Friends of the Land essay   Save
Friends of the Land Collection
Description: Draft copy of an essay by Friends of the Land personnel describing the history and significance of agriculturalist and novelist Louis Bromfield and Malabar Farm in Lucas, Ohio. The essay particularly highlights Malabar's historic role as a demonstration farm -- "to establish facts and practices that would be of use to all farmers" -- and the future role of the Friends of the Land in continuing Bromfield's legacy at Malabar Farm. The rest of the document details the organization's plans to establish an ecological study ("a center for the study of man's relationship to nature") in cooperation with other ecologists and agricultural organizations across the nation. Plans detailed include establishing a working agricultural experiment station; the basis for an international agriculture student exchange program; workshop and symposia series on ecological themes; workshops for writers and radio broadcasters in ecology; a summer lab school in ecology for teachers; and the establishment of an ecological library. This particular document seems to explore the potential involvement of the state of Ohio in the proposed Institute for Ecology at Malabar Farm. The Friends of the Land Collection (1930-1960) contains the papers of the Friends of the Land (1940-1959), a prominent national soil conservation education organization headquartered in Columbus, Ohio. FOTL produced an international literary arts quarterly, THE LAND (edited by New Deal agriculture writer Russell Lord) in addition to several members' only publications (LAND LETTER) and informational pamphlets. They also hosted annual conferences; ran conservation tours, teacher training labs, and workshops; and operated as a national clearinghouse for conservation information. Ohio farmer and novelist Louis Bromfield was active in the organization. Much of the collection reflects the career and interests of FOTL Executive Secretary Ollie Fink, who was a prominent conservation education pioneer in Ohio. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: MSS364_B13F06_03_01
Subjects: Conservation education; Bromfield, Louis (1896-1956); Agriculture; Soil science; Malabar Farm
Places: Columbus (Ohio); Franklin County (Ohio)