The herald., 1896-02-16
FLORIDA AND
HER SAD CONDITION
By n. s. fiELiCk

" hiihteu iOI NE HERALD
Florida is peninsula, and is about
the size Of Illinois, or about two-tifths
the area OF California. 1t was dis
covered in 1912 by an old man by the
name Of Ponce de Leon, who landed on
Easter day, and exclaimed. "Pasqua de
flores ian Easter Of howers) as he
noted the profusion of flowers, and
thus gave the name to the tropic
swamp resort. This is tho sams an
cient Spanish lad who sought spring
in which he could bathe and become
young. The old chap had certainly a
level head on his Castilian shoulders
when he went t. Florida to look for a
spring or any other kind of water, for
that state seems to me to have fully
kept up the average of the world in
being three-fourths water and one
fourth land. Indeed, believe that
statistics show that fve-sevenths of
the state is irredeemable swamp or
streams, and that only very small
fraction of the other two-sevenths
have yet been cultivated. Several
years ago l spent q winter in Florida,
and on that trip or this one / have
seen almost every part of that over
praised state.
To the capitalists or over-worked
rich business men from the north who
wish to escape, for month or two the
rigors of northern winter, Florida
offers attractive inducements. There
are magnificent hotels, supplying every
luxury the palate may desire or the
love Of ease wish; the liyecaks, fes-
tooned with tons of moss; the palm
and palmetto, alternating with cypress
Jungle; crane and pelican stalking
among the webb-footed tribes; the
complete change from snow banks to
such tropic scene is indeed pleasant
for short time. Then the winter eli
mate of Florida is delightful-fully as
good as that of Southern Califor-
mia, with the added advantage
that there are not so many de-
grees of temperature difference
between night and day as
there are in Southern California. AS
a resort for a couple Of months in the
winter, Florida has this advantage over
California: The business men from
the large cities of the east can slip
down there with only one nights ride,
and in twenty-four hours can get their
New York or Washington papers or
mail, and thus be in constant contact
with their business. So Florida will
always be a great winter resort. Her
climate is all right, and with her mag
nificent hotels, she rakes in 100000 "a
year from her tourists. Indeed, son
of Erin at Tampa spoke the truth when
he said, 1.-The climate of Florida is
worth $1,000 for acre, while the land is
not worth a.
for couple of months in the winter,
yet to the homeseeker, the sturdy set
tier who expects to locate permanent
ly, and by tilling the soil win prosper
ity, there is not much hope in Florida.
To fell great pines which have no value,
plow among the stumps, put on large
proportion OF the value of the crop in
fertilizers, and then raise an uncertain
crop, is not what it is represented to
be in those spread eagle real estate
circulars. Indeed, ten years ago, as
passed winter in one of the best parts
of Florida, and as the novelty Of the
tropic scenes passed off and / went
hither and thither on that eternal sand
and swamp, among moss and mosqui
toes as spring approaches and the hot
sun rotted the vegetation Of the
swamps, filling the air with malaria
and disease, l remember / never was
so glad in my life to set away from a
place.
As al winter resort Florida will al
ways be formidable competitor with
Southern California, though she does
lack the inspiring scenery of snow
capped peak and piney range, for the
highest point in Florida is only 26e
feet above sea level, but as producer
Of fruits or cereals, early vegetables or
winter plants its competition will not
be felt. Except oranges, she does well
when she raises enough for her own
consumption. The home seeker--the
producer-who would 60 to Florida in
preference to California to better his
condition must be almost criminally
misled.
As to oranges, the condition in Flor.
ida is lamentable indeed. 1 had NO
idea it was so bad as it is. In Decem.
Der, 1894, cold wave froze their entire
crop of over 100000 boxes of oranges
This was hard stroke, but WAS as
nothing compared to that which was to
follow, for it was only the work and &C.
cumulations of one year destroyed
During January there was unusually
warm weather, and the trees recov.
cred from the freeze, the sap was uI
flush und strong, the leaves were
pushing OUT and the bloom was OIL
when the real blast of death to the or
ange business came Oh the Sth of Feb
ruary, 1895, when the mercury lowered
to II to 20 degrees nearly all over the
orange districts of the state for 25(
miles south, and nearly every tree was
killed. 1t seems almost incredible
that trees fifty years old and over
a foot in diameter should be frozen
clear to the roots in one night, but
such is the case, leaving not branch
or stem alive. All over the state
except in some isolated islands or down
in some new groves on the west coast
in Manatee county below Tampa, there
is but the one story to tell-dead trees
worthless sand fields growing to weeds
ruined homes, blasted hopes, despond
ency, destruction. I talked with me1
who, two years ago, were worth
thousands and who now were glad to
get work at 81 per day to support theil
families. The stories one hears are
heartrending indeed. They are trying
to raise little corn, peas, vegetables
and hay to live on, but the conditions
are generally unfavorable.
Ry a note from the Jacksonville
Union-Times, the leading newspaper in
Florida, l was introduced to Major