May 18, 1886. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
379 
Florida has never yet produced fruit enough to force a fair experiment in 
this direction. Her crop, so far, has been annually consumed by the 
beginning of summer. The foreign Oranges that are sold in many of the 
northern markets during the summer as “ Florida Oranges ” are but the 
continuance of frauds begun in the fall or winter upon the credit of the 
superior quality of the Florida Oranges. If anyone wishes to detect this 
fraud he has but to look through a box of Oranges sold as “Florida” 
during summer, and see if he can find a russet-brown Orange, the peculiar 
mark of Florida. The russets keep longer, and are really sweeter than 
any of our Oranges; but neither they nor any other Florida Oranges are 
to be found, thus far, upon the market during summer. I should make one 
exception. Occasionally a few of a second crop are sold in summer. 
But so far, the people of Floiida will pay a higher price for such Oranges 
than can be obtained outside of the State. 
The fruit is usually wrapped in tissue paper, and packed in boxes of 
standard size. Transportation has greatly improved within the last few 
years. The business has become so great as to occasion many competing 
lines. But transportation is not yet what it should be to insure the best 
results. Freights are becoming reasonable, but unnecessary delays often 
occur, and the boxes are often handled like the luggage of the traveller, 
as though to make a short search for explosives within. Shippers should 
select those lines which handle with most care. 
Mr. A. A. Robinson, Commissioner of State Bureau of Immigration, has 
also given some valuable hints on this subject as follows :— 
The Orange can be more extensively and profitably grown in Florida 
than in any other State of the Union. Louisiana, Texas, and California 
will in time compete with us in the production of this popular fruit, but 
from advantages we enjoy in certain peculiarities of climate, soil, and 
seasons, it is more than likely that Florida will ever retain a superiority 
over any other section of the country in its production. 
The history of Orange-growing in Florida as an industry is very 
recent. True it is that our primeval forests abound, in some localities, in 
native wild groves. With the first settlement of St. Augustine by the 
Spaniards, it is probable that the Orange was planted and cultivated with 
success. During the period of American occupation, from the cession in 
1819-21 up to the close of the Civil War in 1865, many Floridians had 
planted and matured extensive groves, prominent among which was the 
renowned Dummit Grove on Indian River, together with others of less 
size at St. Augustine, and at several points along the St. John’s River and 
at Tampa Bay. Still these ante-helium groves were merely among the 
embellishments of home surroundings with a few wealthy proprietors, 
as fishponds or other ornamental features sometimes are upon the premises 
of northern men of wealth ; but nowhere in Florida was Orange-growing 
regarded as a business to be pursued solely for profit. 
After the late war, the winter climate of Florida was sought by 
hundreds of northern people in pursuit of health. The beauty of the rich 
golden fruit and its dark-green foliage attracted the eye, and, as many 
of these visitors bought and improved homes along the banks of the St. 
John’s and other accessible points, they began the propagation of the 
Orange. Gradually the facilities for its culture and the wonderful pro¬ 
fitableness of the business became apparent, and induced investments in 
small tracts for the purpose. Year after year, as at various points 
additional trees and young plantings came into bearing, the great superi¬ 
ority of the Florida fruit over any other made itself felt in the north. 
The demand for “Florida Oranges” began to grow, prices advanced, 
improved methods of propagating, by budding, pruning, and fertilising 
obtained ; year by year the demand and supply continued to increase. 
Soon, choice locations adapted to the culture of the fruit began enhancing 
in value—lots that for fifty years had remained vacant at 1 dol. 25 cents, 
per acre, were found to command and readily bring 50 dols. to 100 dols. 
per acre. And so the enormous profitableness of this industry became 
noised abroad, and the “Orange fever” was fairly established, and not 
without good cause ; for however extravagantly the subject has in many 
instances been treated by some writers, not always without selfish pur¬ 
poses, in inducing sale and settlement of lands, there is no shadow of 
doubt as to the really sure and safe ground for the investment of untold 
thousands of dollars in making Orange groves. 
One thousand dollars per acre per annum has time and again been 
realised from this business. Indeed, double that amount per acre has 
been frequently made ; and with proper culture and fertilisation, where 
the latter is needed, 1000 dols. per acre is an available crop. Like all 
excellent things, Orange culture has many and serious obstacles to its 
successful accomplishment. Being a new business, there is not a vast 
am'-unt of experience to govern and direct the beginner. Almost as many 
different theories exist as to the most improved methods of culture as there 
are men engaged in it. 
The natural enemies of the tree and fruit are numerous, and not very 
well understood. An entomologist recently sent from the Bureau at 
Washington reports having discovered no less than thirty-five different 
insects that are in a greater or less degree damaging to „he Orange. 
Judicious selection of locality as well as location for groves are most 
important matters. The selection of stocks, buds, seeds, and the best 
methods of planting, protecting and cultivating, are all material factors of 
success. Frosts, droughts, gales, and other casualties are to be considered, 
and time is largely of the essence of the undertaking. We believe, from 
experience thus far, that, on an average, it requires twelve or fifteen 
years to make an Orange grove very profitable from the time of plant¬ 
ing. True it is that in some, perhaps many instances, where the envi¬ 
ronments were in all respects most favourable, much better results have 
been obtained. 
