The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1886-01-07
TIE FLORIDA TOWNS.
BIN Arp ON the Progress of Settlement
atlanta Constitution.


Florida towns are novelties in their ways
Gainesville, where we live, is but little
larger: than Sanford, but Gainesville is
old aud settled. You can find hundred
Ane COWS in Gainesville, but you cant
find any COWS at all down here. Every
body uses condensed milk. We wanted
some fresh cows milk for Our sick boy
but it was not to be had in the town and
we had to beg it in the country. 1t is
not because they can't raise COWS here
but because they haven't begun. A
druggist here has sent off for ten and
says heis going to supply the town with
milk. Merchants come here and there
are much finer stores and stocks than in
our Georgia towns, for these people are
rich and dress fine and buy first class
goods. Most every other house in town
is hotel or a boarding house or a real
estate agency. Livery stables do we'll Of
course, for these people are moving
around. There are lots of darkies here
but they don't care for anything. They
haven't got to buy wood nor blankets and
they; can fish and whenever they want 10
do a days work they can get dollar and
q half or two dollars forit. The darkey
is not willing to work ahead of his wants.
Nothing but necessity drives them to the
use of their muscle. A very common
cook woman gets from ten to fifteen dol
lars q month. know family that pays
a man twenty dollars and cook sixteen
and nurse twelve, and they are just
average negroes-and the washing is all
done outside. The washing for one
person is a dollar q week. A heathen
Chinee arrived yesterday and says be will
reform all this laundry business if the
Mclean man will let him stay. Florida
lives on canned goods. II you want
anything outside it costs you dear. l
priced chickens to-day and was asked a
dollar 8 pair. Eggs are forty cents a
dozen. Nowwh does not somebody go
into the chicken business. A few do,
and make money. Two farmers here
make money selling milk, but there are
only Two. One man raises hogs, lots OF
hogs, they say 500 a year. They fatten
on the craw6sh and shell fish on the
borders of the lake and grow to 300
pounds, but there is only one man at 1t.
Some few who have hammock land raise
vegetables for market and make money,
lot Of money. But most adventures
come here to raise oranges and lemons
and get absorbed in that, not SO much for
the future profit in the oranges as for the
increase in the price of the land after a
young grove has; been planted. They
plant aud sell out aud plant again. Most
everything is for sale, but not the beauti-
ful homes that the wealthy nave estab.
lished on the lakes. These Florida
newspapers are crowded with lands for
sale. New towns spring up so fast they
are hard run fer names for them. Real
estate agents are busy. Major Marks is
the pioneer, the old reliable land man,
and does things on big scale. He went
to Europe and has got lords and counts
interested in Florida aud you can run
against one on the sidewalk and not
know it. Most Of them are young and
sociable, and our boys don't say "Me
Lord nor Your Grace" but hello Jack
or good morning Johnny Bull. Major
Marks believes in advertising. On his
return. from England he called at the
Office Of the World in New York and
bargained for one days issue of that
great paper, and said he wanted every
column in it devoted to Florida. They
asked him ten thousand dollars, and he
said he would give it and now he is as
sessing the towns and railroads that want
to come into the pool, and | hear that
Orlando raised one thousand dollars in a
day. Well, that is business and it pays.
There are countless numbers at the north
who are sired of their climate and are
looking this way. They make right good
democrats when they get here aud are
Joining the solid South. Sanford is q
wooden town. There is only one brick
building in it an those brick were brought
here on schooner from up North. But
brick can be made here and that is
another unoccupied field of industry
Insurance is high, very high, about six
per cent. Notwithstanding they have q
good system Of waterworks. l was sur
prised to find 6rewood 80 expensive. ]
paid one dollar for one-eighth of a cord,
but it was sawed up short for stove wood
The surrounding lands are full of scrub.
by pines but the owners make the timber
sell the land, and SO wood is high. But
after all, living is not expensive, for a
family can do without chickens and eggs
on week days, and it takes but little wood
to do them. Vegetables are cheap and
beef and venison are reasonable and fish
cost nothing hardly. The people are
bright and cheerful and seem as happy
as they do anywhere. The ladies meet
on the sidewalks aud stop at the gates
and chat merrily and have a good social
time, and the landladies are just as good
as their guests. There is no stiffness
here. An old friend who called ON us
was telling lady how to raise her boy
and was limiting that her boy needed
more raising than he was getting, and
advised little more of Solomon's pre-
scription, and he told her how he was
raising his boy as model Of juvenile
propriety. Well, she stood it pretty vel
for awhile, and then fred up and said
"Well, sir, you are not the first man I've
seen who knew exactly how to raise Other
peoples children. You just wait fen
years and see which is the best boy, mine
mr. vonrs. Now. take that, Mr.. Smarty.'