Times-promoter. (Hernando, DeSoto County, Miss.) 1898-1970, 1909-01-15
LETTER FROM FLORIDA
Major Dockery Sends Greetings From
Sunny Southern State.

Maitland, Florida, Jan. 8, 1909
EDITOR TIMEs-P PROMOTER:
So many good friends, both men
and women, have told me that they
looked forward to the coming of your
newsy little paper, hoping to see a
letter from me, and were disappointed
when they didn't find it, that really
have concluded that my letters have
some interest to some people and
those people, my friends.
Well, am away down here, not
exactly "down on the Suwanee river"
but not far from it, but still | am
among the alligators and oranges,
and will drop a short letter now and
then for the pleasure of my friends
and hope none Others will read them.
I started from Memphis Tuesday
the 9th at 9:30 in the morning and
was in Jacksonville next morning at
9:3O, where | stopped one day, and
took in the town, but didn't "paint
the town red.o
The main show in the way of 20
ology is the ostrich farm, which ev-
erybody goes to see.
There are about one hundred of the
huge birds, valued at $3.50 apiece.
Some of them are trained to ride and
some to drive. There are races at 3
p. m. every day. One is harnessed
to a trotting cart, a man drives, an
other is ridden without saddle by a
man. They are lined up, and at the
word go, they start on a quarter
stretch and, gee! but don't they split
the wind.
They scratch a shallow hole in the
ground to lay their eggs in, and the
female sets on them all day and the
male like chivalrous fellow relieves
her and sets all night.
They are ugly and sometimes vi
cious. Their kick is said to be harder
than a mules, and man don't soon
forget back-handed lick from one
of them. The owners make great
deal of money by exhibiting them,
and while they are very ugly they
give two crops of feathers that sell
for from one to thirty dollars each.
They are fed corn, oats, and hay like
mules, and costs heavily, but are
profitable.
I rode all overland around the city
on the excellent street car system,
and saw great many fine business
houses, homes, and beautiful yards
and parks.
The city is well paved and fitted
for automobiles and other wheels
which are used extensively.
The innumerable, large and fine
hotels are filled with tourists from
everywhere, and the city has -four
ishing appearance, with well dressed
men and women moving in every di-
rection and in all sorts of ways.
The commerce Of the city is lumber
and naval stores, mainly.
I saw dozens of vessels lying at the
different wharves- vessels of all sizes
from the little fishing smack to the
large ocean steamer, loading with
our products or unloading the pro-
duce from other sections or countries.
The curio stores are numerous and
interesting, where you can buy the
tiniest seashell or whales skeleton
sixty feet long, and see specimens of
varieties of fish-tnat you never heard
or dreamed of-and birds of the
coasts and islands of the seas that
astonish you for their variety and
beauty.
The country for miles around jack
sonyille is low marshes and as poor
as the proverbial Jobs turkey, and
among the things don't understand
is why city was designed and built
where Jacksonville is, but there are
several things | don't understand
yet, but all the same it is wide
awake and up-to-date city.
/ left Jacksonville at $3.50 Thursday
and arrived here at 8 p. M, making
the trip from Memphis, 904 miles, to
MaitlBnd, coming few miles through
Tennessee, good many through Mis-
sissippi and entirely across Alabama,
then diagonally across Georgia into
Florida and up the st. John about 200
inside thirty hours Of con-
tinuous travel.
WhnY, firct yrrant FROM North Caro- +