The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-03-17
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FLORIDA on ANGE TREES.
Hopes and Fears For Next CrOp-PaI-
metto Extract Enterprises,

Maitland Fla, March 16.--While many
Of the reports in regard to the next crop
of oranges are visionary, it is safe to pre-
dict quite an increase over the crop of
this season. 1t is not safe to judge by
a profusion of blooms, nor even by good
sized oranges on the trees. Millions of
blooms fail TO mature into fruit and thou
sands of oranges fall off the trees. Very
wet or very dry weather. too much or too
little fertilizer, or heavy whirling winds
have much to do with the final product of
an orange tree. Just now, the trees are
having an immense growth, owing to
winter remarkable for rains and showers;
but this very blessing may prove dlsas-
trous during the summer by causing a
dry spell of great length and greater Sc
verify. In such a case our next crop
of oranges will be small.
The above refers to ordinary groves In
general, and not TO fancy, petted groves,
highly fortified and cared for without
regard to expense. OF course, such groves
have extensive irrigating plants to coun-
teract a dry spell, however severe and
protracted. Then the groves that escaped
the great freeze are now turning off full
crops, and because of these two classes of
liberal producing trees too glowing esti-
mates have been made for next year.
Within a circle of three miles, 1 can look
out up a dozen groves, some fancy groves
before the freeze, that are still neglected
by their owners, nonresident men of
supposed wealth. A few of these groves
have had a little fertlllzing and a very
little trimming out of dead wood, but
most of them have been sadly neglected.
And this is true of other sections of the
-, IA so h.
ever, all this does not deter more enter
prising owners from caring properly for
their groves, or newcomers from buying
grove property.
The effort to make the culture of canal
gre popular in this county has not proven
a great success, as sensible people don I
understand why we should use crop pro-
ducing land to plant and cultivate this ca
naigre for the single purpose Of getting the
roots from which TO extract fannie acid.
| The same product can be had from scrub
palmetto roots, and these abound all over
Florida and cost nothing but the labor of
digging. Sanford tried this palmetto root
| fannie acid in her tannery and made a
| success of II. Then Titusville took up the
idea and started big concern 10 extract
the fannie acid and sell it in bulk. And
now comes Orlando with strong compa-
! ny to establish a tannery as well as an ex-
tracing plant. In few years the de-
pissed saw palmetto will become a valua-
BILE and much sought product of our poor
/ est soil
There are a few people all along the lire
from Orlando to Sanford who stu hope
| to see the electric railway built between
| these two cities, taking In Winter Park,
/ Maitland. Altamonte Springs and Long
wood Mr. Il. W. Henck OF the latter
| place had a survey made about two years
/ ago, and organized a company with A.
| Meuser, j. NJ. Saunders and A. f. Williams
as leading officials. Then he went TO New
! York and opened an Office to sell the pro-
| posed bonds of the company, but has never
| returned. The dying hope" that revives
again, is caused by the granting OF new
| franchise to Messrs. Saunders, Meuser and
| Williams, by the city council OF Orlando
for electric lights and street railways
work to begin within a year and the enter
| prise to be completed within
two years. But we can hardly
| expect. under the most favorable condi.
lions Of the money market for local bonds
a steam railway, an e.ectrlc line ana a good
clay or she'll road from Sanford to Or