Mexico weekly ledger., 1913-02-27
EVERGLADES OF
| FLORIDA WILL Be
DRAINED BY CANAL

Editors OF the Ledger;
Recently a great deal has been
written and published of the condi-
tons in Florida that were so highly
colored. and in many Instances mis-
represented the facts. that shall
confine myself to the truth as l
have found It.
In the first place. lot me assure
iyon that tine same sun shines IN
Florida as in good old Missouri. The
Estate has its advantages and It's dis
advantages.
In my opinion the chief assets Of
Tforida are Health and Climate.
To be sure. one cannot exist long
on climate alone, but Florida offers
many inducements to the well-to-do
and the middle class. would not
advise the very poor or peg le with
no capital to come this far with grea
expectations for the future, as II
takes some capital to get a foothold
even in this land Of flowers and sun
shine.
Just at the present time much is
being said and written of the Ever
glades Of Florida. This is a low,
marshy tract of country in Southern
Florida, inundated with water and in
terspersed with low lands. covered
with high grass and trees.
The ewamp is 40 miles long and
80 miles broad
The Everglades are just now go
ing the way of that Great American
Desert, whose waists aridity was de-
scribed in the school Biographies o
our fathers; but the transformation
is much more rapid. Lake Okee-
chobee. the largest body of fresh
water, except Lake Michigan, within
the boundaries of the United States,
has an area of $50 square miles
and is twenty-one feet above sea
level. is located within the Ever
glades. This Lake has low, marshy
banks on the south, and during the
rainy season it overflws, flooding the
Glades. Florida is now digging five
main canals, each fifty feet wide
from the Lake to tlde-water and
when completed, these canals will
lower the level of the Lake four
feet, preventing its overflow and
thus reclaim large part of the
Everglades. When lowered the LAX
will still contain or cover half a
million acres to depth OF three
feet--a great reservoir from which
water will be let into the canals ant
timpounded by gates and locks fol
Irrigation purposes as needed dur
ing the dry season. The soil Of
the Everglades Is muck fn,m two tc
four feet in depth. The climate Of
course is sub-tropical, with frosts al
most unknown. This great proposi
tion to drain the Everglades is an
admirable scheme, the practical val
ue of which, we believe. is not ques
toned by any one competent t.
lspeak. II should be understood,
however, that the Everglades will
not be ready for cultivation, wher
the States job is done. Lateral ca
mails and farm bitches must still bt
CONSTRUCTED by the land owners. tt
be sure, this work is not expensive
but requires time. Right here
want to emphatize one thing. ANY
one who buys lands in the Ever
Iglades with his eyes shut is libal'
to the same disappointment, which
awaits your blind Investors in thu
frozen North. The Everglades vii
have some good lands, some bat
lands and then some. The ever
present 'land shark" is abroad II
the land, so beware. Don't buy a pill
} in a, poke, See the land or max
a full Investigation before you par
with any of the "needful"
The surface and drainage of Flor
ida in general, is low and level, hay
ing been formed by gradual elevation
from the sea bottom.
Directly to the south and southwes
is the chain of islands known as tn
Florida Keys, which extend fror
Biscayne for about 200 miles Thes
are all coral islands and are only
few feet above the sea.
The highest land in the state doe
not exceed 800 feet in altitude, an
there are no high hills or deep va
leys. The principal rivers are tn
st. Mary's, forming part of tn
boundary between Florida and Geo
gia; the Caloosahatchee. drainin
Lake Okeechobee into the Gull
the swanee, crossing the state frol
the North, and the st, Johns th
River Beautiful flowing into the A
9 lantic Ocean, and at SON
points is several miles wide. Son
very large Ocean vessels. both freig
and passenger. from New York, Bo
ton and Philadelphia, daily enter tn
River. and dock at Jacksonville,
miles from the Atlantic Ocean.
s. As before stated. the climate
Florida. except in the swamp regio
possesses one OF the most equabl
? and healthful in the United States
she climate is free from {
tremes. the winter temperature S
dom falling below 80 degrees and t
summer temperature rarely {
lceeds 80 degrees. The average Q
nual winter temperature is 60
grees and the average summer te
perature, rs degrees.
There is little spring or autur
and such brief winter that SUNNI
lasts two-thirds Of the year.
June, July and August constiti
the rainy season. There are on
average $50 clear days in the We
Droughts and frosts are very ra
= OF course. agriculture is the LEI
" ing industry of Florida.
I'll For agricultural purposes,
~ State may be considered in three
"a visions, Northern, Middle and Sou