The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1915-08-06
Continued from Yesterday. J

With the exception of Lakeland,
Florida, | do not recall any COM
munity that caught my fancy on
short acquaintance more firmly than
did San Diego, California. / visited
this city eighteen years ago, and at
that time, if certain business ar
rangements could have been made,
would have made my home here.
don't know exactly what it is-per-
haps a combination of the climatic
attractions, with the scenic beauty,
to which sea and mountain and
abundant flora all contributed their
charm-but something about this
place gets into my system. It has
quadrupled its growth since my for
mer visit, being now a town of,
should say, $4,000. 1t has the best
climate in California, and the best
harbor on the Pacific coast. With
points of superiority over Los An
geles, it will never overtake the lat
ter city-which shows that towns
are made by the spirit of the people
who live in them, rather than by
their natural advantages.
This ambitious little city has a
very creditable exposition in prog
! ress-of course, not on such a large
scale as the show at San Francisco,
but most attractive exhibit, which
no visitor to California should miss.
The buildings of white stucco are
prettier than the great structures at
San Francisco, and the whole expo
sition is compact, attractive, salts
flying affair.
| took particular interest in the
California exhibits, as epitomizing
the products of section supposed to
be in competition with South Flor
ida. My impartial opinion is that
California and Florida are two great
sections, so widely separated, and
differing so greatly in the main fea-
lures of their respective attractions,
that there is no occasion for rivalry.
California has many things that
Florida has not-so has Colorado;
Minnesota, or any of the other States
The only item in which there is sup
posed to be competitive relation is
that of citrus production. In this re-
spect Florida has nothing to fear E.
The superiority of the Florida citrus
fruit is so marked and so patent that
even the Californians admit it. I
talked to more than a score of per-
sons on this subject and not one but
freely admitted that Florida oranges
and grapefruit are SO superior to the
California fruit that comparison
does not enter the minds of discrim-
mating persons, nor do the groves,
as a rule, look as well and as thrifty
as those of Florida. The severe cold
of two years ago gave the trees a
setback from which they have not
yet recovered.
AS a matter of fact-and write
neutrality-suspicious. fruit is
made to sell and to look at rather
than to eat. There are peaches as
pretty as the prints in the nursery
catalogues; luscious looking pears,
mammoth plums, of exquisite color
ing-,all kinds of fruit of remark
oh hut Anx tC
lacking. People will buy much of
these fruits because of the appear
ance, but large proportion of the
consumers of citrus fruits have
learned to discriminate as regards
this particular item. What Florida
must do, instead Of abusing Califor-
mia, is to take leaf from the book
of the California growers, give her
fruit due publicity, and work out
the marketing problems The Flor
ida Citrus Exchange is doing much
to exploit our splendid fruit and
market it to the best advantage
The announcement and strengthen
ing of this organization means the
salvation of Florida's citrus indus
try.
The inestimable advantage that
Florida possesses over California
lies in the more adequate and bet
ter distributed rainfall From April
till October-and sometimes for a
longer period-no rain may be
looked for in California On the
other hand, in the winter or early
spring, there are torrential down
pours. The effect of the long
dry summer is seen everywhere not
reached by irrigation. The hills
and fields are parched and arid at
a time when everything in Florida
is sloriously green. Nor does the
climate here appeal to me. as com.
pared with that of Florida. In San