The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1897-09-17
a. HUSTLE +!
Isn't this Advice to Farmers Growing a
Little Stale? Don't the Merchant
Need a Hump?

ience and pride, nor to that of grea
| class of such as me. Let there bt
| worse cotton and better men," The
cry to the farmer has always been
"Get hustle on YOU Did ever Il
farmer stop to consider who it is that
is giving this very good advice? MOI
Il fellow-farm surely. VIII some
one please tell me why the farmers
should have on one continual hustle
Should we farmers get hustle on Us
| to raise corn that our merchants will
not buy; to grind meal they will not
purchase; or raise sweet potatoes we
must stand by and see rot in our pits
| because we cannot sell them no, not
even in exchange forlabOr. Co.opera-
ton should be the cry. Let the mer-
chants of Ocala buy our corn and pO-
tatOes and see that we get living
price for our cotton. OF course they
cannot find market for it all, bnt it
suggests itself to me that perhaps our
corn and such other articles as come
from the north might be substituted
in their stead. ! believe this country
of ours will yield a great deal more of
the things we need than will Overbal-
ance the absolute need of the things
we cannot raise. | worked hard to
meke crop after the freeze, which,
when it came upon me, left me, as
many others, with debts and nothing
to pay them with. I"got hustle
on" and raised potatoes, corn, etc, in
abundance. Then, for the purpose of
disposing Of my surplus, l went to
Ocala, and as my largest debt was
with Ocala's merchant prince, |
sought him with the following result: {:
"What is corn worth per bushel ?"
Answer, zone dollar and sixty-five
cents per sack" "All right; | have
from $50 to 300 bushels that ! can
spare, which can bring TO you if you
Will credit nay account with it at
whatever price yOupay for it delivered
here" The merchant replied, But
| cannot handle your corn unless it is
shelled and sacked" "Well, order
me hand shelter and will shell and
sack it for you, and place it in your
warehouse ut the same price you pay
for corn north. Merchant, "But |
cannot handle your corn, my boy, be-
cause my customers do not like Flor
ida corn, and will not buy it if they
can get the other" "Then ] cannot
sell you my corn at any price," Mer-
chant: "NO, dOl't see how | could
take it, but will see if can get some
of our liverymen to take it, and then
let you know" / never knew. "Well
as | cannot sell you corn, probably |
can sell you some peanuts. | have
nearly 200 bushels of them. How
many may l bring you to be credited
on my account?r Merchant: 81 can
not handle them at any price, and to
prove to you that they are dreg on
the market | will show you letter
from u IltitDdilb at OiAI1
ing to ship me 500 bushels at 25 cents
per bushel." ] got discouraged and
left. | sat ON the good old box in
front of Peyser's and thought. Then |
went and sat on the grind stones at
Delouest's and thought some more,
and concluded that it would not do to
stop trying, so / went to the city mar
ket. "Hellol good morning, sir"
We shake hands and the same Old
tune commences | am asked, "Is
there anything | can do for you to-
dave" | look around and see little
pile of little, old, dried-up sweet pOta-
toes-a happy thought strikes mel
have 400 bushels of fine potatoes
will at least get rid of few of them.
The dialogue began; "What are
sweet potatoes worth? ?" Twenty
cents peck" Twenty cents a peck ?
That's so cents bushel. | have 400
bushels that | would like to sell you
| at just half that price, and will de-
liver them even at 10 cents less.
What say you?" Cannot take them
| at any price, as | cannot sell what
| already have" "What's beef worth ?''
| '"Ten to fifteen cents per pound
| "Well, have some fine beef cattle
| what will you give me for dressed
beef?n "Four cents what we pay, but
| cannot handle yours" Icame home
utterly discouraged, and in just the
mood to do some loud talking. TC
make bad matters worse, my mail was
handed, which ran as follows: Can
you pay that little balanceW or "Iot
must arrange your account at once,
or "Please remit" etc, etc. did no
want to give up, and so got some 0
my neighbors together who were il
the same boat as myself, and we con
cluded we would start a canning fac
tory, and in this way work up ou
| vegetables that were rOtting in thu
fields. | was one of a committee ap
pointed to wait upon the merchant
| of Ocala, to see if they would handl
our products. l was given to under
stand that people would not buy ou
goods by the side of old establishe'
brands that graced their shelves
hence the canning factory never ma
teriaIized. | then went to see job
!; | Cortiero and we arranged to go int
the wood business, he having three c
| four good engines and boilers, Will
IL had the wood and a good team {
horses. We counted that wood wa
selling at 81 per cord IN Ocala and
in Jacksonville, and estimated tn
wood that / could furnish at 3oV
cords. Striking medium 1t woul
make the wood worth Sl5,0Oo, w