The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1917-07-12
COTTON OUTLOOK N
MARION COUNTY
FINE YIELD AND GOOD PRICES WILL BRING MUCH
MONEY To THE FARMERS

Last year Marion county and the
contributory section grew more cotton
than has been grown before in ten
years. This cotton brought fair
prices, but nothing like it will this
year. Hundreds of farmers had some
ready cash from the cotton and it was
life-saver almost to many of them,
and the merchants of the county took
in great deal of cash. The actual
cash in circulation from the cotton
crop was very noticeable.
This season the acreage in cotton in
the county is fully 200 per cent
greater than last year, and it is the
same all over the cotton growing sec
tions of the state. So far, the season
has. been almost an ideal one for cot
ton and no enemies have appeared to
injure the plant or pole.
George Giles, probably the best
posted man on cotton-from planting
time around till the last lint is mar
keted-in this part of the state, told a
Star reporter yesterday that he never
attempted to make report on cotton
or to begin figuring on the crop, till
after August 1st, at which time, if
enemies were going to assail the crop,
or if weather conditions were to be
factor, both would have developed
by then. However, he said, the pros
poets up to now are exceedingly fine,
both in the long and short staple var
ieties.
Giles is ready to handle his full
share of the crop-has added to his
gin equipment couple of the very
latest gins, another press or bailer
and large oil engine and when the
season opens will have ten gins ready
to separate the lint from the seed and
supply bailing facilities for handling
the finished product. He will be in
| position to bale from so to 70 bales
per week.
| Giles formerly was accused of hav-
ing monopoly on the cotton situa-
tion in Marion county, but if he did it
was not of his seeking, but merely as
result of the survival of the fittest,
for the other ginners dropped out and
| quit while he held on and through all
these years Giles has urged the estab-
hshment of other gins in Ocala and
has often asked the Star to advocate
the installing of gins as he said it
would encourage the growing of more
cotton, meaning more money for every
one, and he has said, that no matter
what he paid for cotton or how he
treated the farmer, the idea would
llnger in their minds that he had the
advantage of them, just as long as he
| had no competitor.
/ Now, we are glad to hear, there are
! prospects of other gins. Mr.. Nathan
Mayo put in big gin at Summerfierd
Hast year and ginned great deal OF
cotton We understand that Mr.. 81.
i A. Fausett will start up his gins, idle
for many years, and are told that at
least one other large ginning estab-
ishment, and probably two, will be
located in Ocala. Mr.. Smoak, at Fair
field in the northwest portion of the
county, will have gin, and there
may be one at Sparr or Reddick,
while a number of Ocala merchants
will. Handle cotton.
The Star hopes that the merchants
who buy cotton will have it ginned in
the local gins, and give the local peo-
pie employment for the money spent
for their labor will come straight
back into the merchants tills, where
as, if the cotton is shipped away in
the seed the small profit of handling
:: it will be the end of the matter and
the ginners elsewhere will reap the
second profit.
1t is entirely too early to speculate
Tin ones mind, not in futures) on the
| price of cotton. Many things may
effect it. If the southern senators ano
4 congressman manage to keep cottor
lout of the new food bill and let the
crop take its chances in the market:
of the world, without government
regulation, the South will come int
! its own and will receive hundreds OF
' millions of dollars for the cotton crop
: more than she has ever received since
the war of the rebellion.
: With the prices the farmers hops
4 to get for their cotton, Marion count!
l growers will receive more money fol
the crop-more ready cash-than the!
. have ever received for any stapl
: crop in the history of the county
S Then on the side, there is the bes
II corn, peanut, velvet bean, swee
potato and other crops that they hav
: had in many day, while of cattl
. and hogs it is doubtful if there wa
ever quite so many. The variou
crops and stock are all looking well
and it is certain the farmer never re