Museum the New Llano Colony



Scientific
Chemistry Lab, Stump Burning, Fertilizers, Inventors


"Vernon Parish Democrat," August 12, 1920

"Fred Anderson is piling up the remnants of stumps on Dago Town forty and is now burning stumps by a process of his own. He says he is sure he will burn stumps faster than we can pull them...

Comrade Belohradsky is making a patent stove for Fred Anderson for burning stumps."


"Vernon Parish Democrat," September 1, 1921

Chas. Anderson is becoming the king of the stump eradicators. He has a process of his own, and it works in fine shape. He digs the dirt loose from around the stump and into the clay far enough to place considerable kindling, then starts his fire, leaving just enough air holes to keep the fires burning; and by this process burns out the stump, roots and all, and makes charcoal of them at the same time. Comrade Anderson is to be given a crew of men to work at this job steadily, and by next spring they will surely have a large acreage of ground entirely free from stumps."


"Vernon Parish Democrat," September 15, 1921

"Realizing that the question of fertilizer is one of the greatest importance to the lands of the Colony, arrangements are now under way for the erection of compost pits and other apparatus for the making of fertilizer.

George D. Coleman, who has lived and traveled in many European countries in the interest of agriculture, and who is now in the Colony, will be the guiding hand in the affair. Mr. Coleman has studied the subject in Belgium, where intense cultivation has made a world-renowned name. He has watched the English farmers carry chalk for miles to increase the productivity of their soils. He has lived in Mexico and has recently been requested to head an agricultural department there for the teaching of fertilizer needs to the Mexican farmers.

Work will begin at once on the erection of the pits, which will be constructed of brick and cement."


"Llano Colonist," September 29, 1921

"Kemp has joined the weed cutters, using a mowing machine. All these weeds are being used to make fertilizer compost. Comrade Coleman is now in charge of the fertilizer works and is asking everybody to save everything but tin cans and cook stoves to be composted. Well, he is a live wire and will have the unanimous support of the Colony on this important work. The whole South is in the grip of the fertilizer trust; and if Comrade Coleman's plans work out a great benefit will be handed out to the Southern farmers."


"Llano Colonist," January 12, 1922

"Nitrogen is taken up from the air by certain plants, such as clover, peas and legumes in general; the nitrogen [then] being taken up by bacteria which work in the soil on the roots of the plants. In the fertilizer plant of the Llano Colony Comrade Coleman is growing these bacteria by the trillions."


"Llano Colonist," November 4, 1922

"Fred and Chas. Anderson are burning stumps and making charcoal south of the new garden spot near the dairy."


"Llano Colonist," June 28, 1930

"Article by Paul Mays of the Washington News Service

Washington, D.C. -- ...The first successful cotton-picking machine ever invented, so the inventors think -- was today explained to patent officials by John D. and Mack D. Rust, both of Newllano, La...

John Rust is the inventor and Mack is the engineer of the project... Within the past year they joined the Llano Cooperative Colony at Newllano, Vernon Parish, La., which is reputed to be the oldest and most successful cooperative experiment of the kind in the country. In the colony, which has been running 16 years and contains 400 resident members, the Rusts have devoted their time to the development of their invention. Colony officials have placed all possible equipment and conveniences at their disposal...

They claim their cotton-picking machine will eliminate hand-picking of cotton and have a vast effect on the entire industry.

After motoring to New York, the boys will start back in their flivver to their Louisiana home, to await the action of the government."


"Llano Colonist," June 27, 1931

"We made an attempt at it some years ago, when George D. Coleman built a plant for the production of artificial manure... But the Vernon Parish Health Commissioner put a stop to the business, because it appeared to have produced more stinks and flies than synthetic fertilizer."


"Llano Colonist," February 20, 1932

"Here in one corner of the Electrical Dept., I found the lab of Hough, our chemist, being established. Be it known that Comrade Hough, an Army and Navy chemist, has had many years experience in tropical climates, dealing wtih bacteriological problems such as soil, pests, health -- many conditions which we in a southern climate have to deal with."


"Llano Colonist," September 9, 1933

"Very fine paint of various colors, used for interiors, made by Chemist Glavincheff, is splendid, said the industrial foreman. It is easier to put on than kalsomine and many times better and can be made in any color. Already five shades are on exhibition at Dr. Williams' office, consisting of white, butff, blue, lavender and pale orange. As a matter of fact this paint, made from the soils of Llano, after a marvelous recipe of Dr. George Carver of Tuskegee, one of the world's best known chemists, will be made in quantities and sold to whomsoever desires it."


"Llano Colonist," December 2, 1933

"Each week the school boys fare out into the surrounding woods under the tutelage of Comrades Glavincheff and Richards. The party seeks to gather and identify the common medicinal herbs in the neighborhood. So far they have settled on about ten out of a list of 200 that Glavincheff has. Such things as bull nettles, snake root, jimson weed, mullein, poison oak, and a host of others have commercial possibilities and are decidedly profitable for one who gathers them and sells them to the drug firms: Jimson weed, for instance, is paid for at the rate of from 2 to 8 cents a pound for the root. Comrade Glavincheff hopes to work up a trade in herbs with the neighbors round-about -- they to gather the herbs and bring them to him -- he to pay them the standard market price, less freight to market. The pay will not be in cash, but in the form of due bills, that is, credit slips, good in exchange for any Llano product at our store. Whether this is to include all the goods sold at the store I do not know. The exchange will also be made for all Llano services, such as for garage work, ice, brooms, grist mill, electrical work, etc.

