The weekly true Democrat. (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1905-1912, 1906-10-26

ans Cites ChssteR and AaFtin's Island
Chester, Fla, Sept. "a. 1906.
Mr.. Editor-While men of politica
influence are advocating by persuasiv.
oratory that the drainage Of the Flor.
sda everglades is 3 good thing, woulC
lt not Do well for come on the opposite
side 70 give their views upon q HUGE
work that may be interesting to tax
payersI IL appears to your humble
scribe that the advocates Of EXPENSIVE
ditching for the drainage of inundated
lands IN Florida prematurely one or two
centuries In advance Of the necessity.
and those who know Florida will think
It no credit to the State to discuss the
question Of drainage to procure more
good land while we have millions Of
acres OF elevated and fertile soil vet un-
titled and lies in its native obscurity.
what Is desired is immigration. to
prlng into cultivation some Of the i'm
mense quantity OF land that is fertile,
elevated and easily cuItivated-that bv
utilization will bring the State much
revenue. AS our grand hotels and nal
ace cars haYe attracted the tourists
the tourists who have aided in building
up our beautiful cities-so would nice
graded roads through the country adj
Vertlse our State that northern and
western men may See what nature has
done, and what art can do, to make n
the most desirable portion of Uncle
Sans domains.
At Chester, on Bell river. twelve
miles from Fernandna by land. we
have fragrant flowers and delicious
fruits that grow luxuriantly upon a fer |
tile soil and under the semi-tropical
sun. We have water pure, cold and
sparkling. We have health not excelIed
6y any section Of the republic, and in
deed the imported epidemics of small
PoN ana yellow fever have failed to Gre
ate OK furnish death rate in this com
MUMMY opposite our home is Martins
i!sland, long KNOWN for the fertility of
Us SOIL being once a swamp we'll
drained by ccnaI through its center
The growth is luxuriant. and in annear,
ance the most tropical of all islands on
the Atlantic or Gulf coast. II IL sur
rounded by a large quantity Of hard
marsh lands upon which we have raised
thousands OF dollars worth of stock :
which Is more profitable than EXPENSIVE
cultivation that rich land requires. Yet \
With all this but few know our section Il
ne roads being so uninvitinR. n
we need . Legislature that win give =
ne State good graded roads. that will
'roVe beneficial TO the people at large q
nd not to few land owners and Land e
peculators VINO expect to be benefited n
y the drainage of the Everglades. II -
he Legislature gives the State good u
Dads they would be memorable in our el
tate's history as promoters of a Of
cheme that will bring her prosperitv nj
8 lasting as the hills Nassau county =;
florida, has much fertile and elevated o.
ND She has also thousands of acres
swamp land almost naturally drained CO
Y creeks and rivulets, yet her farmers -
refer eultivating the more elevated 81 81
'll as they can with less labor more On
till four acres of the HIGH d.
nds than they can one acre of the low W.
Vamp land. In an adjoining county in =,
eorgia there once lived a wealthy -
anter, Mr.. Garvin, that owned 250 sa
ayes, by which he drained $50 acres tn
land on Crooked river. The land re
owed very productive, but the expen- :.
We cultivation and keeping the dams. ~
inks and bitches in repair he became tic
nkrupted, and at public sale INV IA IA
er bought the plantation when I was wi
years OF age. Shortly after that he a..
IS assasainated and the place went Az
70 other hands, and since the civil be
n 1t was abandoned and is now grad lou
lily returning to its primitive state. - IN,
Hardee. N, D.. in Fernandina Star. -,
lle