Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1883-12-20
9tlistellameuns &eadiug.
For the YorkviIle Enquirer.
A TRIP TO FLORIDA.


On Monday, November 18th, 1888, 1 left
Yorkyille for WILDWOOD, Sumter county,
Florida, in company with q lady and her
son, a youth Of about eighteen years Three
young men joined us at Chester, two of them
from Lancaster and the other from Chester
county. We took the three o'clock train for
Florida, ria Augusta, Savannah, Jackson
vile, and thence to our deStinatiOn-Wlld-
wood.
We missed connection at Augusta, and
had to wait about three hours for a Macon
train to pass at Nelling;. Whlle there, one
of the young men, who had joined our party
at Chester, came to me for help. He had
lost his pocket-book with s75.0O-all the
money he had-in it, There was a man on
board, who seeing us searching in the train
for it, said he had seen man pick up a
pocket-book at the last station we passed,
and he would so back with us and identify
the person. So we all got out of the train
and tried to procure conveyance back to
the station. The train was moving about
great deal-shifting boxes from one track to
another. All at once we missed the person
who was to identify the man who picked up
the pocket-book, and while looking for him
the train moved off and left US. There |
was, with only 40 cents in my pocket, and
the lady whom was to take care OF gone on
the train with the ticket Of her son, who
was with me, the man with no money, and
the other two with very little. 1t was not
long before freight train came by. went
to the conductor and told him my tale, and
he took the party to Savannah, about two
hours after the regular train, on which my
lady was on board, had passed. l made in
quiry of all the railroad officials, hack drl-
Vers, etc., in regard to her whereabouts, or
for message from her, and the only salts
faction received was from the ticket agent,
who said he saw her get in an omnibus be-
| longing to Mr.. is stables. So off to the
stables I put, mile from the depot, and
when found them, the man who had driv-
en- the buss had gone. The next best thing
I could think of was to 60 to the train and
me or her son. There I was again disap-
pointed. The two Of our party from Lam
caster went on, and my lady's whereabouts
l could not find. l may just state here that
she had the money, and had her son and
the Young man who had lost his money with
me, withOuta dollar, and pretty hungry and
sleepy, too, by this time, as it was near mid
night. So went to the ticket agent at the
Savannah depot, told my story and asked
him to lend me $500, which he did. So off
to hotel we three went The next morn
! ing l found my lady and was ready to re-
sumo our trip; but did not know what to
do with the young man who had no money.
Well, we told the hotel man what had hap
pened, and asked him to let the young man
stay there until he heard from his friends.
He consented and we left him there. / af-
forwards heard that he received more money
and went on his way rejoicing.
We arrived at our place of destination on
Friday night, small town, just sprung up,
on the Central Railroad. There we remained
allnight. From Savannah to Wildwood eve
rything looked barren, so far as | could see:
The railroad towns looked new, and seemed
to have some life in them.
From Wildwood station | went into the
| heart of the country-the Western part of
Sumter county-to friends house, built on
| the banks of WithlahOOchee river. There
are two kinds of land here-One is called the
pine land and the other the hammock. On
| the latter is where the orange trees are set
out. There are a great many wild orange
| trees, the fruit of which is not fit for any
thing but by budding to these trees they
can, in a short time, be changed TO the sweet
orange. AS the limb Of the sweet bud grows
| they cut away the old limb in the same way
as we graft in this country. The other way
to get an orange grove is to set out trees one
and two years old. They are bought from
parties who make living in this way. A
two-year-old tree will bring 30 cents, and
older ones up to $500. These groves have
| to be kept clean, for if left alone the weeds
will soon choke out the young trees. Those
who live near enough to the railroad to ship,
have what is called a vegetable farm, plant
some profit. An orange will not bear tor
six years.
saw on a tree, 80 years old, 0,OOO oranges,
worth $4,000 annually. They have never
had crop failure, but every other year the
! trees are fuller. The oranges grow on the
end of the limbs, on what is called the new.
| wood Sometimes this new wood dies, and
| then it is two years before that limb bears
again.
I visited an orange grove, near Leesburg,
of 100 acres of hammock land, situated be-
tween two lakes-one on the headWaters OF
St. Johns river, and the other on the Gulf
of Mexico. Fifteen years ago, this 1O9 acres
I speak of, was vast wilderness. tits now
owned by five brothers, who went to work
and cut out everything but the wild orange
trees, and budded to them. They would
| have taken $4,000 an acre for it then; but
to-day they will not take 100000 for the 100
acres.
Visited another grove of 3 acres, which
| has been in bearing 16 years, and the owner
says he would not take 0,000 for the two
acres. Every one who has an orange tree
in Florida has living, and those who have
lIlOTc tllGu Ollc lIct arc HlNhlIiS
With the exception of Leesburg, the houses
are very poor.
went to see one man who is rich, and he
lived in small pole cabin, and gets water
out of hole in front Of his house. They
seem to be very indolent set out there.
OF course, there are exceptions. L know of
one man who went there after the war, with
wife and children, and when he landed
he had only $1,000. He went to work and
planted out an orange grove. He worked
at so cents a day, and took that money and
bought bread When he wanted meat he
went out and shot it-either duck, turkey,
deer, hog or beef. If he wanted fish, he
went to the river, which is only a short dis
tance from his house, and caught them. In
an hours time he could get enough meat to
do him week.
Speaking oftish, Iwent fishing one morn
ing, and took a friend of mine with me,
from York county, who was out there visit
ing one of his family. The river is about
three hundred yards wide and from five to
ten feet deep. My friend and got into
dug-out, went to the middle of the river and
| commenced fiShinp I soon caught trout