The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1912-03-24
What Has Been Done in
That State Might Be
Duplicated in Virginia.
FROM THE MINES
TO THE BIG FARMS
surplus Expended in Improving
Land and Increasing Quantity
of Live Stock-Origin and
Development of Colonies.
How Virginia May Learn
a Thing or Two.
III W. j. LAuCI<.

The project OF securing Southern
ma Eastern Europeans az small farm
.re IN the South renders 1t cxpcdient
to examine carefully ali the Expert
ncnts along this line winch have al
rcady been made. one OF the most in
4truc,l"c object Lessons Is furnished
~ some .: the Sloyak colonies III tho
southwest, and especially in Arkansas.
Whot has been done ia Slovaktown. in
that state. might hc duplicated IN Vir
s!nia OF ~ 'iuy agricultural section OF
the south.
Although /, is not listed In tho
Uostal guide or ON the latest map OF
Arkansas there Is. nevertheless u To-
ca!ity cai.rG SIoYHktOwn, composed OF
;ifty families Of Siovaks. located four
teen miles south Of Dcyai Buff, ana
twelve miles nerih Of stuttgart In
Arkansas ~ prescut th- town is
without port -ynce. ana il has no
local store. =, !A real foreign col
ony pluntcd On American so!l. an
the residents came originally from
Europe. y colon% Was formed hecuusc
lana company In pittshurg conceived
the ideu ~ SECURING this vacant land
and Inducing group ~ S."Nak m!n"fr
10 inYcst thciT earnings ia homes in
.Nrkansas. The farms OF these ntty
slovakt0w,t families arc scattered over
the prairie. ana tl'r whole humber OF
Inhabitants IS about 2bo pers ons. The
majority OF these people worked in
Tie mines OF Illinois or Pennsylvania
bcforc coming 10 the community. al
though the Older generation Were horn
w Europe.
I<ind nf Farming Done.
Their farms wary from 81 10 aoV aGrcs
Most OF the laud in its natural state is
clear or Brush. and the whole region
forms 4 natural pasture for cattle. rhr
majority OF the farmers are In the
dairy business. selling their cream to
q ncighborinE creamery. Others sell
corn and oats. Occasionally a ittle
garden truck .s sold IN the neighbour
Ing towns
yrigin aud Development of the Colony.
The Slovak Colonization Company.
with head Offices IN Pittsburgh. Pa.
bought ten sections % land In this
locality about 1891. They mapped out a
Town site oil 100 acres II the centre Of
The tract which they divided into house
tots. seventy ~ 100 feet Broad streets
ami avenues were laid cut. and reser.
vations we're made for Il church and
tended TO make a. model town In the
midst OF the prairie. u advertised eX-
.cnsivciy Ia the SloTuk newspapers, and
ilblly ran excursions from Pcnnsyl-
senia 10 Illinois. carrying homeseek-
ers to view the properly. In 1885, the
NfSl excursion came WIKI MY people,
and a fcw bought land. The second cX-
cursiou was run IN 1898, and seven
families settled. Tho company sold
forty. eighty OF l.O acres OF land for
50 TO si2 AN acre, requiring a certain
percentage in cash. and the eicst on
time at u fixed rate OF interest. the
prevailing rates being from to 8
per cent. Many Slovaks who came on
these excursions picked out their land
ana returned 10 their homes TO con-
tinue In the mines until they had earn
"a enough money to pay Tor them en-
:ircly. and have balance on hand TO
help them through the first year on
the farm
Chnrncter of the Settlers.
All the settlers came originally from
Austria, but before migration to this
immediate locality the majority. as al.
ready pointed out. had found employ
ment in the mines OF Illinois and Penn
sylrania In Europe some of them had
been farmers for themselves. others
had worked on their parents farms.
They had engaged In coal mining in
this country merely as Il temporary
employment. because II seemed the only
one open TO them when they arrived in
this country.
During the early years on the prairie
the inhabitants had a hard struggle
They were SO far away from civiliza-
wholly on what they raised for their
subsistence. Some of the men left
their families for four or Ave months
Of the year and went tc the East to
continue their work In tho mines in
order to secure additional money with
which to improve their farms.
During the FIRST eight years several
families deserted the settlement but
within the past few years mono of the
property owners have left and few
new ones have come in.
The Soil and Crops.
Most of the land In thu vicinity Of
Slovaktown is known as the "Crowley
silt loan" type. This soil is covered
with natural growth of prairie grass
es In tho low and more poorly drain ed
areas tho grass is somewhat coarse,
but. on tho whole. it makes excellent
hay and pasturage. Japanese clover
and white clover arc indigenous
Large areas OF tho natural prairie grass
arc pastured and large quantities are
cut and baled on tho farm for feed
or shipment. This soil yields from one
10 two tons per aero of native prairie
hay. Oats yield in ordinary seasons
from thirty to fifty bushels per acrs:
corn, from fifteen to forty bushels per
acre. Cowpeas do exceedingly well on
this soil and make excellent iood for
stock. Irish potatoes yield from 100 to
$50 bushels per acre. and sweet pota-
toes from 200 to 900 bushels. All
kinds Of vegetables, such as cabbage,
turnips. peas. beans. radishes,y lettuce,
onions, melons and canteloupes. 40
well, but they are mostly grown for
the hons use. ,
Near tho streams the soil is of the
Acadia silt loan type and Is adapted to
large variety OF farm crops. It is
fcnnfin,iad an sAnnna. PaaaA !