish treat
ment we had received on the other side. With
out seeing them it is hard to believe in the ex-
istence OF the immense piles of of cedar timber
from ten to thirty feet in height, which are
stacked not only in the mill yard, but far round
the beach above high water mark. This indus
try furnishes employment to hundreds of men,
who penetrate into the dense swamps along the
coast and up the Suwannee and other streams,
and after cutting the cedar haul it to the water