The Meeker herald. [volume] (Meeker, Colo.) 1885-current, 1901-04-13
NOT GOOD FARMERS.
Few Immigrants to America capa-
BILE Of Doing the Work.
Some Interesting Facts ResasAias
the Distributiea aAA EnDloy.
meat Of the IAeominS
ThousanAA

Between the years 1890 and 1890
100000 of the 49, 90 600 immigrants
who came into the United States were
natives of Great Britain or of Germany,
and the number of Scandinayiars was
nearly 100000. The great mapority
OF these newcomers, especially those
from Germany, Norway and Sweden,
were farmers whose destination was
the west. The term the west, as un..
iderstood by immigrants, meant At one
time the western countries Of New
York and Pennsylvania. later the
states OF what Is now called the mid
die west, Ohio, Indiana and Illinois;
then the trans- Mississippi states of
Iowa, Nebraska and Kansas and, final
ly, the northwestern states, to which.
prior to 1898, most Of the new immi-
grants went.
4 In the last few years, notwithstand-
Ifng the prosperous condition of Amer
lean manufactures. the large harvests
iand liberal prices for cereals and live
stocks, there has been q marked fall
Ing off in the immigration of farmers
TO the United States and decided
increase in the number or imnigrantx
eseeking homes in the large cities and
towns. The official
Figures of the calendar year of 1900
have not yet made their appearance.
Sbut tke total number of immigrants
will not be far from $4,000, and of
tthis number more than 100000 were
yfrom Austria-Hungary, another 1oO.-
200 from Italy and another 100000
from Russia and the Polish provinces
Iof Germany, while Great Britain fur
lnished less than $4,000, of which num-
Der 10000 were from Ireland. These
new immigrants seek homes and em-
.ployment in the large cities, says the
New York Sun.
The fertility and productiveness OF
american farms are as great as and
IN some cases greater than they were
many years ego. The means of trans
sportation have been VASTLY improved
pnd the market Of demand Is decided
b larger than It ever was before. But
the conditions for the purchase of
land are no longer 20 favorable. The
most eligible government lands for
tree boaeAteadss aaave -been disposed
- l1s4 failroad grant - which i'm
cluds4 a.ternate parcels along the
line Of the roads have been sold and
in most cases occupied. No state. ex-
cept in the southwest, where the cli-
matte conditions are not generally
such as to attract European farmers.
Is under the necessity of offering in
to immigrants, and the lat
ter, no longer recruited from the
farming class on the European con-
tinent and in ireland, come chiefly
from large European cities in which
the population has become congested
or in which the rate Of pay to mechan-
les has been forced down by competi-
tton or the use Of new mechanical ap-
pliances.
There II a constant and increasing
demand for mill hands and artisans
throughout the United States, and it
ID to some extent supplied by new
The three countries
which now furnish the laresst share
Of immigration, Austria, Russia and
italy, have comparatively little in
with the United States in the
way OF language. customs. historical
tradition or the forms OF government.
There are no longer in Russia or Aus
lria prosecutions which would explain
, Wholesale exodus of the inhabitants
Vt various districts. as was the case
10 and Is years ago. The economic
,ondition of Italy is rather better now
thsn II was at the time when Italian
to the United States be-
ran to be large, and the increase Of
The immigration from these countries
AN, therefore, be explained only upon
he ground that the demand for such
abor as their immigrants have to
,ffer il growing in the United States.
The falling of Of German immigra-
Hon is explained by the fact tina.
Germany is ceasing to be an agricul-
.pral and II becoming a manufactur-
sg country. The total immigration
% the United States last year was
srger than in any previous year since