18 



ORANGE CULTURE. 



As we have said eleven years ago these three men were pen- 

 niless, now seventy-five thousand dollars would not tempt them to 

 sell their grove. 



In 1870 a gentleman whom we know, purchased a wild grove 

 on Lake Harris for five hundred dollars ; now he has twenty 

 acres of bearing trees, and refused to sell for fifty thousand 

 dollars. 



Two years later, just ten years ago, another settler bought 

 forty acres of land for less than four hundred dollars, budded 

 the few trees growing wild, set out more, and now has sold land 

 to the amount of two thousand dollars, and holds the balance at 

 twenty-five thousand. 



Now look at these figures for a moment, and ask yourself 

 what safe, reliable legitimate business could you engage in at the 

 North, with a capital of five hundred dollars, aud in ten or 

 eleven years have augmented that capital, to such an extent ! 



Yet, one more example and we are done. 



In 1874 a gentleman bought for S6,000 a rich hammock tract 

 of five hundred and sixty acres. On this tract were four acres in a 

 wild grove; six hundred large bearing trees, besides many young 

 seedlings. The bearing trees he budded, leaving some as they 

 stood, but moving others where they were too crowded. 



The trees thus moved were of course set back several years 

 in growth, but from the four hundred that Avere left in their 

 original position, when three years only from the bud, the neat 

 little sum of twelve hundred dollars were obtained ; at four years 

 from the bud, these same four hundred presented their fortunate 

 owner with sixteen hundred dollars, and at five years one hun- 

 dred of the transplanted trees having advanced into the ranks of 

 the bearing ones, the crop netted seventeen hundred dollars, and 

 Avould have brought one thousand more, but for a severe gale 

 that blcAV ofi* a large proportion of the fruit. 



Now this is the showing of just four acres out of five hun- 

 dred and sixty purchased for six thousand dollars. 



How about the rest ? 



Two hundred and sixty acres have been sold for twenty-one 

 thousand dollars. Three hundred acres and the grove referred to 



