Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1899-03-01
Our Florida Letter.
MIAMI, BISCAYNE RAW Fra

EeDruary 18TH, 1893.
Editor Democrat:-After leaving New
Orleans we spent one day in Montgom.
cry, Alabama; went up to the state
house and saw where jeff Davis was
made president of the c. S. A. The
building is like most of them in tho
south, fine, large elifice and sets up on
q hill. The city is fine one and has
many rare houses, all made large and
roomy with porches every where. On
talking with the residents we found
them intensely loyal and in favor Of
fighting anything that gets in the way
OF our government. We found the's cold
spell' had played sad havoc with the
trees and flowers; that the railroads
were hours behind with their trains, and
though we left Montgomery on time we
reached Jacksonville, Fla, OF four
o'clock in the morning instead of Z at
night. When we retired in the sleeper
we were told we could stay there till
morning, no matter what time we
reached Jacksonville, but we were met
by the apologies of the porter with" sor-
ry sif's but you must all get up, orders
are 10 start this car right back" You can
imagine the effect this had on whole
car OF travellers. However, we took ad-
vantage of an early train and left for
here, leaving that city and st. Angus.
tine for our return to look them over.
We started out early this a. M. to see tho
sights around here and the experience
vas peculiar. We had all put on our
summer clothes and have been uncom-
fortably warm all the,time. About six
miles from here we found cocoanut
palm grove. picked cocoanut and
Miles got the driver to take an axe and
cut off the husk then we broke it and
ate part of it and found that the nuts
are no. betterefresh from th, trees than
when shipped to Iowa. We passed
through groves of both wild and tame
oranges, lemons and lines. Niles says
wild oranges are much better to look at
than to eat. He started to eat one that
looked very fine but quit almost as soon
as he commenced, it being 10th sour
and bitter. There are thousands of
acres Of pineapples here and many Or
ange orchards but the entire crop of
Florida oranges is ruined and most of
the trees are killed. If any one offers
Florida oranges for sale this summer
they will come from somewhere else.
We went over where the early Span.
iards nearly 100 years ago settled, and
found many evidences of their thrift
stone steps cut down to the shore of the
bly (Biscayne Bay)toget to the springs,
chimneys laid out of rock and fields
that showed plain signs of culture, now
grown up TO jungle SO thick that it is
almost impossible to make ones way
through it. THERE'S little difference
between this place and Cuba SO far as
tropical fruits etc. are concerned. There
are larger palm trees and acres of palms
such as we raise for house plants grow.
Ing wild. There are also many rubber
trees Of from to 10 feet high that
mako cur home plants seem insignifi-
cant. The o!eander trees are in bios.
som and they are {. sight. Some are
fully % feet high and mass of bios
SONS. Both bananas and paw-paw's
grow here.
l think we shall spend more time here
and less in Cube than We first intended.
This place suits one coming from biz
yards and snow banks real well. The
thermometer h!s-morning was at " o.,
but in summer it gets hot. One of the
natives assured me that in summer al
noon If you gathered up peck of sand
that when the heat was gone out of it
you only had quart left.
Very Respectfully,