The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-11-08

The Italian as farmer. He is thought of as a day laborer. a fruit vender, a member of a section gang, a "biack handler" but not often as an agriculturist
 But. nevertheless. and individual or group interested in developing the farming districts of the United States would do well to study the Italian con-. tadini as a valuable contribution to the forming industry. Such investigation need not involve a Journey to Italy. as there are members of Italian truck and fruit farms scattered through New England. and in proximity to New York City. as well as here and there through the South and West These farms prove beyond any question that as an expensive cultivotor of the soil tho Italian cannot be beaten.
 Near South Glastonburg. Conn.,, are about seventy farms owned by Ital- ians. The first pioneer of this inter- esting colony was John Carino. who came to South GlastonburR sixteen years ago to cut railroad ties for the New Haven and Hartford railroad. At the end of two years he had saved enough to purchase a small farm and send for his family. Every member of the family toiled early and late until the place yielded enough Income to enable him to buy more land. and now. fourteen years from the date of his first purchase, Mir. Carino owns 1.500 acres. all with the exception of small wooded portion, under the high est cultivation. There are peach or chards and peach orchards. plums and pears. Grapes are grown fin quantity and also a variety of small fruits and vegetables.
 This year. if nothing unforeseen oc- CUTS. he expects to market 10000 bush els of peaches. His two oldest chil- dren are attending school in Hartford and no doubt will go to college later
 Some twelve years ago J. H. Hale. of South GIastonburg (the largest peach grower In New England). de- cided to employ an Italian, one Luigi Piro, on his place. The neighbors shuddered and prophesied A tragic end for the entire Hale family.
 Today this same Luigi Piro Is part. ner with Mir. Hale in one of the most unique orchards ever grown in Amer lea. As time passed NIT. Hale grew more and more to confde in Piros Judgment, so that when he advised con- yerting a 4O0-acre lot (which had aI- ways been considered by Americans too difficult" to grow anything onD Into a combination peach and apple orchard, Mir. Hale decided to take the plunge. It required a good deal or blastInR to dispose of rocks and stumps. but that accomplished, the soil was absolutely virgin and ideal for fruit growing. Between the apple trees are planted peaches. The space allows for d twenty-year growth of the peaen trees, when they will have nnishso bearing for market purposes. By the lime the apples will have matured so aa to require more room the peaches will he removed. After the product or thIs orchard has reimbursed Mir. Hale for his outlay, with ten per cent in- tereet. hA will deed one-half of ", or 200 acres to Piro. He propnesies tna. thia will be accomplished in less than ten years. and that he ana F.o VII then each own an orchard worh S0o'- 900. over and above all cost.
 The natives of South SloStonpury speak we'll of the Italians as neish. Nora although in the beginning they had to make their way against . val oS Yankee prejudice They are anxious ta 1Iva their children educational ad- At Matson Hill. South Gas tonhuTv, rtands a little white school house which will serve as illustration, In Connecticut the country scnoois arc aasessed by the taxpayers Of each district, so that the apportionmeht TOT school tax is voted by the men who D.v it Tn New England farming aIstrict. such as we are describing, the results in former years were ob- ,,Ioua The schoolhouse was litle bet ter than ruin. The roof leaked, the ,gIrdows were broken and it needed naint Year after year a meeting was Called to consider its restoration, but