Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1883-04-09
FL0RIDIAN PARADISES.
PASSING GLIMPSES OF TWO
PRETTY HAMLETS.

PASSING GLIMPSES OF TWO
PRETTY HAMLETS,
A Correspondent Draws Roseate Pen
Picture of Lake ButIer-Habits and
Customs of the Honest Yeomanry-
Some People of PrOminence-A Short
Stay in Starke.
| JACKSONVILLE, April IA recent visit
to Lake Butler, the county seat of Brad
ford, furnished some items that NAV be of
interest to your readers. This little set
! tlement, sixteen miles west of Starke. can
only be reached by private conveyance,
and that over pretty rough road after
heavy rains, as was my experience. In
the passage of Little river the water was
so high that we shipped barrelful, and
our animal came within an ace of swim
ming. On emerging from the river our
vehicle resembled water-logged boat.
Lake Butler derives its name from a
beautiful clear water lake of circular
form adjoining the settlement, and about
mile and half in circumference, 1t
abounds in fine fish that furnish a con-
stant supply to the neighbors. The ham,
let itself contains twelve or fourteen
families, one beer saloon, a church.
school house, and not a single mercantile
establishment. The court house, a neat
and we'll arranged wooden structure, con-
tains ample accommodations for the va
rious officers and the purposes of Justice.
An inspection of the dockets spoke vol
umes for the honesty and peaceful habits
OF the population, there being only three
cases on the civil and six on the criminal
dockets. Five of the culprits had patri-
Otically ''left their country for their coun-
try's good" and gone to parts unknown.
Most Of the indictments were for offenses
of a trivial character. Under such a con-
ditiOn of affairs, how the three lawyers, of
whom the county boasts, Messrs. Rhodes,
Long and Wells, contrive to make liv-
ing, is somewhat of puzzle. But a single
jury trial was had during the term, and
Judge Baker and State Attorney Owens
were generally gentlemen of elegant
leisure.
The people of Bradford are, for the
most part, hard-working farmers of mod
crate means, free of debt, of simple primi-
tive habits. They make their own pro-
visions, and while none are very wealthy
or exceedingly poor, they are as a class,
in country parlance, all "gOOd livers."
There was little if any intoXicatiOn, and
no fighting or quarreling.
What surprised me greatly and was
specially worthy of note was the exceed
ing thriftineSs and vigorous growth of
mention some facts that came under my
own observation, in the hope that they
Will direct the attention of some of those
proposing to engage in this industry. to
this section, as most desirable location.
John Croft, late DoOrkeeper of the AS
sembly, has in his yard an orange tree
whose trunk one foot above the ground
measures twenty inches in diameter, and
bore year before last between five and six
thousand oranges. His enclosure contains
numerous other fine specimens, now loaded
with young fruit, as thick almost as clus-
ters of grapes.
DIR. Newsome, in sight of the court
house, shows hundred noble trees, sew
eral of which have produced $500, and
which have never been seriously affected
by frost. The joke is told on the doctor
that when he purchased his present resi-
dence he found quantity of young volun-
teer seedlings on the premises, and set SO
little value upon them that he gave orders |
to plow them up and throw them over the |
fence. His mother-in-law, Mrs. Heath, |
was wise enough to pick up and set out |
the despised plants, and now has a
tourlshing grove that will render her old |
age comfortable.
There are $500 trees planted in Lake |
Butler, some 500 of which are bearing.
and nowhere can you find the orange do |
ing better or giving greater promise than |
in this locality.
Mr.. T. A. Rivers, three miles from Lake
Butler, owns an orange tree whose but |
measures twenty two lnChUo in dianaotor,
and from which he has gathered 5000 |
oranges. He shows several others now
loaded with fruit that were budded only
three years ago.
j. w. Sutton, at Santa Fe, has young
tree into which he inserted bud, three
years since, tnat now shows, according to
his estimate, 1000 young oranges. Most
OF the trees that | examined cannot ma
ture tenth part of the fruit now visible.
Every limb would give way under the
ponderous burden.
The statements made above can all be
substantiated, and have been somewhat |
circumstantial in the hope that prospect |
i've settlers will be induced at least to ex-
anime this portion of the State, of which,
owing to its comparatively isolated con-
dition, so little is known. The lands are
good, cheap and finely adapted to the |
successful cultivation of the orange as
we'll as the usual other products of the /
country.
Captain w. III. Edwards, of New river, |
member of the Assembly, owns ], 900 acres |
of carefully selected lands, $50 of which |
are planted in corn, cotton and oats. Such |
land as his can be obtained for So per
acre. He is one of the progressive farm |
ers of the country and fully up to the |
Perhaps the most notable instance of |
success under exceedingly adverse cir |
cumstances in the entire State, is afforded |
in the case of Mrs. Rising, who came to |
Bradford county from Connecticut twelve |
years age, land purchased tractOf80 acres |
four miles from Starke, for which she paid |
one thousand dollars. This brave old |
lady, with dOgged Yankee pluck, and with |
her husband helpless cripple, picked up |
all the orange seed she could discover and |
carefully planted them out, grubbing up |
roots and stumps by her own unaided la |
Dor. Now look at the result. She has |
been offered and has refused ten thousand |
dollars for her property, and well inform
ed gentlemen told me that the place is
we'll worth twenty thousand. Although |
now over 20 years old, Mis-. Rising often
walks to Starke and back to make pur-
chases.
All along the road between Starke and
Lake Butler, all the clearings contain |.
numerous young orange groves, and it is
quite evident that general and increasing
attention is given to this industry.
Starke has put on an amazing growth
within the past two or three years, and is
beginning to assume considerable style.
1t contains a number of live, progressive !
citizens, and the town is enlarging her
borders in all directions. Brick stores
are dotted here and there about the
obiOSbo9 anu piCObg SObbdEOo ICdL luciI !
shapely proportions from clumps of the
universal orange. The merchants are
liberal and enterprising, and do an excel
lent and satisfactory business. Col. VIM.
Moore, of the telegraph, blows Bradford's
bugle, and his newsy sheet is well filled
with items of local and general charac-
ter. A handsome subscription list indi-
Gates that the people appreciate his exer-
tiOns.
The brickyard of McWilliams & Brown
is turning out daily fifteen thousand gray
brick of excellent quality, for which an
active demand exists and which it is i'm
possible at present to supply. These gem
tlemen now have an order for 500, 900 from
Gainesville, and find it difficult to meet
the local wants. An improved brick ma
chine is employed, which will shortly be
reinforced by a steam engine. McWil-
liams d Brown are large subscribers to
the stock of proposed new hotel to con-
tain from fifty to seventy-fye rooms, to
be commenced as soon as the remaining
stock is taken. Several brick buildings
will soon be erected in Starke.