The Ocala evening star., 1915-06-29
OBSERVED FROM AN AUTO


two weeks ago, on his way home from
his annual vacation, writes most in
terestingly of his trip. From his ar!
ticle we make the following extracts:
It was the privilege of the writer
a few days ago to make for the first
time one of these trips through rural
Florida, 120 miles in a Ford automo-
bile through the heart of several
counties as the guest of DR.. t. $. An
derson, of Live Oak, in Suwannee
county, who was going from that city
to the great turpentine farms of Ma
rion county in which he is largely in
terested. That ride was one long de-
light and charming revelation from
start to finish, although the writer had
been twelve years citizen of Florida. I
Like thousands of others he knew the
state outside his home town only from
the car windows, but when our Ford
rolled through the lovely avenues of
Ocala at the finish of the trip he
knew he had seen Florida OF which
he had never even heard, a moving
picture 130 miles long that had varie
ty and charm in every mile of it, and
without one ugly aspect.
To describe that ride in detail
would take many columns and moth
ing beyond brief glance at its lead
| ing features can be given. Out from
Live Oak in the early morning we
soon diverged from the railroad and
rode for miles through a rich rolling
country where well cultivated farms
are the rule and spacious fields of
corn and cotton sweep away to the
horizon, and hills, real hills, diversity
the landscape and make you think of
the old home state you came from
where hills and hollows were in plenty.
1t was a fair and productive land and
we rolled swiftly and smoothly thru
it. passing on down to the Coast Line
which we parallel for a number of
miles, going through several villages
until we reach Branford, whose beau
. ties are never suspected from the de-
! pot and where we get a charming
glimpse of the romantic and storied
Suwannee From there to High
Springs we pass through much of
) forest land, every acre of it good for
future farms, and cross two charm
: ing little rivers, and, passing down a
) long, handsome, shaded avenue, we
Z reach High Springs, pretty, modern
village, clean and inviting, and yet
from the depot not one of its attrac-
tive features is visible.
From that town we diverge TO the
: right and soon reach Alachua in
5 Alachua county. Who outside of the
t immediate section knows anything OF
: this lovely village? 1t was trim and
j. tidy, so spick and span that it might
: have been in Massachusetts instead
{ of Florida. And from there to Gaines
vile what rich, fair, undulating land
: it is! Large, highly cultivated farms
e rolled away on every side. The white
: walls and green blinds of cool, shady
$ country homes were frequently il
f evidence, and in the region around
D quiet, demure little Micanopy with it:
S many pretty homes, it was surpris
r ing to see large orange groves in ful
e bearing, although we had supposed
s that since ''the great freeze" ther'
! were no groves that far north.
$ From Micanopy to Gainesville tn
v country was all interesting and thos
e who doubt if Florida is a corn stat
n ought to see that section. 1t was al
,e most like going through rural Hin
= ois. Corn everywhere, great fields o
d it, rich, dark green and full of prom
e ise for heavy yield. And also ev
N erywhere along the whole route thr
10 Alachua and Marion counties larg
ID areas in truck of all kinds, water
< melons, cantaloupes, tomatoes, cucuIr
bers, etc., with men, women and chi
: dren in the fields at work and strong
ly the suggestion of contented an
II prosperous rural population with
high level of living standards and il
/ telligent enterprise.
Down a broad and beautiful av'
nue., past the spacious grounds an
handsome modern buildings of tt
state university, we rolled ini
4 Gainesville, that gem city of Centri
n Florida. 1t was so clean and fair an
handsome, so polished and model
and up to date, and yet with an a
of genteel conservatism and exclusive
ness about it that it seemed an ide
college town, and excellent judgmei
was shown when the University
Florida was located there.
From Gainesville on to cool al
shady Citra was the same invitir
succession of fine farms and woods
areas, excellent hard roads, with
prosperous air over all the land a.
not a hint of that other Florida {
! tourist sees from the window of /
car and which he takes back to /
home as a true picture of state
7 whose real beauties and merits he h
caught hardly a glimpse
About four o'clock in the afterno
we glided into Ocala, more beautii
than Gainesville in the natul
. charms and advantages of its loC
tion, more commercial in its aspe