The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1908-11-11
FINE FOR FRUIT
AND VEGE TABLES
Section Between Gulf and
Choctawhatchee is An
Excellent Territory.
snecIaI 70 rhe Journal.

DeFuniak, Nov. 9.-Better climatic
conditions for raising semi-tropical
and other fruits and eaSly vegetables
can hardly be found anywhere than
is offered by the peninsula lying De-
tween Choctawhatchee bay and the
Gulf of Mexico.
Capt. Reddick, thirty-six years ago,
planted some sixty orange trees on MS
homestead at Four Mile Point, and
has been selling oranges from them
at good prices, except when the trees
were killed down by the freezes that
swept over the state. Several parties
at Freeport claim that his oranges
proved 'as large and luscious as any
brought from South Florida.
Mr.. Walter Graves last week took
Mrs. Graves and lady friend of hers
in his launch t0-Visit the Reddlch
place, and says it is a delightful spot,
the land being good and the region
healthy. He saw no signs of blight OIL
the pear trees that Capt. Reddlck
claimed to be very prolific He
brought home several little branches
from the orange trees, each branch
having on it eight or ten fine large
oranges, and kindly gave the writer a
couple this morning. He says that
Mr.. Reddick has recently set out five
ulOiC VI dHSS bACCos OOAAAo
satisfied with his SO years experience
in the business The trouble with
fruit raising in the south has been
that the buds start during a warm
spell in February, to be too often Kill
ed by a March frost, unless the trees
are smudged The said peninsula
seems to be more exempt from late
frosts than the famed peach belt on
the east shore of Lake Michigan or
Lake Fries island vineyards. In all
the years I lived in Chicago or Mil
waukee. / never saw or heard OF
bearing peach tree west of Lake Mfehl-
gan, and yet in the early fall every
steamer or other vessel from the east
shore came in loaded to the gunwales
with baskets of peaches and other
fruits. l have seen on the west side
Of the lake the mercury go down to
40 degrees bellows zero and good skat-
ing to the middle OF the lake, and yet
the balance of the lake furnished
warm air enough<o save the trees in
the east shore peach belt from being
killed.
The reason the said peninsula is
more favored than the Michigan peach
belt and the Lake Erie island vine
yards, is that twice in IS hours there
is an outflow from the bay, for six
hours, through East Pass to be fol-
lowed by six hours inflow of the
warmer water of the gulf to protect
Reddick's orange buds, early tomato
plants, etc, from the March frosts.
The common saying: IF the wind
goes down there will be frost to-
night" does not apply to the PENN
sula, as the water in the bay, being
slightly cooler than the water in the
gulf. a gentle breeze flows from zone
to the other, on what would be frosty
nights.
Mr.. Graves. with his party. visited
Destin and reports the orange trees
there a sight to behold. The writer
was there in October and the sight
of the bearing orange, pecan and hick-
DRY trees, put me in mind to write
this piece for The Journal.
It would have induced me to have
fruit and early truck farm on the
peninsula, but a few days ago my
wife concluded we should let some
younger parties take advantage of
the opportunities offered.
On the Brooks place. at the mar
rows, which is but about half mile
from the gulf, there are seven pear
trees entirely free from blight and