Delaware state journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1870-1883, 1881-03-31
THE FLORIDA ORANGES
THE ORANGE FEVER WORSE THAN
THAT FOR PEA Oh PLANTING.
How DeIaware's Experience Helped
Its Sister State to Success - I'M
proved Peach Culture the Incentive
10 Orange Growing.

| was well prepared for the orange
fever before coming to the state, but not
for the rage which exists. Hardly a
Northern man of means, coming here for
pleasure, but takes the contagion to
greater or less degree. The peach-plant-
ing fever in Delaware and the Eastern
Shore of Maryland bears no comparison
to the Florida disease. Only to-day
met young Bostonian who came ior
pastime in January, but who now finds
himself anchored to $50 acres i'll Marion
county for which he paid $50 an acre.
He has taken off his coat, and, rising with
the lark, spends every day setting out
trees, which are planted almost as thickly
as Maryland and Delaware peninsula
peach orchards.
Close planting, however, is mistake,
which is being found out more and more
as the orange trees continue tospread and
crowd each other. Unlike the grated
peach trees with which Marylanders are
familiar, and which do not attain any
great size, the orange becomes large
tree, and its shade will cover Is or 20 feet
diameter As it will live over hundred
years, it is not known exactly what size
it will ultimately reach but in the mean-
time, as its growth is gradual, many
small trees may be made to do the duty
of plantation of large ones, transplant
ing being practicable whenever there is
crowding. This is the course pursued by
planters very largely, and some have,
after ten years growth, been compelled
to transplant at considerable cost. The
oldest groves have heard of are 40 years
of age, but they are seedlings.
Tho nrauup native To Florida is SOur
| and bitter. The sweet oranges come
from the seeds of foreign fruit. Judge
White, of Gadsden, who rendered the
que warranto decision in Florida in the
| presidential contest of 1876, and whom l
met on this visit, says his father, who
was collector of one of the gulf ports
under Andrew Jackson, raised oranges
from the seed of sweet fruit. In what is
now Orange county, under territorial gov
ernment, after the acquisition in 1921,
DIR. Seers also raised Seeding sweets, and
from these and other sources also good
fruit was scattered in various parts of the
State but it was not until after the wide
| spread grating and experiments for early
peaches in other parts of the Union had
established new and remunerative
industry in peach growing that the same
| pToCesseS Weie tuoubht Vi 60 nPPiAS"bie
to the indigenous tree and buds of the
imported orange Seeding. From that
time orange culture became new
industry.
For the present there is "big money
for growers who have 10-year-old groves,
and for 10 years to come there may be
great profit in the business. But through
out the length and breadth of the land
oranges are being planted everywhere.
There is not log cabin but has a few
young trees, and as the forests disappear
or range groves are taking their places.
In most plantations large numbers oi
forest trees are allowed to remain until
the time comes when they must all go tc
make room for the orange; but in this
way it is thought the State will not be
subjected to any very great climatic
changes, which are incident always tc
abrupt wholes ale destruction of forests.