Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1904-07-26
FLORIDA IS THE GAMER.
Loss of Orange Crops by Freezing
Causes Planters to Turn to
Other Lines.

Causes Planters to Turn to
Other Lines.
Correspondence from three southern
states in recent issue of the Manufac-
turers' Record throws light upon some
phases of southern development not al
ways borne in mind in discussions of the
south's material progress. From jack
sonville Is sketched the remarkable
progress made at that point since the
fire which in May, 1901, burned $500
houses and rendered homeless $4,000
persons. It says:
Three years have passed, and except
for the destruction OF the beautiful shade
trees which lined the streets of the city,
1t is far greater and far more attractive
city than before the fire. The old houses
have been replaced by new and modern
structures. Where $500 houses then
stood there are now considerably more
than 5000, costing nearly $25,o00,0o0
Business OF every kind has expanded, and
men have taken broader views of jack
sonville and its future and of the whole
state.
optimism rules everywhere. Stir, ac-
tivity, and life are in the air. In the
hotels, in the club, everywhere, men are
talking of the prosperity of the state, of
the great development in diversified
agriculture, of the phenomenal profits
which are being made in early vegetables
profits SURPRISING the stories told
about the fortunes made in fruit growing
in California. When the great freeze
practically destroyed the orange in
dustry OF the state it was supposed that
Florida had received blow from which
1t might never recover On the con-
trary, it is to-day regarded by almost
every one in the state, except the i'm
| mediate losers by the freeze, as great
blessing. 1t turned the attention of the
people from oranges, on which all inter-
| est was being conferred, and on which the
prosperity of the state was then staked,
to diversified farming, to pineapples, 10
matoes, potatoes, strawberries, celery,
and many other things which are yield
ing profits that sometimes read like a
fairy tale, but which are proven by bank
| accounts.
Moreover, with better understand
ing OF the orange business and with a
knowledge Of the fact that once in long
| period there may come another destruc
| tive freeze, the growers have adopted
| better methods and are better able to
| protect their trees should it ever come.
| For the first few years after the freeze
the orange industry languished,. but
gradually men Of energy took hold of it
again, and orange growing promises to
| prove as great in extent and far more
profitable than 1t was before, the esti-
mate of some being that this years crop
will reach 100000 boxes. It is by no
means improbable that below the frost
line there will be developed an orange
industry rivaling that of California,
where 100000 boxes are now raised.
But the entire orange business in
Florida might be destroyed and still the
state would become one of the most pros
porous In the union. With its diversity
| Of soil, its great lumber and turpentine
interests, its phosphate business. its
charm Of climate for winter tourists, 1t
has outside Of the orange business
sources Of wealth sufficient to bring an
abundant harvest of prosperity. It is
| just beginning its real development, Just
beginning to command the attention Of
the outside world, and its own people are
| just beginning to realize the greatness OF
their opportunities"
The same opportunities In diversified
agriculture and industry are noted In
correspondence from Jackson for Mis-
sissippi, where have been seen in the past
few days fields of cotton, corn, and oats,
and six-week-old alfalfa, cutting over
Is inches high, and where beautiful
furniture Is being made from the long
neglected tupelo gum. From Shreveport
comes story OF development in north
west Louisiana full Of promise. This
pictures the corn and cotton fields and
the hardwood forests, the deposits OF
Ignite forming an inexhaustible supply
Of material for the manufacture of fuel
briquettes, which is to begin at Shreve-
port, and says:
Underlying the clay deposits around
Mansfield. just out Of Shreveport, are
vast deposits of coal which will reduce
the cost Of fuel for manufacturing pur-
poses to the minimum. The best varietiea
Of gum to be found anywhere in the
south are along the Red river valley In
north Louisiana, and expert estimators
have said that some of this gum would
i m -