New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-09-02
A CHEAP WAY TO LIVE.
HOW FLORIDA MAN SAVES MONEY AND GROWS


no" FLORIDA MAN SAVES MONEY AND GROWS
RICE.
fort Pierce. Fla. Aug 27.-There lives over on the
BANKS OF the st. Luce River far from here
mddie-aged North Caronian who has succeeded
]" reoucing the cost Of living to the lowest COM
mon denomnator." he himself expresses IT,
borrowing the phrase from his old "Greenlears
Arithmetic" In these hard times. when economy
is compulsory in nearly every walk of life. the
perlence OF Bill Palmer is at least interesting and
IL may be OF some practical value many VINO
iearn Of 1t. The correspondent met Bill the other
day on the lower deck of Indian River steam.
boat lie was working mis- passage down the river
as deckhand. He Is about forty years old. large
framed and fat, too, has jolly round face. and
witha, looks to be at peace with all the word
Are we goin' in fer locating in this country.
stranger? ne began, as he caught eying him
rather curiously. If ye yen find 1t the cheapes
place to live in in the whole United States. I've
tried 1t all about-in four different Sta;es-and /
know what I'm talking about"
With very little encouragement In the way of
questions Bill drawled his story. Ten years
ago he was a fairly prosperous farmer in North
Carolina, raising cotton corn. potatoes. etc. But
he 60: ambitious-"resless.' he called n-and sold
his farm for 5000 cash With this money in hand
he has no family encumbrances-he bought some
land near savannah and went to truck raising. But
he didn't do much at IT. one year of 1t enough
Tor BIZ. Then lie sold out at sacrifice and going
to Mobile. worked as a ongshoreman there for a
couple OF years adding a few dollars to the little
pile that he had Sailed" Then he got the orange
grove fever. and paid all the money he had for
some land In Vousia County, Florida. He set out
a small grove but had TO resort 10 trucking
again in order 10 get living. His land was poor
and his orange trees didn't thrive. The place was
mortgaged In order buy fertilizers etc. and for
three years he struggled with the mortgage. Then
he had chance to sell the place Tor 500 more
than he gave for it. took up with the offer. and a
week later landed in Tampa. where he bought a
out Of the waters Of Hillsborough Bay. But LUCK
against him again. and the month OF Decem-
1T was there" said Bili that / caught on
again. l got a job working at bridge-buiiding on
the East Coas, Line. The pay good. and the
the st. Lucie River. not far from sewers loiht,
and have occupied 1t for four months out OF every
conf terrible shanty. cleared twenty acres. and set
them out in pineapples; and upon my word man ~,
81 80 a month is all the cash II takes
Bill went explain that with his gun and his
game and fish every day In the year: re raises his
own potatoes and grows his own cane for syrup;
season. and gets all the fruit he wants free his
land also produces corn. cabbages. tomatoes, Gu,
berries and small fruit grow wild in great abund-
ance. Two suits OF jeans will 40 for whole year
clothes and socks not coming into the calculation
at all little money has to 90 ior neg meat n an,
Next summer" concluded Bill. Il shall have a
crop OF pines that ought TO bring me in at least
scco cash money and then shall be Just where
was when | left Carolina in 1sA-only shall have
ACQUIRED in less than three years Living the way
do ought to be worth $4,000 inside OF nve years
bow pe knecked about FOR eight ana
had to go broke before struck this yere East
Coast country where an m man ras Gan nn
apples and live on So