The Green Forest tribune., 1901-09-14
X HOME IN ARKANSAS
An Outsider Gives His Views
 Concerning the Question.

M. c. Scott, correspondent for the Texas Farm and Ranch, has the following to say:
 "With the opening of the Fort Sill country for settlement the citizens of the United States have
 witnessed their last chance to se-
 cure free homes, or homes that
 are brought within reach of the
 man of small means by the aid of the government, unless later on
 Uncle Sam should decide to open
 up for free settlement some of his newly acquired possessions in
 the Hawaiian Islands, Puerto
 Rico or the Philippines. And
 even then the great majority of the thinking and intelligent class
 of Americans will seek long for
 homes in this continent, and put
 up with many inconvenience be-
 fore they will cross the briny sea and cast their lots with a half civilized cross between the negro and Spaniard. And when it comes to this the people will be- gin to look over the scraps of
 land they passed as being worth less and like all things material
 will find in many events that that which they formerly rejected as of no value has became the best place upon which to build q home. 1t is only in with keeping human nature that when We are looking for the sunny hillside we often pass the very best spot and select one which is in no way equal to the one rejected. There are many instances of this kind in Arkansas, in which land that was considered worthless twenty years ago, IS proving to be the most fertile and better adapted to horticultural and agricultural pur- suits than is the land that was selected by the early settlers as being the best land in the state. There are several million acres of this kind of land in Arkansas, which can be bought. The greatest drawback in the eyes of the average young man, is the the fact that it is covered with timber, which must be removed and the stGmps either given time to rot out OF pulled out by mechanical appliances, or blown out by dynamite before it can be put in a state of high cultivation, so that modern agricultural im- plements can be used. This be- ing true, the young man natural ] : hies away to the prairie coun- try where perhaps he is com- pelled to haul. fuel many miles, he will be free to turn the soil up and cultivate it without being impeded by stumps, underground roots oF percimmon sprouts. But there are others who prefer living where they can see the mighty forest from their front door and hear the jingling of the COW bell as their COWS wend their way homeWard at milking time. To such the state of Arkansas offers the greatest opportunity and while those who prefer the prairie to the timber may be abiding in tent or 8 dugout, those who came 10 this state will find that by their own labor, they will soon have a connections house to live in. If | a man has money to build a nice house, he will find it much cheap CT to build here than further i away from the saw mills, which 1 abound everywhere in Arkansas
 AS l said in former article, one { of the greatest injuries Arkansas has suffered has been and is being inflicted by it's own people, who advertise it to all homeseek- ] CTS as being a poor mans coun- 1 try. The truth of the matter is, that there are many industries open for the investment of capital in Arkansas, and ii. is absolutely essential that men of means be | invited to open up new industries before the state will progress as it should, unless we merge every thing in a socialastic state and these industries developed by the cooperation of labor. For years this state has been looked upon as one that is naturally adapted to fruit growing and of late years