Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-06-14

Sound of hammer and saw is in the air
at Camp Archibald Butt just now.
We are in full swing with prepare
tons for our summer camp Scout Com
missioner Martin said yesterday on his
return from Chesap eake Beach. The din
ing pavilion is well up, the roof is nearly
finished and within a few days we shall
commence to put on the floors.
The place offers a fine view OF the
bay From the office. on the second
floor. one can look away out across the
water and the entire camp is in plain
sight Every portion of the camp site
proper can be seen by the camp director
he sits at his desk.
Everywhere about the place is activity.
Besides the big pavilion. capable of seat
ing nearly $50 healthy Boy Scouts at one
sitting, there are the coohhouse, store
houses a large wellhouse. floating dock,
bathhouse chicken houses and shelter for
the hogs and cows during bad weather
and for the farm equipment.
\ large force of men is busy putting the
ground to rights where the tents are to
he placed. This will resemble broad
sloping lawn. Water spigots. plentifuly
placed. will provide the boys with every
thing they need in that line.
The council circle has to be laid out and
seats arranged The woods is being
thinned off and. except for the portion
of the camp property to be used eNclu-
sively for farm purposes. will be cleared
of underbrush and made into the SEM
blance of a park
There is plenty of woods. however
There will be no difficulty in finding trees
and shrubs with which to study forestry
There will be no lack of opportunity for
roughing it, but there will also be
view of green grass. well kept tent street,
playground free from litter such as is
found in the woods, and the streams
clear of all sorts of distractions. 1t
will require all the remaining two weeks
before the opening of camp to complete
the arrangements now under way.
Twenty-Five pigs. seventy-fve hens. ten
cows. two horses-these constitute the
livestock already accumulated for the
Boy Scout farm at Chesapeake Beach. to
be run this summer in connection with
Camp Archibald Butt, the summer camp
for scouts.
About half the tract of nearly sixty
acres purchased by the local Boy Scout
Council last winter will be devoted to
farming purposes. There will be eggs
and milk in plenty. The pigs will be fat
tened and kept for disposal after the
camping season closes.
Certain portions of the land will be
utilized for paStorage. 1t is expected
that hav field and an orchard will be
formed from other portions of the land.
This will be the first Boy Scout farm
ever put in operation by any feea4-ceHn~e
iii in the United States or any other
country.
The decision of the local council to
conduct farm and forestry Department
in connection with the camp IS rapidly
being demonstrated one of the wiSest
moves ever undertaken by the local Boy
Scout officials. Not only financially is
the project expected to be successful, but
Internationally. Various phases of Boy
Scout work may be carried out in con-
nection with the work on the farm and
in the forest.
The farm is under the charge of an
expert. Everything is working out well.
Officials of the local council who have
Just returned from tour of inspection
report the results already shown in the
work far beyond their expectations. 1t
will not be necessary to purchase milk
for the boys at camp this summer, all
that is required being supplied by the
handsome Holstein herd on pasture at the
farm.
Eggs for use at the camp will be
provided by the large flock of White
Leshorn hens now apparently well ac-
quainted with their new surroundings
and pleased with the fine food and quar-
tiers. An average of better than five
dozen eggs per day, it is predicted ought
TO he maintained by these feathered
thoroughbreds.
There is another element in this. If
any refractory biddy refuses to supply
eggs off with her head. and there will
be chicken stew as an additional fea-
ture of daily diet. The cows are all ex-
peCted to have calves soon, so there VIII
be more live stock TO take care Of The
subject Of raising these animals will be
dealt with thoroughly by expert instruct
ors during the working hours of the
boys at camp.
In short. II is expected the place will
be a model farm. not alone for Boy
Scouts. but for other farmers of the
neighborhood. News Of the undertaking
has spread to many distant localities
Martin
nounced the receipt OF letters from far
away as Kansas and Oklahoma from
interested Boy Scouts.
National officials have placed their
O. X. the project by making it an
official training ground for scoutmasters.
Members of the national executive boards
occupy places on the board of super
visors of the camp
The Washington party Of Boy Scouts
bound TO the White mountain region to
construct trails in the woods there under
the supervision of the Forestry Depart
ment. will leave here Friday morning
The party Will include the following first
class scouts: Arnell Carpenter of Troop
10. Edward :. Pardoe of Troop II Knut
Nilsson of Troop o. Charles Thurtell OF
Troop -. Francis Watson of Troop A.
William Thompson of Troop TO- Frank
Quinn OF Troop 4: and Norman Blanken-
ship Of Troop As. Scoutmaster Bowie:
of Troop ; will have charge of the BOYS
other patrol of eight boys with two scout
masters Arriving at New York. the
party will take the steamboat to Port
lard. Me. which will be reached lat
Saturday afternoon. The patrol of bows
from Boston with a scout master will
icin the party at this place and the en-
tire party will then take the train to
tiilead. Me. reaching there late that
night. y hike of about ten miles will
then bring the party into the heart of
the woods.
This is the first time anything of the
sort has been tried. 1t is the intention of
the forestry service. if the present ex-
pertinent is successful. TO give permanent
work to Boy Scouts under suitable lead
ership in connection with the fire pa
troll service of the bureau. The forestry
service will receive assistance in making
trails. The Boy Scouts will receive in
struction in real camping in real woods:
opportunity to study the woods at first
hand. experience in building trails: prac-
tice in pioneering. tracking. scouting and
pathfinding.
So valuable is the instruction considered
by the boys here that it has been diff
cult to choose the eight who would GO
The fact that the expedition is made IN
der the supervision of the National Boy
Scout Council has made the choice of
boz also especially important
As the expedition is in the nature of an
experiment. the light in which future
sT.ps may be regarded by the forestry