The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1911-12-08
CDR. G. N. Davis in Dunnellon Advocate,

I'll 1uC0Ooyg ANOfCulUCI ZlSI, t06
Marion county fair opened at Ocala.
The weather was ideal, the attend
!, ance for opening day was good and
the management felt that the fair
would be a success,
The agricultural exhibit was not
large, but varied. Field peas of sew
eral varieties, bananas, peanuts on
the vine and hanging in great clus-
tiers, Irish potatoes of fair quality, i'm
mense pumpkins, squash and ker-
shaws, beets, turnips, radishes, mus
tard, lettuce and other garden truck,
fresh and green. 1t was quite sigat
TO some of our winter visitors The
north, in winters grasp; Florida,
bathed in sunshine with spring-like
verdure, fresh vegetables right from
the garden in mid-winter.
The sweet potato exhibit was i'm
mense and of large size, many of
NhChl Adl sc do q Adll DCCh luSdS-
ure. This is the home of the sw eet
potato. The corn display from diff
ferent parts of the county was excel
lent, especially that of Reddick, Nc
y Intosh and Lynne. There was corn
shelled, corn on the stalk, three and
four ears on many, and producing
from 80 to 571a bushels per acre.
The boys club, under the stimulus
of the prize offered by DR.. Boozer,
did the members proud The prize
was won by Charlie Reynolds of
Lynne, the yield being 42.72 bushels
per acre.
Some of our colored farmers mad
creditable exhibits of corn and other
food stuffs. Perry Edwards, an ener-
getic colored farmer, had one of the
best individual exhibits at the fair
The foliage exhibit of hay, alfalfa, pea
vine and velvet bean hay showed
what Marion county can do in this
line.
The home-cured meats, plump
hams, smoked sides and shoulders,
and cans of snow-white leaf lard were
a revelation in the meat line. No
need to have your hams smoked in
the west now.
The Burbank display by the Bur
bank colony was good, consisting Of
vegetables, oats, corn, peas, tobacco,
sugar cane, picked and preserved
fruits, and large plant, thornless
cactus, which furnishes excellent win
ter forage for stock.
The poultry show was the best ever
seen in Ocala, and could not be ex-
celled anywhere for size and beauty
of the birds There were turkeys OF
every variety, chickens galore, Brah-
mas, White Orpingtons, Barred Ply
mouth Rocks, Rhode Island Reds,
=, Leghorns of all colors, Wyandottes,
Spanish and Indian games; geese and
ducks of every breed
The show stock was exceptional
" good. Draft horses that would
have done justice to any prize farm;
Short Horn, Hereford, Holstein and
Jersey COWS, sleek and mild-eyed,
with immense udders; CatsWold
sheep and silky-haired Angora goats
and common goats.
There were little hogs and pig
hogs. among them Red Jerseys, Berk-
shires, Cochin Chinas and graded raz-
or-backs One of the sows from me
Whitworth farm weighed 700 pounds
and onlv two+years old. The greatest
curiosity in the swine exhibit was
the mule-footed hog, which is said TO
be immune from cholera.
The negro display was a credit TO
The fair and to the race. Ihere were
Quilts, fancy work, homemade gar
I, ments and samples Of cooking that
deserve special mention. The fancy
work was very fine, showing that col
ored women are taking great III
terest in domestic arts. The Fessen-
den Academy display was exception
allv good. consisting of fancy anu
drawn work, with cakes, pies ana o'n-
or delicacies, pickles, preserves anu
canned fruits, vegetables, natlVe
wood work. bric-a-brac, chairs PIC
+rre frames. iron and steel work ana
many other useful things. all shoMine
the advancement of the negro IL Nc
will stick to the plow and the "orA-