cleared is used for
winter food products. Summer feed for the cattle, hogs, and horses
comes almost exclusively from the uncleared land. By following
dairying and live-stock raising, the entire land becomes productive
at once, while grain or vegetable farming would mean that only the
land under cultivation would be producing.

The men of the colony seemed to be rather cheerful and hopeful, while
their wives impressed the writer as being somewhat downcast and
self-centered. Several of them said that they have to work much harder
in the colony than in the cities or even in the old country.

[7] H. R. 3274, 66th Congress, 1st Session.

[8] Only those field notes are here quoted which vary from the
description of the first colony.

VI

PUBLIC LAND COLONIZATION

California is the first, and so far the only state in the Union to
undertake the public colonization of land. Its first experiment is very
recent and on a comparatively small scale. Its leaders are ably
utilizing their knowledge of the experiences in public land colonization
in foreign countries such as Australia, New Zealand, the Scandinavian
states, and Great Britain. Although it is impossible to foresee the
outcome, the writer is inclined to believe that the public land
colonization in California will continue to be a success, giving impetus
to similar projects in other states.

THE CALIFORNIA EXPERIMENT

The California experiment and its history may be outlined briefly as
follows: A report of the California Commission on Land Colonization and
Rural Credits made in 1916 revealed the fact that few settlers were
coming to California and that many who had come were leaving because of
hardships created by high prices of land, high interest rates, and
short terms of payment given in colonization contracts. As a result, the
California legislature passed the Land Settlement Act, approved June 1,
1917,[9] for the purpose of

promoting closer agricultural settlement, assisting deserving and
qualified persons to acquire small improved farms, providing homes
for farm laborers, increasing opportunities under the Federal Farm
Loan Act, and demonstrating the value of adequate capital and
organized direction in sub-dividing and preparing agricultural land
for settlement.

The act appropriated $250,000 for a demonstration in state land
colonization, fixing 10,000 acres as the limit which should be bough