The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1884-02-21
Letter from Florida.

| maps SnOulu De corrected. Dly ODjecl III
these letters is to state facts facts which
know tc be facts, or eau be sub.tantia-
ted by the best authority.
| In speaking Of the price of cotton
made the impression upon the minds Of
your readers that it had reached 40
cents per pound, and WAS the selling
price at that time.
This is 4 mistake. | should have sta,
ted that the common market price ranged
from 81 TO 3S cents
One merchant told me he knew one
man who received 30 cents for his cotton.
Perhaps it was a bad deb,, and in order
to secure his money the buyer paid that
amount.
We are having now beautiful clear
| weather. The warm sunshine is causing
vegetation 10 spring up and grow birds
are singing their sweetest songs, and all
nature seems rejoicing because Winter
has gone. We can now see what mis-.
chieI has been done to tho orange trees.
The or ncrs Of groves for while, were
very uneasy lest their trees should sue
cumb to the cold wave, but they are now
cheerful enough. Though most Of the
trees have been 1enuled of their foliage,
yet no material damage has been done to
the tree. Small trees Of one years
growth have suffered most cannot
see that the large trees have been in
Ijured.
The young, tender wood that was made
just previous to the cold snap has been
bitten back. Farmers are now as busy
az can be preparing their lands for the
coming crop. Iog.rolling seems to be
the order Of the day. Planting corn will
commence about the 20lh Of this month
| Labor is getting to be serious matter
with the farmers. Very few Of T. I'm
! have rs many !aBds as ,hey wsnt, and
many others have none at all. So mauv
railroads are being built that it proves
very injurious to the farming interest.
seems 10 have special attraction for
them. But surely no one can blame
them, for they get their dollar and a
quarter per day, and they get it regularly
and promptly.
! In this country everybody seems to be
striving to get home of their own.
Many of the blacks, as well ~ the
whites, have secured nice, comfortable
homes. Many freedmen here have more
than "4O acres and mule" Some Of
them have large bodies OF lands and
several mules. They are on the high
Yay to fortune. a young man of ener
| gy, sound judgment and steady habits
can soon become independent.
see young men here who few years
ago did not have dollar, nor did they
own all acre Of land. To-day they have
a quarter of Il section OF land, horse, a
COW or two, hogs, &c. This they have
secured by hard work and ind0mitable
energy.
The reason OF this is plain land is
cheap and labor commands good price.
Good farm hands get from $40 to Sl2 per
per month with their board and washing.
At the saw mills a strong young man gets
from SIS to $23, per month and his board.
If he has economic habits lie can "lay
up" the most Of this sum.
Your readers have often heard that in
Florida man can live easier and work
less than anywhere else. From what
have seen and heard, am beginning to
believe this. There are many reasons
for this. The earth is generous; not
only does she produce good crops, but
greater variety Of crops than any other
country. Potatoes, peas and pinda:s
gov almost without any work. Very
little corn is fed to hogs, only enough to
harden the flesh, as it were.
| often think Of the many young men
in Anderson County who labor hard the
whole year and can't snvc n nickle; who
have no lands Of their own and per-
haps never viii! have, If they live to be
hundred years old. say have often
thought that if they could see what
promises and inducements this State
holds out to them they would leave
the country just as soon as they could
raise money enough TO get out of it.
would not persuade anybody, young 0.
old, who is doing we'll and getting along
smoothly in the world to quit their homes
and go 10 seek better. 1t is of the
poor young man OF when l speak and
whom would advise. What are their
prospect there1 They have for years
been laboring and striving to better their
condition, and to-day it is no better than
it was five years ago. and in many cases
it Is much worse. And do not hesitate
to affirm that from what I see and hear
that q young man of health, and energy,
7 and pluck, can ewn nice little home,
become Independent and happy i'll very
short time. A lazy man will not succeed
; here any better than anywhere else, and
| would advise such to stay where they
are. The health of this country is good
and l see no cause why it should not
continue so. The country generally is
high, rolling pine land, and physicians re.
commend invalids to go to such places.
There are some small swamps about, the
home Of the alligator and mosquito, but
many people live on tho edges OF them
II L ~