The Lakeland evening telegram., 1920-02-07
R. B. +. KEY WRITES
Of LAKELAND land
HER CHARMS

(Arkadelphia Ark, Daily News)
The following interesting letter
from R. B. F. Key was received this
morning:
After having been in Lakeland,
Florida, nearly four months, I will
fulfill my promise to let you hear
from me.
I'VE left home Arkadelphia, Oct.
1st last, and arrived here Oct. 3rd at
midnight found our home here all lit
up by some of our good neighbors,
who were up watching and waiting
for our arrival. So you see we have
managed to secure some grand good
neighbors away down in Florida. And
Iwant to say this old world would be
mighty poor place to live in with
out true and tried friends. They are
worth more than all this worlds
goods. We have all kept in fine
health since we came here. The
weather has been what I would call
fine-it has been open with sunshine
most all winter, but very little rain.
in fact not sufficient for the fruit and
vegetable crops. We have had two
light frosts, but very few evenings
that it was too cool to sit out on our
porch until bedtime. Children can go
school barefooted all winter.
"The fruit crop is fine this year.
in fact, the fullest | have seen since
we have been coming down here for
five years. Vegetables are also fine.
They are now shipping car load after
car load of vegetables of many varie-
ties. The cabbage crop is fine and
is now being harvested.
Lakeland is beautiful city of
about ten thousand inhabitants, with
fine paved streets. beautiful homes,
and lawns well kept It has more
paved streets than any city of its size
in the south. 1t has eight lakes in the
corporate limits, beautiful park in
the center of the city. There is no
purer water to drink anywhere. 1t
has fine sewerage system, munici.
), lally owned water eand light plant.
Fine schools. and churches of most
every denomination, lodges for every
kind of joiner. Lakeland is on the
main line of the Atlantic Coast Line
railroad, thirty-flve miles east of
n Tampa Seven roads come in here
Have machine shops with monthly
pay roll Of. 100000. Two. elegant
! hanks that carry more than one and
J one-half million dollars on deposit
There are several newspapers, both
} daily and weekly. Polk county. which
Lakeland is in, has a fine system OF
/. country roads, of which Lakeland is
. the hub. They have large up-to-
/. date ice plant, the purest of ice being
: made from distilled water pumped
: from deep wells. A good artificial
gas plant Lakeland has fine modern
T. hotels, city hospital, fine sanitar
= ium, two lumber plants and novelty
works. Two fruit packing houses, 8
. fine large canning factory, and sew.
eral other small helpful industries
that help the town. Lakeland is two
hundred and twenty feet above sea
level and has fine drainage.
"This is rather peculiar country
yet 1t is beautiful; different from any
: ! have seen. We can't raise big corn
big pumpkins, big crops of cotton lik'
: we raise in Arkansas. but the finest
. juciest, sweetest oranges and grape
Z, fruit | think that ever grew Thu
groves are now beautiful with theil
!. heavy crops Of oranges and grape
fruit; they look like balls of gold.
can see from where am writing this
out of my window on one of our or
ange trees in our yard twenty-six or
anges on one limb not thicker thai
your little finger. These trees ar,
six years old of our own planting. |
you are from Missouri come dowI
and ] will site you. The trees ar
d. finely draped with a gray moss. 1t,
= waving in the breezes makes me thinl
/, of some old ancient history I hav,
: read. I never tire of looking at thi
moss.
with best wishes for all m,
friends in Arkadelphia, and wishini
You all peace and happiness close
"R B. F.. KEY"