The Van Buren press., 1877-05-08
ARKANSAS.
Gov. Miller's Answer to an Enquirer about
the Land Of Flowers. ~
From Spirit of Arkansas.]

The following letter from Governor
Miller, to j. r. Clark, of Bangor, Maine,
is in answer to aletter, asking an auto
graph letter from the Governor of Ark
ansas, stating the Inducements afforded
by this State to immigrants. aud his
views in regard to the policy Of the State
government, and the disposition Of the
people in reference to the question ofim-
migration.
1t certainly is manly letter, worthy
of the Executive of this great State, and
not only vindicates and sustains the pol
cy Of the Spirit Of Arkansas, but OF
thousands Of citizens in every part Of the
commonwealth. We certainly take great
pleasure in publishing 1t. and return
thanks in behalf of ourself and patrons,
to the Governor for taking the great
pains to SO fully answer the inquirer.
Read the letter for YOURSELF
LITTLE Rock. March 26. 1877.
j. X. Clark, Bangor, Maine:
Dear Sir, am in receipt of your let
ter Of the goth inst, requesting from me
some statement respectas the resources
end the government OF Arkansas, with
reference to the inducemeat Of immigra
ton.
take pleasure in replying, since now,
that we have achieved the. privilege of
managing our own internal affairs, and
with the last ng peace, and the incentives
to industry which this privilege has
brought, immigration is regarded by the
government, and by the great mass Of
the people of the State, as the ons desid
eratun of our interests. To those unac-
quainted with the State by personal OBJ
servation, a candid exposition of its az
ricultural resources, may seem to SAVIOR
of exaggeration. 1t Is true that its ex
tensive and widely varied territory in.
cludes large tracts of swampy and ster-
lie ground, but the greater portion is Of a
fertility scarcely paralleled elsewhere
The climate, situated, as we are, between
the extremes of heat aud cold, is not
merely pleasant to the sense, but admits
of singular variety of production.
Stock is rarely sheltered in the Winter,
and not over two months or ten weeks Of
shelter would be ever desirable.
The north and western region Of the
State has always yielded in profusion,
the grams and fruits Of the Middle
States. Its apples, for example, even be
fore the Introduction of railroads, were
hahitually transported hundreds of miles
in wagons into Texas and Louisiana.
Until recetnly the river bottoms of the
southern half Of the State were de
voted almost exclusively to the cultiva.
ton of corn and cotton (the latter, per
haps, With larger crops and OF better
staple on the average than in any other
state in the union J 1t is now found that
grains, grasses and fruit OF every des
crplion can he, rs they are in this rey ion
as well, raised, with entire success. The
corn is of somewhat coarscr quality
than that OF the North, and the crop is
no. Invariably certain but our most pros
porous farmers, perhaps, are those who
~, = So =. aim ST. sS pln siue tarr..,.'
Wheat rye, fax nndtobacco, all thrive
our oats are at least equal in yield anc
quality to any produced.
The cultivation of the grasscs--almos
new hranrh Of industry with us-ha
brought forth surprising results, Spec
linens were exhibited at the Centennia
Exposition Of timothy---ivc AMI hal
feet high--yielding lonr tens to tie acre
OF red clover, yielding four tons per acre
red top, four feet high, giving three tons
blue grass of the trstqnality, fvur and ;
half feet high; Hungarian, four fee
high, from the second crop of the year
German millet from the second, third
and even tue fourth crop. These, o'
course. were selected specimens.
Tae potato is raised the sweet pota
to nowhere thrives better Apples, ap
ricots. peaches, plums, strawberries, ant
melons are produced much earlier, ane
of equal or superior quality as compared
with those of more northern localities
A single farm at Little Rock [near tn,
St. Louis Iron Mountain and Southern
railway-ED in single season for
warded to St Louis over 10000 musk
melons The culture Of the grape, ant
| the production Of wine is receiving
great attention, and We believe that Ar
kansas is destined to rival or perhaps tt
surpass California as a wine growing re
gion. Our mild Winters OCCASIONAL,
call out a premature growth of buds up
on our fruit trees, resulting in their bligh
! by frost, but these cases are the eXcep
tions, and do not prevent large average
profit to the cultivator Without ques
ton, Arkansas is destined within yer,
few years to become the great source o
supply of hard timber to the United
States. This is the opinion of expert
enced lumber men. Though interspers
ed with prairie lands it is to day, beyond
doubt, the best timbered State Of th'
Union. Oak, walnut, black walnut--ths
latter In small quantities only--cyprcss
southern pine, cedar, hickory, and the, al
yet unused, but valuable and plentiful
gum, with the bois Iafc, white holly and
other varieties we have in boundess pro
fusion. while for their .transportatio 4,
system of navigabie streams such as i.
possessed by no other State, presents it
self.
With the exception oil coal, our mine
raj resources OF iron, incluhing white
iron, lead, zinc, liver. manganese ant
many other valuabl. metals remain al
most undeveloped Our conI, semi btu