In addition to the usual goods and services of the colony, to be sold and traded for herbs, will be the new items the chemist is preparing. Forty-two of these are in process of preparation -- some few are already on sale in the store. Among the new things are such items as: a mouth wash, bed bug spray; Tetra -- a non-inflammable spot remover; flavors: vanilla, lemon and maple; a spray for ticks, a dry calsomine, a zeolithic water softener, a cock-roach killer, chicken powder, fly spray, tooth paste, shaving cream and a mechanic's soap, together with many more. A few of these things are already on sale at the store, others are being held up for various causes. With the cock-roach killer and chicken spray, it is a question of containers; the tooth paste and shaving cream are waiting to have the problem of a filling machine solved, and so on. The raw material for the cow spray is to be brought from Texas by Mr. Porter when he returns.

That those who pick the herbs may know how much they are to receive and what the colony has to offer for exchange, a catalogue is to be prepared showing all colony goods. All the chemist's products will be pictured and listed, as well as colony goods and services. The catalogue should be widely read by the neighbors, and should acquaint them with the opportunities for doing business with a local institution. The future also holds a building to be erected down near the store somewhere in which the goods to be produced by the chemical department can be displayed. The rear half of the building will be used as a laboratory.

Comrade Glavincheff is also planning on having a truck go out in to the surrounding territory and carry spray equipment and supplies and do the job for the farmer on his own premises. For this work he hopes to enter into a contract with these people whereby the colony will be paid in the form of butter and milk delivered to the Llano hotel. Neighbor Ford, on the hill opposite the farm, is already delivering a quart of milk daily.

Says Glavincheff, 'Ford's were so glad to have me do this work for them that they wanted to start delivering me a quart at once. If they are willing to pay the equivalent of $36 a year, why shouldn't some of the other farmers around here be willing to do the same. If we could get a little butter or a glass of milk for every one at the hotel, think what that would mean.' Here, then is one front on which the new chemical venture is already operating. Most people know of the things for sale in the store -- which might be called another front. The truck that goes out for spraying will also endeavor to bring in subscriptions for the Democrat, thus building up that paper, making it more valuable to the colony and increasing its circulation and its ability as an advertising medium. The colony is to put no money into the chemical business except the building that is to go up. These are great plans, and are news enough for one poor day... Walter Gaulke"


"Llano Colonist," February 24, 1934

"The Painting Campaign of Llano Chemical Laboratory

Beauty may be only 'skin deep;' so is paint, but an unpainted house is an unsightly thing. So the Llano Chemical Laboratory started some time ago experimenting with paints made out of common clay. And clay, as you know, is found a-plenty everywhere. It has been deposited here by the glaciers uncounted centuries ago. Thus in an unassuming way, we 'practiced' painting the two school houses last August, and later tried our luck on the lunch room walls. Then the barber shop was painted, and lately you see the hotel dining room changing its old clothes. In painting these public buildings we have learned something about paint, and now we have developed an interior cold water paint, much superior to kalsomine, which will stand the test of time. To bring you a positive proof of the foregoing we will only ask you to visit the newly decorated home of Homer Loutrel. We are sure Homer will welcome you and show you around. Now we aim to paint, in a similar manner, the inside of the hospital, finish the hotel dining room and to continue with this work until all of our public buildings have been so decorated. The public buildings come first. The private houses will have to wait until such time as their houses can be done from the income from our sales to outsiders. If in the meantime some of the members of the Colony can afford to pay for only the cost of the raw material, which is very moderate, they can come and see us. So you don't have to wait.

In addition to our interior cold water paint (kalsomine) we have developed an outside paint. We have painted several panels with this paint and have left them exposed to the rain now for over ten weeks. It seems to stand the test also.

Both of these, the kalsomine and the interior paint, are now on exhibit at the Vernon Store, and can be purchased from Les Caves.

We intend to keep up with this work until the entire Colony is painted and assumes the appearance of a neat and attractive city.

Fraternally yours, Llano Chemical Laboratory"


"Llano Colonist," September 26, 1936

"Llano Colony has never attempted the growing of cotton, our efforts being confined to the production of foodstuffs for man and beast. However, this is the land where Cotton is King, as witness the loads of hand-picked fluffballs passing along the highway to the ginning mill at Leesville, the Parish seat. From there it goes back southward to New Orleans in great baled truckloads to be shipped to all corners of the globe.

No machine picking in this region as yet. The Rust Brothers' cotton picker, according to the latest government tests, needs some slight touches to make it perfect. The Rust boys will be remembered as connected with Llano a few years ago in the development of their invention - this colony undertaking to finance the development. This proved too great an undertaking for the colony at that time and the Rusts found other financial backers more able to carry the load."

Advertisement for Llano Laboratory products.
Advertisement for Llano Laboratory products -- frequent ad in the "Llano Colonist" 1934.
John and Mack Rust with their first cotton picker.
John (left) and Mack (driving) Rust with their first cotton picker.
Charcoal Charlie Anderson
"Charcoal Charlie" Anderson
Clipping from the Llano Colonist dated October 7, 1922.
Clipping from the "Llano Colonist" dated October 7, 1922.
George Coleman at the Llano Colony Fertilizer Plant.
George Coleman at the Llano Colony Fertilizer Plant.
Wrench invented by a Llano colonist.
Wrench invented by a Llano colonist.


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