The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-05-20
IRRIGArroN ~ F1oRrnA.
Well-Conductsd Experiments Have
Proved Profitable.

NCNtN > N-AseAbAts
Maitland, Fla, May lo.-The long and
severe drought of last year caused many
orange growers and truck farmers in this
state TO feed the need of some reliable
system Of irrigation. Like everything
else connected with farming and fruit
growing, irrigation has had it's friends
and its enemies, and where tried has had
its ups and its downs. Some persons have
tried IL and failed TO see any benefit In it,
therefore gave il up; while other persons
have tried it with good results and still
continue its use The failures, To my
mind, were the result of improper meth
DDS and impatient expectation of immCdi-
ate great benefits.
The drought now prevailing in many
parts of the country has awakened a new
and livelier interest in irrigation, and
plants are being put into groves all over
the state. Perhaps the most conclusive
testimony to the faith in irrigation that
is now prevailing is seen in the great cost
OF the best of these irrigating plants
John b. Stetson, the famous hat manu-
tacturer, who owns several fine groves
at DE Land, has put in recently an irrigat-
ing plant of the most costly pattern
There are number of other extensive
plants in that vicinity, where is also pub
hshed handsome monthly called the
Irrigator, devoted to the subject of irri-
cation.
AT Oviedo, where are some of the finest
orange groves in the state, irrigation has
been fully tested and extensive plants are
numerous. Here at Maitland in several
large groves the whistle of the irrigating
plant engine is heard daily dur
ing this dry season L. +. Dom
erlck of New York, who paid $4,000 for
the SwOope grove, and has spent that
e141 a1f a -
proYements, recently put in a first-class
irrigating plant The Hopwood grove
has run big plant for two years with
excellent results, and this year the TRAY
elerS' insurance Company has put in one
in its grove near here. At Winter Park,
the noted winter resort where President
Plant has his elegant Seminole hotel,
several new irrigating plants are being
put in, the experiments at Oviedo and
other points having proved salts
factory in their good results.
The Bradley Fertilizer Company
has fine grove at AltamonJe Springs
in which George II. E'elnald, the we'll
known hardware and farm implement
dealer, has placed one of his best irrigat-
ing plants, the working of which gives
the most perfect satisfaction.
Lake Chorus, in the splendid grove of
Farewell and Lee, the $1,000 plant put in
/
Public attention by its superior facilities
for doing good work. The upright boiler
| has 2O-horSe power, working a l0-inch
pump attached to finch main running
through the center of the grove over l 200
feet, and having Pinch branch pipes
equally as long at stated points The
pump flows over 400 gallons of water a
minute, and this supplies n hydrants in
the grove, to each of which can be at
tackled 50-foot hose for spraying or
watering. These few items are
simply noted to give faint
idea of the system now prevailing in
Florida. The California plan is more
expensive and largely cooperative, as they
have few if any little lakes or artesian
wells to get water from. Here in Orange
county, the famous region of lakes, ;"
every grove nearly can furnish its own
water supply at small cost The plants
vary in price from 5000 to $4,000 accord
ing to size and pattern.
President Jonn =. Haines of the Ameri-
can Society for Prevention of Cruelty to
animals in New York, has valuable
grove near Sanford, in which Mr. Fer
maid is now putting one of his best plants.
And this suggests the most important
point in the whole matter. Why is il
that the most of these irrigating plants
are owned by rich men, mostly non-rcsi-
dents. One reason is that not many resi-
dent grove owners are able to pay 81 ,00C
or $4,000 or $4,000 for a
plant. 1t is also true that
these same men hesitated to spend sufii-
Gent sum of money in fertilizing their
groves. Such wealthy men as Haines,
Frost, Lee, Hopwood, Domerick, Pace,
Markham and others, who fertilize
heavily, do not complain that their groves
fail to pay. A man without good credit
or plenty of money has no business to try
to run an orange grove for profit. The
orange tree is a gormand and drunk
ard-it must have drink and be well fed
or it becomes next to worthless. For three
years we have had long dry spells that
have added the heavy expense of irrigat-
ing to high fertilization. Does it pay to
combine the two? Although Mr. Fernald
is a man of high character and fine bust
ness sense, would not be guided by his
opinion, because heis personally interested
in putting in the irrigating plant. BY OBJ
servation and careful inquiry find that
nine out of ten orange growers have faith
in high fertilization and thorough irriga-
ton. CHATHAM.
HE used to say there was nothing too good
for her, but it seems there was nothing too