The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1920-12-30
Central Florida as Seen By
a Maine Yankee.

ST. CLOUD, FLA, Dec. =, 1920. This
is veritable garden of Eden for the v;s;.
tor from the North during the winter sea-
son. None of the fruit is forbidden, but
he will be cast out just the same unles.
he has quite wad of money with him
This place has many good homes with
very fine gardens. Ten years ago it was
one of the waste places, given over to
the palmetto and the pine. It has now
thirty avenues, named for the States in
the Union, running exactly north and
south, and each one mile long.
The avenues are intersected by streets
two miles long and there are seventeen
of them known by their numbers. They
have Is miles of cement sidewalk and
some of the avenues are paved with
hard brick. The whole city is we'll drain
ed and they have good electric lighting
plant, also city water supply and sewer
age system. They have a city debt and
tax rate equal to that of the most am
bilious. The gardens are very nice and
nearly all of them have good fruit in
them. Oranges, grape fruit, lemons,
apricots, peaches, bananas, kumquats,
loquats, tangerines, satsuma, are COM
mon. They have pineapples, sweet po-
tatoes, onions, mulberries on trees and
nuts of several kinds. There have been
nj fa,r et; 10 he had ~
simmons and the papaya, which looks
like cantaloupes growing in clusters on a
big stake. They taste like cantaloupe
that isn't very we'll, but our colored BROTH
ers are very fond of them. You are not
to assume that all the above garden
products grow without any ifs. AS
matter of fact will state that if
you fertilize, if you spray often (every-
thing must be done often); if you hoe
every week all over your garden; if
you irrigate it; if you drain it; if you
don't make any mistakes; if you have
patience; if you have faith, then perhaps
you may get something if it is not stolen
and if there is not frost A frost is
here considered to be a visitation from
heaven for the sins of the people. If
robbery is a sin I am convinced that
heavy frost is likely to strike very soon.
There are thousands of acres of land all
about lying idle which is Just as good as
these little garden patches. l don't know
why they do not utilize it but l strongly
suspect that experience has taught them
that it is not profitable to do so. The
people here give many other reasons, but
never that one. A succulent grass for
the cattle is non-existant, but no doubt
this will be disputed. An agricultural
Edison or an inspired Burbank will prob
ably discover some profitable use for
these acres, but it seems to me that he
has not yet arrived. Much of the fruit
here is nice but will not bear shipment
for long distance. Sweet potatoes and
onions are not of high market value ex-
cept in some favored spot. 1t is said that
Florida is spotted like leopard in agri-
cultural possibilities. For instance, at
Sanford celery and lettuce are profitably
grown; at Hastings potatoes, and other
specialties in other places. Much north
ern capital has been expended here in
trying to build up a profitable agricul-
tural business. The natives are willing
to learn but are more ready to laugh,
haxv ,aJl do
ers in Florida meet with about the same
success that our fox hunters do in Maine
great effort and much WEAKNESS for
one pelt. There are several kinds of eu-
calyptus trees here. They are now re-
garded as pariah in vegetation and are
being cut down. There is one kind, tn,
red-gum, think, which makes remark
ably rapid growth. saw one this morn
ing that was only eight years old and
was two feet in diameter at the base of
the trunk and eighteen inches in diameter
as high up as could reach 1t was fifteen
feet to the first branches and must have
at least half cord of wood in it. Almost
beside 1t there was some corn silked out
and ears were beginning to form. A man
on horseback could not have picked those
ears unless he had the experiences of some
of my cowboy friends out west who could
pick their hats from the ground when
their bronchos were running at full GAL
lop. By actual measurement those ears
H..
the very top of their silks and some of
the most progressive stalks were trifle
over three feet !high.-F. w. BROWN