, 1879-04-09
CHICAGO IN FLORIDA.

CHICAGO IN FLORIDA.
Oranes-Groves and Settlements Spring
Carbon.
It seems Chicago enterprise Is accomplishing
most wonderful results in Florida. The follow
Ing articlc taken from tho Florida AgrienlturIst,
Of De- Land, Flu, shows how Chicago citizen
can nuke Florida wilderness both inviting aud
exceedingly productive: -
Seven years ago, Mai. George II. Norris, Of
ChlcaEo. percctying ut onco tho valuable I'D
yantagcs Of the locality, purchased tract OF
1000 acres, goodly portlon of which ts as fer
tile laiM as "ae ever turned by plow. a largo
part, too, consisted Of dense hammock,-,,so
Thick with a luxurlaut growth Of majestic oaks,
with cedar, cypress, hickory, and shrubbcry OF
nil kinds, gracefully fcstooned with tho beauts-
ful gEny Spanish moss, as to obscure the sun
wh[lo walking underneath. Scattered through
this hammock hero md there are acres uf sour
orangc-trecs IN countless numbers. from the
lofty. tree, horny with age, to the youthful sap
ling, anl down to the little teudcr shoot, so
thiekly growing uuuer tho shade Of the sur
rounding growth us to form carpet Of vcr1use
like tlcld Of young grain.
With tho ready Instinct mud courage OF thor
ouGtl business nian, Maj. NorEis cut at once Into
Thy heart Of thss hammock, MD opened up these
different patches Of Wild orange groves, and,
selcctng Tho best trees for budding, th!nned
out the ret to give thutn room to grow. The
work was 1Mautc, aud the expense grcat, but
the reward ia already being realized, and before
long VIII bo most umple. Seven years ago he
purchased track!css, Virgin hammock; now ho
has vigorous, thrifty orange groves, numbered
from ono to eleven, With roada aud paths cut
from uno to tho other. a large uumhor Of these
treos, twenty Of moro iect high, not ono ollur
than a aeycn-ycars' bud, aru as fine q grove US
We have ever seen, mud aro yielding remarkably
well. Three years ago hfs l0ur-ycar-olt buds
began to hear, alhl from these comparatively re-
cent bcgnnInge ho lust year shipped over 1o0,-
oo0 oranges. Ills lemon trees, too, arc rapidly
lnnturtng, uild for the many he has already
shipped liz hns received handsome returns.
One OF his most successful experiments VAS
to remove to q better location, and in grove
form, lN lar0o md old trees, some just ready
wllted. a,ld be nniutans 1pany will bear we'll In
Two years. WtA incredible toll and cost he las
l1ad cleared and fenced soHo 800 acres, and has
llad buddoa, with the choicest varieties Of
nraagns t. and lcmons, thousands Of trses: This
y so,g on annually; every year more 9eres
cleared, moro thousands Vt trees budlcd. Afa1.
Norris Is IN enthusiastic and sturdy advocate
lor budding on aour stock, aud hts remarkable
all through tile hammock are vast numbers
OF old sour orange trees, twenty-five to tlfty
feet high. Still loatlctl, rs indeed they are the
ytnr round. With their acceptable fruit.
IN t!e midst of these eleven groves On the
Of water, Maj, Norris has erected lnrge drying
oranges At onr tine. movsl md ' We snoulG ,ul
think usciui feature connectod with this cstaG-
llstment is the new way of having tho drying
racks work on piyots. so rs to bring the fruit
Into moro easy ncccss for handling and drying.
The settlement proper Of Spring Garden Is q
cluster of some score or nlore houses, extending
over quito all arca, each surrounded by fls thrift
" oranRe'Eroyc. mud nearly every ono showing
cvlueuce OF tasto nnd no small architectural
skill. Tue main avenue u fivu nnd threc-quar-
tcrs t mca long % a,r' hundred feet broad, !aloug
the cantrs of whie!. is planted row ot pax and
the tlnest boulesarls In the country. Anotl,cr
rims parallel to thls Of equal length: mud lire
others cross these, slxty.six feet wide. It is
estimated tat an entire homestead quo acrcs)
~ aecommodatc tourists, casual Visitors, and
permanent btmrlcrs, a prutty ansl picturcsaao
Us we'll as con,modIous hotel, with line, vigor-
GUS oranea.grose In trout, bus been completed
Chicago, lifted III must .astefuily, and rcnIote 10
with hvmo accommodations aid comfort.
Every ci1olt scelss to Ie nude By the host and
his l'ospItaua w!fo to supply ths wants Of tl,cIr
urs lnuy ho fund in The hunting nu.l asl,Ins,
and also IN magnificent natural mediciua(
spring, so large u tu afford q volume Of water,
sacapiilg In stroug stream Of several feet fall,
tori. Our .ltl,u was too limited to c1pioro Ills
Tor future humber,
scysn years ago ll.Is settlement was forc,t !;
DOW the following are sonio Of the families OF
responsibility, education. anl rotlnounout, who
buso uiaue u eheir ressdcnee 0r have Invested III
groves, eael! havtIsg tlieir Ir.vn ~ Il more ur
lese stage Ut Developments Pruf. Stone, Mas
sact'isetts, twenty-five acree: j. q. 6hapley,
i'nbllthsng House, Hartford. Cum, SIX arrca; /;
Ar. t3IeEg, Honor, Mteil.,stlEo acFGa; Mcssrs.