Smyrna times., 1931-02-18
MRS. LEWIS M.PRICE WRITES
OF HER TRIP To FLORIDA
DESCRIBES TRIP AND COUN-
TRY THRU WHICH SHE WENT
Speaks in Glowing Terms of Flor
ida, Its Wonderful Climate and
Experience in Orange Groves

Mrs. Lewis M. Price, who with
Mr.. Price are spending two months
in Florida, has been writing a
series of letters to her aunt, Mrs.
Ella t. Grijth and her cousin, Miss
Julia Griffith. So interesting does
she describe her automobile trip
all the way down, we are publish
ing portions of it by request.
Fort Lauderdale, Jan. 20:- On
Friday morning, January End, we
left Smyrna about 7.30, going di-
rectly to Baltimore and through
Washington. The country below
Alexandria is full of historic in
terest, as it was the battle-ground
for much of the Revolutionary and
Civil Wars and was the scene of
both surrenders. Through Rich
mond and Petersburg and into
North Carolina and I never saw a
lovelier sunset. The sky was
cloudless and we were riding
straight into the glowing west
where the turquoise blue was
wonderful background for more
shades of rose and crimson than 1
ever saw before. Across this rad
liant color rose the Carolina pines,
tall and straight and feathery, and
the trees which had lost their
leaves looked as if their branches
were a delicate tracery of a pat
terry Of lace drawn by the pencil of
Him who alone can make such
beauty. AS the color faded the
Carolina Moon came shining. We
continued to ride until we reached
Salisbury, N. c., where we spent
the night. On Saturday we reach
ed Atlanta at $50. On Sunday we
visited many places of interest a
few being Gambler Field Grant
Park, Lakewood Park, where the
County Fair is held and Piedmont
Park, where there are amusements
and the old Notifications built for
the battle of Atlanta. Saw the
dreadful penitentiary and then
proceeded to ride through the bus
mess section of Atlanta. Beautiful
stores and charming residences,
some of them evidently very old,
and having the wall that used to
be part of every high class home.
Our Auto Tour Thru Georgia
We left Atlanta and Monday Mr..
Price and 1 toured through
Georgia. There was only one city
through which we passed, and that
was Macon, a beautiful city, with
wide streets and handsome build
ings and homes and gardens. 1t is
spread over several hills, and COM
mands a wonderful view of the
surrounding country. The farm
land is not notable in any way and
the towns are unattractive. Just
below Macon we saw the first
palm tree that is so much a part
of southern scenery. There are
several kinds Of palm and they
are all decorative. The country
below Macon as well as above is
full of tourist camps and service
stations, but not much else of in
terest. We reached Valdosta, the
only city on our route at 5.45 Mon
day evening and there we spent
the night. The city is small, but
very clean and attractive, and the
great trees and beautiful flowers
are something to see and remem-
Der. After having spent the night
Qf N1ldncrn a va
journey early Tuesday morning.
We were near the Florida line and
I was looking for it with much in
terest when bothersome detour
sign sent us off on a side road that /
was rutty, rough, and uninterest-
ing and the line wasn't marked. /
Second Letter from Mrs.L.M. Price I
Fort Lauderdale, Fla, Jan. 25th: I
The best thing about the detour
was that it wasn't long. 1t was in
this section Of country that we
first saw the parasitic growth call
ed "Old Mans Beard" and Span
ish Moss" 1t is the most depress-
ing vegetable growth 1 have ever
seen, except the banyan tree. This
moss is the color of gray dirt,
dirty gray" might express it bet
ter, and grows on live oak trees.
hanging in clusters 1912 feet long,
swaying in the breezes, and is like
nothing so much as stems growing
out of stems, and it kills every
tree it fastens upon. We passed T.
more than one forest of oak trees
perfectly dead and leafiess, covered
with this gray, smothering moss Of
stuff blowing like a long crepe
weed on the door of death. Well, T
the detour lasted IL miles, and
when we reached the highway
again we were in Florida. Soon
we came to river, between deep
banks, overhung thickly with trop-
ical trees, rocky and winding, and
we found it was the Swanee River
we have sung about all our lives.
Sulphur Spring on Swanee River
There is a Sulphur Spring on this
vfxoy rtrIs Z