The Harrison times. (Harrison, Boone Co., Ark) 1876-1938, 1905-03-18
ARKANSAS is AWAKE.
Interesting Facts and Statistics about
Our state.

In a recent edition of the Chicago
Record an interesting review OF
Arkansas was given, from which we
extract the following, knowing it
will be read with profit by tbous-
ands of people who reside in the
northern states, as we'll as our home
people. The Record says;
No man can tell just why it was
thar for a number of years the peo-
pie of this country never took Ark
ansas seriously or perhaps the fact
was that they took it too seriously.
For years Arkansas has been a suf-
lerer from a general misconception
of the states below Mason's and
Dixon's line. As a result of igno-
rance it WIS beloved that a North
ern man could not succeed in the
South, and that the climate of Ark
ansas, as we'll as of other states
was snch as the average man could
not tolerate. Both conceptions, OF
course, are radically wrong.
Located on the thirty-fifth par
allel of latitude and having an ele-
walton varying from 100 to 5000
feet above sea level. Arkansas eli
mate and resources are wonderfully
varied, The many hills and mount
ain ranges of the state modify the
climate to which Arkansas would
naturally be heir by reason of its
geographical position. . In the main
its climate is equable, genial and
healthful, the effect of the sun being
to prolong rather than to intensity
the summers. Then, too, it is
worth something to be where the
sun is pretty sure to shine nine
months in the year, and where the
farmer does not have to "bank' his
house in the winter time. Arkansas
is big state. It's $4,000 square
miles of territory with 1891, 900
acres represents more land than
that possessed by either Pennsyl-
vania or New York. The extreme
length from north to south is $50
miles. Some idea of the pos
sibilities of this state is
had from the fact that 40 per cent
of the tiilable land is under cultiva-
ton One railroad alone has
1000, 900 acres of land for settlement
and the state and government pos
sess bet ween 5000 and 1000 acres
which are subject to homestead,
Statistics are uninteresting, except
where they have to do with home
making which is the greatest of all
industries in the West and South
west and Arkansas is rich in posi-.
bilities in the home making line,
Think Of 10000 acres of land I'M
settled and unbroken by the pillow,
situated within a few hours ride OF
the greatest commercial distributing
centers in the United States! These
lands are to be had at from So 90 to
SO per acre the majority of them
being naturally as fertile as any
lands in the states and having rail
road facilities and markets ready at
hand.
The lands of Arkansas may
be divided into. three general classes
of almost equal area-mountain
lands, hill lands and alluvial or bot
tom lands-there being about IL
600, 900 acres in each. OF these
more than 100000 acres are
tillable, leaving 100000 acre:
which are unfit for cultivation but
most of which are rich in minera
deposits of numerous kinds. Ap
proximately 100000 acres Of lane
are now under cultivation.
The great alluvial plains of tn,
state generally slope toward tn,
south and east, and large portion
of them must be drained before be
ing placed under cultivation. TIN
natural slope of the country, how
ever, being but Is inches to mil
makes a drainage problem an cas-,
one of solution.
One reason for the hitherto SLOW
development of arkansas, is tn
popularity of the soil, making it i'm
possible for the early settler to dis
cover its productive worth withou
experiment Naturally the averag
settler first turns his attention Il
his crops which will bring him quicI
returns and thereby enable him t,
establish his home firmly in the new
country to which he has gone. TIL
wheat and corn must, therefor
prove paying investments before h
attends to the planting of appl