The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-03-12
THE FLORIDA ORANGE TREES.
THE CONDITION IN WHICH THE
FREEZE LEFT THEM.

ReDafr Damage Caused by the
Cold Xeather-Has FIOrida's eli
mate Changed 1.-The Question Dis
cuSsed.
Maitland. Fla, March u.-Just before
the recent freeze I wrote the Morning
News about the various kinds Of protec~
con being used by orange growers 10 pro-
tect their trees from the anticipated cold
srap. Now that the freeze has come and
gone. with a lesser freeze in its wake, the
people are considering the value of the
numerous protective devices used, as wei
as suggesting newer and more effective
ones
The banking of trees with dirt or leaves
has proved a failure beyond saving the
buds that have been put in the trees near
the ground The tops of the trees in
many cases being killed. The building OF
fires in open groves has also proved ineih-
Gent except in special cases where the
fires were numerous and well attended TO
by men of experience. The putting up OF
high fences as wind breaks, and the COW
ering of groves with close sheds as Mil
Iionaire Stetson has done at DeLand, did
not save exposed trees without the aid
. OF well-kept-up fires inside the enclosure
The same is true of the pineapple sheds
Where there was no canvas cover TO keep
out the Sunday night rain, the Monday
morning freeze killed or badly Injured the
pineapples When a sudden freeze follows
a rain il is impossible 90 save the pine
apple plants. except by a waterproof cover
in addition to good fires.
The recent freeze. and the two cold
nights Of the present week, with the Their
mometer below % degrees, has settled the
vexed question that for lemon, grapefruit
and choice orange culture we must have
fun and perfect protection or suffer great
loss. Maj. Geo. r. Fairbanks, an old and
highly esteemed citizen of Florida says
our climate has not changed. That freezes
have always prevailed here. But Mai.
Fairbanks does not live in South Florida,
his home being in the old sea port city Of
Fernandina. We of South Florida know
that the climate has changed in a general
way; that we are now unable TO grow
guavas, bananas, and some times mulber-
ries, and that our young budded orange
trees are killed or injured every winter.
It Is true that Florida has had killing
freezes ever since it was a state, but
never before has her climate been such
that no winter passes without the loss of
thousands of dollars in plants, vines, flow
ers, guavas. bananas, etc, ten years ago
] could raise bananas and guavas without
any trouble, but for the past five years l
have not seen a banana or a guava ripen in
this vicinity. If no change In climate,
why are orange growers building high
fences or putting sheds over their trees?
Why so many devices suggested to pro-
tect trees. Ono may says create artificial
fog; another cover trees with a cloth
frame and put a lighted lamp inside; an
other, build fires in groves and create a
dense smoke as well as artificial heat.
All this paralyzes the poor man, who has
no money to put into any of these devices.
He sees his orange grove dead, the trees
TO be cut to the ground. fand years OF
patient waiting-if no more freezes-for
them to again blossom and bear golden
fruit. His lemon and grapefruit trees, his
guava and banana bushes and his early
vegetables are all at the mercy of an or
binary freeze. This is the man who is
hit" and hard hit by these frequent
freezes. To him the outlook Is indeed
gloomy, for he has family to be fed and
clothed. Such men are seeking means TO
leave the state, satisfied that they can
not remain here and keep out of the poor
house.
The editorials In the Morning News. as
a general thing, are conservative and fav-
orable to Florida, yet this class of our
population cannot be overlooked in the
consideration of our present unfortunate
condition. You are right in saying we are
not all ''disheartened," for thousands OF
our people who have suffered great loss
are again active in renewing or recupsgr-
ating their groves. The rich will huild
sheds over their groves. while the we'll
TODD people will adopt cheaper modes OF
protection. one thing is certain, the pro
auction Of Florida oranges will be limited
LOT years to come and the prices will he
such as to cover cost of protection.
IL is too early, even now, to calculate
properly the damage of the recent freeze
Anotner' but milder, freeze came for
TWO nights this week, and must have PROV
cd setback to the tender new growth
on the reviving trees. 1 have made a
careful inspection of the best and poorest
groves In this favored section OF Orange
county, and l am satisfied the real dam
age is greater than reported. MANY trace
showing new growth will not SURVIVE tba
summer, while others will be very sIo,s
In coming into bearing. Lemon and Crane
Iruit trees are pretty generally killed m
me grouno. We used to ship large ouan-
ules OF lemons and lines from this sta
uoh' out OF late years we have had 10
purchase Sicily lemons for our own nse
Now, the thing that hurts Florida IN tbts
crisis Is the private letters written nv our
greatest sufferers to their relatives in the
North and West. One man, writing from
what is supposed to be the true oranSe
peF OF Florida" says: 1--WE think every
thlng Is killed; and our trees had inst he
gun TO bloom. We have never had any
oranges since the freeze of four wears
ago. We have staid here five years ana
worked, and now have less than when we
came. We win not stay any longer" This
man, also lost mis- garden and is now only
waiting for money to leave the state He
does this simply from feeling of inse-
cur1ty' AT the end of another five years
WIN WIN ms grove again renewed and in full
bloom, a deadly freeze may wine away an
his labor and expense and leave him again
dead broke" OF course rich nonresident
grove owners, and our own people Of
means, are not in this fix, and the most of
them will. as you say. make the best of
the situation and set about caring for their
groves al once" Florida still has enough