The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1868-03-31

thousand oranges. some groves
bear an average crop of two thousand
oranges per tree and what tree may
bear is uncertain for there is hardly a
large tree in Florida The tree be-
tween the ATTITUDES 29n and 300 |
usually blossoms in February. The
oranges begin to ripcn in November,
but few are picked then; for, though
the orange is a perishablc fruit when
picked, it will hang ripe on the tree
for twelve months, growing better and .
sweetcr 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 frait falls at last only
when section of the peel about the
stem is pulled out. On the tree the
orange is more lasting than the apple.
Occasionally in the wild groves til,
bittcr-swcct orange may be found -
This has a very bitter peel, and the
pithy skin at the core is also very Bit
ter; but the pulp is sweet and we'll
favored. Very rarely the true sweet
orange of commerce grows wild. Its
seeds are much less numerous and less
hardy than those Of the sour orahge,
and the tree is less robust and vigor-
Gus.
NEW GROVES.
The prospect of permanent produc-
tiveness and proftableness of the orange
crop has attracted the attention of
thousands of immigrants, and many of
them are planting new orchards. Du-
ring the war nothing was done, be-
cause there was no one to do it, and
there was very little induccncnt to
raise anything for market. For the
first two years after the war the people
thought of nothing but cotton. The
failure of the crop, and and the belief
that it will be improbable hereafter,
has driven men to seek for some other
marketable product. The success of
the orange was visible to almost every
man TO plant a grove is neither diff
fcult nor costly, and thousands cfmen
have set out trees this winter, sdme
giting their attention wholly to orange
culture, others planting groves in con-
ncction with market gardens or plan
tations. and many tnorc business men
;, putting out trees on small lots or fields
about thoir houses, as mon North
plant snail orchards about their viii
lage residences Almost every 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 OF
more.
At St Augustine there are young
groves of several thousand trees
The immi grants to the indian River all
intend to- plant groves, but most Of
these Arrived too late late to trans
plant trees this season. On the bank,
Of the Oklamaha and Lakes Griffin
Eustis and Harris, most of the inhahi-
! tants arc planting, or preparing tC
plant trees In a few localities il
c interior, as at Mic'nopy, many trees
e have been planted Onthe Gulf coas
i | am told that hundreds of groves ar,
70 planted, the people there hoping It
supply the Gulf states and the Missis
= sippi valley. Almost every immi
grant vino arrives-and very man,
y come here from southern and northern
q statcs-designs to plant an orang
c grove, whatever else he may do. |
no misfortune befalls the trees Florid
c Il be full of orange groves yer,
: soon, and in a few years will produc
c fruit enough to supply the northern
II market.
&c A few groves have been made b
II budding the trees where they stan
Is and clearing away the other govt
2 of the hummocks Such groves gro,
IS IS magnifcently from the first, having al
o' their roots intact, and receiving II
ST shock by transportation. There ar
N not many places where the wild tree
grow tulCh tHouS SI arc c"c'l cllOuSi Ni'
/ tributed to make groves, but advau
H. tage Of such natural groves as do occu
l. is not often taken. On Lake Griffin
W northern man has made a grove {
CT / 500 trees simply by clearing a hun
~ mock of forty acres This is probabl
y the largest grove in the state, and
s. three times as large as any grove no
3 in bearing
g The beauty of the groves is be,
Z seen when ascending the St. john
III The rich color Of the oranges set
t, the brilliant green of the leaves, wit
nj a background of dark live oaks au
re sombre pines, and the dark water
gu the broad St. Johns III the forcgroun,
r, all unit, to make a picture not easil
re forgotten.
or In the little villages and hamle
'it ON this stream th,ri are few hous,
Nv which have not at least two or thr,
o. oranges trees near them. Many,
he be sure, are sour trees, and wei
&C planted only for ornament; bit the