The National tribune., 1909-09-02

industries and opportunities of Florida
are numerous, important and to a con-
siderable extent peculiar. 1t is widely
advertised for citrus fruits, of which
the best known are the orange, grape
fruit, lemon, lime and citron. AS many
as 10000 oranges have been taken from
a single tree in one season. Pears,
peaches. grapes. figs, berries and ba-
nanas are few of our crops. There
are grand possibilities in various kinds
of fruits, of which the future is more or
less undetermined at present. Three
and four kinds of vegetables are posi-
BILE on the same ground each year III
one crop fails another can be put in.
I'VE have good water. too, and plenty
of it. Elorida is one of the best-wa-
tered States in the Union. 1t has many
| fine rivers and lakes abounding with
fish, while the saltwater fishing is the
best in the Union. The waters OF the
sea yield various distinct merchantable
/ products, fish, oysters, turtles, sponges.
shells, corals and alligator spoils, but
| the latter business has about ceased
| except in remote districts. Writers and
sporting men. whether in the field of
| fin, fur or feather, agree in pronouncing
Florida a paradise for sportsmen, altho
as between land sports and fishing the
latter is unquestionably the finer. The
! coast water offers greater variety of
species of fish and probably greater
| variety of valuable food fishes than can
| be found in any other region In the
| United States. Add to the long coast
line of salt water her fresh water bod
| ies lakes, rivers ponds, springs, havens
/ and bayous in all of which abound ex-
ceptional piscatorial advantages.
| "'How about malaraia p you ask. Where
will you find spot in which you cannot
conjure up all sorts of terrors, If one
prefers to live in perpetual fear of what
may happen? Why not inquire about
| the chills, typhoid and other varieties
of fevers, of the acute diseases. pneu-
nsonia, diphtheria and the multitude of
| ailments seldom known in Florida. but
of daily occurrence in New York, Chi
cago, along the Hudson and Ohio, even
up among the frosts and SHOWS of
northern mountains? These Affections
| do not deter people from moving to
Boston, New York. Pittsburg, Cincin-
natl, Louisville or st. Louis. where the
mortality is SO much greater than any
where in Florida. do not believe
there is any more danger from n1alarial
fevers in Florida than in any State
where the woodland is being cleared
and soil is being ripped up by the plow.
Wherever malarial complaints exist in
Florida they are not so unsafe as many
diseases that are common to the North.
There Is no necessity for suffering
/ or want in Florida as long as the woods
and rivers abound with food. There
was never a spot at the North where
one could have chickens, ducks, tur-
keys and an abundance OF eggs. with
very trifling expense, so plentifully as in
Florida. Time would fail to enumerate
all the fruits nuts, vegetables, etc, that
Florida will yield bountifully to those
who accept her favors. and are ready
and willing to bring them forward with
skill and industry.
I Florida grows more Sea Island cot
ton than any other State. This is a
long fiber variety an6 brings the high
est price of any In the world. It is used
fer making thread and lace. and manu-
/ fa.turers change IT into near silk fab
RIGS. Florida also grows the finest
sugarcane, and st. Cloud Colony was
once the seat of a famous sugar planta-
I tion. the history of which is known to
many of your readers. One of the pos
Isible industries OF your town Is that
of making sirup, as from 800 10 s2c0
4 worth can be produced to an acre, and
there is not sirup enough made as long
/ as children in this country eat dry
bread. There are openings. too, at st.
Cloud for factories and individuals to
become specialists in canning and pre-
serving fruits and vegetables, and the
ST. Cloud brand Of these shoRid soon
become widely known.
Tobacco is also great crop in Flor
ida, Ii being oneSOf two or three States
where the Sumatra grade of wrappers
is grown under cover, producing as high
las $500 worth to the acre. Tampa.
near where live, is one Of the great
cigar making centers of the world.
thousands of men being employed. Flor
ida is the leading State in the produc-
tion Of phosphate rock, and / am sorry
to say that much of 1t goes abroad to
the more frugal Europeans to enrich
their soils. Florida leads the Union in
the output Of naval stores. Indeed, for
the last year or two II has produced as
much turpentine and rosin as all the
other Southern States combined. The
Southern pine Is great tree, and wish
l could tell you all about it. But speak
ing of pines, wish the comrades could
see some of the pineapples have grown
on my acre at St Petersburg. Pine
apples have nothing to do with pine
trees. They have that name. 1t is said.
, because Of their resemblance to the pine
cone. 1t may surprise you when ] say
have had them weighing as high as
Is pounds. Good eating? Well, should
say so.
'I may be telling you things you al
ready know, but I want to repeat the
thruthful things already said in The
National Tribune. I could tell you
about livestock, and we have good cat
tie and hogs and plenty of feed and
forage for them. Ordinarily the native
varieties run wild and are given prac-
| tCdHy 10 dtteutlOn py owners, but
where cared for. as Is the case In the
North. they make fine meat. am GO
ing back to Florida now to get away
from the heat you have here. The
temperature at my town of st. Peters
burg rarely goes above 90. and then it is
not as hot as II is at s2 in Washing.o ton,
/ presume because of less humidity.
People who are looking for better
ment are going to the fhr vest to locali-
ties where irrigation IS necessary, wller e
land Is very high priced. where timber
is scarce. where winters are long. where
crops depend entirely u;lon TIE srti. al
supply of water at high prices. I'D
products must be shipped long dis
tance to reach mar.sets Florida has
all kinds of advantage I'd you can
get your choice of land IN $1,000 to
81 an/acre. Your prices L Cloud are
wonderfully cheap considering resources
and opportunities. 1t is one OF the
chances of lifetime to get a home in
good country. with good neighbors.
A small farm is the thing for the aver
age man I'm Florida, with no hired help
and lot of horses to eat up the profits.
The small farm means near neighbors
and many conveniences. 1t is surprIs-
ing what can be produced on a angle
acre properly tended.
II want to take an interest with you
at st. Cloud and run over occasionally
: and see the boys. / have a good home
at st. Petersburg and Is years of asso-
citation with its people. 1 promoted
Veteran City, where we only have town
lots for sale haua baar