Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1882-11-04
agriculture in Italy.

Much dissatisfaction has been :,
Pressed by one patty in the State =, N.
backward condition of til. rural n,,r,.
ia'ion and the low yield OF the soil. /,
was alleged 10y ihs pcssimists, among
other things, that some 200. 600 hec-
'ares ont ot u total OF a9.6oO.OO re-
mained wholly uncultiva,ea. and thss
la OF the twen;ytour millions remain.
ins is scarcely noniually pruauc1sve
The average production Of gram i
alleged II be only about twelve bushels
Per English acre. or tha loves. q! anv
important country III Europe. Con-
tr.tstinc Italy with France. ii wa. further
alleged that, while the former had
t"o-thrds OF the population and more
than half the superficial area of the lat
ter, the gross value of its agricultural
products was only oue.Iour,M os s.tsnt II
France, three miiiar!s o. francs as axai lst
| twelve. Italy. indeed. h..d to laport
gram, anu, We're tnls pcsslmlstic view
oi her position accepted, would be
rapidly sinking under her a.cumulatiug
miser!es. As II Is, these people allcXs
| that such MISERY ~ exists. even II
our wealthies; districts, Is unparalleled
/
! can be found olly IN miracle of energy.
labor ani wisdom, more easy to wish
! for than to reallzc. While a limiting
tha: there IS much progress to be made
and many tnlugs to desire, alike in the
! methods oi agriculture aud In the con-
ditlon OF the people, the Royal Com
mlssloncrs III late report show In some
respects less chcericss picture Of rural
Italy than this. They point cat THAI
much oi the supcrlccs of Italy CONSISTS
of mount.tln regions which it would be
Impossi DE 10 cultivate. 1t is not all A
garden Of uaturc. GA the contrary.
with the exception OF the valley OF the
Po aud few lower plains, the country
Is mountainous, unproiuctiv. anl i'll.
nospitablc. Where the mountains do
not rear their stony Or scantily wooded
ana thinly pastu- 4 sides, the. country,
III the centre and South of the peninsula
is occupied by<eAtcnsiyo marshes, tile
consequence ot fifty generations OF al
government France thus possesses
four times the extent OF naturally Quit
! waited land that Italy does, and If her
climate Is less sunny it Is also more
moist She has not to Resort 10 the
extensive Irrigation necessary III Italy.
1t Is, however, contended that, In spite
of all drawbacks, italy produces rico,
mulDerrlcs, oll, wine, oranges, lemons,
etc. III quantity and quality iully pro
portIoDate to the extent OF her country
Real agricultural progress has also
the commissioners say, been InaIs by
the country, especially III fed.noa,
and LomDardy. Cattle are icing In
proved III breed, and the use Of chemi
cal mannrcs and agricultural machinery
Is spreading. And rs t. her short hon.
supply OF corn, 1t Is pointed out thai
while her people can ralse more proiita
tie crops 1t would bc IA false econoln
to sacrifice these to wheat With III
this, however, it IS admitted that thu
rural laborer Is IL most miserable being
although it is DENIED that he is wors,
, of than the agricultural laborcr in m,
. other EuropeAn& country, No ono
, however, WHO has read aud felt tia
power of that terribly vivid pictur,
, gwen OF the peasant of the komal
Campagna III NJ. de Lave!eyes VALUABLE
! little book. The Italy II Today" vii
tnInk the optimism Of tlc com mission
, er. Justified III this instance, SO far q
ali events as that part of Italy Is con
/ cerned. They admit further that lAn'
III Italy Is burdeucd with terrible an.
, overpuwcrlng weight OF taxation, an,
, misery cannot jail to spring out of suc
e "a state, even though 1t he true that III
. Commercial value of farms and farn
: lands augnents every year.