The Aberdeen weekly. [volume] (Aberdeen, Miss.) 1878-1933, 1909-01-01
The Italian as Cotton Grower.

The Italian a. a grower OF cotton
is making a remarkable record for
proficiency in that industry in the
localities where he has been intro
duced. The Commercial appeal Of
last Tuesday cites the following in
stances
Twenty-six Italian families have
made remarkable record as cotton
growers on the plantation of John
NJ. Oracle, near New Gascony.
Ark. These families were brought
to Arkansas three years ago. Their
transportation expenses were from
5000 to $500.
All save three families close this
year ont of debt. The majority Of
them have cleared from $500 10
81, 900.
Giuseppe Baccarasa : case IS typi-
cal. He came to Mr.. Oracle in
1907 and the crop having been
planted be was charged with that
work. At the close Of the year he
had paid all of his Indebtedness, in
Guiding his transportation, and had
a balance of 1884. This year he
planted and cultivated II acres and
he gets $500 for his cotton, and
yet has the seed.
The Italian cultivates the land
up to the fences. He takes no
Saturday holidays The average
total expense of n family at the
commissary is not over $50 a sea
son.
The planter does not make money
out Of the Italian tenant in his
store, but the Italian is sure to
make crop if work will do it, and
he gets all out Of the land there is
in it.
The experiment of Italians in
cotton fields has been tried several
times, but Col. Oracle, who cult
Yates $1,000 acres Of land, seems
to have succeeded at it. He Is
satisfied to abandon store profits
for better farming and in the end
his plantations are the more re
munerative.
The question of Italian labor in
the cotton fields of Mississippi was
favored and opposed by the several
candidates for Governor in the last
State election, and the people were,
in a measure. enlightened as to
its worth. AS a general thing,
owners of large cotton growing
areas favored the importation Of
Italian labor, or, to put the matter
clearly, all growers Of cotton whose
plantation interests exceeded their
store interests. The small farmer,
the commissary farmer, and the
merchants generally were opposed
to the idea
The Italian is a great producer,
but meager consumer He Is,
therefore, worth nothing to the
trade interests Of a country. On
the other hand, the negro. produces
little and will consume more than
he cares to make, if he is only given
the chance. 1t ought to appear
that a country becomes prosperous
in proportion to the wealth it pro-
duces rather than the quantity it
consumes. Still a population that
produces much and consumes little is
a clog to commercial interests. and
is seldom favored by a section tenn
ing with all the vocations Of life. The
Italian labor question is like Ban
quo's ghost 1T will not down. be
cause there il need for more intelh-
gent labor in many of the cotton
fields of the South. So long as
this condition exists, the question
of importing it here will be agi-
tated. Hon. Chas. Scott favored the
measure as a candidate for Govern
or a little more than a year ago,
and almost achieved election. 1t
is generally believed that he will
make the race again in 1911. We
cannot say that he will favor that
measure then, but We are certain
that it will be agitated in that cam
paign.