The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1913-11-18

in her new home a cordial welcome
from the circle OF friends OF her hus-
band. Mr.. and Mrs. Williams are
with the formers parents at their
home on Pine street.
Extract from article appearing in
Eustis Lake Region. headed, Lees
burg Described by Florida Grower.
Il was his Honor, the Mayor, who
gave me the greatest treat OF my
trip. E. H. Mote is a native Of New
Jersey, but has been a resident OF
Florida and Leesburg for. thirty
three years. He still has the vim
and snap of youth. and can truly be
called one of the progressive citizens
OF the community. He has been in
the citrus business for many years,
both as grower and as a shipper,
but now more actively engaged in
the nursery business, and will soon
be one of the noted truckers OF the
state. At one time Mr.. Mote sent an
advertisement to this office offering
one million orange seedlings for sale
and our advertisement man wrote
back to ask him if this was not a
mistake; if his figures were not too
high. Any one seeing Mr.. Notes
nursery would hardly question his
figures, for he has about 100 acres
of nursery stock in seed-bed form.
! Asked how he knew how many
plants he had, he stated that he had
a rough idea how many seeds a
bushel would contain, and that he
planted so bushels of sour orange
seed. This means that he has 900
plants to the acre. This nursery is
not all in one place, the greater part
| being in two large patches, the rest
! being scattered in many small ones.
The pride of Mr.. Notes heart is
Treasure Island" located in big
Lake Griffin, just a few miles from
! town. | do not pretend to know how
many this principality contains, bat
should judge that he now had from
twenty to thirty acres of it practical
Iy cleared, and much of it is planted
to vegeta bles. He informed me that
/ this island, in the main, was an al
most impenetrable jungle, and that
the first darkey he took over there to
start the clearing refused to go into
the bush, stating that he was sure
there were bears and wild cats there
Since that time Mr. Mote has had
twenty darkies working at a time.
and the day | was there he had forty
men at work altogether, for clearing
is still going on, as we'll as planting
and filling up holes.
Mr.. Mote stated to me that if he
had known just what he was up
against. he is doubtful if he would
have had the courage to tackle the
job. Much of this clearing has cost
him from 5000 TO 500 per acre, so
dense was the jungle, and so huge
some Of the trees, but now that it
was very nearly over he is very much
pleased, very proud of his job, and
! prouder still of his island.
! The day was breezy. and the big
lake was rolling high. but Mr.. Notes
yacht took the waves nicely, and we
were as comfortab bic as on shore.
The sail was delightful, and when Il
Astepped ashore at Treasure Island /
was sorry the voyage was over so
, quickly, but as soon as l could view
what Mr.. Mote had here | was sorry
that /, too, could not be owner of an
! island like it, for | believe he has
| here one OF the richest spots in Flor
! ida. one that will return him a hun
! dred fold in value, for this property
I is already $1,000 an acre land. so
| rich is it in humus and muck. 1t is
as picturesque as a West Indian cor
aid island, endowed as it is with lof-
Ity cabbage palmettoes, every one OF
which Mr.. Mote has spared, together
with the finest OF the live oaks, for
! he could not bear 10 have them cut
down, even though some OF those
! left may be soil robbers. I predict
that this island will some day be
worldrenowned and a mecca for
sight-seers Of the surrounding coun-
| Try and money maker.
The island is quite close TO the
shore and Mr.. Mote is even now
! building roadway from the island
10 the land. 1t will be built of stone
| largely, hauled from the nearby rail-
| road station, near which is the main
nursery.