The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1886-02-11

tiEvF 70 TIE Trees suo they VIII soon ~
} forth mes leaves end fresh blossoms. Blu
the season vilI be later ihan usual, for th
trees viii hare donble task TO perform-
pui forth their leaves aud blossoms at ih
same time. Oranges here abont Winte
Park. aud for the most part througbou
the state. are not marketable. After look
ing through hls orange grow. the gardpe
said 10 me. '.you can have every one il
the grove we shall not pick them" The!
did mot seem 10 mo 10 hare been 10
iured for immediate eating. aud ] Availet
myself Of bis very free oiIer and have eater
to my hearts content, from day TO day.
Great damage and loss has come TO th'
whole state ia this disastrous freeze; fol
no, only oranges. but Ill other growing
fruits. and vegetables have been almost
wholly destroyed. OF course, II 10 mol
easy to estimate the financial loss which
has come 10 the owners Of such property.
Florida's business prosperity is largely de-
pendent upon the growth and success oil
the orange crop; and the damage or loss Il
almost incslculable. The owners OF the
orange groves will hope for the most part
to save their trees. as they are not A. badly
injured A people feared they would be.
For days aud weeks after the freeze, they
have been employed 10 trimming the
young trees. cutting Of the Injured parts;
and the outlook for the future success ID
not altogether forbidding. Sad havoc was
made with other fruits such Is lemons.
lines, pineapples. guavas, bananas, etc.,
as well as most garden vegetables; most
all these were entirely ruined. None Of
the banana trees remain upright. These
grow quite tall, and have great leaves,
one and-a-half-yards in length, and the
stalk growing something like corn. Long
branches Of frozen bananas. and the trees
also. were lying upon the ground, cut
down by the frost utterly worthless. All
flowers. roses geraniums, ETC., ~ also
shrubbery OF oil kinds. have met with like
devastation and destruction.
Perhaps you will ask, ifall this is not .
Sc. ious obstacle aud drawback to the in
terests and future prosperity Of Florida
Those most interested and better acquaint-
cd with Florida, in all its conditions and
capabilities. will answer you most EN- that.
ically. No! Those who best know south
Florida in all its past record or history,
know full well that its power Of recupera-
ton is great. An almost perpetual sum-
mer temperature will soon bring new life
and growth to all vegetation. There is
virtually an almost continuous growth and
production of fruitage. You at the north
are not SO fortunate in this respect. II
the crop of one season is cut down by frost
or drought, you must patiently await the
return OF a new spring and summertime
before the harvesting car come. Such o
freeze as has come to Florida, recently, is
not Of frequent occurrence; not once in ten
years, hardly once in twenty years, per-
haps not again IN hslf-century. What
part OF our land does not have visi tation
of Providence, by drought, frost, blast,
tempest or other causes, before which the
arm OF man is totally helpless! How often
does the reaper look in vain for his harvest
Without doubt, the cultivation Of the
orange crop is the great and growing
business interest Of Florida; and it is as
yet but in its infancy. There are many
millions OF acres yet in the state which
have not been brought under tillage; these
fold their wealth; and proper diligence
and industry will reap rich return.
Many who have patiently labored and
waited for the orange crop Of 1886 are
doomed to bitter disappointment. Many
have lost their thousands, many their tens
OF thousands Of dollars, by this visitation
Of extreme cold; but, as before said, fifty
years may come before another like disas-
ter. So the struggle will still 60 on, and |
The labor Of man will be still rewarded |
with seed time and harvest.
Let no one put their "faith" in Florida, |
nor their money either, without due I'M.
lerstanding OF tho matter, which is best
obtained by careful and thorough per-
,onal investigation. OF late, 10 oil our
country. there has been an evident ten.
lency OF capital or capitalists to degrade
legitimate business interests, by undue
Ipecnlstion. And this corruption of bust
,ess, has not failed to reach even 80 worthy
county MS Florida. Let all schemers and
'land-sharpers" go for nsught 1t is well
hat the press OF our country has given its
Warming notr, even concerning "specu-
alton" in Florida The people Of Florida,
hose who are the most earnestly and
leeply engaged III the promotion Of its
'est interests will only encourage an hon
ut and fair investigation. Let abuses
md wrongs and false pretences be fully
xpossd lit is good and worthy work.
{ will check cheating where cheating is
4
Intended; it will prevent much disap-
continent and consequent dissatisfaction.
That the Speculation is abroad in the
and" even in Florida, is well known. But !
ct it be remembered that there can be no
Wholesale charge or application Of this i
attire; all Florida cannot be included.
here are large tracts Of land here which
all times and under Ill circumstances
eward the honest labor Of industry. 3
here are places 10 Florida which more
early approach 70 being Paradise on /.
arth," than any other locality in the
United States. Air, water. land, all vege-
Able growth, natural or cultivated. pos.
ess every desirable quality and capacity
excellence which cannot be excelled or
oualad sn~ vhaxa M rauraa thava ava