The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1893-01-07
winter hunting and fishing along those
dreemy, beautiful Florida rivers.
ABSOLUTELY PURE


winter hunting ana fishing along those
dreamy. beautiful Florida rivers.
At $50 our train had reached Live
Oak and from there we went on to Waldo
to dinner. Along in the afternoon We
approached the orange country and the
whole train was on the qui ciue to catch
sight Of the orange trees and fruit in
door yards along the road. The writer
was taking it all in from the freman's
seat in the cab OF the locomotive. In
the middle of the afternoon the train
stopped right In the midst Of the finest
orange grove in Florida, known as the
Bishop & Harris grove. 1t comprises
32O acres and is owned by Standard Oil
people. The railroad runs right through
it. The way the tourists piled out of the
cars was q caution to slow people. A
tramway intersects the grove in ell
directions. A little narrow gauge loco
motive about the size OF a horse and a
train Of fiat cars, on which was strung
along orange boxes for seats, whirled
the $50 tourists around and through the
grove at Il 15.mile an hour gait. The
trees hung heavy with the golden fruit,
aud the gay and happy crowd held on
with n hand and grabbed oranges with
the other az the little train shot under
the dropping limbs. The ride being over
the foreman OF the grove told the ex-
c%nrsionists to help themselves. And the
way they did was q sight to see. They
climbed the trees-tho men did-to
break off hugh branches of the fruit, tore
their pants-that is, the men did-and
acted like a lot Of children Mt a picnic.
The tourists went back to the train load.
ed down with oranges, and for fear they
didn't have enough the generous foreman
placed three boxes of the finest Oh the
train. Tae trees in this grove are about
20 years old and about the size OF an
apple tree of the same nge. The grove
yields about 10000 boxes per annum and
they bring $l.5ea box, or $4,000, at the
grove. The grove is fertillzed and irrri-
gated annually. Each tree is watered
separately with hose, as owing to tho
loose, sandy soil water Will not spread
over the surface.
At Waldo, where we stopped for dinner,
ladies met the train at the depot and
passed the lady visitors beautiful bou-
quets of roses. A delegation OF Ocala
ladies also met the train here to accom-
pany us to their city.
Late in the afternoon We reached
Silver Springs, where we were given a
steamboat ride on Silverr run. The people
thereabouts say that it is the eighth
wonder OF the world-this stream-so
long sought for by Ponce de Leon. Six
ty feet deep at It's source, it forms a navi-
gable river nine miles long, with Oh
average depth of twelve feet, and vary
ing in width from twentyto one hundred
feet. The stream Is 80 crooked that in
going nine miles one has gone but four
miles in an air line. So clear is the
water a silver piece can be plainly seen
lying on the bottom. AS we steamed
along the stream fish and turtles could
be plainly seen darting hither and
thither. The steamer is owned by the
Ocklawaha River Co. and is used in their
extensive orange business.
The special reached Ocala, 8 wide
awake. growing city, for supper. The
town has q population of about 5000 and
q first class high toned hotel. In the
parlors, after supper, one Captain Crack
or Bill" Kendrick, a genuine Floridian,
bid us all welcome. Ex-Lieut-Gov. Fie.
field Of Wisconsin responded for Wiscon-
sin and Pres. Bishop for the Dakotane.
The balance of tho evening was passed
in dancing, in which the Ocala ladies ex-
hibited some very pretty toilets.
At the risk OF being tedious Well have
to tell an incident of tho day one of the
most charming of the Ocalo ladies re-
latedt to the writer. She was one Of the
reception committee that met the train
at Waldo. 1t SO happened that the Wis
consin contingent contained a young
masher who. when at home, ecks out an
existence publishing a one horse sheet
30 miles from a railroad. His unevent-
full daily life probably accounts for his
big headed and MASKING procilvities
when on al editorial excursion. All
through the trip he made it a point to
"catch on" to the first young lady or
ladies introduced 1t was in the order
OF things, therefore, that he at once tried
to make himself agreeable to our fair
informant, whose name he caught as
Miss Going down to Ocalo be limited
at accompanying her to the ball. Her
brother would act as her escort, che in
formed him. At the party that night he
was not long gaining her side and soon
they were whirling in the soft mazes Of
waltz. At its conclusion she expressed
hor pleasure into his delighted young
ears. as a Thoroughbred southern girl
knows how to do, and then In the sweet
est way imaginable asked ii she should
not introduce him to her husband. The
Wisconsin kid wilted like a wet rag, and,
IL is needless to say, let the Southern
beauty alone for the rest OF the evening.
At Ocal0 we saw our first bananas
growing. In the rear Of a private resi-
dence a number of the plants were set
out more for ornament than anything
else, for the state is not adapted to their
profitable culture. The banana plant Is
a light green, herbaceous stalk about
four or five inches in diameter. And
grows about twelve feet in height, with
leaves of great length and breadth.
Each stalk grows one bunch Of the fruit
and then dies, but other shoots spring up
from the roots, SO no t:ansplanting is re-
quired. stalk can be cut of at any
time, transplanted, and 1t will thrive
and bear fruit. In tho yard referred to
we saw lying on tho ground q stalk that
had broken off close to the ground and