The Pulaskian., 1919-07-25
Arkansas Has Worlds Largest,
 Likewise Best, Peach Orchard
gy A. W. PARKg, editor Of the puIastian.

Al stock would bring in a forced market. The first stop was DeQueen, where a stock Company had entered into peach growing a short time ne fore. MT. Johnson had here ample facilities to study the habits of the growing peach The orchard was large, and MT Johnson has power full reach with his pedal extremities when he throws them into high, so he 1 literally gave it the once over every day. This improved Mir Johnson's health, gave him confidence in his ideas, and one fine day he migrated across the mountains to southern Pike county, then known for fully fifty miles around for tho mellowness of the mountain dew there produced. MT. Johnson was among the first to see that the valley peach fell a victim to Old Jack Frost much more often than the ones grown on tie mountain sides and top, MT. Johnson had determined to grow peaches for a living, and to sink or swim on the hills of Pike county. He began searching until he cation, and with the backing of few friends, he planted 90 acres in peaches.
 Planting Company Organized.
 Tn few years this orchard began l to be heard from. Others recognized l in Bert Johnson something that makes things succeed, and the peach wizard was offered all kinds of 1n- ducements to increase the size of the orchard. The result was the creation of the Arkansas Orchard Planting Company. Later the Bert John son Company was organized. For eign interests purchased more of the mountain tops, and recent ly the last of the big outside holdings, the Patterson orchards, largely owned in St. Louis, went in- to the hands of Eastern capitalists and they turned it all over to Bert Johnson to be managed. This gives Bert Johnson absolute control over 4,5O0 acres of peaches-the largest peach orchard in the world
 When Bert Johnson planted the first 90 acres in 1904, he bought the land for even less than song. When the Patterson interests made the pur- chase of 500 acres of land which is now heavy with bearing peach trees, the purchase price was $10 per acre. The cost of producing the first crop was approximately $125,O00. The price paid for this land was over $400 per acre, and from the appearance of the trees, the purchasers will almost break even on the first years yield.
 The story of Bert Johnson grows bigger and bigger every time you meet the man, The mass of detail which had to be overcome, the trials and tribulations of man developing l HcW dn Olu OHC Oh scientific principles, is astounding. Bert Johnson has taken wild noun tain top and in less than twenty years, turned it into garden spot from which s1,50O,0O0 will be taken this year, from the peach crop alone. This strip of land two miles wide and nine miles in length, would bring 5t least $25, 5,0O0,0 900 on the market today, and the man who bought would have a bargain.
 Never Had Total Failure.
 While he had spent eleven years in the produce business in Kansas City, Bert Johnson knew as much about growing peaches when he came to Ar kansas as the town saddle-maker knows about the breaking of mus tang ponies and the branding of cat tle He soon demonstrated, however, that his frost line theory was correct, for never has the Bert Johnson or chard experienced total crop failure. MT. Johnson experimented as he went, and books were his contant compan- ions. He studied everything pertain