Wnile Commissioner of Immigration the writer has had numerous 
inquiries made of him from all parts of the country as to the advis¬ 
ability of “ poor men ” coming to Florida for the purpose of engaging 
in Orange culture. He is frequently asked: “ How much capital is re¬ 
quired to enable a man to engage in growing Oranges ? ” “ Can a man 
with very moderate means put out an Orange grove and make a support off 
the land while the trees are growing?” &c. These, like many others 
of analogous character, are very pertinent inquiries, but quite beyond 
most persons’ capacity to answer. The amount of capital required 
depends, of course, on the extent to which the enterprise is pursued. 
The cost of land, trees, labour, and support are all involved, and thest 
vary as to localities and what might be thought a support by different 
people. 
It has been customary heretofore, by writers on this subject, to 
submit estimates of the cost of these several items, appended to which 
frequently occurs such an entry as “ value of five acres in bearing trees, 
seven years old, dol.-,” &c. We will attempt no such table. We have 
been quite unable to reconcile the great discrepancies of experimenters in 
their estimates of bringing a grove into bearing; too much so, at any 
rate, to be able to digest therefrom reliable data for the guidance of 
others. 
We believe, however, that Orange-growing, while, of course, it can be 
engaged in at a decided advantage by those who have means to conduct 
it on a cash basis and be independent of support until such time as the 
grove is an assured success, does not, nevertheless, present any insur¬ 
mountable features to “ poor men”—by which term we mean, in this 
instance, men without ready money, and dependent upon their own 
labour for support. Indeed, in the "knowledge of the writer, many of 
the most successful, and, to-day, independent Orange proprietors in 
Florida, began the business with no other capital than their own 
labour. 
But, for fear of misleading minds prone to overlooking the details 
when so dazzling a prospect is offered them of converting in few years 
acres of 1 dollar 25 cents, land into bonanzas yielding princely incomes, 
we caution them that there is a long hungry gap between raw Pine woods 
and groves of bearing Orange trees. It takes many hard licks, plenty of 
pluck, assured health, good luck, and favourable auspices. To all of 
which a large family, bad health, indolence, inexperience, or accident 
are possible drawbacks. 
It has been urged that the profits of Orange-growing would directly 
attract so many to the business as to overstock the market and break it 
down, but a little reflection will dissipate such fears. Apples sell as 
readily now, and at as good prices, as they did forty years ago, and yet there 
are millions of acres suitable to growing Apples where there are hundreds 
suitable to growing Oranges, and there are millions of Apples now on the 
market where there used to be one. If the Apple market cannot be so 
overstocked as to break it down, much less can the market for Oranges. 
The consumption of the Orange within the United States is put down at 
600,000,000 per annum. A little above 50,000,000 of that supply is fur¬ 
nished at home ; the remainder, as shown at the custom-houses, is made 
up of receipts from abroad.* We furnish about one-twelfth of the supply, 
while foreign sources furnish the other eleven-twelfths. The ease by 
which we can effectually occupy the market when our supply is suffi¬ 
ciently enlarged is shown in the fact that the foreign fruit is frequently 
sold in the market as “Florida ” fruit to procure for it a more ready sale. 
Ours is of a better quality and richer flavour, and the foreign article finds 
a market among us only because the home supply fails to meet the 
demand, and this demand is increasing almost as rapidly as Orange 
trees in Florida are multiplying. 
THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
The present condition of the Royal Horticultural Society, and the 
efforts which are being made to improve its position in the eyes of the 
horticultural world, are of great interest to gardeners. It is too evident 
from the facts given in the article on page 327, relative to the founding 
and after career of the Society, that tbe name has all along been a mis¬ 
nomer, and an institution which should have had for its principal object 
of existence the welfare, not only of horticulture, but also of the gardening 
community, has had its funds diverted into a channel altogether alien to 
the real interests of a horticultural society. The present Society has, in 
fact, ever Bince its unfortunate alliance with the Commissioners in 1861, 
been gradually developing itself into a competitive rival with the Crystal 
Palace and Rosherville—a mere place of fashionable resort. If a census 
of the present Fellows were taken, it would be found that three-fourths of 
them joined the Society, not for their love of or sympathy with the cause of 
horticulture, but for the attractions and convenience of a select local 
promenade. The horticultural section should throw off the Kensingtonian 
yoke as soon as possible, and endeavour to reconstruct the Society upon 
a wider and firmer basis elsewhere. The Society will thus secure a far 
greater amount of support, not only from a class of men who are daily 
manifesting a great interest in the welfare of horticulture, but also from 
the great body of gardeners themselves than it has ever previously 
received. 
When those who really have the interests of the Society at heart make 
up their minds to quit South Kensington altogether, and to reconstruct 
it elsewhere, we hope the claims of gardeners to have a voice in its manage¬ 
ment will not be overlooked, and that provision will be made for allowing 
the fraternity the opportunity of becoming at least Associates, if not 
Fellows, at a reduced annual premium—viz., half a guinea. Of course 
* This was in 1881. In 1881 the shipments exceeded 160,000.000. 
