The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1875-11-05
LUSCIOUS ORANGES.
some eff the Advantages of
Florida.

EkOF2G0s
A correspondent of the Courier
Journal, writing from Orlando, Or
ange county, Florida, says: l will
simply say of the country in pass
ing, that l was quite astOnished at
the cotton; nearly every field saw
was of that variety described by a /
Georgian some years ago as the
"bum ble-bee cotton" which stood |
SO low on the ground, you know,
that bumble-bee could sit on his |
haRnches at ease and suck the |
bloom. At Jacksonville, after a rest |
of several days, we took steamer |
for the Upper st. Johns. A day aud |
and a night continuous steaming |
brought US. through several lakes, |
into which the liver expanded, to |
Lake Monroe, the most beautiful of
them all. On the southern shore of
this lake, at Mellenville, we landed |
and proceeded at once, by ambu- |
lannce, to Orlando, the geographical
center of the county, and the coun- |
ty-seat, whence l write. Now, if
you will take up any good map of |
Florida (Drew's is the best though |
far from accurately, you will find |
orange county lies upon the west |
bank of the St. Johns, from near |
where the Goth deg. of north Iati-
tude crosses it to where the 18th |
parallel crosses il, its western boun- |
dairy being north and south line, |
while on the east it follows the sim
uosities of the river. The county |
contains about 1000 square miles of |
land, nearly all of it being peculiar
ly adapted to
THE GROWTH OF ORANGES.
How is it the better for this, and
why all this absorbing interest in |
orange culture? Simply because it |
is pr0ven to be, by all odds, the |
most profitable and certain crop
grown anywhere in the United /
States. Why, just think, fifty trees |
to the acre, averaging, after they are |
well in bearing, 500 to 1000 oranges |
for the first five years, and then in
cressing to 1000 and upwsrd! Take
the least, 500 oranges, worth on the |
tree two cents. $40 per tree, or $500 |
per acre! But 1t may be asked, is
this certain? Can we rely on such |
results! We are able to say most |
certainly, with care in selection and |
preparation of soil, in planting and |
caring for the trees. No human cal
culation can be more sure. No bank |
10 Kentucky can so certainly prom
ise its annual dividend of eight per |
cent. as the orange grower can
count on the results of his labor. |
THE FRosTs HERE NEVER INJURE THE |
CROPS,
on6 Of h. kuoo -
It's enemies have been conquered.
How long will the orange continue
bearing? l don't know, but there
are now standing at old Tampa two
trees planted in 1895, and they bore
two or three years ago the last time.
L heard their crop given at 10000
oranges, and they sold on the trees
for $500. just think of thatl Well,
now tell that young man who has
just start in life-a thousand or two
dollars as a beginning-tell him to
come down here, get himself TWEEN.
ty or thirty acres of land Che does
not need more-fifteen will dol, and
go TO work, put up his cottage, clear
his land, put in his young trees, say
two-year old seedlings, keep his
land well titled, by which he will
feed and support his family, and in
ten years certainly he may count on
an income of $4,000 a year. Besides
oranges, they are planting lemons,
guaVas, citrons, bananas, and what
they call the grape fruit, each grape
being as large as an orange. have
seen the fruit, but never tasted it !;
1t is, suppose, species of orange.
FIORInA'S ETrTIrpE
The population of the county is
about 5000, and increasing rapidly.
Every steamer brings emigraEts, all
intending to engage in the culture
of the orange, and this will continue
until this whole country becomes
one extended orange grove. l am
not prophet, nor the son of
prophet, but l have provision clear
as light that within ten years one
may land from the ocean steamer at
Valusia bar, on the st. Johns (any
steamer that can enter the Johns
can reach this blr), and pass by rail
southwark through this place 100
miles through the continuous Or
ange grove, lines, lemons, guaves
and bananas interspersed on either
hand, and onward along the eastern
coast to Turtle Harbor, looking
straight out towards Havana, pass
ing all along the line through the
most luscious fruits grewn any
where in the world. Most of the
land in this county is in individual
hands, though there are still home
steads and State lands to be had.
These will, however, soon be all ia
ken up, SO that the enligrant must
count upon paying ten to twenty
dollars per acre for his land, accord