Ashtabula telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1874-1880, 1876-11-10
ARKANSAS.
COnway-Peaeh Farms-GraPes-D Drng
and DyestuG PrOdueis-Tanneries-
Politics. EIc.

Eds. 1d.-Conway is a very beautiful,
new and clean town on the Little Rock and
Ft. Smith Railway about twenty five miles
northwest of Little Rock and four miles
north of the Arkansas river. 1t contains
long rows Of business houses, a fine school
house. and commodious church and the
ArkdHsalC TraUeler published here, is
live, well-conducted weekly newspaper.
This region-is all good agricultural land,
with plenty of fine timber and good water.
In the vicinity are many excellent peach
farms and other fruits, including apples,
pears, plums. cherries and grapes in great
quantities; in fact this portion of the Ar
kansas Valley seems to be the home of the
peach and grape, and they never fail entire
ly. This season the peach crop was short
ened bv the unusually warm weather in
February followed by heavy snow storm;
vet peaches are plenty and grapes very
abundant.
In these immense forests of oaks. wal
nuts. hickories, naples, poplars, ashes,
mulberry, gums, and pines are found abun-
dance of
DRUGS AND DYEsTUFFs,
including ginseng, blackroot, bloodroot,
may apple, snake root, prickley-ash, sassa-
fras, and slippery elm. all of which are
extensively used in medical preparations of
recognized value, and still more in patent
medicines. among the dyestuffs are wal
nut, dogwood and tannin or shumake,
which is also used extensively for tanning
purposes. and always commands from $50
to $50 per ton in eastern markets. Shu-
make derives additional value as a resource
from the fact that it thrives without care
or cultivation in fence corners and waste
places, or can be grown extensively on
south hillsides and mountain land not
available for other purposeSe.
TANNERIEs.
Considering the location in the great
cattle growing region, where hides are
cheap, and shumake and oak bark for tam
ming are abundant, with both river and
railway navigation, the tannery business
would certainly be very profitable here.
Arkansas has more good wagon timber
than any other State, and yet it pays out
about three hundred thousand dollars an
ually for wagons manufactured in other
States.
POLITICS.
Since the close of the war until last year,
this State mas been under Republican rule,
which means rapid progress IN all depart
nperlts; it means the rapid development of
all the material resources of the State; the
building of railways, towns, and factories
and the establishing of schools and church
es; the starting of scores of news papers;
the exciting and eultivating Of a livelier
interest in education, and in the general
diffusion of knowledg among all classes,
until were it possible for the original car
kansaw Traveller to revisit this region he
would be as much surprised and bewilder-
ed with the Improvements made here dur
ing the last few years as was Washington
Irving's Rip Van Winkle with the progress
of the Yankee Nation during his little nap
of twenty years.
Whatever the motives may be, the pres
ent Democratic State governmet is a model
for that party, as it has, so far, been char
acterized by judicious and honest manage
ment, and in fact, the people generally are
refreshingly prosperous and happy. And
we hope for more rapid progress after the
election of Hayes and Wheeler, and a Re
publican State government.
A. B. GAYLOR.
Conway, Ark, Oct. %, 1876.