The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1904-06-10

The Melon Shipments are Large and
Prices eood-other Rotes.

FFlGo& 60oQ-OLnGE WQAGS-
The shipping season Is now on and
truckers are very busy packing and
loading large quantities of fruit. The
Easterling Brothers are sending of
load Of cantaloupes daily and three
to FIVE cars of melons. The flavor of
cantaloupes is excellent in spite of
the long drouth. There are a few
ass but the smaller 'lopes'' are well
Melted and are selling at fine prices.
The return for cantaloupes shipped
are the best yet sent here. Several
crates OF fancy ass brought = each.
The Easterling Company has a
large acreage of melons that are fine
property. The small yield of melons
in Florida and the smaller yield in
Georgia and the Carolinas will send
the prices of melons and cantalOupes
higher than they are now. One load
Of melons sent TO Montana brought
$3.50. Prices quite a. good are being
received from vegetable drummers.
The company l. making a business of
selling f. o. b. Martin. The custom
ers Of this concern are the leading
commission houses throughout the
country and as the Easterlings have
many thousand acres of land reserved
for melon and cantaloupe culture in
the future it Is readily seen that the
care taken in loading ..and inspecting
fruit is intended to not only hold the
old customers, but TO get new ones.
The messages are pouring in from all
sections inquiring about prices and
when the season will end. In order
that business may be done with
greatest despatch a system of tele-
phones have been put in from packing
houses and spur to depot.
The drouth has been disastrous but
as the Easterlings had crops on fine
hammock lands their crop Is quite
good. All poor fruit is left in the
fields and only the choice is shipped.
b. L. Easterling, general superintend-
ent, George Easterling, head shipper
and inspector, and J. NJ Easterling,
secretary and treasurer are here and
viii have the annual meeting as soon
as the crop Is sold.
Other truckers in this section hav-
ing fine prospects considering the
drouth. are J. VI. Meffert, who has
eighty acres of fine melons pro-
nounced fine by drummers that have
closely inspected the watermelon
country from Maryland to Florida.
Mr.. Meffert viii, as usual, sell his to
buyers on his spur near his saw mill.
He viii load several cars next week.
Col. J. NJ Martins crop is in sugar
hammock. This fine body of farm
ing lands Is noted for its fertility and
the abundant moisture of, the lands.
The colOnel's crop Is not so early as
some others but he has the very fin
est prospects for shipping several
cars of fine cantaloupes and melons
during the next few days. He will
pack and load at his spur and pack
ing house south of the Easterling
loading point. A large part of the
crop is offered at close prices f. o. b.
Lawyer w. W. Martin will look after
the business end of the shipping of
the coloners crop.
Knoblock Bros. will ship several
cars of melons or sell on the track.
Neptune Brown and Gus Weedsen
will ship several cars.
The bean crop was short and the
prices received did not pay expenses
in most instances.
Walter Hawkins, the efficient man.
ager of the c. of G. Ry., is looking