New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-03-06
FLORIDA oBAEeE&
ycom rAs Rostor Herald.

The orange culture in Florida amounted 10 little
or nothing before tho war. Northern Industry ana
and gave this cultivation remarkable Impetus
Ten years ago oven the product announced 70 pas
little Now brings millions 70 sne ssrdiS ne es ~
mated. General Cameron was taken yestc; cay ~
ex-senator Yulee friend and former associate, who
represented Florida In the senate G y SsSS
This was the frat time they had met SINCE Mr fulee
left the Senate for the South in 1851, and the no
one Of the pleasing incidents of the stay in Florida
Colonel Duffy and myself were invited to accompany
the party. and did 80 Long before We reached the
Were patches of orange trees to be seen on every
sde,many Of them with the golden fruit still hanging
to the branches. Beautiful flowers bloomed IN the
ing up. littls latter the train dropped
us in the midst Of $4,000 orange trse$
covering oyer 400 acres OF , sro1nIS;
not cultivated with care certainly not planted reg
lsrly, but just as nature had sown the wild seed.
The wild luxuriance of nature had however. pee9 cen
curbed by man, who, In pursuit OF wealth, had
turned vinegar into honey and, by grating on the
sour trees the finer sweet varieties, had snatched
wear. General Cameron rambled with Us over the
place. all Of US plucking the golden fruit al and
imagining ourselves in the veritable Garden OF Eden
earth, air and sky soft, balmy and ethereal, com
brning to ok the illusion. and were only brought
back to a realization that we were fifty miles from
our hotel by exclamation from one Of the party
parent to us all and just think OF it-you who are
bound by bands Of thiek-ribbed ice-lost IN an
orange grove in Florida General Cameron enjoyed
the joke, and busted himself eating. the fruit
plucked with his own hands. Many Of the trees
were laden with fruit Of immense size and beautiful
color although much of the crop had been gathered
One Of the tempting sights in the grove owe
was the grape fruit OF ;. great SIZE
to be the forbidden fruit of the Garden of Eden liz
is useless except to look at and Tor preserving, al
though il is eaten by some. 1t has a sour. nsipl1
taste. Lemons of immense size. growing upon small
trees. now and then dotted the orange orchard.
After an hOnr spent in looking over the grove we,
one by one. found our way back TO the paek
boxes of oranges had been shipped this season from
One-haf of the grove over which we had been RAM
bling; that means 100000 oranges, for which the
had been offered 5000 while the fruit was
the trees.
How many years does it take for an orange grove
to como into bearingP asked the superintendent:
Eight years from the seed, aud about Ave years II
grated or budded on to the wild fruit. That is,
mean to say they will bear in eight yeers from the
seed, and in five years from the graft. Ihey con-
stantly grow better and bear more oranges every
year. No man can tell how long the tree Will Dc
ussful-certaInly more than 100 years" .
People in Florida naturally as enthusiastic
orange culture as miners are VINO nnd rlcn
plaeeTs and they tell almost marvellous stories
You hear them talk about trees upon which grow
from 5000 to 1000 oranges. but there Is great
deal of fancy in this statement, and the truth 70
marvellous enough. 3,
eminent authority upon the orange, says tnat an
average tree will bear. season In and out, IVO
oranges. and that, where they are grown from the
seed or transplanted regularly, about 90 trees TO
the acre would be fair average. These 90 trees IN
q fair season would yield $4,000 oranges. worth at
the grove $40. This is a cold reliable estimate OF
%haS an sna st %ors vii do less but $40 worth
of fruit upon an acre of ground VIII strike the
Northern farmer as being decidedly profitable.