Bridgeton pioneer., 1900-08-02
ITALIAN FARMERS
ABOUT VINELAND.
Very Successful With their Labor
There.

There.
The tenement house district which
includes Mulberry street, says the
New York Tribune, has often been
referred to as New Italy," and Wis
itors to New York who are inter-
ested in the foreign question go
there to study the habits and condi-
tions and pecuiarities of the italian
Americans. The investigation
usually results in convincing the Wis
itor that the italian, with his push
cart, his organ and his monkey is an
undesirable citizen, and that his
habitation is not of character to fill
the lover of cleanliness had order
with envy. But there is another
New Italy" which should be vis-
tied before the Investigator makes
his final report, where the immi-
grant italian has demonstrated that
he is capable of keeping pace with
his neighbor and that he has quail
ties OF thrift and industry, and so
much knowledge of certain branches
OF agriculture that he can make
many blades grow where once was
nothing but sand and scrub oaks.
The people of Vineland say that one
rarely sees an intoxicated Italian,
and such thing as a fight or a row
in the colony is never heard of.
The colony is divided into several
sections. New Italy, with 157 fam
lilies, is situated about six miles east
of Vineland,. Wheat Road, with
ffty-seven families, is five miles
northeast, and Garden Road, which
has forty-seven families, is four
miles northwest of the village. The
farmers in these various settlements
have imported from their native
country seeds of all kinds, and one
OF the successful farmers, who has
evidently had time to cultivate the
English language as well as the
sandy soil, has written an interest
ing letter on the progress of the set
Element, in the course of which he
says:
The Italian farmer has imported
the seed of the most estimated sort
from their native country, and by
sowing it in the soil, which is very
carefully prepared, they gathered
beets and turnips most certainly not
inferior to the best quality of those
raised in the most fertile fields OF
Lombardy. Onions and garlic OF
Vineland rival those of Italy and we
have seldom seen sweet potatoes Of
larger size, nor have we ever tasted
any better favored. Cabbages of the
Italian kitchen gardens are of gigan.
tic size, and so are the cauliflowers,
and we have no doubt that no euua
can be obtained to our celery ano
cardous, the latter being till now un.
known in America.
Grand is the variety of the
French beans, which grow white.
red, black and spotted; admirable
is the small Japanese bean, which is
grown successfully in this country.
but there are yet missing some nice
italian varieties called fave. cesi.
which would be a novelty in this
country
The Italian farmers have also de-
voted time to the culture of figs,
plums. white Malaysia grapes, fnnoc-
chic Ia sort of celery pepper and
Italian cheStnuts, which have been
grated into the native tree. The
wheat and rye are also praised by
the Italian farmer historian, who
speaks highly of the various varieties
that have been transplanted from
Italy to the New Jersey colony.
About ten varieties of grapes are
grown in the italian Vineland settle
ments. and that product as well as
the Strawberries and blackberries,
usually brings good prices in the
market. The priest who has charge
of the little church, Father Poggi,
said:
"These people have brought the
habits of industry and sobriety to
this country, and they are prosperous
and happy in their new homes.
They are good, quiet, law-abiding
citizens, and by their lives show that
people may drink wine as freely as
they would water, and still be tenn
perate and good"