The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1882-04-28
How to Make an Orange Grove Pay.

How to Make an Orange Grove Pay.
A man who owns frll-bearing grove
Of 1000 orange trees, covering twenty
acres of land, has perfect independ-
ence for himself, for his wife, and for his
children who live after him. 1t is clearly
within the province OF any man OF
moderate means and energy to secure
his great boon. The quality most
needed for such venture is patience.
A man who wants an orange grove must
make up his mind to wait ten years be-
fore he can realize the promise OF his
enterprise. Asto the cost submit some
figures given me by Colonel Markham.
Said he: GA man should not start
an orange grove and depend on making
1t support him while the trees are ma.
turing. The orange region is mot worth
cent for anything but oranges. A man
may raise his vegetables. but he can dc
nothing with corn, grain, cotton o,
grass"
quiredT
"No man ought to start with over
500 trees unless he intends to hire some
ono to help him. This is all he can at.
tend to, and this will make him inde.
pendent for life when he gets it in full
bearing. A model investment, and
one that could not fail to bring wealth
and prosperity, would be this Let him
take 1000 and buy twenty acres oi
good orange land at $50 an acre. Then
let him get 800 young trees at fifty
cents each. 1t would cost him twenty.
five cents each to set them out, or say
$500 for the trees and planting. Then
for $1,000 he could build pretty good
house. This would represent SO,
outlay for his home and grove. To be
safe make it $1,000. Then he should
have in cash Sc. 900 to support his fam.
lily for six years. In the fifth and sixth
years he might hope to get some return
from his grove, but he should moi
count on this as part OF his support.
All the revenue from the grove for the
first five or six years should be deyotei
- r~-tti..o vuI Lew IreeS ana In 1eftil
izing and improving his place. With
what vegetables he could raise. and
poultry, etc., he ought te
keep bis family very well on the
$1,000 year. He might supplement
this by working at q profession o,
trade when able, but he would need
all his cash. This wonld make 81. .0OC
for his investment and $1,000 for his
expenses, or 80, 1000 in all Now, add
ST. 900 for txigencics and mako the
total $40, 900. This is as little as any
man ought to start with and feel Ger.
tain of getting through"
But" continued Colonel Markham,
"see what he would have when he goi
through. He would have five hundred
trees in bearing and good for 81. 900
income for the seventh year and
steady increase until it reached 1000
from the FIVE hundred trees. But
these five hundred trees would only
occupy about eight acres of his twenty.
In the meantime he should have set
out, say one hundred new trees a year
lat seventy trees to the acre. acre. the tn trees
teen acfos of his twenty he had one
thousand trees ranging from seven
years to two in age. This property
would then be worth S25. 900 at least.
In three more years, or ten years from
starting, it would be worth probably
$4,000 and would increase in value
every year."
w uub MOuu ~ rcpTtbents
at would represent ten years
work and an investment OF $4,000.
Half of this would be invested the first
year, the other $4,000 would be used
during the first six years as needed.
This expenditure might be decreased
by an active man, and the result might
be bettered by shrewd one. But /
put the figures at fair average, and
even at this do not think $4,000 or
zen years time could be put anywhere
that it would pay better, or more cer-
tainly."
Colonel Markham's canton against
man without capital undertaking an
orange grove is wise one From the
tivation from the day they are planted
as long as they bear. A great many
the ground and put out their trees have
settled in Florida. and wasted two OF
three years, only to See their trees dies
and themselves return to the homes
they left. They were misled by the
idea that they could scratch the soil
and it would laugh harvest, and live
like princes by hunting and fishing.
OF course, failure has overtaken all such
people. A number of poor men who
are carpenters or mechanics have built
up fine properties by living cheaply
and sticking out few orange trees
whenever they had a surplus dollar.
There is plenty OF work for almost any
workingman in Florida. and every
orange tree he brings to maturity is
worth from $50 to 500, and will give
him from So to $40 every year. As they
cost only fifty cents for three'year-old
seedlings, any hard.working. economi-
cal mechanic ought to put out nifty or
a hundred year. Lake HTrey (Fla.l
Correspondence.