The Harrison times. (Harrison, Boone Co., Ark) 1876-1938, 1906-04-28
Arkansas Largest Peach
Orchard.
50, 900 Peach Trees Laden with BlO0mk
at the Beautiful Farm Of the 0zark
Fruit & Produce Co.


have started in to demonstrate in a
large way the possibilities of fruit
raising in North Arkansas have been |
able to make so handsome and so prom
Using showing as now spreads before
the eye at the 33s acre peach orchard of
the Ozark Fruit aud Produce Co., To-
Gated just west of Bellefonte and
covering the old Coifey farm, one of
the land marks Of that vicinity, as we'll
as several adjacent places.
In company with Maj. ]. p. Clenden-
in and W. ]. Myers. the TIMES man
had the pleasure of visit to this pro-
perty last week, and was surprised as
well as delig GIFTED with the thrifty APP
pearanee of the trees. the unexpected
fertility of the soil, aud the high state
of cultivation in which the Manager
Nas placed even his newest lands.
Nm our journey to the various parts
of the orchard we we're accompanied
by the resident manager, Mr.. Bernard
Warning. who is probably the most
experienced orchardist of the section.
He knows how to work to the best ad
vantage in this line, and with probably
a dozen farm hands is handbag this
vast acreage in manner which at
tracts the attention of every passen-
ger who rides for three-quarters of a
mile over the company's land on the
St. Louis & North Arkansas railroad.
But little over two years ago the
Ozark Fruit & Produce Co. was organ
lied, the Board of Directors including
]. p. Clendenin, President and ,reas-
urer; Frank Warming, Vice President;
C. +. Clark, Secretary; j. c. Hale,
President of the Tennessee Nurseries,
and +. W. Stallard, of Omaha, Neb.
The company was capitalized at
$50, 600. good share of which was
subscribed by outside investors, the
means thus made available being used
in securing the property, planting the
trees, and guaranteeing their thorough
cultivation for the first FIVE years, -
thus insuring a producing orchard.
Some $4,000 of treasury stock is still
held to be sold from time to time as
improvements may be needed, and
this stock has found ready sale at 40
cents to parties from Nebraska, Iowa
and Washington City who have visited
the property personally and are COM
petent to judge its yalne.
The lands selected are rollingf
prairies goodly portion of which
have been in high state of cultivation
for many years. Several old orchards
still standing have given evidence of
the value of the land and its situation
for fruit raising. The trees have been
set with absolute accuracy, lS3 trees
to the acre, and present most orderly
as well as beautiful sight. A
In the matter of varieties, careful
attention has been given to adjust
ment to season, so that from the earl
lest to the latest, shipments may be
made regularly as well as in quantity.
While preference has been given to
the Elberta, which on account of its
commercial value stands first in num-
Der, large quantities have also been
planted of the Crawford, Carmen,
Highley Champion, Belle of Georgia,
and Emma.
Mr.. Warning is encouraged to be-
lieve, by the splendid growth and con-
dition of his two-year-old trees, that
they will this year yield basket to
the tree, and that even this early in
the history of the orchard he will be
able to ship from three to four
thousand crates. Such early returns
would be surprising even for this
country, but would serve to show
what superior care and cultivation
may do.
1t is only of late years, and since
the advent of the railroads, that our
people have been turning their atteu-
tion extensively toward planting large
lorchards. Ten years ago three to
FIVE acre orchard was enough for a
whole neighborhood; but so rapidly
have our farmers sought to profit by
the demand for fruit in planting large
orchards that many estimate Boone's
fruit crop this year will be worth
double her grain crop.
Land that few years ago was
commonly supposed to possess little or
no value is now growing as fine fruit
trees as anyone could wish for. Year
after year the orchards grow in area.
The cost of maintaining them is com
paratively small, while the returns are
are large.
, 1t the present year comes up to ex-
pectatioE in producing fruit the yield
from this section will undoubtedly be so
large as to attract the attention of the
entire country, and doubtless Europe.
The fact that the best informed men
have no adequate idea as TO what
full crop would mean, may convey
some intelligence as to the magnitude
of the matter.
These authorities know pretty well
what a third or a half crop means, be-
cause these YIELDS are common enough,
aud while very large, yet they are based
on rather indefinite estimate. There
never was a fruit failure In Arkan-
sas Partial or entire failures of certain
fruits happen in the southern part Of
the state occasionally, but north of the
Boston mountains never, and this is
the real fruit belt of the state. Oc-
casiouaily, peaches come very near