The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1906-12-27
REV. SH0UP IN FLORIDA.
Sends Greeting to His Mountain
Friends from the Orange Groves.


Holiday Greetings from a thousand
miles away!
This is the best can offer MANY dear
friends in Garrett county, at the end of
this year Ofgrace and bounty, nineteen
hundred and six. But with all nv
heart | do wish that it might be YOUR
privilege, good friends, to enjoy this
last week of the closing year with me
here, in this land of veritable sunshine
and flowers. This is our fourteenth dav
in the state and, until this morning, we
have not seen the sun covered by clouds
so much as ten hours. Every day the
mercury has risen to readings at 20 to
80. A few days of cloud and rain will
be most welcome; no rain of moment
for as much as fifteen weeks. One
might reasonably think such drought,
and consequent lowering of waters
even the larger lakes are quite noticablv
below the normal would result in
special sickness, both in man and beast.
In fact, however, | have neither seen
nor heard of a single case of serious i'll
ness. Winter in Florida is eminentlv
healthful. As matter Of curiosity. |
should like to have an accurate report
of weather conditions in Garrett at this
moment, say 9 a. M, Wednesday.
am sitting between two doors, writ
ing these lines, with neither coat nor
vest on, and very comfortable indeed.
Friend Sincell. How would that work
with you, | wonder? stood the other
day before well-kept home and drank
in the delights of veritable bank cf
Marischal Neils, and everywhere the
roses are blooming freely. An hundred
other forms of bloom greet one on
every hand, tho, of course, the lack of
rain has greatly reduced this form of
winter loveliness. But the groves, good
friends, how surprisingly lovely are
these! From my windows, in various
! directions, | see the golden globes
cleaning from amid the emerald
/ foliage. 1t is charming sight. And
to be free to walk amid all the beauty
and fragrance of this, and eat to the
full, literally without money and with
out price, " is something to rejoice in,
indeed
Son Howard told US last evening,
when in from his day clipping, he kept
count on himself and had eaten forty
through the day. They served both
as food and drink Little grandson
John and yours truly" take an aver
age of likely not less than ten day.
Often Florida is spoken of as land
of leisurely laziness, but at this time of
year, and in this, the very centre of the
orange section, the people get a
move on themselves In the groves
a good clipper takes thirty-fve or fifty
boxes from among their thorny setting;
our boy expects to reach sixty, and that
viii mean SO. In the packing houses
one sees scores of men, women and
children-often white and black-hands
literally flying from daylight till dark,
all sizing and sorting, wrapping and
packing the golden fragrant balls to be
hurried off to the northern consumer.
And among these toilers, one often finds
the wives and daughters of the grove
owners. About one quarter million
boxes will be shipped from a circle of
ten miles, placing the center where
write. The crop is light, and prices are
satisfactory. The one thing complained
OF is slow transportation the lines are
not able to carry all that is offered.
Yesterday l went "a fishing" John
and |. 1t was my first trial of the
troll-and alone but in short time
took out two trout (black bass the one
above two and the other above three
pounds. Was somebody glad? ask |
John. We shall likely go again. 1t
was on Lake Apopka; patch of water
roughly estimated at 275 square miles
about 24Xl2 miles. Likely we did
not exhaust the stock; we shall 90
again.
But this has all been of self and selfish
enjoyment.
But have good thoughts of, and good
wishes for my friends in Garrett. God
bless you all during the glad Christmas
tide.i | could wish for us mutually moth
ing better, in the life that is, than a
winter home in this Land of Sun
shine" where a hundred of us could
make our winter sojoun, for '1ength
of days" and winter comfort.
| think of you all daily, and is it too
much to ask, that you remember me
once amid your holiday joys.
j. b. SHoUP.
Crown Point, Orange Co., Florida,
Dec. 10, 1906