The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1868-04-02
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The 0range--0 Orange Culture in Florida.

/ Luo OlnuS o--O1ou50 Ou1buIo III 1OIlud
Correspondence of the N. Y. Evening Post.
Very early the Spaniards imported ant
planted trees, which grew and throve as i
the Peninsula were their native home. In
deed, they made their way into the forests
of the interior to such an extent and became
try, that at this time nearly all the people
of the state believe and will maintain that
the sour orange is an indigenous tree. This
is certainly not the case. The sour orange
OF the Florida woods is the true Seville or.
ange.
In Florida, there are, perhaps, millions Of
these wild trees. In few places they
grow iu almost compact groves, excluding
other trees. Much more commonly they
are found singly or in clumps, in thick for
ests of oaks, walnut9, sweet gums, lsurels
and magnolias. Rarely do they become
large trees. They are seldom more than
twenty feet high and five or six inches in
diameter, with few struggling branches.
Where one has grown in an open space, or
where the wild trees have been left stand
ing in cleared field, they grow large with
very thick heads, and produce great guam
titles of fruit
The beauty OF the orange tree is greatly
enhanced by its fruit, which grows profuse-
ly Oh the extreme boughs seeking the sun
and the air. Small trees, only three or four
years budded, and with branches spreading
out seven or eight feet, frequently bear a
thousand oranges Some groves bear an
average crop of two thousand oranges per
tree. The oranges begin to ripeu in No
vsmber, but few are picked then; for
though the orange is perishable fruit
when picked, it will hang ripe on the tree
for twelve months, growing better and
swecter until spring. Very rarely does an
orange fall off. Climb into tree if you
can. Sharp thorns two inches long, make
the task difficult. To pick an orange you
must pull smartly, and often the fruit fall
at last only when section of the peel about
the stem is pulled out.
NEW GROVES.
The prospect of permanent productive
ness and proftableness of the orange crop
has attracted the attention of thousands of
immigrants, aud many of them are plant
ing new orchards. The failure of the cot
ton crop, and the belief that it will be un-
profitable hereafter, has driven men to seek
for some more marketable product The
success of the orange was visible to almost
every man. To plant grove is neither
difficult nor costly, and thous ands of men
have set out trees this wintsr Almost ev-
cry man on the St. Johns river has planted
trees this winter. Some have dozen or
two about their houses, and others have
groves of Thousand trees or more
At st. Augustine there are young groves
of several thousand trees. The immigrants
to the Indian river all Intend to pl ant
groves. On the banks of tho Oklamsha and
Lakes Griffin, Eustis and Harris, most, of
the inhabitants are planting trees In a
few localities in the interior many trees
have been planted. On the Gulf coast hun
dreds of groves are planted Almost every
immigrant who arrives designs to plant an
orange grove, whatevar else he may do. If
no misfortune befals the trees, Florida will
be full of orange groves very soon and in a
few years will produce fruit enough to sup
ply the northern market.
There are not many places where the
wild trees grow thick enough or are we'll
enough distributed to make groves, but adj
vantage of such natural groves az do occur
is not often taken. On Lake Griffin nor
tEern man has made grove Of 4, 500 trees
simply by clearing hummock of forty
acres. This is three times as large as any
grove now in bearing
The beauty of the groves 10 best seen
when ascending the st. Johns. The rich
color Of the brilliant green in the leaves,
with background of dark live oaks and
sombre pines, and the dark water of the
broad St Johns in the foreground, all unite
to make picture not easily forgotten.
No garden plant is SO ornamental, no or
chard fruit more delicious, no produce of
field or garden more profitable. There
seems to be every reason why they should
be planted in great numbers wherever they
will grow.
The largest orange grove in Florida is Oh
the Indian river, thirty miles south of New
Smyrna 1t contains fifteen hundred trees
and covers about fifteen acres. II as many
trees are planted for few years to come as
have been planted this year, the orange
crop Of Florida will soon be worth twice
as much as its total productions are worth
now.