The daily gazette., 1881-03-02
+ avery varie,v and description.

General Cameron was taken YESTERDAY
by ex-senator Yulee, fliend and for.
mer associate who represented Florida
In the Senate thlrty-hve years ago, to see
the largest orange grove In the world.
This was the first time they had met
since Mr.. Yulee left the Senate for the
South IN 1861, aud tie renewal of the
friendship between The two has been one
Of the pleasing incidents Of the stay in
Florida. Colonel Duffy and myself
were invited 10 accompany the party and
did so. We travelled one hundred miles
into the interior over a railroad con-
trolled by Mr.. Yulee and through the
most interesting section of the State /
have yet visited. We brought up about
noon at a beautiful sheet of water
known as the "Orange Lake" Long
before we reached the great grove toward
which we were tending there were
patches Of orange trees TO be seen on
every side, many OF them with the COL
den fruit still hanging TO the branches.
Beautiful flowers bloomed in the black
muck and early, vegetables were just
sprlnging up. A little later the train
dropped us in the midst of seventy five
bbOuodbu biC0oJ OVER
four hundred acres OF ground.
A WILDERNESS OF ORANGE TREES.
A perfect wilderness of orange trees,
apparently not cultivated with care, GER
tainly not planted regularly but just as
nature had sown the wild seed. The
wild luxuriance of nature had, however,
been curbed by man, who in pursuit of
wealth bad turned vinegar into honey,
and by grating on the seur trees the
finer sweet variJies had snalched from
the wilderness an income OF over $4D,-
900 year. General Cameron rambled
with us over the place, all OF us pluck
ing the golden fruit ad lib. and ilnagin-
ing ourselves in the vertiOle Garden of
Eden-earth, air and sky, soft, balmy
and ethereal, combinings to fix the ilu-
sion, and were only brought back to
realization that we were fifty miles from
our hotel by an exclamation from one of
the party, "By Jove, we're lost |" This
fact soon become apparent to us all, and
just think of it, you who are bound by
bands of thick ribbed ice, lost in an
orange grove in Florida. General Cam
eron enjoyed the joke and busted him.
self ealing the fIuit plucked with his
own hands.
MILLIONS OF ORANGES.
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 was the grape
fruit of great size and beautiful lemon
color. 1t is said to be the forbidden
fruit of the Garden of Eden. 1t is
useless except TO look at and for pre-
serving, although it is eaten by some.
1t has sour, insipid taste. Lemons
of immense size growing upon small
trees now ana then dotted the orange
orchard. After an hour spent in look
ing over the grove, we one by one
found our way back to the packing
house, who're the superintendent told |
rs that 10 900 boxes of oranges had |
been shipped this season from one
ialf of the grove over which we had
)een rambling; that means l, 800 900 |
for which the owner had been |
ffeled $50, 600 while the fruit was on |
he trees.
low LONG FOR AN ORANGE GROVE. |
Glow many years does it take for
IN orange grove to come into bear
ng?" asked the Superintendent
Eight years from the seed and |
bout FIVE if grated or budded on to |
he wild fruit" "That is, mean to |
ay, they will bear in eight years from
he SEED and in five years from the
raft. They constantly grow better
nd bear more oranges every year. No
nan can tell how long he trees will be
seful; certainly more than hundred
ears" he added.
People in Florida are naturally en-
husiastic over orange culture as mi
ers are who find rich placers, and
hey tell almost as marvellous stories.
GU hear them talk about trees upon
'hich grow from three to four thou
and oranges; but there is great deal
( fancy in this statement, and the
ruth is marvellous enough.
WHAT AN ORANGE GROVE WILL DO.