The Mena weekly star., 1910-06-16
TALE OF 2 WEEKS
 TOUR IN ARKANSAW
i. v.rsas Newspaper Man Takes the Tim. to Learn of the Advantages of This Section of the State
 and Writes of His Find.

E.
 The impressions gained by the
 during a two weeks tour ol investigation and observation ir ..o southweslern part Of Arkan- .s of the natural resources, the sa.Itb(ul climate, the productive .o;l and the miny other items
 h;ch con rbute toward making state cool place 10 live, are ..h that he asks the privilege to ,e,ue and deny Inc popular be- lief (lugnented no dopbt' in Hutchinson at least, by recently published editorials correspond a,ce and skeicbes-"stub pencil sketches"-V written by gentlemen who were wholly inspired by what they observed from a Pull man window that Arkansaw is slate one would we'll travel .round. or in passing through, not stop in its borders.
 Our first stop was at Mtna, in Polk county, on the Kansas City Southern railroad, beautiful little city of 6,000 people. We then continued south on this rail- road about seventy miles, stop hing from one to two days at each of lhe seven principal towns in inc same and adjoining county. This sire oh of country would be strange sight to a native kan- san. but a back.essterner-a na- five of Ohio, Pennsylvania or York State, would certainly feel at home, for the big oak, hickory aud pine woods are there, with ihe valleys and hills aud streams.
 This coua'rg ls an old one, but vet it can be considered new one. It has been settled aud "farmed' since before the war, but il has only been in lhe past ght or ten years, with the com ing of the railroad, that the at tentlou of Northern people has been called to its vast resources tits thousands of acres of fiue timber, its wonderful mineral, and the peculiar richness of soil. and also the healthfulness of it's climate, and as a result many bomeseekers and investment seek CTS are Investigating and buying.
 It is pre-eminently fruit coun- try. The soil is greatly sandy loam with fine red shbsoil. It has been demonstrated that 1t will produce anything that grows and with intelligent cultivation, vine and tree fruit, cotton, grain and all kinds Of garden sass" will yield bountifully and to per lection.
 Near the town of Wickes, 5 miles south of Mena, St. Jos eph, Mo-, company has purchased attract of S3S acres, and is clear Ing and planting it largely to El- oerta peaches and strawberries. Here we saw uinty-acre straw berry patch at picking time. Near Grannis, 5 miles further, a Kansas City man has invested sSo,00O in 400-acre fruit and poultry ranch. It. is modern pant in every particular. He raises While Leg horns and White Plymouth Rocks exclusively and has about 5000 birds on hand.
 we saw several punches oi thoroughbred Red Duroc and roland China hogs, also mauy Jersey and other we'll bred cattle, and believe with the unlimited supply of native feed, the live SOCK industry is a money maker.
 This strip of country is surely sportsman's paradise. Less 'aan hall-dozen miles back from tue railroad can be found deer snd Wild turkey, and the quail 'aootlug is said to be uuequalled anywhere. And fishing! Oh ye snights of Nimrod, what fishing 'ae writer and his wife caught ous what would be the use 10 tell ' The streams are full of bass, ps'cn' Buffalo, channel and blus .''' and good many mountain uoul are said in he caunht