Morning journal and courier., 1888-02-04
DOWN IN DIXIE.

of the old D0m1nIOn-The New and l
 the old SpirIt-The Climates Water 1
 and the Strawberries.
 Having spent some time in Norfolk, Va., 1 and since my return having been piled with | questions in regard to that city, it's business and it's social relations, I have been solicited to write and give my views and observations. will therefore write what will be of inter est.
 Anyone taking a railroad map will readily see the great commercial advantages which Norfolk possesses, in hat it has splendid harbor with great depth of water, which is open at all seasons of the year for vessels of any size or capacity; and the railroads that center there from all points south and west and by dozen lines of steamers to all the principal cities of the North, it is surely des- tined to become great shipping center as it now is and will be more so in the near fu- ture. But there are or have been prejudices by people in Norfolk against people from the North. These, however, are passing away and will eventually become obsolete, not withstanding it will require 8 generation or two before prejudice shall be entirely oblit- erated and be dead thing of the past. This condition would be sooner accomplished were it not for the political drudgery of the dena- gogues of the country who try to stir up ami mostly.
 had an illustration of this on my way
 down at the time of the Philadelphia centen- nial last fall Getting in conversation with several gentlemen who were soldier members of the Confederate army and who were re- turning home, one of them, seeing me take out my note book said: ''Are you 8 reporterF' replied, "No; only travelled with my eyes and open, and for my own pleasure and grat ifisatiop took notes and if they were accept | RLa lioha nff a | published in New Haven, Connecticut, they would be printed there" He said to me: "lf | you do write an article you can say that we ! have been most agreeably surprised that we l have been so well treated. We were told that we would not be treated decently or with l courtesy but we found that the people Of the | North are the most hospitable people we ever | saw and not a word of pickering or harshness | seemed to exist against us." 1S had worked 1 thorough revolution in their feelings and they 1 said that they would never more entertain l the feelings that they once had. The people ! have been led to believe that every northern l man who comes among them has some design l on them and only comes to make all the she kels out of them he can and give nothing In l return. Any man going South should make ! up his mind to deal square and straight with l them and by so doing gain their confidence 1 and there are no more pleasant or agreeable l people to deal with than the southern gentle | men and ladies, but as long as the state of | feeling that exists even now continues to pre- vail northern man had better attend strictly | to his business and let politics and sectional | debates alone.
 The climate is generally mild on account | of there being so much water surrounding 1 Norfolk As far as I could judge it is no l place for consumptive or person with | bronchial troubles The air is so damp that | such invalids readily take cold and suffer | from pneumonia and kindred diseases, and people do not stand it long. People who are weak and nervous or generally deblltated l who go there and take good care of them l selves will do we'll during the fall and win | ter months, the colder weather coming from | the northeast with the rain storms. During | the summer the days are hot and Ithe nights are cold, so that one can sleep comfortably. ! There is not much snow there and if it does I come it does not last long. The ground does | not freeze very often or very deeply.
 The water is not of good quality, but is | generally used, although many use cistern \ water in preference to any other, and 8 | great many use the Kennebec ice water | which is very good. Ice costs about $5 per ! ton, or 16 1-2 pounds for 1Oc. The country is so fiat that there is scarcely any fall, con- | sequently no brooks, and the water is only ! about from three to six feet below the sur ! face, and one of the curious features of Nor | folk is that there are no cellars and it costs about as much to get foundation as it | | at great disadvantage, for everything has to
 be pumped out. No surface water enters
 the sewers. The city water is supplied by
 the Holly system and the water comes from
 some ponds or sunken places in @ section
 about six miles outside of the city.
 The soil is composed of clay and sand, and
 is veryEfairly productive:and yields good crops ! of vegetables and a field of ka1e is beautiful
 sight, for these so large; immense tracts ! are devoted to this crop and spinach. Ther' | are fences only on the milk farms; there is I good deal that could be learned here by tn ! growers north. I have tried to investigat ] so as to state the amount of shipments iron l this port, but it is much that 1 could no | get an estimate of it. A single farm can loat
 the steamers plying between Norfolk and Nev l York It would surprise some of our north
 ern farmers to see the fields of strawberries, ,etc
 One of the largest growers of strawberries
 MT. Balintine, whose pay roll for one day I picking and packing amounted to S, 1000, ant
 he has had from 1, 800 to 1 800 pickers ant
 collectors. It is said by competent men t.
 judge that he made between $25, 900 anG $50, 900 last year. There are other grower
 who make as large showing as that and { l good many who went into it have lost every I thing, which is the same in every business I The Old Dominion steamers do an immens
 business in the freighting seasons, carrying
 immense cargoes of early vegetables and pro
 duce to New York markets. At the presen
 time there are five carrying kale, spinach ant
 lettuce There is something to ship all tn
 season, first kale and spinach, radishes. peas
 strawberries, potatoes. The two steamers fo
 Boston and New York took as freight in on'
 day 3, 700 barrels of potatoes After thes'
 come watermelons.