WILD ORANGE GROVES. 
Nothing can be more gladdening to the traveller, when passing 
through the uninhabited woods of East Florida, than the wild 
Orange groves which he sometimes meets with. As I approached 
them, the rich perfume of the blossoms, the golden hue of the fruits 
that hung on every twig, and lay scattered on the ground, and the 
deep green of the glossy leaves, never failed to produce the most 
pleasing effect on my mind. Not a branch has suffered from the 
pruning-knife, and the graceful form of the trees retains the ele¬ 
gance it received from nature. Raising their tops into the open air 
they allow the uppermost blossoms and fruits to receive the unbro¬ 
ken rays of the Sun, which one might be tempted to think are con¬ 
veyed from flower to flower, and from fruit to fruit, so rich and 
balmy are all. The pulp of these fruits quenches your thirst at 
once, and the very air you breathe in such a place refreshes and 
re-invigorates you. Their occurrence is a sure indication of good 
land, which in the South-eastern portion of that country is rather 
scarce. The Seminole Indians and poorer squatters feed their 
horses on oranges, which these animals seem to eat with much 
relish. The immediate vicinity of a wild Orange grove is of some 
importance to the planters, who have the fruits collected and 
squeezed in a horse-mill. The juice is barreled and sent to differ¬ 
ent markets, being in request as an ingredient in cooling drinks. 
The straight young shoots are cut and shipped in bundles, to he 
used as walking-sticks. 
