The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1914-09-30
FUTURE ENCOURAGING
TO FLORIDA GROWERS

following article:
Vegetable growers thruout F'lori-
da have every reason TO feel encour-
aged and should not hesitate TO go
their full length i, producing the
various crops known to the trucking
interests of the state. The organiza-t
ton of the Florida Vegetaibie Mar
keting Bureau in Jacksonville last
week, will, we feel sure, remove the |
stumps in the road between the
grower and the market
The new organization, headed by
prominent and influential men of the
state-men who have the interests of
the tr (ckers at hearts going TO
prove an awakening to the vegetable
interests and it is to be hoped and
expected that all growers both large
and small will promptly align them
selves in the movement to bring
about lower express rates and more
vigorous market. The success of the
organization means the success of
growers, hence cooperation is the
only thing needful.
The bureau is getting results now,
although in existence less than a
week, and it is going TO get still
greater results when its machinery
| gets in full working order. If the
vegetable growers will line up as one
man they can quickly remove every
obstacle and win a victory that will
put them on the pinnacle of indie
pendence, and instead of bowling to
railroads and commission men they
will have the railroad and commits
sion men bowling to them.
j The reduction of the express rates
on vegetables cut to Is or 20 per
cent, that is promised by ID. Hook
aday, general manager of the South
ern Express Company, and the prof
fer of the express company of 5000
agents in as many small towns about
the country, to solicit and take or
ders for shipments of vegetables, is
reason enough to look to the future
enthusiastically
I The growers have suffered long on
!, account of not being able to get be-
|, yond the walls of the commission
concerns into the small markets, now
undiscovered" territory, because of
the shipping of vegetables to the
larger markets, overstocking them,
and neglecting and thereby losing
, the smaller markets, that they are
now ready to get together and stay
r together.
With the express agents thruout
: the country taking orders for deliv-
! cry of less than carload lots, in the
/ smallest towns, and sending these
: into the central bureau, they can he
a promptly filled and a wide distribu-
: ton of the FLORIDA vegetables be Sc
/ cured AS it is and has been, the
: vegetables are sent to the large cite:
. where the market is flooded, while
/, on the other hand, the smaller towns
: cannot get vegetables.
The express company, of course
O expects to get increased business OF
t the part of their agents, and by tn.
# cutting of express rates on vege
: tables. The vegetable business is !
d large one-last season about 500
n carloads were shipped out of thu
state. This does not include the pro
II duce shipped by express, a large item
. made up of many small shipments o
n a few packages.
n Shipping vegetables by expires
tho =
d produce to market quicker and i
n better condition, and while the rat
e is higher, it oftfmes is more tina
N worth the difference. But the mai
is benefit from the express company
is move to benefit the vegetable grove
E. is that the agents, if they display an
ID activity, will maintain a more cor
r slant demand for vegetables from a
al over the Southern Express Con
in pany's lines.
AT present the truckers are ge
ting their seed beds ready for tn
new crops. Shipments begin in NJ
Fember and December, and are hea'
CHI lest in January and February. Flo
of ida's principal vegetable crops al
lis tomatoes, celery, lettuce, potato;
r. and Strawberries, with many oUhs
or vegetables that can be raised an
in are raised each year in increasir
. numbers and quantity.
ur To the strawberry grower the ne
X movement and the reduced rates wi
le prove particularly valuable, as mo
Tx of the Strawberries shipped out
tho Stata 90 nv axnraSS