The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-03-27
BADLY CRIPPLED GROVES.
MOST OF THE TREES KILLED To
THE GROUND.


ing LRrEcr-BiIIS That VIII he In
troduced Into the Legislature.
Sanford, Fla. March 26-It Is a mat
ter Of surprise TO many OF the readers
of the Morning News that your editorial
on the situation in Florida is so accu-
rately drawn and so fun OF appropriate
suggestions as to the future of orange
culture In this state Your last editorial
is clearly to the point In many respects.
and has quite a helpful tendency II
takes in the condition of things here as
correctly as though the writer had been
on the ground himself and spoke from
personal observation.
Sufficient time has passed since the last
freeze to give the trees a chance TO show
signs OF new life II they propose to leave
out again. and the progress so far made
is quite discouraging. Some few trees
here and there will revive up into the
large limbs, but the majority will have
TO be cut of. at the ground, or near the
branching limbs. This means new trees.
as a rule. from the ground up: yet the
firmly set roots will give the new sprouts
A1RAl bAOMNAAs inns Will kiNG OIdubtH
on some trees two years hence. while
others will not come into full bearing
under three or four years. OF course
this is serious drawback to all orange
growers. while to some less fortunate
ones It means financial ruin
The records show. I think. that Florlda's
per cent of mortgages is among the very
~
fact affords hopeful view OF the future
in contemplating the present disaster.
In years past there was a good deal of
money In setting out young groves and
bringing them into good bearing condition.
Hundreds of men came here without a
surplus dollar and finally sold such
groves for from $4,000 10 $4,000. more or
less. and great part of this money was
clear profit. OF late years, however, such
transactions have been fewer and less
profitable. because they were not made
by the original homesteaders or the men
who themselves did most of the work of
Improvement.
The heaviest losses In Florida have been
the result OF rash speculations on the
part of men who had made money In a
legitimate way out OF orange culture or
the early sale of phosphate lands. could
mention many familiar names of men who
once had from $4,000 to 5000, 900 good
money, the profits on orange groves or
phosphate land sales. who are to-day
bankrupt through rash or unwise Boom"
investments that promised wonderful
profits. These men are decidedly worse
off than their more cautious neighbors,
whose orange groves have been cut down
by the freeze, for they still retain their
homes. and their groves will In few
years again become bearing trees But
the spectators have lost even their
homes In the wild chase for wealth
Sanford Is situated In the midst of some
of the Oldest largest and most valuable
orange groves IN the state, and the freeze
caught many OF the owners with their
big crops stlll on the trees, which made
their losses quite heavy In several in
stances, and yet with the worst results
now in view, they are not discouraged.
| Within the past ten days there have
been some good sales OF orange grove
property, while at the same time north
| ern capitalists have added To their real
estate investments within the city linn
Its. A freeze is better than a fire. unless
| there Is heavy insurance, as II leaves
more behind IL with which to make a new
start. The man with trees frozen TO the
ground is better off than the man who
has TO start a new grove for he has
prospect of bearing trees In few years.
our citzeRs are waking up wonderfully
under the magic spell of the Plant sys-
]
scoop of the Jacksonville, Tampa and
Key West railway. Already IL has here,
in Hospital No. !, Plant System, located
near the shops of the old South Florida
railroad, the Pico block, the Pico restau-
rant block and the railroad shops large
investments that will naturally make
this the main central point In the Flor
ida division of the system. The head
quarters Of the old Orange Belt railway,
now the Sanford and st. Petersburg,
will certainly come here from Oakland,
and in case the Plant system secures the
Jacksonville, Tampa and Key West rail-
way, the shops of that road would nat
urally become absorbed by the more cen
trail and important shops here. There is
also plenty of yard and wharf room
here. while the Pico block offers ample
office facilities.
With these purchases completed the
Plant system would control six lines Of
railway centering In this city, namely:
The South Florida TO Tampa. the San
ford and Oviedo, the Sanford and Ia
wares, the Jacksonville, Tampa and Key
West to Jacksonville. and the same to
Titusville. The consolidation OF all, or
part, Of these lines. of course, means
the discharge OF good many officials and
workmen, some of whom have their homes
here. But II would also bring here from
other points on the lines new residents
to take their places. However, this may
be- our real estate owners feel no anxi-
ETY. on the subject, but are making addl-
tional investments In new dwelling house,
There seems to be a determination to
increase our manufacturing establish
ments as the best means OF bringing new
families 10 Sanford. The success OF the
Ell Carojal Cigar Company has led to It's
enlargement and talk of new factories.
Our tannery enterprise is getting on a
solid basis and the Sanford Variety works
finds plenty CT orders In hands from the
contractors Of the city who have quite a
number of large blocks and houses In
course of erection. Sanford's recently or
ganized business league is moving in this
matter of enlarging old industries and
establishing new ones. with fair prospects
of good success. We have here plenty
of vacant land. with either water or rail
road front, within the city limits that
could be readily utilized for manufactur-
ing enterprises. Six railroad and several
steamship lines offer ample transporta-
ton facilities for any kind of manufae-
tured products. We have several large
and well located orange packing houses
that might be temporarily used for manu-
featuring purposes until the orange groves
again come into bearing.
The approaching session OF the legfs-
laura ar ITALIA haoeea will he of oovafa...