The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1878-01-04
Florida and its Orange Groves.

Florida and its Orange Groves.
George E. Putney, a son of William
a. Putney, the well known dry goods
merchant of this city, returned home
last Monday evening after a months
absence, during which he has been in
vestigating the correctness of the rose
colorcd accounts concerning the orange
growing sections of Florida, which
from time to time find their way into
the Northern press. lie gives very
vivid and interesting account of his OBJ
servations, which we advise all who
have the Florida fever to read before
they buy a ticket, for it corresponds
very closely with that of large major
ity of those who have made similar
trips, and have no interest in misrepre.
senting the matter.
Mr.. Putncy's trip took him to Apop-
ka i'll Orange county, section largely
peopled with New Hampshire men,
and said to be one of the most promis-
ing of the orange-grOwing counties
This region has been extensively writ.
ten up in our state press, and has been
the objective point of hundreds, wis
have been made to believe that about
all man need to do there to secure 9
fortune is to buy hundred acres Of
land at Sl.25 an acre, and then live up
on the spontaneous products of the
country until his orange trees get large
enough to bear.
As to the foundation for any such be.
lief, Mr.. Putncy says:
To begin with, the country is covered
with forests of immense pines, which
must be cut down and burned before
an orange tree can be set out. Tho
surface soil is a white sand so thick and
poor that no vegetation which cannot
throw its roots far down into the bow.
els of the earth can live in it a dav
Consequently there is not in the whole
town of Apopka, which has been repre-.
sented as second garden of Eden, q
single blade of grass. No vegetables
except sweet potatoes grow there. A
horse cannot live there, and mules have
to be exclusively used in their place
No domesticated cattle are kept there
and the little milk used is villainous
compound condensed at and shipped
from the North. Neither love MOI
money can procure a decent meal in
the town. Smoked hog, and the tough
est and rankcst smoked hog at that,
sweet potatoes and corn. make up the
bill-of-tarc. "Apopka city" consists OF
about n dozen buildings, one of which
serves as the only church, school house
and city hall in the town. The houses
on the orange plantations are log cab.
ins or shanties, through the roofs OF
which the rain pours as through sieve
In the city there are one or two pre-.
tentious mansions" the best of which
is owned by New Hampshire man,
but they are all innocent of carpets
free from plastering and in every Other
way uninviting. The roads are merely
tracks through the woods; they arc
of large pine roots. 1t takes the stage
drawn by mules, nine hours to make
the distance between Apopka and Mel
onvillc, twenty-five miles, and q mile
an hour is fair rate for a pedestrian
The sand is alive with black gnats
which literally cover person who
walks or works upon it. The possible
products of the country seem to consist
of bananas, oranges, sweet potatoes
and sugar cane. The settlers claim
that certain other vegetables can be
raised there, but none have been, and
no reason why they ever can be can be
seen. No manufacturing can be done
there. The entire business of the town
is done in two or three seven-by-nint
groceries. Fever and ague abounds
II is the surest crop of the section
When you ask an Apopka settler if he
is troubled by the chills he says, ooh
no, never have them here, but they
have them bad over on Indian River
and an Indian River citizen will swear
That they were never known round hin
but are terrible over in Apopka, while
the fact is that the people in both places
dare not go out of their shanties wher
the wind is strong for fear of the ague.
The steamers going thither are load
ed with people who have been lurec
from the North by the lies which trans
portation companies, land spectators
and other sharks have set afloat, aut
those coming this way bring bach
nearly all who can raise funds TO ge
back with. The moment one sets foo
on the wharf he is surrounded by from
ten TO twenty men anxious TO sell hin
their orange grove so they can pack uE
and flee from this young paradise.
On the journey from Apopka, Mr.
Putney got acquainted with the captain
of the steamer, who told him that peo
pie who went to Florida from thu
North, generally got enough of it in
few days, and when he carried pas
senger up the river he could tell within
three days when TO provide room fol
him on return trip. The captain add
ed that a person who had none,
enough to live at hotel and wanted IL
loaf away few weeks of the winter
could do II very comfortably In Flor
ida, but any body else had better give
that portion wide BERTH
Reasoning from these facts, Mr.. Put
ney concludes:
That Apopka ought to be a gooC
place for oranges, for il is good fol
nothing else;
That man who sets an averag,
grove there deserves in ten or tweni,
years to make fortune out of il;
That If II man has committed heav,
sins and great many of them, an,
wishes TO spend the rest of his life il
doing penancc, he had better move Il
Florida;
That man who has soured clea
through and hates and is hated BY TIN
world and wishes TO live hermit, will
the fever and ague and black gnats TO
companions, should locate at Apopka;
That il society, food, raiment ant
dwellings are only considered, a maj
had better join the Digger Indians thai
the Florida orange planters;
That man who, having bought
plantation in Orange county, write bacl
10 New Hampshire to induce others e
fnllour him fc atfhap ipoana hoo la,,I A.