Daily Republican., 1888-01-26
oAAseEs AND ORANGE aSovns
wilmingtonians Amongst the Orange
Groves sf FioIids-An Interesting
Letter from One Of Them

4
A syndicate of Wilmingtonlans
principally has purchased q tract OF
two thousand acres OF orange grove
land In Polk County, Florida, some
eighteen miles from Barlow, the coun-
iy seat of that county. One of the
members of the syndicate, Mr.. Samuel
Johnson, OF the Dayton Hedge Fence
Company, returned from Florida u
few days ago, and another whose let.
ter Is appended, remained in Florida
TO look after the interests OF the syndi
cate.
Polk County Is located in the south
ern interior of Florida so far South
that it is free from the frosts which
frequently and with considerable effect
irjure the fruit crops Of Northern
! Florida Thou0h the land which the
! Wilmington syndicate nas y''rchasec.
is unimproved it is ON the line oil two)
railroad surveys, and it is believed
that either or both of the roads will be
built in q very short time. 1t is the
purpose of the syndicate to lay out a
town aud improve their tract TO the
best advantage. Being located amongst
a number of inland fresh water lakes.
which render the atmosphere humid
and moist, it is admirably adapted TO
the culture of the orange and sll other
semi-trorical fruit The syndicate
proposes to reserve GAO acres Of their
purchase ter the laying out of broad
streets and avenues for the building ola
town. The remaining 1850 acres
will be divided up into orange groves
ol five or ten acres apiece and sold
upon something like the following
conditions:
Ten acres will be sold Tor 500,
twenty per cent. Of ii cash and the
balance within year. The syndicate
or company will clear the land, fence
1t and plant it with iour-year old bud
ded orange quicks, 70 to the acre Tor
from 800 to 5000 more, making the
grove cost at the end of the first year
from $500 to 81 900. The syndicate
!. will then cultivate the grove for four
years longer for $l2j per year, making
the grove stand at the end OF that
time about 81 500, at which time il
! the purchaser does not wish to retalu
=, his grove and enjoy the profits, the
i syndicate will purchase it from him,
giving him t2. 800 for the same, the
: purchaser having given the syndicate
one years notice of his desire to sell.
a Another plan proposed by the syn
l dicatc is 10 organize a general stOch
company, which will not. however
!, interfere with those purchasing sepa
3 rate groves for themselves, under tht
IS first plan. A person subscribing ant
paying q certain amount of stock, will
= have that stock increased by the profit
" OF the stock plan until it will be sutli
y cient to purchase grove at the end o
: four or five years. For instance,
= person subscribing $3.50 In stock viii
pay 1t in installments during a periOC
n of eighteen months. The profits from
g. the syndicate on S250 stock will
amount to sufficient in five years t.
/. entitle the purchaser TO one orang
= grove, commencing to bear, of at leas
! live acres, according TO the profits. A
:. the end of nine years these orang
" y trees; if in healthy growing cond
i ton, will produce from | 900 to 80
oranges per tree. The fruit sells at
n half cent all orange, from the tree
=. This would make the value of tree
bearing 1000 oranges each g., an
1919 per acre, allowing seventy fiv
q trees to the acre, or 1t would be 50, rs
!. tor grove of ten acres. Each yea
I of course, the grove will increase /
= value. Although the syndicate Offei
~ to give $2 500 Tor a ten acre grove ju
E. coming into bearing, to those who fir
{ purchased from them and wish to sc
g at the end of eight or nine years,
If should not be understood that this
the real value Of the grove. The ru
p. ing price OF groves OF that age is 81 ,0(
I Per ecre, but the pErchaser havir
= spent 81 500 in the preparation of b
grove, and desiring to sell a. any ris
the syndicate agrees TO give him an
how $500 for his grove, sufficient
2 allow him handsome profit on
..y investment. The foregoing, which
subject to modification, is the gener
es, ortline OF the plan of operations pr
posed by the syndicate. The io.iov
nd ing interesting letter. written TO
- Hersey of this city, will be read vii
~ general interest, rs it throws add
te tional light upon the orange cultuI
business
ORLANDO, Fla, Jan. 1S, 1898.
= MIR. 5. HERsEY SIR: IoI
ia Kind and welcome letter came duly
hand. | presume our friend, Il
as Colonel. has given you much infdrm
er ton, and | do not wonder at his heir
d. Go enthusiastic ove- Florida, | rea
in the papers of the terrible storms yc
ne are having and the extreme cold
he West. do not know how to rea
iae that it is mid winter, and in ciatir
my letters have to stop and thinl
n because with us 1t is just like our JuI
is. instead of January To see gardeI
es illed with growing vegetables, al
sr yards with blooming flowers, the peaC
ell trees in bloom, the delightful, war
~ end pleasant sunshine, all so nuC
'ry like the joyous sp-ingtime, is ia gre
contrast to what the people are hsviu
in the North Is 1t, then, any word,
that thousands of people come hi:h,
nd seeking health and pleasure in this d,
,,a 1n lisatful climatet
1t was on December Goth that col
~ "good-by" to my family and SON
nv friends at the Wilmington depot an
IS. stepped on board the fast mail trai
7, Tor the sunny South. We were raj
- idly borne along over frozen stream
Is and fields and forests clad with snow
g, and it did not disappear until we wer
" beyond Richmond, Va. Our trai
made good time, and we reached 8.
:. vaDoah, Ga, tn next morning at
,a uiclnck UpYe 81 nav train wao mad