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Florida, Victor, & Santa Fe

An Appeal representative horsebacked it to Victor ????? last week ??????. We ??? our ??? friend. H??? dealing out general merchandise in his big new store house, J. W. English sells drugs. Wm. Stetson is the blacksmith, and Del bard at work at another Blacksmith and wagon shop that will be managed by himself and Wm. Fisher. He is in St. Louis this week buying tools. Mr. Calhoon's big collection of bees is in Victor. They made him about two tons of honey last season.

Victor has improved wonderfully in the last two years. Nearly every house in the town looks like it is new.

From Victor we went out to the home of T. B. Powers, where we spent as pleasant an evening as could well be imagined. Mr. Powers owns 680 acres of land that is as fine as any in Monroe county. Its improvements include every conviende any farmer could desire.

On Wednesday we went to Santa Fe. It was good to be there. Our list of readers at that place is about double that of any other paper, and it seems like a positive pleasure to pay for the Oracle. Several new subscribers were added to the list down there, a big number renewed, and a big lot of job work was gathered up.

Wright & Tanner and O. Lee Crigler have elegant drug stores at Santa Fe. Perry Davis does a big business at his Racket Store, and Charley Tanner, W. B. Myers and Jim Spears have stocks of general merchandise that are up-to-date and low-priced enough to draw trade from a long distance.

Santa Fe has a good school, good churches, nice residences, and fine people.

J. F. Chapel is now postmaster and is making a good one.

Dr. J. S. Drake and Dr. Chas. Backer, two of the best physicians in the land, live at Santa Fe, and enjoy a big practice.

From Santa Fe we rode out to B. F. Vaughn's and spent another very pleasant night. He has 800 acres in his home farm, every foot of which is as good as if made to order. Mr. Vaughn moved out there in 1871 and invested all his wealth in 160 acres at $8 an acre.  From year to year he has added to it until it is about the largest farm in the county. The mule barn, sheep house, horse barn, scale house and everything else on the place are models of convenience.

In this part of the country the fine stock farms of Bob Smiley, Wash Sterrit, Grey Vaughn, Emmett Foree, Wm. Hanna, Philander Hickman, the 800-acre farm of Nath Rogers, the 480-acre farm of Jack Watterson, and half a score of other grand places are situated. A railroad survey has recently been run through this section.  We hope the line will soon be built. It is badly needed.

Next day we went to Florida. Everybody takes the Appeal around that thriving town, and lots of them took advantage of our visit to subscribe, renew or order job printing.  John Goss and the McCreary Hardware Co. do an immense general merchandise business at Florida; A. W. Vandeventer, X. P. Ball and Longacre Bros. sell drugs, A. L. Brickey does blacksmithing, and Drs. Heavenridge and Brown, the physicians enjoy a lucrative practice. The Florida Bank does a good business and enjoys the confidence of the people. R. G. McCreary is the ????ler and makes a hustling, accommodating official. Florida is several miles from a railroad, but manages to hold her own as a trading post. Miss Emma Dweardeebon now has charge of the post office and is a courteous, efficient, popular official.