The Detroit times., 1912-04-03
DREAMER HAS PLAN TO
TURN SMALL FIELDS INTO
RICHES FOR NEEDY FOLK
George Elmer Littlefield, For
mer Preacher, Is Founder of
Fellowship Farm System
is NEAR LOS ANGELES
Saws / 900 Hours' Work on One
is NEAR LOS ANGELES
Says 1000 Hours Work on One
Acre Will Bring Big
Results

The dreamer Is ever among US.
Sometimes his dreams come true and
the world is better for them. Some
times they fail because they are too
fantastic, or because the world was
not ready for them.
/, George Elmer Littlefield is dream
er. but also a worker, SO his dream
may come true. He says that IL will,
because the same dream materialized
in Massachusetts.
Littlefeld Is the father OF the fell
lowship farm proposition. He was a
Unitarian, minister, but had to get out
OF the church TO practice what he
was preaching. The clash came in
the last years OF the nineteenth GEN.
tury during a terrible strike OF the
coal miners OF the east.
Littlefield appealed to his congre.
CATION TO assist him in relieving the
situation by starting a store in the
basement OF the church along tie
Rochdale plan, SO successful in Eng
land. He proposed that one per cent
OF the dividends be devoted TO main
tain the church and the rest given
over to establishing cooperative in
dustries for the benefit OF the strike
sufferers.
The reply OF the congregation was
Illuminating. They preferred to die
lin responsibility" rather than try
any new-fangled notions, so Pastor
Littlefield left his flock and went forth
to the practical ministry OF material
good.
His first fellowship farm was estab-
lich In or I
from Boston, and Is now in a pros
porous condition.
That was the model, but II has
been greatly improved" said Little
field MY aim is to make men In
dependent by showing them how to
intelligently apply their labor to the
land | worked for three years 10
solve this problem, worked just as
would have had l been studying law
or preparing for an examination. MY
conclusion is that 1000 hours or Ia
Dor, averaging four hours day, ap-
piled to one acre of land, VIII give
81 900 in returns, under intensive
farming methods coupled with scien-
tlfic poultry raising.
Having mastered this important
problem, my next step was to teach
1t to my fellow man. This l nave
done at Norwood and Westwood anu
\ I~now propose to bring some OF the
! men | have trained in this work TO
| California to take charge or the I'M
/ proved cooperative farm at Puente,
| is miles from Los Angeles, and teach
the members or the colony how 10
cultivate their lands SO that failure
will be impossible.
"One can live off three-quarters OF
an acre; an acre is more than one
man can handle under the intensive
method. We have about " acres, IL
of which will be set aside as COL
lective garden TO be worked, by hired
help under the direction or experts
have trained. The preference OF work
will be given to members or the col
ony, of whom there will be ~. This
garden. under intensive methods, VIII
support the colony.
THE other 60 acres or land Will De
apportioned among the colonists to be
cultivated for their own use. All
products, both OF the collective gar
den and the individual holdings, VIII
be disposed OF in the city to custom
ers secured by our city representa-
tives and will be delivered in motor
truck. The middleman will be abso-
lutely eliminated.
I'VE will have a small hotel and
store, where necessities will De
bought and sold. The colony will be
a school of training for leaders OF
other such movements in the west.
All marketing will be done through
the store, so the weakest woman VIII
have an equal chance with the strong
est man.
Five sources OF income are open
to my fellowship farmers Gardens
and poultry; dividends from collec-
tive cooperative gardening; home In
dustries; summer guests, and on and
off jobs in the nearby cities.
"The advantage or my cooperative
colonies is that they are both indi-
yidual and collective, as life Is. We
need fellowship, but we also need In
diyidual interests. My plan provides
both and offers solution for pow
erty."