Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1869-04-21
The CHRONICLE.
Products, &C., Of Florida.
JACKSONVILLE. Fla

in our own confederacY, where exists
a fairy-like land of fruit and flowers,
| not less beautiful, inviting and attrac-
, tive than that in which the dramatic
poet pOrtrays the romantic and blissful
abode which the ardent lover had
prepared for his mistress upon the
shores of Lake Como, and whose bal
my breezes and delightful atmosphere
are ever redOlent with the odOriferous
4 perfume of fragrant flowers, expand
= ing blossoms of the orange, pomegran-
! ate, pride of India, &c. where the semi
{ tropical fruits grow and develope TO
perfection, equaling the tropical fruits
i of the West Indies and Brazil, with
) less care and attention and with great
er exemption from the vicissitudes of
! the climate or the hazards of injury
from the insect tribe than are the
common fruits of the North, as the
apple, pear, plum, peach or cherry.
In giving YOU description OF the
! fruits twill be necessary for me TO
: say that TO Mr.. Atwood, and Others OF
st. Augustine, and Mr.. Trainer Of
Jacksonville, am indebted for my
information, Tor last january q severe
? frost killed all the fruit in this sec
tiOn-Athe OILY time since 1886. Only
& DCAG ~ CAlON NAAC vi
the blossoms and see the young fruit
formed, L can only give you my in
formation as / received il from 9th
ers. To Mr.. Atwood. who has the
greatest variety of fruit trees in the
State, am especially indebted, for he
took the time to lead me from one to
another of the trees and give me full
descriptions of the kind of fruit it
bore, the use of the fruit, &c.
The OrdHge.-It is principally from
the wild oranget that grows in swamps,
&c, transplanted, and the new shoots
budded, that the sweet orange and
lemon are produced, but they are
sometimes grown from seeds of choice
fruit. Every year since the war
there have been planted from fifty to
one hundred thousand trees in the
State The orange from the seed pro-
duces fruit in from seven to ten years,
depending on the situation and cul-
ture, and from budded trees from three
to five years. The amount. Of fruit
produced by one tree in year varies
from 100 TO 10, 600 oranges, according
to the age, situation and culture. The
trees are usually placed about twenty 4
feet apart, and an acre viii contain (
one hundred. The Florida orange 1
will command better prices than any /
others in the market, asthey are large, 4
sweet and lucius.
| The lShdddOcE.-There are fine va
rieties of this fruit, of which only one
is eatable. It is not so large as the
orange, and has a reddish pulp with
an agreeable sub-acid sweetness. One
variety is called ''the forbidden fruit"
and grows TerV large,
/ The LCHlOa-GrOws readily in this
climate. Mr.. A. affirms that ii ar
rives at greater degree of perfection
here, and is far superior to the same
| fruit grown in the West Indies, Italy
or Spain. Heshowed us one tree on
which grew lemons weighing one and
a half 10 two pounds.
-r The -LiIae-Is of several different
species, and the juice is preferred by
many to that of the lemon, ii being
more Wholesome and agreeable. Ii
The CftrOH-Is known to people in
the north only as preserved fruit
1t is cultivated here, but not exten-
sively; grows on trees about the size
of our plum trees, and weighs from +
eight to ten pounds. 1ltf Id
The LOQudff-I was shown a small 4
plant of two years growth, which had ,
attained a good size. 1t is better |
knows here as the Japan Plum. Like
the orange and lemon, it is an ever !
green, and stands more cold weather |
than any other fruit-grOwing tree in |
the south. 1t ripens its fruit in Feb .
ruaTY and March, when most other [
fruits are gone. (:
The Pine e1pplc-Needsa aslight pro- {
lection here during the winter. but {
one hundred miles south, at Cape ]
Carnival, it is grown extensively, and ,
weighs from eight TO ten pounds.
The C,tst0rd Api3lc--SOme times {
called sugar Apple. The pulp is \
rich, and golden in color. It has Il i
fragrant odor and beautiful appear {
ance and il spoken of as "apples of '
gold in pictures of silver" /
Tic Eig-Is of three or four differ c
ent species or varieties. It Is propa- {
gated with ease, and like the orange 9
and many other fruitS OF this climate,
bears twice year. I
The GltarO-ls an evergreen and |
bears abundantly-is pear shaped 1
and grows to shout the size of a large I
hens egg. The skin is smooth, and a 1
pale yellow in color. 1t is used prin- [
cipaiiy for making jelly, which is &
plOdSdIlL anu dIIttanlt. IL
The P0ne9rdRtc-Is a beautiful /
evergreen, perfectly hardy in Florida, y
and as for north a Alabama and a
Georgia. 1t is an excellent fruit and |
has great medical properties in the I
flower and nnd, which are used with l
great benefit in diarrhpa, to which U
can testify. The fruit is spherical in {
form, about the size of the lemon, and |
l.. 4 4. 4
The trees bear beautiful uTn-shaped I
flowers which are very red and snowy ]
when in full bloom. G
The Gr0pe-Has been introduced, I
but as it requires a deep, dry and .
rocky soil, and the average depth of I
the water beneath the soil here is only | !
about two feet, of course proves al 2
most a failure. j have seen vines that Z
looked thrifty, but noticed they were 8
on high ground and near a wall. II
The BdldR.-This tree grows from I
eight to twenty feet high. When |
once planted, they will not bear to be I
removed for many years. 1t is said c
that one acre of ground, planted with {
this fruit, will produce as much food I
as one hundred acres of wheat or for !
ty acres of potatoes. If incorrect, l s
have erred through false information. [
The Date PdEHl-Is seen in a great T
many of the gardens of St. Angus {
tine. think this one OF the most G
beautiful trees in the vegetable king {
dom. Its long, graceful, ever-verdant, |
ever-waving and eveT-ehanging BRAN ,
ehes make il more picturesque than {
any other for landscape gardening : ]
The fruit grows in clusters like grape, :
each cluster weighing from ten 10 fif- !
teen pounds. L have read somewhere I
that .sin Persia many different uses 4
are made of the palm tree; the fruit I
has both medical and nutritious quail {
ties; from the leaves are made couch {
es, baskets, bags, mats and brushes; {
from the stalks, cages for their poul- |
try and fences for their gardens; from !
the fibres of the trunk, thread, rope /
and rigging; from the sap, a spurious /
liquor, and the body of the tree is /
used for fuel.n {
The Peoch-Differs from ours in |
this respeet-it is earlier and later |
Twas -examininga tree a few days [
since, and discovered that while there |
were yet plenty of blossoms on it :
there were also some peaches which
had attained the size of hickory nut. {
The trees are harder and more easily /
= eu-~w - -