The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1909-03-23
T lorida New ElDorado
Chicago Tribune


| There is a new land boom" on that
/ bids fair to eclipse anything of its kind
| ever inaUgurated in America. For
years Florida, the neglected state,
| has been known principally as the
winter playground of the rich Mag
n:ficent hotels along the east coast or
Florida have catered to the whims and
| fanCies of those OF unlimited wealth;
fabulous fortunes have been spent in
providing luxurious accommodations
for those who could afford to escape
from the TigOT of the northern WE
ter and bask in the smiles of the per
feet climate OF Florida. Paradoxicd!
as u may sound, 1t might be said that
the TICh-the more or less idle rich
have been the pioneers of the new
Florida.
Men of affairs from the north conf
ing to Florida TO dispOTt in the sur
a. Palm Beach. or to idle away tee
hours in the orange groves or along
the palm-embowered walks of Day
tona could not close their eyes to the
possibilities of the state. Upon every
hand they saw evidences Of enormous
agricultural wealth, simply needing
the man behind the pillow to develop
its wonderful resources. They saw
an empire in itself. providing every
thing necessary to the health, wealth.
and happiness of its inhabitants /;
was not difficult TO picture Florida as
a future agricultural paradise where
men weary OF the fruitless struggle
against reluctant nature in the north,
might come, and almost for the ask
inE, take fortunes from the frultlil
soil OF this wonderful country.
To such men, to think was to act.
Cooperating with the railroads of tls
statc-always the advance guards CT
civiIiZatiOn-they went forth ana
spread the gospel of Florida They
poured their money into enterprises
designed to develop it's natural To-
sources, and in every way known to |
man advertised the advantages OF
this section of the United States.
Gradually the farmer and home |
seeker of the frozen north began 10 |
sit I'D and take notice Of the land OF 1
,lrcsms." The reports of the wonder |
ful prOduCtiVeneSS Of Florida READ Ike |
fairy tales TO the discouraged agrlcul- |
turist wrestling an existence frcm his ]
barren field. He found il hard TO be- |
Ijeve that in Florida the soil produc- |
ed three. and sometimes four, crops /
in one year. It was impossible 70;
him TO conceive of land of perpetual /
Sunshine, where ten or twenty acres /
of ground could be made 10 pfoduSe
nlole than 100 acres in tde north 1
However. there were enough venture
some spirits to take the plunge and
see for themselves what this new III
dorado had to offer.
Teeminu With Possibilities.
What they discovered in Florida is
history. They found. indeed. that tie
half had not been told. They found
Lard where fruit grew wild in luxur-
liant pTofusion-a land where the soil
mcdUced almost every crop that could
be grown in the north. climate that
exceeded the liveliest imagination,
teeming WITH possibility. They
found that celery could be made TO
Weld as high as $500 an acre prof.
grape fruit S400 an acre, potatoes suI
all kinds OF vegetables as high as
$500 an acre. Is il any wonder that
they named it the enchanted land?
II is almost impossible to describe
Florida without recourse TO SupeTla-
fiyes. It is easy to understand poo 1
Ponce de Icons faith in his fountain
o. perpetual youth after one has eN-
Decienced t1e delights Of sojOurn in
Florida. No pen can do Justice TO the
vistas of waving palms, I
IlIH Uriant vegetation and wide sweeps
1f primal verdure.
Florida offers TODAY more oppOrtun
ties to the door man than any other
section Of the country. 4 little capital
g es a long ways here. At the pres
7uS time good farm lands can be Oh
tanned as low as $40 an acre, AMI ten
)Cres properly handled should produce !
Z profit of $3.50 a year. The farmer
\ Florida does not have to work as
hard as his brother in tne north, and {
D. realizes a great deal more for his {
abCT. Owing to the richness of the j
soil crops spring up almost like mag !
C, and at a time when the northern ]
'aEmer is planting his crops the Flor j
da farmer is almost ready to market
ais fist crop yield. i
Not "RiCh Mans Playground" i
The movement toward Florida is be- | 5
coming more and more pronounced as
re northern and western homeseeker
JeComes acquainted with actual COLI