The Clio messenger. (Clio, Mich.) 1907-current, 1914-10-30
INTERESTING LETTER
FROM FLORIDA
HIRAM CHASE WRITES TO THE
MESSENGER
Is Not Greatly Impressed with the Sunny
South; Labor Idle, Soil Poor;
Favors Michigan
Jacksonville. Fla.

Oct. ZZ, 1914.
Dear Mr.. Reed: l will try to write
you few lines about my trip and about
things as l see them down here. l left
Clio $3.50 a. m. on the 9th inst. and ar
rived in Jacksonville 10 p. m. of the
7th, after a very nice trip in which l
did not stop over anywhere. Jackson
vile is nice city of about rs, 200 peo-
pie one third of whom are negroes.
Tie negroes do all the hard work. They
receive about one dollar per day and
board themselves and have failed to
find any of them who did not need a
white man over them, as they will not
work if left to themselves. Very few
horses here; about all mules-niggers
and mules make very good combina-
ton.
Work is very scarce, and l do not
know what some of the poor people will
do this winter. About all of the indus
tries have closed down or are about to
do so and hundreds Of men are idle, so
you see, a man from the north would
not stand much chance of making liv-
ing unless he could secure job as fore
man before he came here. And again,
the cost of living is more here than in
the north, even vegetables costing
more.
The trees, shrubs and flowers are
very nice and all are tropical or semi
tropical; some are very beautiful. We
are down below the snow line as it has
not showed here in the last 25 years.
The principal industry is numbering,
large scow lumber boats coming up the
st. John river to this place, but there
is not much doing in that line just now
on account of the war.
The papers call this a great country
for truck farming, but if you can show
me good truck farm on what is most
ly clean, white sand you will do better
than I think you can. When they do
raise good crops (or what they call
good) they use large amount of fer
tilizer, as you cannot raise clover in
this country to plow under and build up
your land like you can in the north.
Thus, it would seem to me very foolish
for person to sell good farm in
Michigan and come here expecting to
be as successful as they can be in Mich
igan. / am told that further south, in
the citrous fruit country, they are doing
fairly we'll, that is, few are, so they
claim.
There are few orange groves around
here, but as yet, have not visited any
of them. There are all kinds of things
in the st. Johns river, sharks. alligators,
hippopotami, and l don't know what
all. Now about st. Cloud, have not
been there, but have been told the
conditions there are about the same as
here excepting you do not get the cool
!, salt breeze that we do. think shall
take trip over there about the holi-
days. like the climate here; in fact
you can brag on that and the people
are very nice, but every one seems to
think a person from the north legal
prey, and if they can skin them they do
it with the greatest of pleasure.
Lots Of vacant houses, but rents are
high in any white district. Where /
am they are paying $500 per month
and extra for your lights, water and
heat; so, you see, IT comes high. They
are expecting large number from the
north this winter and are holding rents
way up on that account.
Hiram Chase.