The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-08-22
HOLDING THEIR FRUIT.
The Orange Trees Are Promising a
Big Crop.

sion-The Kind Of a Commission
Wanted Some Remarks about the
Gate City Rifles.
Sanford Fla, Aug 21.-Hot2 Well
we've Just been smiling over the reports
If hot waves in Savannah, Charlotte,
Atlanta and Jacksonville, but that now
eur daily and refreshing showers are
aver, we are also sweltering in the mid
aleof the day. However, long before sun
down there comes uD a cooling breeze
and we manage TO survive.
Miss Annie Appleyard, the accom-
plished daughter of Col. T. j. Appleyard
of the Gate City Chronicle has gone TO
Atlanta, where she is the guest of Mrs.
". c. DodsOn at her elegant home on
Washington Heights Miss Annie is a
great favorite with the Florida Press As
sociation, as she is a bright scholar, a fine
elocutionist and a Jealous worker in the
Epworth League Of the Christian En-
deavor in this city. Her many friends
here hope that her visit to Georgia's
capital city will be both pleasant and
profitable to her as she will find there
many congenial spirits in the Christian
EndeavOr field who will give her hearty
greeting.
THE GATE CITY RIFLES.
This has been one Of Sanford's dullest
Rifles and the Second Battalion band
have been in camp a ST Augustine. We
never dread TO have them go anywhere,
under any condition, for their conduct is
always that of high-toned Christian
young gentlemen. 1t is doubtful if any
two similar organizations in the United
States can show such a clean record.
They wear the white ribbon of purity
wherever they go. Capt C. D, Letter,
one of our leading young merchants, has
made it a point 10 sacrifice nothing for
popular success that can in any way i'm
pair the high moral standard of his eff
fcient corps They must be Christian
gentlemen as well as expert in military
science, and this has made the Gate City
Rifles famous.
FLoRIDA's MUCK BEDS.
1t looks now as though the state were
about to get some revenue out of the ex-
tensive muck deposits in the ST. Johns
river and its tributaries in this section.
The East and South Florida Muck Min
tng and Improvement Company of this
city has commenced operating in earn est
near this city on Lake Jesup. Hon. J. n.
Whitnor is the president and Col.
Thomas J. Appleyard of the Gate City
Chronicle one of the directors. The
charter gives them the right to mine
these rich muck deposits, for which they
pay fixed royalty into the state treas
ury. A powerful dredge takes up the
muck, after which il is dried, pulverized
and screened at the company's wharf.
Its value as a fine fertilizer insures big
sale, and large revenue to the state.
TREES DROPPING FRUIT.
Now that the daily heavy rains have
ceased the orange trees are holding their
fruit remarkably well, there being a very
few drops" in this section. Sometimes
Se think too much rain causes them to
fall of in great numbers, as they did last
year, and then again we attribute it to
such drought as we had this spring But
Thomas Mehan, the eminent northern
horticultural writer, claims that it is ow-
ing to imperfect fertilization; and on that
account the trees returned no pollen on
their stigma while in bloom. This latter
proposition may be true, that perfect
pollination is necessary to secure fruit
that will mature properly, yet l have
seen two trees side by side, each ferti-
lied in the same manner, the one drop over
half its fruit and the other less than a
fifth. Imp erfect fertilization, think, is
not the main cause.
NOT THAT KIND OF COMMISSION.
There seems to be wrong impression
abroad in regard to the issue between
Maj. Abrams and Maj. Marks. The
people OF Orange county do not want such
railroad commission as Mai. Abrams
and his reformers would give the state,
but they do favor such a commission as
Maj. Marks mas been willing to vote for
The same is true of nearly every county
In Florida; the people want just and i'm
partial railroad commission; one that will
give the fruit and vegetable growers some
relief from present seeming troubles in
the matter of transportation. The re
formers" so-called, are seeking TO get a
commission that will fight the railroads
and do the people no good in the end
remember well how the commission in
Georgia was created and altered and
amended until it became the model for all
other states in its impartial charac-
ter and the high character of
its commissioners. 1t originated. it is
true, in fight against the Southwestern
railroad by the people of Americas, but
before the commission had taken full
shape this element of antagonism had be-
come modified. Probably no man in the
state rendered better service in the
troublous times in which the commission
was born that Col. H. s. Haines of the
Savannah, Florida and Western railway.
but now general manager of the Plant
system. His argument, his newspaper
articles, his private suggestions-all were
of most helpful character and he with
other prominent railroad men secured a
commission that has stood the test OF
time.