Putnam patriot., 1911-03-31

see perfection in the way of grape fruit grove, just come down and take peep at the thousands of trees owned oyMr. Lake. No finer grove was seen by the writer.while in Florida.
 An invitation to dinner Sunday from Col. G. D. Bates, gave me pleasant afternoon with him and his wife, in company with MT. and Mrs Jerome Tourtellotte, who were invited at the same time.
 Leaving Lamona with Mir. Lake, by A cross.couutty drive Of some two miles, in the early morning, through the moss. s.draped pines, cypress and live oak, to the railroad station, was a ! pleasant and, to me, most interesting feature Of my visit to Lamona.
 Leaving Seflner was hurried on 10 Sanford by rail, through Plant City, ] Lakeland, kissimee and Orlando-the latler city is where the late j. 0. Fox formerly had large orange interests. Thence to Sanford, at the head of nav igalion on the St. Johns river. Here is where one embarks for delightful days sail down it's narrow and wind ing course through a luxuriant growth of tropical verdure that is a surprise to most New EnglandeTs. Stately groves of tall graceful Palmetto, dense thick cts of cane, long stretches of meadow then miles of moss decorated cypress forest-following each other in an ever changing panorama. On the banks were occasionally seen droves of horn ed cattle and razor back hogs-all run. ming wild. The stork, crane, eagle and buzzard, were among the birds noticed. The sail could not be completed with out the distinctive Florida amphibious beast-the alligator. We saw four large ones, at one huge fellow was able to snap my kodak under favorable cir cumstaneeS. 1 say we, because it was a great pleasure to find on board some ten or more of the "Alamo" party again uniled.
 Had time permitted, friends Child and killam, at Wiersdale, and Dicken- son al St. Augustine, would have been visited. But d day at Palatka and at Jacksonville, were all that could be spared. X diagonal course from Way cross, in the southeast, to La Grange, in the northwest of Georgia, the "land of cotton,n was taken. With cotton at h cents, the people seem " cotton mad" Every available cleared acre is under cultivation for this staple, and great pine and oak forests are being cut down and burned to make room for more cotton planting.
 But very little land is devoted to oats or eorn-though both do we'll here In sections of Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina, "truck gardening" is very profitable, carried on for the early New York market. Celery and straw berries afe now being shipped North. Besides the orange trees, roses, violets, wislaria, and peach trees are in full bloom.
 As wished to see few days of ge- nuine Southern life, three or four days were spent with a thrifty farmer, who was in lthe Confederate army during the civil war. To me his doors were flung wide open, and the best the house offered was at my disposal AL though the law against shooting was still on, they though I should have quail, and one of the boys was sent out to bag some.
 A regular diet of "hog, hominy and hoe cake, ." with buttermilk for drink, is new diet to New Englander, but hard day work smong the "red hills" of thts section, sharpened my appetite so that kind of food certainly tasted good.
 For the sake of the experience, after