Florida Fruits, 1886
Florida Fruits is typical of late 19th-century literature that exalted the virtues of Florida’s warm climate and bountiful land to investors. Commercial citrus production skyrocketed in the 1870s and 1880s with the advent of improved transportation which increased the ability to ship fresh fruit and allowed investors to pour into the state. However, few prospective growers knew how to cultivate, or even grow citrus. The amount of supplemental literature intended to teach people all aspects of the industry increased rapidly in the 1880s, appearing in magazines, newspaper articles, and books.