The Bridgeport evening farmer. [volume] (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1866-1917, 1909-05-03
ITALY'S GIFT TO THE UNITED STATES
The Evils of Mythical Black Hands and Cameras Over
balanced by the Thousands of Industrious Farmers
Coming Yearly to America-Successful Plans to Get
Them the Land

|, two have received diplomas in Buffalo;
one is a lawyer, the other a physician.
They have built a. Catholic church val
ued at $4,000. The foundation was
contributed from men of the colony.
Fifteen years ago the only industry in
Fredonia was one canning factory.
There are now two such factories, six
wine cellars and a mandatory for
maca.roni.
The most prosperous member of the
colony is Pietro Elardo. He owns 127
acres of vineyard, a. large wine cellar
his output is $4,000 gallons Of wine,
besides about 80 tons of grapes which
he markets. His, six children are all
attending school, the eldest a lad of
sixteen will soon graduate from the
Normal College and become his fa-
theirs assistant. The class of Italians
under consideration, the country-bred,
are 50 far removed from mendicity
est necessities in order to provide for
a rainy day. A settlement worker
told me of a man of this class, who
died from pneumonia without calling
in a physician because he had not
money enough to pay for his visits.
Last year when SO many were out of
work a. valuable lesson in temporary
utilization of vacant lots was demon
strated by Italians. Little vegetable
gardens Sprang into existence all
around the outskirts of New York city.
Often a cabin was built from odds and
ends gathered from rubbish heaps.
saw one such cottage which contained
a kitchen, two bed rooms a store room
and a stall for the horse; where the
boards would not join, pieces of tin
and oilcloth had been utilized to make
it waterproof. The interior was plaS-
tered and painted red. Plants grew
exceptions, as a rule Italian farm
houses are clean This little cottage
was not one of the exceptions. A
group of seven men under the leader
ship of Dominica Condanti conducted
such a garden at Sheepshead Bay.
The space covered was about two
acres. They fenced it round with wire
netting, dug a. well, bought garden
utensils, seeds and a horse and wag
on; finally they built a stall from
which to dispose of their product At
the end of seven months after deduct
ing all outlay including living ex-
penses, they were about S65 to the
good. Residents at Sheepshead Bay
became interested in watching their
pfucky effort to tide themselves over
season of unemployment, and offers
Of work were forthcoming sufficient
to carry them through the winter
while more vacant lots were placed at
their disposal for the coming season
if required. Anyone interested and
yet not convinced of the feasibility
nor, the desirability of such a move
ment would do well to visit one or two
of these farm colonies, using a guide
or Baedeker Chapter seven of 1.-The
Italian in America pub. by B. F.
Buck & Co., New York city.
Many farm colonies have been start
ed through the accident of some one
or two day la,borers observing the lay
of the land in the vicinity of their
work, and investing what they could
save from their daily wage in a few
acres. Others of their old associates
have Joined them. Through mutual
benefit associations such as were in
stalled by Mazzini they manage to
keep each other going until everyone
is or his feet 1t is very unusual for
such a settlement to ask for outside
aid. Italians are most ambitious to
give their children the advantage of
good schools and will sacrifice a good
deal to help along any such enterprise.
With some outside assistance the
movement to the land could be great
ly accelerated. The experiment at
Vineland, N. J., became self-support-
ing in three years time. A good
method for any stock company to fol-
low undertaking such an enterprise
would be to sell the immigrants alter
reserving the rest for appreciation in
value The immigrant could be given
employment on the company's land
until he had saved enough to start for
himself. 1t would pay such a COM
pany to give fair wage and they will
get good returns for their investment.
Any plan for accelerating distribution
of Italian contadini should be on strict
ly economic lines and should be put
through by private enterprise. A gov
eminent undertaking of this nature is
handicapped in numbers of ways, one
of the chief drawbacks being that
public bureau must place all who APP
ply.
Agriculture in Italy is chiefly arbor-
eal-grapes, olives, fruit and vegeta-
bles. Nearly all the work is done by
hand so that the contadino knows al
most nothing of the use of live stock,
especially horses and cows. 1t has
been thought advisable by an italian
agriculture expert who has studied the