The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1909-03-26
BACKWARD, Oh! TIME, IN THY
FLIeHT!"

hehsdCold journal, are looking over
their files and are reproducing what
was being done in their respective
communities in the years that are
gone.
Following their example, it will be
seen that our people here in Marion
were busy then, as they are now, in
developing our resources and bring
ing our state to the attention of 9TH
ers.
I We quote from our files of March
l3. 1875. under the heading, What is
Being Done in Marion"
The orange fever still RACES with
unabated fury in our midst.
! Colonel Gary has recently set out
several hundred trees on his home
place and is continuing his operations
on the Oklawaha river.
] Col Rogers is extending his grove
on the Silver Springs run, and many
OF his trees will bear next year.
Captain HOwse is actively at work
al Silver Springs, and is changing the
aspect of things at that place. He
has cut down several acres of forest
growth and has the land set out in or
ange trees and bananas. and in the
lCenter of which he has erected a COM
Portable cottage. In a few years this
will be one of the most lovely and
attractive places in the state, and at
no point would a large hotel pay bet
ter. Other places are being set out
In orange trees near the head of the
spring
Mr.. A. L. Eichelberger, with unpar-
alleled energy, has his forty acres
growing magnifcently at his home
place in Ocala. and is now pushing his
Operations on the Withlacoochee river.
on the margin of this bold and pic
lturesQue stream are many natural
groves. and Mr.. Eichelberger and 9TH
ers are having the forest timber cut
away and the "sour stumps" convert
ed into sweet trees.
Mr.. John F. Dunn, our popular col
leCtOr OF revenue. is not behind any
OF our go-ahead citizens, and is max
Ing preparations for the rainy day"
when he shall have ceased his labors
as a public officer and withdrawn him
self from the noisy hub-bub of official
life He has purchased a beautiful
tract Of land on Orange lake, and is
having the same handsomely improv-
Cd. In less than three months he has
had thirty acres of heavy forest tim
Der cut down and cleared away, and
already has the greater part of it
ltransplanted with sweet-budded or
ange trees. set out in regular rows,
twenty-five feet apart, and some of
the trees set out less than six weeks
ago are now in bloom and will bear
fruit this fall. This is remarkable,
Though nevertheless true, and if any
section OF the state can beat it we
would like TO see the proof of it in
print
Dr. ZeButt is having his grounds in
town improved. and his trees have
already put on a fresher color and
are heavily laden with young fruit.
lntermiXed with his oranges, bananas
and flowers are some choice speci-
mems OF Japan plums. now fully ripe,
which look amazingly tempting at
this season Of the year. We are sor-
~ 80 little attention is paid to the
/ propagation Of this most delicious
fruit II Is a beautiful tree, is easily
cared for and propagated, is a heavy
]
a season when all other fruits have
disappeared. Besides this, it can only
be grown in a climate like ours. We
understand that Mr.. +. T. Williams
intends establishing a nursery for the
propagation Of this fruit and will sell
them az exceedingly low prices, mere
n N 90 have them more generally intro
duced into the county. On one of the
II
ripe fruit half ripe fuit. young fruit.
fun and unblown blossom. His
grounds are quite an ornament to our
village and we are glad he has caught
the prevailing epidemic" and is en-
Enthusiastically engaged in the improve
ment Ga his place
Mr. James II. Badger of Oldtown.
having realized $40 from a single tree
last season, is now going into the
business in earnest. The few trees on
his place look as fresh, vigorous and
healthy as any trees in the state, and
never fail TO yield heavy crops. He
has one tree that bears the largest
fruit that we have ever seen. The
crop from the entire tree will weigh
1u an average more than a pound
apiece.
/ All the farmers in the Oldtown
ueigEhorhood are planting more or
less trees. The same may be said of
fh' farmers about Cotton Plant. In
TACT groves are being started in ev-
. ,r. section of the county.
Over the Oklawaha river the farm
CTS have entirely abandoned cotton
ami gone go planting oranges instead.
Every farm in the Fort Mccoy set
Element Is an orange grove.
Al The lands around Lake Weir
. "HE. recently been entered and its
once quiet and deserted shores are
DOW ahiazc with the orange excite
w.ut
Colonel Samuel II. Owens and his
brother Rev. James B. Owens. in the
northern part of the county, are in
. NDsflng large sums in the cultivation
. 'f This fruit
Thousands Of dollars have recently
been invested on Orange lake. and
hat section already presents the fin
2 est orsnge outlook in the south.