The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1919-10-10

Lake county had a mot0rcade the
same as Marion county. The two mo-
tOrcades travelled over the same
scope of territory. f
They saw the same beauty of land
scape and the same scenic attrac.
tions. -~t~
Commenting on the Lake county
mOtOrcade the Florida Grower says:
81 know Lake county people we're
impressed and amazed at what they
saw. They travelled at least 100
miles and never once got 6ff smooth
asphalt and at that they did not near
cover all the improved roads. They
looked over a finely equipped ten car
a day packing house at Winter Haven
which they were informedTwas going
10 be abandoned, machinery and all,
a new twenty car a day hbuse being
bui1t TO take it's place. They saw a
packing house at Lake Wales, which
some OF them declared it to be the fin
est and most artistic hous6they ever
saw. and yet eight yearss5agO there
was not a building on the present site
Of the city. Joe Carson tpld me that
in 1905 when the AtlanticeCoast Line
railroad sent men down I'll make the
first survey OF the rightS6f way Of
the present road there we're 200 acres
of groves there. In 1915syhere were
2G.000 acres and he ESTIMATES that
now there are $4,000 acHss and raw
lands are selling from S76'to 5000 par
acre @3-
Il leads Mr. Willis Puwen, secre
tary Of the Lake county chamber Of
commerce, 70 make these startling
observations:
NO country can berome richer
than its lands. And iss lands can
become no richer man We make them.
Opportunity of the town, the coUn.
ty. the state the United States lies
in the country The country can ger
along without the town, but no town
ever has or ever viii be permanently
ae.ons without the country. The
town is built ON farm products; on
what farmers produce in excess OF
their home needs. n
To sound the wealth and prosper.
ity Of Polk county the Lake county
chamber of commerce. endorsed
mOtOrcade TO our good neighbOrs 10
the south, who are really a part Of
us. as they are farming on the same
fertile ridge. studded with clear wa
ter lakes, known as the backbone of
Florida H
They have turned their soil into
gold; they have mixed energy and
brains with the sand and the land
has responded generously.
To the writer, Polk county and
It's deeds were nothing new. No sur
prises greeted me, for that country
and its people were known 10 me as
an open book. 6
II travelled the land of Polk fifteen
years ago-spitted and sputtered Ov
er sand roads in an ald white steamer
which was carrying so much excess
steam that it was 4 question whetG-
er 10 be burned up'by the blistering
sands or blown up by a contrary en-
gine I was guest ef a land grabber,
who was picking up choice spots at
from So to $S an aere-thousands of
acres for North Dakota corporation.
Now ! see these lands cut into sym
metrical tracts, and laid out with
rows upon rows of aOrange and grape
fruit trees-some years into bearing
others carrying their first fruit, and
others fledglings proud OF their first
emerald leaves. have seen these
acres metamorphosed from wilder.
ness worth from 81 900 TO $4,000 an
acre.
There was no magic in the physi-
cal change-nothtng but good com
mon sense. Every grove a factory
has been the slogan Of the growers
They have planted, and cultivated,
and fertiliZed and gathered and mar.
keted their fruit with approval and
scientifice methods. They have CO.
operated in many ways. They are
helpful one unto the other. They
hold weekly meetings and discuss
ways and means and grapple vital
points in open discussion. They are
neighborly - self-sacrificing. They