The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-04-05

gies to lettuce. and let The rest Of his
garden take care OF itself.
Oranges grew In many parts Of the
island. the best ia Manchester and adj
joining parishes. II a man has a farm,
he IS likely to have orange trees on Il.
growing wild and bearing delicious fruit.
But. II a man came TO Jamaica and tried
70 buy 1000 acres OF orange trees, he would
probably have TO buy 1900. perhaps DWo
acres Of land to get them. For this land,
If improved properly, he would have 10
pay 50 to so an acre or more. He might
get 1t for less, If he was patient. and not
cousplcuOusiy anxious. Real estate sales
here are not any different in that respect
from those in other countries.
IL will be seen that there are no orange
groves here to buy or lease; but there is
plenty of land suited TO the growing Of
as fine oranges as can be had, and cli-
mate as near perfection as a climate can
be- There is never any frost and there
never viii be. unless the universe is
tipped upside down. Trees here, whether
wild or cultivated. are s.ngulsrly free
from diseases and insect pests. Labor is
cheap, ranging from 3 cents TO 80 cents
a day. il Is. however, very~uncertain. ia
maica laborers work when they feel like
IL, and four full days week is about the
average.
The cost of improved property ] have
nearly. If not quite. 10000 acres of land on
the island, and much Of this is we'll suited
to orange growing. This land is sold at
public auction. Any man may pick out
a piece Of crown land he would like
10 buy, and notify the proper authorities.
The land is then advertised to be sold at
auction. on the appointed day the would
be purchaser appears and offers a certain
sum. If the government IS satisfied with
the offer, and there are no other bidders,
the offer Is accepted. If there are other
bidders, the highest one gets it. Land sold
In this way costs from 81 to SO an acre.
The dollar-an-acre land is generally rather
inaccessible, the only road to it being
sheep path The higher price represents
land near a high road. To clear wild land,
simply 10 brush" 1t, costs from IS to s.
an acre. Young orange trees can be bought
at the botanical gardens.
Summing up the facts here presented:
Orange growers who have been frozen out
in Florida cannot buy bearing trees in
any number here. There are no orange
groves for sale or lease. With an al
valOrem duty of 40 per cent in the United
states and at least seven days between
the trees and the New York market, She
growers Of oranges in Jamaica will find
II pretty hard TO compete with growers
anywhere in the United States. If a Flor
ida grower wants to invest money in or
ange land, there is plenty Of such land
here, but he must plant trees and wait
for them to grow to profitable bearing,
six or ten years. as he did in his own state.
Intelligent men here do not advise Amer
leans to come here with the sole idea Of
growing oranges. Come to Jamaica and
llok around, they said. Find the land
you want and buy 1t. If it Will grow or
anges it VIII grow coffee and cacao, and a
variety of other products. Many Of these
are far more profitable than oranges.
Fruit growing in jamaica has proved re-
munerative even with old-fash3oned hap
hazard methods. Backed by American en-
tcrprise, energy and intelligence, 1t ought
TO be an excellent Investment.