The Palatka news and advertiser. [volume] (Palatka, Fla.) 1908-19??, 1911-09-01

There is a scene of great activity lately
all through this section of Florida-es-
pecially along the new line of the Ocala
& Northern Railroad, which, in the course
of very few days now will be completed
and directly connect with 0cala, cutting
down the entire distance to fifty-fOur
miles.
Never can we remember of having seen
anything like the present scene of pros
perity and business activity. Never have
we seen so much "get-up" to things 1t
looks as though this date will 60 down in
history as the real beginning of the growth
of this community.
Not only is this activity confined to the
new railroad, but the spirit seems to be in
the very air; capitalists from the north are
here looking over the field for investment
business men are watching with an eagle
eye the opportunity to here locate, to grow
up with the country and to share in the
profit in trade resulting therefrom; heads
of factories are approaching this state
more and more as labor and industrial
market; and what is by far the most I'M
pOrtant, thousands of earnest men and
women are coming from the crowded
cities of the north, from the farms of the
great northwest. Canada and New Eng
land investing their money and energy
in building their homes, getting the soil
in readiness for the winter crops for
which Florida is fast becoming famous.
All of this goes to show there is real
earnest, genuine, progressive movement
on foot.
While the city of Palatka has been
growing steadily, at the same time, we
must admit that we have been seriously
handicapped because of the fact that our
agricultural possibilities have never been
anywhere near fully developed.
Look around us, look at the idle land;
compared with other sections we have
done remarkably well, but we are just be
ginning. Palatka is bound to be big
city some day, for all this now idle land
will be the homes of farmers in very
short time. 1t is on the agricultural de-
velopment that any community rests.
Two reasons can no doubt be traced to
this non development. The first is lack OF
transportation. Everyone will agree that
Palatka is one of the best transportation
centers in the state for both water and
rail, and this statement at first may seem
somewhat far fetched. But wait-it must
be remembered that the first requisite OF
the trucker and fruit grower is good trans
portation. Follow the path of the rail-
roads in this state, and invariably you will
find clinging close thereto the center OF
the community's population. Compared
with other states Florida can support
more railroads, and these of course are
bound to follow in the natural course OF
things. Sowhile Palatka is recognized as
a railroad center, we must admit there is
one section especially that needs more
transportation and it is on this section
we want to talk about, for this section is
no other than that traversed by the new
Ocala & Northern.
The second factor, and one that is most
important, is because the value of our
soil has not been understood until recent
ly. One only has to refer to the moneyed
barons of the state to find that their
wealth has been made in nearly every in
stance from lumber and turpentine. Our
soil, the most important asset of the state
has been very badly neglected; only re-
Gently has the three crop year farmer
been known-only recently have commits
sion men from our great cities seen fit to
send men to bid for produce on the ground
A new era is dawning-FlOrida will be
recognized as the banner agricultural
state of the south.
To you who have not been out around
the country to the southwest lately,
pleasant surprise awaits you. The unin-