The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1912-05-11
POLK COUNTY
MOST DESIRABLE
EDITOR OF JACKSON (MICH.) PA.
TRI0T DECLARES THIS SEC.
TON BEST OF FLORIDA.

Any person who will carefully in
spect sectional map of Florida cam
not fail to discover the geographical
and Typographical features that rem
der Polk county. with its 1850 square
miles, one of the most desirable OF
the counties Of South Florida in
which to locate.
1t occupies a position midway be-
tween the Atlantic ocean and the
Gulf of Mexico, on the dividing ridge
between the two, draining into both.
and is therefore the highest and best
naturally drained area in the south
ern portion Of tho great peninsula.
The climate is saiuDrl0us. it has .
variety of soils adapted to all sub
tropical products. is intersperscd with
numerous lakes. the seasons are regu-
lar, neither extremes of heat as in
much OF the South. or OF cold as in
the North, are known. the flora is
beautiful, fish and game are alum
dant, boating and bathing in sof:
water all that can be desired, and as
much good health to the square mile
as can be found anywhere on earth.
Polk county is bound to have fifty
h<Nsp Il tp,I n nj M m
tant date, in its cities and villages
and scattered over its undulatinS
surface, among its hundreds of lakes.
growing citrus fruits and vegetables
for northern markets, besides the
many living in winter homes and en-
joying its invigOrating air Its pop
ulatiOn will be of the most cOSmOpOl-
itan type. Already one can touch
elbows with the New Englander, and
the former citizens of every state
north of the Potomac and the Ohio
rivers, as well as other southern
states.
Lakeland and Barlow, Fort
Meade and Winter Haven, as well aa
smaller centers of population, are
ginning in numbers every year. and
nowhere will more cntcrprising and
energetic citizens, representing al
most every state, as we'll as Euro
pcan countries, be found. The eli
mate admits OF open-air exercise
every day of the year, and when the
mrrclry rises to 90 degrees of sum
rcr heat in the shade at noon the
nohi, are cool aud refreshing.
Seventeen years ago Florida had Il
,cv"rr setback. In February, 1879.
it " ) visited by Il hard freeze. the
hardest one since 1875. The orange
groves in nearly all parts of the state
were killed The dependence of the
people was almost wholly upon citrus
fruit, by reason of the frost for
tunes were swept away in the night
Portion of Polk county suffered with
he more northern sections of tho
state.
II so happened. however. that 4
few groves had been started in the
highland lake region about ten years
before, at FrOstprOOf. There not a
tree was killed, and for two winters
past the writer has picked oranges
and grapefruit from healthy trees
that passed unscathed through the
terrible test of 1895. This Is a
strong reason for calling the atten-
ton OF those who contemplate max
ing a permanent or winter home in
Florida to this backbone of the state
along which the new railroad runs
that is being built by the Atlantic
Coast Line company. This section
has stood the severest climate tests Of
three-quarters of a century.
After 1895 men, all over the state.
directed their efforts to other lines Of
production than citrus fruits The
result is seen in the fact that Florida
has now become one of the greatest
early vegetable producing states OF
the South. 1t is doing wonders in
pineapples Ii has developed its
general farming interests. II stands
to-day as an important agricultural
state, showing In the census Statis-
ties by far the largest value per acre
OF the products of cultivated land OF
any portion of North America. Ii
has displayed its ability to rise above
the single-crop idea. and is no longer
dependent upon the orange grove
alone for revenue.
And the variety OF products. as
well as the possession of groves that
passed safely through the crucial test
OF lN95. show that no other like