The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1893-05-10
Home.M arkets.

VI any S"ut nern Guy one aILenClOn lS
at once arrested by the amount and W.
riety Of farm and garden truck dis
played on every side: fruits and vegeta-
bleS us we'll as the more staple pro-
ducts, in tempting array and profuse
abundance greet the paSSer-by, and to
stranger these displays suggest local
thrift diversity of home agricul ture
and att'ndent prosperity. But when
we inquire from whence come these
evidences Of the farmers industry, we
find that Illinois, Ohio Michigan, Wis
consin, California, in addition to the
home states. all contribute their quota
OF onions, turnips, butter, hay, apples,
eggs. poultry, potatoes, ground peas,
and that the southern farmer, who
could largely control the Market have,
outside Of Tennessee, North Carolina
and Florida, scarcely Il crate OF vegeta-
bles on a box Of eggs
The south pays out every year mil lions
Of dollars for truck and vegeta bieS,
nearly every dollar of which should
belong to her own farmers, and yet it
is doubtful if they get tenth part
of the aggregate.
Surely If these farmers from the
frozen regions of the west where land
sells anywhere from ten to fifty times
as high as in the south, can make and
ship butter, or instance, and realize Il
handsome profit, southern farmers,
with cheaper land. open winters and
cnn ,pIratiVrly nominal freight, ought
to mtiIt nlDrv.
I'll manufacturing population OF the
South il, increasing each year, and a.,
time moves on the demand for Sutl.'
~ i'll : iii increase cOrrtspondngIv. >
T"n n"' s,'nfhnrn farmers prepare f.,
meet this demand? There are thou
sands of acres of land now idle or
worse that could be made to pay q
handsome interest, if intelligently and
carefully managed.
Wherever a irst-class article is pro-
duced, it make a market for itself. A
few years ago the Georgia peach and
the Georgia melon had no place III the
general market, but by sheer force Of
excellence, they have made their way,
and are now universally recognized
and sought.
This is not the result of a mere per-
functOry gathering and throwing to-
gether of a few crates of peaches, or
few carloads Of melons, but it repre-
sents the success browning a business,
which has been studied and arranged
for in its minutest detail.
Let not the farmer delude himself
into the belief that he can produce an
inferior article and command high
price, and let him not underrnte the eff
feet of careful handling and prepara~
ton for market. Often there is wide
margin of difference in the price Of two
articles, whose intrinsic value is the
same owing to the fact that one is more
carefully handled and more temrtingly
arranged than the other. In "a business
of this kind, after solid foundation
has been laid and the preliminary work
done, the success or failure Of the I'M
dertal1ing depends largely on whether
the important details of handling and
marketing have been intelligently and
carefully studied, and faithfully exc
cuted.
Let us set our wits to work to over
come the difficulties and grasp the
benefits which lie in our reach. In
view of these difficulties and our want
of experience, let us study methods Of
preparation, of planting, of gathering
and preparing for market Seek in
formation from every attainablc source,
and having done this, study the mar