The Lakeland evening telegram., 1917-06-21
State Marketing Bureau

when the war closes, coming from
countries where energy is now car
rying forward many forms of indus
try and destruction at a high pitch,
but when peace comes there will be
a dismal taking of stock, and under
the dull burden of taxes, eyes will
be turned to this most favored land.
Many of these newcomers of other
tongues will become tenants and
adapt themselves to conditions under
which they developed. A tenantry
class is a peasant class, living in con-
ditions not unlike tn eslums of the
great cities. Such possibilities must
be resisted by every known means.
An educational campaign to show
that farming is a profession, and has
it's duties and rights to be protected
and encouraged. will be justified for
generations to come.
The results of the investigation of
the census of 1910, showed the dis
tributiOn of the cost of American
farm products, of thirteen billions Of
dollars, in percentage on the basis of
100, was as follows:
Received by farmers ...... .461
Received by railroads .. 3S
Legitimate expense of selling 90
Waste in selling 1910
Profits of dealers 2S9
The waste that year in selling was
billion and half, or $17.00 per
capita,-or five times the assessed
valuation of Florida-and combined
with quick profits of dealers for
handling runs quite to the amount re
ceived by the original producers for
their years work. Cooperation in
America is limited, for various reas-
ons, but in the main because of the
American farmer spirit of going it
alone, of distrust in each other, and
to the fact that corporations by or
large part of handling and distribut-
ing fod products.
Marketing bureaus are in operation
in number of American States, and
as farmers cooperate they profit by
it. The farmers of Florida must get
together on this marketing PROPOSE
ton. Its plans and purposes will
soon be made public The members
of the Farmers Union of the State
and Nation are solidly back of it
Let every farmer of the State get be-
hind it. The finding of a market is
not all. 1t means that the farmer
must produce staple crops and these
crops must be properly graded and
packed. 1t means system and organ
ization along the whole line, from
seed selection to the standardiza
ton of all products of garden, grove
field and range.
The fact before the farmers OF
Florida is to think, study and prac
tice cooperation. Success in bank
ing, manufacturing and merchandis
ing rests upon cooperation and sys
TEN. The message of the marketing
bureau is that the country people OF
Florida must get together for heir
own interest and, benefit The Sc
ere of success is in uited efficiency
wherein specialization is set over
against generalization and concentra
tion over against disorder and loose
ness. That's the practical thing
and nothing is wholesome and endur
ing that is not practical
That the stricken world is anxious
is heard in the cry from the cities
government offices, from ships and
army fronts, that "the war will be
won or lost by the farmers" If the
farmers get together and keep to-
gether in corporation. as is the
case with armies. navies and other
forms of business, there will he M
question as to their permanent as
tendency and supremacy in having
full say so in all of the affairs q
fnn Il