The Concordia sentinel. (Vidalia, Concordia Parish, La.) 1882-current, 1921-04-30

pose-that of providing the settlement with
permanent supply of farm help and also of raising
the standard Of general farm help TO higher
level.
The farm laborers of the settlement were
abled to earn from $3.50 to $3.50 per day, with
board, $3.50 without board. Carpenters were
paid $525 per day of eight hours and
abled to improve their allotments outside of the
working hours.
These settlement farm laborers have the option
of either working inside or outside Of the colony.
They are permitted, as soon as they are financial
ly competent TO purchase larger farms, and thus
become proprietary employing farmers
The Offices Of the California state land settle
ment board do not cease with the mere buying
and selling Of this land leaving the settlers to
shift for themselves. The most important work
comes after the settlers have selected farms and
have begun the arduous task of producing rev.
eDue that will enable them to pay for and equip
their new homes.
Expert Advice Tap.
The board does all I'm its power to guide the
collective work of the settlement along safe lines
supplying farm advisers, farmstead engineers and
other experts to help the good work along. It Is
the plan of the board to assist the settlement In
welding itself into successful cooperative COM
munity, and to inaugurate a system of the most
scientific and up-todate cultural and administra-
tive methods.
At the very outset the Durham settlers organ
lied cooperative stock breeders association.
This was done with the prime object of making
the settlement the home of purebred live stock.
The board inculcated the idea of uniform selec-
ton of breeds SO that there should be no unto
ward mixing of blood.
1t was agreed that there should be but one or
two breeds of cattle, sheep and hogs in the asso-
citation. For cattle the Holsten was adopted as
the type for dairy stock, and sh0rthorns for beef
purposes. Duroc Jerseys were selected as the
desirable type of hogs, and the Romney Marsh
and RambOuillet for the sheep breeds. The exec
utive committee of the Settlement Cooperative
Live Stock association has done nearly all the
buying of live stock for the settlers, thus simpli
flying and expedting matters.
Instead OF leaving each of the 100 families,
composing the settlement, to buy material. find
workmen and secure designs for their dwellings
and farm buildings the board took ii upon itself
to lend a most welcome helping hand. 1t aided
the settlers in their purchase of fencing material,
cement, lumber, pipe, ETC., in carload lots, thus
saving the new farmers much labor trouble and
insuring them the best of material at lowest
prices.
The plans for the new farmhouses and their
proper location on the respective farms were
worked out with much care by the farmstead en-
gneer under the eye of the farmer and his wife
and in cooperation with them. In fact all the
important details of farm improvement and farm
methods have been carried out under the advice
of the boards experts free to the settlers Moth
ing in the community has been done in loose or
haphazard manner and under this modus Operandi
a model farm community was evolved in less
than one year.
Help the First Crop.
In the meantime practical farm development
was taken up, soil maps consulted fields orchards
and gardens laid out, and crop production ar
ranged. The board has made itself the friend and
counselor of each settler and has been unstintIng