Heating citrus grove the old way

[GumbyJarvis]

Originally Posted By: Oldasco
Citrus is fine south of Lakeland, until the freezes of the 1980s citrus was extensive up to approximately 20 miles north and parallel with State Road 50...all that area got wiped out and never really came back...houses were built on much of the acreage that used to be citrus in that area. Citrus grower competition from Brazil is more damaging to the Florida citrus industry now than freezes.

Until about 1900, pineapples were the big crop in Florida before citrus took off. When the railroad was run down Florida's east coast to Miami, pineapple growers moved to Cuba with its cheaper labor and Florida's pineapple industry died...same kind of thing happening with Brazil and citrus.



Ehh, there's still plenty of home free land between clermont and the gulf west on SR 50, just trees upon trees with the withlacoochee forest being a good part of it.

 

[hatt]

Quote:
The only plus is I have mountains of firewood, which in Florida, is practically useless

They charge likes it's gold. Where are you located, I could use some useless firewood.

 

[GreeCguy]

Originally Posted By: GumbyJarvis
Ehh, there's still plenty of home free land between clermont and the gulf west on SR 50, just trees upon trees with the withlacoochee forest being a good part of it.


Too low and too cold for citrus, (though great for blueberries). Back in 2010 we had some pretty cold weather that didn't affect my Dad's grove, but west of Groveland it got worse and worse as you drove west, Around Mabel and Stuckey, everything was dead.

Tell me, have you ever driven "Dark Stretch" road or "Graveyard" road in the Withlacoochee? I've always wanted to head back there but never have had the time.

 

[Oldasco]

Stay out of the Withlacoochee Forest...it's full of yetis and swamp apes!

Much of the area below SR 50 and west of Clermont makes up the Green Swamp which recharges Florida's aquifer and is the head for about 5 rivers including the Peace, Withlacoochee and Hillsborough rivers. Development of the Green Swamp wouldn't be allowed by state and feds...it's needed for water supply.

 

[GumbyJarvis]

Originally Posted By: Oldasco
Stay out of the Withlacoochee Forest...it's full of yetis and swamp apes!

Much of the area below SR 50 and west of Clermont makes up the Green Swamp which recharges Florida's aquifer and is the head for about 5 rivers including the Peace, Withlacoochee and Hillsborough rivers. Development of the Green Swamp wouldn't be allowed by state and feds...it's needed for water supply.


Fwiw, I grew up in the withlacoochee/croom area, it's about a 3 minute walk to the old hernando county landfill back there.


Yes, Bigfoot is out there. What a county to be in, mermaids, yetis, yeah...

 

[GreeCguy]

This is like old home week! I grew up on the eastern edge of the Green Swamp just north of where 192 meets 27. And yes, I saw the Skunk Ape one night when I was 12 years old and we were watering the grove one dark hot night in August.

My Dad was about half a mile away starting that old Detroit diesel we used as an irrigation motor and I was at the end of the pipeline next to the swamp waiting for the water to run out and clean the pipes of debris. The wind was blowing and the trees were swaying back and forth. There had been numerous reports of odd goings on in the area and everyone was sure it was the skunk ape. There I stand in all my 12 year old courage with a flash light, thinking of all those stories - how a skunk ape can carry two grown pigs, one under each arm; how one man shot it with a 45 automatic and it kept on walking; how it stands seven feet tall with green eyes that glow in the dark.

Even though I'm half a mile away from that irrigation motor, I hear it when Dad cranks it up. The noise builds in the distance as he increases the RPM's. I know he's engaged the pump because I can hear the water banging down the pipe as it begins it's half mile journey. I shine my flash light through the trees. That's when I see it. The skunk ape staring at me with silvery eyes through the green leaves of the trees.

I ran. For half a mile I ran so fast that the heels of my feet hit my behind. Every time I would tire and slow down, I could feel the skunk ape trying to grab at my shoulders with his long claws and hairy hands which would renew my strength so that my heels would once again hit my behind. The sand is ankle deep and the entire trip is uphill, but the skunk ape is relentless at what he perceives is a tasty meal of 12 year old boy.

I arrive at the pump. With a few colorful words I describe to Pop what happened. We jump in the truck and head back down to the end of the pipeline next to the dark and foreboding swamp. The headlights of the truck tell the story. Yes, there he is, the skunk ape standing silently next to the end of the pipeline - it was an irrigation pipe my Dad had leaned against an orange tree - the "glowing" eyes merely a reflection of my flashlight through the leaves.

Several months pass and the mystery of the odd goings on in the swamp were solved. A man from Vietnam had jumped ship on the coast, made his way to the swamp and was living in the swamp, afraid he would be deported if captured.

Even though it all made sense and there were "adult" explanations to everything that happened, I knew. From that day forward, whenever we watered at night next to the swamp, it was always with a little bit of fear that ran down my spine.

Especially when a panther let loose in the swamp with a scream that raised the hair on your neck. My, my, how things have changed in that part of the world.

 

[Rick in PA]

Reminded me of a story. Back in the '60s when I was very young I was in our basement, always a bit of a scary place. UFO stories were the rage then. Well, all of a sudden I heard this strange whoop whoop whooping sound, very loud. For some reason, I got it in my head it was a UFO. The aliens were a coming! Scared the daylights out of me! I never came up those cellar stairs so fast. Took 'em two, three steps at a time, just shot out of the basement. It turns out the strange whooping sound was one of those "new" electronic sirens on an emergency vehicle, I had never heard one before.

 

[friendly_jacek]

I hope they don't use those heaters anymore, what a waste of fuel. How about a smoke machine or a super fine water mist?