The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1923-01-10
''The ArgOnne Farms
An Interesting Back-to-Land Move
ment.

A few miles south of Minneapolis,
near Orchard Lake, unique farm
settlement is being developed under
the auspices of the u. S. Veterans
Bureau, C. d. Hibbard, District Man
ager, Minneapolis, Minnesota. This
settlement consists entirely of severely
disabled veterans of the world war.
Each man there is paying for small
farm on longtime agreement so
that he may support himself and FAM
lily without having his injuries sub
ject him to the vicissitudes he would
encounter in the employment Of 9TH
ers. As a rule, these men and their
wives are without farm experience.
This, together with their severe dis
abilities, decided them in favor of
small farms for intensive cultivation
after the model of those they had seen
in France They will specialize in
poultry and berry raising for the city
market. Celery, onions, and picking
cuccumbers will be grown as a minor
crop.
Over thirty men have bought baby
farms of about four acres each. Dur
ing the first summer coy four room
bungalows with full Easements and
also poultry houses have been built.
The land has been broken, small flocks
of choice trap-nested poultry purchas-
ed, and forty thousand raspberry
plants have been set out.
All these disabled veterans are stu
dents at the Minnesota School of Ag-
riculture so that ultimately every man
on the project will be an agricultural
graduate and will be prepared to make
his small farm produce the maximum
crops.
The cottages and poultry houses
were built on plans worked out by the
experts at the Minnesota School of
Agricultural and are considered mo-
dels for low cost, neat appearance,
and utility.
The "Argonne Farms Berry and
Egg Association" has been organized
to standardize breeds of poultry, to
assemble, grade and market the entire
output of these farms on a co-opera-
tive basis. For mutual advantage,
social and economic. other berry and
egg producers in the vicinage have
been admitted to membership in the
Association This Association will
also buy feed, groceries and other
staple supplies in wholesale quantities
for distribution among its members.
In as much as these men are living
in their own homes and have their
poultry and crops to look after, they
will not be required to attend the Min
nesota School of Agriculture during
the winter months, but the Veterans
Bureau has arranged that instructors
shall be sent to the project. There
fore these men will combine the study
of Agriculture with the practice of
Agriculture right at their own homes.
These farms are to be Handicapped by
a professional landscape architect.
Fruit trees and berry bushes will be
used for this purpose, combining util-
ity with beauty, so that every foot of
the land will be productive.
Plans are under way to bring cleo
trio lights from the village of Lake
field and to build a community hall for
social gatherings, lectures, movies, etc.
A consolidated school has already been
provided, likewise post of the Dis
abled Veteran of the World War with
its Women's Auxiliary to contribute
to the Social life.
When we consider that the percent
age of tenant farmers in this District
has increased from 9O.5 in 1910 to 25.1
in 1920. This movement toward farm
ownership is noteworthy.