The record-union., 1896-02-18
FLORIDA.
Seen Through the SpeCtacleS Of a Cali
fOrnia Editor.
As a Winter Resort Oranges, Pine
apples, Cocoanuts, Seminole
Indians and Climate.

Indians and Climate.
w. s. Melick, editor of the Antelope
Valley Gazette" was one of the dele
gates sent by the California Press As
sociation to the National Editorial AS
sociation meeting at San Augustine,
Florida, recently. He writes enter
tainingly of Florida as follows:
Florida is a peninsula, and is about
the size of Illinois or about two-fifths
the area of California. 1t was discov-
cred in 1912 by an old man by the name
of Ponce de Leon, who landed on Easter
Day, and exclaimed, "Pasqua de flores
(an Easter of flowers), as he noted the
profusion of flowers, and thus gave the
name to the tropic swamp resort. This
is the same ancient Spanish lad who
sought a spring in which he could battle
and become young. The old chap had
certainly a level head on his Castilian
shoulders when he went to 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 fiye-sevenths of
the State is irredeemable swamp or
streams, and that only a very small
fraction of the other two-sevenths have
yet been cultivated. Several years ago
I spent winter in Florida, and on that
trip or this one have seen almost every
part of that overpraised State.
To the capitalists or oyerworked rich
business men from the North who wish
to escape for a month or two the rigorS
of Northern winter Florida offers at
tractive inducements. There are mag
nificent hotels, supplying every luxury
the palate may desire or the love of ease
wish; the live oaks, festooned with tons
of moss; the palm and palmetto alter
mating with cypress jungle; crane and
pelican stalking among the web-footed
tribes; the complete change from snow
banks to such a tropic scene is indeed
pleasant for a short time. Then the win
ter climate of Florida is delightful
fully as good as that of Southern Cali
fornia, with the added advantage that
there are not so many degrees of tenn
perature difference between night and
day as there are in Southern California.
AS 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
nifcent hotels she rakes in SS.000.000 a
year from her tourists. Indeed. a son
of Erin at Tampa spoke the truth when
he said 'The climate of Florida is
worth 81 900 per acre. while the land
is not worth -"
While Florida has special advantages
ft a couple of months in the winter,
yet to the home seeker, the sturdy set
tier who expects to locate permanently,
and by tilling the soil win prosperity,
there is not much hope in Florida. To
fell great pines which have no value,
llow among the stumps, put on a
large proportion of the value of the crop
in fertilizers, and then raise an uncer
tain crop, is not what it is represented
to be in those spread eagle real estate
circulars. Indeed, ten years ago. as /
passed a winter in one of the best parts
CT Florida, and as the novelty of the
tropic scenes passed off and I went
hsther and thither on that eternal sand
and swamp, among moss and mosqui-
toes, as spring approached and the hot
sun rotted the vegetation of the
swamps, filing the air with malaria
and disease, i remember neVerswas so
glad in my life to get away from a
place.
AS a 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 266
feet above sea level, but as a producer
of fruit or cereals, early vegetables or
winter plants, it's competition will not
la felt. Except oranges, she does well
when she raises enough for her own
consumption. The home seeker, the
PRODUCER, who would go to Florida in
preference to California to better his
condition must be almost criminally
misled.
AS to oranges, the condition of Florida
is lamentable indeed had no idea it
was SO bad as it is. In December, 1894,
a cold wave froze their entire crop of
over 5000 900 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 accumula-
tions of one year destroyed. During
January there was unusually warm
weather, and the trees recovered from
the freeze, the sap was up flush and
strong, the leaves were pushing out and
the bloom was on when the real blast
of death to the orange business came on
the Sth of February, 1895, when the
mercury lowered to IA to 20 degrees
nearly all over the orange districts of
the State for 250 miles and nearly every
tree was killed. 1t seems almost incred-
ible that trees fifty years old and over
clear to the roots in one night, leaving
not a stem or branch alive, but such is
the case All over the State, except in
some isolated islands or down in some
new groves on the west coast in Man
atee County below Tampa, there is but
the one story to tell-dead trees, worth
less sand fields growing to weeds, ruined
homes blasted hopes, dependency, de-
struction. talked with men who two
years ago We're worth thousands and
who are now glad to get work at 81 per
day to support their families. The sto-
ries one hears are heartrending indeed
They are trying to raise a little corn,
IL. \ L