The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1909-08-20
{Staff Cor. Packer.)
Ocala, Fla, Aug. Is, 1909.

its agricultural and horticultural in
dustries, and it happens to be the
rainy season, one naturally spends
r.CIe time than is allowed or allot-
ted TO natural business duties. How
ever, rain is what makes business
possible in Florida, and Marion coun-
" is one o, the first and finest coun-
cas &c be benefited, and Ocala, the
metropolis, to reside in.
While it is raining the streets here
are fine, AMI when the shower is over
one can 60 out and not get wet feet.
TIE Dr.. J. N. Thompson house,
where the writer makes his home
while here. on Fort King avenue, is
ore of the best in the city, and the
rCCm consigned to the Packer man is
paragon"
Among the other subscribers here
are some of note in the business, as
well as nature world. The John Do
Ter Company, commission merchants
and merchant brokers, are doing
much to benefit the farmers of this
section by buying all the corn they
can produce on the cob, already
shucked, ami by having its own she'll
ing machine makes clean corn for
market purposes. This will save hav-
ing COIN shipped from the west or
other northern sections, which has
been the practice of the Florida farm
ers for years.
Florida can raise as fine corn and
from % 10 so bushels to the acre as
any state i'll the Union, but it has
just awakened to this fact. There is
no county in the state that can do
this better than Marion. The writer
has been in Florida a little over four
years and at the time of his arrival
here the average farmer was import
ing from the north all of his grain
and most of his hay for his stock. To-
day he is growing, as a rule, his beg
garweed and crabgrass hay and his
corn AMI oats. This is progressive
Florida, and all within four years.
Florida has always produced the
finest of citrus fruits, but she has al
ways been weak on self-support ma
terials, and as result the state has
bought nearly as much food products
as she has sold in her other farm
and fruit products. However, as
above stated, beautiful Florida has
awakened to the fact that there is
nothing that she cannot grow, except
wheat. Oats is one of the finest pro-
ductive crops in the state; corn is al
ways a good crop, and can be grown
after all high priced vegetables for
the northern markets have been
shipped.
Florida land will produce three or
four crops in one year. Northern
lands produce one. If Florida land
had the same amount of natural fer
tilizers that New York or New Eng
land land gets every year the Flor
ida farmer would not be able to gath
er his crops. Why? Climate. Flor
ida climate for the production of that
which is necessary to human wants
is absolutely perfection. 1t rains
down here during a few months of
the year, but the more it rains the
more healthy the people and the larg-
er the next years production of veg
etables and fruits.
Thomas Needham is one of Ocala's
progressive growers in the way OF
specialties. Mr.. Needham is from
old England and is one of the mechan'
lical experts of this city, but owing to
his nature imbued English DISPOSE
/ ton he has a country home, and lives
there by preference, where he can
grow fruit, pecans and other farm
lproucts.
In covering Marion county, one has
/ to drive somewhat, but the drives are
] generally pleasant. 1t has been diff
cult to get the proper kind of driver
this season and the result was much
delay. Yet the writer at last found
one at ]. D. McDuffy's livery.
]. D. McDufy is one OF the largest
melon and contaloupe growers in this
section and constantly reads the
/ Packer
The result of this livery find ena
bled the writer to go to Spar, Fla.
some twelve miles from Ocala, and
visit one of the fine farming sections
of Marion county. Spar is supreme
in its land and some of its producers
who are as follows:
Z. c. Young, who grows cantalcupe:
and tomatoes as principal crops, bu
will grow squash and lettuce for fal