The weekly Floridian. [volume] (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1867-19??, 1883-09-11

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many growths Of great, glossy -leaved magnolias,
| OF water-oaks and lve-oaks, of hickory, ash
wlld cherry and mock orange, glorify the shores !;
and between and around and over these hang
the ciemans, the woodbne, the wild grape vines.
Tallahassee-The Capital.
The foregoing description would be incomplete
without the following extracts from Mr. George
NJ baroours charming new book, Florida Tor
| Tourists. lnvalids and Settlcrs." lately issucd
from the press OF d. Appleton & Co, New York
Tallahassee, the Capital oil the State, ",he
| floral city Of the fowery South is one of the
lovliest places in all America. 1t is built upon
the broad. gently rolling surface of a high hill,
surrounded on all sides by other lovely hills and
deep valleys, Tor II is In region of hills valleys
and lakes. It's laid out in squares with Main Mon
roc) slreet-whch is its principal business street.
lined mostly on one side with plain old fashioned
| brick stores for distance of four blocks This
street is fairly level and wide All the other
streets are charmingly irregular and uneaven--in
! TACT many are quite dechvitous-and are lined
| with grand, old mammOth-sized magnolias live
oaks and other magnificent shade trees, Broad,
roomy, open squares are frequent all shady,
DARK ike and inviting. At one end of he city
| stands the State-house, large and very plain
| front and rear poriico, having each six great
two-story columns. II stands in spacious
square on The crest OF the hill and can be seen
from long distance The grounds are laid Out
Will w lIlOlER pains ana law Qs, shaded bV grand
old magnohas, oaks, and the like and the air is
redoent with perfume from the many flowers
always blooming there. 1t is an unpretenlious old
CITY, with an air OF village like simplicity no
factories (excepi one on-milD: all is Quiet
country life. The residence avenues are mostly
lined with coy little cottages. ami comfortable
roony, substantial mansions of The gOnA old
style ot architecture, and all are surrounded bv
neatly fenced lawns and gardens, almost All hav-
ing quite ample grounds, we'll kept-and flowers,
flowers, flowers! Everywhere in the greatest
abundance, are hOWers A most creditabe pride
In their lovely home grounds is exhibited by the
citizens, who seem TO have friendly rivalry in
these beautiful ornaments Of nature, that is ex-
presslve Oi culture and fine taste for the beau
utul Tallahassee is truly noral city" The
suburbs are everywhere lovely, and the views
from The streets or house tops-espccially The
root the StAte-hOuse-are exceedingly fine The
surrounding country is vast range of hills, val
ieys, brooks, lakes, park ike clusters Of large
trees broad, wel-Cultivated fields, large plauta-
ton dwellings and cotton gins, and distant for
este--in ALL remarkably beautiful natural pan
Drama Of nature, such seen nowhere else in
Florida. Here We remained several delightful
days al the quaint, old, tavernlike City Ho'el,'
enjoying numerous drives about the surrounding
country. Que beautiful day | rode out to
Good" ood, the grand old estate Ol Major Ar
vah Hopkins, several miles Oul OF town This
residence was well worth visiting because il
WAS a striking evidence of how elegantly the
old time planters enjoyed life. Erected in 1874,
IL comprises numerous buildings, ranged around
Il large square i'll the rear, used tor Laundry, cook
house, milk house, saddle and harness house,
etc. etc. and the spacious surrounding grounds
are laid out in park like style, with paths, lawne
aud nnumerable strange plants, ferns and flow
ers Another day party OF US went on trip
10 Lake Jackson, a large and long lake, SIX
miles from the city. 1t closely resembles Cayuga
lake in New York surrounded by high bllff-.
al rod " hNr fhp 6.l1
reaching down 10 the waters edge
The people of Tallahassee have beautiful Gus
tom of holding fair each spring, that probably
differs from anything in the way of The fail ex-
hibitions held elsewhere in the South. 1t is
floral lair, held al their spacious fair grounds
open 10 ali, but OF course nearly or quite all the
exhibits are made by the Tallahasseeans. The
exhibits arc vegetables, fruits and flowers,
pecially flowers. AS might be conjectured, the
managers, exhibitors and patrons generally are
the ladies, who take great interest and pride in
this exhibition, so dstinctivelv local, so pleasant
and so indicative of refined taste and culture. |
attended the fair OF $780, held in March. Floral
Hall vas beautiful sight with protuse display
of flowers Of all varieties, kinds, forms, coors
and perfumes. all artstically arranged, and ex-
hibied to the best advantage. Nowhere. il may
he said in conclusion, is there more refined and
cultivated society than in Tallahassee. Among
them are many descendants OF the most pr0m
nent and aristocratic old families Of America,
with names that recall old colonial, revolutionary
and 1912 days in the battle fields and in Stale
COUNCILS and their large, well-attended schools,
numerous handsome churches, beautiful homes
ard surroundings all attest to the high standard
of the best socieiy Of Tallahassee.
There are number of towns, villages and set.
Elements scattered about the county, chief of
which are Miccosukie near the lake Of that
name, in the eastern part of the county; Cen
trevie, twelve miles north OF Tallahassee, near
the centre Of the county, and Iamonia, near the
lake OF that name in the northern part of the
county Bradiordville, ten miles from Tallahas-
see, le most attractive and dourishing little
place.
Whatever else may be said tor or against Flor
ida, the one subject upon which all minds har-
monize is the unsurpassed equability and salu-
brty Of the climate. There is TO be found ia
Florida the most uniformly delightful climate in
Tie world with fewer extremes Of heat or cold,
fewer excesses Of dryness or moisture in the at
mosphere, a greater regularity OF rainfall, and
consequent certainty of seasons Less variation
in the winds and air currents, and barring an oc-
casional cyclone, occurring about the time OF the
autumnal equinox, greater exemption from
storms rude winds and nasty" weather. And
when 10 all these desirable features Can he added
the total absence in winter OF slush and mud,
and in summer of the dust clouds that i'll some
sections OF the United States are so trying to the
eyes it can be accepted az a fact that in point OF
climate no desirable feature has been LETT ont IN
Florida This Is not the place to inquire into
and discuss the causes Of these grateful truths in
detail but one or two prominent causes are to
be recognized in the fact that, unlike Italy or
Mexico Florida has no towering Alps or Serras
from whose snow caps cold winds can descend
in winter; nor is there in summer dry waste
of Saharas or Ldn0 Estdcad0 with scorching
breath adjacent Almost surrounded by water,
and much of the land surface given to lakes and
rivers, a constant evaporation tends to cool the
atmosphere In summer, and this with the ever
present sea breezes, serves TO make Florida, semi
tropical as she is, decidedly the pleasantest eli
mate for Summer veal" In the Union. We
confidently claim, however, that there are seve-
raj features natural TO the region OF Middle Flor
ida, or the Hill Country, that in connection with
climatic conditions, common to the whole State,
lend to this especially favored region additional
charms and advantages that enter practically
into ones enjoyment OF the climate. Chief
among these is the absence In Middle Florida Of
the bOundless waste Of white sand that is so
prominent a feature In some portions OF the
State, and instead of the glare and reflected heat
the eve ia refreshed with green in the grass
grow surfaces Of the land, aud instead OF that
shadeless, tiresome sameness Of pinewoods one
encounters here forest and groves of magnih-
cent oaks, gums, naples, beeches, magnolias and
other beautiful trees that give grace and cheer
and refreshing shadow everywhere.
As simple matters as grnss and shade are OF vi
tal importance in this climate, and he who neg
lects them as factors In selecting semi tropical
home commits grave error. Owing to the alti
fl-t-