The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1908-03-03
BLRTHDAYO or FL ORIDA
DY TIlEDERIC j. IAsIxIN.


ny FREDERIC >. IIAsI<IN.
Oldest OF the States In point OF con-,
tact with the Old World and Its ciylli-
zza q, on, yet one Of tho youngest n the
Florida celebrates to-day tile Hlxty-
third anniversary OF Its admission to
the Union. Still resembling that flow
or s garden that Ponce de Leon saw on
full promises still to those who will
follow in the steps of that gay old
aadventurer The Fountain of Youth
that that lnred Dc Leon many. weary miles
over land and sen--whether a myth
or q fact--has It's answer to-day In
this land which has become the. Amer
i,aa Riviera, the land where health
whether at jacksonville. st. Augustine,
,Ormond Beach. Miami or Key West. De
Narvaea and De Soto dreamed of pearls
Most catholic Majesties." They found
none of these: but they did find a
land where lavish nature has put every
opportunity in the way Of enterprising
gold and silver if they only will
A land OF romance and OF song, Of
mysterious swamps and Island fast
nesses where Indian hunters still! slip
noiselessly In canoes through almost
s psS reyes p9 a Ssrs
and dignity to the scene. Florida is
not without practical side that pre-
sa ges much for her future industrial i,s al
Kansas. the cotton fields of Texas. the
sugar cane OF Louisiana. the oranges
and lemons OF. California, the hemp
or kenafseky the t1Pao 90. OF
bananas and grapefruit OF the Indies.
the grapes OF Delaware, the rice of
Carolina. the pine forests of Georgia.
the cattle herding industry OF the Far
en-. She has New England's fishing
grounds without New England's cli-
mate to put a barrier in the way of
i her work, work. sponges, torn from the
large population. busy at Key West
and rarpon Springs. and reckless.
ehartless, little fishing vessels dart
fearlessly among the keys and in
OF sea turtles, blue fish. tarpon stur-
Eeon and red snapper. Her phosphate
industry, developed since 1889. now
amounts to shipments of 100000 tons
annually.
Even tho geological formation Of
the country has a certain mysterious
aspect, certain plcturcsqueness that
be, I,e to no other State; Through
out the state there are sudden depres-
sions IN the. surface that reach down
to the limestone. strata and show I'M
foreground rivers. or springs that are
potti1,mless. ornriyers that pause in
small fhn ls,, lakes, sparkle 2 little while In
ton is only about 400 feet, and the
state is naturally divided into high
hGmmock. low. hummock. swamp sa-
wanna ma and pine. It is toward the
swamps and the savannas that the eyes
of the practical Florldian and the bro.
meter no are now turning. There are IT,
" Y1 ara .,,s acres OF swamp lands that
States States In 1850: they being classed as
untiliable wet lands" The State has
decided to demonstrate that these
acres a...r :, are not ,untillable. Already, by
grants to railroads and by saiea tn.
amount has been reduced to 400. 600
In the states own holdings
These lands viii be reclaimed for
aSricuitural uses. swamp lands to the
va va Tue Of millions lie there ready to
must be expended on the Irrigation
prohiems Of the great arid West at
isn't Ism, i,,. matter OF great projects that
W, IN llit water 10 certain level to
then be distributed over wide area
OF country. said a man not long ago
one who knew something about the
need is bitches. and the water .io viii viii
ran off of it's own WILL" OF course the
ntches Will cost. but the profits on
tiie land VIII make the cost In n few
years so small that II will apologize for
merely having existed.
1T was cowboy, pushing his pony
across swamp in pursuit OF willy
deer-llke cow. who first thought of
the possibilities In Florida's "untii-
liable wet lands" He let the COW go
when the idea struck him. sat on
fallen tree and thought the thing ou..
He Interested some Northern capital
lists in his scheme. and rs result
there Is a fine orchard OF grapefruit
trees on swamp-locked humHock Of
200 acres. far hack where roads have
never been. There are 10000 grape
fruit trees on that hummoclzS and IN
five years they will produce 100000
boxes year. There are also oranges.
peache:. p1ums. Japanese persimmons
and roses growing there. and by the
time they are ready for market, shin
ping facilities will have been mad"
ready for them. lust now the or
chard is almost inaccessible. There is
trim bv steamboat IN river. a
longer trip by a smaller boat up a
bavou. nerilous polling across mo-
rasses in dugouts and canoes. with p
nortape here and there. and q final
long ride on a wagon drawn nv wiry.
little oxen. so small and active that
thew fall into mudholes lid to their
nd ekflfuIIy gcram hle ont again