(C'roin the Volusia Clouniy Record, fi. Prevatt, Editor, De Land, Florida, 



March 24, 1894.) 



A MODEL GROVE. 



What an Orange Grove Will Do When Proper Attention 



is Given It. 



While there are only 300 trees in it, the John Cannon grove southwest 

 of the city is probaby the best paying grove, in proportion to its size, that 

 is found in the county. There has been so much talk about the heavy 

 crop of ripe fruit that hangs on the trees, at the same time white as a sheet 

 with the bloom, we went out there this week to see if such conditions 

 really existed, and to get a point or two from its owner. 



We have given considerable attention within the past fifteen years to 

 the growing of the orange, but we must confess that John Cannon has got 

 the business down to that point that these 300 trees bring him a round sum 

 of net money every year — not every year or two, but the big crop is there 

 every fall. 



This grove is on our ordinary pine land, just as the thousands of acres 

 of groves found around us. The variety of the fruit as seen in all other 

 groves, and the fact that Mr. Cannon gets a heavy crop every year without 

 a miss, is proof evident that his method is the correct one. 



Four years ago he changed his tactics as to getting fruit from his trees. 

 He began the process of high fertilizing. The first year he put forty 

 pounds of the Mapes fertilizers to the tree. The second year he doubled 

 the quantity, and every tree responded wonderfully to this better treat- 

 ment, putting on heavy crops of fine, bright, smooth fruit. One yoar he 

 put on 120 pounds to the larger trees, but the Messrs. Mapes informed him 

 that he was overdoing it. Not that too much of their goods would injure 

 the tree or its fruit, but that not more than from 60 to 80 pounds to the 

 tree could be absorbed a year. This is now about what these trees are 

 getting of this fertilizer every year, and the superb condition of this grove 

 to-day is the admiration of every orange man that sees it. John has stuck 

 to Mapes and none other for these four years, and says that company has 

 the formula in their manufacture to perfectly supply every function of the 

 tree, the root and the fruit. The lower limbs that swing to the ground 

 with the fine fruit are as clean, as vigorous and as luxuriant as the wavino- 

 boughs of the top. ° 



Mr. Cannon says he gives Mapes' fertilizers the entire credit for taking 

 his grove out of that condition of an off year in bearing, and not full at 

 that, to its present profitable condition. 



An Orlando grower stopped off at De Land recently to see this grove, 

 and said he never saw anything in the way of a grove to equal it. He 

 went home and will profit by John Cannon's advice. 



There are groves here that look as well as this one, but we know of no 

 other grove that has put on four big crops in succession, and the fifth one, 

 the biggest yet, can be seen m the bloom and young fruit now on the trees. 

 There has been a steady gain every year since the higher fertilizing began. 



