The advocate., 1897-11-03
A GREAT FRUIT REGION.
Splendid Opportunities for Fruit-GTOwen on
the Port Arthur Route in Arkansas,

While competing lines were predicting
failure the Kansas City, Pittsburg q
Gulf was pressing to the sea and a shOrt
time ago laid the last rail and drove the
golden spike which connected the Wes
with the South. Every citizen Of the
West and South should rejoice because
of the fact that within a few short
months they will have available one oi
the greatest inland harbOrs OF the world
The company has recently appropriated
100000 for the completion of theil
terminals, which consist Of the inland
harbor connected with the Gulf by the
ship canal, slips, elevators, round
houses, shops and tracks connecting the
railroad with the export facilities. These
will be completed as fast as men can dc
the work. Many mercenary interests
have brought powerful influences tt
bear to retard this great enterprise
False reports, fake kilograms and paid
advertisements have been brought into
requisition, but the work goes grandly
on. One of the Holland investors saiC
recently in speaking Of the newspaper
reports: You Americans want to dC
everything in minute. We Holland.
ers laugh at the anxiety you express
DO you know, sir, that an enterprise oil
this character and magnitude must have
opposition, must have difficulties to over.
come, or it would soon develop into one
of the wildcat booms which ruin moi
only the men which engage in the en-
terprise but many innocent inVestOrsi
Sir, do you know that we intend to
build city at that point, regardless oi
all opposition? 1t Is the natural outlet
for this great Western country and con-
seQuently it will become a great seaport
town."
While Port Arthur offers splendid in
ducements for investors, there are other
points along the line that are attract
ing great deal of attention A. recent
visit to northern Arkansas develops the
fact that the claims for that country are
not exaggerated. Gentry, Ark, is un.
dOubtedly the center Of the fruit-grOW-
ing district. 1t Is stated that there will
be shipped from this point over $4,000
barrels of apples this year. The farmer
gets from $25 to $3.50 per acre for this
fruit, the average being about $685. An
orchard Of forty to eighty acres in this
locality means small fortune in a short
time. BY some it will be claimed that
the business will be overdOne. To such
1t should be stated that there are al
ways many buyers for small orchards
where there are large orchards planted,
for the reputation Of the country will be
established by the big growers.
Sloan Springs, in Benton county, Ar
kansas, is 235 miles south of Kansas
City. The name implies that it is a city
of springs, and so it is. The citizens
take great pride in public improvements
and have beautified these springs by
building approaches and enclosing them
with stone walls. These improvements
indicate the spirit and enterprise of it's
citizens. The city has many fines homes.
The large and well-stOcked stores indf-
cate splendid business for the "mer-
chants. This city may well-feel. proud
OF its excellent mills, two in number,
which have capacity of about 175 bar
rels per day. The farmers of this Sec
tiOn have lost NO time in waiting for a
railroad in planting their orchards
Many orchards were planted years ago
and are now shipping thousands Of bar
rels of apples from this point. Through
the courtesy of A. w. Dunlap land agent
for the road the writer was shown the
surrounding country, which is an excel
lent farming region. When it is realized
that this part Of Arkansas has been from
twenty to twenty-five miles from the
nearest railroad, it Is wonder that the
farmers had the grit and industry to
Improve their property SO extensively