The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1915-02-25
THE REPUBLICAN JOURNAL THURSDAY, FEBRUARY Is 1915
From the Land Of Flowers.
Walks about Beautiful Daytona." Birds
and Oyster Shells. Maine People In
Florida

Florida.
MY DEAR JOURNAL: This morning
when woke before six o'clock and look
ed from my window at the eastern sky,
all she'll pinks and soft blues, where
presently the rising sun would flood the
day with glory, something about the
scene turned my thoughts to the eastern
sky above Penobscot bay-to dear eyes
at home that were perhaps watching the
same sunrise sky-and to you. And so
for this in1iction of another letter you
must blame sunrise in Daytona. The
mocking birds are singing sweetly, the
roosters are Growing (roosters are al
ways growing here) and there is that
undercurrent of chirruping from the
busy insect world that fills the air of
summer morning at home, while through
and above all other sounds comes that
distant roar of the ocean which in Day.
tona is ever appealing to the ear and
Turing one across the bridges and across
the Peninsula to the Beach, where the
white crested waves come rolling in laden
with their mystery, and mollusks.
Speaking of mollusks and shell fish,
the Halifax river must have been the
original oyster bed from which sprapg
the whole oyster family. On the river
bottom can be seen what would seem to
be the oyster shells of all past ages. the
river shore is strewn with oyster shells,
and fragments of oyster shell are seen in
all the highways and byways in and
about Daytona. l have often wondered
if "full many a gem of purest ray Sc
rene" in the way of pearls might not be
hidden away at the bottom of this river,
but T., who is rather an expert in the
ology of pearls, whatever ology that
may be, has assured me that the inside
of these shells lacks the color and lustre
which would indicate the presence
of pearls. He was surprised last week,
however, to run across, in one of the
jewelry stores here, large button-shap-
ed pearl, of rather purple shade. but
having a fine lustre, which had been
found in one of these oysters, and think
that he will henceforth look upon the
ubiquitous bivalve with more respect
and consideration, although he is told
that finding a pearl is something that
rarely occurs.
Oh, these days in Daytona, the Beauti-
full, dear Journal-these summer days
snatched from the heart of winter-how
can | hope to describe their beauty so
that you may see and feel little of their
charm; charm that for me is enhanc-
ed many fold by the companionship on
my walks of T., whose eyes is so quick
to observe each new beauty in nature,
and whose trained ear is so quick to
catch and classify each new note in the
world of bird song. He is not alone here
in his love of birds, for the feathered
songsters and the aquatic birds on the
river are great attraction for many of
the tourists, One lady guest at the Des-
pland was one day describing a bird
which she wished me to ask my nephew
to name, as it was not in her bird book.
at is exactly like catbird," she said,
"only it is much smaller. The color and
markings are the same, and it has a
crest on its head" Her husband. who
stood near broke in: why that is kit
ten bird, of course" This man says his
wife is so devoted to the gray squirrels,
which are very numerous and tame here,
that if she hears one clipper in the night
he has to get up and throw it peanut.
And get there is no great discord In that
family so far as can judge.
One day T. and l walked north on
Ridgewood avenue for perhaps two
miles, passing beautiful residences all
the way, and finally turning east to-
wards Beach street came out in neigh
borhood of attractive small cottages,
each with large vegetable garden en-
closed with neat fence. Here we saw
all our old friends of the vegetable world
potatoes, turnips, beets, carrots,
onions and long rows of strawberry
plants-there they all were, and the
sight stirred the farmer instinct within
cur hearts, SO that we hung over the
fences and called them all by name, de-
lighting in each new variety as it was
discovered. Later we took car to the
Beach. and T. had look at the aero
plane, but only in it's box stall, for it was
resting peaceably on that day, instead of
endangering human life by its antics
in the air. Another day we walked for
mile or two down Volusia avenue, COM
ing out into region Of real country and
real farms. Here in one pasture T..
counted forty cows, and we met several
milk wagons on their way up town. The
vegetable gardens and strawberry
patches were immense, and we were in
vited into one shed to see quantities of
celery, radishes, onions, etc., piled up
and ready for marketing. The avenue
ends IN the woods just beyond this farm,
! and here there were birds of every va
riety, watching which T. spent pleas