THE MENNONITE BROTHERHOOD IN RUSSIA (1789 - 1910), P. M. Friesen, 1911

fatherly 194 IN RUSSIA 1789-1860 encouragement filled the community with a joyous confidence, and silent prayers to God and tears of gratitude followed sifter the much-loved father of the country. It was His Majesty’s concern that experiments be carried out in this, at that time, virtually treeless region [excluding the groves already planted] with plantations of trees. And on his last journey he expressed, in Steinbach, his desire that every fanner plant a half dessiatine with trees. In order to fulfill His Majesty’s most high wish, Lord Contenius entertained the idea to create a society for this important branch of agriculture. ... In 1830, the year of his death, von Insov, the Supervisor-General of [all] the colonies, confirmed the "Society for the Furtherance of Forestry, Gardening and Wine Production.” Johann Comies was named as its life-long chairman. Later the title of the society was expanded to include: “to Improve Agriculture and Industry.” From 1843 onwards, the Molotschna school system has also come under its jurisdiction by legal charter [expressly in accord with the general school laws of the colony and in co-operation with the spiritual leaders 107 for the greatest possible benefit to all the schools], and once again its title was expanded to include: “and Improvement of the School System.” Thus this “society modelled after the free academies” with strong executive powers became the only truly all-encompassing Department of Culture for all of the Russian Mennonites; the Chortitza region was granted a similar Agricultural Society, where Comies, as a “plenipotentiary of all Mennonites” and later as special deputy of the government, also exercised a considerable authority. In the latter position his jurisdiction reached to the Prischib District and the “Swedish Colony” on the Dnieper; because of his expertise he visited the Kherson (Grosslieben- taler) colonies; he was appointed, as we already know, supervisor of the Nogai (as well as the Doukhobors and Molokans) and Jews (settlers in the Province of Kherson): the Mennonite model farmers and supervisors in the Jewish colonies were responsible to the agricultural societies of Molotschna and Chortitza. Already in the 1820s he journeyed to the territory of the nomadic tribes of the Kalmuks at the request of their Supervisor, Faddiiev, in order to advise them on their permanent settlement! b) The eighteen-year period of the society’s history with Comies at its head is an exceedingly important chapter in the colonies’ one- hundred-year existence. Its first goal was to plant trees. However, not only did it spear-head the planting of forests and gardens, but its activity was extended to the following areas: the planting of hedges, of the beautiful tree-lanes from village to village; the four-field system of land cultivation with summer-fallow (every fourth year) ; the damming of water ponds for purposes of watering cattle and irrigating th