The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1920-09-17
CITRUS INDUSTRY or FLORIDA
AGAIN HAS lTs EYES ON MA
RON COUNTY
Here IN the Rich Interior the Orange
Was Found Growing Wild and
the Fruit Attains Perfection


In the state were established in this
county. They were budded and graft.
ed on wild orange trees. In this sec
ton the fruit grows to perfection.
swhen the freeze of '95 came, under a
Ynbination of weather conditions
That were. very rare, the groves Of this
section and the groves in all other
sections Of the state were. for the
most part, wiped out. The citrus in.
dustry OF the. state looked farther
south. and the succeeding years have
demonstrated that bearing trees are
fmaged as much farther south as
they are here. The growers VINO re-
tanned their faith in Marion county
have learned to take better care of
their trees. They have found that this
section of the citrus belt makes for a
finer quality of fruit; they have found
that less fertilizer is needed here;
that the trees suffer less from disease
and pests; that the fruit is ready for
the market earlier; that this section
Of the state is nearer the markets. To.
day the citrus industry is again look
ing toward Marion county, and the
coming season promises to see many
new groves started with many acres
ready set out.
The growers who have studied the
orange in Marion county closely for
the past twenty-five years or more
are convinced that citrus culture here
In the rich interior of Florida Is as
profitable as in any section OF the
state In proof of this the growers
point to the record of their groves.
There are no groves anywhere in
Florida today finer than the groves
IN this county.
The groves near Citra on the south.
ern shore of Orange Lake budded on
the wild trees just as they were found
are most interesting. Instead, of being
symmetrically set out the trees are
growing Just where the wild trees
were found in the forests. Fruit from
these groves tops the market There
are fine groves all around this lake,
mostly on the southern and western
shores. in this county. There are
groves along the Oklawaha river,
around the lakes. in the hammocks.
a on the hills, in every section of
the county. most of them off the main
highway. There are many beautiful
groves around Lake Weir, including
one OF the largest bearing groves in
this state. This coming season there
win be a number of new groves set
out near 0cala. All of these groves
are not orange groves, of course, for
the grapefruit and tangerine also
grow 10 perfection in this county.
Several Pittsburg men have pur-
chased the 1100-acre farm of the Flor
ida Live Stock and Farms Company
just south of ocala. and intend putting
on an orange proposition in 1921.
Arond South Lake Weir. Weirsdale,
stanton and Eastlake, there are more
than 619 acres of old groves, about
ninety per cent of which date back
90 the freeze. These groves have
come thru every freeze since '95.
within the last thirteen months liz
acres more have been set out. and
present plans provide for planting of
more than $50 acres during the COM
ing season. Packing houses at these
places are having new equipment in
stalled. and their capacity doubled.
One concern is clearing land fer So
acre nursery on a hillside site which
affords magnificent view of the lake.
In the ESQ acres mentioned are i"clud-
ed only forty of a hundred-acre grove
that is to be established on the wes-
tern shore of Little Lake Weir. A
tract of 1900 acres that has recently
been purchased for citrus purposes, Is
not included in the new groves men,
toned.
A visit to the groves on the south
ern shore of Lake Weir is more than
worth while. for the homes in these
groves are surrounded with wonderful
COLLECTIONS of other fruits, flowers,
shrubs and palms. Several OF the
nlaees are veritable botanical gar
dens one having several hundred
varieties of plants and trees. AS this
is written, many of the flowers are in
h,oorn. and the guavas, japanese per-
simmons and scuppernong grapes are
ripening.