The National tribune., 1910-10-27
ST. CLOUDS ADVANTAGES.

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st. Clouds attractiveness as q place
of settlement begins with the over.
whelming fact that it has the fines
lclimate in the world. Not even thai
far-famed Italy can equal it. While
the Italian climate is the finest in t!u-
rope, yet it has most serious drawbacks
from which central Florida is entirely
free. Hot. dry winds from Africa burr
and parch southern Italy in Summer
time until everything is scar and arid
and life becomes a burden. In Florida
on the other hand, the Summer is the
wet season and vegetation flourishes
In Italy the Winters are wet, and there
fore, in spite of the mildness of the
climate. the Winter season has many
Idisagreeable days Winter is the dry
season in Florida and the bright sun
is rarely obscured by clouds. In Italy
the cold winds sweep down from the
snow-covered mountains and are liable
to make some of the winter days as
bitter as those much farther north. In
the Summer time the scorching Sirocco
from the African deserts burns and
blights everything as far north as Ven
| ice. There are neither of these in Flor
ida. Even the recent West Indian hur-
ricane. the severest known to this gen.
Grafton, did comparatively little dam
age to st. Cloud. Its worst effect was
three days of steady rain.
Compared with other Southern parts
of the United States, st. Cloud stands
pre-cminent. 1t lacks the malarious
character of Louisiana and Texas and
the wearisome aridity of southern Cal
ifornia and Arizona. The climate gives
it the widest variety of vegetation,
which is a grateful relief to the monOt-
ony of the vegetation in other South
ern localities, particularly on the Pa
cific coast
The second advantage is the soil.
is sand, it has a wonderful fertility not
found in sand elsewhere. This has
been attributed to the presence Of
minute coral shells, which give the
soil lime and phosphates for plant food.
In judging the soil experienced men
it, and when one sees the lofty col
umns of hard, long-Ieaved pines rising
to hight of Is and 80 feet, there is no
longer any question as to the ability
of the soil to produce all plant life of
the greatest richness. Further evidence
there are actually doing with this sand.
1t is the kind of sand that gardeners
seek to procure for their best prod
ucts. 1t is warm, quickly responsive
and when treated with skill and dill
gence will produce almost limitlessly.
Next comes the beauty of the loca-
ton. st. Cloud is situated on the high
est point of the Peninsula, between a
number of beautiful little lakes which
are the headwaters OF the streams fiow-
ing into the Gulf and the Atlantic.
These lakes are a delight in themselves
in the freshness and purity of their
water, the abundance of fish they con-
tain and the restfulness to the eye of
their broad, mirror-like eXpanses
rufling and ripping with every passing
zephyr. They help much to make st.
Cloud the healthiest part of the United
States and a haven of respite from the
pains and Affections that beset those
who have had to struggle with the rig
orous climate of the North.
The last great advantage is that this
favored location having become known
to the veterans of the country, is at
tracting thither high class Of citizens
who have made an ideal settlement
which is drawing to it like men and
from all parts of the country.
Those who have settled there have been
men and women Of high standing and
influence in the neighbOrhoods whence
they migrated, and they are writing
back enthusiastically as to their new
home, and these representations from
actual residents are bringing their old
friends and acquaintances to join them
This increase of population goes on
steadily, since every man and woman
who settles there becomes an apostle |
IF st. Cloud and a means of bringing
n others to swell the population and |
ouild the town up to one of the lead |
ng cities in the State.