The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1886-10-02
lFor The Republican.
Florida Letter.

Like Paul, have been long time
ftclt[i'lg to prepare letter for your
columns, good friend REPUBLICAN,
but hitherto | have not found oppor'
tunity to do according to the will. 1t
requires a full tWelye-months to do "A
years work here. Indeed, one may
put it as do the cctton planters in old
Alabama, and say, year of thirteen
months is necessary to make full
crop, especially on new lands. And
in these times who fails to make
crop, will likely find his bread-mill
stop before new grist comes in. Be-
sides, a newcomer is likely t. throw
away many day on miSdirected eff
fort. First lessons in Florida farm
ing are mainly in W.learning.
Knowing this much, readers of the
REPUBLICAN will not wonder at the
declaration that | have been exceed
ingly busy, and the occasion of steady
effort is not past; hut one must slip
in an occasional extra somehow.
1t is truly wonderful to note how
little. as a rule, people of one section
of our country know of the featu
and merits of another section. This
is true not only as to sections widely
separated, but often by places very
near home. Thus one finds it especi-
ally in these parts. / frequently ask
gIay-haired men for information con-
corning places to which they might
walk in a hours to hear the c0nfes-
sion: 81 don't know" Such ign0-
rance and Indifference are both cause
and evidence of the back Wardness of
any community. No one will ever
learn to know Florida on information
from her native population and
books of Information about the State
are about as reliable as a land-agent,
or finger-board. My own way is
to go and see when | want to know
of place that is new to me, Just in
this way | have, within week, come
10 have hearty look at two of the
inland counties of the State-Clay
and Bradford. The first Of these
borders on the st. Johns west Ward
and has Duval to the North and
Sumpter to the South of it. Its name
is from clay, an abundance of which
good brick waterfalls found
along its principal stream, Black
creek. Bradford is Immediately
west Of Clay, and has Starke for its
metropolis and Lake Butler for CAPT
tai. Either of these counties could
spare surface water enough from
creek, and swamp, and lake, and
bog. to relieve the distress of drought
stricken Texas, or repleniSh Lake
Erie, if its anti-Prohibition Toledo
ties should drink it dry some morn
ing after spree. However, one can,
here and there, even in these coun-
ties, find dry spot large enough to
accommodate a No. s boot, or, with
careful selection and little ditching,
have a grove or plantation above the
high water mark. Lake Butler
would really be "A charming place, if
not spoiled Ivy the "improvements."
that is, the things that stand around
there, and are called the "tOwn." |
know that Garrett has not much to
boast of in the way of county build
ings, but your pubIic-school building
in Oakland could swallow their court
house, and their Jail would hardly
suffice for your Sheritf's buggy shed.
But one must remember that this
Florida, with the oldest town in the
Union, is very ne,0 State. 1t viii
grow.
In this same Bradford county,
saw corn that will turn off so bushels
to the acre; and they gather some
times $50 worth of cotton from an
acre. Should anyone wish to cecure
a quiet home. all ready to sit down
in, with grove good for $4,000
oranges per year-a living for an or
binary family-I can sell him such Il
place in this same Lake Butler.
Railroad 16 miles distant, and line
surveyed through the place. l ate
nv first ORANGE of 1876 from that grove
last week.
West of Bradford comes Columbia
county. To this [ referred in pre-
ceeding letter ; but let me say to Suci'
of your readers aS think Florida
means sand, that in driving to church
last Lords day, was "jolted" oyer