Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1912-05-29
E REE BRIDGE AND THE FRUIT MARKET Fort Smith Reaplng a liar vest From It's New Steel Structure Through In
 creased Trade.
ST R E K T s GROW D ED
Van Buren Also Benefits-Ferry Toll Formerly Took All Profit From
 Fruit Growers.

menu IllS season nave DfouSHt Heally a quarter of million dollars into the vicinity and the peach, potato and melon crops, which will be out of the way before King Cotton begins his sway will, it is expected, run the sum we'll above the million dollar mark, says the Fort Smith Times Record.
 This is some money and that it is real money can, be verified little later by the banks.
 The shipping of berries in car load lots from Crawford county was wound up last night The exact fig ures are not obtainable now, but gentleman who is ill close touch with the shipping interest said:
 We have shipped, including eX- press shipments, two hundred cars from Crawford county The average price will run very close to SLID per crate and while the price dropped to S1.O0 the latter part of last week, when the rains make the berries soft and mushy, they quickly rose to S1.30. A very large part of the crop was sold at upwards of S200. It has been a good season for the berry growers, for the berries have been fine, the market steady and while the season has been short, the berries have been abundant. The vines bios- somed out all over at once and there has been no break in the harvest.
 ss'Van Buren shipped only about S0 cars this year, said another Van Buren gentleman. ''This is about the average though it is not so many as we shipped before the drouth burned out our fields two or three years ago.
 Something of what the strawberry crop means, in dollars and cents, to Van Buren, may be easily calcula,ed, when it is known that car of ber- ries nets more than $1,000. The pay roll for the handling of the crop IS about S1O0. 900, sum that, alone, en- titles it to every worthy consideration. What the strawberry crop means to Fort Smith can be very readily seen in Van Buren any afternoon rom 4 to o'clock. During those hours there is an almost endless stream or vehicles up Main street, all bound TOT tbe strawberry market at the head of Main street. The Frisco depot eaten es most of. the express shipments oi the afternoon and with the Frlscos IS loading sheds and the produce men located near the depot, that IS where the berry wagons congregate. lie crowds just now appear to nave ho thought for the dollars the crop hrings in and whether they would eross the rives. or not, but is intent on getting share of the frult.
 "Wednesday afternoon alter o'clock there were no less than oo vehicles from Fort Smith in Van bu- ren. and every one of them carrieu strawberries home said Fort sm;thian who visited that city we'd nesday afternoon. 'ihese were al nriyate vehicles. l saw three o'''' ries within one block and counted f,,,r crates in them and saw one hngov with five. It looks as II the high cost of living was gong to ie7 cciye heavy jolt i'll this section next winter.
 f,berries are coming in to Van bu- ren freely and finding ready iiiai- .ket at $500 a crate, These ald fa'A- or than detract from the strawberry
 aket The Fort smithian who goes after strawberries usually falis eo ''ie temptation of cherries and those WHO co after cherries cannot resist eiie f,aaranee of the berries. Eyerypoos h,,ys berries. It is common sish' to see a Fort Smith business iiiaA wal,,;ng to the street cars With orata of berries under his arm.
 .We have never appreciated foi : c.,,,rS, as market said grower .lWe.ye been in the habit of stopp'hs nieklr,g so soon as we found It uh- profitable to ship to Kansas elty or st Louis, but from the way the For' smith people have D en coming atter b4rries the last week, l believe we oan keep on picking profitably 50 long as there's a berry left on the vines.
 The market will continue good all tbis week, the less than-car'oaa siiip- nlealts requiring both the Iron Noun tain and Frisco trains to carry re frigerator express cars on the last passenger trains
 ssThe Craa ford county berry STOW aers have sold more tha:l enough per