The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1908-04-09
OLD 81. AUGUSTINE.
Springtime in the Land Of Flowers. How
Florida is Growing. The Automobile
Meet. The Landing of Ponce de Leon.
Prohibition in the South.
Correspondence of The Journal

Old st. Augustine! city of age and ro-
nance. the oldest of our towns: now
Youngest in life, in merriment and
carnival. The oldest fort, the oldest
church, the first house in America, are
seen by the same eye that views the
most beautiful tourist hotels on earth,
which are peopled with the most mod
ern and up. to-date of men and women.
The narrow, old-time streets are over
run with fine plumage, blown In with
the spring breezes from London ana
Paris. So it is virtually beautiful
modern painting in AL old frame. AS
the winter grows into the sprlngtlme
the more pleasing does north FLORIDA
appear in contrast with the chilling
winds, the biting frosts or the slush
and mud of New England. Florida is
pleasant at almost all seasons OF the
year, but at no time do her beauties OF
bowers, fruit and climate appeal so
strongly as in early spring. Nature IS
at her best here during March and
April, and those who are wise and lucky
stay to enjoy the orange blooms and
sunshine while the harsher climate OF
the north is gradually getting settled
for the summer campaign. The pres
ent season is noticeably late one.
There are at the present time more
strangers in the State than ever before.
| had read in the newspapers OF the
north and expected to find that Florloa
was suffering from the effectS OF the
gYonev stringency and that not one
Tenth of the usual quota of visitors
were here. 1t is a mistake. The VISIT
ors are here, all right, and are coming in
crowds every day There is very
large class of moderately wealthy peo-
pIe in this country, who probably save
money Inv their soiourns in the south
and have all the enjoyment OF 1t thrown
in. But let me add, so there shall be
no misunderstanding by my FRIENDS,
Shat [ am not in this class. Inc
Ienten season at the big resorts i'll the
State is possibly spent quite differently
than anywhere else. Great numbers OF
the most prominent of the smart set OF
New York and other eastern cities, HE
themselves to the Florida resorts at
the beginning of Lent, and once With
out tie radiance Of home, they enter
the CAV. social whirl at the big hostel
lies. | presume their pastors ana rec
5ors at home do not begin to suspect
there is any departure of their disciples
from the time-honored formalltles.
DID YOU know that Florida is gain
ing bv leaps and bounds as business
CENTER That all of her wealth is not
gathered from the fellow who does not
ike the taste Of d Maine blizzard III
February? Well. it's true. Florida IS
Gather more than barren point OF
sand. 1t is alive, and very much alive
There is a good prospect that the 1910
census will give upwards OF T2O,
people and therefore the State VIII be
entitled to four congressman under the
new apportionment They viii gam
t,ue CONGRESSMAN. Maine will doubt
less lose one. So it is seen that this
State is gaining faster than any eastern
State and about equal to the most pros
porous III the west. AS to industries,
lumber. phosphate rock and turpentlne
are the leaders, but there is everything
a growing, thriving people can be eX-
pected to engage in, including many
varieties of manufacturing. 1hose III
position to state with intelligence say
the south in twenty years Will produce
all the boots and shoes worn by It's
people. Today there IS not shoe
factory in its true sense in Florida.
That which most interests me is the
great stride made since | first visited
this State in the raising of flowers,
fruit and searly vegetables for the
northern markets. The products Of the
fruit and truck farms of the entire
south now total about S150, 100000 a
year-truy a tremendous industry.
am not able to state Fl0rida's portion
of this vast sum, but it is very great.
Take the little town of Sanford, for III
stance. This is a small farming com
munity on the st. John river, I'm com
municatiOu with Jacksonville by water
and rail. The soil is good and just
sufficiently sandy to make the raising
of celery and tomatoes a Joy forever
This little town is now marketing an
S00-car crop of celery, at prices which
indicate a net income of 100000. This
crop is grown i'll 500 acres OF Sub-lrrl-
gated land, All average of 800 crates to
an acre. and is only one of three crops
raised yearly on same acreage. Day
after day whole train loads of oranges,
celery, tomatoes and strawberries pull
out toward the north. But there are
strange things in connection, Just the
same. Yesterday | was protfered at
breakfast grapefruit that good,
sensible hog in Belfast would turn up
bis nose AT. For dinner, canned toma-
toes: and so it goes. The fine, ripe
fruit and mellow vegetables are none
too good for those poor fellows who
can't come down here to battle in the
sunshine and revel in the breezes from
she orange blossoms.
The automobile meet at the neighbor-
ing beach of Ormond Daytona, recently
concluded, has more than justified the
anticipations of its organizers. One
who has seen the level strip of hard
sand extending more than thirty miles
along the coast without a break can
imagine what speedway for the flyers
is here. On this occasion all records
were broken and few less bones and
heads than usual. But what of the
future? The slogan for the Ormond
meet for 1909 will be Zone Hundred
Miles Per Hour and the great race of
the meet will be a contest for hand
some trophy in which the cars will be
required to do 100 miles to the hour or
get no prize. Already several ambl-
tious autoists have signified their in
tention of being in this race to the
finish. One young millionaire, Mr..
Lewis Bergdoll of Philadelphia, has
placed an order with the makers of the
Benz cars in Germany, to at once start
a car for him for use in this 100-mile-
an-hour race, bonus of hard cash to
be paid for every quarter OF mile over
the even hundred made by the machine.
This only illustrates the ambitious
rivalry seen today in every walk of life,