The Mena weekly star., 1921-04-28
MENA IS HUSTL|NC
 CITY, SAYS EDITOR
Visit to That Community Marred Only by Weather COnditions-Plan Another Trip-Tells of Mineral
 and Oil Possibilities.

 tBv J. Howard Sledd in Fort Smith
 Times Record)
 The early part of last week we took a run over to this thriving town in Polk county, anticipating being out with the extension forces for several days. Unfortunately the weather conditions were such that the dates had to be called off and this scribe is to be with you again at later date.
 We found that the county agent, Afr. Broyles, was actively at work and had his own ideas as Go the value of systematic performance of every duty. From him we learned that the fruit in that county will be well nigh fail- ure. Apples, peaches, cherries and the like have been practically wiped out while the berry crop has been hnrt only about 10 per cent While speaking of the berry crop it may be we'll to tell you folks that to get the people interested in the small fruits the Commercial Club of that city got busy and purchased a tract of land near the city and went to work and demonstrated to the farmers by ac- tually doing things just what they could do with fruit and they have in- creased the acreage from year to year and so have the farmers with the re- pult that the handling of berries on a commercial scale is now an assured thing for that section. They also have a potato curing and storage house and we were told that good use would be made of it at the present season. Fruits and vegetables will all be well taken care of and the people will soon get way ahead of those who have the one-crop idea.
 Then we called upon K. D. Els worth of the Ozark Poultry Farms, and to tell you how he has in three years increased the output of the poultry product in that section reads almost like a fairy tale. MT. Els worth saw first off that the chickens brought to that market were of a very poor quality, small and simply a range chicken and that the eggs of fered for sale were not to be classed anywhere above seconds. This did not agree with his idea and he at once went to work to improve the farmers f1ocks. He has followed two ways in this-one had been to give the farmer a standard bred male for his old scrub and another has been to place on the farms standard bred fiocks of his own and allow the farmer to rear them on share basis. Both plans have proven good and today you will find all over that section good stock and the fact is patent that some one has laid the foundation for a real poultry center right here at Mena. Mir. Ellsworth told us that they would have another real poultry show sometime this fall and in the meantime he intended to father a rooster day, giving prem ium on all male birds that might be brought to that city on a certain day. The idea being to get rid of the scrub male and also to furnish for the sum- mer at least infertile eggs for the market The plans for this rooster day will be worked out by him and the county agent and Fred Smith secretary of the Commercial Club and there Is no doubt but that it will be day that will do very much for the industry in that section.
 Mena is in section rich in mineral wealth and while there we saw hand some specimens of manganese anc some gold dust. It seems that under the assay the gold tested about $5 tC the ton. This looks small but the Homestead mines inA Colorado have paid out some SAP 100000 in dividends on as small yield per ton. The only question at Mena is is there sufficient to justify the installation of such ma chinery as will make it a proftabl, venture to try to handle this gold Minerals of all sorts are there anC just recently they have organized { fcompany and are going to see if they too, cannot find oil in paying quanti ties. Said one gentleman: If wv, no not find oil and gas we shall b, amnlv repaid for our investment foi then we will have the power to run machinery and hence can go out after more manufactories"