Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1897-10-21

agement, After the Gloom Of the Great
Frost-"Judge's" Interesting Letter = An
oid-fashioned Equinoctial and a FormId-
able Bug.
SpecIal Correspondence OF Gazette and journal
Bloomland, Fla, Oct. l4.-Autumn
opened up this year, in Florida with
a rafting good old fashioned equinoc.
tial and strictly 90 time at that! There
were wild, clustering winds, rain 10
driving sheets, about Heven inches of
it, and all the concomitants of a sue
cessful storm, including drop OF the
mercury to 80 degrees breaking the
record for September, and giving us a
deGide'i taste of the shiyers. 1t was
our first September equinoctial since
1884; the intervening summers winding
up with parching drouths instead Of
seasonabla and refreshing rains
Noteworthy was the shipment, q week
or SO ago. of a carload of oranges from
the Manatee River section to Chicago
The car was fairly embowered in flags
and streamers and was given grand
send.oif. 1t was probably the first full
car of Florida oranges 10 pass over the
road in three years, and revived mem
orius OF 'old times. For the coming
season press estimates Of the orange crop
range from 200. 900 to 200, 900 boxes,
much OF which has already been sold
on the trees at prices averaging SO per
box, while grape fruit is quoted firm at
50. Last seasup's orange crop was
Jumped, at 125, 000 boxes, while, il
future conditions continue favorable,
half million boxes are hoped for in
the season OF '9s-99. These figures
look small alongside the 1000, 900 of
boxes that would have been marketed
in the season of '9495, had the winter
been of the usual type, but they are
sufficient to indicate that Florida 10
gotting ou her feet again. And the
outlook is that she will have an extra
foot or two next time. In years gone
by Florida has been associated in the
public mind chiefly with oranges and
early vegetables; though 10 growing
minority her lumber, phosphate and
cattle interests were becoming familiar.
In years shortly to come, Florida now
promises to become as famous for pine.
apples and tobacco as she ever has been
for oranges. The cultivation OF to-
bacco has been largely an outgrowth Of
the Cuban war, but il already assum.
lug respectable dimensions The pres
ent acreage is figured ut 5. 1911, with a
prospective increase 81 at least 10. 600
acres next year and the Florida To-
bacco Leaf predicts that IAN enlarge-
ment of the industry ito $4,000, or even
80, 600 AGREE, within a very few years,
may be expected confidently.
With regard to pineapples, only ONT
on the ground can appreciate how their
culturs ia progressing and expanding.
Pineapples have long been grown on a
small scale in Southern Florida, but
the culture OF fancy fruit as now con
Quoted is an industry OF only very
few years growth. The largest planta-
tions are down in the Indian River and
Lake Worth districts of the eastern
coast, the Fort Myers region OF the
where tho "pines" are grown in the
open air and where so TO 100 acres m ay
be seen in one patch. But the culture
is extending rapidly also in Central
Florida, notably about Orlando, where
shedding is necessary as protection
against probabls frosts. The annual
report read at the recent meeting of the
Indian River and Lake Worth Pineap-
pie Growers Association, in which, by
the way, Senator Quay Of pennsy lyania
was referred to by the chairman al
"Flordia's Third SENATOR" shows thai
there we're shipped from this district,
up to August 18th, ZIG. 1872 crates, valued
at S2l6, S02.
Peach trees are showing considerable
bloom here now, but we hardly look fol
the bloum TO develop into ripened fruit.
Sweet potatues are also in bloom.
The most formidable looking bug
ever encountered was captured al
Bloom land last Friday. He was en-
tirely black and looked like gigantic
beatle with the jaws of a big scorpion,
only stouter and armed with saw teeth.
The body was as large as a mans
finger. over three inches long and thicl
IN proportion. with tail-lihe append
age of equal length. He looked like /
creature exceptionally we'll fitted t.
hold his own ana make his way through
the world. We TOOK him TO Eusti,
entomnlogist, who classified him as al
unusually fine specimen of grampa OIL
"mule killer" 50 called because of al
old superstition that his bite is fatal Il
that long .eared animal. As matter
of fact, the bite is said TO be quit,
painful cut not poisonous. Judge