Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1909-08-05
MAKING A NEN ITALY
PROMOTER OF BIG SOUTHERN
COLONY TELLS OF WORK
BEING DONE.
PLANS MAY be KEY TO
BIG SOCIAL PROBLEMS

Scheme Being Tried Near Wilmington,
N. G., 10 Expected to Aid the South
In Solving Negro Problem and That
Of Making Use Of Idle Land-Life In
New italian Settlement.
Convinced that there is still enough
good truck garden land still unoccu-
pied along the Atlantic seaboard to
support many thousands Of his coun-
trymen, Felice Ferrero. brother Of
William Ferrero, the Italian historian
and sociologist, recently returned to
New York city after visit Of investi-
CATION and inspection to an expert
mental cooperative Italian colony To-
Gated near Wilmington. N. @.
Mr.. Ferrero is certain that the exper-
iment has reached the point where it
may be designated as a success. and
he expects the general spreading Of
the news Of what it has done to turn
wave Of Italian immigration south
ward. Heretofore this immigration
has headed westward. and its deflec-
. ton into the south is expected to bring
an end to a certain condition that has
existed in the south since the war.
An experimental Dutch colony, locat-
ed also in North Carolina, has so far
succeeded that group of fifty fami-
lies is now being organized in Holland
to come over in the autumn to prepare
for next years seeding time.
With these combined immigration
movements away from the general
trend OF their progress across the
country, Mr.. Ferrero is convinced that
the south has seen the end Of the day
when 1t may expect to have the 'ne-
gro problem" as special sectional
difficulty and that from now on other
labor will invade the market hereto
fore so universally surrendered to the
descendants Of the slaves.
Italian Government Interested.
Mr.. Ferrero, who talked freely of
conditions as he found them among
North Carolina Italians and of the
interest that he and his brother are
taking in seeing such Of their country
men as like the life Of farmers trans
planted where there will be an op-
portunity for them to develop, said:
There are many organizations in Italy
anxious to find good land. so that they
can let their people know where best
to Co. Here In New York there is an
Italian labor bureau in Lafayette street
maintained by the government. It coll
1ects information and gives the benefit of
its investigation free to all inquiring Ital-
aans. 1t costs the government, should
say. 10000 year to keep 1t up This
bureau will distribute at once copies Of
the report on the Carolina experiment
and will advise. Italians what they may
reasonably expect to find IL they settle
there.
The new movement, as Mr.. Ferrero
sees It, will affect the negro question,
the problem Of getting relief in the
congested centers Of the big cities, the
immigration question and the matter
OF increasing the industrial wealth of
the south by turning many waste
areas into farming sections
Greatly Attached to the Land.
When asked to state exactly in what
condition he found the 300 colonists
making up the experimental venture
at the end Of their third season on the
land he spoke with much enthusiasm:
They're raising the finest children you
ever eaw--much huskier and healthier
than their half fed brothers and sisters
in Italy. italian peasants. such as these
colonists were, are usually much attached
to the land. With patch Of land. bit
nj aAAv 81
away In some corner OF the house such q
peasant would be happy. Only the most
desperate could be induced to leave.
Bu' here after three years OF work
fr a people whose daily diet includes
set potatoes. a good assortment of veg
.dbles and even chickens and beef Be-
sides this prosperity, their priest assures
put aside. the product Of the sales Of the
seasons strawberry crop.
The colony has a church and a school,
and all Of the younger children are
taught to speak English.
Most of the North Carolina Italians
will come over direct from Italy and will
be Vepetians and people now farming in
the northern provinces.
Grape and Olive Crops Thriving.
One Interesting experiment in North
Carolina has been that Of grape and
olive culture. So far the chief crops
put out of st. Helena, the name Of the
Italian colony, have been strawber-
ries, potatoes, English beans and cab
bages. while crops Of alfalfa, corn and
cotton are being introduced.
Father Donati, the priest Of the col
ony, came from a grape and olive
raising family. He has experimental
with both, has thriving prospect
now and is planning to bring over the
members Of his family in the fall with
enough grapevines and young olive
trees to start u large vineyard and
olive grove.
Besides this new venture. Mr.. Fer
zero hopes to interest few scientific
farmers In the settlement so that the
peasant farmers, who adopt new ideas
s1Owly, will have before them the in
spiration of model farms handled by
experts In horticulture and agricul-
ture. These, Mr.. Ferrero hopes, will
dc; for. the Italian settlements what the
agricultural college experiment sta
tom. have done for the western and
middle western states.
Besides their work on the farms, he
hopes to see established in New York
another branch Of the movements
cooperative distributing system in
which the Italian commission mer-
chants in New York will keep in close
touch with crop conditions in the COL
onies and will prepare to handle speed
lily the shipments Of perishable truck
garden crops. = New York Evening
Sun.