Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1883-01-06

bed no larger than this one have this year been
sold In New York city for Sc apiece.
SOME fANous ORANGES.
Then there were the Mandarin and Tangersne
oranges, that lady In Kid gloves can peel and
eat without selling her finger tips. These vari-
cites are in great demand at s'nel parties in the
great cities, and readily command. from &c 10
$40 box. Navels aud Homosasas come next,
and are only second to the former In quality and
market value. As curfoslties in fruit culture,
We were shown sweet lemons and sour or
anges, perfect fruits In size and form, only they
seem to have exchanged pulps The little n.y.
| bird from China, perfect orange In shane hav-
| ing a sweet rind and sour pulp is a beauty az
| the size of plum tomato, and Is much priced
by the Celest!as in its native country for making
into sweetmeats.
TROPICAL FLORIDA.
Sanford may be termed the gateway TO tropl-
| cal Florida; and as the wonders OF Bellaire are
| fairly representative of all that We afterwards
saw in our trip further south, it will bee injus-
tice to other and newer parts of the state which
We afterwards visited, to say that tie best that
we saw In other parts was only repetition Of
| the fruits and flowers OF Belaire Turning from
| this place, one feels like eNcsiming. Behold,
the half was not told me-" Speaking broadly Of
Florida. the wonder is that the orange lime and
| lemon Will grow everywhere and SO luNurigntlv.
| wherever the conditions are favorable. short
ride by rail- brought us 10 Orlando the county
seat OF Orange county, where We met Ex-Gov-
| ernor Sinclair and his stalwart partner n L.
Mills, and had only time 10 decline with thanks,
Their hattering Invitation TO tarry over a day
ana see what Yankee enterprise can accomplish
on Florida sand. Here we left the railroad and
took teams for the southwest and the margin OF
the Everglades.
CAMrING OFT IN FLORIDA
From Orlando to the southern terminus OF
our Journey is 100 miles. which We accomplish
ed in three days. Camping out tour nights. 60
ing and returning and gaining stores of expe-
rience. which enables US to verify the remark OF
one OF Florda's land agents that the climate Of
that state. alone. lis worth 800 an acre" our
first nights experience with the rain, If faith
fully chronicled, would require a column, and
then. quoting from the old Queen OF Sheba,
again. THE half would not be told" Where
out OF Florida could such a night be accom-
pushed 10y such party, without shelter tents
WITH no unpleasant consequences? Not atwinge
| OF rheumatism, neuralgia. or even q cold did
one of us suffer.
| FROST BELOW THE FROST LINE.
| Saturday and sunday nights. the 10th and
18th of December. 1882, there was frost In south
Florida, not killing frost" but frost. and Q
scum of ice, and that, too. below latitude 2so.,
the boasted southern limit or frost line" Asa
consequence bananas folded their leaves
and changed color to q deep brown. Guayas
were slightly nipped. Lemon trees faded
little, SO did pineapple plants. except those un-
der covering: but the hardy orange did not
blanch Neither leaf nor fruit In that part OF
Florida, nor anywhere south Of the north line OF
orange county, showed the slightest injury
| from the frost.
| OF the country from Orlando down to Fort
Meade in Polk county, little can be said to dis
| tInguish 1t from an equal area lying to the
northward. For the first forty miles OF the
way the road Law through a succession Of pine
| forests. interspersed with low hummocks cy-
press swa,nps. and sand hills covered with
| the saw palmetto. After that the quality of the
land is sensiby improved and beautiful lakes
with smooth, sandy shores. surrounded by roll
ing, high pine land, Astounding in building sites
and natural homesteads. which lack nothing but
settlers aud buildings to complete the loyeliest
landscapes in the world. One little lake, about
hve acres in extent, which our party christened
Lake Nelly" is worth $1,000 an acre for its
beauty alone. If 1t would only bear Transports
ton TO Washington, and could he set down
south of the avenue, Babcock's lake would soon
run dry with envy.
WHERE A RAILROAD Is WANTED.
Barton, the county seat of Polk county, lacks
only railroad facilities to become soon thriv-
Ing and prosperous town. Fort Meade twelve
miles south, named after the late commander Of
the Army OF the Potomac, islocated on the banks
OF Peace creek, Of which stream a pleasant le-
gend is Claimed: that whoever drinks of ito
waters is sure to return. We mbbed to test
the question. Peace creek unlike other Florida
| streams which We saw. has fairly rapid cur
rent. indicating higher bordering lands ana
more rolling country. As fairly illustrating the
value OF transportation facilities i'm q new coun.
try, the orange grove belonging to Judge Wilson,
near Fort Meade should be noticed. This grove
ABOUT twelve acres in extent. contains 500
bearing trees nearly 100 of which are sirteen
years Old A single tree was shown us from
winch ten thousand oranges were picked
| last year. 1t Is estimated to bear not less than
SIX thousand oranges at the present time
although nearly one-quarter OF 1t had evidently
oeen plucked, while other parts Of the tree
| were still loaded with fruit.
| ORANGES BY THE MILLION.
Here, upon this grove, were at least $50 600
ripe oranges In sight Cor perhaps LOCO bushels)
| of the finest quality by actual sampling The
| crop, II within easy reach OF the railroad, would
| be worth 50 900 on the trees. Yet they are IS
| miles distant from Tampa. on the gulf, the
| nearest shipping point, and will hardly pay the
cost of transportation.
In summing up my impressions of Florida (all
| OF whici are pleasantly. II appears to me that to
| the settler and the tourist her orange groves
will always be her greatest charm: for this tree
whether standing alone or I'm grove In fruit
| or i'm blossom. I'm winter OF summer is q
"thng of beauty" ami must be ga joy forever"
1t is almost as natural to the soil Of Florida a.
her pine forests.
VIII orange growing always pay7 The an
swer TO that question Is farther on than our
trip extended. Ii pays to-day upon the same
conditions that apples, potatoes and cabbages
pay in localities farther north.
Iiaint Ncwsboys Got No Rights,
To the Editor Of The EVENING STAR:
Last Sunday er hull lot on US got tergether
| on Their korner of leventh and gee NV. street
erbout erclock in ther mornln and kept tryip
ter let folks no that we had papahs ter sell and