The Western news. [volume] (Libby, Mont.) 1933-current, 1935-07-25

| 'CN t'fN iidoolst odhS SldIlu VIII
their sturdy, wide-spreading branche
clothed in their dress of gray Spanisl
moss and. recalling to us the story @
its introduction to America by Ponc
de Leon. While in Florida one neve
forgets that one is in semi-tropica
land.
Oranges by the Truck Load.
The visitor from the North find
additional Interest in the citrus groves
We saw oranges and grapefruit CROWN,
on the trees and we saw large trucl
loads of them, piled loose in the trucl
and being carted to the packing plants
And what delightful fruit
We had often heard of the deliciou
flavor OF tree ripened oranges. We nov
can testify that the flavor is as delight.
tul as indicated by report. One da,
after returning home from severa
hours of driving around the city anc
countryside, my sister-in-law served
US with glasses of orange juice Mine
was SO deliciously sweet that ! askee
her if she had used sugar in preparing
the drink. Her reply was that she hac
not Orange juice prepared from the
fruit we receive in the North would
have required several spoonsful Of
sugar to equal the sweetness of this
tree ripened product.
+ And the grapefruit also had delici-
gus flavor; large, heavy fruit filled with
fluice, and requiring scarcely any sugar
at all, just light sprinkling of it.
In the North we have to soak the
grapefruit in sugar to make it palatable.
We consumed grapefruit by the dozen
while we were there and bought a
goodly supply of them to take north
with us. We made way with those after
we Lad reached Minneapolis on our
way home.
During our stay at Tampa we drove
through mile after mile of orange and
grapefruit groves and never wearied
OF them. We learned popularity of the
citrus trees, that blossoms, green fruit
and ripe fruit are to be found on the
trees all at the same time. Also during
our travels around Tampa we learned
the citrus groves of that entire district
had been badly damaged last winter
by heavy frost. Some. groves were
severely injured. Others in the same
locality seemed to have escaped with
only slight damage. All the damaged
trees We're being cut back and nv
brother said it would require from four
to five years fer the damaged trees TO
get back into full bearing. The damage
to the district was extremely heavy.
An nr frratsafy-,.f4
comparatively low growing tree al
though the older trees reach about the
same height as the average apple tree
in the north They have a dense, dark
green foliage, with the branches grow
ing low to the ground. They are
sight when heavy with the
bright colored fruit.
If the visitor from the North does
not want to display his ignorance he
must be careful in referring to the
orange groves" 1t does not do at all
% speak OF them as orange orchards
they are groves. We had quite little
in that respect as we seemed
determined to say orchard when we
should say grove But we finally mas
cred it.
Largest Sponge Market.
Most Of the time we were in Tampa
he five of us spent in driving around
either the city or in covering the sur
district for many miles. One
uch trip took all of one day and car |
led us to Tarpon Springs Tarpon
springs is few miles from Tampa |
lirectly on the gulf. 1t is the seat OF
| large sponge industry having the
argest sponge market in the world. !
This industry is conducted almost ex-
lusively by Greeks and they have
ettlement Of their own at Tarpon
springs. There we saw a number of |
mall sailing boats equipped to 60 out
nd gather the sponges from the bot
ON of the gulf. They all bore Greek
James. Scattered on the dock there
we're all kinds and sizes of sponges.
hese were graded for size and tex
ure and then strung on a cord, the
nds Of the cord then being tied to-
ether, making ring Of sponges.
One finds number Of curio stores
t Tarpon Springs and we had an in
- N1sAfit, siSit Will q DilSIil fUullB
oy in one of them, a young Greek
ad of about Ia years. He told lis in
nsWer to our questions that the
PONCE boats go out as far as hun
red miles from shore and that the
ivers 60 down as far as 20 fathoms
le said that now and then boats fail to
eturn, having fallen victim to some
torn. Occasionally a diver loses his
fe In battle with shark
Another bit Of color was added to
Is recital. 1t seems there is a popular
sstival held by the pious Greeks once
year, in which priest blesses the
fiorts Of the sponge workers. During
10 exercises the priest blesses a golden
kQsA and then hurls it into the waters
the gulf Whereupon the divers. all
i've for it, spurred on by the legend
nat he who returns it will surely have
God luck for the entire year When
lrs. Rowe then asked the lad, We'll,
oes the diver have good luck" the
Dung lad solemnly replied, Why, of
curse" with all the conviction of
rue believer. This lad also told us
lat the sponges as they grow attached
rocks at the bottom of the gulf are Il
overed with black skin-like sub
lance. This skin is allowed to dry a /