Morning journal and courier., 1888-03-28

fered partial eclipse. But there are strong
Indications that this obscuration will not last
much longer. The orange fever will hardly
be revived, and it is far from desirable that
it should be. While it lasted we suffered all
the evils of a one-crop system. Besides, it
diverted immigration from that large portion
of the State where oranges cannot be grown
with profit, but where people can more readily
make q living by mixed agriculture. The
great freeze, therefore, did some good in
checking rash investment and reckless plant
ing and turning peoples attention to more
substantial branches of rural industry.
Besides the orange, no fruits had obtained
much favor in Florida before 1886, except a
few of still less hardy nature For a few
years the lemon had been planted largely in
southern Florida and the fruit was shipped
in considerable quantity. Being less perish
able, it promised soon to rival the orange in
public favor. The lime succeeded finely in
the same region, as did the grape fruit, cit.
ron and shaddock, but they were but little
grown except for ornament and home use. In
the orange belt the guava had come to be re-
garded as standard fruit, and degervedly So,
for there is scarcely another that can be put
to a greater variety of uses, or used more
months in the year. In 1885 it was plentiful
in the Jacksonville market, but it could hard
ly be shipped fresh out of the State. These
with bananas, (planted mainly for ornaments),
scuppernong grape, and more
rarely some inferior peaches and
pears, the Japan persimmon, the loquat, the
mulberry, pomegranate, and few varieties
of improved grapes, comprised the minor
fruits of the circus belt. The cocoanut and
pineapple, formerly confined to the southern
keys, were coming into notice as fruits
adapted to the latitude of Lake Gkeechobee,
and the latter fruit had succeeded well on the
eastern coast as far north as Cape Canayeral.
The mango and Avocado pear had fruited
beautifully as far north as Tampa. These
and other sub b-tropical fruits were planted
still further north, and there was growing
disposition to put them to the seYerest test
in climate subject to a lowsr range of tenn
perature than they could by nature endure.
Such was the situation when the memora-
bic cold wave swept over US, driving the mer-
curry down to lower mark by four degrees
than had been known since 1885. To make
matters worse, this cold wave was of twice
the usual duration, which is two days. All
citrus fruits that had not been gathered, ex-
cept in the southernmos5 counties and on the
Indian river, were frozen. The orange groves,
which had been the pride of Florida, were
stripped of their foliage and remained bare
and dreary during the remainder of the win
ter. Weak trees were seriously damaged, as
were lemon and lime trees, while guaYes and
the whole list of sab-tropical fruits were
killed to the ground.
Native trees of sub-tropieal species, such as
the black mangrove and the rubber tree, some
of them fifty years old, were killed, proving
the exceptional severity Of the weather.
North of latitude 80 degrees on the Atlantic
side of the peninsula and 90 degrees on the
gulf neglected and unprotected orange groves
were badly damaged, while some even on the
northern border of the State were scarcely
injured except by loss of foliage, which began
to put out again in March. This event, oc-
curing at the beginning of the tourist sea
son, and when southern California had just
become accessible to tourists proved disas-
trous TO Florida in its immediate effects; vet
looking toward the ultimate welfare
of the State, it must result bene-
fcially. The orange has shown itself to be
much harder than was supposed. Attention
has been turned from sub tropical fruits and
in seeking for substitutes many hardy fruits
have been brought into notice which will add
greatly to the peoples comforts and sources
of income. Faith in the one-crop system has
given place to desire for greater variety. The
people have been led to inquire and expert
ment and by this means have come to know
that the orange belt as we'll as the cotton belt
of the State is adapted TO great variety of
profitable and attractive industries.