Jamestown weekly alert. [volume] (Jamestown, Stutsman County, D.T. [N.D.]) 1882-1925, 1911-02-16
LETTER FROM FLORIDA
Stutsman County Farmer Writes In.
teresting Letter From South.
-1any Drawbacks
Havana, Cuba,
February z, 1911.

Havana, Cuba,
Y February z, 1911.
jamestown Alert, jamestown, N. d.
To the EDITOR
Allow me sufficient space in. your
paper to describe some of my trips
over some Of the southern Florida
lands, which were shown to us by real
estate men of West Palm Beach-1t
may interest some of your readers.
After spending two weeks in the
land of sun and flowers, have seen no
flowers, but thermometer 80 and 30
in the shade as in the "good old
summer time" After traeling 300
miles south of Jacksonville, Florida,
we came to Palm Beach to find one
orchard, an orchard of about 4 acres
in oranges, pineapples and grape
fruit. This orchard was we'll loaded
with fruit, but belonged to land
sharks, and they stood guard with
shot gun to see that we got none
of the fruit. After riding four or
five hours in an auto over a road
people were fishing on both sides of
the road for miles, they showed us
where land was selling from $40 to
$3.50 per acre, when l thought
boat would be much better equipped
machine than any farming tool. The
soil consists of -four fine white quick
sand... On the island man would
ridge up the sand and SOW fertilizer
first, then plant beans on top, or
other vegetables. To raise crop
it cost from $50 to. 500 an acre to
fertifize this land. Along the road
we found all little deserted shacks
or sheds called houses once, it being
impossible to go any place in the
country except on the rock road;
people left in boats guess.
The second day they took us out in
the land company automobile to
show us some of the fine Florida
prairie. On the way to Delroy a.
bout IT miles we saw several diff
ferent small farms, beans being their
main crop and in very small patches
tomatoes, lettuce, cabbage, Irish and
sweet potatoes.
From there we took team carriage
to farm 10 miles from Delroy owned
by the real estate men, over prairie
rough with Palmetto and sand; at
the farm they showed us fine vege-
table garden, but did not tell us how
much it took of fertilizer to have it
look like it did. On the highest
spots of this land they took post
auger and went down about three
feet, in several places and in all
would strike water. Wells are none
over five feet deep. A black muck :
land on top from six to twelve inches,
then all white sand.
Arriving in Miami we took over
the Biscayne pay to the canal, that
is supposed to drain millions of acres
Of the everglades; the real estate men
told us what all they were going to
do, but as far as / could see were
wet swamps. There may be some
day chance to farm this land with
the assistance of a good boat with :
good men in it, to guide the boat out
Of the alligators' jaws. This ever
glades land is selling to people that
never see it, from $25 to $125 per
acre. This is not all yet of all the
good qualities of southern Florida.
They tell me that northern men in
three months will shake to pieces
with chills and fever and turn as
yellow as pumpkin. I saw the
yellow complexion once and asked
he reason. Mosquitoes with bills
Two inches long that exist in the
swamps twelve months in the year !,
would be the only comfort.
1t is really a shame to see how
good people in our North Dakota
state will bite on such bait, pay a
good price for worthless land when
We have so much good land in the
north. Whoever wants to buy
,iece of land in Florida, had better
20 and see it first.
But l must say that Jacksonville,
st. Augustine, Palm Beach, Miami
md few other places along the east
Florida coast are fine places to
pend winter and money.
On leaving Florida over the Key
Vest, the most wonderful and ex-
,ensive piece Of railroad work, ar
ived in Havana, Cuba, in time to
zee from MORO Castle walls, j.. A.
}. McCurdy arrive, but not in his
lirship, on the torpedo boat Paulding,
hat picked him up ten miles from
4avana. During the week McCurdy
las shown the Cubans his stunts Of
Walton