Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1886-02-15
FLORIDA.
Near I.0SGwoop, Fla, Feb. :

Near LoNGwooD, Fla, Feb. :, 1886.
To the editor of the Alexandria Gazette:
AS 80 marv people write to me- to know
the pro an', cor about Florida, will you
kindly insert the following in the GAZETTE
1t is more generally taken than any other
paper in the section / propose to reach.
am asked, l. Florida desirable place TO
live in?
think that persons of limited means can
do better here than they can i'll eastern Fir-
ginia. For Instance, a five acre orange
grove, after it commences to bear we'll, is a
good support. Unimproved land around
here can be bought for $25 to $40 per acre;
orange trees to put in an acre, say S25; clean
ing acre, Sl5 to $25; fencing, :5 to SO; year
" expenses, $15 to $25. Budded trees com
mencc to bear in three or four years, and
bear to pay well in six aud seven, depend
ing, Of course. upon attention and fertilizer
used. Fire wood only costs the getting.
The necessaries of life cost little more than
in Virginia. For instance, best family flour,
81 per barrel; granulated sugar, 10c roasted
coffee (Rio), 25c.; bacon, 10c. to 12!c.; ham,
124c. to 15c.; fresh beef &c. to l2!c.; canned
corn, and roast beef, lie; syrup, Soc. to 75c.
Clothing is 25 per cent. higher; boots and
shoes same, that is, 25per cent. higher; cot
tons and calicoes about same as in Virginia.
Day laborers get Sl.25 to $3.50 per day, not
boarded; with board, 81 TO $125, per day.
Carpenters $500 10 $500 per day and in
demand. House rents lower than in Vir-
ginia, exceptin towns. Schools and churches
plentiful. The expense Of keeping horses
is heavy. Cows and calves sell unbroken at
about SIS. Their pasturagc costs nothing
all the year round Where | am living mos
quitoes are scarce; their bite is not near as
severeas of those in Virginia. Ticks toleraby
plentiful during winter months. Alligators
are seldom seen except on the coast ami ST.
Johns river ; they are as wild as deer.
Game in some sections is quite plentiful
Fish are plentiful! in our numerous lakes.
Besides raising oranges, lemons, lines, qua
Vas, pine apples, citron, Japanese parsimons
grapes, bananas ami grape fruit We raise
potatoes, cabbage, and in tac,, all The vegeta-
b!es raised in Virginia. Oar watcrmeIcns
are enormous. Board here i'll private houses
commences st S4.00 and runs up 10 $500
per week. In hotels $500 10 S25 100 per-
week. Lumber is reasonable, viz: plain
boards and framing $500; novelty sid
ing, $500 to 5000; flooring, $500
to $1,000. Saw mills pay better than
anything else, as tho above shows. Logs
only cost the miller, delivered at the mill,
$3.50 per 1000 #. after it is sawed. Our
houses do not require plastsring hence q
very neat and comfortable house OF, say four
rooins, can be put up for $3.50 Our climate
is delightful, even during the hottest day in
sII INN, ic a nj nf I,,o
during our winter is rather unusual.
Manufactured ice can be bought at from
fifty cents TO one dollar FER hundred
weight. The above is for the irtor-
nation of the man oil limited means.
Now for the wealthy man l would say
know of no place where Il person can invest
their surplus money where il will pay bet
ter than in Florida orange groves. A
neighbor has fifteen orange trees, the
fruit on which sold in 1854 ct 81 500.
Ifyou ask Inc which Of the two places |
prefer to live in, Virginia or Florida, au-
swer: If had plenty Of money l would
have an orange grove and live in Florida
during the winter months and in Virginia
the balance Of The time. DONE think there
is any place like old Virginia, but as have
limited means say prefer for the present
to live in Florida.
During the cold snap in January the or
anges on the trees were very much dam
aged-probably three-quarters Of them will
not do to ship. The large orange trees
were not damaged to any extent. Some
few of the young ones We're killed Lemon
trees were very much damaged, and most
of them will have to be cut back some.
Guaya bushes, of course, were killed on the
tops, SO that they will not bear before next
year. Early vegetables were much dam
aged. With the exception Of the damage
to the trees named person would not
know we had had freeze. The thermom-
eter at the time referred to was down for an
hour or so to 19 degrees The thermometer
now stands at sunrise about so and at noon
at 76 to so.
Strawberries are either full of fruit or in
full bloom
We hear little of politics in this section.
One thing makes against Florida it is
the high charges Of our railroads and the
dilatory and rough handling of goods. 1t
takes from two to three weeks to get goods
from Alexandria or Baltimore; besides so
many packages arc lost. I am minus q
trunk and vaiise rcshipped from Sumpter
county on December Let last, only So miles
from Longwood. Eongwood is a new town
on the South Florida Railroad, ten miles
from Sanford, on the ST. Johns river.
W. A. BRAwNER
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