748 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Oct. 1. 



tention because he was about the age and 

 height of Huber) accosted me very respectfully: 



" Mister, would you like a place to stay over 

 night? " 



'• Why, my young friend, that is just what I 

 should like. Are you a runner for some hotel? " 



" No, I am not a runner, but I can furnish 

 you a nice bed for 25 cents." 



" Are you sure the bed will be clean, and that 

 there will be plenty of windows so I can have 

 lots of fresh air for the low sum of 25 cts.?" 



"I think the bed and the room will be all 

 right, because my mother takes care of it. And 

 if you should want a good supper for 25 cents, 

 my pa will furnish it to you right over there." 



I got a good supper, and I talked with the 

 "pa" and the boy. The railway dining-stand 

 kept by said " pa " was close to the depot, on 

 expensive ground; but the home-like sleeping- 

 room was off a little way were property was 

 less valuable. Now, while so many people are 

 saying (and a great many say it in Florida) 

 that there is no way to make a living, I would 

 commend the example of this father, mother, 

 and child. While the father looks after the 

 diuing-room, his boy mt^ets passengers as they 

 step off the train; and the mother in the home, 

 a little way off, provides pleasant, wholesome 

 sleeping-rooms for the great traveling public. 



There is a railway from Ocala to the renown- 

 ed Silver Spring; but it runs trains only one 

 trip a day, and I could not wait, so I chose the 

 more expensive way of going over in a carriage. 

 Just now I feel incompetent to do Silver 

 Spring justice, tiere is a spring that pours 

 forth a volume of water sufficient, in one spot, 

 to float a steamer; in fact, it forms the Ockla- 

 waha River. You can stand on the platform 

 at the side of the spring, and look down into the 

 immense crater nearly a hundred feet. The 

 water seems to have something supernatural 

 about it. There is a dazzling crystal trans- 

 parency that enables you to see even small ob- 

 jects perhaps plainer than you would in the 

 air. A colored man took me in a boat, and 

 pushed out so quietly that there was scarcely a 

 ripple on the glassy surface. He named the 

 different springs as we passed over them, while 

 in breathless wonder I leaned over the boat 

 with my face close to the water. Pretty soon 

 he announced " Ladies' Pahlah," meaning that 

 the enchanting picture in the depths Delow 

 was named the " Ladies' Parlor." In the first 

 place, there was a spaikling sandy bottom. 

 This sand, owing to the deposition of chemi- 

 cals. 1 suppose, glittered with all the colors of 

 the rainbow. Then there were sea-mosses, and 

 vegetation after the manner of beautiful ferns. 

 This vegetation was also decked with rninbow 

 hues. Some of it was like flaxen hair floating 

 In the many currents of rushing waters as they 

 poured forth from the dark depths opening 

 here and there. Beautiful fi><h slowly and 

 gracefully moved here and there through the 

 avenues and luxuriant vegetation of this en- 

 chanted garden. It seenvd to me as though I 

 could stay there for hours; but the guide could 

 not spend very much time for 25 cents — at least 

 he thought so. I finally gave him an addition- 

 al quarter to push up a little way along that 

 wonderful river, down where two steamers come 

 everv dav. 



The trip by steamer from Palatka to Silver 

 Spring, if I remember correctly, is about SIO. or 

 $6.00 one way. My ticket was already purchas- 

 ed, however, by rail, at a very much lower 

 price, and so I did not take the river trip. The 

 latter also occupied a great deal more time. A 

 lady who came down in the boat said there was 

 not much opportunity for sleep, because the 

 boats were almost every minute crashing 



through the tropical foliage along the river- 

 banks. Of course, they might trim it off; but 

 vegetation grows so fast under the stimulus of 

 the sulphurous spring water that It would 

 probably be a task to keeD the whole river 

 trimmed up. 



After ray colored guide had taken me back I 

 understood that he slipped out of showing me 

 one of the most important springs, even though 

 I had given him double pay. Let me remind 

 the managers of these pleasure-resorts that this 

 sort of lazy trickery advertises their places ad- 

 versely, more than thousands of printed circu- 

 lars could boom them. Niagara Falls people 

 will please take notice. Dishonesty and cheat 

 do not pay anywhere. It is just as true now as 

 it ever was, that honesty is the best policy. 



Silver Spring and the Ocklawaha River are 

 indeed a most beautiful sight, and an electric 

 rail way should by all manner of means run to 

 Ocala and back again. Pulling great lumber- 

 ing stage-coaches through the deep sand on a 

 hot dusty road is a shame and disgrace to the 

 present age. 



One more visit, and my invitations to bee- 

 keepers were all finished. Frederic Adams, 

 Green Cove Springs, is a migratory— not bee- 

 keeper, but tinsmith. He gives us another il- 

 lustration of what a man may do to support 

 and bring up a family if he has the grit. He 

 has a complete tinsmith's outfit loaded into a 

 wagon, and he goes twice a week all through 

 the town of Green Cove Springs, soliciting 

 orders. He is prepared to do anything from 

 mending a five cent tin cup to putting a tin 

 roof on a $5000 hotel. When he gets a job of 

 the latter kind. I presume he employs some 

 help. I urged that he should have a shop in 

 town. He has a running spring large enough 

 to carry a water wheel and turning-lath. lie 

 goes out about his work at odd times, or a cer- 

 tain part of the wet k. then takes care of his 

 grounds and home between times. 



With the help of his son Frederic, and the 

 assistance of the mayor, we finally alighted up- 

 on the father, with his wagon and tinner's 

 tools. During my short stay we had a most 

 agreeable visit, and drove up to the beautiful 

 Magnolia Springs, where one of the great 

 Florida hotels is located. Green Cove Springs 

 is anoihi'r of the beautiful springs in Florida. 

 The water, however, is of a somewhat greenish 

 tint. It is sulphur water, and too warm to be 

 agreeable to most persons. But even after what 

 I have said in regard to the enchanting beauty 

 of these wonderful springs, scattered, it would 

 seem, throughout almost all the United States 

 by the hand of Providence. I want to say that 

 Green Cove Spring in itself has a special claim 

 above them all. It is right out in the open day 

 — in a little park, as it were, in the midst of the 

 town. The basin is perhaps 50 feet across. 

 The depth may be 30 or 40 feet; and the whole 

 bottom is literally paved with the whitest and 

 most brilliant sand that Florida or any other 

 clime ever produced. The water is of such 

 sparkling cleiarness. and crystal brilliancy, that 

 it brings forth an involuntary exclamation of 

 delight from every visitor who first sets eyes 

 upon it. I suppose my expressions were some- 

 thing like this: 



"Dear me! is it really "possible that this is a 

 reality and not an enchantment? Did you 

 ever! Did anybody eiier see or dream of any 

 thing so enchantingly fascinating? These 

 waters n.ust surely be as beautiful and refresh- 

 ing and invigorating to the taste as they are to 

 the eye." 



Then I sprang for one of the bright new tin 

 dippers. Others were drinking the water, and 

 I supposed it must be good, the way they smack- 



