On this day in Arlington history, November 29, 1940: All official activity ends at the Arlington Experimental Farm. The Arlington Experimental Farm, located on a portion of the Arlington estate close to the Potomac River, had been the main research facility for the US Department of Agriculture in the Washington area since 1900.
Scientists conducted experiments in fertilization, farming methods, and irrigation that took place here under the direction of the USDA’s Bureau of Plant Industry. In 1900, Congress had transferred to the Secretary of Agriculture about 400 acres of the Arlington estate for use as a general experimental farm. The land was in poor condition when the USDA took it over. No crops had been grown there since 1861 and much of the top soil had been removed for making the lawns at Arlington National Cemetery.
As an experimental farm, the Department of Agriculture turned the land into a state-of-the-art farm. Tile drains were laid under each experimental plot, along with a water system. A central heating plant was built and permanent buildings erected such as a superintendent’s residence, laboratories, greenhouses, barns, mechanical shops, and storage buildings.
The farm experimented with how best to grow not only crops, but also roses and other flowers—each flower with its own greenhouse. A garden of medicinal plants was also kept to identify the best growing methods and to cultivate seeds for other US experimental efforts.
The experimental farm closed in 1940 and the area was used for housing for WWII government workers. Most of the work there was transferred to the Department of Agriculture’s facility in Beltsville, MD.
