WHAT HAS BEEN AND MAY BE. 



15 



hitherto despised trees, brought him all, and more than all the 

 cash he needed. 



When the lonely recluse died, no heir came forward to claim 

 his property, so after due time the State stepped in and sold it to 

 the highest bidder. 



And thus John Eaton's grove became the property of the 

 Hon. AY. ^Y, Woodruff, for the sum of $3,000 



The property would have brought much more if it had not 

 been that the soldier had made so very poor a selection of land, 

 that only a few of the hundred and sixty acres are good for any- 

 thing, and these are only a few feet above the river, so that in 

 unusually high tides the grove suffers ; besides this, the only build- 

 ing site is so near the river, that it is not healthy to live there, and 

 so much overflowed land extends all around it, that whoever 

 dwells there must be content without neighbors. 



Yet, in sj^ite of these serious drawbacks, the little place sold 

 at Mr. Woodruff's death, for $9,000, triple the price, you see, 

 that he paid for it. 



There are, we have said only fifty trees in this grove, but 

 from those fifty trees, crops often net from $1,500 to $1,800 in a 

 season. 



Who has not heard of the famous " Big Tree" of Florida? 

 which oftentimes has 10,000 oranges at once ; oranges so fine that 

 they have sold for $2.40 per hundred ; thus netting from this one 

 tree $240 in one season I It seems incredible, does it not ? 



Yet it is strictly true, and not only so, but this tree is only 

 one-fiftieth part of a grove, Avhere each individual tree seems to 

 take a pride in bringing to its fortunate owner an annual offering 

 of from two to five thousand oranges. 



This famous " Big Tree " stands apart from the rest, in solitary 

 grandeur, and is a glorious sight, whether clad in its every day 

 uniform of green, or dotted all over with its fragrant white blos- 

 soms, or laden with golden fruit. 



Note the fact that it is of the same age as the rest of the 

 grove, was budded with them, and has received the same treat- 

 ment, but it stands alone ; we shall have more to say in this con- 

 nection, by and by. 



