The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1883-05-31


OWN OBSERVATIONS AND ENQUIRIES.
Mr. f. P. Mayo, of the Some Fset Reporter
has written some excellent Letters concerning
his recent Southern trip. What he has to say
of orange-growing in Florida will inte rest
many:
The question whether raisins oranges in
Florida for market is profitable depends upon
circumstances. 4 man living in Maine cannot
afford to purchase Il lot Of land at cost of $50
per acre, hire it cleared at IA cost bf $50, hire it
fenced and set with trees then hire the trees
taken care of for ten years and make much
money from the fruit he raises At the end Of
that time. This is what d mar must do if he
would have Il grove and not live near it. If.
however. a man goes to Florida and lives on or
near his lot and can assist in clearing, fencing
and setting the trees, and while they are grow
ing, work for neghbor a part of the time 50
as to live, at the same time keep allittle stock so
rs to make dressing for his trees and save buy
ing expensive and often times W brthleSs phos-
pilates, his trees will come into good bearing in
ten or twelve Years and will not have cost him
really anything but his time. and ;|l he gets will
be worth much more than if he had hired them
reared. Such Il man can make money raising
oranges provided he has good lahd. Oranges
Will not grow on pure sand, and hll arguments
to the contrary are all nonsense When you
trees that have apparently tllrove on sand
there is something that has not been told. All
men in Florida are not truthful ahy more than
are all editors handsome men. The land shark
abounds in the land. 1t is really amusing to
hear them discuss 1rhert the ''Orarlge belt is or
how far the frost line has been known to eN-
tend South. The fact is the orahge belt runs
just through their land and the frost line nere'
no ,,rccr was known to reach thenl. This is all
poppy cock. The frost reaches livery part of
Florida once in few years killing every green
thing. The orange belt is Il myth. Oranges
will grow anywhere in the state that the land
is not too sandy The way they fix the sand so
as to make it bear oranges so THAT sand banks
can be sold for orange land is to scoop out big
hole and fill it with muck, then tho trees are set
on the muck and the sand covers the muck from
sight. OF course some fellow will deny this but
have seen the trick performed. Indian River
where the soil is black and heavy j. undoubted-
ly the best for oranges but the climate is not
healthy for habitation. | have tbd you how
you could raise oranges proftably and how you
could not, now there Is still a better way to my
mind to get this worlds goods if that is what
you are after. | have already said that bear
ing grove or one under way is always good
property and ere this of course Sbme one has
thought why not raise groves instead of oranges :
That is the idea exactly. Let yOlHng man who
is not afraid of hard work and is Iwilling to go
into the woods and live on such fire as he can
find go to Florida, buy land in lalige tracts for
from s. to so per acre. according as it is locat-
ed ard 60 to work setting out small groves. He
can raise ten as well and as quick H. he can one
and if he has means at his command to hold on
to them till they begin to bear he can make a
very handsome thing. If he sells when the
groves are but few years Old he Eill probably
double his money, but its when a grove has
fruit on the trees that it will sell quick. The
man who buys it is doubtless Il business man
from the north who wants a grOvd. and if he is
an average nOrtherner who goes TO Florida he
wants it bad. He wants to 90 BAG k north and
tell about his Floridan orange gr pye. Proba-
bly, the first thing he will do will be to hire Il
man to take care of and the next thing he does
will be to find out that he has been terribly
stuck. His trees have been forced TO unnatural
growth and after bearing short time begin to
droop and die. Someone Whispefs to me that
raising groves on phosphate which are worth
less and selling them for big prices is swindling
and dishonest and that | should npt encourage
young men to go intoit. Of course it would be
in Maine, but after you have been 5eWed by the
pOpulace in Florida few months you feel per-
fectly justified in robbing every man you come
in contact with. Cheating is contagious and
the more man sees of it the greater the desire
to defraud. OF course orange groves can be
grown honestly but the trees do not look 50 at
tractive if allowed to grow naturally as when
forced by a plentiful supply of phosphate.
Phosphate used too freely, hoWevef, is like cake
for the small boy-it's bad for the boy in the
end
Florida is now prosperng, yes, it's Just boom
ing. and capital and capitalists are pOurng into
the state in great numbers. Whether it is
a good place to move to, is too general queS-
ton to be answered without more know ledge
of the person interested than was put on pos
tai card | received. | can perceiyd low al en-
ergetic young man full of push and with lit
tie money could go down there anl by careful
investments, hard work and prudfnt manage
ment could in il few years get richt can also
see how he could lose all he had How his wife
could be discontented and unhappy every mo-
ment she remained there. can also under
stand that it Is under certain crculh instances the
best place under the sun for m lln who has
nothing but his hands to help himself with
There he can live cheaper than Here, he can
dress cheaper and still be respected. He
can always find labor at good prices. But
these are not all the considerations to be
thought of. The climate might not be suit
ed to his temperament and after getting down
there ut a great expense he would be com.
PEELED to return to the north.
In the southern part of the state grazing is
getting to be quite an important industry, but
am told that those who engage ih it are as 4
ass an abandoned set who are cOntented
where the ordinary mortal wouu be pretty
miserable. The grass is of poor quality ant
the stock necessarily inferior They are but
little more than half as large as ouf stock anC
fatten very slowly. The experiment of bring
ing improved stock into the state tb cross will
their scrub stock has been tried by Il number
of breeders, but so far it has not proved sue
cesSful. The cattle die in the heat bf the sum
mer or become worthless for breeding purposes
before they become accimated. A nd w company
Just formed, however, is to try bringing the
cattle South when very young and see if they
cannot be reared in that manner. How il will
result is guess work. but old cattle men predict
a failure.
Whatever else can or cannot I'D raised the
state must ever be the early vegetable gardel
of the whole country. Strawberries and al
kinds of early vegetables can be safely ant
profltably raised in Florida before 1t is safe tt
plant seed in the north. The demand is evel
| on the increase and is already far in excess O.
the supply. Market gardening then promise,
to be an important bu mess in the state.
Thus far have tried to state the situation il
Florida just as it appears to me and | have
taken no little pains to obtain correct inform
alton, ] have talked with all classes and con
ditions of men. | have put the business out
look down just as it struck me. Another might
find 1t entirely different, although | find m,
opinions confirmed by not few who have in
yestigated as | have.
Sons of Vetarans