The Harrison times., 1911-04-22
fSorin Arkansas ior Fruit drowing.
EELLEFoNTE, April Goth, 1911;
Editor Times:

make an appeal through the col
umns of your paper in the hope OF
inducing the people of this and sur
rounding counties to take more
inter, st in a matter, which, if right
| ly considered. will materially affect
the future resources of North Arkan-
sas This is-the importance of fruit
growing.
There are so many phases to this
subject and so n.uch that could be
said favorable to the production OF
fruit ia North Arkansas that vol
ume would be required to treat the
subject properly. Hence, | only
speak in a general way OF some OF
the prominent features that come to
mind, incidentally mentioning some
of the reasons which | believe have
retarded the development OF this
industry in this and adjoining coun-
ties.
| cannot believe that our people
are Indifferent to the prohts TO be
derived from fruit growing, so much
as they need to be reminded that
such an industry will prove proht-
able 1t is said that it is not that
we do not know many things, but
that we need to be reminded of them
oftcntimes.
To many the idea of planting fruit
trees suggests benefit not to be
reapcd in their life time, and when
this view does not obtain there are
some who think that present salts
factions are not to be compared to
those of the future. Thus it happens
that MANY plant cucumbers and to-
matoes, plants that complete their
cycle of usefulness in a few months,
but it is an exception to find anyone
planting, cedar and walnut trees,
The result is that the fruit OF the
farmer may be had by the poorest,
but wealth alone LAYS ella m to the
cedar chests and walnut sideboards.
We find then within certain limits
the law of compensation holds good
with respect to the growing OF fruit
trees. And if the time taben to pro-
duce such delicious fruit as can be
raised here in our own county of
Boone were in proportion to the
immense profits to be derived from
the trees after they come into bear
ing, there might be some excuse for
not planting more trees, Though a
quarter of a century is not too long
to wait for such fine favored fruit,
and the returns that come with it.
As it is, however, scientific pomol-
ogists have, through system of
grating and budding made it possi-
bic for us to gather luscious peaches,
pears and apples from trees less
than thee years old, and TO eat pc
cans plucked from trees less than
hall a dozen years from planting
And when considered from a COM
mercial standpoint, one has only to
wait five or six years from planting
to harvest a fine crop of apples, four
or five years to realize a similar
yield from peaches, plums or cherries,
while numerous other fruits and
berries bring handsome returns in
from one to three years,
Again, here in North Arkansas,
and in Boone and adjoining counties
in particular, the growing of fruit is
past the experimental stage And
while it may be said that most of
the paying orchards are those Iust
coming into bearing, there are many
old orchards that never fail to bear
some fruit, The reason that the
older orchards do not pay well now
as they could be made TO do, is the
fact that the owners have not given
such orchards any attention, plant
ng the trees and expecting them to-
thrive like forest trees. Yet, with |
all the abuse they receive many |
trees continue TO bear for years. In
this region the apple especially .
.hrives well and bears fruit for many |
years have in mind half a dozen
apple trees, said to be sixty or sew
,ntv years old, that never fail to !
bear a crop Of fruit They stand IN
an open field few miles from Hairi- !
son and some of the trees are thrle
feet in diameter at the base
Some may ask though, why it is
that we have SO few Young orchards
and orchards just coming into tall
bearing Simply because there was
formerly no market for the truit.
Since the planting of a good many
orchards by people who first settled
the country, there has been no ex-
tensive nlantinp of fruit trees. When