The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-03-26
ABOUT HARDY ORANGE. TREES.
= FLORIDA ORANGE GROWER
DISCUSSES THEM.


Doubtful If Frost-PrOOf Trees
VIII Produce such Oranges-The
Gulf Coast Oranges-Other Matters
| of Interest.
| Maitland, Fla, March 25-I was quite
| surprised at your editorial Hope For
Orange Growers"-in Thursdays Morning
! News. If Louisiana has a frost proof or
hardy orange tree that produces market
able fruit, say something like our ordin-
! airy Florida orange, have never heard of
| Its existence. There is however a fruit
grower in that state who has been cross
breeding the Onnshne with the japanese
orange, and he expects to make a hardy
bearing tree of it that will thrive outside
the real orange growing regions of the
South. Then there is the hardy japanese
Kawachi orange tree. and California
nursery is selling them at a very profitable
| price TO orange growers in the South.
It is Wei known fact that the louisa
ma orange groves suffered more from the
recent freeze than did our Florida groves,
and only yesterday a Maitland nursery be
gan large shipment of young trees to
Louisiana. And We have also made large
shipments to California. This shows that
the orange growers, as a class, do not put
much faith in japanese or other experl-
mented hardy hybrid orange trees, whether
sent out from Prof Webbers department
| of agriculture at Washington, OF offered
for sale by Spectators. 1t Is one thing to
create a hardy, thrifty tree, but it is quite
another thing to make that tree produce
a finely favored and juicy orange. Such
as has made the Florida fruit so famous
the world over. There is no demand for
poor oranges that is not already fully
supplied, and will continue to be.
In my last letter 1 intended to state that
the Gulf coast" oranges were now as
famous as the Indian river oranges used
! to be before the great freeze but the
printer put 1t "Guly county," which ruined
the sense of the paragraph. What the
markets of the world want most of all,
am sure, Is a superior favored and juicy
orange. Poor oranges, at cheap prices,
| abound everywhere, but the demand for
the finest grades keeps ahead of the sup
ply. Since the freeze that was so inturf-
Gus to the Indian river groves, the Gulf
coast oranges have rapidly come to the
| front for superior flavor and beauty of
| coloring, and have sold for the very high
est prices. 1t is admitted that no section
| of this or any other country produces an
orange equal to the best products of the
| Florida groves. Our poorly cultivated
| groves Ii Is true send out poor fruit but
| our well kept and favorably located groves
| ship the best to be found anywhere.
The real Hope for Orange Growers" In
| Florida and elsewhere is not in hardy
| trees. but in the finest fruit that can be
! produced. Tender trees subject to occa-
| sional freezes, that bear such oranges,
are much more to be desired than frost
| proof trees that yield an inferior fruit.
| And this is why so few people are rush
Ing after the so-called hardy trees, to
which / have referred. Such men of
wealth as Stetson, Hopper, Dommerich
/ and others would not waste their time
/ or money on these hybrid, experimental
| trees They are after fruit--the best that
| can be grown-and SO they stick to the
| old trees, whose quality of fruit has been
| found of the highest grade. These men
prefer to protect such trees under close
sheds, properly heated, in cold snaps, to
a tropical temperature. The same is true
! of pineapples. Cheap and poor pines need
| little care, but Hopper and his class of
! growers are after the choicest pineapples
that can be raised, and they do not hest
tate at expense of needed protection.
The Rev DR.. Edward o. Guerrant Of
| Kentucky who spends his winters in Flor
| ida is one of the most eminent Presby-
| terrain divnes in the South and a we'll
| known author of marked ability. Writing
from Umatilla to the Christian Observer,
| Of Louisville KY, on 1.-The Groves and
Graces In Florida sounds note If
| Hope For Orange Growers in Our Often
| Desolated State" "The orange groves. >"
| he writes, were bravely recovering from
| the freeze of 1895. and many were bear
| ing again. Most of them were only about
/ four years old, and many in bloom when
| the cold wave of Feb. IS came like a thief
| in the night and carried away their leaves
and most of their lives, / believe this is
true of the great orange belt between
| Ocala and Orlando. South of that the
damage was not so great, and below
! Tampa the groves were not seriously in
! jured, and will bear fruit this year For
| tunately most of the valuable buddsd
| trees had been protected by banking, or
covering the buds (near the ground with
sand, which saved them from the cold
| These win soon renew their tops, and
| bear again in a few years-without an
| other blizzard. Some of the old groves
which passed through the freeze of 1895
| protected by fires or lakes, viii probably
escape this year. But the great majority
| of the trees were killed back and cannot
yield fruit for some years"
How hopefully and cheerfully Rev. DR..
| Guerrant turns to the brighter side of his
dark picture. 81 happened TO be here"
interested spectator). and must bear my
| testimony to the courage and faith and
submission of these people who saw the
labor and hopes of years again swept away
in one night Need not say these graces are
worth all the orange groves in the world.
And these wiH grow again. 1t is remark
able what vitality and persistence an
orange tree possesses. 1t is a verltable
Phoenix and rises and blooms from its
ashes with a courage and beauty that is
| sublime. And these Florida people have
"a n - ~ "a IA ~