The herald., 1896-03-01

been depending on Florida for our or
ahgos tdls year, 0nly millionaires woul,
have bad them on their tables and tn,
rest OF US would have gone without
But it is an i'll wind that blows nobody
good, and though there are lots of dis.
couraged and disheartened men il
Florida, half of California smiles
broadly. for the Golden state has come
to the front with its golden fruit, and
the luscious globes are to be had by
rich and poor alike. In spite of the
fact that Florida usually shipped TO-
UOU,OOO boxes, this season practically
none have been sent out of the state.
The big freeze of December q year
ago Of course is responsible for all this.
Perhaps many who read at the time
that the greater part of Florida's great
orange goves had been destroyed we're
incredulous. Their distrust in the
alarming reports was due perhaps to
the industry of the Delaware peach
crop liar, who tells US every spring
how the peach yield has been wiped
out by some new and unexpected de-
vastation. But peach trees are not or
ange trees, and last year the Florida
groves, where freezing temperature
had been rarely known, were visited by
regular northwestern blizzard that
had strayed far from its latitude.
They told 1s then that all of the young
trees and 40 per cent of the old trees
had been ruined. Those of us who
knew little or nothing about orange
trees did not understand how they
could be permanently injured and
doubted the reports. This winter we
are learning that the blizzard was al
most deathblow to Florida's great
industry.
"The entire crop of Florida oranges
will not reach $4,000 boxes this year."
said President Ruhlman of the New
York Fruit Exchange to me the other
day.
"And what is the average crop for
the state?' asked.
"Well, about 100000 boxes are
usually sent to New York alone. Out
of seven counties in the orange district
only two are shipping any fruit at all
this year. These are Manitee and Lee
counties, and in these sections the
business has never been properly con-
Quoted. They have not used proper
fertilizers there. and their fruit does
not keep as we'll as that which used to
be sent from the northern counties.
One reason for this is that the other
counties used to monopolize the
trade"
"How is the deficiency being fllled?"
"California is doing the most to sup /
ply the demand. but we are getting
oranges from all over the world.
From Messins, from Valencia and from
)ther Mediterranean districts we are !
getting fruit, and the West Indian
Stands are doing their share. No. I
lon't know how long it will be before
florida raises her usual crop again.
Nobody knows. They. have never had
uch disastrous freeze there, and it is
to tell what the result will
70. We know now that the ruin has
,een complete in five counties as far
8 this years yield goes. Whether it
Gill be permanent or not it will take
ime to tell. Perhaps the new branches
7hich come out on the old trees will
ear, and perhaps the trees may have
o be cut down and new orchards
lanted."
The California growers themselves
ad something of q scare last Decem-
or when a small freeze did some
amage, but still q two-thirds crop is
eing gathered, and this is about all
hat can be profitably marketed. The
istrict most affected was the River