The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1913-06-24

started to build another grove upon
some hammock land which was used
for growing vegetables. This oc-
cupied small peninsula at the south
west of Lake Griffin. In four years
10000 trees had been set out, when
in 1893 another freeze cut them back
50 that they had to be budded over
again This time half the new buds
we're grapefruit of a seedless variety,
the rest being oranges and tangerines.
1t was in this grove, accompanied
by the man who built it, that / first
saw citrus tree in full bearing. 1t
came to me as a distinct shock, for
if there is anything in nature SO
beautiful and Impressive, | have yet
to see it, unless it is an orange tree
with the bloom, the green fruit and
the ripe fruit upon it, This particu-
lar tree, an unusually fine one for it's
age-about twelve years-was not
more than that many feet tall, with
it's lower branches touching the
ground. Hanging upon them were
at least 400 grapefruit-about ten
or twelve boxes such as you see in
the stores. / crawled under the
branches and tried to get an adequate
picture of the great yellow globes,
half a dozen of which could be seen
hanging to stem smaller than a
lead pencil But neither words nor
camera can describe It,
Now you can understand" said
my host. why the growing of these
things is the most fascinating oeeu-
patton in the world No, the danger
from frost does not lessen or add
to it's zest, because it is much less
than it used to be- We have learned
a great many things about frost pro-
lection in comparatively short time.
Most variaties of grapefruit and
oranges are now budded on the hard
ier native or sour-orange stock and
close to the ground. That eliminates
the single tall trunk, so the branches
often seem to spring out of the earth.
Before the cold weather comes the
tree banked with clean, dry earth,
sometimes to a height of three feet,
which effectually protects the most
valuable part of it. And should a
very severe freeze occur. at least
fifty per cent. of the trees value
would be saved, besides giving US a
good long start on the new growth.
Then too, the temperature in a
grove located near fair-sized body
of water will be anywhere from six
to ten degrees warmer than other
wise. This grove has water on three
sides The land slopes gently from
the center in all directions, which not
fonly allows a natural drainage, but
also enables US to irrigate it by
pumping water from the lake to the
highest point, whence it is evenly dis
tributed
We had gone to the pump house
and stood looking across 125 acres
in full bloom, with here and there a
tree on which fruit had been left to
lripen. The perfume is not the only
thing that is likely to go to your
head.
Figures to Make Your Brain Reel
When this grove Is In full bearing
when the youngest trees are, say, ten
years old, how many boxes of fruit
fought 1t to produce each year?" |
asked.
That is rather a difficult thing
to say" was the reply. Like the
stars, one year differeth from another
in glory. Neither are the trees
alike. But call it an average of four
boxes a tree. There are $4,000 OF
them in this grove, which would
make 10000 boxes"
AT what price box?"
THAT again is hard to say. But
in a good year grapefruit from this
grove have sold on basis of $3.50
box on the tree; oranges from s1.4O
to So; tangerines from 81 to $3.50
But leave out those figures. which
are exceptional, and call it ST box.
That's 100000 And the net
prof1t?
Even at fifty cents box that
would be $30,000-twenty per cent
on $3.50 900, or $1,000 an acre, fol
which this grove has been sold''
Such figures as these sets ones
brain to buzzing. And with thai
| ten-box tree in mind-it is there yet
by the Way-I wonder if four boxe.
a tree was not ultra-conservative fol
such grove.
I know owners whose groves can
not be purchased for love or money,
they derive splendid incomes from
them, besides the fascinating pleas
ure of growing them For instance
one man in one season received a ne
profit of more than $4,000 from /;
grove Of seven and a half acres o
oranges and grapefruit containing
! less than $50 trees. His affidavit tt
/ this effect has been copied and com
mented upon dozens of times. H,
I is some citrus grower. believe me
and he has magnificent lot of trees
Yet his net income does not compar,
with the '.ultra-conservative esti
mate" OF which the homeseeker cal
i Tl1a Jxp contained in the b0OkIef 0f