The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1895-03-06
FROM FLORIDA.

ED. lENTERPRISE: As we have got
thawed out after the late freeze, ! will
try to tell yOu that Florida is all here
but as the ''cOlOred brother puts IT.
mighty badly friz." The late freeze
was worse than the one in December,
and it is now supposed that all orange
groves less than five years old are killed
to the ground thus precluding any posi-
bility,pf re. budding them. Buddcd trees
suffered much more than did seedlings
The orange crop of Florida will be
slim one for the season to come, and the
vegetable crop will be too short to have
any money in it for the growers. but
Florida is bound to pull through and
these freezes may prove blessings, for peO-
pie may be led not to center all on one
industry.
Anything can be raised here that can
be raised in the north but the people will
devote all their attention to the raising
of oranges, and buy all they consume.
Irish potatoes retail here for 40 cents per
peck, yet as good potatoes can be raised
here as in the north, and the people here
ought to realize the fact and devote some
time and attention to the truck patch,
but no, they say, we can buy what we
want and save all bother. Well, many of
them have nothing now to buy with, and
must raise something to live on for some
time to come, and, no doubt, the general
resources of the state will be more fully
developed than has been done in the past
ten years. Many of the best orange
growers have come to the conclusion to
branch out little from oranges alone,
many are planting japanese persimmons
as they are a fruit that is not affected by
frosts and find a ready sale AT remnner-
ative prices.
Generally speaking. grapes do we'll
here and one can find quite extensive
vineyards Of Concords and Niagras, but
the scruppemony takes the lead, as it
has no disease peculiar to it, nor has 1t
any insect enemies. Beekecpers use it
exclusively for arb0rs under which to
arrange their colonies Of bees, As II is Il
most rampant grower.
Wehayc, for the past two weeks, been
looking around in the interior Of the
state and ind the country well adapted to
truck farming as well as orange growing.
We have not YET seen an apple orchard in
Florida When asked as to the reason
for the neglect oi the apple, the people
say, Oh we trade orr oranges for your
northern apples. but we could raise them
lust as well as not. Peach trees are not
lOng-liyed here. They grow so rampantly
and bear so heavily that about four years
is the limit Ordinarily beans, tomatoes,
squaShes, etc., remain green and bearing
year after year. and it is not at all
strange that the people get careless and
take life easy, but when pinch does
come it pinches hard and no mistake.
The Spiritualists have Il large camp
association at Lake Helen and are now
in session, and it is not safe to strike out
much or you will hit Spiritualist.
They have boarding, dancing, seance aud
circle halls, and know not what else.
Magnetic healers are as thick flies
around sugar bowl, and they are will
ing to take any case terms, cash in ad-
vance,. Florida is great state and, of
course, it takes great people to make
great states. Rattlesnakes are beginning
to look out of their winter quarters and
we notice an alligatOr's nose above water
once in while, but as neither are con-
sidered dangerous, little attention paid
to them. This might be called the
spOrtsman's paradise as he could find
something worthy of his skill on all
sides. Thermometer so in the shade at
3p. IN. NJ. W. SHEPHERD.
OAK HILL, Fla, Feb. 26, 1895.
z