Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1917-02-14
LETTER FROM FLORIDA.
Ludwig Winger Writes Interesting
Letter About Fort Pierce.
Fort Pierce, Fla.
Feb. l, 1917.

SOUtu lniS ldll, pIOuiScu you
would write you about my trip down
here, and also about conditions, as !
found them after getting here; and
as / have now been here for some
time, will try and do so, although
feel it will not be very interesting
as | am not blessed with .he gift O.,
letter writing. / went by the way
of Chicago, Cincinnatti, Chattanoo-
ga, and Jacksonville, and the trip
was very interesting to me, as | seen
and passed many places of historical
interest, especially from the time Of
the civil war and it was also very in.
teresting to note the different agri-
cultural and commercial enterprises
along the way. After leaving Cincin.
natti we soon entered the state of
Kentucky, so well known as the
Blue Grass" state, but was not very
favorably impressed with it as an
or mountainous, might say. The
hills are as high as mountains and
it seems that numbering ana mining
are the principal occupations.
These conditions will apply also to
Tennessee, only more so, as the part
Of the state we went through was
very rolling, and We passed through
tunnel after tunnel at short inter-
walls.
Arriving into Georgia we got to u
more level country, and trees and
vegetation took on more semi
tropical foliage.
After getting into Florida, which
was my destination, trees and vege-
tation were getting still more tropi-
cal, and believe me it looked good to
me. | had decided to locate on the
east coast and about the central part
of the state. So after looking about
la little, / settled ar Fort Pierce. the
county seat OF St Lucie county, sit
uated on the Indian river. and the
center of the greatest pineapple dis
trict in this country.
While this is not great tourist
town, there are great many tour
lists here, but not in comparison with
the great tourist towns of Miami,
Palm Beach, or Daytonna on the east
coast or Tampa or ST. Petersburg, ol
the west coast.
The climate here is fine, and has
far surpassed anything / expected
as we have had nice weather every
day of the two months | have been
here, and not a day yet when We
have not had some sunshine. The
average temperature for Decembe'
and January at noon is about 20 de-
grees in the shade. OF course it is
somewhat cooler mornings and eve
nings, but not a great deal, as we
have had no sudden changes so COM
mon in the north, but a very equable
temperature, and as l understand it,
it never gets so very hot here even
in summer, as it seldom goes above
80 degrees. And as there is always
"a breeze every day from the ocean,
they. have pleasant summers. 1t
seems to me that Florida has a great
future ahead Of it, and the reason II
has not settled faster seems to be
that the greater part of the state has
been low or wet But these last
years they have spent millions g:
dollars on vast drainage systems
and road building and when the
land is drained most of it is very
fertile, and as the Florida fruits and
vegetables get to the northern mar
kets earlier than from any other
state they command fancy prices
1t seems what they badly need hers
is more people from the north, a;
they are more energetic and .progres
: sive than the natives or "crockers'
as they are called, and / understan;
these last years more of them hay
come than before. l fail to see VIII.
: they should not be successful here /
they make the two necessary things
gray matter and elbow grease wori
in harmony.
> The Decorah people or "Iowi
4 Bunch" are all feeling fine and en-
joying the winter here very much
We all look eagerly for the day Pub
8 lie Opinion comes, as it certainly /
4 true, that a person never appreci
ates a good home newspaper, fully
), until he is away from home. Wei
y there are many things I could writ
n about, in regard to social and indus
I trial affairs here, but will not tr
;, and do so at the present time. Hor
8, ing everything is going as usual i
4" Decorah, | am,
Yours truly,
T LUDWIG WlNGER.