The Clio messenger. (Clio, Mich.) 1907-current, 1921-01-06
LETTERS FROM FLORIDA

esting letter from Mr.. and Mrs. A.
A. Williams, who are spending the
winter in Florida, and knowing that
Mr.. and Mrs. w. have many friends
hereabout who will DE glad to know
how they are faring IN the sunny
southland, we ale assuming the lib
erty of publishing some extracts from
the letter referred to:
Dear Friends:
AS it was too cold in Jacksonville,
part of the time, we thought we would
come to this place. We want the
paper as soon as you can send 1T.
We miss it can tell you. We hunt
ed rooms nearly all day, the first
after our arrival, and at last found
one, although it is hard to do so un-
less you are willing to agree to take
it for the whole season. This we did
not wish to do, as we thought we
might wish to go somewhere else at
ter staying here for a few weeks.
Our surrounding are very pleasant; ;
there is persimmon tree just out
side our window and an orange tree
in the yard is we'll laden with fruit.
The shade trees here are mostly cam
phor trees, and if you pinch their
leaves will give off the smell of cam
phor. Another odd tree we saw yes
terday, a pawpaw tree, the fruit of
, which all grows in a bunch, hanging
below the lower limbs. On our way
down, and while on the train, we met
with Mr.. Hubbard, whose home is
in Ohio, and it was largely owing to
to Sarasota. We are very glad we
did SOFAS this is fine place of about
1900 people, with electric lights,
water works and everything modern.
After getting settled, we found that
our friend, Mr.. Hubbard, was located
on the same street and soon after he
came and took us to see an orange
grove, little way out of town. 1t
was novel and beautiful sight, the
trees being so loaded that the limbs
lay on the ground so thickly that we
could not walk between some of the
trees. We also saw the grape fruit
and kumquot trees. The fruit of
the latter is quite small, an inch or
so in length. The whole fruit is
good to eat, outside and all, the out
side being somewhat peppery and
: the inside sour. | like them to eat
and it is said they make lovely pre-
serves. We saw acres of sweet pota-
toes on the way down and the first
orange trees we came in sight of
aroused my enthusiasm to point
where 'hollered loud enough so that
everybody in the car looked to see
what caused the excitement (Mrs. w.
it will be understood wrote this let
teri. We also met some Michigan
people on the way down, which did
much to make the time pass agree
ably. We expect to go to Braden-
town, near here, soon, as we have old
friends staying there whom we used
to know in the Township of Mundy.
This town is only twelve miles from
here and large bus runs over there
daily. But this place is good enough
for me and l am sure | could not do
it justice if | were to attempt to de-
scribe it. Beside the improvements
nave ultDllOHtu, IIlcIc liic DtduIl-
full bay and beaches of pure white
sand, the palms, palmetto, mangrove
and other tropical trees and shrub
berry. l am going to tell you, for
the benefit Of the boys, of visit we
paid to an ostrich and alligator farm
at Jacksonville. The ostriches can
be ridden for small fee, but nobody
seems anxious to ride the alligators.
AS some young men wished to ride
the ostrich while we were at the
farm we had an opportunity of see
ing the performance. The first item
of preparation was to put bag over
the ostrich's head, so that he couldn't
see what was about to take place,
then the boy got up on a fence and
then onto the birds back, putting
his legs under the wings and hanging
onto them with his hands. The os-
trich started off at fast gait and it
was very amusing to see the boy
hanging on for dear life. One of the
birds weighed 260 lbs. We also saw
some Chinese geese and lots of other
strange things. We didn't go to see
the gators because we had seen
enough of them in the parks. We
were told that one Of those in the
park weighed 1400 lbs and that he
was 500 years old. The water lilies
are as green and beautiful as in the
summer. / don't like the water here,
but when it is boiled I can drink it.
1t smells Of sulphur. The bamboo
trees are sight, some Of them are so
large and tall. Orange trees are
planted in rows 20x30 feet apart.
After three years and half the tree
will bear about half a. box of fruit,
with an increase each year thereafter.
The trees blossom in the spring and
the fruit ripens from October to jan
uary. Sometimes you will see green
fruit and ripe fruit on the same tree.