The Republican journal., 1884-03-06
Orange Growing in Florida.
AN INDIGNANT FLORIDIAN TACKLES ''OUR
GEORGE" THE PROFITS AND PROSPECTS
OF ORANGE GROWERS. A LAND OF FLOW
ERS, FRUIT AND SUNSHINE.

AN INDIGNANT FLORIDIAN TACKLES "oUR
GEORGE" THE PROFITS AND PROSPECTS
| OF ORANGE GROWERS. LAND OF FLOW
Frs, FRUIT AND SUNSHINE.
So. LAKE WEIR, Fla, Feb. 10, 1884.
| To THE EDITOR OF THE JOURNAL. | re-
Gently came across copy of your paper of
date of Jan. 3lst, containing letter from ''Our
| George" which if it were not so misleading on
many points would be very amusing. His
| letter was written on orange growing in the
vicinity of Jacksonville, and as | have some
friends among your subscribers, [, for one,
would like them to understand that the state
ments of Our George" may apply to that Vi
entity, but are no more applicable to the state
OF fIorida at large, than an account of IA
Kitchen garden in the suburbs of Portland
would be to farming in Aroostook. Now can
not pretend to dispute these statements as ap-
piled to Jacksonville, as | never was there, but
| have the impression they should be taken
"""" g'u"o $altS,' even as applied to that vicin-
ity. But if "Our George will come to Lake
Weir we can show him an entirely different
state of things, from what he represents If
he Will visit our postmistress, Mrs. B. B..
Kicker, he Will see Il fine grove which was set
only years ago this winter and which has
already yielded generously, and now BY its
bloom gives promise of II crop for 81 which
would make Maine farmer rich. Mrs. Rick
er, by the way, is from Maine, as is also her
next neighbor Dr.. Faunce. who has a fine 10
acre grove. At Mr.. W. P. Coopers place he
can see some trees which were set, dormant
buds, in April 1880, and which bore well the
past year, one tree having IA saleable oranges.
At Martins place he can see seedlings of 10
and II years. bearing from 1000 to $500 oranges
| this year. The Lake Weir Orange Co. COM
posed of men from Westerly r.. |. have grove
here of 100 acres, part of which is of trees
budded years ago this winter, and they have
already borne handsomely and will undoubt-
edly bear some thousands of boxes the present
year. At Mrs. McArdle's are seeding trees of
u years which the present year bore from 1000
| to 2000 oranges, which sold on the spot for
$3.50 per thousand. Eagietons 4 Carnev's
grove of 30 acres on Orange Island is a wild
grove and has been budded years the past
season there were shipped from it $500 boxes
which netteo( the owners $50 per box some
what better than the budded wild grove started
10 years ago of which ''Our George writes,
which only gave 800 boxes to 80 acres. lie
speaks of the income of this grove Of 1000 trees
at maturity as being lat least so 900, a year"
have never seen a decent grove yet which was
not at the least good for $40 per tree. and
many are good for so.
Now "Our George asks what Il poor man is
a lyIi !.
Why. 90 to work of course just as lie would at
the north, on y not half as hard, and in Il
climate where he can work with health and
comfort nearly every day in the year. In this
vicinity work of all sorts is plenty, and wages
good, while living expenses are not nearly a.
| much as at home. Fuel costs next to nothing
but little being used, and that little is cheap.
Expenses for clothing, bedding. etc, are corre-
spondingly light. "Our George saws of the
thousands who are tlocking to Florida that
'nlne out of ten will be disappointed" but the
1acts do not bear out his theory. | can only
speak for this section, but here people are not
only prosperous and contented but most en-
thusaStic in regard to their new homes The
first settlement on this side of the lake was
made Years ago by Mr.. L. {. Porter formerly
| of \. IL. Now there is Il thriving community
of as well to do. thrifty intelligent people as
| one can find anywhere. At that time the near
est railroad was at GAINESVILLE - miles hence
and the nearest post office at Ocali n miles
Now there is Il railroad OH each side of the lake
with stations. telegraph offices. etc, good
school and Sunday school, first class hotel. and
almost every person on the lake side is from
the north. Of the settlers, am assured that
not one OF them was rich and most We're decid-
edly poor when they came here. but to-day |
don't think there is one who is worth less than
four or five thousand dollars and from tha. to
forty thousand, with a prospect in almost
every case of q rapid increase, on account Of
maturing orange groves Almost every yege-
table known at the north can be raised to per
fecion. Gardens yield cabbages, turnips, and
potatoes during the entire winter. and excellent
sugar and syrup is grown all about. At the
present writing corn, potatoes, etc. are up
tomatoes are set out. and pond lilies. wild
Jessamine, wild verbena and other flowers are
blooming in profusion. The mercury runs up
to 50 or 80 above ON most days. 4 gentleman
who has kept daily record for several years
past says that during the summer the mercury
has reached 90 above once. and % il few times.
but mostly it has been about s.. have not
seen person about here who is discontented
or VINO would for moment think Of going
north again, except to spend some of thcil
surplus cash, or to assist their needy relative,
left there, and advise them to come to Florida
If 'Our George" will come to Lake Weir we
Will see that he has all the oranges he can eat
and show him the prettiest country out OF
doors, with Il clear water lake, miles across
flne fishing, boating, shooting, and every thing
to make life desirable. LAKE WEIR.