A fruitful state
As we enjoy the last of the state’s spring strawberry crop and await the arrival of summer peaches and tomatoes, it’s time to give a nod to researchers at the University of Arkansas who have developed varieties that are suitable for our soils and climate. Though rice, soybeans, cotton and corn dominate row-crop agriculture in Arkansas, the state has a rich heritage of producing quality fruits and vegetables. Along the way, researchers and cooperative extension agents have been there to help small Arkansas farmers.
“The Purnell Act of 1925 provided federal funds for agricultural economics, sociology and home economics,” Gary Zellar and Nancy Wyatt write in their history of the UA Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences. “This was the first time research funds were targeted for areas other than production agriculture. The new department, under the direction of C.O. Brannen, made significant contributions before and during the Great Depression. Madge Johnson, a professor in charge of research in home economics, conducted research on labor-saving devices for rural homes. Earlier research on diet and nutrition was increased with the new funding.
“In 1925, the Legislature appropriated $30,000 to establish three branch experiment stations on land donated by local communities. Those were the Cotton Branch Station at Marianna, the Rice Branch Station near Stuttgart and the Fruit and Truck Branch Station at Hope.” Other branch stations were established over the years.
Sherri Sanders, who works for the UA’s Cooperative Extension Service, recently wrote about the history of strawberry cultivation in White County, noting the work of UA researchers. Sanders says: “I came to work as a county agent in White County 20 years ago, and I have fond memories of spending time with Bill Holt in McRae in his matted-row strawberries when I was new to the county. I also met the late Henry Bowden, and we became good friends. Henry was a legend in these parts, as well as his best buddy, Jeff Smith. Jeff spearheaded the Ozark Table Grape Growers Association, and Henry worked for the University of Arkansas at the Bald Knob Fruit Station.
“Henry’s service with the Division of Agriculture started in 1958 when he accepted a position as a research assistant at the Truck Crops Research Station (now the Southwest Research & Extension Center) at Hope. Subsequently, he was resident director of the Strawberry Substation at Bald Knob from 1959-76 when the strawberry breeding program made its greatest accomplishments, and resident director of the Fruit Substation in Clarksville from 1976-82. He was a White County agricultural agent from 198288 and area horticulture agent from 1988 until his retirement in 1992.”
The Bowden nectarine, which the UA released in 2012, was named for him. Meanwhile, the strawberry variety known as the Cardinal was developed. Sanders writes that the UA’s Jim Moore worked closely with Bowden.
“Henry trialed a lot of Dr. Moore’s new releases, one of which was a fantastic strawberry,” Sanders writes. “The strawberry is a vigorous, productive variety. It produces large, deep-red berries that have outstanding flavor. … Cardinal is resistant to most diseases in Arkansas.
“It’s interesting how Cardinal got its name. Henry told me the story more than once. Dr. Moore, Henry and his wife Betty were sitting at the kitchen table one morning enjoying their new strawberry that would soon be released. Dr. Moore wondered aloud what to name the berry. Betty, in her deep Southern drawl, simply said: ‘Jim, it’s bright red just like a cardinal.’ It stuck.”
White County has a strong strawberry-growing tradition. The White County Historical Society website tells the story of a “Mr. Ted,” who worked at the strawberry sheds near the railroad depot in Searcy. His job was to ensure the quality of the strawberries being purchased by wholesalers. Raymond W. Toler remembered: “Mr. Ted would negotiate with the growers and pay them if their berries were up to his rigid standards. To inspect the berries, he would have me or one of the other workers take a crate or case chosen by him and set it down on the platform. He then directed that the case be opened and one quart box of his choosing be removed.
“Oftentimes, he chose a box on the bottom tier. Then the box was handed to Mr. Ted, who took it in both hands and spread the berries on his ample stomach, which was covered with a freshly laundered shirt. In this process, all berries from the box could be examined closely. I suspect that the white shirt test was to check for overripe fruit that would not survive rail shipment.”
As fruit and vegetable production moved to states such as California and Florida, small producers abandoned their fields and orchards. Farms in Arkansas became fewer in number and larger in size.
“Agriculture in Arkansas and the nation was dramatically transformed in the years following World War II,” Zellar and Wyatt write. “Increased mechanization and other technologies allowed farmers to manage an acreage large enough to provide good income, without relying on a large labor force. From 1940-54, the number of tractors increased seven-fold; farms with electricity went from under 5,000 to more than 130,000; and farmers spent 10 times as much on feed, fertilizer, gasoline and oil.”
Through it all, UA researchers continued to develop new fruit varieties. Now, with consumers demanding more locally grown produce, a revival of smaller fruit and vegetable farms may be at hand.