Subsequent to the formation of the Molotschna colony two more colonies were organized, Am Trakt, begun in 1853 on the Volga River in the Russian province of Samara, and Alexandertal, begun in 1859 on the Volga River not too far from the Am Trakt colony. Conditions were not nearly as favorable by this time. Military exemption was for a much shorter period of time and settlers were required to show economic wherewithal in advance as well as pay for the land that they would acquire.

All four colonies prospered as time went on. The development of Black Sea ports by the Russian government opened up the possibility for grain production and export to all of Europe. The rich soil and the production of hard winter wheat by the Mennonite farmers led to increasing prosperity. In time the large Mennonite families created a problem that took on political as well as economic importance.

Those families with land weren't able to subdivide their land due to government regulations. Young couples wanting to have their own farms were being forced to live on rented land and in some cases were forced by circumstances to take low-paying jobs from the wealthier people in the community. Worse yet, land ownership was a prerequisite for having a voice in the affairs of the colony. Those who couldn't acquire land were not able to effectively advocate change either. Yet taxes were assessed on the basis of population.

This demographic problem was temporarily resolved when the larger colonies began helping to set up daughter colonies. These daughter colonies were mostly financed by the parent colony and were in some cases estates being purchased from the non-Mennonite neighbors in surrounding areas

The first such daughter colony was Bergthal, financed with funds from the Chortitza colony. It consisted of 30,000 acres of arable land about 212 kilometers east of the Chortitza colony, in the district of Mariupol. Eventually some forty five such daughter colonies were set up.