The commercial. (Union City, Tenn.) 190?-193?, 1905-03-31
FROM FLORIDA.
Aripeka, Fla, Mar. 25, 1905.

Kind Editor and Home Folks;
1t is now two weeks since ! left
the dear old home in Tennessee. i
started from Jordan, Ky, at 3 in
the afternoon of March 8, for.
Florida, or the Land of Flow
ers," as it is called. l arrived at
Artesia, Miss, at IL that same
night, and stayed over till morn
ing, leaving there at $50 Friday
morning for Montgomery, Ala,
where / arrived at that night.
Here made good connection and
started for Jacksonville, Fla, at
$50 that night, arriving about s
a. m. Saturday. From Jackson
vile | started for Brooksville at
10 a. NJ, reaching there at Z that
night. But as there was no Sun
day train from there, had to lie
over at Brooksville until Monday
morning, when | took train for
Hudson. We were soon there,
and hired conveyance for Aripeka
six miles above on the Gulf. If
any of you come down here from
home, you will find it an advantage
! to follow this same route.
| have found the climate here
all that | expected, beautiful and
mild, yet invigorating. The ther-
mometer has reached so or 30 de-
grees nearly every day since |
came. But there is always a sea
breeze from the middle of the
morning until 3 or in the after
noon, which prevents the summers
from ever becoming hot or op-
pressive.
Aripeka is beautifully located
on fine bay opening into the Gulf
of Mexico. A year ago only Mr..
and Mrs. Ellis lived here, but now
there is a prosperous settlement OF
more than fifty white people with
a considerable number of colored
laborers. There are many nice
families that will make good
neighbors and prosperous com
munity. They have an excellent
school, church and Sunday
school, store and postoftice with
daily mail, and a sawmill which is
a great convenience to the new set
Tiers. II is true the railroad is six
miles away, but the Gulf boats are
constantly coming into this port,
bringing goods and people, and
ready to carry to market the pro-
duce of the settlers at cheaper
freight rates than any railroad
would charge.
They can grow so many pro
ducts here with great profit that it
is hard to choose among them.
Sugar cane, cassava, sweet and
Irish potatoes, corn, beans, peas,
Strawberries and all kinds of vege
tables and semi-tropical fruits,
such as oranges, lemons, grape
fruit and pineapples, can be pro
duced both for home use and as
money crops. They tell me that
sugar cane is the most profitable
large crop, and the lands around
Aripeka just suit it. All sorts of
domestic animals do well, and
there is no better place in the
world for bees and poultry.
Besidesthe lands growing every
thing good to eat and profitable to
sell. here is the sea right out in
front of us teeming with oysters
and the finest fish in the world.
have been here almost two weeks,
and have enjoyed these superb
fish all the time, eating with great
relish fried bass and mullet, broiled
and roasted sheepshead, baked
reddish and many other kinds.
With these, we are feasting on
, such vegetables as you expect to
have only in midsummer; and
have feasted on all this variety
until | have gone up to 125 pounds
in weight.
| spoke of the big boats that
come and 90 in the waters of the
Gulf of Mexico. 1t is so interest
ing to see these sail into harbor,
, furl their canvas, and drop anchor
unloading their cargoes on oul
dock, and perhaps taking on a loac
of lumber or some other product
} from Aripeka. 1t is hard to keeI
my little Trilby off these ships, q
she is perfectly fascinated viii
/ the water, anG says she wants Z
/ ''go for sailor"
/ thought at first that ! wa
& dreadfully afraid of the Gulf, bu
II find the feeling wearing of fast