The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1912-04-22
AN AUTO RIDE THRU
LOVELY COUNTRY

The business manager and editor of
the Star. in the formers auto, took a
ride up the Gainesville road almost TO
Reddfck yesterday morning, which the
same was a revelation to the latter,
who almost lives al his desk, and sell
dom leaves it except TO chase the end
of his nose around the business blocks
in the center of the city
One of the good things abou. the
automobile is the way it helps a man
to become acquainted with his own
country. He can go five times as far.
and return, as with horse and buggy.
And it is always worth while to know
your own country. If it is good, you
can enjoy it: If il is bad, you can help
TO improve it: and IL ii is too bad you
can leave 1t.
There is mighty little country in
Marion that it is necessary to leave,
and the great northern road does not
run through any of it. To begin, 1t
goes out through the north end of
town, which is rapidly building up and
looking better every day. The north
end is all on good ground, the manu-
factories are drifting in that direction,
and in a few years it will have more
now. The Coast Line has put in a new
switch at the Kendriek road crossing,
which increases shipping facilities.
also the disposition of autoists TO
swear The north Kendrick road was
the second attempt at hard road MAX
ing in Marion county. and the first
really successful one. 1t was the pet
project of E. c. Mcleod, who superin-
tended the work himself: and he laid a
mighty good foundation for his suces-
| sors to build on. It's Ocala's great
north road, like the highway of sim
| liar name, leading out of London to
York and other cities in that direction.
It's regular speedway up to Ken
drick
From Kendrick on, the road isn't so
good, but the country on each side
shows up splendidly To the west,
around Kendrick, Zuber and Martin is
a great industrial center, with the
sawmills. kilns and lime works.
tremendous Transformation has been
made from the almost unbroken pine
forest of little over a dozen years ago.
Fessenden Academy-the Tuskegee
| of Florida-appears to the left of the
| road, reminding the passer-by of the
useful work being carried on by the
| educators at that valuable institution.
There is a stretch of road through
! the hammock. not so good for speed
ing. but better to ride over if one Is
| seeking rest, for the shade lowers the
Temperature and rests the eyes. There
is a graceful little wiggle in the road
along there, where a gully backs up
into it; nice to look at but 1t had best
| be strai ghtened out before some Joy
auto into the ravine.
| Crossing the railroad a the hand
some country home of Mr. Charles
| Howell. the rolling farm country be-
comes continuous. The fields stretch
out in every direction and the crops
look good. The province of Ocaly'
was once a great Indian kingdom, and
when DeSoto's legions marched along
this very route almost four hundred
years ago, they found a numerous peo-
pie, who had all the necessities and
many of the luxuries of life. They
faded away, and the forest grew on
their graves. and the pa1eface is now
driving his steel plows and reapers
over the same soil from which his
dusky predecessors drew a plentiful
living, though only equipped with i'm
plements of wood and stone.
| Lowell and Meffert's immense farms
Iappeared to the right, and one good
looking field or pretty stretch of wood
lland after another tempted the autoists
on, until they would probably have
bumped the cars nose against the
Alachua county line. But mile or sc
this side of Reddick the engine began
to complain, and a look showed tina:
the water radiator. like the secrets
told at sewing circle. had nearly all
leaked out. Luckily, the home Of Mr.
H. ?. Billingsley was near. Mr.. Bill
Kingsley has a fine farm, quiet coun-
try home and a ma gnificent well OF
| water. If there was just some way OF
pulling the well up and bringing 1t &c
IOcala, it would be worth enough silver
dollars to fill 1t. Mr.. Billingsley has
ALWAYS a welcome for the wayfarer
and two welcomes for him if he hap
pens to be Woodman. so both the
Star men were persona grata, or WORD.
to that effect. Mr.. Billingsley not only
lsupplied them with the needed fluid
but gave them all the flowers they
would take from the magnificent
bushes of roses in his yard.
There was tempting-lookins
stretch of country on beyond. but the
tank might leak again when no friend
lily we'll was convenient so the auto
was headed homeward. Just before thu
lstart was made, good old DR.. Billings
LEY, who is making his home with hi!
son. H P, arrived from a stroll in thu
woods, and extended a pleasant greet