The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1884-03-06
al EMronIa rounlsr Is rIonIpA
ORLANDo, ia. Feb. 25. 1881.


ORLANDO, RIA, Feb. %. 1894.
EDITORS NEWS: II has been estimated
that at least one hundred thousand peo-
pie visit Florida during the winter. and
nearly all of them from the northern
states New England is the most large
~ represented OF any section in proper
ton TO Its population. A msjority of
the tourists stay at the mammoth hotels
along the st Johns river for few weeks
and return home, imagining that they
have seen FLORIDA, just as ON, rs visit
Colorado and from a trip
from Pueblo to Denver, suppose they
know all abo t the Ro ky Mountains.
But 10 see this sta in ali its beauty we
have TO leave The damp malarious air of
the risrr. ana get into the interior.
Florida is PENN ,ula abou 400 miles
long and say $50 miles wide, and that
immense track OF land is simply an i'm
mense sand bank, with low, swampy
margins on eIthtr hand, but rising in
the center 10 al elevation of from 20 TO
$50 fest. Three or four counties along
the div ne coast III The Lake
| region, and this section is the most
beautiful part of the state. In this (Or-
a ge) couLt) there are over two hun
dred lakes, ranging in size from few
acres to several mics 10 extent, and eV-
cry lake, even the smallest, is filed with
fish of superior quality, principally
black bass, and the water of the lakes il
considered great protection to the or
ange groves during heavy frosts. The
frosts this year have done great deal
of damage all over the state, even where
they had thought they weIe below the
I frost line.
Here the culture of the orange is the
principal business, ana all tue talk /!
about groves and trees" Sull, ihey
, RAISE vegetables, but would not call i
. good vegetable country. as do not be
I lieve they can raise vegetables prohtabl'
for shipment 20 northern markets. Gu
! tables are now supplied from the gar
? dena around here with fine cabbages
2 turnIps, ra1ishes and lettuce, and pea
> | and beans are In bloom. Tomatoes ant
; potatoes are six or eight inches high, ant
1 corn three or four inches.
4 Orlando is the county seat of Orang
i county. it is place of 1900 people
with a good prospect tor the future
e Business lots are worth from $1,000
4 81 SEQ, and an acre lot situated in tn
: outskirts, say as Capt. Curry's propert
, ] "a in Emnoria Is worth from 300
: $500; aud unimproved land within thre
s miles of town is held al $50 to $500 pc
# acre, owing to the quality of the liant
j. and the best of it Is enough to make
If Kansas man laugh when it is Gale
# good.
In regard to the orange culture. 1t is
r, de5atable question as 10 whether it IS
" profitable crop to raise. The advocate
J. of the orange pCibt to groves where Il
a crop sold Tor, say 50. 500, but do not ST
s. anything about the owner having give
Ie $4,000 for the grove year ago.
re The climate is something they cann
it exaggerate. 10 The winter 1t is simpl
IT perfect. Yesterday it turned cold al
h the thermometer went down to 4S d
L. grees, but the range has been, since
d have been here, fiOm go t. 80 deg, ee
g Taken altogether this is by far the mo
is pleasant part o. the state, ard there
ID an immense demand for carpt nteI
d Hoping to get Il coy of THE News b
fore leaving the state for home, rema
IN yours truly, E. P. BRUNER.