The Mena weekly star. (Mena, Ark.) 1904-1977, 1919-09-04
TRUCK GROWERS
IN OBJECT LESSON
Live Polk County Towns Organize a
Pilgrimage to Study and Organize
for Future Prosperity-Bankers
Were in the Lead.

The man who breaches diversified
ton of crops had splendid text for
his sermon on Wednesday. All those
who saw the fine showing that W. Il.
Taylor had-but that is the middle OF
the sermon. Here is the beginning:
Some time since, L. H. Johnson OF
the Hatfield Bank and Joe Allen OF the
Cove and Vandervoort banks, were
discussing how to make Polk county
farmers depositors and lenders instead
of borrowers.
1t was decided that the best way
was for the farmer to raise truck and
fruit and the best way to get him to
do this was to show him what others
had done. So it was decided to take
all who would go, to see and talk to
some who had made money in this
way.
So this was how it happened that
on Wednesday morning eight cars
| lined up in front of the Bank of Hat
field and after taking on their full
quota of passengers, they started out
for Grannis.
The following drivers and car own
ers were on hand: L. H. Johnson, DIR.
Johnson, 2. C. Gaddis, Freeman Dover,
Lester Dover, RED" McCook, ]. ID.
Henderson and j. E. Williams. Among
the other Hatfield citizens were Mes
srs. j. o. Gates, Houston Johnson, w.
p. Davis, Col Ed Hutson, Prof. l. G.
Harris and about twenty-five others.
AT Cove eight cars more we're pickt
up, Messrs. Geo. Sawyer, Joe Allen,
Ford Younce, John Bowman, Obadiah
Witherspoon, Fred Gray, Walter Ell
lott, Gersham Golf, Prof. G. M. Woods
and twenty others. Outside of lit
tie tire and engine trouble all got
safely thru to Grannis, where all en-
| joyed fine dinner at the Grannis
Hotel.
After dinner twenty-five motor
cars, conveying exactly one hundred
people, rolled away, after having had
numerous pictures made by the local
photographer, Mr.. Phillips. After a
pleasant ride of several miles the pas
sengers reached the home of W. E.
Taylor, who is now at the head of the
Grannis Truck Growers Association.
Mr.. Taylor in short talk to his in
terested auditors gave some signifi-
cant statistics From seven acres of
strawberries, four acres of cucumbers,
four of Bliss Triumph potatoes, one
and one-half Of blackberries and TWEEN
ty-fve acres of cantaloupes, re re-
eeived gross returns of 81 1872. The
Strawberries brought more than $500
per acre, the blackberries S428 per
acre, and the cantaloupes about $3.50
per acre The cantaloupes and Gu
cumbers are now off the ground and
it could carry winter cover crop,
furnishing excellent pasture.
Six acres of beans are now in full
bloom and will probably pay highly
sold as snap beans. Three-fourths of
an acre has already brought returns
of S45 and has just begun to yield.
Six hundred j. H. Hale peach trees,
three years old, have brought $3.50
per bushel, +. 0. b. Grannis. They
have only begun to bear, but have
paid excellently this year.
Mr. Taylor has received good
prices for his canteloupes, due partly
| to the fact that he has avoided the
mistake made by some truckers in
Polk county, viz, using mixed seed.
He grows only the best strain of
Rocky Fords, grown from the best
Colorado seed
He says cantaloupes have made"
him from very small beginning.
Each year he has grown little larg-
er crop, His products have been
largely sold thru a Texarkana firm.
BY having a large acreage grown,
about 800 acres last year, the can
taloupes were bought and paid for at
the ear in Grannis.
While alfalfa can't be grown here
Mr.. Taylor has put into his barns nine
tons, the product of four acres seed
ed last year. He seeded oats and all
falfa together a year ago and is sue
ceeding with the impossible" crop.
Mr.. Taylor announced that he would
be glad to come to lecture on canta-
loupe growing to any association at
any time.
/ To the man who is tired of growing
corn and cotton, tired of being in debt,
of being a borrower instead of lend
er, the object lesson of today is one
easy to understand and follow. The
answer to the example is; Work + CO.
operative marketing equals success
and independence. Given an associa-
ton any man or woman can make
money growing fruits and vegetables
for market. One acre each of straw
berries, cherries, blackberries and can
taioupes spells comfortable living
and money in the bank.
Hatfield farmers seem to be in the
humor for forming an association and
staying with it. In all probability an
association will be formed soon which
will purchase fertilizers, seed and 9TH
er needed things, as well as market
ing the products raised.
---------p--
II Won child Is male and Sicklxy ,,ioLe