The weekly Floridian. [volume] (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1867-19??, 1891-09-05
NEWS OF THE STATE.
ITEMS OF INTEREST IN BRIEF PARA
GRAPHS
SIGNS OF INDUSTRIAL ACTIVITY
GENERAL JoTTINGs OF MATTERS AND
THINGS CULLED FROM THE COLUMNS OF
THE LIVE PAPERS OF THIS PROGRESS
IvH STATE.

In 1899-9O Alachua county employed 132
teachers, and spent for school purposes
$30, ,410; for the year 1890-91 the county
employed 159 teachers
Arcadia Arcadian: We are informed by
President Peters that bids for contract
work on Arcadia, Gulf coast and Lakeland
road have been quite lively during the
past week.
P. B. Jaudon of Waco, on Lake Butler,
was in Orlando the other day. He reports
orange crop prospects good In his neighbor.
hood. He estimates his crop at about
1000 boxes.
The change Of gauge on the Florida
Southern railroad from Barlow to Fort
Meade has caused q great amount Of the
Peace river phosphate to be shipped via
Lakeland.
The surveyors are still pushing work on
the Arcadia, Gulf Coast and Lakeland
railroad, and the construction of the road
is only waiting for its location being en-
tirely fixed.
S. 81. Page of Polk county recently pur-
chased 1, 900 acres o: fine phosphate lands
at New River, Bradford county. Like
others, Mr.. Page sees that there is millions
in phosphate, and he is determined to get
share.
It Is said that Mr.. Mcdonald, on his
place south of Lakeland, has grape fruit
| tree measuring ten feet in circumference at
the ground, being forty feet across the
limbs and producing forty barrels Of fruit
| last season.
TIE parties who are to furnish Orange
City with system of water works report
that operations will positively begin in
October. All the preliminaries have been
completed, and nothing remains now but
for the company to 60 to work.
John Thomas Porter of Grand Ridge
passed through Pensacola Friday on his re-
turn from the North, where he bought
locomotive and six cars for the use Of the
Grand Ridge Manufacturing Company, OF
which be is president. Grand Ridge seems
to be keeping pace with the best Of them
these dull times.
At Key West while the freight was being
discharged from the Aransas Thursday q
large piece of the electric light plant ma
chinery fell from the derrick, while it was
being hoisted from the hold, and injured it
90 badly that new one was ordered to be
made. It will delay the lighting OF the
city by electricity few days.
Sunday night Chief Phillips of Jackson
vile determined TO raid the gambling dens,
and, in company with Deputy Sheriff W.
D. Vinzant, he went to LaVills. They
| succeeded in arresting three gamblers and
captured $465 in money, five packs of
cards and drawer full of poker chips.
The chief is determined to break up the
gambling dens, and this is the first move in
Q permanent crusade.
Quincy Herald: A number OF crops of
tobacco were sold last week, and we learn
the prices averaged 374 cents per pound.
This is an improvement on last years
prices, and higher prices are expected.
The general quality of tobacco is also
much better, and our farmers are becoming
more proficient in the art of curing the
weed, which enables them to put the crop
up in better shape.
Oviedo Chronicle: The first shipment
of oranges of the crop of 1891 was made
by T. NJ. Jelks from his fathers grove to
Hawkinsville, Ca, on Wednesday. 1t con-
sisted of two boxes of ]. o. Jelks' famous
"greenback" variety. Mr.. Jelks is bound
to make the first shipment of the season,
but this year he is somewhat earlier than
usual. This may be because the fruit, 40
q rule, will be earlier in ripeping this year.
The people Of New Smyrna are talking
about building a wagon bridge across the
Hillsboro river, on the road to Coronado
beach. Major Marks, of Orlando offers to
contribute %, 1000 toward the project. The
president of the Atlantic and Western
railroad does not think it pay TO build
railroad bridge, but offers to carry lumber
for the wagon bridge over his line free of
charge. The bridge will cost from $10,-
600 to $4,000.
Last Monday, DR.. L. G. Washburn ex-
hibited to us some coffee and seeds and
pods of the cocoa Chocolate tree)
seeds of the Indian ruber tree (Heva
elastical and cahoon nuts; also, the cashew
nut (anacardium). All of these are of
gread commercial importance. He also
showed seeds from hardshelled pumpkin,
and red seeds from an ornamental vine, all
Of which he has just received from GENITAL
| America, to be experimental with at our
Experiment station. The doctor is conf
dent that South Florida will soon be able
to produce her own coffee and chocolate,
with some to spare to other states less
favored in climate and resources. He 10
wide.awake and we can depend on him to
forward the interests of South Florida
every time.-Fort Myers Prese.