Lexington gazette. [volume] (Lexington, Va.) 1871-1962, 1904-01-20
PINEAPPLE GROWING.
Tue Industry md It's Profits In Flor
fda-Cuban Competition.

Tue Industry unu ItS IrOHts In rlOr-
ida-Cuban Competition.
The Indian river region has always
been noted for it's lack of horses. The
people were scmi..,"phibious. They
visited and carried on business in their
sailboats along the river. And when
the railroad came and supplanted the
steamboats, the managers seemed to
think it their duty TO replace the boats,
both steam and sail. In every respect.
In the main pineapple belt during har-
west time the pick up train Is the
most accommodating in the world. 1t
stops at every planters wharf to load
his stack of crates, often moving up
Oily fifty or Il hundred feet to take OH
board Il neighbours offerings And this
Is 10 toy shipping either. From the
window Of the Office where | now sit
writing. says 5. Powers in the. Country
Gentleman. have seen solid pineap-
pie train. numbering thirtyseven cars.
roll slowly over the long st. Johns
river bridge into Jacksonville.
With the exception Of the hard frOsts
six or seven YEARS ago. the Florida
pineapple industry has this year en-
c0untcrcd the first obstruction that has
threatened to be permanent and heav
lily damaging in the shape of Cuban
competition TO Il strong and resource
full man | do not account the frOsts any
obstacle worth serious cOnsidera ton,
but these Cuban millions. grown In
fertile soil and frostless air. may well
give the Florida planter pause There
happened this year what may not Oc-
cur again in Il gencratOn-namely, an
almost simultaneous ripening Of the
pineapple crops of Cuba. the Bahamas
and extreme south Florida. phenom-
enOn which was probably due to the
lack of the usual full effect of the
North American winds. which alone |
lower Florida, In d me-
neurological view. from the two island |
regions mentioned.
NaturalistS consider that the fora |
and fauna of south Florida are essen |
tally Antillcan in their relationships, |
and the almost simultaneous ripening |
of the pines this year goes to prove
their view. showing that the usual in
terval of Il fortnight or month is due
10 the cold continental winds holding
back our crop. And it is these very
continental winds which threaten frost
and sometimes bring it that constitute
4 strong element in our security against
Cuban competition. Usually Cuba will
ship her South American pines and get
)ut of the way before we come to the
market bringing our North American
'ruit.
Then there is another point There
$ no question that the Cuban pine is
distinctly inferior to the Foridian,
hough ! would not be positive that
his is to any controlling extent due to
climatic influences. believe that the
of our fruit is largely due
o that fine art of growing which is
,etter understood in Florida than in
my other horticultural section of this
ountry.
Does pineapple culture pay in Flor
ia? Does corn growing pay in ILL
ois? In the old flush times the grow
rs on Indian river often sold to tour
SITS their entire crop at 30 cents to 81 {
piece. Last spring. during the ruck
nd glut of the Cubans. at one time {
light decent pines could be bought for
cent in West Palm Beach. In Hi {
DIS corn has been burned for fuel. No {
mcrican OF fair average information
ntertains any doubts about the profits {
growing corn in Illinois; neither do Il
entertain any as to the remunerativc {
laracter Of pine growing in Florida.
string of beautiful homes stretching | +
No miles along Indian river attests the /
Iccess of their owners. d