Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1883-06-08
TRUCK AT TALLAHASSEE.
The Farmers Comparing Notes and
Growing Wiser

]
and the products shipped were more va
ried than last year. Then it was almost
exclusively potatoes and cabbages. But
/ this year green peas, snap beans, toma
toes and other vegetables have been ex.
! ported to greater extent than during any
| previous season. Cabbages did not turn
out as well as they did last year; but
the potato crop did remarkably
well. Mr.. Thomas p. Roberts
from twenty acres shipped seven hun
dred and fOrty-tive barrels, and contem.
plates IN another year to plant one hum
dred acres. This is his second year i'm
trucking, and he has proved himself as
good trucker as he is planter. What
ne does he does thoroughly. AS soon as
his crop was ready for shipment il was
quickly gathered and as quickly dis
patched. In previous letter | stated
that he sent in at one time seven
wagons, but that was on a particular
day, for ON another occasion
his potato train" consisted of eIeUeR
wagons. Although his place is some eight
miles from the depot, he does not consider
1t too far to keep him from trucking. His
entire crop of over seven hundred barrels
was gathered and shipped in about a
week. There are others who have not
been so successful, their failure being
from bad seed. The experience of the
past few years, however, has demon
Stfated that with judiciOus selection of
proper seeds, liberal fertiliZing and
careful culture, the potato is a reliable
| and paying crop.
w WatermelOnS are not raised here for
shipment to any great extent jefferson
and Madison counties being ahead of us
In that respect. If, however, it proves a
paying crop this season, more than one of
our truckers will, to his potato and Vege-
table culture, add that of the melon. At
present the number of hours required tor
freight transportation between here and
Savannah is great drawback, but with
increased productions, there will be
better facilities and other routes. Com
petition between various lines of traffic
will reduce the rates of freight and event
ually give us more speedy transportation.
Since the completion of the I. Il A. r.
IL. from ChattahOOchee to Pensacola, in
tercourse between this city and Pensacola
is more frequent. On Sunday last party
| OF eXcursionists from the latter arrived
here. Some of them had never before Wis
tied this section, and expressed themselves
as delighted with its beautiful scenery
they had no idea before coming here that
any portion of the State could boast OF
such picturesque appearance as greeted
| them on their arrival here. So it is with
| all tourists who visit here for the first
time. Having done Florida, as
they imagine, they sometimes conclude to
pay flying visit to the capitol. Before
! coming here they have seen nothing but
sand and an almost interminable forest
OF pine. Middle Florida they had sup
posed to be like the other portions they
| have visited, and though the beauties of
our landscape may be enlarged upon, they
will not believe until they have seen for
themselves. But once having come
within, the face of the country is
so different from their precOnceived Opin-
ions that, like the Queen of Sheba, each
one eXclaims, "the half had not been told
me-" Besides the excursions from one
city to another, thus bringing Tallahassee
and Pensacola into a more intimate rela-
tiOnship, travel through this section is
greatly increased. We are no longer cut
off from the outer world, and tourists
from the st. Johns region to the great
Northwest take this route in their home
ward journey after lying over for day or
two at this point. Heretofore there has
been but one train day from
this point west. But recently a
freight train has been put
on that leaves every morning at 8
O'Clock. If, therefore, the traveller prefer
to see the country between this point and
the Gulf City, he can avail himself of the
morning train. 1t is likewise a con-
venience to those in West Florida who
wish to visit our city. Heretofore Our
fellow citizens of West Florida have been
such only in name. While they were
represented in the Legislature and took
part in the GubernatOrial and Congress
slOnal elections, yet because of a lack of
rapid communication with other portions
OF the State, and being nearer to Mobile
and New Orleans in time than
with us, some few were not as loyal
klOridians as we would have wished, and
desired annexation to Alabama. But
now joined by iron bands to their once
distant fellow citizens, their interest be-
comes identified with ours, and the seat
of government will remain fixed at the
Floral City. immigration will pour into
West and Middle Florida, and the prize
that seemed nearly within the grasp of
our eastern friends, has slipped away
from them,
One thing more is desired by our peo-
plea direct railroad connection with the
Georgia system from this point. This will
give us more rapid communication be-
tween here and Savannah, and with the
Northwest. Our mails, too, would reach
here twelve hours sooner, and its readers
would receive the MORNING NEWS on the
day of it's publication. For these reas-
Ons we watch the slow progress of the
ThOmasville, Tallahassee and Gulf Rail-
road Company with no little interest.
Nearly four months have elaDsed since
the passage OF the bill granting aid, and
about twelve months since its organi-
zatiOn, and vet though its construction
was let out to party in New York last
summer experimental lmes' are still
being run, and no route has been definite
ly located. VIII the road be built? is now
being asked by many. Some shake their
heads ominOusly. But will it really be
built? l have always thought so and still
think that it will be, Some of our best
of Thomas, in Georgia, are prominently
identified in the enterprise and are anon
its directory, while those from NJ p
represent capital more IAN onomoh r0m otn IN
Dulld TWO such roads. Our peopie re-. a.
ga[V lie road as necessitv
AM and are determined that 1t shall be built.
Inc SLOW progress heretofore made NAV
ana doubtless can, he satisfactorily ac.
counted for by the directory. Capital is
cautious, and we cannot expect men who
put In their thousands to rush bIindlv
onward. 1t is their money, and they natu-
rally teel their way carefully, The last
survey is now being run from Duncan
vile to this point, which being completed
the more feasible route will at once be
selected, and the contractors will then 90
10 work throwing up dirt. Such is the
general opinion, though it is stated by
some that only a show of work will he
done, IN order to comply with the letter of
the law, and that active operations will
not be commenced until late in the fall.
when laborers may be more easily OBJ
tained.
Our city authorities have adopted a
very wise provision against the spread of
the smallpox. Instead of an indiscrimi
nate quarantine against ali persons COM
ing from Jacksonville, as some other
places have done, they have simply re-
quIred that all persons coming here from
Jacksonville should exhibit a certificate
from physician or Health Officer. that
they nave not been in an infected house
or with a person having this disease
within a certain time. A rigid indis-
crlmlnate quarantine is unnecessary and
inhuman, and our city authorities have
adopted the middle aud safer course.
The Florida University, recently incor-
pOrated under the general incorporation
aet, bids fair to be success. The West
Florida Seminary and Military Institute
will constitute the literary department,
and occupy the building known as the
Female Academy, which will be en-
larged. This institution will have a
faculty of six professors, and with
out doubt will have a larger attendance of
students than ever. Already applications
have come In from some of the Western
states, where some two thousand copies
of the pamphlets concerning the Univer-
sity are being circulated. If equal advan-
tages can be enjoyed at a southern insti-
tuition of learning, there are many north
ern students who would prefer coming
hlther on account of our superior equable
climate. The Tallahassee College of Medi-
cine and Surgery will constitute