The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1921-07-15
Phosphate --Florida's S Contribution to the World
Florida--As UeOed BY an OcaIa High School Student

famed by breezes both from the Gull
and Atlantic and at nights the wealth.
er is particularly delightful all sum
mer long, And in the winter the tenn
pertaure never reaches the other ex
treme. The soil of Florida is also good
True, in some places there are wastes
of sand but these are balanced by the
rich SOL in other sections.
1 The Everglades, when they are drain
ed, will prove wonderfully rich farm
lands.
The state abounds in phosphate
and kao1in. Three fourths of the
FuIler's Earth produced in the Unit
ed States comes from FLORIDA.
The innumerable inland waters and
he coasts of florida contain thousands
of fish OF every variety, many of them
are of excellent food values, to say
| nothing of the shrimp, crab and oys-
ters on our coasts. The woods abound
in game for our hunters.
1 The inland water ways and coasts
are among the chief attractions of
IFsorida There are many clear
springs, an infinite number OF beauti-
full, CLASSY lakes and winding rivers
surrounied by moss covered trees
and turtles and alligators basking in
the sun The coasts also present a
beautiful panorna with the wide,
sandy beaches, the stately palms and
the foang sea. Both the inland water
ways and the coasts provide excellent
swimming and fishing. There are a
number of excellent harbors along
| the coast
florida has large amount Of COM
merce both on land and water. Jack
sonville is the center of large amount
of this trade. A number of boats
said from there daily for ports both
north and south There are steam
ship lines befMeen Jacksonville, Sal
vannab. Charleston, New York, Boston
and other seaport cities. Nearly all
of the boat lines from Jacksonville,
and from the other Florida ports, too,
carry freight and passengers. Sew
eraa fruit lines connect florida with
the West Indies and South America.
There are also passenger lines be-
tween Florida and those countries.
There are also local lines running
iaboats down the st. Johns, Ockla-
waha and other rivers.
The railroads to and from Jackson.
vile play large part in distributing
the products of the state.
The various short lines throughout
the state collect the produce and car.
try it to Jacksonville whence it
| is distributed to the northern and
eastern markets. There are numerous
short lines throughout the state, too.
Key West is the center OF large
ocean trade. Boats sail from there
for many ports, north, east, south
and west. Beats leave Jacksonville,
Fernandina and Port Tampa with
phosphate cargoes for many Euro
pean countries. Pensacola and Port
Tampa both have several ocean steam
ers entering and leaving their har-
bors.
Motor trucks and wagons play an
| important part in hauling the produce
| from the farms to the cities. As
yet, the airplane has not been used
in Florida to carry freight.
Florida cannot boast OF having a
large population but who wants to be
packed in large cities like sardines
in a can? The population according
to the 1920 census is nearly $4,000
That is not such a small population
alter all These aren't all packed in
towns, either. One OF the chief rea
sons why Florida did not increase
mere il population between 1910 and
1920 was because large number Of