The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1898-10-12
FLORIDA IMMIGRATION.

1t is possible TO devise a scheme OF
white immigration from the Mainland
that may supply the labor needed on
our plantations, because energy, money
and intelligent action may do it. But
the facts which may work against it
must be carefully estimated. To ig
more them may involve serious conse-
quences.
1t may be accepted as true, that the
small farmers, or large even, of the
States who are thrifty, and own their
farms, will not as a rule emigrate.
Excepting in times of unusual depres-
sion the home markets are quite able
to take the products of the soil, and
transportation is cheap. In other
words America is still a glorious
country for the tiller of the soil, and
is not country to abandon.
The history of the recent immigra
ton to Florida will throw light upon
the movements of the farming classes
in the States, since the Civil war.
The climate of this State is nearly
tropical Frosts are not common. It's
climate was described during the sew
entities by the newspapers as one of
SURPRISING attraction, and its soil cap
able of producing nearly all of the
tropical plants. Over $4,000 people
emigrated to the State from the cold
belt The majority at once engaged
Of no
But it was a surprising fact that only
small percentage of the immigrants
were farmers Tradesmen who had
failed, bookkeepers, teachers, artisans,
hotel keepers-in fact, men of every
class settled in the State, but the
thrifty farmer hesitated. Hamilton
Disston, of Philadelphia, who pur-
chased at ST. per acre about i 500, 900
acres of land, of which Col. w. r.
Forbes, born in Hawaii, was the selling
agent, told us in 1890, that the set
tiers as class were not farmers, but
men who were ignorant of the bust
ness of farming. They were generally
thriftless men, or city and town men,
who had failed in business, and desired
to make fresh start in life. Added
to these were many invalids, who
ing of agricultural life. The thrifty
small farmers, who owned their own
farms, in the Northern States, knew
the hard side of tilling the soil, and
Il
and lose their little earnings in MAX
ing new experiments in horticulture.
While cities of the Atlantic border
would consume the products of this
sub tropical State. the immigrants
were ignorant Of the methods of pro-
ducing them, and starved while they
learned the business.
Those who had the means finally fell
back on the negro for the labor needed
to till the soil. The Iaboring white
men, who had drifted into the State.
not at any time large in numbers,
were unreliable, or. if reliable, quick
ly secured land of their own and be-
came their own masters.
The noticeable fact was the incon-
siderable immigration Of farmers
After the failure of the orange crops
owing to the frosts, those who could
not leave the State devoted them
selves to learning the new business o
fruit and vegetable raising, and aftel
a vast amount of suffering, have OBJ
tanned experience and skill, and arr
slowly getting a moderate prosperity
The rapid and enormous growth o
the manufacturing interests in the old
err States has created a demand TO
home produce, which commands re
muneratiye prices.
No doubt there are thousands o
farmers in the Western States, includ
ing the Pacific Coast, who have en-
tirely failed in their expectations Q
making fortunes out of farming
Such are willing to emigrate to an
place which seems to offer induce
ments which will relieve their dis
tress. Among them there are man
who, under favorable circumstance
will make excellent tillers OF the sol
and good citizens besides. But the
will not, even if they immigrate t
these Islands give up for momen
their habits of thought, especially tn
desire to own land, and secure tn
improvements made on it, by the1
own labor In this respect, they diffs
greatly from the European laborer
who look upon the ownership of lane
as a dream, and are in a measure cor
tent to occupy leased land. But tn
experience Of the Mainland is thf
even this class will prefer to local
where land can be purchased in Il
simple at low rates.