The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1885-11-19
THE FLOWERY LAND.
Delightful Associations With the Rollick-
ing Rather and the FrOlicsome
MocoaSin.
To the Citizen

To the Citizen:
AUBURNDALE, FLA, Nov. IA, '85.
AS winter comes on apace, every
thing and erybody down here in
this country (south Florida) of
pine and sand, mosquitoes and alli-
gators, seed ticks and rattle snakes,
black gnats and wild cats, swamps
and panthers, flag marshes and ma
laria, bogs and cotton mouth moe
casins, lakes and ponds-yes, eve
rything and everybody too appear
to put on new life, and the folk are
looking about them seemingly with
much expectation of something
turning up. And it is true that i'm
migration has begunto come 10 right
lively, some for the winter season
only and others to secure homes in
this country that has got little of
everything in it-even down to cen
tipedes and tarrantulas. A gentle
man just across the lake from
where | am sitting, sold to q ''suck-
err few days ago 2l4 acres of this
sand, with about $50 leet of "Iake
'front.'" for $215O cash; annd strange
to say, this sort of thing has been
going on gradually for the past sew
eral years until what was then moth
ing more than a "howllng wilder
ness is now pretty fairly bedecked
with buildings all about the lakes
and over the sand hills and among
the pines, each settlement having
from five acres and upwards of
cleared land set in fruit trees suited
to the climate. The railroads are
still pushing on further south, and
of course civilization is a close fol-
lower. 1t is (civilization) already
very noticeable in this part of the
country. But a few years ago q
good many old settlers and natives
who did not have shutters to their
doors and windows, now affix that
appendage to their domicile, and as
civilization advances, will no doubt
put locks on their smoke houses,
whic have heretofore been all out of
doors. These old CRACKERS have
much of the "mother wit" and will
be apt to take on" as things ad-
vance.
AS to the healthfulness of this
country cannot speak advisedly.
do not know or hear or tell of
any sickness in this section, though
there may be plenty further out
among the swamps and marshes, as
we frequently see in transient news
papers much mention of malaria
Last summer was a terribly long
and hot summer-said to have been
by old resIdenters the hottest ever
experienced in this section, and oc
casionally a working man would
get sick, send to the apothecary,
get a few pills and a round of
quinine, and in a few days would
be out at work again. Fifty cents
would generally pay for medicine
and prescription. The man may
have had malaria. Whenever one
speaks of malaria, swamps and
marshes, l am sure to get snakes
mixed in among them, which re
minds me that few days ago as a
hand car was being propelled along
the railroad somewhere this side OF
Kissimmee City, there was a
large rattle snake lying full length
across the track, and when the car
wheels struck it it dumped" itself
and threw the car clear off the
track. The car men attacked the
monster with their 'push poles, y
and after killing it found that it
had forty-seven rattles and, was
about as large in size as an old
time crib log. While among the
reptiles let me tell another: A
short time back l, in company with
lone of the boys" started across q
bay, (now a bay out here in the
woods away from any large body oi
water in a low, fiat, marshy run,
emptying into creeks and lakes, and
Others that do not empty at all as
can see, and are grown up in BAN
boo briars, bay bushes, fox fern,
ETC., and are principally inhabited
by alligators and cotton mouth
snakes, and good hiding place fol
wild cats and Ranthers,) large
pine tree had been cut and felled in
from either side of the bay, which
made pretty good footing all the
, way across, and as we got out to-
ward the middle of the bay l saw
the bushes shake and my compan-
ion who was in front took down his
gun and fred. "What did you
shootr' said /. can alligator saiG
he, and moved on few steps. AT
ter the smoke from the gun haC
somewhat cleared away, L peered
In among the bushes and said, Eyes
and you didn't kill it, either; SEE
it moving on-shoot it again" HI
: parted the bushes with his gun, ant
; said, 81 see it head-it is a cottor
mouth" and fired. The SECOND
shot kicked him off the log back
= ward, and the way he tussled to ge
back, made me think that he saw
, another monster behind him, but b.
! did not say anything and we moved
on. 1t is not an everyday occur
renee that these monster rattl
= snakes and other vicious reptilei
are found, but some of them ar
here, and big ones too, and sine
the torpid rays of a summers SUI
are subsiding they are beginning t.
show themselves.
b Orange groves are beginning t
t show a golden hue, and some grow
ers have commenced shipping.
In looking over this settlement
occurs to me that the CITIzEI
ought to have more readers than
find here, and if | get an opportuni
s ty, will try and drum 'em uE
Weather delightful and everything
o lovely. "Down with the war tar
D iff," is what 1 say, but you don't.
A. j.