The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1909-05-23
SUMNER CAMP In FLORIDA
TRIP A NEW YORK COUPLE
WILL REPEAT THIS YEAR.

Ne Wseps Taan n tn Mountain,
-Csst Lea 1hsa al0o Eash-Flor.
mas AdvaafaEss IN Che 2ummer,
NV husband and I took q thres months
camping tsiS last summer at . cost Of
less than 500 each, end ve intend to do
Il again this year. declared q New York
woman In explsnation Of her indifference
To a summer wardrobe. we went to
F1oridA-yes. TO the vest coast Of Florida
for July. August and September, and
found II much pleaszntsr than camping
In the mountains Of New York or Canada.
MY husband = very fond Of fishing and
I also enjoy the sport. Wei. II ever you
nsh on the west coast of Florida you viii
never be satisfied anywhere else.
In the first place tho oust Of the trip
down to jacksonville and return by boat
is $50 apiece. The railroad fare acruss
country south TO Tampa comes to about
sic. there and back. Our food cost le.a
than IS q month.
The kerosene stove and the few oook-
ius utensils, all OF which 20 bought IN
Tampa, cost Just q. Our oil bill for Tho
entire three months was 0-so. The bag
eaEs carried from Nov York ~consiztsd
Of our clothing. two ny tonts and tan
yards OF mosquito nSttins.
I'm tho way Of clothing every gxrnnt
was xashable. Duck skirts and cotton
vhirtwsists comprised my outfit, while
nv husband had duck trousers and light
flannel shirts. Oh. NO, l didn't do the
laundry work. There was an old negro
woman living near whore We camped
who came every day or 10 to tell US tho
news and do u work
Il hive. been told that there are places
In Florida where 1t Ia us1t to impossible
to ret fuel. but where we camped it va
TO be picked up on every side. Both pins
and oak boughs that had fallsn from the
trees were dry and easily broken. Had
1t not been for the dirty smoke OF tho
pine and pungent odor Of the burning
oak we could easily have dispensed with
our oil stove.
Another point OF economy in camping
in Florida during the summer ID that
boats and fishermen are to be hired At
much lower rate than In the winter. The
man that my husband had paid IS Z day
three winters before game to us and offered
his services at 81 an hour to suit US. We
took him for three days. but az both my
husband and l are good swimmers and
know how TO handle our oars we ecade
that his room was preferable to his com
pany. After those three days the old
negress and her little grandson were our
only assistants.
aBesides the sand flies and mosquitoes
the only other trouble We experienced
was in getting fresh drinking water.
After the rainy season began and we fol-
lowed the directions OF our old neiehbor
II was easy enough. but at first on several
occasions we had to take u boat and row
miles to I'll u jugs. go,
sThe way to obviate this difficulty ID
by catching rainwater in your tent. Then
it must be poured into porous Jug and
hung in the wind to keep 1t cool. 1t 10
surprising how cool 1t can be kept in this
way. After we once learned the trick
we had always an abundance OF sweet.
what did we do with the fish We
caught? Ate all we could consume and
gave the rest to u old negro friend. Oh,
yes. there was more than she QUIZ use.
but she had numerous children whom
she used to divide with. I can't say that
these fish were given away entirely, Tor
these same negroes, all OF. them small
farmers. often presented us with baskets
Of fruits and vegetables, The fruits we're
nearly always wild varieties, but they
were very eatable and we. were glad to
get them.
sOne OF the disappointments Of our
trip was not being able to get water
melons. The only melons we had were az
costly az they would have been had We
bought them In New York and no better
When we complained OF this in Tampa
we were told we had come to the wrong
part Of the South. For melons we must
90 81 Ca,rria ~ Sn.fh ia r0linn and NOT
to the coast. a.,
we found also that the which
we had expected to use was o the boat
best adapted to fishing on the west coast
Of Florida. That we learned when buying
supplies in Tampa. The shopman
his head when my husband asked for a
canoe for fishing.
"A sharpie you mean. don't you! he
replied. Then he showed us a fiat bot
toned boat that to me looked anything
but graceful, .,. ,.,,s. ., N.
numerous sand bars we would encounter
q canoe was not practical, We TOOK the
sharpe and found It a wonderfully easy
a to manage. 1t appeared 10 hhVo
almost no draught at all.
AS in the North Woods, Florida has the
very best materials for beds ready 70
the hand OF the camper. In place OF tns
balsam boughs OF Maine n Canaoa
in Florida you have the Spanish mnss
and the leaves OF the palmetto: lne
moss when laid six inches or more deep y
about as comfortable a bed as you conia
demand. II should be torn before beng
used and all sticks and other foreish
articles removed.
sThen to keep it in perfect condition
and free from insects IL should be summed
two or three times q week. The palmett9
leaves should be divided into several
pieces and placed crossways. When laio
deep enough this makes IL possible o more
comfortable bed than the moss.
Now as to the summer climate OF
Florida. ] want to say that l have been
both in Canada and the mountains OF
New York and have suffered moro rom
the heat in both places than we, did IN
Florida, Here in New York we hear OF
people dying OF sunstroke. We never
heard Of a single instance in Florida.
while often the days are hot; tne
nights are generally not only cool oot
actually cold. This summer when NO
20 down we will add two double blankets
to baggage. We may not need them
often. but there will be nights when hey
will come in handy. Last summer Te
were able to get on very comfortaoiy
without them because II wal SO easy 70
get fuel and make q fire. -
Besides fishing, which my HUSBAND
says is unsurpassed. We both ACQUIRES
considerable skill in the use OF the grains,
a sort Of harpoon with several poinSS
like q fork. This is not Q very sportsman,
like way Of catching fish. but 1t Is a LOT Oh
fun and requires practice. u-.A,
only In the winter a summer "trip suon - ~
\ kauA lAoNvrlnJ in raValafl0n. III