The Little River news., 1919-07-23
The Highlands Large
 sEze5ta Beach Orchard
 as Sesn by EeNs Man

Six thousand aches in peach trees ed with ripening fruit? Then stop for minute, and picture the scene as you would imagine it.
 1 A News man, in company with sev- eral friends, had the pleasure Sunday of seeing the entire orchards and packing sheds of the Highlands Elb3r- "a Peach orchard, which are located in Pike county, near Murfreesboro.
 This large orchards is controlled 1 6y Bert Johnson who is well known all over the United States for his peaches and other farm products. This orchard, which is said to be the largest one in the world, and We can testify that it is the prettiest that we have ever seen. It is hard to real ize just how large the orchard is without seeing it with your own eyes. and driving through it. The trees are we'll cultivated, and the ground is clean Running all through the or- char are streets and avenues, all nam, ed and numbered. such as Main, High lands, and various other names, while the avenues are numbered. It re- minds one of a city. Mir Johnson keeps all the streets in good condition and one can drive in any direction that they desire. In the way of farm and orchard machinery, he has the cultivators, besides the many head ol horses and mules. He uses a large number of large auto trucks of the very latest styles for his use.
 The company's grading machines were of great interest to us, this auto matically asserting the peaches and rolling them over and over so the in- spectors may investigate them for faulty fruit. The machines make it possible for four men to do the work of twenty men in culling the peaches and distributing them to the packers.
 Another plant of interest was the canning factory, also owned and oper- ated by the company, where all the faulty or over ripe peaches are canned and placed on the markets. It is es- timated that three hundred and fifty women are employed in this plan: during the canning season. The plant is also used to can many other pro- ducts which are grown on the farm, such as sweet potatoes, beets, and many other kind of fruit and vege- tables. The company specializes ip made the company famous by canning turnip greens.
 About ten or twelve years ago this great orchard was started with less than one hundred acres, and it's con- stantly increasing acreage and never failing crops give convincing proof that anything under the sun will grow, successfully, in Southwest Ar kansas"
 The company have every cOnven- fence on the place for their employees in the way of living quarters. Besid es numerous homes for men with families, they have five large hotels, which accommodate hundreds of men Near these hotels they have largs concerted swimming pools of clcal and pure water. They have te'e> phones connecting all points of the orchard with the head office, and tine building and streets corners are light , cd with electricty, all from the con- pany power house.
 The social welfare of t!le emrl,.yes have not been overlooked Churches and are built in the most thicKly populated centers on the farm.
 While the fruit was not ripenine to any great extent, only few cars day was being shipped, bat y the latter part of this week it will be ir full force, and all labor available vii Ut uCcStcu cu III udINcSt1u6 lllc OSN' eral hundred, perhaps severa! thou. sands of men were on the ground some working and some waitin, iol the big drive to begin.
 Besides the Johnson orchard, there are several other orchards in the VIC inity, Blevins is said to have over 40i acres in Elbertas, while Tokio, Mur freesboro, Bingen, and other villages and towns in Pike county have or chards of fair size.
 It is said the output of the Johnson orchard alone will amount to over on' million dollars this year
 We traversed Little River, Seviel Howard and Pike counties, and as :;
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