The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-05-06
FLORIDA.

FLORIDA.
The work of deepening the ST. Johns
river at Orange Mills Flats is progress
ing very satisfactorily. Since operations
| were commenced, about a mile has been
dredged and a good depth of water
| reached.
The United States ship Prairie is ex-
pected to arrive at Key West on the 10Th
to take out the Key West Naval Re-
| serves AS there are no funds In the
state treasury to pay for The expenses of
the trip, the reserves are not likely to go.
Judge c. C. Butt Of the Orange County
Criminal Court has recently negotiated
! large deal in timber land, to turoentine
| men. The deal covers about 16 900 acres
/ in the counties of Orange and Osceola, ami
Is said to be specially fine body of tim
Der land.
! San Antonio Herald: Strawberries as
| an export article are played out in this
! vicinity and anyone INDUCING in further
! shipments is very apt 10 get left. Accord
ing TO some of our shippers the strlwber-
! ry season just passed, has not been as r.
munerative as the one last year. There
| are, of course, some exceptions, but they
| are few and far between.
| Palatka FIoridlan Putnam county is
a practical unit for Hon. James D. Beggs
for Governor. And this is as it shou d be
Judge Beggs is strong man, honorable in
| his public life and pure In his private
| walks. He has been faithful in the dis
charge OF the duties entrusted to him. and
! ne VIII prove an efficient chief executive o.
| Florida. The East Floridian predicts his
| nomination by the Jacksonville conven-
zion. and this, Of course, means his cleo
! ton.
Four men, suspected of being implicated
In starting the recent big fire at Port Tam
pa city, were placed in Jail at Tampa
| thursday. They are Henry johnson,
henry Jones, Reese Livingston and Will
Randall, all colored. Since the fire we'll
grounded suspicion has existed that the
e Siaze was Of lncendiary origin. Deputy
| SneriH l.. j. Lester of this city took the
| matter in charge. and, with little assist
| ance from certain residents of the place
| was soon enabled to get on the track OF
! these four men. A witness has been found
VINO can identify at least some of them in
| such way that there is little likelihooi
OF them escaping punishment for the
| crime.
One of the largest crops of oranges and
grapefruit that has ever grown in Lee
county will be gathered this coming sea-
son. Reports come from all over the
| county of an immense crop and of an
| excellent season. The rains are almost
| unprecedented, and the young groves
everywhere are fourshing like the his
| torical green bay. Lee county has every
reason to be glad. So busy are its ctti-
Zens, and so much zeal and interest is
| felt and manifested in every part of the
| county in groves and crops, that politics
| mas taken back seat, and must look out
| for itself. Five asprants for political
| offices have announced themselves bur
very little talk on this line can be heard.
In Tampa it seems they consider the
removal of shade trees from the streets
| OF the city sign of progress. The Tam
| pa Times says: This morning the last
| shade tree on Franklin street was re-
| moved. The tree stood at the corner and
| in front of the Exchange National Bank.
| ana was cut down to make room for the
| new sidewalk to be laid by the bank The
removal of the tree was a matter of re-
| greet to all the business men in that sec
| ton, as they had heretofore boasted of
the only tree. 1t seems a pity that all
| the trees on this thoroughfare should
| have been cut out, but it had to be done
| 20 keep pace with the rapid growth it has
| been making for the past few years The
| trees on the back streets will be allowed
| TO stand.
Estimates are beginning to be made on
the prospective orange crop of Florida
for this year. They vary from 100000 boxes
| to 100000. well known fruit buyer who
| has made tour of the several sections
| of the state which will produce fruit the
| coming season, after a careful survey of
| the field, states that from the bloom
which has been on the trees and fruit
| which has set, it is safe to predict $50 900
| boxes. The season has been so far an
| exceptionally good one and the ground
| over the entire area which Is producing
oranges is in excellent condition to with
| stand drought, and should there be
| period lasting even for three months, no
serious injury would be sustained. The
| prospects for fine yield were never bet
| ter. 1t is said by those who have gone
| carefully over the county, that Orange
| county will produce between $4,000 and 3d.
900 boxes of marketable oranges this year.
| Possibly more. There are some fine groves
in that county, and the crop certainly
| cannot go below 25.0OO boxes.
The Florida State Agricultural Society,
which was organized in the Board of
| Trade rooms in Jacksonville Dec. 80 of
| last year, held their first annual meet
| ing and convention in Jacksonville Fri
| day at the close of the State Horticul-
| tural Society's session, in the same room
| in which they organized. The society
| held its lIrst business meeting and elected
| officers as follows: President, p E. Rose,
| Kissimmee: vice president Col. Henry
| Curtis. Quincy; secretary, Prof. H. F..
| Stockbridge, Lake City; treasurer F. B.
Moody. Lake City. The following Execu-
tive Committee was elected: G. P. Healey,
| Jaffry; C. L. Taber, Glen ST. Mary; G. A.
| Danley, Chbley. A joint committee hav-
| ing been requested and the Horticultural
| Society having appointed one to confer
| with the mana cement of the Agricultural
| College and Experiment Station, the ag-
| riculturalists appointed @. p. Healey of
| Jaffry and W. H. Cook of Pomona to
join with the committee from the Hor-
| ticultural Society in the conference. Sec
! rotary Stockbridge reported that the So
| ciety now numbered forty-seven members.
PLAGUE AND THE BIBLE.