The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1919-05-30
Raiford, Fla, May "a, 1919.

RaifOrd, Fla, May "a, 1919.
Editor Ocala Banner:
! In your issue of the 23rd, notice
J, an article from Mr. Fort, making
some statements in regards to the
farm, and also note your reply to
same.
] have heard it said that ito con-
vince man against his will, he
would be of the same opinion still,
and / believe that this is the meat
in the cocoanut in this case. Mr..
Fort could have easily found out that
the average number of prisoners on
hand in the year 1917 was consider
ably over 600, and the average pris-
oners in the year 1918 considerably
over 500. Another trouble it seems
with those who are not willing to
give the farm justice, is to learn that
it is in it's infancy in development,
there having been practically no
work of the land Indications here
now are that the farm will produce
nearly as much this year of all food
stuffs, as it has for the total previous
years of its existense, and next year
there should be at least a rs per cent
| increase on the yield, not only in
food stuffs, but in stock, over this
year.
Mr. Fort was member of the
! committee as / understand it, which
reported favorably a bill to direct
the board of commissioners of state
institutions to sell 5000 acres of the
states holdings here.
Mr.. Fort well knows that public
! sentiment, which is no more or less
than the voice of the people, forced
the legislature, of which he is a mem
Der, to abolish the lease system. Mr..
{ Fort knows very well, if he is
! abreast of the times, that the same
! voice, that made him vote for the
adjustment of the lease system, will
sooner or later make him or his sue
>cessor in the legislature vote to take
/ the prisoners off the public high,
ways and put them on the farm. Had
the land here been sold, probably in
/ five Or ten years hence, the state
would have had to have gone into the
market and purchased lands for TAX.
| ing care of these additional prison
] ers, at several times the cost of
!. the land now. A few days ago Mr..
Fort voted for bill which caused
an appropriation of 3-8 Of a mill,
which will give us something over
$4,000 to care for any shortage in
the maintenance of the farm, gather
ing the prisoners from the four cor
ners of the state, and for improve
ments, etc.
| The board of commissioners have
ssuthorized the following improve
nents for this summers work: Three
tubercular cottages, so we can segre-
gate the colored males, the white
males and the women from the 9TH
ers Putting up lotion ice and cold
storage plant; the erection of a
large potato house, built on the plans
as authorized by the government, for
keeping our sweet potatoes in. the
erection of chapel for religious SER
vices; the fencing and cross fencing
1 OF 5000 acres of land: building five
/ 150-ton silos, and five large cattle
/ sheds. l simply enumerate this in
order than your readers may realize
that the farm is really in its infan-
cy. If the legislature would author
ize the board of commissioners of
Estate institutions to put in a hog
cholera serum plant here, so as the
serum could be manufactured and
sold to the farmers at cost, and en-
courage the board to put in good
stock here, cattle, hogs, sheep and
goats, as well as poultry, so as the
farmers throughout the state, want.
ing good stock could get it at cost
at the state farm, then in my judg.
aent they wosld he building up, and
mot trying to tear down that which
could be made or untold benefit to
j farmers and stock raisers through.
out the state
Very truly yours,
j. s. Bitch
III
4 Tallahassee, Fla, lAg a. 1919.