The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-04-24
SANFORD A CELERY CENTER.
Northern Buyers on the Ground With
Cash in Hand,


Sanford, Fla. April 23.-At last the
Gate city of South Florida" has found
something that rivals Orlandos famous
pineapple boom. A bank director stated
to-day in the presence of the Morning
News correspondent that $4,000 had been
deposited in our Sanford banks by North
ern and Western dealers for the purchase
here of celery. So surprising a statement
led me 10 investigate the subject, and as
a result l find that this Is as much a
celery center as Orlando is a pineapple
center and Lawtey, a strawberry
center It is admitted that Mr.. A. Rob
bins is putting the finest quality of cell
cry raised anywhere into the market, and
he does not have to ship IL to commission
merchants. Northern and Western firms
that deal largely in celery, lettuce, etc,
have their agents here on the ground and
Mr. Robbins and other growers have the
cash in hand before the car leaves the de-
pot
As to the revival of the orange industry
in this immediate vicinity the outlook is
not encouraging for an early resumption.
But in many more favored parts of
Orange county the reports indicate num-
bers of groves coming into bearing again
this season with excellent yields. A lead
ing buyer and shipper tells the Morning
News correspondent that between 10000
and ZOO boxes will probably be shipped
out OF this county next winter, which will
be good starter and serve to greatly en-
courage people to give their now neglected
groves proper cultivation. One thing is
certain, the past season has witnessed re-
markable activity in the real estate bust
ness especially orange grove property.
Your correspondent can name fifty groves
that have changed hands In regular sales,
some of the parties being all-theyear-
residents who are making investments In
Florida. Not a few of these people have
bought several groves, which shows that
they have confidence in the business as
an investment pure and simple. And the
outlook for good re turns is now favorable.
The shipments are made by fast freight
in refrigerator cars, iced here and at Way
cross, and the celery reaches distant
markets in the best possible condition.
Mr. Robbins expects near $40 900 from his
crop this year. His system of cultivation
is the best known, and his lettuce, like his
celery, finds a ready market at profitable
prices Nor is he alone in his new enter
prise. dozen other parties, some on a
big scale, are in the business, and the
shipments of all kinds of truck farm pro
ducts have reached very high figure.
While all have not made success of their
ventures, the best growers have made
money. When the fish shipments-mostly
fine Shad-are ddded TO the vegetable
shipments it is easy to understand why
our local retail merchants say they have
had big trade this season, and the bank
officials report unusually heavy deposits.
In the matter of celery. IL looks as though
Sanford growers were in the lead and that
there will always be a large demand with
cash on hand here, for such splendid
celery as Mr.. Robbins has been shipping.
Another new palmetto industry has been
started here-the manufacture OF palmetto
Veneering for piles and other purposes.
This gives the once despised palmetto
another hold upon public attention as
cash product. A few years ago the scrub
palmetto and the cabbage palmetto were
almost useless except for ornamental
trees and plants, but to-day every part Is
yielding ready cash. An extensive fannie
acid factory is about to begin opera lions
in Palatka, and, like the one at Titus
VILE creates a big demand for scrub pal
metto roots. A dozen medicine factories
pay good prices for the red berries, while
the leaves are in demand both for orna-
mental and useful purposes. Orlando has
several shops in which the leaves are pre-
pared for Northern markets, while Jack
sonville has a factory that turns them
into a fiber for various uses. Sanford has
a big factory, backed by the Diamond
Match Company, where scrubbing brushes
and other useful articles are made from
palmetto material. So with the new We
neer factory the entire palmetto Is turned
into cash