Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-01-31
FRUITS OF FLORIDA.
The Poetry and the Practicability of
Growing the Orange.
MANY VARIETIES OF THE FRUIT.
A Semi-TropicaI Eden Built By Northern
Thrift and Capital.
CHANGES WROUGHT BIZ THE IRON Rail
WRITTEN FOR THE pIspArcH.l

ture can ever do justice to a grove of oranges
and lemons with their almost fabulous CO.
incidence of fruit and flowers. Nothing
too extravagant can be said of the beauty of
an orange tree. To see acres of ground COW
cred with perfectly even rows of them, in
their dark, glossy, green foliage and heavy
golden fruit, weighing the branches to the
very ground, is sight you declare at once
to be "up to the brag," and, if anything,
beyond The white, sandy soil, spread like
sheet under the trees, forms beautiful
contrast with the yellow and green of the
grove.
La this no spear of vegetation is allowed
to take root to dispute the claim of the
orange to the entire nourishIng properties of
the soil. The trees are planted far enough
apart to admit of team driving between
the rows To drive through a succession of
these orange avenues and pluck the sweet,
iuicy fruit along the way is equal to the
realization of beautiful dream.
Practical Side of the Orange Grove.
An experience like this captivates the
Yankee" as all Northerners are termed.
You are in love with Florida and want an
f'oranse grove" right away. As soon as the
first ecstacy of delight wears of you begin
to appreciate the beauty of the grove in
practical way. The round gold balls on the
trees suggest 10 your mind gold dollars, and
are apt to lead you to inquire how much
time, work and money is required to place
a grove in bearing condition. A few min
utes' conversation with the owner gives you
to understand that it takes at least nine or
ten years of patient waiting-the first five or
six of which represent nothing but hard
work.
The curse of earning bread by the sweat
of the brow has not been taken from Florida.
To have and to hold in this sunny cline
means lust as much work as In any other,
but you are perhaps a little more sure of
certain reward in good time. An orange
grove once in bearing insures an annual in
come through life. Trees once properly
planted need no replacing, live for years
and bear continually. 1t is not unusual to
come across trees, stout and hardy, which
have borne regularly for 20 years.
The Wild Orange Unfit to Eat.
The native or wild orange of which the
woods are full, is very sour and unit for
use In starting grove these young wild
trees are brought from the forest, trans
planted, and when grated with fine varieties
make, many think, the best bearing tree.
Others plant groves entirely in seedlings.
Again, YOU see groves which have been
started right in the woods, where the trees
have grown in their wild state, They have
been thinned out, budded, placed in rows as
even as possible, and are now thrifty bear
ing trees. A few years is gained by this
mode and more speedy result will likely
be realized.
The orange grower, like all others inter-
ested in fruit raising, is constantly seeking
after fine and new varieties. The latest or
newest freak in orange culture is known as
the navel orange. This odd specimen at
tracts considerable attention. 1t is large,
smooth, fine In flavor, and kind of double
orange From outside appearance this is
not noticeable. The slight indenture caused
by the dual growth marks the name OF the
variety on each yellow coat Inside the
main orange is a small one about the size of
q large hickory nut This miniature growth
is merely novel and does not ado any to the
quality of the fruit.
Few of the Many Varieties.
Other varieties better known and more
delicate in favor are the maugerine and tan
gerine. The russet, not being a pretty
orange. is hard TO dispose of to Northern
fruit buyers, but is here general favoriUe
and is we'll known to be the sweetest of all
the varieties. The grape fruit is another of
the orange family, but very unlike in taste.
1t takes its name from the way in
which the fruit clusters on the branches.
The fruit is very large, sometimes
measuring from u to Is inches.
Several dozen on a stem hang in great
cluster, like huge bunch Of grapes. The
fiber OF the wood is very strong, otherwise
the limbs would break under the great
weight of the fruit.
The medium size orange is always the
best. The large ones are, as a rule, coarse
and sour 1t is wonderful the size it is posi-
Bile to grow them. In a grove the other
day we measured one 171S inches.
This is the height of the orange season. In
all the groves now the fruit is being picked
and shipped. Some hold their crop back a
little later than others, in hopes of getting
better prices, but these run somewhat of a
risk a freeze in Florida at this time would
be a terrible loss. Every orange would
drop to the ground and be of no earthly use,
unless cooked into marmalade or used to fill
up some of her many lakes.
Famous Northern Orange Growers.
From 100 miles below Jacksonville in the
counties of Volusia, Orange and others, one
can scarcely get out of sight of a grove. 1t
is in this section we encountered the groves
belonging TO well-known people of the
North. Mrs. II. B. Stowe, De Land, the
New York starch man." and Stetson, the
chat king" of Philadelphia.
Exclusive orange culture in Middle and
Southern Florida is only of recent date.
Having no railroads there was of course no
market, and the native paid little if any at
tention to raising the fruit. Cotton, rice and
sugar cane were the principal products.
Now, since the railroads are crossing the
State in every direction, things have
changed. The Northern markets have been
brought to the farmers very door. The
cotton king mas been deposed-the orange
reigns supreme.
King Orange Dethrones King Cotton.
MANY of the old Florida planters have
gathered their last crop of Sea Island cotton,
and have laid out their plantations in plots
of from one-quarter to five acres. New peo-
pie have been coming in, and now we see
everywhere neat little homes with 'just
up" appearance, surrounded with gardens
and groves.
Ten years ago De Land was very little
more than pine forest. Now it is town
of beautiful homes in the midst of orange
groves. Every person in the place is in
terested in orange culture, most of whom
are of the North. The place is known here
as Northern town. LIE Land shows well
what veritable Eden it is possible to make
in this climate. Another interesting in
stance is the Burdett Island grove. About
two miles below Oakland, between Lake
Apopka and Johns Lake, is the little town
of Killarney. Near this and at the most
southern point on Lake Apopka lies the
Burdett Island Grove.
The owner, Judge Burdett, was originally
from Kentucky. Five years ago he came &c
Florida, settled at Killarney and bought
the Island Grove, which takes its name
L. L Id H.