The Green Forest tribune., 1909-05-21
TRIP TO FORT SMITH.
The Tribune Editor Tells of His Little Jaunt Last Week

The Tribune editor for "copy" this week, a few notes upon the little jaunt i've" made to Ft. Smith last week might not prove altogether uninteresting.
 The most cheerful thing we have to report is the favorable crop conditions. The contrast of the present outlook with the conditions that prevailed year ago at this time when we were over a good deal of the same country, much of which was then under water, is very great indeed. This year the farmers all seem to be we'll up with their work with healthy crop prospects in every line, including fruit. While the fruit crop will be con- siderably below the classification of a bumper, the yield is going to be strong half crop, which taken together with other good indications makes the conditions generally very encouraging.
 At Van Buren the growers were in the midst of the straw berry harvest. They reported half crop but the figures quoted upon the value of the crop are such as to make the uninitiated wonder what they want for their berries. The season we were told had been on for two weeks with ten days more good pick ing. The average daily ship ment out of Crawford county for these twenty four days will prob- ably amount to twelve cars or a total of a little less than 5000 cars for the season, which at the estimated valuation of S2,0 900 per car puts the inco me to the grow CTS above the half million mark. These figures lead The Tribune 10 wish Carroll county had an acreage of berries equal to Craw- ford county with a fourth crop to harvest. The market has stood firm this season so far, S1.50 per crate being the lowest price paid up to the time we were there.
 The boom that has been boom ing at Fort Smith for the past dozen years is still on. The town continues to outgrow any other in the Southwest and the end is about as obscure as ever. In fact, larger plans for the de- velopment of the city;s resources are being made now than ever before. Having spread out over about all the land that adjoins the city in Arkansas, the hust- ling promoters are now reaching out into Oklahoma and have built an electric railway out to a beautiful plat of ground to be known as Arizona, which is pro- posed for both residence and manufacturing district. In the mean time improvements of a substantial character are in pro- gress in the heart of the city, notably among which is the city's first "sky scraper.'s The First National Bank building at Sixth street and Garrison avenue has been removed and the bank will soon be housed again on the old location in an 8-story white brick, which will rival any build ing in the whole country for con- venience and architectural beauty. It is designed as bank and office building.
 While our time was largely taken up on business matters, we found some little time to mix with the Arkansas editors in an- nual convention and also with the abstracters who have recent ly formed state organization.
 The usual combat was fought out by the old veterans of the Arkansas press, who have been coming together for years to discuss patent medicine ads., political announcement, sub- scription rates, etcaetara. An amusing feature of these dis cussions is that the sfight" is