The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1886-09-15
Corresponding.
THE LAND OF FLOWERS.
An Interesting Letter With A Fish
Story.
TITUsvILLE, FLA, Sept. l, 1885,

EDITOR PROGRESSIVE FARMER
Dear SIR: Thinking that some of the
good people of my good old State
would like to know something OF
this beautiful Indian River, | thought
| would drop you a few lines. !,
The river might properly be called
a sound; it is from nine to two miles
wide; runs S. w, or rather that is
the course, as there is no current,
neither is there any flow and ebb OF
tides. At this season of the year the
water is brackish, in the winter it
becomes quite salt. | think it de-
cidedly one of the most beautiful
streams in the south. Beginning at
Titusville, the terminus of the Jack
sonville, Tampa and Key West rail
road, you take the steamer Rock
ledge( formerly Gov. Worth) which
leaves that point at 8 a. M, proceed
ing South; the first point Of interest
is Island City on Meritt's Island, a
beautiful place, founded by Prof:
Peck, Of Georgia, and his s%on-in-law,
Capt. Parcher; then Jones Point,
City Point and next Cocoa, a beau
tiful and thrifty town. Next the
town Of Rockledge, which is a beau
tiful place and takes it's name from
the heavy, abrupt rocky bank of the
river; this has and will continue to
be the great resort for tourists; here
is situated the largest and best kept
hotel in southern Florida, operated
by that king of hotel keepers, W.
Lee, of the Everett in Jacksonville.
Further down is Georgiana, a very
thrifty and beautiful town; next
is Tropic, another n of those beau
tiful towns, further on is Eau Gal
lie, where the State some years ago
built a fine agricultural college,; a
few miles further south is the the
town of Melbourne, which bids fair
to outshine all her sister cities on
Indian River. This town is situated
on a beautiful high bluff, about thir-
ty feet above the level of the river,
with a high dry piney woods coun-
try, extending far back. I think
this place has better natural advan-
tages for a city than any point on
the river, being only two and a halt
miles from the Atlantic beach. The
pace abounds in fish, oysters, and
game of every variety; these things
will make it attractive for the tour
list. To give you some idea Of how
numerous the fish are, last Thursday
night three men went out in a boat
with a torch light in the bow, and
in less than two hours they had
caught 120 fine large mullet. The
fish Jumped Mtothe boat, and they were
obliged to put the light out to keep
the fish from jumping in and sinking
the boat. CThis is not a fish story,
but a fact.) This is truly a poor
mans country, here the orange,
pine apple and banana grow to per
lection. Vegetables grow the year
round. [ had as fine tomatoes in
March as | ever saw.
It is generally said that it is
Yankee energy that is building up
Florida; [ don't know how that ap-
plies to other parts but it is not
so in this section; you will find five
southern persons to one northern
person. They all seem to work
alike. One thing [ like here: you
are not continually annoyed with
politics. Every body seems to work
for the good of the country, and has
to stand on his own merits. l will
write you again sometime and tell
you Of Lake Worth county.
r. P. PADDIsoN.