The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1917-12-14
MARIoN's THE BIGGEST FAIR
Editor Storrs of the DeEuniak Breeze
Says Our Fair is Always the
Biuuest and the Best


In the last issue of the DeFuniak
Breeze, Editor r. W. Storrs pays the
following splendid compliment TO our
late Marion County Fair:
He says:
THE last trip was to the big Ma
rion County Fair at Ocala. The word
big" is used adyisedly, because II
was big in that of all the fairs visited
in Florida, either this year or others
it was the biggest in the display OF
what constitutes the real agricultural
wealth of any section-live stock.
There have been fairs where there
was a larger display OF agricultural
products; indeed this one was hardly
up to what it should have been in that
respect. An explanation of this was
given by the county demonstration
agent, who stated that last year the
available room was over-run and there
were many entries which could not be
displayed and for that reason this
year many did not make entries.
but the live stock was there. par
ticularly hogs. strong displays being
made of Durocs, Hampshires and Pc
land Chinas. The Berkshires were
last on the list for some reason. AS
a whole the individual specimens were
good, and some extra good.
1.-THE cattle shown comprised Short
horns, Angus and grades, and all OF
them from tick free farms. There
are, it is said, some good cattle in the
country on farms that have not been
free from ticks, but the owners did
not attempt to show them in compe-
tition with those that had been freed
"lIr. Chambliss had the two calves
there that we mentioned in previous
article, and they are making splendid
progress. Mr.. Edwards showed some
fine Angus cattle, pure bred and
grades, and Mr. Boucher pen OF
grade Holstein steers, three years old,
and weighing over 1900 pounds, and
not fat by any manner of means. No,
they had not been stunted by feeding
ticks
MIR. Beuchler also showed d fine
lot of horses and mules, and these at
tracted as much attention as anything
on the ground.
For the first time at a Florida fair
a dipping vat with practical demon
strations in dipping cattle was made
a feature, and from the expressions
heard there it may be predicted with
a reasonable degree of assurance that
Marion county will not be by any
means the last county in the state to
be added to the whole list.
Marion county was formerly one of
the leading citrus growing counties in
the state. but the big freeze paralyzed
that industry, almost. though there
are some good groves there yet.
Trucking came next, but that, too. is
uncertain, and the farmers are fast
coming to not only look upon live
stock farming as the real thing, but
practicing it, and as a result no county
in the state is making more material
progress than Marion.
In this the farmers are being back
ed to a finish by the banks and bust
ness men; not in words merely. but
in the substantial way that counts.
One of the bankers told me that more
than 5000 head of cattle were now on
feed in that section and not week
went by that one or more cars of hogs
were not shipped from there.
"The bankers are not alone financ.
ing these operations. but are giving
the farmers practical assistance in
marketing their hogs. seeing that they
get the best prices for them.
eyes, they have good lands in Ma
rion county. So have We They are
making use Of the general advantages
they have. Are WEI"