The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1911-07-28
WHAT A VISITOR SAYS OF ocALA

Mr.. A. L. Eggleston, writing from
Montague to the Ouray (Col) Her
aid, gives Ocala very nice compli-
ment
After passing through Georgia and
other states he reached Florida at
Pensacola and his first impressions
were most favorable.
He says:
I'VE arrived at Pensacola Saturday
night and remained until Monday
night and took an excursion boat out
to Santa Rosa Island about 6 miles
Found everything booming at Pensa-
cola, and left there Monday at p. m.
Stopped at Milton 20 miles out, coun-
ty seat of Santa Rosa county. Ocala
! is a beautiful city of about 5000 popu-
lation. The business portion is most
ly brick with several new ones 60
! ing up now. The resident portion is
mostly frame but has some of the
prettiest homes one could imagine. I
was surprised to see no street cars,
but the streets are mostly paved.
There are but few flowers but l was
told they grew in abundance in win
ter. There are good hotel accommo-
dations, having about the same as
Ouray. The people are energetic and
everything is in hustle all the time
The population is about half negro,
half white.
Nov as to Florida, the country so
far as l have seen is a forest, you
might say wilderness. Don't think
more than per cent of the country
is under cultivation, the rest being
all timber Timber everywhere, two
or three different kinds of oak, var
ious kinds of pine, hickory and in
the lower lands cypress with but lit
tie underbrush except in the swamps
1T is good stock country, but
the cattle and hogs are a poor grade
as compared to our northern stock
Horses and mules are very high,
good mules selling as high as $500
per span. They ask 500 for any
little scrub of pony and good COWS
from $50 to SIS, while native stock
can be bought for from $40 to $12
a head, taking heard right through.
The crops grown are generally cot
ton, corn, velvet beans and COW peas
and quite good deal of truck farm
ing is being done here. 1t being the
earliest part of the United States,
they find ready market for straw
berries, lettuce, cabbage, potatoes,
melons. The melon buyers have just
left here and gone to Georgia. Many
car loads We're shipped from here and
it is said to be very profitable crop.
For the early spring market they
plant cabbage; in October lettuce and
Irish potatoes in December. They
are setting out sweet potatoe sprouts
now.now. The weather is quite warm
here now, and l am told it will re-
main so until September. The Their
mometer registered SO one day last
week but there is generally a breeze
and cool in the shade. The first part
of the night is generally warm but
the after part cool and pleasant One
can generally get a good nights rest
and there are but few flies and not
many mosquitoes, only on the low
lands. There is a small fly, almost
invisible, that bothers me more than
anything else. The rainy season is
just starting in and that cools the
air. The poultry business is said to
be very profitable here. Young chick
ems just feathered out bring from So
to 40 cents each, and they pick the
most of their living wherever they
have a chance.
Eggs are % cents now but go up
to 40 and so cents in winter and
with good care hens lay all winter.
Groceries are nearly as high here
as in Ouray and clothing about the
same"