The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1886-04-22
Anthony. Fla.

at Ocd a. 1 am now at AnJhOn
eight miles north Of Ocala ON th
+. Il Il n. road. came throug
from Baldwin 10 Ocala in the nigh
consequently l cannot give a dc
scriptlon of the country, but lear
there are some fine lands, and a
Citra, twelve miles north of thi
place, are some of the largest an,
finest orange groves in the sta {
Tie s shop and Harris groves ar
two OF the NEST noted In the state
| learned that Harris realized, il
1885, sixty thousand dollars from
ms grove of eighty acres. My frs
impressions of Ocala were not at al
inspiring. l stayed there two days
1t was cloudy and rainy most of tn,
time and had been tor eight or ter
days, so l saw it under untavorablt
circumstances, but | have sine,
been there when the sun was shin
ing brightly and my opinion of il
has greatly improved. 1t is thirty.
ing little place of about three thous
nd inhabitants. 'Tis said it has
grown 200 per cent. in population
and wealth in two years There
are two railroads through it and
one being built. All classes OF
business going on there from a pea
nat stand to wholesale business.
The largest wholesale house in the
town carry in stock everything al
most that can be thought of in DIR,
goods, groceries and hardware, in
Guiding everything belonging t.
each branch OF the business. The,
are also bankers and are doing an
extensive business. They buy di
rect from manufacturers. They of
ten have from twelve to twent,
loaded cars on track at once con-
signed to them.
There are many new buildings in
Ocala, the business houses mostly of
brick, ornamente6 with compressed
sand. 1t is the county site OF Ma
ron county and there is some talk
of moving the capitol there. 1t is
in a rich hammock and
surrounded by good land and nu-
merous orange groves and other
semi-tropicsl fruits. Taken alto-
gether it is a place of considerable
note. Though said to be unhealthy
in summer, as all hammocks are,
the health of Ocala is improv-
ing according to the rapidity with
which it is being settled. As many
persons asked me before l left there
to give all the facts that 1 could
gather, l will state some of the
prices of wages and staple products.
l asked only one person about the
wages of carpenters and brick lay
ers. Carpenters get from one and a
half to two dollars per day. Brick
masons from two fifty to three dol
lars. Common hands from seventy
five cents to one dollar per day
Farm hands about here seem to be
scarce, and there are many people
here who seem not to care whether
they work or not. If people will
work | think they can get plenty TO
do here. Living, with the exceP-
ton of a few imported articles, is as
cheap here as in Giles county. l
am selling sugars, granulated at
twelve pounds for one dollar, extra
C st thirteen pounds for one dollar,
bulk meat seven cents per pound,
-four four cents per pound, lard ten
cents, wholesale nine cents. Nearly
all the staple articles are as cheap
here as there. Owing TO the freeze
in January and the rains and cool
weather since, times are dull and
money matters close, but do not
hear any one complain of hard
times. The people here think that
wnen The melons and Irish potatoes
come in things will be easier. !
think from what / can learn that
there will be a short orange crop
his year. Many OF the trees are
but many more will not
bloom this season. So we may ex
pect to pay high prices for oranges
his year. Bananas we're mostly
killed back to the ground. 1t is
impossible yet to determine what
hey will do. Small orange trees
we're nearly all killed to the ground |
put many of them are putting up
lew shoots and they will come into
bearing just as soon as il they had
lot been killed. This has been in
many respects a trying year on
Florida and while some persons
lave lost considerably, others are
hopeful. When we consider that an
4verage orchard is worth all the
way from one hundred to one thous
md dollars an acre, and such a year
las not occurred since 1885. A
nan can set a grove and while it is !
rowing he can make a living on |
he same ground. There is certain
Y a bright future before Florida.
While you were having floods,
storms and snow we had a little |
ain and wind and one slight frost.
lave heard of no damage done yet;
me or two days were a little cool,
1ut the weather now is very pleas
mt. The wind has b, en- blowing
teadily from the Atlantic for Sc -
raj days in succession. We have
abbage, beets, onions and lettuce
low and will have new Iri-h pota-
oes and green peas in fe" days.
Had fine strawberries last week and
ould have them any day at 20 CTS
qua t. There is plenty to eat
ERE. There are numbers of hogs
Iere and there is quite a quantity
f com raised; long staple cot
on does we'll also, bringing 6 cents
n seed and from % to % in lint.
Peaches grow to perfection and
weet potatoes in abundance. There
re truck farmers here who have
rom one to ten acres in tomatoes
nd they generally make them pay.
n fact almsst anything can be rails
d here with proper attention. We
ave as good milk here as in Giles
ut pay twice as much for it, from
he fact that the cows have very lit
lie if any attention given to them.
hey are allowed to make their
wn living. With attention ali
Kings will do we'll here that would
.roanar in Giles Pxcent wheat huf