The daily morning journal and courier., 1895-01-09
New Haven, Jan. 8, 1895.
THE NBW HAVEN or FLORIDA.

A Fertile Region-oranges, PineappIes
 Bananas, Alligators, Frost, etc., etc.
 To the Editor of the JOURNAL AND CoURIl R
 Rockledge, Jan 5, 1895.
 have just spent week in this new
 New Haven, as it really ought to be called, for a New Haven colony has been planted on the shores of Indian river, and the sons of our city have chosen the fairest and richest spot in the sunny peninsula, The scenery Is of the finest in Florida; the winter weather is perpetual June. It is one of the most fertile spots in the state; it Is in the very heart of the orange region. The finest oranges in the world are raised on the Indian river. The idea that one gets of Florida riding on the railway train from Jacksonville to Rockledge is very disappointing, There is the same endless stretch of pines, and palmettoes, with scarcely culti- vated spot, except in the vicinity of the few villages one passes. When you have seen one mile you have seen the | whole, but there Is delightful change at Rockledge. It seems like stepping l from the desert into a garden. This is hardly an exaggeration, for in all the world of horticulture I know of no sight so surprising or so thrillipg, as an orange grove. We are all familiar with the color of oranges, and about as much so with the color of the orange 1 leaves, a deep glossy green, but none | the less the combination, when the orange trees are loaded with fruit, Is an effect in color which is surprising in the extreme. Having seen many of the botanical gardens In the tropics, I do not hesitate to say that an orange grove is the most beautiful, as well or the most surprising sight in tropical vegetation. It is one, though we know it's colors beforehand, which is never anticipated.
 Few people have any idea how heav- fly the orange trees bear One of the first groves I visited, was that of our well known fellow townsman, Allan D. Baldwin. He has about eleven acres of trees of fourteen years growth, all heavily loaded with fruit of more than usual size. One of these trees, Ca mere chance selection), according to the esti- mate of an old orange grower, had on it about twenty-five hundred oranges. Assuming this to be a. fair estimate, I should say his trees aver aged a yield Of not less than eighteen hundred oranges each. The trees were planted as thick as those of peach orchard in Connecticut. What a sight it was to look through the long rows of dark green trees weighed down with their shining fruit! The next grove we visited was the pioneer grove of Indian river, the property of Senator Gardiner Hardee. Here are about ten acres of trees of twenty-five years growth. The largest of these trees were from thirty five to forty feet high. The diameter of their branch extension being from twenty-five to thirty-five feet. The trees of this grove were so heavily laden that the branches had to be propped some of them bearing accord ing to estimate as many as seven thousand oranges each. Trees In this region have been known to bear as many as ten thousand. visited among many others the grove of the late Lewls D. Powe of Ansonia. which consists or twenty acres of old trees.
 This grove is noted for it's shaddocks, being the largest on the river. The shaddock is a specie of orange about twice as large as the ordinary grape fruit. with a similar bitter sweet flavor. It is a singular sight to see tree hang ing full of these huge oranges.
 The groves I have mentioned belong to one unbroken orange forest, four miles long: divided only by the wire fences, which mark the boundaries of the different properties.
 Among others owning groves in this belt are A. N. Clark of Plainville, ex- Senator Day of Ansonia, William Mer- win of Milford, George P1att, Mrs. b. A. Chatfield and H. P. Shares of New Ha- ven. Our last named fellow townsman has also a fiourishing grove of young lemon trees which have begun to bear we'll On this property we saw the best growth Of naval oranges. These are seedless oranges twice the size of the or- dinary fruit, very juicy and of deli cious flavor; they are seldom shipped north, MT. Shares is one of the founders of our new New Haven. He is the proprietor of the Rockledge hotel, which | really ought to be considered, if not | called, the New Haven house, as for sev- eral years it has been, and has deserved | to be, the especial resort of New Haven | tourists. I venture to say, if my eX- perience is any test, that visitors from | our city are regarded at this house as friends as well as guests.
 It is managed by Allen Treadway, | the son-in-law of MT. Shares, and | James Punderson who, in the summer, | are the managers of the we'll known Red | Lion Inn at Stockbridge, Mass. The Indian River" and Plaza" are large and we'll conducted houses.
 Among our fellow townsmen owning winter residences at Rockledge, in ad- dition to those already mentioned, are c. w. Blakesless, Ager Wheeler and Norris Bristol. The belt of orange groves I have mentioned is only one of many plantations extending along the river from about ten miles above to about ten miles below Rockledge. I am unable to give any accurate idea of how profitable orange raising is. The trees begin to bear when they are three