CHAPTER IV. 

 CAPITAL REQUIRED. 



ROBABLY nowhere can an individual start a 

 business, agricultural or otherwise, with less 

 cash than right here in South Florida, and 

 nowhere can the agriculturist find a better place 

 to invest his money. 



A man can, if he has strength, perseverance, 

 and knows the business, make a fortune here 

 with but little capital ; in fact, all of our lead- 

 ing truckers came here poor, and I do not know of a single one 

 who brought much capital with which to start. It therefore seems 

 not so much a matter of how much capital a man has, but rather 

 how he invests it. 



The successful go at a thing without bluster and have accom- 

 plished the greater part of their undertakings before their neigh- 

 bor is aware of it. On the other hand, the boastful beginner 

 often ends in ignominious failure. A conservative estimate of 

 the amount of cash required to start a truck farm here will 

 depend, therefore, much on the individual himself. 



Allowing he has a five or ten acre farm, including house and 

 shed room, he will need, in addition, a horse or mule ($150), 

 wagon and harness ($50), implements and incidentals ($100). 

 He will also need about $40 worth of good fertilizer* to the acre 

 (for intensive operations), besides horse-feed and provender for 

 himself and family if he has one, making about $700 necessary 

 and sufficient to start five acres in truck. If, however, he is not 

 a worker, he will need wages for a hired man, and this will add 

 materially to the expense and deduct from the profits propor- 

 tionately. 



* See last part of Chapter VI. 



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