440 



RECREATION. 



and other tropical fruit trees, shrubs and 

 vines, are scattered about the grounds, 

 forming a beautiful and interesting setting 

 for the main cottage and its annex. 



Although on a railroad and easily 

 reached from Jacksonville, Mohawk is en- 

 tirely off the beaten lines of tourist travel, 

 and is in the midst of an extensive terri- 

 tory which has never been overhunted. 

 Quails are plentiful in the surrounding 

 hills, and the open woods make the hunt- 

 ing of them easy and pleasant. The man 

 who has never hunted quails under a mid- 

 winter Florida sky has missed one of life's 

 best chapters. There is also a fine snipe 

 marsh only 4 miles away on the borders 

 of the great Lake Apopka, the second 

 largest lake in the State, being 50 miles 

 in circumference. Large flocks of ducks 

 congregate on that and adjacent lakes, rab- 

 bits, fox squirrels and some deer are found 

 on the hil s, while the lower and more 

 densely wooded tracts, hammocks and 

 swamps harbor wildcats, foxes, raccoons, 

 opossums, cat squirrels, and an occasional 

 panther or bear. A light cypress boat, 

 built to fit a wagon, makes accessible the 

 waters of any of the numerous lakes sur- 

 rounding and within easy driving distance 

 of The Jolly Palms ; and there are days 

 when the bass in some of those lakes 

 would sorely tempt the staunchest mem- 

 ber of the L. A. S. to become a confirmed 

 fish hog. 



Next to the pleasure of legitimately 

 hunting and killing one's game is the 

 satisfaction of having it properly cooked 

 and served. This Mrs. Stokes can do in 

 a manner calculated to tempt the appetite 

 Oi a dyspeptic or to satisfy the most epi- 

 curean taste. In fact, the dining room is 

 one of the strong attractions at The Jolly 

 Palms. It is a revelation and a delight, 

 not only in the variety and palatableness 

 of the food served, but in its scrupulous 

 neatness and attractiveness in all respects. 

 No substance from a "tin cow" appears on 

 that board, but instead the rich product 

 from genuine Jerseys, which gives to cof- 

 fee and breakfast cereals their choicest 

 flavor. Charlie Stokes himself is a past 

 master of the art of camp cookery, some 

 of the repasts al fresco over which he was 

 the presiding genius being among my most 

 cherished recollections. 



Twelve miles South of Mohawk lies the 

 beginning of what is probably the best 

 hunting ground in Florida, the great Green 

 swamp, in which the weird and winding v 

 Palatlakha river has its source. Although 

 called a swamp it is not one in the true 

 sense of the word or as we understand a 

 swamp in the North. Instead it is a vast 

 stretch of shallow water filled with in- 

 numerable islands varying in area all the 

 way from the fractional part of an acre to 



several hundreds or thousands of acres. 

 The water is not stagnant, but moving, 

 soft and pure enough for drinking, and 

 shallow enough in most places to admit 

 of wading from island to island, the bot- 

 tom being hard and sandy. The islands 

 are covered with forests, some with pine 

 or cypress and others with a variety of 

 semi-tropical trees, often overrun with a 

 tangle of vines and creepers, and abound 

 in a great variety of game ; bears, panthers, 

 deer, wildcats, raccoons, rabbits, cat- 

 squirrels, wild turkeys, quails, wood ducks 

 and sandhill cranes. Otters and alligators 

 also inhabit portions of the swamp and are 

 hunted for their skins by a few native 

 trappers who live permanently in the 

 swamp and know its fastnesses like a 

 book. 



Camp hunts to this swamp are a feature 

 of the winter sporting season at The Jolly 

 Palms. A tent and full camping parapher- 

 nalia are taken along, and every prepara- 

 tion is made for comfort during a sojourn 

 in what one of New York's best sports- 

 men has declared to be one of the finest 

 natural game preserves in the United 

 States.- Such a hunt is sure to be a novel 

 experience to anyone from the North. The 

 strange cries of waterfowl, the hooting of 

 owls, the gobbling of wild turkeys, the 

 clarion whooping of sandhill cranes, the 

 snarling of wild animals and the occasional 

 bellowing of alligators, together with the 

 quaint vernacular and unique idioms of 

 speech of the native trappers, employed 

 as guides, will make an impression which 

 will linger on memory's walls a long time. 

 Venison and its rival delicacy, broiled 

 breast of sandhill crane, with roast turkev, 

 quail and black bass are features of the 

 menu on these camp hunts. 



If you are contemplating a winter vaca- 

 t.on in quest of rest, health, or sport, you 

 will not be disappointed in The Jolly 

 Palms, unless you are a game hog. The 

 proprietor is a member of the L. A. S., 

 endorses the aims and principles of that 

 organization and will not knowingly ex- 

 tend iiospitality to specimens of the genus 

 Homo porcinus. Write in advance for ac- 

 commodations, as only a limited number 

 of persons can be cared for at one time. 

 Fxtremely modest claims are made for this 

 resort by its proprietor, with the result that 

 guests are treated to the surprise of find- 

 ing everything better than is promised. 

 Mr. Stokes is an expert photographer and 

 has a laboratory and dark room for the 

 use of guests photographically inclined. 



To reach Mohawk from Jacksonville 

 take the Seaboard Air Line Railway to 

 Tavares, changing at the latter point to 

 the Tavares & Gulf Railway, which will 

 leave you at the gate of The Jolly Palms. 

 Seaboard Air Line trains are run from 



