The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1881-12-17
For the Democratic AdrOcate.
Notes on Florida.
Its Tropical Frui.s-The Orange.

pecally when eXtolllng them as the Dest raiseu
in this part of the State, and you know that's
saving a good deal, it is necessary to show the
person so addressed how to eat one.
1t is an accomplishment possessed by few
persons raised outside of State in which the
orange is grown. In giving this information
| must state that | am IN no way connected
with any Westminster ring OF fruit merchants
that may largely increase their sales of oranges
by persons buying this fruit to make trial OF
their skill After reading this description L
simply wish to tell those who do not know
how to eat an orange:
Take sharp knife in your right hand and
n Florida orange in your left, holding 1t be-
tween YOUR thumb and forefnger. Then pare
off the outside or porous yellow part OF the
,.ind. from near the stem end to near the bud
end. Pare it very thin so as not to expose
the cells that contain the luscious pulp and
mice of the fruit. Taking off this outside rind
is necessary simply on the score of cleanli-
ness. After this is done, pass the knlfe d.
rectly through the centre OF the orange, be
tween the bud and stem ends. lhls cuts the
plugs of the fruit in halt, when nothing IS
easier than to extract the pulp and juice to-
gether. almost like you would bite an apple.
There. now. have made Christmas gift to
the readers of the DEMOCRATIC ADVOCATE, so
now will proceed with my notes.
Florida doubtless, produces the best or
anpes now marketed in this country, and had
It not have been for the cold snap OF last De-
cember and January, this year would have re-
corded the largest crop ever grown IN the state.
Previous to the year 1915 nearly all the shade
trees growing along the sidewalks OF st. Az
gustine were orange, and fully as large as any
annie trees in Carroll county, but much more
dense in foliage. and each tree producing
from three to five thousand oranges. This
ancient city claims the introduction OF the
orange into Florida, and some OF the old halt
decayed stumps surrounding the outer walls
of old Fort San Marco still show signs OF life,
but no fruit. The fort was finished under the
reign of King Philip, in the year 1851, so these
trees were likely planted after the fort was
finished. A little incident connected with the
building of that splendid old pile is not amiss
in these days of prohigacy in the careless dis
position of government funds.
One dav. while standing with his cOmtiers
ON the quay at Cadiz, the king put his hand up
over his ewes, shading them, and looking to-
wards the west in the direction OF St Angus
tine. Being noticed in this position by one of
his courtiers, the following question was asked:
Your majesty is looking out to sea as If
something attracted your attention. lsitso?'
II was looking" replied the king, ito see
if could see the tower on Fort San Marco, at
st. Augustine.
Impossible, your majesty; it is at least
Is 900 miles from here.
Little matter how many miles, replied
the king, there has surely been money enough
spent on it to have built the tower high enough
for me to see the top, at least.
During the great cold snap of the winter of
iS45, the thermometer indicated 50 above zero,
and every orange tree was killed down to the
ground This destruction by frost and freeze
of course. discouraged the old settlers, and for
several years they gave no attention to the
growth of the trees whatever. 1t was then a
few wears before even the roots of those once
prosperous trees began to put up shoots and
grow. Years passed hy without any recur-
renee of the visitation of Jack Frost, and once
more they set to work planting groves; and
caution limited their boundaries to the gar
dens of that ancient city. On each year went
and no cold snap, the further planting was en-
couraged, and a considerable quantity of fruit
was grown as far up as Tallahassee, until the
commencement of the war period, when all
(eyen the LATENT resources of the State were
gradually developed, and the want of oranges,
lemons and lines, for hospital purposes,
brought to light many tree heretofore Ind by
an old house or Il fence corner, and they were
carefully fertilized and pushed to bearing.
numbers of young trees were planted and
thousands of others grated on the wild or sour
orange, in the southern part of the State.
After the war General Sanford, now envoy eX-
traordinary and minister plenipotentiary to the
court of Belgium bought of General Fnnegan
n Spanish grant of land lying on Lake Mon
roe, and surrounding what is now the thriving
village of Sanford. His friends laughed at
him for making what was then thought to he
such a foolish investment, but having plenty
of money, he had the grant properly surveyed
and laid off in lots of 40, So 40 and l6D acres.
Adding improvements to and planting orange
groves ON several of those lying near Sanford,
he invited immigration, and it was but few
wears before he had the money back which he
paid for the land and a beautiful little city,
adorned by the Sanford House, an immense
caravansary, at which good cheer was dealt
ont with bountiful hand, was rising, Phoenix
like. from the beautiful palm grove surround
ing Lake Monroe From this investment
snrung the orange boom of Florida. Before
this time hardly single person, even a resi-
dent of any part of the st. John river, thought
of ORANGES. even as a source of living, much
less that of wealth but now this little cloud,
hardly as large az a man hand, began to rise
and grow, and persons of wealth from both the
north and west instead of stopping at Jack
sOnville. as formerly, to spend their winters,
nusbed on to this Eldorado below the frost
fine. and either bought grove already set out,
or purchased the land and hired the muscle to
sIoy the forest and plant or bud the trees.
Then n company was formed, stock subscrb-
cd. and n railroad built. Away from the lake
at Sanford into the depths of an endless pine
forest screamed the locomotives, and Orlando
sprung from its piney woods terminus as Il
tender fawn from the hey brHsh. All along
the railroad line to Maitland first and then to
Orlando. il the same sight-hned with groves
of the orange, banana, lemon, lime and guava,
the orange tree. of course, predominating.
Finding there was bonanza i'll the cultivation
of the orange here, the wish to have grove
spread until it covered the entire State For
a long time Apalachicola had few trees as an
adornment for her yards and gardens, SO as the
demand for Florida oranges increased the
cities along the Chattahoochee river, that had
its outlet into the Gulf at the above named
place. sent orders down by the boats that
traded ON the river for box after box, until the
supply there was soon exhausted. Thus en-
couraged, all the eligible points along the river
were planted out in groves. Middle FLORIDA;
heretofore uncertain OF its ability to raise ana
ripep its luscious fruit, concluded II wouid
make the trial and so the fever spread all along
the Gulf coast. To Cedar Keys and Tampa
were at this time awarded the prize, OF raising
the best fruit and in the greatest abundance,
because thew were the first to renew their
groves after the great freeze in 1919. In
wear or two more the discovery was made that
fhe land along the line of the Atlantic, Gull
and West Indian Transit Railway, leading
from Fernandnia to Cedar Keys, was the best
IN the State suited to the growth of such trop-
;cal fruits. A colony from Iowa and Wiscon-
.in settled the grant of land at place they
aamed Arredonda, on the railway, and they
opened up the forest and for several ! miles lie
along the roads were planted groves, ana 9th
ers following their example, soon made both
s;des of the road almost one CONTINUOUS grove.
While the balance Of the State vas pms pushing =.
sbS ... South Florida was not idle. The st.
Iohn's r;yeys from jacksonville 20 Lake liar
!, CIV was dotted with groves Down ~ that
nss2 Of the State bordering on the Indian river
4 was said that If man grabbed up the san
20 nae,ta roots off an acre. it would be impos-
!;h tLDf Cor him 10 put them back again on two
The country was generally low h fnna &C
ie"' ~ - t,,tl, Kinds of palmetto, but the