The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1884-09-06
Letter from Florida.

ORANGE LAKE, FLA. August 81, 1855

ORANGE LAKE, FLA. August 81, 1881.
MEssRs. EDITORS 1t has been quite long time
you will excuse, when / explain the cause, and
can explain to you in very few words Been too
lazy or, should say, the soothing climatic ali &C.
ton" has taken effect upon myself; but now as the
thermometer has gone down to 750 the ink does not
vaporize from my pen, and can give you line or
two.
1t has been quite warm during the summer (which
is not ended yeti, although the thermometer
scarcely ever registers than go, once only did
see it as high US 96o i'll the shade. At 2. NJ, last
Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday the thermome-
ter stood at $50 Friday and Saturday it did not
get above $50. You get up here in the morning
and the thermometer will be about 500 in an hour
or two it will go to lis maximum and remain there
until about L. NJ, and does not give one the cool
mornings and evenings that you have in Carroll,
although the nights are very pleasant our TEN
hot here; but to convince one that such idea is
erroneous. just let him step out hoe in hand, with
the sun shining peerpendicularly upon him, and if
in twenty minutes he don't say it gets warnl then
don't know anything about it.
do very little work now except in the mornings
and evenings; don't have to do much in fact for
this season seems to correspond with our winter,
when there is little to be done; but We will soon
have to pillow and hoe the grass out of our groves
and get them clean before winter. The grass and
weeds serve as protection for the land during the
hot weather but as soon as it begins to get little
cool finding that it has served our purpose i'll that
respect it then is to be cut down and allowed to rot
on the ground. This section of Florida beats any
portion of Carroll in the production of big weeds
won't say how large they do grow; l might lnJure
my reputation as George W. If did.
| rattle snake Item IN one OF the Maryland
papers and can beat it and not make any apparent
effort whatever. DIR. Burgin, n neighbor, was cut
ting poles in the timber and found small one; so
he went to the house and got his gun and shot it,
and he and two Others measured it, it measuring
feet inches in length, 1917 inches in girth, with Is
rattles and buttons The meat looked as though
it might be good, but as we each had enough bacon
for supper, did not try it. / killed small black
one that was little too persistent in his attentions
round the back door yesterday about as long as
am and as our board of health commissioners are
very vigilant had the satisfaction of seeing num-
moving it. They gather up every bone or scrap OF
meat that is thrown out from the Kitchen and some
times We look out and see them on the fence and
think that we have some real turkeys.
One word about our diaries, and am though. |
know full well that to many farmers wives and
dairy men of Carroll it would seem quite strange,
but nevertheless they the only kind used here,
and simply very small house on four posts,
placed in some shady place i'll the back yard about
the size of any ordinary kitchen safe, with wire
door and window in the opposite side about the
size of the door, also openings at each end covered
with WIRE so as to admit perfect circulation of air
and at the same time keep out all insects. Such a
dairy does very nicely here, and the milk is placed
in them Just as MIXED and not bit of water is
used The milk keeps sweet from morning until
evening. tried cooling some of the milk, thinking
it would keep better; but it was quite sour while
the other was sweet. These are the facts; ! can't
give the causes We make our own butter and
have not seen oily" butter on the table once this
summer, and we can always cut it with knife, yet
there is no ice or spring water used. | have seen,
and now believe Truly yours, W. NJ. GIsT.