The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-10-07
Tbe Outlook i'm I5Ioridn.


interest in the prosperity Of our sister on
the south. We are glad, therefore, to
transfer to our page the following expo
sition of the horticultural outlook as Civ
en- by the Florida Agricuturist a brave
fight deserves to win:
We have frequent inquiries from readers
at distance as to the condition Of the
orange industry in Florida ana the state
in general since the freeze, or rather sew
eral months after the freeze. Many Of
the people who write for this information
either express or imply the belief that
the orange business has been almost to-
tally destroyed in Florida and that all
lines of business are very much depressed,
and they also express the doubt OF their
even tual recovery.
1t is a difficult matter, even yet. to es-
innate the damage to the orange INDUS
try of Florida. OF course no one VINO
knows any thing at all about the state
and her people have any Idea that the
cultivation OF the orange VIII be aban-
doned. Many individuals viii abandon the
business because they nave not the means
to continue it-what per cent. of abandon
ed groves there win be there is al present
no means of determining, but II is quite
large especially with the young groves.
Many groves were either killed outright,
or so near it that the owners think " Is
a waste of time to try TO bring them up.
OF course, this all tends TO reduce the
acreage. and conservative people. who
claim to have gone pretty well over the
ground, say that the acreage will be re-
duced at least 40 per cent This may be
| true or it may not. As before said there
| is no present way 81 determining the
/ number OF acres Of abandoned groves, and
/ all statements must. be considered as
! simple guess work.
Those who have the means and the
| nerve" to continue the industry, with
| favorable seasons, have bright prospects.
1t may be many years before their groves
| Will yield the same amount OF fruit they
| did before the freeze, but the opinion IS
| general, and is founded ON correct buSl-
ness ideas, that ii win be only a few years
! before the groves well cared for Will yield
as much in dollars and cents as they ala
prior to the freeze. This belief is causing
many who would otherwise be discourag-
ed to buckle down TO the work OF Keep
ing up and remaking their groves. They
see before them IN the net distant future
the groves bearing as heavily as before
the frcst nipped them. They know that
thousands of acres of young groves tlat
would have been in tul bearing IN 2 rev
years are now numbered with the things
that were but are net. They lVnoW tha-
had these groves been brought TO the
bearing point, with our present syssen
of distribution and marketing the orange
markets of this country would have been
glutted from the opening OF the season 10
the closing thereof. Ihey recognize tEat
the freeze has reduced competition 10 a
minimum by cutting of these young
groves and they reason that the man VINO
can grow oranges Will always ilnd me de-
several years or until these young groves
are replanted and brought 10 bearing
age, and from experience these orange
growers know that t.his means a long, long
Looking at the orange industry in this
light, with the prospect OF large prouts
AT the end of a few years, they are per-
fectlV willing to take the chances of tu-
ture freezes and give their orange groves
every possible. care ana attention.
To sum up the situation in lew words,
the orange industry, while badly crippled,
is by no means dead. Those who pro-
duced oranges in the past viii produce
them in the future-or- at least, this Is
true to a very great extent.
1t was the prospective yield that has
been cut off. 1t was the young groves
that had not yet borne fruit that will DC
neglected. We do not mean 10 say tina;
no bearing groves that We're injured by
the freeze will be abandoned, but that
probably 80 per cent. of the groves that
win be abandoned are of the younger clasr
those that had borne but little, if any
The general business of the state, In
reply to the second question, is a sur
prise to almost every one, considering the
blow. People were brave enough to strike
out from the shoulder and turn their al
tention to the cultivation of other crops
AS a result the orange section OF South
Florida has done this year what was be-
fore considered imp0ssible-it has made
fine corn crop, harvested tons of hay,
other things, which, while not bringing
cash to the pockets of the producer, has
enabled him to tide over the year and feed
his family and his stock.
We do not hold to the belief expressed
by some of our optimistic contempora-
ries that "the freeze was n blessing in dis
guise." If the freeze of February last was
a blessing may the Lord spare US another
such. At the same time from evil even
good may come, and the freeze has al
least taught our people that II was a bad
plan to cultivate oranges and oranges only.
1t has also been the means of teaching
them that many valuable crops can be sue
cessfully grown in this region. While
these are great things to know, and we
are glad our people have learned them
the price paid for the information was