The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1896-04-01
ABOUT FLORIDA.
Very Poor Country Hired to
Lie in Its Favor-Sensible Advice.

Very Poor Country Newspapers Hired TO
Lie in Its Favor Sensible Advice.
Editor Representative:
Having lately returned from two
months soiourn in Florida in the vicinity
| of Tampa, I desire to state few facts to
those of your readers who are dissatls-
fed with the Northwest and are contem-
plating moving to the Land of Flowers
on the Gulf. Within the last thirty years
| | have visited parts of Kansas, Missouri.
Nebraska, Iowa, Minnesota. both Dako-
tas, Wisconsin, Illinois. Kentucky, Ten
nessee, Georgia, Indiana, Ohio, New
York, West Virginia, Virginia and Mary
land, and l wish to say that in all my
travels and observations / found no place
SO poor, so undesirable, for farmer to
make home in as that of Florida. Be-
fore going to Florida l read wonderful
accounts in Farm and Fireside and other
farm papers about the great advantages
to settlers who settled in Florida.
wondered how it was that it should take
four hundred years to find it out, put
since have travelled over three hundred
miles through the state, and have seen
the improvements, and talked with the
country people, l am of the opinion that
it under cultivation. AS far as saw, the
whole country is very low, level, and can
not be drained. Settlers are few and far
between. Nearly the whole state being
covered with small pines and palmettOes,
and cyprus swamps. Where the pal
mettoes are and they are almost every
where) | was told that it cost from S25
to $35 per acre to get them grubbed out
SO that it could be plOwed. As for my
self, l had rather work for Is cents per
day here in Tennessee than contract to
grub out the palmetto roots at $25 per
acre there. The soil seems to be as poor
as poverty itself. 1t is white sand, and
| was told by those who lived there and
ought to know, that it would produce
nothing, except, perhaps, a few sweet
potatoes, without commercial fertilizers,
and they must be applied every year.
Much of the land during the rainy sea-
son June, July and August is covered
with water and furnishes great clouds of
mosquitoes that will interest you both
night and day. All new corners that l
talked with were great sufferers with
chills and fever Taking the low land,
hot sun and stagnant water into consid-
Grafton l don't see how it could be other
wise than very unhealthy.
Most of the land has been bought up by
great syndicates who own from a few
thousand to millions of acres each. In
order to realize on their investments
they manufacture lies by the thousand,
and pay agents and newspapers literally
to deceive the innocent home seeker. l
have made this letter longer than l in
tended. and yet the half has not been
told. l venture to say that not one in ten
thousand, intending to farm for living,
will settle in Florida after he has given
it careful personal examination. l did
not go into Leon county where the Clark
Syndicate are trying to sell six thousand
acres near the capital of the state. If
they tell the truth why has that section
remained so long unsettled? | advise all
who contemplate moving south to visit
the section selected before moving into
it. Yours truly,
L. S. Rowell.
Davton Rhea county Tom