1895 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



785 



ing passengers. After the water had become 

 quieted, and as the boats stood there for some 

 little time, 1 went out on one of them and look- 

 ed over its edge into the water, straight down 

 where the pool is perhaps deepest. The water 

 is so clear It really made one dizzy— straight 

 down 8,5 feet into a liquid that is brighter and 

 clearer, or at least it seemed to me so. than even 

 the air itself. It made one feel strangely. 

 When two steamers start out there is generally 

 a little rivalry to see which will get away first 

 and get into the narrow channel higher up. 

 Upon the arrival of th(> steamers the alligators 

 perched along the banks and by the roots of 

 trees (like a lot of frogs and snapping-turtles) 

 make a sudden plunge into the bright water. 

 It was my good fortune to see four good-sized 

 ones popping their heads up after the water 

 had siilled down a little. Getting a glimpse of 

 the "gators, especially the large ones, before 

 they are disturbed and T.umble in, is one of the 

 exciting sights for passengers down the Ockla- 

 waha River. 



In the vicinity of Silver. Spring there are 

 many sink-holes or cavities in the earth, such 

 as I mentioned in Missouri. And. by the way, 

 are not these found more or less in all localities 

 where gr-nit springs and artesian wells are 

 prevalent? On my way back to Ocala, the 

 stage-driver told me there was a spot a few 

 miles out of town where a horse broke through 

 on the level grdund. His rider niannged to 

 grasp the crust of earth and thus saved himself 

 before the horse went dDwn clear out of sight. 

 As he was a valuable one. however', the neigh- 

 bors rallied: and as thev could hear his breath- 

 ing from the depths below they set to work and 

 dug him out — or, at least, nuide a sloping path 

 so that, t)y the a-^sistau-e of ropes, they enabled 

 him to climb out liims. I (. 



On my trip back from Ocala toPalatkamy 

 curiosity was greatly stirred up by the kaolin- 

 factories. Tliis kaolin is manufactured from 

 a species of clay found in different parts of 

 Florida. It is used in the manufacture of fine 

 china and earthen ware. The fai-tories are 

 quite extensive, and the process is. I .iudge, 

 somewhat complicated. They seem to employ 

 a good many mtui, and are doing a large busi- 

 ness. I wish some of the Florida friends would 

 write up briefly this matter of kaolin. 



At Palatka there was a great crowd at the 

 station, as several trains leave about the same 

 time in the afternoon and evening. Of course, 

 they have railroad officials appointed to answer 

 questions and tell people where to go. But 

 these men are asked so many questions and 

 (oftentimes so many foolish ones, perhaps), that 

 they sometimes get crusty and uncivil. You 

 know how it is. friends. They will answer 

 your question in as few words as possible, and 

 look the other way while talking. Well, I was 

 greatly pleased to see a pleasant-looking mid- 

 dle-aged colored woman on the platform, and 

 she was kept very busy indeed, showing peot)le 

 what train to take, taking fthem by the hand, 

 if need be, and pulling them through the crowd 

 to show them in that union depot where to get 

 a ticket, what train to get on, etc. I had al- 

 ready an excursion ticket, but it obliged me to 

 go around by St. Augustine, which would delay 

 me another day in getUng to Jacksonville. 

 This woman helped ine to get on the right 

 train just starting out. that woiild reach Jack- 

 sonville that night; and the additional expense 

 was little if auv more than my board and lodg- 

 ing would be if I had waited till another day. 

 Now, some of you may make fun of me, per- 

 haps, when I say that colored people have a 

 remarkable fund of patience in answering 

 cheerfully and good-naturedly all the questions 



you may put to them. This woman was smart 

 and bright, and evidently knew all about the 

 railroad machinery of travel as well as any of 

 the men. I do not know who pays her for her 

 time; but very likely it is the railroad compa- 

 nies. But with such a stream of humanity, 

 many of them tired women with children, per- 

 haps crying babies, this bright cheerful wo- 

 men was surely a ministering angel, even if she 

 was black. 



In reaching Green Cove Springs, mentioned 

 in my last, I took th(^ steamer from Jackson- 

 ville. Well, somewhere in the vicinity of 

 Magnolia Springs I saw cows wading away 

 out into the St. Johns River, and actually eat- 

 ing grass or something else, with their heads 

 entirely under water. At first I thought them 

 some strange sea-monster. I did not know but 

 it was The genuine manatee, or sea-cow, found 

 in the Indian River, away down in the vicinity 

 of Potsdam, where friend Poppleton lives. 

 Somebody has since told me that I must be mis- 

 taken, for a cow can not live with her head un- 

 der water. But I tell you she can live and does 

 live with her head entirely under water, and 

 out of sight, for a good many minutes. I think 

 I saw half a dozen or more with not a liead of 

 one of them in sight, and their huge bodies 

 were more than half under water at that. 

 They had evidently learned the trade by long 

 practice. I do not know what sort of forage it 

 is that grows at the bottom of the St. Johns 

 River; but I think it would be a splendid thing 

 to cultivate, especially during dry seasons. 

 Will somebody who lives down that way tell 

 me more about it? I also omitted to say that 

 that wonderful Green Cove Spring sends out 

 .5000 gallons of shining water every minute. 



When I was down at Mt. Dora lamenting 

 that 1 could not see those great orange-trees in 

 full leaf somebody— it may have been my good 

 friend Nellie Adams— said: 



'• Ohl yes. vou can. Mr. Root. Here is a pic- 

 ture that will show you just how they look." 



The man in the foreground may have been 

 her brother; bnt it is really so long ago I can 

 not remember, and 1 neglected to mark it on 

 the back of the photograph. Whoever the per- 

 son is. I am afraid his .smiling face got a 

 damper after the terrible frosts of last winter. 

 Maybe he has bv this time got so as to look 

 good-natured and happy again. I hope so. 

 Some people have but little idea of the immense 

 sizi' to which orange-trees grow in a favored 

 locality. 



Our Homes. 



Create in nie a clean l)enrt, and renew a right 

 spirit within me.— FsALjr .51:10. 



I have before alluded to the fact— a wonder- 

 ful fact it is to me— that. by. a certain course of 

 diet, one Is free from the cravings for intoxi- 

 cants and stimulants, or even a cravina for 

 what are called " temperance drinks."' I still 

 enjov the hot water, and still prefer it to any 

 other beverage the world can furnish. In fact, 

 I am now using hot water at my meals, instead 

 of the tea the doctor permitted me to have. I 

 do not need the tea, and I do not want it. The 

 water is nicer. Of course, with the large quan- 

 tity of water drank in the middle of the fore- 

 noon and middle of the afternoon, very little 

 liquid is wanted at mealtimes, and that is all 

 the better. 



Now I hope our readers will pardon me for 

 touching upon another point— a point that is 

 seldom talked about in print, but one that has 

 very much to do. not only with the morals of 



