The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1901-08-16
Shall Marion County be Represents
at the State Fair7
To the Citizens Of Marion Comfy


county should make an exhibit of her
boundless resources and productions
at the state fair is now sup against
u.s."
Was it not that, as citizen of Ma
riOn county, sharer in your prosper
ity as well as your adversely, and
deeming the decision of this question,
pro and con, will mark a new era in
the affairs of this county, as well as
our individual welfare, / assure you l
would not presume to advise you IN
regard to a question of so great ina
pOrtance.
1t is either right and to the advan-
tage of the county to make an exhib.
it, or it is wrong and consequently to
our disadvantage.
Let us endeavor to decide this ques-
ton dispastionately and in the right,
with a desire that our decision may
be instrumental in effecting general
good. We are but mortal, and are
sometimes led by an influence we
know not of to make a wrong decls-
ion, the effects of which are some
times ineffaceable. Let US endeavor
not to decide wrongfully in this case.
With this preliminary / will 'en-
deavor to explain satisfactorily why L
believe We ought to make county
exhibit.
This thing, If properly conducted,
will result in general benefit, there
fore, each one sharing such, should
bear his proportionate expense. Each
neighborhood, in proportion to its en-
deavors to bring its best to the front,
will have the supervision of compe-
tent men, appointed by your commits
siopers, to arrange its exhibit and ex-
plain it to best advantage.
For instance, when / lift my eyes
they rest on q piece Of land in front
of NV house that was once an orange
grove. 1t was sown to oats last fall
after being in corn the previous sea-
son, which afforded fine pasturage for
young stock till the last of April,
when it was turned over and planted
in corn, which was given clean culti-
walton till the middle of June, when
pindars were planted between the
corn hills in each row, so they could
be plOwed one way, both of which
give promise of making an average
crop, Notwithstanding the unfavora-
bic sea son We have Matchmaking
three crops in one year.
When the corn is off, hogs will be
turned in to exhaust the pindars, and
then it will be sown in oats or rye for
winter pasturage again.
This same quality of land planted
two years since, when, if you remem'
Der, drouth prevailed, made fifty
four bushels of Irish potatoes per
acre. The same planted the middle
OF last March with late Irish potatoes
and dug August gave most satisfac-
tory results, and demonstrates that
we can have Irish potatoes the year
round. Still there are more Irish po-
tatoes shipped into Florida than are
shipped out.
One hundred and fifty bushels of
sweet potatoes is not an unusual crop
for such land.
The crops | speak of are raised
without fertilizers of any kind, and
the land is mixed woods land, of
which every neighborhoOd has more
or less, and so much of it there is
scarcely one acre in n hundred in cul-
tivation, for the reason We have not
the means to do so.
To be in a situation to put the bal
ance of our holdings in higher state
of cultivation We want to sell our sur
plus land.
To do so we want to induce imml-
grafton to come this way, and TO take
up up our surplus lands. Whilst we
have some of the best people in the
world in Florida We want more OF
them How can we better induce
them to come than by an actual dem
onstration of facts, corroborated by
an exhibition of both soil and pro-
duets at the state fair?
Whilst these lands | speak of will
do all this and more and will grow
something continuously from years
end to years end, as can be practically
demonstrated, are not only not going
into the hands of new corners but
have but little value as q security, be-
cause they cannot be realized upon
and made available as a payment.
Such lands as | speak of, lying
within D miles of your court house
door, are on the market at $50 an
acre, with hard timber enough on
them to pay for clearing, but no pur-
chaser. Such state of affairs does
mot exist anywhere else would be