The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1919-03-04
G. R. Maize Writes
Of Camping Trip
To East Coast
CHAPTER vi
lBy @. r. Maizel

RAIN beacH we expected 10 see some
thing grand in the shape of a city
but it was very ordinary-just mod
ern little city not much larger than
Lakeland and not nearly so pretty
from natural scenery point of view.
We saw house-less city just this
side few miles. called Reverb, or
some such name; absolutely not a
house. One store, and 1t for rent
/ at So per month. We saw several lit
tie cities with many houseless streets.
We missed Palm Beach proper going
down. but came through it on the re-
turn trip. Outside of a magnificent
hotel about the largest I ever saw,
and some beautiful homes and golf
course or two, that is about all ex-
cept a 25-cent toll bridge. To be
frank, we were disappointed with
this section. We didn't tarry long;
stopped in a ten-cent store and
bought some post card views; in fact,
we bought cards at every town that
had any. From there we went
through miles of high pine. then
through wild palms both fan-leaf
and cocoanut. We stopped where
we found tree not too tall and
Skinned up and pulled off three CO.
coanuts. They were not ripe but we
ate one or two anyway. At a place
called Pompano we saw our first
garden. There were acres of beans,
turnips and potatoes >along the road,
Fort Lauderdale was next; we arrived
there about o'clock y. m. 1t is a
queer town with a big navigable
canal running through the town 1t
is hustling busy place full of life.
IT reminded me of home. If 8 half
way decent-movie film came in they
foisted the price to fifty cents. There
is large fine hotel under construc-
ton, called Hotel Broward. There is
free auto camp there, right in the
heart of the city. 1t was next 20 De
Lands auto camp in convenience,
etc. Next day we went inland to
see the wonderful Everglades. For
once I wasn't disappointed. We went
inland to the end of the road to
place called Griffin Us miles,. The
country is as level as a pool table.
and covered with what is called saw.
grass about four to five fest high.
That is all there is to be seen. TIE
soil is dark chocolate, firm fine
and moist. There are lots OF truck
farms around Davie, which is ten
miles inland and I can say without
bit of exaggeration that they were
the finest ever saw anywhere. There
were tomatoes. acres of them cab
bage, beets carrots onions and Irish
potatoes; also lettuce and the larg
est castor beans-they were fifteen to
thirty feet tall: the stalk at the base
being from four to six inches
through.
There were several fine orange
groves about ten miles out In the
'Glades near town called Davie.
The Broward drainage district con
sists OF fifty-five thousand acres of
land under all stages of drainage.
They have wonderful canals, some
completed, some under construction,
but eventually they will have suffi-
cient water removed and the drain
age system so perfected that in about
two years it will be safe for a man
to undertake farming, and am thor
Gughly convinced that when tho water
IS removed 1t will be the finest truck
ing district in the world. At present
1t is risk; in the summer IN the
rainy season it will be too wet. One
would drown out. There is yearly
assessment of IS cents an acre a year
leveyed by the drainage company, and
the county and state taxes making a
total of about so cents an acre all
told.
The roads into the Glades were
fine.
From there we returned to the
coast and drove on down to Miami, a
beautiful little city, but just like any
other city, We crossed the beautiful
Bay of Biscayne over to Miami Beach