Ceredo advance. [volume] (Ceredo, W. Va.) 1885-1939, 1906-11-14
FLORIDA.
a. Seen by Hoo.ier from Nebraska

ne nau never even seen a neiQ OF cotton.
and was wholly unacsuainted with the
social, agricultural and climatic conditions
of any of the Gulf states. 1t was largely
due TO a desire TO see and understand this
vast area OF Uncle Sams empire that the
Southern trip was made. which ended IN
his becom :ng a satisfied resident and prob
able fixture in the balrny South.
And now having spent three summers
and four winters in Florida, living among
the people, working the soil, and exposed
TO all the vicssitudes that overtake a new
conner anywhere be feels that he is in 4
position to give 10 Northern people a fair
ly accurate idea of Florida. He believes,
also, that there are in the North scores
and hundreds of families who would be
much better of TO come South, when look
ing for new homes, rather than JOIN the
thousands who are struggling and fighting
for the few dusty patches of mesquite
and sagerbrI.h yet available for settlers
In the arid West.
The first thing which strikes q North
ern person on coming here Is the undevel-
oped condition of much of the state. Some
towns and localities are well advanced,
but, generally speaking, this Is new
country. with vast undeveloped resources
and needing only the energy and enter
PRISE that come with the Virile manhood
and womanhood that have built and peo
pied the Great West to make this, too,
land OF wealth and plenty.
1t was only some twenty odd years ago
that the first railroads pushed out from
the coast towns intersecting the vast
wilderness OF central and southern Flor
Ida. Then followed a rush for lands in
the "orange belt" and for few wears
there was yeritable boom, but most of
the Northern people who settled here for
time, were but birds of passage" com
ing South for the winter while retaining
their homes and businesses IN the North.
Very many invested borrowed capital in
orange groves, hoping TO be able to pay
OIL the mortgage and maintain a winter
nome on the profits of the grove while
leaving the care of the grove 10 hired help
Then came the great freeze of 1895 and
the groves, over much of the state, were
killed to the ground, with the result that
mortgages were forecloscd and the birds
OF passage failed To- return. The boom
had indeed thoroughly collapsed and since
orange growing was the only business at
tempted, up to that time the whole coun-
try was almost bankrupt. And that is
Just why there are so many good oppor-
tunltles for enterprising settlers in Flor
ida to-day
Orange growing is vet profitable here
only the grove must have intelligent and
palnstaklng care. Just as the raising of
fancy trult requires care and high order
OF intelligence anywhere.
But the New Florida now being devel-
>atsed-is not dependent upon oranges, OF
any one crop. Indeed there Is longer
list OF successful and profitable crops
grown here than can be found, probably,
In any other portion of the United States;
Tor TO the corn. oats and potatoes of the
North are added the peaches, pears. straw
berries, grapes and melons OF the central
belt, and the long line of citrus and other
semi-trQpical fruits of the South, as veil
cottun. tobacco and other Southern
crops and the whole list OF truck crops
now being grown here by the thousands
OF crates, for shipment to Northern mar
kets. And besides all these and perhaps
better than ALL is the raising of hogs, cat
In CHI
pounds of beef and pork are annually
shipped TO the South by Northern pack
ers and sold al long prices, when the same
care and expense will produce more
pounds OF beef and pork in Florida than
I'm the North. Mules are about as stand
ard as gold coin in the South. and 800 90
span OF mules can he raised from weaving
time to breaking time on pasture alone
and without one dollar of other expense.
almost anywhere in Florida
But, you VIII ask, why do not people 90
into the business then? Many are do;ag
so, but the demand j. simply out OF sight
beyond the supply. There are not enough
people, or those with the requisite CAPITAL
and experience to begin to supply the de
mand; and besides there are too many
other things TO be done. What we need
Is men, men and women. people of some
capital and the nerve of pioneers and for
such there IL comfort and plenty and even
wealth in a large measure, awaiting them
IN Pasco county, Florida.
Climate.
And now let US look "a little more close
ly at the conditions Of soil. climate and
surroundings that VIII confront a new
conner IN the South. il must he remem-
bered that Florida is q peninsula. at this
point only 100 miles wide, and that IL
surface Is continually being swept by the
fresh salt breezes from the Atlantic or the
Gull. Then the whole interior Of cen
tral and South Florida IS dotted with in
Vulnerable clear fresh water lakes. while
except IN the Everglades the really
swampy. portions are few and far between.
These thousands OF small lakes 40 doubt
do much 10 temper the heat Of the summer
months and with the sea breczes and the
: sellnmer sh9Syers .o2Jnbine 10 give us q
ciifSe%GS%Fbat IS TtvcT excessively hot
while the nights are invariably cool and
pleasant and u is ALWAYS cool in the
shade. OF course the warm weather con
tinues longer than d. does farther North.
but the changes On temperature are also
much less. so that one grows accustomed
10 the moderate warm 10 and with suit
able clothing can enjoy t. ~mstroke. bv
the way. is said to be on rely unknown i'm
Florida, and certainly ,ha writer has been
able 10 work out lu che sun all through
the summer here with iar Jess disco mfort
than was often experienced in the North
Rainfall
The rainfall Of this pla., is about 80
inches per aunum the grea er norton of
which falls during what is ;novn as the
rainy season extending from June TO
September, while March and April are
usually the driest months. Tie rains Go
pecialy during the rainy season" seem
to be almost wholly Of local ,riein. and
we have none Of those vast cy Ionic dis
turbances that are % common on the
great western plains.
A destructive tornado has never visited
this portion OF Florid; those arising i'm
the West Indies and which often do much
damage on the Gulf always pass NJ at
least 100 miles uthwest OF US az dI9 the
recent storm that wrecked Pensacoa and
Mobile.
Health.
Flordians frequently sreaE Of the rainy
season az being the plea santest part Of the