The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1901-03-01
EDITORIAL CORRESPONDENCE.

world-renowned Indian River countr.
where the finest of fine oranges grow
Rockledge is a delightful spot-on,
of the most restful that we have thu
far encountered on the East Coast
with fish and hunting plentiful
boating delightful and climate ex
quisite.
On leaving st. Augustine, from
which point we communed with the
readers of the Free Press, our party
made straight for Daytona. The coun
try between St. Augustine and Day
tona is a fat uninteresting section,
but not void of productive qualities.
A great amount of turpentine is pro-
duced from the pine and considerable
land is under cultivation. In sections
the soil is rich and where the land has
been cleared and put under cultiva-
ton it is valuable A gentleman whom
we met on the train informed us that
much of the cultivated land was worth
a hundred dollars per acre, and if his
statement that as much as 800 had
been realized off of an acre in a
single year is true, the price is GER
tainly moderate. OF course there is NO
farming in this country such as our
Minnesotians are familiar with. The
land on the East Coast that is titled
is used in raising garden truck for
home and northern consumption.
Potatoes, cabbage, tomatoes, beans and
peas are raised in abundance and three
and four crops are raised annually.
The climate is such as to make plant
ing and harvesting perpetual oecupa-
! tion.
Daytona is a beautiful little city of
I winter homes for eastern and northern
people. 1t has Legitimate population
of about 1,SOO, but in the winter,
when the cottages are all occupied and
the hotels filed with tourists census
| enumeration would give it fully four
thousand. 1t is on the Halifax river
with an island between this stream
and the Atlantic ocean. Ridgewood
avenue is a dream. 1t is about three
miles long, straight as an arrow, with
monster live oaks, water oaks and
palm trees lining both sides of the
roadway, and drive or bicycle ride
down this thoroughfare is a delight
that can only be felt not described.
The roadway is as smooth as an as
phalt pavement, albeit the street is not
paved except with sea shells crushed
and rolled down. The Ridgewood
Hotel, where Mr.. and Mrs Sawyer
and Mrs. 81. and myself stopped faces
this pretty avenue, and it was de-
lightful place to stay. Mr.. and Mrs.
Brett and Mr.. Baker and family put
up at the Colonades hotel, near the
ocean beach, and this hotel is also a
delightful place, with beautiful out
look. The fact is that Daytona is a
garden spot-a bower of beauty, with
natures own charms profusely inter-
twined with the embellishments of
mans artistic handiwork, neither ex-
aggerated and all harmonious
While here we met Col Edwards
of st. Paul, who has cottage and
with his good wife is enjoying life to
the full. We also met Banker Kenyon,
his son and wife and little boy and
Mrs. Doctor Stewart all of Owatonna.
| They had been here since the middle
of January and left on the 14th for st.
Augutine. They will work north at easy
stages, reaching home about the mid
die of April.
One of, if not the most, delightful
experiences of our trip to date, was a
ride in an automobile down the beach
fourteen miles to Ponce park. The
beach in low tide is as smooth as glass
and almost as hard as macadam. With
the board Atlantic stretching out to
an almost limitless expanse, the
breakers dashing foam under your very
feet, a clear sky and bracing air, a
ride in an ''auto' at % mile speed
is certainly soul stirring and exhilar-
ating. Ponce Park proper is about
three-quarters of a mile back from the
beach at what is known as Mosquito
Inlet. 1t was here that we expected
to meet Col. and Mrs. Roe, who spent
the summer at Point Pleasant. But
they had clown to other and un-
known parts, so we did not have the
pleasure of seeing them.
The Bretts, Sawyers and ourselves
came to Rockledge on the evening of
the 18th, and have had most enjoy
able stay. We are housed at the Hotel
Indian River which has beautiful
grounds and more beautiful outlook.
1t overlooks the Indian River, nearly
two miles across and throughout the
day the water is dotted with launches,
sail boats and row boats. The fishing
is ''out of sight" here, so to speak,
and ducks are 80 numerous as to make
the heart of sportsman leap with
joy. A half hours ride in boat will
present to the eye dozens of ducks
within easy range of gun. We have
seen several sea bass taken from this
river weighing from ten to eighteen
pounds, and trout weighing from two
to four pounds. Two miles from the
hotel is bass lake that has no equal
on this coast. We actually saw last
Friday string of "a bass, the catch
of two gentlemen in single day,
which weighed 1877 pounds, an aver