Baraboo weekly news. [volume] (Baraboo, Wis.) 1912-197?, 1916-04-20
Hugh Kelley
WrifeS .Abouf
Orange Land

Mr.. 4. A. Dyke, who With his wife
has been spending the winter in Flori-
da, has made the writer's winter more
bearable with newspapers, bouquets of
OF ange blossoms, fruit etc. In papers
F.! received early in the season. The edi-
tor, estimated at millions the revenue
that Florida would receive from
northern tourists during the winter.
1t was amusing how, during past three
! weeks, these editors would emblazon
on their pages accounts of snow storms
! and cold weather in the northern states
in order to hold the transcients little
longer.
You remember how Petroleum V.
Nasty went over to write up Irelar d
| and became more Irish than
the Irish them elves? Well l fear
/ MIR. Dyke has been captured by Flori-
! da; listen to this.
The orangeis child of circum-
J stance, offspring of an old, old ad-
venture the history Of the Florida
orange tree is interviewer with webs of
romance. Tradition traces it back to
the day of Ponce de Leon, who search
ing YEARLY for the tabled fountain,
scattered oranges, love apples, in the
virgin woods. And so the Spanish ex~
plorer welded this flower ed peninsula
to the orange tree when he christened
her Florida. It is a pretty story
Florida has mOthered the
orange tree ever since First
the native Indians finding the sweet
fruit, made groves around their heath
en- camps, hidden behind the hammock
hedges. Sometimes now in the most
formidable forests you are likely to fine
wild orange tree, a vestige of van
, ished and romantic race. The hush Of
ancient woods is there. The furnished
fruit seems to hold still the warmth Of
that medieval sun which the red mer
used to worship when Florida waI
young. And the big, green leave
sprouting among the dead wood, seen
to rejoice in q never dying day. For nj
the heroic history of Florida has beer
the history of the orange. Ponce dc
Icons fruit brought from Spain were
destined to youth eternal. Spanish
soldiers invading the hammock-hidder
camps wrested from the Seminoles their
groves and planted others in high, oper
places. Then came other adventures
and afterward the ease-loving English
man. They, too, planted orange groves
and finally came pioneer settlers wht
:put orange growing on a firm basis af
ter Florida became annexed to the
| United States.
The industry was one time among tht
south's most essential enterprises
second only to cotton growing. It grew
but to tell the rapid steps it took along
the pathway of modern progress would
make tedious tale. 1t is only q few
short years since primitive methods
were suppIanted by modern machinery
today you find the citrus culture one Of
the most fascinating of all business
Yet the color of romance has never
quite faded. A quiet thrill is alwayt
aroused by the sight of we'll KEEP
lorida grove. A feeling of peace ii
there, and you are aware of a source of
!, income, your eye thrills most at the fruit
Why? Because all the deeper splendorl
of citrus grove-its romances as vel
IS it's revenues-proceed from the fruit
it bears".
Now, isn't that sentimental? If Mr..
Dyke were as loyal to his northern
home as are the robins he woulc
be here ere this. The above quotation
is from a private correspondence and
trust you will not publish it in more
than one issue.
HUGH KELLEY