Custer County Republican. (Broken Bow, Neb.) 1882-1921, 1908-05-28

for the broad jump. Just then
Mr.. Phillips said, Eyes, l think
this will soon be settled" aud
down | went, instead of up,
before he could finish the sem
tence. About this time there
was hot air enough to run a fly
ing machine, if | could have had
one. | never told those Kansas
fellows anything about this and
would little rather you would
not.
After this | concluded / would
do my talking sitting down.
Well | must tell you of some of
the things | saw after becoming
reconciled to this new way of
travelling. We sure did see lots
of cactus, mosquito, chapperal
and number of other kinds of
timber brush galore. Some
cactus lunches four feet high
and four feet across through its
branches, The soil here is silt
deposit of chocolate loan, depth
of soil IL to 2S feet deep by
government geological survey.
This soil and climate is adapted
to the citrus fruits orange,
lemon, figs, banana and many
other kinds. We saw a number
of orange trees loaded with their
precious fruit that looked to be
ripe. Lemons, bananas and figs
are at home here. But the
grandest ands most beautiful
sight my eyes ever beheld was
large grove of the sabal Mexican
palms, if there is any man or
woman who has ever been per-
mitted to see this wonderful
sight of stately palms as viewed
in their natural state and cannot
feel in their soul the ecstasy of
Joy and love of beauty, must be
devoid of some of the elements
that bring us in touch with the
Infinite, who is the author of
the beautiful in nature. l am
told by Mr.. Phillips that this
grove covers about 100 acres and
has in number about 20, 600 palm
trees. They are from 20 to 35
or 40 feet high and many of them
are Is to "a inches in diameter.
Can you imagine more grand
or lovely picture? Nothing /
have ever seen will compare with
this magnificent place OF grand
eur and beauty in this far south
land. / could not help but give
praise and alteration to the Great
Master of our destinies for this
privilege of being permitted to
behold with my own eyes this
lovely scene. / shall always have
sweet thoughts of this place.
1t never can be erased from our
memory. 1t is we'll worth the
whole cost of a trip down here
to see this place.
Here | saw banana trees, l will
call then 10 inches in diameter
and IS feet high, with their
punches of fruit growing and
making ready for the coming
day when some human hand
would pluck the monster bunch
from the parent tree, and per-
haps send it many hundred miles
away and give delicious morsel
to some hungry mouth, whose
appetite for bananas has never
been fully satisfied.
Our attention was called by
Mr.. Philips to a castor been tree
four years old. This measured
at the base % inches in diamete tel
and was IS feet high and loaded
with castor beans. With some
effort and considerable bending
and pulling down we succeeded
{ in getting sample banana from
| one of the trees, and have 1t yet
as teninder and in memory o.
! this day a realization not soon to
. be forgotten.
r Our time here was entirely toe
| limited. We could have spen'
t days and even weeks in this place
t We were the last one to turf
: away from this grand and glori
! GUS picture that cannot be dupli
Gated anywhere in the United
e States.
y Mr.. Phillips told us the Com
: pany, viz: The Indiana Co
< operative Canal Co., had been o
4 cred $4,000 per acre for 40,
acres. Taking all of this pain
: grove, and if sold would be mad
S into a fine pleasure park. Their
4 is no question in my mind bu
Y this place ought TO and should b