The Arkansaw traveler., 1888-09-01


 mostly quite small. Their stock gen. erally showed great lack of care in breeding. Some fine Jersey cows were there and seemed to be appreciated by the owners.
 Grasses and grains are comparatively little known as yet. Cotton is the principal crop in most sections, and I was convinced that but few knew how to grow anything else. Our soil farmed for grain as they farm would produce almost nothing. Some of the northern farmers, who, by the way, are rapidly settling here, are reaping some great results from their system atic tillage. The one- mule blowing with one- horse blow, and from two to three inches deep, is Arkansas style, and yet they get fair crop. We saw one very noticeable contrast as to re- suits in the different ways of farming on a so-called worn-out cotton field. A New York state man with New York state blow plowed the field New York state way. On this field l saw corn from ten to fourteen tall and with two or three ears on stalk, and the ears very large. The yield must be enormous. The roads through the country receive but little care; as a rule they are not laid out with any regularity and are seldom worked.
 The people are hospitable, kind and intelligent, and call themselves poor, yet many have fine residences in the towns, but as rule their farmhouses are poor; built largely of logs or plank. They have nothing that we would call barn; in fact, it seems unnecessary in this climate. They pride themselves on their schools and churches. Towns of from 1,500 to 5000 people will have school house costing from $S.000 to $5,000. They have no liquor license in most places. They have what is known as the three. mile law-no liquor sold within three miles of church or school house. So we'll pleased are they with the results that the majorities in it's favor are increasing every year. Most are confident that the saloon is thing of the past with them.
 The whole country is common pas- ture- ground for stock fields of crops only being fenced, is the rule. This applies even to the streets of the towns, which seems much out of place to an eastern man. Everywhere, even in the standing timber, the ground is covered with grass called Japanese clover, which will grow six or eight inches tall and as thick as a mat all stock relish it, and even hogs fatten on it. Stock is fed only one or two months in the year, but will live through without any feed but in my opinion this negligence should be pro- hibited by law. Vegetables and fruit grow to great perfection and in great variety. Some gardens, in variety and growth, far outdid anything I ever saw before; the enemies common to vegetables and fruit here are un- known there.
 The fruit industry promises great things in Arkansas. The largest and finest peaches, plums, straw berries, blackberries, raspberries, etc., and the most delicious in flavor I ever ate, are becoming as common as apples are with us, or even more 80. Large can- ming and evaporating establishments are going up in the towns. Shipping rates are high at present. We saw grapes very large on loaded vines two years old from the setting, and this is common, they.sclaim. Without doubt Arkansas is the home for the grape. Trees were breaking down under their loads of peaches, but it is an unusually fruitful year for that fruit, it was said. They sometimes have nearly a failure in peach crops, but never ir grapes or other fruits, I was informed We ate fruit from peach trees two years old from the pit. A thing that surprised me was not only the rapid. ity of growth, but such quantities o1 fruit from so little care and cultiva. tion.
 The country has been spoken of al appearing unthrifty and poverty stricken. This is the case in places This is caused, think, by the old plantations being over-run by botf armies in time of war and the owners stripped of everything, and land since in a large measure left uncultivateG and growing up to scrub oak. Fields may be cultivated forty years, but i left few years untitled will be GOV. cred with wood. Stumps and root rot much more quickly than here, ant land Is much more easily cleared. Mer going on to timbered land in tn, spring get crop the first year. w, saw good corn growing in the woods
 the standing timber had been girdled
 but the trees apparently were in ful
 leaf, yet the corn promised we'll and f was claimed they would get twenty, five or thirty bushels of shelled corr
 to the acre.
 Two crops of potatoes are growi durirS0 the aoaanu an oarlv and laf