The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1870-03-08
An Orange Grove.
Green Cove Spring, Fla,
E,h Ipth

TeD. lotn, loiV.
The st. John River is large, hand
some river, and every day steamboats,
come up from Jacksonville to stop at diff
fercnt points on the river, and take and
leave passengers. Some are out four or
five days, and 60 up two hundred and
fifty miles in all, to Enterprise. Some
only 60 to Pilatka, about sixty miles,
and return the same day. The Florence
is handsome day-boat Of this kind which
goes up every day and back, SO that it is
very convenient to get pleasant ride on
her, leaving Green Cove about ten or
eleven o'clock and returning about four or
FIVE, going clear up to Pilatka and back,
or stopping at some place, and when the
boat comes back getting on again. Yes
terday two gentlemen from Albany were
going for trip of this kind and 80 l
started on the boat with them. Green
Cove has large hotel and few smaller
houses, mostly scattered among pine trees,
so we LETT little in sight behind us. The
river is six miles Wide here. and when
you get out on it and look up and down,
you see only the stretch of shiny water
between the banks of thick green forests
all live-oak, magnolias and the like,green
in winter as in summer. The shores are
like those of lake in the wild woods,
stretching on in curves and low points,
but leaving always channel broader
than seems natural for river. The shoal
and channel are of this character almost
all the way up the stream, the very wild
est part being called Lake George, two
hundred miles from Jacksonville. Some.
times you see little opening apparently
thinned out in the "bush" where clear
ing may be; sometimes you come to q
place where is dock and landing, per.
haps hotel and few boarding houses
which make d" tavern" At any one Of
these docks the boats will stop to take
or leave passengers. The rest of the way
is the broad green bordered river, con.
stantly changing in the reaches you see
but ever alike. The first stopping place
we found, after ten miles. was Picoata
where passengers take n stage, if they
wish to go to St. Augustine. The stage
was there, two carriages, but we hold
there were some passengers to take the
boat and we left few to go by land
Five or six miles further on the two gen
tlemen who started with me got off n
Federal point, where was house anC
farm, perhaps a steam sawmill near fiv,
or six miles further on, the boat agail
turned toward the east shore and this
knew must be the place where / was Il
stop, where there were two or three plan
tations called "Orange Mills" Their
was great lumber mill here and larg
docks where lumber was shipped, but tn
mill and much of the docks was burne,
during the war.
Now as landed with one or two 9th
er passengers, | could see handsome
well painted house Of one story, perhap
French roof and piazzas, standing bac
from the shore with scattering Of orang
trees about the grounds. There was
fence and gate but turned another wa
following path near the shore to Sc
what farm fields could find Thes
seemed neglected. found a house ney
err finished, occupied by negroes, nothin
inviting, so I turned back again. Nea
the gate inquired of negro if visitor
here could get dinner. He said "cel
tainly, up at the house ," so | went OF
There were orange trees full of frui
and great many oranges fallen on tn
ground. As | came near the house | sa,
lady among the trees and spoke to he
about the oranges, she said these were a
wild oranges. Some trees among thel
had been budded which they were cult
waiting, but they did little with orange
on the place her father, on the place b.
yond, had very fine orange orchard
which she would be pleased to have III
see. She showed me then the borders
the orchard set with banana trees grow
ing up something like great cane {
palm stalk, eight or ten feet high, with
hanging pod or husk in which the banar
fruit was growing.
She showed me also the budded orane
stock some, after two years begin
blossom nicely for fruit, One kind woul
ripen its fruit MS early as Septembt
There was pear shaped orange, not II
best kind but early, and valuable for Il
market Another kind would ripen
November. think this was the Sevil
Luzon orange, of which they had fe
trees, the sweetest, as she said, for eatin
She showed me n single graft of the MAJ
DARN orange, now budded to blossom, IL
rarest kind on the river, but she means
cultivate and diffuse it freely, The usu
kind Of Florida oranges, the favori
through the south, ripens in January an
was still in season, and these she kne
would be interesting for stranger to s,
in her fathers orchard near by and whiC
was one Of the best in Florida.
was interested particularly to see Il
lady, all the time she was passing fro
tree to tree, breaking off the little sucker
breaking down the young thorns as quic
and careful in her attentions to them
one of our orchardists to his young app
trees. Near the house she picked me
specimen or two of flowers noticed, the
asked me in, and introduced me to h,
husband and gentleman sitting with hi
who had landed with me from the boa
and saw no more of the lady. H,
husband had West India complexion,
his companion had too. Both we're INTEL
gent men and the proprietor did justice
the idea of West India hospitality he s
on the stand carefully among us a silv
tankard Of claret, he intimated, but
proved to be - well proportions
and coming from a place where the wat
is bathed in for purposes of health TWEEN
times day. | took little as a med
cine We had some talk of the beautif
river, some of the orange subject, some
state politics, in respect to which the &c
tlemen had faint hope and some earne
L. N