The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1922-03-09
The Golden Heart ofNFlorida

beautiful Lake Parker, one or the
largest of our lakes. Golf, tennis,
swimming are for those who love the
strenuous. If you prefer quieter
sport, stay in town and play croquet
on the city's courts, or barnyard golf
in the park, or take a boat and DRIFT
| along the quiet surface of some clear
lake or stroll through shadow
speckled woodlands.
For the lover of golf, there are I'M
dreamed of possibilities. Polk coun-
ty has seven golf courses, more than
any other county in the state. The
nearest OF these is at the Lakeland
Country Club, but when you tire of
testing your skill there, jump into
your car and in an hours drive or two
over a marvellous road. and a beautiful
country will bring you to new fields
Of conquest. Because of the rolling
nature of this hill country, the golf
courses offer unusual natural hazards
and just spice of difficulty to set you
up.
If you bring your car with you, and
| you really should not come to Florida
without it, whole new vista Of happy
days opens up before you. Three hun
dred and forty-six miles of level
highways, smCCthest fifteen-foot as
phalt, stretch away through Polk
county alone.
Come follow them! Perchance the;
will take you along the Scenic High
way, where the finest citrus fruits
weight down the branches and bios
SONS fling their fragrance to the air,
up hill and down dale through the
heart OF Florida. Or they may lead
you southwark to look over the phos.
plate mines, not so beautiful as miles
of groves, but vastly interesting. Per
haps glimpse of unsupported lowell
ness will lure you from the beaten
path to picnic on the pine needles Of
some lakes shady bank. Or back to
town again to watch the fascinat-
ing intricacies of a packing house.
! For as this is the heart of the cit.
rus county, and Polk county surpasses
all the state in the production of cit.
rus fruit, you will find here endless
delight in seeirg~famous groves, in
plucking the fragile scented bios
SONS, or rounded golden fruit. Have
you ever plucked an orange from a
tree, and eaten it on the spot? 1t is
performance that has very special
satisfaction to the northerner as if to
convince your self that they really do
grow on trees, and are, not products Of
the fruit sand of1grocer's box.
Or maybe you'd like to have fresh
strawberries for breakfast. Here
they come, luscious, cleaning red,
fresh from the fields, while northern
patches are buried in snow and ice
and swept by bitter winds. For this
is also famous strawberry section.
But to return to the trips for which
Lakeland is a starting point. In the
hearts of its devotees, there is per.
haps no sport that holds. the unique
position that fishing does. Those who
love it would rather "go fishing than
anything. l suppose comparatively
! few, people have thought of Florida
las fisherman's paradise, but such it
Isl But he whos would find the fish.
ing he has learned to love best from
! his northern lakes and streams, must
go inland in Florida to find its coun-
terpart. And suddenly, out of the be-
wildering variety and strangeness of
natures prodigality here, he will
come, with curious sense OF famil-
iarity and delight, upon ideal condi-
tons for his favorite sport.
! For the lakes are full of fish, fish
that the true fisherman has long loved
and learned to respect; big black bass
lurking in quiet pools, speckled perch
and Dream. Even on the lakes in the
heart of the city you may see, in the
rosy sunlight Of early morning, a
boat or two>adrift on the quiet water,
and catch, perchance, the silver flash
that proclaims some fsherman's
triumph.
But out farther in the wilder cour-
try is where the fisherman's real
sport begins. Many of these lakes are
practically untouched, and joyous
weeks may be spent encamped among
the pines, while a catch after the
fsherman's own heart turks near at
hand. l know of one famous catch,
taken in just the short time between
making camp and supper. 1t was only
four fish, but the largest weighed
eleven pounds and the smallest five,
and they totaled twenty-nine.
When you weary of camp and fish
ing, and return to civilization once
more, you have still not discovered all
there is to do. Since there are prac-
tically no rainy days, those amuso.
ments that we usually save for such
may be enjoyed at any time. If you
feel like playing bridge in the park
instead of indoors, go and play. 9th.
crs are doing 1t. If you would dance,
there are dances in plenty. If you
would dine, you may have anything
from real hotel service to barbecue.
If you would seek the companion
ship of your kind, drop into the Tour
lists Headquarters. and hunt up your
old friends, or sit down by the cozy
fire and sip your tea and make new
ones. Join your state club and see
how mucn livelier you can make it
than any other. Oh, you will not lack
for things to do. though you are quite
likely to long for more time in which
to do them.
Incidentally, when you get tired OF
parties and picnics and dances and
private entertainments, there are al.
woVA 1Ood r1Ovias rnad shows vaIidp.