The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1911-05-12
CENTRAL FLORIDA COMING INTO
ITS OWN

pr0SlueuC, anu MT. rToC MdSd", mou
ager of the New South Farm and
Home Company. These gentlemen
had just returned from an auto tour
through the possessions of the COM
pany, which now reach from Silver
Springs to Palatka and optimistic
does not begin to express their opin-
ions of this section of Florida.
Mr.. Seig says he has handled many
landed propositions, but the one now
on hand is by far the best that he has
ever tackled from every point of view.
| The lands embraced in this deal
which they have ust gotten into shape
to put on the market, he says, are all
in all, the best he has ever seen for
general farming, trucking, fruit grow
! ing, etc.
He is especially enthusiastic over
the fact that the Ocala Northern rail-
road has just secured terminal facili-
| ties in Palatka. with splendid water
front rights. This means that this
road will be pushed to completion,
and Mr.. Seig says that by the middle
of the coming September the citizens
of Ocala may board a train. and with
in two hours land at Palatka, travel
ing over one of the best constructed
roadbeds and on the most up-to-date
passenger trains that today traverse
the state.
The New South Farm and Home
Company will, as soon as arrange
ments have been completed, make
| Orange Springs one of the most beau
tiful resorts in the state. Besides
modern hotel accommodations at this
point the springs themselves will be
put into shape for the pleasure of the
public. Orange Springs has always
been one of Florida's most beautiful
natural places of interest, and it's wa
the human race for various diseases.
Now that it will be connected with
the outside world by rail, and with
the untold amount of advertising that
it will receive at the hands of this
wide-awake company, it will no doubt
become one of the popular summer as
we'll as winter resorts of Florida. AS
soon as preparations are made to care
for tourists and pleasure seekers at
the springs, fleet of launches will
be installed on the run. AS the run
empties into the Oklawaha river it
will no doubt be the proper thing be-
fore a great while to take trip from
Orange Springs to Jacksonville on
launches.
Mr. Seig says that work will be be-
gun in very short while on a graded
hard road reaching from Silver
Sprins to Palatka, and that almost the
entire length of this road will be
through the New South Farm and
Home Companys colonies, which now
extend for over twenty-five miles
northeast of Silver Springs in Marion
and Putnam counties. This road will
connect near Palatka with both the
automobile routes from Jacksonville
to Tampa, one via the st. Johns river
and Ocala and the other via st. Au-
gustine and Ocala.
The section of country north of Sill
yer Springs to the Putnam county
line, which, a few years ago was very
sparsely settled, is today the scene
of possibly more activity than any
other section of Florida, outside of
the cities.
Fort Mccoy has grown from a coun-
try postoffice to flourishing town of
probably a thousand people within
the past eighteen months, and every
train brings in new people, Settlers
from other states are constantly COM
ing in to take possession of their
farms purchased from the company
and from private individuals. Pretty
and comfortable homes are being
built throughout the territory, and all
seem bent on making that section
one of the most productive in the
state.
Quite a handsome acreage of veg
etables grace the farms of the new
corners, and their products find a
ready market in the nearby towns,
while several have been shipping to
the northern markets.
Mr.. -Seig says he sees nothing to
prevent the increase of the wealth
and population of the section of coun-
try between Ocala and Palatka to
twenty times their present size within
the next two years, and we trust his
prophecies may come to pass. He
is every inch a booster, and if he has
pessimistic spot in his makeup il
remains in an extremely undeveloped
state.