The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1882-12-26
A SUMMEK LAND.
The Climate md Fruit OF rFlorit,a- PoIu;.
on Orange Culture.

A"SShH""acNnu aEuu OI Florida. pOIncs
on Orange Culture.
The following extracts are taken from
letter written IRON Orange county. Florida
to i gentleman in this city:
'l landed in Jacksonville layt Mondav
week. To-day was cloudy, with quite n
cool air stirring. | was out all day driving
but the fire felt us good us up North. Tbs
mercury was at $50 1T noou. It was cool
and frosty for two or three days alter
came TO the State, and the mercury wen,
down to 31', bringing frost, but such irost
mere does not hurt oranges. 1t ripens and
s5weetens them. 1t injured some OF the
bananas. Pine apples are always protected
by some light, cheap covering. Northern
people who come 10 Florida, make the trin
Of the st. Johns river and 70 to ST, Aup,,s.
tide, 30 home with the idea tllat aside from
tic fine fruits, there is nothing here excent
swamps, alligatols, flies, MOSQUITOES. fro;u
&c., &c. Nothing would induce me to i've
near the St. Johns. Butup here the coun.
try is high from 10 to ITO feet above the
surface Of the lake. rolling, well drained
dry aud, think, us healthy us my mart oi
the Ohio river valley. I've seen NOTHING
Of the dampness and mould on everything
that we read about, In Florida. The men
curry stands ut about 50' mornings and
evenings, and goes to 10' or S0o IRON 10 4.
n. 10 N. wear my overcoat early II,
the mornings anil after =. NJ. Sometime.
We have fire in the evening, in the sittiup.
room-the only room in the house that has
fire. It is not needed in bedrooms, Tha
average Florida house is not plastcred, and
is not AS good by long ways rs your fath.
er's barn, though you will find yery nicp
Intelligent class OF people from the Sor,h
and East living in such houses. Lam yerv
much pleased with the people here-mucn
better rs class than can be iouna on ill.,.
farms in the West. '
The land here is nothing but sand, ond
one would think that nothing woull'yrow
on It. II is the only ground suitable ior
semi.tropical fruits. The wire rrasa grow W.
in tufts, and our grass can be grown In s ths
yards, though I've seen very little Of il.
Lave been in many orange groves, from
one to fifteen years old. An orange tree
full Of fruit, is the handsomcst thing OF ill.,
tree kind that have ever seen, and for n
grove Of bearing trees, oranges, lemons
LINES, citron, guaya, Japan plums, r..
with this winter climate, the finest OF roses
ind our tendercst hot house plants bloom.
lug here the year round, l would be viii.
ilns to give up everything in the north bmt
friends. '"t
The published statements in reuard "a
cost oil starting und keeping up q groye
&c, arc not worth the paper they ara
printed on. 1t costs more, but the rei,,rns
!'s II general thing, are wonderful, / was
IN grove yesterday OF secdlings-twelye
or thirteen yours from the secd-beariuv
two, some three years. Some OF them have
borne 1000 oranges. 4 lemon, tree, less
than five years from bud, had 1000 le!nous
On it this year. Oranges begin to bear At
iour or five years from the bud, but don't
pay much before, from six TO eigl1t yeaIu.
1t depends OH LOCATION, soil and
care. The lime comes into bearinu
much earlier. Mr.. Gotsche, one oi
tho most Successful fruit growers hern
has thirteen lime trees, three years,from
the bud which paid him this season ahont
50 each. The pine apple will with proner
care, pay ut the rate Of $1,000 per acre the
second year. They do well in this comn mn
try; have been told by men who have bean
al orer Florida, have spent months hera ua
(havng no land to scll) that Orange conn.
ty, is, lor fruit culture and health, the best
county in the State Iwould moi want nm nm
Orange Grove more that one or two miles
from town. ltinjurcs tho fruit very much to
haul 1t to statious. The sand is deep and
hauling fruit few miles is a big JOB. 4 4
tree that bears oranges gives loud for tht.
oAe.horse wagons llSel here. A five acre
grove with, say 200 trees will at 8 TO in
years bear about 100000 oranges. For
that reason It's better to pay more for land
near 4 station. ~ d NJ.