The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-08-28
.FL0RIDA'S KING OF FRUITS.
A GROWING DEMAND FOR HER LUs-
CIoUs PINEAPPLES.

Spreading of the WeIl-Paying In
dustry beyond the Expectations of
the Optimist-Acrenge Doubled at
Orlando In Year New Planta-
tiOns GrOwing-SOme Sales Net the
Growers so Cents for Each Pine
apple, Some of Which Weigh As
High as Nine Pounds-LarGe Orders
From Jamaica for Plants.
Orlando, Fla, Aug. G.-The fame of Or
lando's pineapples is spreading and the
time is at hand when this fruit will make
the little city famous. A year or more
ago the Morning News published a letter
from here giving a description of the PIN
cries and some data concerning the vol
ume of the industry. Since then the sit
uation has changed. The optimistic pre-
dictions of the writer have more than
been fulfilled The acreage planted TO
smooth cayenne pineapp1es has doubled
within year, and just at this time new
plantations are being put out and ground
prepared for others which will again dou-
bic the area of territory in and adjacent to
town planted in this king of fruits.
Last winters cold injured the plants TO
some extent. But the damage was not by
any means as severe as that resulting
from the freeze of the winter of 1915.
Growers had learned better how to pro-
tect their plants, and had adopted meth
DDS which gave greater security. Very
few plants were lost by last winters cold.
The growing fruit was injured, resulting
a n int
about the sum total of the loss to the cul-
tivators.
The new fruit which has been made
since that time is now ripening and is be-
ing marketed. The account of sales dem
| onstrates the advantage of the large fancy
varieties over the little red Spanish, which
is cultivated in other parts of the world,
and which constitutes the bulk of the
fruit ordinarily found in the markets Of
| the large cities. These retail at to Is
cents each, and probably net the grow
ers TO cents each. Some of the re-
cent accounts of sales of Orlando pines
show a net to the growers of upward of
| 90 cents each. If an Orlando grower of
| smooth cayennes does not receive as much
as 10 to 20 cents each for his fruit he
| feels that he has been swindled. A fair
average would probably be Is to 80 cents
Ioul HSN II bt remembered lldI inns is LOT
pines weighing four to seven, eight and
nine pounds each. The buyer pays no
more per pound for this superior fruit at
the prices quoted than another who pays
5 cents for the little nubbin usually found
on the fruit stands, that when pared and
made ready to eat will weigh three
fourths to g pound each.
The advantage that the grower of the
| great big fellows has is that he raises
about the same number of them upon an
acre of land as can be raised OF the
smaller varieties, while the weight of the
fruit is five or six times as great His
receipts are larger in proportion because
fancy fruit will always command fancy
prices.
The pineries now being planted OF made
ready for planting within couple OF
miles of this placer will call for a hun
dred thousand new plants. These come
from the old fruiting plants in the form
of suckers. The old plants will produce
two to five or six of these each year.
| When about twelve inches long they are
| separated from the parent plant and set
in the ground. The old plants should be
taken up and replaced with young suck
| ers when they have produced two or three
! apples. This replanting calls for large
| number of suckers to keep the pineries
up to the standard. The suckers are
used for planting new pineres. They re-
] tail at about 10 cents each; at wholesale
| pineries realize as much from the sale of
| these suckers as from the fruit The de-
| mand Is increasing rather than falling off
| 1t is likely to continue to increase for
years to come for the world is but Just
waking up to the seductive qualities of a
! high-grade, fine variety pineapple This
| fame seems liable to have the effect of
checking the industry in this immediate
| section, for the reason that a demand for
smooth cayenne plants Is being created
elsewhere. This keeps up the price and
| the high price of plants and first cost
of pinery are considerations which are
| keeping poor men out of the business.
| Within the past few days c. B. Thorn
| ton one of our new but progressive grow
ers, has taken an order from Charles Eu-
! gene Smith. who represents a Boston
syndicate for 11S,O00 plants, to be shipped
| to the island of Jamaica. This order is
now being filled at the Modello Park pin
cry of c. S. Vanhouton, who lives out a
couple of miles, and the Lakeside pinery
of Mr. Thornton, in Orlando. Mr.. Smith
| came here in person, inspected the pin
| cries and investigated the industry before
| Re entered into contracts for the plants
| lie also purchased 5000 plants from other
parties, making total of $4,000 plants
| all of this variety.
| Another Jamaica company Is negotiating
! for 10000 plants and this deal will prob
| ably be consummated soon.
This indicates the popular favor of the
| high-gIade pineapple and the fame at
tanned by the Orlando fruit. The fact
that so large number of plants are ship
ped away viii stimulate the industry at
home, and will no doubt result in an in
crease in the price Of plants another year
| The first of the new crop of fruit has
| just begun to move. From this time until
| the close of the winter months fruit will
be sent away from here in large quanti-
! ties. 1t has been estimated that the Or