The Mena weekly star. (Mena, Ark.) 1904-1977, 1912-02-22
MONEY IN SMALL FARMS
Some More Details Concerning D.
w. Patterson's Twenty-Acre
Frui. Farm.
. The Star and The Democrat.

the statements made by MT. ". w.
Patterson in his lecture in your city
on the 3rd inst, regarding the sue
cess he made on his 20-acre tract
near Gentry, in Benton county, and
also to heartily endorse all he said
regarding the Importance of organi-
cation on the part of the farmers
land fruit growers. also want to
add some more details to Mr.. Pat
terson's modest description OF his
work and success along horticul-
tural lines, and your readers will
know that I speak by the card when
| say that | was resident OF ST.
loan Springs when Mr.. Patterson
came to Benton county, and owned
an 80-acre farm almost in sight of
Ibis 20-acre tract. 1t was in 1897
THAT Mr.. Patterson came down from
Nebraska, and if | am not mistaken
he drove through with a wagon and
team. At any rate, had ample
opportunity to observe the progress
he made in converting a small tract
|of land three miles from the near
est railroad station into a regular
|gold mine. AS he stated, he paid
5000 for the land, and many were
the sneers and jeers of the street
corner loafers and goods box whit
Tiers over that sucker from Ne
brasky." Some slowed he would
last year" and others predicted
THAT he would starve to death in
less than six months. In the mean
time, the man from "Nebrasky'
went to work shaping up his little
farm, pruning the young orchard
already started and planting peach
trees, strawberries and raspberries.
He also converted his old box house
Into a neat cottage, built good
barn, made spacious lawn in front
Iof his house and, in fact, soon made
Ibis home look like the suburban
abode of some well-to-do citizen of
a large city. OF course, he did not
do all these things in a week or in
La month-perhaps in year-but he
certainly made such a change in
the place that its former owner
would never recognize it. Mr.. Pat
|terson not only worked hard on his
farm, but he became an active fac
tor in organizing the farmers and
fruit growers Of the Gentry COM
|munity into a permanent and eff
fective uni IN for growing and ship
ping fruit, and it is largely due to
Ibis untiring efforts in both fields
iof usefulness that the horticulture
industry of that part of Benton
lcounty only reached a high
standard of development, but land
1 that had been selling for $40, 500
and $50 per acre r, ie in value to
| 800, $3.50 and even 5000 per acre.
and the town of Gentry, no larger
| than Cove is now when Mr.. patter-
son became a citizen of the county,
grew into a handsome little city of
/ 200 or 1900 inhabitants. 1t is near
Gentry where Il. A. Plank, the
strawberry king of Arkansas, lives:
the man who ships berries by the
|carload from his own fields, and
one year cleaned up s3i 900 from his
berry crop. But it would take am
other story to tell of Mr.. plank's
success in the fruit line. He is
big grower and Mr.. Patterson is
successful grower on a small scale,
and right here | want to say he was
one of the | ioneers in the small
farm proposition that. has made
Benton county so prosperous dur
ing the last 10 or is years. In fact
he was about the first man TO make
big money out Of a small place, and
his beautiful home and prosperous
looking little farm served as one
of the best advertisements for that
part Of the state. | was in the real
estate business in Sloan Springs
for several years, aand as Mr.. Pat
terson's place was only about three
miles from my town, made it a
point to take my customers to his
place just to show them what could
be done on a 20-acre tract of land.
One day ! drove up to the place
with three homeseekers from Mis-
souri,, folks who have TO be shown,
you know, and found Mr.. Patterson
busy in his peach orchard. | called
him out and introduced him to the
men with me, and after asking him
how much land he had, one of them
asked him if he wanted TO sell il.
Mr.. Patterson replied that he did
not want TO sell, and that he had
been offered 500 an acre some time
before. The Missourians looked at
one another in establishment. and
finally one Of them got breath
enough TO ask him why he consid-
cred his land so valuable. WELL
said Mr.. Patterson. "in the first
place | cleaned up 1920 on the
place year before last and last year
got about 81 500 out OF it. Now | |
expect TO average 1000 net every
year for the next ten years. and |
therefore | do not want to sell a:
my price" Then the Missourians
nearly fell out Of the carriage. A.
Ne drove on one Of the men re-
marked: 1T i no wonder that man
foes not want 20 sell. lies got
sold mine" l think Mr.. Patterson
wen did much better than 1000
scar, and right here 4 want 10 add
word about his system Of work
ie had sir spberries. raspberriet |