Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1899-01-19

This may account for the absence from
the street of colored people after dark.
Orlando is Prohibition city and
much more tropical in appearance
than this place. At Orlando, before
the freeze of 1895, the only industry of
Importance was orange and pineapple
growing, everything else being bought
outside. On December % and %, 1894,
the oranges froze on the trees Then
came a very warm spell, new leaves
started out and the trees showed all
their life, proving that the latter had
not been injured. But in February
came another freeze, less severe, but
far more injurious. The young leaves
were killed, the sap froze under the
bark of the trees and it burst off and
fell to the ground leaving the naked
trunks exposed to the burning sun
thus killing the trees; combination
of three things that may never occur
again. Absence of any one of the
three conditions would have saved
the trees. Florida produces the finest
oranges in the world. They sold on
the trees this year at $3.50 per box
and grew on the sprouts that came up
around stumpS of the frozen trees
killed in Feb, 1895. The killing of
the orange trees gave new impetus
to the pineapple industry and it also
compelled the people to raise from the
soil other products to live on such as
sweet potatoes, irish potatoes, corn,
strawberries, etc. Instead of buying
all their hay at $1S a ton they raise
the velvet bean and beggar weed for
hey and also as fertilizer. A pine
apple grove costs over 1000 dollars per
acre to start, but pays large profits
Mr.. Russell, the pioneer pineapple
grower, has now l3 acres under cover.
He told me his income this year
would be $4,000. They first put a
tight board fence s ft. high around
the land, then put posts aud stringerS
across it and cover with strips of
boards two inches wide leaving a
space OF about two inches be-
tween the Stats for air and light
Protected in this way they raise the
largest and finest pineappleS in the
world and they get fancy prices
for them, so cents to IS cents each.
Some have been grown, SO Mr. Russell
said, that weighed II lbs each. Grown
in the shade they are very tender and
delicious and can be eaten with a
spoon. / should think about 100 acres
were under cover in and near Orlando
The plant grows about two and one
half it. high and looks some like a
century plant each plant bears a
single pineapple growing on a short
stem in the center. They are so large
and heavy that many Of them are
tied with wires to the Stats overhead.
Within the city limits of Orlando /
saw orange trees, lemon, banana, per-
simmon, guam quat ian orange the
size of the egg plum, natural wild
oranges, the finest peach orchards |
ever saw, the Japan plum now in full
bloom, the pomegranate, date palms.
Fan palms such as our palm leaf fans
are made of grow here by the million
from two to six feet high. The rubber
tree, castor bean, velvet bean, cassava
grown for its starch, magnolia trees,
chinaberry trees, Spanish bayonet
palm trees, camphor trees (now being
grown for use in making smokeless
POWDER, cactus, live oak used in ship
building). Water oak and chinaberry
trees are used for ornament and shade.
also the wild peach, holly and many
others all new to me. Some of the
oak trees are covered with gray moss
which hangs from every limb in thick
clusters yard long. giving the trees
a singular appearance. Sugar cane
and pecans of very large size are also
grown near the city of Orlando. Sugar
cane planting will soon begin. To plant
it they lay stalk of the cane length
wise in the furrOw and plough another
furrow over it, it sprouts at every
joint. Ploughing is done with one
horse or mule. 1t is common sight
to see houses with double porches all
around them. one above the other.
The native cows and oxen are very
small. Here at Defuniak Springs
every day we see the rudest carts
drawn by these oxen, or perhaps one
OK the size of our Is months old calves.
In the cart, seated in an old chair or
on g box we frequently see a white
woman with Sunbonnet on and some
garden truck Or eggs to sell, while the
man and children walk.
The Florida Chautauqua will open
soon and then we expect to have lively
times. Hon. Wallace Bruce of Brook
lyn, \. Y, is president and he is a
worker and has arranged a fine pro-
gram: will send you one soon so you
can see wh3b we have for entertain
ment. The Chautauqua hotel is
large $500 day house and is now
open and rapidly filling up with guests,
but | have already made my letter
quite lengthy and will close hoping /
have not Wearied YOU. Yours truly.