The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1880-10-27
Great Expectations.
Editor of Florida Agriculturist::

Editor ofthe Florida AgricuHurist:
Iguess great many of your readers
will be glad to hear again from
land so peculiarly located, and par
ticularly blessed with natural advan-
tages. Yes, ours is within Jew de-
grees OF the tropics, truly "where the
mango apple grows, "-the fruit of the
gods, far famed in song. I hope to
see the time when our Point will be
devoted to the more tropical fruits
and vegetables. Lemons will at
least, in time, be our specially, as we
have demonstrated that this is the
home of the tender citrus fruits.
While / am on the lemon topic
l may as we'll speak a few good
words which will ventilate ideas that
have occurred to me. / have been
studying the lemon, and greedily de-
vouring every Item of information
connected with the subject, both at
home and abroad, tor the past five or
six years, and am firmly of the opin-
ion that the lemon will out pay the
orange two to one in the long run.
What I mean by the "long rum" is
on an average OF twelve, the length
of time certainly required to perfect
an orange grove. While the facts
and figures are little against US this
year, it should by no means discour
age any one who can put these ideas
together and deduce a conclusion.
Last year the foreign fruit was very
plenty, and sold low; this year it has
been absolutely disastrous, both to
the producer and many parties en-
gagged in it. With irrigation tor
nine months in the year, and many
other expenses connected with the
production, besides disastrous freezes
every seven years, also many insect
scourges, it is hardly probable that
our fruit will not have foot hold"
in the market. We read and hear,
too, every few dayssof the growing
favcH of--Ule sPiorida fruiIs--lemons
and lines. Who can doubt the
future there is in store tor our lime
of all fruits the handsomest and most
medicinal. The lime when freely
used will cure many cronic ills, and
drives all malarial poison from the
system, makes our bodies healthy,
and our homes happy - Eureka!
/ hardly know which, the lemon or
lime, will be best; they both grow
and bear continually with us, and
make a full blown tree in three to
tour years. l will have but few
words to say on the vexed question,
which is the variety to cultivate l
think the one that pays quickest and
pays best. Many good people harp
great deal on the bitter rind, the
sweet rlnd, the large, the small, the
rough. the smooth, etc. By the diff.
terent varieties of lemons l am re-
minded OF the diversity of kinds OF
animals, other fruits and grains. That
which brings the highest price is not
always the best paying variety of
course we wish real good lemon to
hold a certain average favor in the
market. The foreign fruit has one
point on us, and that is cheaper
freight. I have learned that from
Florida to our great cities, and from
the Mediterranean to the same ports,
the odds against us is very consider
able per thousand; this transporta-
tion companies should correct. A
slight reduction of freight would en-
courage us. and thus give to them
more freight. For all these things
to come right is in the natural course
of human events.
By way OF further eulogizing our
Point, ! would like to remind the
prospective immigrant, that here an
orange grove will yield sooner, and
pay better, in my humble opinion,
than further north first because the
trees may be kept growing almost
continually; and next, after it fruits
the same may be allowed to remain
on the trees until the supply-the
great rush from the colder regions
is marketed. l take it that one acre
here will pay quite as well as two
IN the frosty sections. Our oranges
too, are longer maturing, and conse-
quently inmy opinion, "wee bit" bet
ter quality, while the rind is tough
in consequence Of peculiar atmos
pheric action. And again, one OF our