The Ocala banner., 1922-07-21
ACTIVITIES IN MAR|0NDUR-
ING 1922 SHIPPING SEASON

In several respects, the 1922 vege-
table deal, which came to a close the
latter part of June, was the most cut
standing in the history of Marion
county. The county shipped the larg-
est number of cars o. early vegeta-
bles in its history, including more
than 700 cars of tomatoes, and more
than 1900 cars of watermelona The
season established Marion county as
one of the most important tomato
growing sections in Florida, and
therefore in the country. From pack
ing houses in Ocala alone were ship
ped more cars of tomatoes than were
shipped from the entire county in
any previous season. Many new
packing houses we're built in the
county this spring. More attention
was given this season to the quality
of the pack and more shipments were
than ever before were here during
the tomato deal, including represent
atives of several of the largest pro-
duce houses in the country. The
acreage in tomatoes was the largest
the county has ever known, and the.
biggest part of the crop was grown
NJ nff
given this season to spraying and
pruning The introduction of dry
spraying was a feature
Ocala was again the watermelon
center of Florida. The leading buy
ers made their headquarters here and
the United States bureau of markets
sent out it's field market reports on
watermelons from this point. The
acreage in melons was very large
and the number of cars shipped to-
tailed more than double the shipments
of last year by some 2S6 cars.
In point of money returns TO the
growers the season was not much of
a success. AS a whole money was
made. Some individual growers lost
heavily Very abnormal weather
was the cause. A severe drought
during the early part of the season
and excessive rains during the best
part Of the shipping period cut heay-
lily into what promised to be big re-
turns for the growers. The buyers
made money on tomatoes especially.
Marion county tomatoes were prac-
tically the only fancy and choice to-
matoes on the market when shipping
got under way, and brought excellent
prices. The rains, however, came Just
as the growers had reached a, point
of profit making Water-soaked to-
matoes under contract brought about
difficulties between growers and buy
ers. Generally speaking, however,
there is no encouragement. Con-
tracts for next season have already
been made and. the indications are
tha tthe acreage in tomatoes next
year will be larger than ever. 1t is
fully realized that the weather con-
ditions this season were abnormal,
not only in Marion county, but ali
over the truck shipping sections of
the country Based on the fact that
the Marion county tomatoes come in
between south Florida and Mississippi
and Texas, and upon the normal
number Of cars absorbed by the mar
kets of the country, it is believed
that thsi county should ship some
thing like 1900 cars of tomatoes each
season.
Figures obtained by the Marion
County Chamber of Commerce from
practically every shipping point in
the county show that there were
shipped since the first of January 600
cars Of tomatoes, 1346 cars Of water
melons, 81 cantaloupes, 12S beans,
l5S cabbage, SO lettuce, 93 cucum-
bers and 8 cars OF sweet corn Be-
sides the increase in the cars Of to-
matoes and melons already mention
ed, there were increases in the ship
ments Of cucumbers. beans, canta-
ioupes, cabbage and lettuce over the
previous season. With several ship
ping points from which information
has not yet been obtained the toma-
to shipments were undoubtedly well
over 70 cars and the other figures
should be increased.
The carlot shipments do not in