The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1921-01-04
MRS. E. w. STEVENS
Tour Florida.

our tOriOd.
We toured Florida from coast to
coast, meeting friends such as shall
bless our lives for aye, with not
moment of sickness, accident or loss.
West Palm Beach was our first
place, tony resort, where people may
repair to the Poinsettia, or some
equally swell hosiery, or may enjoy
Florida quite as well and more to ones
natural inclination in some quiet street
at little honey apartment. Oranges,
grape fruit and cocoanuts taste equally
well anywhere in the state, but best
we thought out in the groves. There
under the trees, they say, is the true
native order. are the fruit, round and
round, leaving a base of peel, then
sip, sip, sip the liquid sweetness to
supreme satisfaction. Orange spoons
and napkins, not for the Crackers"
Those who take the auto trails witness
many an undoing of dignity, while the
folks at home no doubt covet the
chance. What matter whether soar
ing price, good times, or simple good
times, if the conscience remain clear.
and the darkey's description does not
fit. He declared: Deere amt no use
lryin' to calkalate the kind of piety
that comes with desc wanderin' tour
lists" One finds it difficult at first
to understand the topography of Flori-
da's eastern coast.
Band of Critic.
A band of sand continues all along
it, the arms of the ocean within named
IS rivers and lakes. These are cross
ed by bridges and causeways, where
nil
ter. The causeway over Bisscayne
Bay at Miami was just completed
when we were there-a splendid thor
oughfare 3 $40 miles over and wide
enough for a double boulevard and
street car traffic. Miami enjoys a
near-ideal climate and is the goal of
wealthy tourists. Palm Beach and
FIT. Pierce boast the closest touch of
the fulf stream and consequently the
most equitable temperatures. The
splendid highway skirting the coast
is nearly all on a level, for 1.-The most
elevated portion of Florida hardly
reaches the dignity of hill country"
On either side the macadam or brick
road one sees a continuous stretch OF
sand and pine trees MonotonOus in
deed, tempting one to sing over and
over that wearying refrain, Pine
trees, pine trees" etc. Live oaks
draped in Spanish moss relieve the
sameness in some sections. Melbourne
and Orlando have this grey growth in
perfection. We read a description like
this: "It is as though nights cloak had
caught upon the bare, sharp twigs. as
she fed before the golden trumpets of
the dawn" Hanging in long sweeping
testoons, it gives fence and forest
truly fantastic effect. We draped our
car and hats, the dropping, streaming
feathery mass a novelty and delight.
Pleasure steamers can navigate all the
way from Jacksonville to Miami, on
the St. Johns River alone for $50
miles, which appears like a veritable
Amazon at the mouth where it is some
six or seven miles wide.
Turpentine Flowing.
All along the way one would think
they were seeing maple trees tapped
for sugar water, but they were only
pine trees with vessels set to catch
the flow of turpentine. Hundreds of
miles Of them with bands of bark re-
moved in sections circling the sides
nearly to the top. The turpentine in
this and mining phosphate rocks for
lCl lilLSlS dlC lllO Clllcl SUuIC6S vi III
come for the state. Speaking of fer
tilizers they are needed for every kind
Of crop raised in Florida. Results
with grains, fruits and vegetables
justify an extravagant use of it. After
doing the Atlantic Coast we crossed
the state to the gulf coast. The inland
cities-the abundant citrus groves and
the 10000 lakes that dot the interior,
make this section extremely interest
ing. Before leaving Dayton for the
overland route, we rode upon the
famous beach there, a marvel to all
privileged TO try it. 1t is splendidly
formed natural beach some 100 yards
wide and rs or 80 miles long, given up
by the ocean duringf low tide, the
most perfect roadway one can imagine,
not a dent does a foot make in the
sand surface and motor cars by the
thousands run up and down and side
by side without track or noise. The
great sea out beyond which plays
with the clouds and mocks the sky
when it likes, reposed for time, like
a Graded creature lies while we take