The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1894-02-02

loss TO lind amusement for a week. In
tact, all cities in Florida are very much
the same. The white sand, ever present.
with little or no grass in yards, gives it
a torlorn look, no matter how large or
nice the buildings. The Everett accom-
modates 800, st. James 500. There are
2o hotels in the city, and if your pocket
books are well filled, the inner man can
also follow suit. A day was spent on
the John Sylvester, to Palatka and re-
turn. Years ago, we had been told of
the beauties of the st. Johns. Let your
readers profit by our experience. To
traVel IN this country, requires more out.
iay OF tlme and cash, than with us. The
better way to see the river is to go by
rail- to Palatka, then steamer. The lower
part is very wide, more like the Hudson
at Tappan, and unlike that noble stream,
its shores are level and SO completely
shut out by pines, one can see nothing
hut water. We are told above Palatka,
where the river narrows, it is very pret-
ty. Will write as to same after our visit.
One can hardly realize it is nearly the
last OF January since our arrival, mercu-
ry has been from $50 to 74o, once SOo.
Our heavy underwear has given place to
gauze, one cotton, one wooden shed for
covering, no fires, windows open, and
yet winter. Mosquitoes are about as in
the North, flies also, in fact, but for the
sand and dead leYel, one could easily be-
lieye themselves in the North The
weather is not unlike our June and July,
but,nights are more comfortable if one
excepts the damp in the early morning.
This soon dries off, however, and the
days are delightful. After week in
Jacksonville, we left over the F., C. and
P. for tour through the centre of the
State. This takes us over section quite
at variance from the tiresome level of
the past week. Here we begin to see
lakes and rolling land. Our first stop
was at Ocala, by many considered the
prettiest city in Florida. We trust not.
1t has 5000 inhabitants, a daily and
weekly paper, is the county seat, and"On
the morning of our arrival, cOlored
murderer swung from the Court House
scaffold. Another pays the same pen
atty this week. Money is scarce, and
this in part tends to limit cemetery
work. In this section, however, we find
an apparent forgetfulness. The ceme-
teries are the most God fOrsaken places
to be found in all Florida. Even the
cities are proof of this. The closing
stanza of Bryant's Thanatopsis must have
"
Florida cemetery in mind, one could not
"lie down to pleasant dreams" A little
labor from loving hands would change
the aspect We now strike the high
hammock lands, 400 feet above tide
water sums up Florida's hills, and we
are nearing this point, Here the streams
divide for the Gulf and Atlantic, here
we find less 'colored gentlemen" and
more white, here Northern push and
capital. here, with hoe to tickle the
soil and fertilizer to push, can be raised
on white sand, in January and February
all that goes to make life worth living
from an epicurean point of view.)
Here, in an atmosphere impregnated
with the odor of health-giving pines,
can an invalid take into his system, what
in the North at this time of year, might
be his death. Florida is full of diseased
people from the North and West. One
meets them on every boat and train and
as rule, they return greatly benefited
or cured. One now approaches the
Orange Belt, and to see the golden fruit
hanging in punches nearly to the ground,
does one good As we shall endeavor to
devote the following letter to oranges,
will pass them at this writing. Ham
mock land is so called if high, rolling
ana covered with growth OF hard TIM
ber and is mostly oak, the low lands are
invariably pine, and not considered as
good land. 1t makes one smile to hear
them claim this or that piece of land,
rich. To us it looks worthless, yet
they raise vegetables unless one excepts
Irish potatoes. These are very small,
few, and cannot be made to pay. The
season is backward owing to dry weather
and strawberries are just turning Peas,
tomatoes, beets, cabbage, lettuce, etc.,
however, are just in their prime. Leav-
ing Ocala at 2 p. M, we reach our pres
ent home, Pasadena, hours later and
from here will try and give our readers,
if not already tired of us, description
Of this pretty place. 1000 miles separate
us from home, and that this letter may
prove of interest to your readers is the
wish of H. I. EATON.