The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1914-05-10
FARMER MUST HAVE MONEY
WITH WHICH TO DO BUSINESS
May 8, 1914.

Editor Pensacola Journal:
| Although less than a year since l
returned here to EsCambia county to
| live, I believe there is a matter which
shall explain herein which will, or
should be of vital interest to Pensa-
cola in her efforts to build up COM
merciaIly.
1 have noticed in the. past few
months or possibly a year that both
money and time has been spent in at
tempting to get the navy yard opened
again. to get soldiers stationed here
and generally to help business in the
city by SO doing.
Don't the business interests IN Pen
sacola realize that until she stops buy
ing 60 to so per cent of her agricul-
tural products outside of the county
and begins to produce instead so to
60 per cent more than she can use,
and thus bring capital in, that Pen
sacola. can never become a city of com
mercial importance?
Is there any better climate for rails
ing chickens than this also? And how
many eggs and chickens are brought
here each year?
Hay, an easily produced article, is
imported to the extent of 80 per cent
each year, for local consumption.
Does expert advice. . which is the
only help I've seen furnished the far
mers, put the money available for him
to follow It? Can't Pensacola bust
ness firms and the banking interests
see or think they must help to be help
ed, now that timber and turpentine Is
gradually disappearing which after all
were the original builders of the city
to its present size?
In Cuba where I've lived the pas.
ten years, unlimited capital, land, and
facilities are furnished an honest far
mer on 3, 10, or Is years time at very
low interest and considering Cuba is
today the greatest sugar producing
country of the world and almost so in
tobacco, haven't these inducements
paid? All this, too, after 80 years Oh
almost continuous wars and revolu-
tons.
In Canada, the railroad companies
offer land, money and live stock on 20
years time at 4 per cent to capable
farmers.
Right today, an investigation
throughout Escambia county among
responsible people would show IS per
cent of them more than willing to in
crease their production in safe things
by 200 or 800 per cent.
Take as an example the sweet pO-
tato in cans. This is far short of the |
demand and all that's needed is a few
hundred or thousand in any of these
neighborhOOdS to set Up small can.
merry and plant the potatoes. None Of |
these localities will go to work ard |
plant ptatOes even where they can AID !
then depend on some one who has a |
CanneTy to give them decent honest |
price for them.
Sweet potatoes will net so cents a |
bushel If canned and yet these little !
Cannery people offer the farmer soc |
as soon as they know he has to sell. |
Enough OF this, however. [ only |
cite it as an example. Money on easy |
terms and long time is necessary both |
for planting, growing, new lands, and |
finally for disposal or marketing.
Let Pensacola. firms use half the
energy and money expended in tryina |
to get the county to buy from them,
in helping the county be developed, not |
with advice, but with dollars and
cents, and they'll not want for bust
ness.
Let the same committees and mon
ey come out here where the farmers
do and are glad to work 10 to Is hours
a day, and see if their time isn't bet !
ter spent than in Washington after a
few soldiers.
Just how few dollars does a ship
loaded here with merchandise from
some other part of the United States
put in PensacOla's pocket?
Let's just suppose for instance Ia
farmer around here was able to Dor
row at or per cent $1,000 for ten
years and was able to produce there
by $4,000 more each year than before.
wouldn't he be likely to spend this
in more land, more horses, more plows,
more clothes, wagons, groceries and in
things purChasable here? Would it be
necessary for Pensacola to continue
bowling at him to buy locally?
Also If farmer was able to buy
plows tools, equipment IN general on
6 months to 1 years time as he can
in northern cities, wouldn't he do 1t
at home rather. Il
Are the banking interests and bust
ness firms to be entirely parasitic. as a
noted magazine owner recently claims
they were, as far as banking was con.
cerned, or are they to wake up and II
look at their county and consequently L
city and find out why there is only a Il
very small fraction under cultivation, i
and very possibly less than ten years
ago? Il
To the south OF us lies Cuba, need Il
Ing 500. 600 to 1000, 900 eggs a month 4
and receiving them from New York. II
Cuba is too hot for chickens, the Il
northern states are colder than here Il
SO what better county in the country |
to produce Cuba's eggs than these Il
rough pine lands? Why shouldn't we Il
have poultry farms here of to 10 Il
-housand-hen capacity? Young chick II
ems in Cuba, broilers to friers, are
worth SO cents to S1.10. II
Don't attempt to make Pensa cola a u
jumping off city for other states prod
lcts. Let her produce her own in
fruits, grains, poultry, eggs, canned