The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1883-02-19
PROM TROpIC LANDS.
wheeling Travellers Home Again-seme
ofthe Things They saw.

wheeling Travellers Home Again-Seme
ofthe things They saw.
Mr.. J. H. HOBBS, wife and daughter, Mrs
Phinney, returned on Saturday from a trip
to Florida and Cuba, after an absence Of six
weeks.
Mr.. Hobbs took special interest in Florida
orange culture, and brings home confirma-
ton OF the less extravagant stories which
come up from the land Of flowers, orange
groves and alligators. He saw trees which
hs was assured bore 5000 oranges in year,
aud these were not considered exceptionally
productive. An orange tree In good working
order, within reach Of good trans
portational facilities, Is valued at 500,
on which sum 1t pays O handsome in.
terest. Mr.. Hobs was told of
gentleman who went into the business with
very little money fourteen years ago and
now has an orange grove which yields him
az income OF more than 100000. Bot
while oranges are plentiful, they. are not
cheap In Florida. On the trees they bring
from ~ cents apiece up. Mr.. Hobbs brought
home . bough with eight oranges on It, and
for this be paid so cents to the man who cut
It from the tree while be looked on. THERE'S
q rapid increase Of Investments in orange
lands, and buyers are beginning to Look to
the cheaper lands OF the west coast
Mr.. Hobbs had no desire TO end his days In
Havana-next to selling lottery tickets, 10
which men, women and children, Of all col
ors and shades are engaged Incidence seems
TO be the chief industry. This may be infer.
red from the fact that the Havanese employ
2. 100 cabs 10 do their walking for them. A man
may be barefooted aud ragged, but he wont
walk II he can raise four ten cent "shin.
plssters," Finding that be had suddenly
come upon tropic CLINE, Mr.. Hobbs tried
TO buy thin ready.made coat, but the deal
ers said there was no call 10 Havana
for coats OF that size. They don't
grow giants In the EyeI-Faithtul
Isle. Butter comes from the United States
and ranges from middlipg to bad. The COW
comes around with her milk, and though the
quality il nothing 10 brsg q, the customer
Knows that his milk hasn't been drawn from
the town pump. Beef 10 seventy.fye csnts 0
pound, gold-$t 80 in the paper money Of the
Island. Flour Is SIS per barrel, $3.50 Of which
goes TO the government as duty. The glass
Chandeliers manufactured In Wheeling by
Hobbs, Brockunier 4 Co. pay In duty from
100 per cent up.
Government officials get rich, but nearly
every one else maintains an even poverty.
Chinese are numerous, and many Of them
are cripples. The hest hotel In Havana is a
bad hotel, charges n q day gold, The tFey:.
eler who stops at one wishes he had stopped
at any other one. Artificial ice Is plenty and
good. Beer, imported from the United States,
Is IS cents in pint bottles. A better cigar for
the money can be had in Wheeling
than In Havana, Tho people prefer
10 buy from the United States,
but the tariff fayors imports brought In
Spanish ships, and as comparatively few OF
them are In the American ttade, American
exporters are under disadvantage.
The Cubans hope some day to get possession
OF Moro Castle-then they will batter down
Spanish supremacy and found nice little
independent tropical nation for the United
at,s IN Inok lOnpinply on