The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-04-09
ORANGE GROVES LOOKING BETTER
Attention Being Given TO Tobacco as
a Money CrOp.

| Money crop.
| Maitland. Fla, April 1T is very clear
| that our winter residents, as well as Wis
/ itors. have taken an early departure this
! season. Usually our Church of the Good
| Shepherd is crowded to hear Bishop Whip
| pies sermon on Easter Sunday, but Sun
day there were several vacant pews. This
was owing to the fact that the AltomOnte
/ Springs hotel, the Seminole, at Winter
I Park, and our own Park house, have
closed Tor the season, and that Bishop
Gray ofhciated at Winter Park, only two
miles distant on Wednesday the bishop
| and his household leave for ThOmasville,
en- route TO Minnesota, going down the
river with his old friend, Capt. Shaw.
The Jacksonville Metropolis is advOca-
ting the substitution OF dry gravel or ce-
ment walks in place of the plank walks
so long in use in this state. Jacksonville
must be behind the inland cities in enter
prise in this particular. Maitland, San
FORD, Winter Park and Orlando, taken as
single group, have already abandoned
the dangerous and decaying wooden side
walks, and are now using only clay, shells,
or cement. The latter is the best, but is
rather expensive, while a good shell walk
Is better and almost as cheap as the clay
walks. The past few years have seen
great Improvement in the matter Of pub
| lie and private walks, and it is one good
| indication of the sure and substantial
| progress of the state. Florida has been
| too often ridlculed as a sand bed, and
| walking and riding have never been a
| source OF enjoyment 10 many IeeDle VS.
| itors. of our improved roads l shall
| speak in a future letter, but as to the
Widespread and marked Improvement in
| sidewalks, all recent visitors have noted
! it with pleasurable emotions.
We do not brag much in this section OF
| Orange county, because our beautiful ana
fruitful region of lakes" speaks for it.
sell. But people who have visited the
famed east coast and west coast, so eX-
tensiVely advertised for their orange
groves in bloom and bearing, tell US that
he
any they have seen anywhere that were
affected by the freeze. Some of our
groves that have been neglected since the
freeze are IN poor condition, put on the
other hand, our well cared for groves are
attracting marked attention from tour
lists passing through here on the trains.
President Plant was especially gratitieG
in showing some of our best groves TO
mis- party of distinguished guests from
Jamaica, recently, to convince them that
as early as next winter Florida would
start in quite hopefully TO resume her
orange packing ana shipping business EV-
cry day the outlook grows more encour-
aging Tor good crop.
rhe present year will present a scene
of unusual activity in educational circles
on the part Of numerous candidates for
school offices. The defeat OF Mai Rus
sell at the Tampa convention by Pror.
Sheats was a great surprise, and resulted
from compromise bargain with the alli-
ance element. Now thar the major is dead
there Will be several candidates to con-
test second term for Supt. Sheats. Pror
b. c. Graham of Tampa and Prof. Norris
ton Robinson of Orlando are already In,
the neld in this section, with the odds
in favor of the former who has been
president of the State Teachers Assocla-
zion and, therefore, is well known to pub
lie school teachers all over Florida. Other
sections of the state will no doubt presen.
candidates enough TO make the race live
~ in the Ocala convention.
In Orange county there will also be a.
lively contest for the desirable Office of
county superintendent of public schools.
Hon; j. L. Beeks of Orlando, some people
think, has held the position long enough
70 give somebody else a. term or two. Who
that somebody else will be, should a
change occur, it is now difficult to tell. AL
ready Prof. w. b. Lynch of the Sanford
high school, Prof w. G. johnson of the
Orlando high school, and Rev. J. A. Rich
are in the field as avowed candidates. The
last of the three named was formerly at
the head of select school in Atlanta,
where he lived before coming to this state
Both he and Prof. Lynch are of good Vir-
GINA stock and served CALAMITY in the
confederate army, the former as captain
and the latter as major.
Quite a number of our farmers and fruit
growers are trying tobacco as a money
crop this year and hope to make il a sue
cess. Last Saturday they went over 10
Orlando to hear an address on tobacco
culture from Prof. f. b. Noodle from Lake
City, who is thoroughly posted on the sub
1ect. He came to speak under the auspices
of the Young Mems Business League of
Orlando, of which eX-Mayor w. L. Pal
mer, a progressive Georgian, is the eff
cient president. This league, as well as
the one in Sanford, is giving the farmers
every possible assistance in their efforts
to put in cotton, tobacco and rice crops,
and see If they can be made profitable
here. A few first class all around farmers
have settled the question favorably for
themselves, but hundreds of others are yet
to solve the important problem. There is
no trouble about crops tor family use but
money crops are not SO easily managed
owing to distant markets and high rates
of transportation.