Smyrna times., 1885-12-23
For the Smyrna Times.
Florida.

The crowds that enter Jacksonville
are from all parts of the country. At
the breakfast table the five of us who
were together represented California,
New York, Pennsylvania, Florida and
Delaware. left Jacksonville at noon
on Friday, and after making twenty
miles we changed cars at Baldwin for
BelleView, but the train at Baldwin
was two and One-quarter hours late
and when we did get started we
seemed get little later as we went,
reaching Belleview four and one-quar-
ter hours behind time. This state of
things being chronic nothing is thought
of it here, but to one who is used to
the efficiency and punctuality of the
Pensy," it was, to say the least,
rather disappointing, but as we learn
the ways of the people and their for
mer methods we find that time is
not money" here In making the run
of 16O miles from Jacksonville to Belle
view we passed through low, wet
country that would seem almost worth
less, yet ther are many rich hammocks
and some of the finest orange groves
in the State. The celebrated Harris
grove at Citra is nearly one mile long
and the railroad runs though it. 1t is
the grandest sight that you can imag
inc. One hundred acres of orange
trees, in full fruit, the yellow oranges
making such a lovely contrast with the
dark green leaves. Twelve years ago
this was wild grove and Mr. Harris
purchased it and budded the sour wild
| trees to sweet fruit and last year his
crop realized him $72 1000 and the year
before $4,000 and this year they say
he will get at least $4,000 for his
crop. He has just completed a new
residence at his grove at a cost of S40,-
| 600 and was only mrrried three weeks
/ ago to Northern lady. We saw
many small groves, in fact everybody
who resides here has a grove in bear
| ing, or one on the way. To those who
have one in fruit l think the result in
a monetary point of view is better
than our Delaware peach orchards, for
when an orange tree once gets to bear
ing it increases in the quantity it bears
all the time. There are trees here forty
years old that have ten thousand Oran-
ges on them this year, but to set out
a grove now one must learn to labor a
| great deal and to wit a good while for
any return. Before reaching Ocola
which is the county seat of Marion
county and a very fine town of about
1000 inhabitants, we see the famous
Silver Spring, a place noted for a visit
in the fifteenth century by Ponce de
Leon in search for the fountain of per-
petual youth and health. The spring
is a circular basin of water two hun
dred yards in diameter and about sixty
five feet Deep The bottom of this
basin is percOlated with holes so that
the water can be seen bubbling up in
crystal clearness. Any small object can
be seen at the bottom, even a hairpin, if
dropped into it, and the fish. are an
easy prey to a good spearman. This
spring is the source of a small naViga-
bic river which empties into the Ockla-
waha river.
Belleview is a new town situated on
high pine land and is noted for its
healthfulness. Everything about il
being new and the inhabitants almost
entirely from New England, it can
boast of as good society as any place in
the State, in fact, 1 don't think they
can be excelled in that respect. The
town has some good houses and Others
are going up. Almost everyone is into
the orange business. Though in one
sense these new settlers are pioneers
vet they will have an abundant reward
for their privatiOns and sacrifices wheI
their groves produce the golden fruit
l find many who came here a year age
who say they were worse off than
am, and they are now well and hearty
so / take courage and hope for thu
best. At Belleview three aligatOr
sport themselves in the small lake.
is quite strange sight to see every
where a beautiful moss hanging from
all the trees as a natural festOOn. 1t j
said by some writer's that the aVerag
FlOridaon lives on "HOg in Summe
and on Yankees in Winter" HOweve
true or false this may be, one thini
, seems certain, that Florida has a eli
mate that money cannot buy nor labo
create, though it has many drawback
and disadvantages, yet last Winter ont
hundred thousand visitors sought it
balmy air and sunny cline to enjoy it
, equitable temperature and bracing at
mOsphere, seeking restoration frOr
natures own crucible. If this climat
will restore to the human body il
physical equilibrium, lost by disease
then it is really a sanitarium, the valu
of which can not be estimated. Th
culture of oranges, lemons, banana!
pine apples, &C., is attracting man
!, settlers also, and the population of tn
State has increased nearly seventy-fiv
thousand since 1880.
To a person of ample means Florid
= for a Winter sOjOurn and Maine for
J Summer outing, these antipOdal State
offer pleasant recreatiOns and induce
3 ments. But after travelling froI
Maine to Florida on the Atlantic Goa:
and noting the advantages of all tn
States, with their drawbacks, hindreI
ces and disadvantages, am prepare
to assert and / defy successful cOntrl
o. dictiOn that for a constant residencI
Of for the mean temperature of the cl
mate, the natural fertility of the sol
the variety and abundance of the crOI
of cereals, fruits and vegetables, an
for its oyster beds and other salt-wate
luxuries, that the land lying betwee
the Delaware and Chesapeake bay
q known as the Delaware and Mar.
u' land Peninsula, has no equal in tn
country and those who possess I'll
IS land are not really aware of their valI
and often think do not appreciate Il
blessing of living in such a favOr'
land. A. P. GRIFFITH,
= The APPROACH OF THE HOLIDAY