Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-10-12

sible for men Of little means to establish
themselves on small farms and have the
maximum of opportunity for success and
the minimum of responsibility and ex-
pense In their new venture. As reported
by the United States reclamation service,
the plan is simply to attract a desirable
class Of men who will make good farmers
and allow them to take up small plots Of
| five to twenty acres. and pay for the land
on unique installrnent plan by turning
back to- the original owner. q part Of the
proceeds coming from the salessof crops.
The land which Is being subdivided into
these small farms has been called Pep
per's gardens" after the name Of the
| man on the government s irrigation prof.
ect who originated the idea. The tract
where the plan has been put Into opera
ton was originally planted to alfalfa As
is generally known. the cultivation of this
plant brings the soil to a high state OF
fertility and makes 1t we'll adapted for
truck gardening. On the small Umcom-
pahgre farms the principal crops have
been onions, potatoes, small fruits. includ-
ing Strawberries and raSpberrieS, and or
cbard fruits.
Corporation between the original own
ar of the land and the small farmers
is worked out on a fine scale, and every
thing possible Is done to make for the
new land owners success. In order to
save expense for the newcomers in their
farming venture, the original owner
agrees to do the blowing and cultivation.
This saves the settlers the money which
would otherwise have to be invested In
live stock and farm machinery. Besides,
there has been erected for the exclusive
! use Of the settlers a large cold storage
warehouse in which the products OF the
| small. farms may be kept while awaiting
shipment to market
So much is done for the new settler
that the natural inference would be that
an excessive price would have to be
charged for the land. but this is not
true. The land is sold at $500 an acre
by the owner who has bought after the
governments irrigation engineers have
turned over the reclaimed tract. On
these Colorado truck gardens no money
is asked when the settler makes his
purchase, and none is required until the
ceeds from the sale Of the. products Is
given each year until the land is paid
for. Many Of the settlers. in order atO
hasten the time when the purchases will
cepting employment from the original
owner in the cooperative cultivation Of
the land or do part Of the work OF look
ing after the affairs of the storage ware
house.
Everything about. the plan is designed
to stimulate initiative and enterprise on
the part of the gardeners who live on the
land and who follow the progress Of their
crops closely from the time the seed are
sown until the final harvest. This method
than the usual plan in the west of buy
ing irrigated land and having to pay
one-f1ftht in cash when the land is taken
and the remainder in stated cash pay
'mentS.
| So many men have gained foothold
! and made a success. Of intensified agricul-
!. ture on these small farms that the
United States reclamation service is con-
'sidering the extension OF the plan over
many Of the other irrigation projects Of
the west. If a sufficient number of in
quiries come in from prospective farmers
who wish to take up small tracts OF land
on the Peppers gardens plan the engi-
neers in the Washington Office Of the
make an investigation of all the irriga-
ton projects on which holders of large
tracts. may be encouraged to subdivide
their. land and .sells Il on the plan Of
crop proceeds payments and to provide
for it's cultivation on cooperative scale.
The new scheme brings upon the land
just the kind of men whom the govern
ment is anxious to have settles4 ION the
has ''made the desert to bloom like the
rose" The financial arrangements LIN
the plan are such as not to burden the
man with small capital and the method
of easy payments from the proceeds
from crops makes it possible for almost
any man with any knowledge of agricuf-
ture and with fair degree of American
hustle to get a foothoid. The original
experiment on which the subdivisions
were made was confined to $50 acres
but the demand for the five to twenty.
acre plots has been such that ,fhef.%x-
pertinent is being graduallcs extonaAd To
cover new territory on the governments
Uncompahgre project. iYsStN
Believing that there is an intimate con-
nection between good roads and rural
schools, DIR. P. p. Clax-
Good Roads ton. commissioner : OF
Arh,. n.u the United Statess bu
nlpol Lay, areau4 OF education. sug-
gests the annual observance Of GOOD
Roads-Arbor day in all the schools Of
the United States, both inf the open
country and in towns.
| In the opinion of the United States
commissioner of education a good roads
day could be very well combined with
| Arbor day. because the establishment OF
good roads and the planting of trees go
together IN some progressive communi-
ties in this country and also in Europe
where Arbor day is observed by the
planting OF shade trees along prominent
roads. In approving report Of one of
his assistants on the subject DR.. ClaX-
ton says:
1.-THE attention Of the 2O.OC00 600 children
|: of the schools of this country should be
called to good roads and to the proper
means of protecting them and Eeautify-
ling them and making travel more COM
Portable and attractive over them. One
of the greatest needs OF our country is
good public roads. The reason We do not
have them wherever needed Is not pri-
marily because of the cost OF building
them, for in the last quarter of CEN
fury We have spent more money for many
other things not half so valuable or half
so much needed than would be required
to pay for the building of good roads TO
and through every place in the country
having any considerable population.
Our annual mud tax is far greater
than would be the tax necessary to pay
the interest on bonds to build roads. The
roads are not built, because the people
do not understand their value nor COM
prehend how much beauty they would
contribute to the country and how much
pleasure to life. 1t Is largely a matter
of public sentiment and Ideals: These
are most easily created III chlldhood.
What one would have in the state or
tomorrow must be put into the schools
of today.
Not only should We build good roads;
we should also make them attractive and
| comfortable to travel over. In many or
the European countries this Is done by
planting the roadside with rows OF trees.
On some of the broader and more I'M
portant public highways there are double
rows of trees on either side. The eye
follows the road across country. not as
a broad white band. with heat simmer
ing above it or dust lowering over IT,
but by rows of stately trees covered
with foliage in the summer their bare
branches Silhouetted against the Sky IN
winter.