The Van Buren press., 1875-07-06
TO THE FARMERS OF ARKANSAS.
The Wheat and Grass Crop-Save Your
Best Sheaves for the Centennial.
little Rock Gazette, Jane 10Th.

Rock, and subsequently at the great cen,
tennial exhibition in Philadelphia, speci-
men stalks and sheaves Of the wheat and
grass crop Of this year. Under the nec-
cssary rules adopted by the National cen
tennial commission, all samples must be
of the crop of 1875; and there is no time
to spare. The one road out of our fl.
nancial difficulties. public and private, is
to induce the influx of a thrifty agricul-
tural population, who will bring with
them money a0d contribute their own la.
Dor, clear our forests, save the export Of
greenbacks that now go to buy foreign
provisions, and substitute an export of
grains that will bring back their price to
circulate from hand to hand in Arkansas
Manufactures and arts will follow in the
wake Of such an agricultural prosperity,
as surely as air or water rushes in to sup
ply vacuum.
Our one great opportunity OF securing
this immigration, Is the advertisement,
at Philadelphia, of the natural resources
of the state. Now. in the regions from
which our most valuable immigration
must come, the one universally accepted
test Of the value of land is, its capacity
to grow wheat The cuture OF cotton,
the people of the north and east do not
understand But they do understand
that land which will produce good and
plentiful wheat will produce paying crops
of about all grains. The famous Gene
see Valley, of New York, WAS, in 1900,
an almost unbrokcn wilderness, peopled
chiefly by still savage Indians. 1t. wheat
growing capacity was discovered and
published and the immediate result was,
an immigration at that time scarcely par
alleled in history. The abundant immi-
grafton which has of late flowed into
Texas, is in great measure due to the
supposed facilities for stock raising, af
fcrded by the grasses of that state. And
the class Of stock raisers is one which
brings with it as much capital, to say the
least, as any other description OF pros
porous men that could be named.
Until recently many of our own peo
pie have been unconscious Of the capaci-
ties Of our own state, in these regards.
1t is true that, while the best crops of the
great wheat states average but about tif
teen bushels to the acre 1--WE do not pre-
tend to exact, but substantial. accuracy
IN the statement), Arkansas did produce.
even before the war, such crops as those
OF Josiah Mckecl, Of Phillips county,
aud Hawkins Gregory, Of Conway-fre
quently forty bushels to the acre-but
there was no general cultivation of wheat
Now, from all quarters OF the state, VIC
receive reports which show that what
have hitherto been rcputed the poorest
lands Of Arkansas-the hillsides which
the cUtton-planter has scorned-are ca
pabIc not only of suppl lying her own
wheat. -four, and saving the rulnous
waste OF asportallon from distant
market, but can bount,iuly assist in fur
nishing those markets themselves. A
small patch on capitol hill. in our own
city, is said to be producing sixty bush
els to the acre. Saline county, we hear,
will be able to supply herself and Pulas,
XII with bread for the year Geo. Hughes
! has, there, we learn, in wheat, over a
hundred acres, which, he is confident,
will yield twenty bushels each. Col,
Slemons, Of Drew county, Informs us
that that vicinity, certainly never sup
posed to be fitted for grain growing, will
turn out sevcnty.tive thousand bushels.
The crop Of Pulaski averages over fifteen
bushels. Mr. Hangers forty acres will
produce from twenty to thirty bushels
each Ben. Richardson, of jefferson,
has measured out fifty bushels to the
acre There are sixty acres in wheat
near Camden, in Ouachta, which will
give over thousand bushels. Franklin
will supply herself and export. Col. Bob
Newell, who has just returned from q
journey through some Of the north
western counties, gives us trustworthy
estimates of the wheat crop there. Wash
ington, Crawford and Sebastian will
average fifteen bushels to the acre on
their poor lands; Yell eighteen. Wash,
ington will consume one hundred thou
and bushels, and export one hundred and
fifty thousand Crawford will produce
over four hundred thousand bushels, and
expects to export fifty thousand barrels
Of -four Scott proposes crop Of two
hundred thousand bushels Sebastian
certainly not less than three hundred
thousand; Yell another three hundred
thousand.
Coming in unofficial form, some Of
these estimates may not be exactly veri
fed but there is enough from every Sec
ton of the vast area Of the state to show
that Arkansas can offer to grain. growing
farmers inducements unsurpassed by any
state in the union.
SO OF the grasses. 1t was not uncoM.
mon Eve years ago to hear assertions
that nothing but prairie grass and Ber
muda would thrive in Arkansas. 70.
day we can exhibit neutrality-suspicious.
by the tield--of clover, and Of timothy
and other fine grasses, which would
make the mouth of an Orange county
dairyman from New York to water.
We must prove all this to the world !;
and now is the time, Let every farmer
gather his sheaf of wheat and bundle Of
grass, pack it carefully, and forward it
to the state advisory board at Little
Rock. Begin with wheat now.
HOME PRIZES.
Such collections as include not less
than six varieties of the following named
products, viz; Wheat, rye, barley, oats,
mllet, Hungarian, timothy, clover, blue,
grass, red d.top, orchard grass, and flax,
will be admitted to compete, in Little
Rock, for premiums Of $50 and S25 re,