The Palatka daily news. (Palatka, Fla.) 1884-1888, 1886-12-24

railroads through the Length ana bfttuin
of the State: Has she not doubled IN
half a decade her wealth, her farms and
her workshops: There IL nothing poor
about that What il she poor in: Ger
tainly not in health, AZ we challenge the
world. Is il in her products: Go to her
forests and find 80 distinct varieties of
woods go 10 ner fields and find grasses,
grains and roots containing all the ele-
ments necessary to sustain animal life
90 to her orchards and see them loaded
with all the fruits of the world go 10
her rivers and lakes and find them ami
mated with the finny tribe Of qualities
that tempt the palate of the epIcure.
What is she poor in? Why, the poorest
man in all the lard can find homestead
in Florida. She offers land without
money and without price. There Is GER
ta'niy nothing poor about her prosperity;
/ it is radiant with life, and grows stronger
every sun.
One would infer from Brownlee that
our increase is confined To English and
/ Scotch tenderfeet." This is not SO
We have people from every country and
every State, not excepting California.
and pardon us, Brownlee, there are no
persons more enthusiastic over Florida
than those from the I'll Dorado State.
There is touch of jealousy about you,
Brownlee, that leads us to suspect you
would rejoice if your State could secure
such immigrants but we forgive you,
for all selfish minds run in that channel.
II is proper to say just here that major
ity of the English and Scotch coming to
this State are men of common sense. y
more methodical immigrant can not he
found than the class mentioned. Yes
terday we asked one who had wasted a
year in California seeking a desirable op-
portunity TO purchase a home, why he
preferred Florida to California. and this
. was his reply:
Why j peter Florida 10 California"
you ask. Having visited both countries,
! otter the following reasons:
Ist. Land Is very much cheaper.
I'd. Do not have 10 irrigate.
81. The summers ave pleaSauter and
cooler.
4th. Raise better oranges.
9TH. DO not have to fight insect pests
on trees.
6th. Country much more hcalthfuI.
9Th. Refreshing rains in summer are
frequent.
Sth. can market my fruit and prod
ucts through the front door of the world
instead OF through the back gate.
It is not necessary To- add t. this any
comment.
You say Mr.. Brownlee that the New
York Times is particularly bitter and
outspoken over the vast swindleS being
perpetrated every day. You don't say
where these swindles are being peTpetTa-
ted, but we presume you wish to locate
them in Florida. The writer has some
knowledge of California and does not
hesitate To say that. with all her great
ness, her grandeur and high toned NOR
atty, she has larger share of swindiers
f than any other State IN the Union. But
the Times IL not more outspoken in this
matter than the business men of Florida
, You say. Mr.. Brownlee, that TO Tefute
the bitter things the New York Times
says a weekly paper called the SuHth has
. been started. Wrong again. Strange.
; how ignorant yOu are. The SoW3H Is not
a weekly paper but n monthly magazine
1ou see, b, you quadruple. Bad to lie
so. Besides, 1t was not started to refute
the Times bite rness. 1t has been estab-
lished for years. The writer has been a
constant reader of its pages for four years,
and takes this opportunity to cay that IL
is a grand, good, honest Journal, not de
voted TO Florida alone. but the whole
South, and it is doing good work.
You say, Mr.. Brownlee. that you saw
grove of seven acres sold last year to
Mr.. Jas. y. Harris for 100000. The
largest raiser of oranges in Florida-a
keen, sharp man. al d bought the prop
erty for speculation and knew what he
was doing. Yes. Mr.. B., Mr.. Harris
} knew Wnat ne was uOlnS. ana II ne
bought seven acre grove for 500. 900, he
did it because 1t was cheap and worth it
IA an investment. He Is not Spectator
in the general aCceptation of the term.
We can tell you, Mr.. b., of a 5>acre
grove that sol for $4,000, and not pur-
chased as a speculation but as a perma-
nent investment. This don't look as if
''peor old Florida needed any sympa-
thy. You say your poorest kept groves
Il
alongside of FloTida's best" Now that
is what we call interesting reading, and
we thank you very much. Mr. Il for
the com parison. Now let us investigate
the matter. We, month or so ago.
furnished to THE NEWS a synopsis of
the discussions of the California Fruit
Growers Convention, at Los Angeles, on
:he insect question. Some of the dele
gates told that they were compelled to
cut down their orange, peach, pear and
apricot and olive trees 10 whip-stocks, in
order To get rid of the scale. This uro-
ceeding put back the crop three years.
We have not heard of anything like this
in Florida. If that is what is called
paragon of health and cleanliness, it
must he after the trees are shorn of their
limbs and leaves and burned up. That
was last year, you say. Well, we like
TO go with abundance of evidence, so
we will give some for this year. On the
10Th of last month the same committee
met at the State capital, and the princi-
pal discussion was on the filthy condI-
ton of the paragon groves. Mr.. Le-
long spoke at length on the cottony
cushion scale, a subject which he was
perfectly at home upon. He had made
the insect, its ravages, and the best
methods of its destruction. a study, and
gave the Convention many points from
his observation and experience. In Los
Angeles county, the board of supervis-
ors. under a State law, passed an ordi-
nance creating pest inspectors. The in
spectors met with much opposition. The
owners would not cut down their trees
unless they were paid the valne of a
three years CROP. The inspectors went