The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1911-11-17
THE BEAUTY OF FLORIDA HOLDS
ONE ENHANCED AS IF BY A
SPELL


seen all the famous show places of
the state. have seen the mighty
results of Florida's wonderful and in
comparable soil. Last year I saw the
trend Of travel to Florida as great
army of invasion. / have seen land
values rise several hundred per cent.
in only few months because of this
tremendous demand for Florida land.
| know the beauty of her exquisite eli
mate, her growing verdure, her drap-
ed trees, festooned with the dreamy
moss, her pines, palms, palmettoes,
her wonderful streams, unlike those
of any other region of the world, and
l have felt the gripping charm of her
"out of doors" that seems to hold one
entranced as though in a spell.
All the wonders of Florida it has
been my peculiar pleasure to have
visited and viewed during the past
two years. I am wholly and complete
ly subdued and infected with the in
dex finger on the right hand of the
world. Here are soon to come the
tireless greyhounds of the sea, carry
ing full cargoes to all parts of the
universe on their way to and from
Atlantic and Pacific oceans through
the Panama canal. The entire state
is one gigantic field of activity. De-
velopment is in the air everywhere.
The madness of money and opportu-
nifty has grasped hands. The govern
ment has appropriated many millions
for the improvement of Florida water
ways. This points to the nearby tu-
ture, when Florida shall stand forth
to the world with the most important
ports of call for the thousands of
ocean vessels which will have direct
ed their course toward the Panama
canal and Florida. There are more
stupendous undertakings in this state
than in any other section of our ma
ton.
Florida has been known heretofore
as the ''rich mans playground" but
it has now become the ''poor mans
paradise"
We people of the north and the
east and the west do not really know
what life is until we have spent some
time in Florida
The beauty of the sky and land
scape, the beauty of climate and
health, the voluptiousness of foliage
and farms, are nothing to be COM
pared with the great and limitless OPP
portunities for the man of ordinary
means to establish himself upon just
a few acres and make those acres
give him all there is in life to own.
have seen ten acres Of Florida
land produce at the rate of more
than $500 per acre. The man who
owned this garden patch of ground
came to Florida to die, after he had
sickened his body bending over a dir
ty desk for fifteen years in a northern
city; and, mark you, this man knew
nothing of farming when he came.
Today he is rich beyond his widest
dreams of youth. He can go out any
day of the year and pick growing
things for his table His wife and
babies are simply bubbling over with
generous health, and this man is ev-
cry bit as much prince as though
ages of royal blood flowed through his
veins. l have visited the many sue
cessful colonies which have sprung
up over Florida, and have seen there
more peace, pleasure and profit to the
square inch than has ever been my
good fortune to behold before.
Mind you, these northern men and
women who are filling up Florida are
not a few hundred in numbers, out
they can be seen by the thousands
and scores of thousands. You may
talk with them from the windows of
your Pullman as you travel along,
and the universal answer to your
question is: Il would not go back
home for anything in the world"
Now, when the whole north is set
Ting down to six months of ice, idle
ness, large coal and plumber bills,
and the northern farmer is doing
but chop wood and mend
fences, the Florida farmer is tilling
his fields, planting his third crops
which he will send to market in mid
winter and sell for prices that would
set a northern farmer wild with en-
Wy. This is the beauty of Florida.
You buy your land. and pay your mon
ey for it, according to the number of
acres you contract for. the climate
and sunshine, the ability to walk
around every day in your shirtsleeves
-theee things belong to the land and
come to you free from nature f.
Roy Melcent, in Cosmopolitan.