The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-07-10
SLAVS AS FARMERS
Why Few Slavic Immigrants Take To Farmng-Success Of
Those That Settle in the Country-Their Methods
of Living and Ours Contrasted
EMILY GREENE BALCH
Associate Professor of Economics, Wellesley College

with rows of poplars about the yard, the
big, well-built barns, the thrifty fields
and the cheese factories are signs or
prosperity that 1t is pleasant to see ana
they make the hard old times far be-
hind
A most striking settlement is that at
Old Hadley in Massachusetts. Here where
Goffe, the regicide, is said to have once
helped beat Off an Indian raid, all up
and down the beautiful elm-shaded street
the old colonial mansions are occupied by
Poles. Probably one cause of the attrac-
tiveness of these New England farms
is the compact village life, SO different
from western settlements, with each man
on his isolated quarter section.
The typical case here is the immigrant
who begins as hired man at month
ly wage He learns to raise tobacco and
onions, the staples of the district, and
after a time may either buy or hire land
or take 1t ON shares, in which case the
landlord supplies fertilizer and half the
seed. This plan makes 1t possible to
begin with almost no capital. Many buy
outright when they have only 500 $500
borrowing the rest often from relatives
who generally take no interest on loans
to one another.
One of the most interesting aspects of
the facts here presented Is the consider
able degree of which Slavic peasants are
taking root in the land without any
artificial stimulus apart from the efforts
of those who wish to sell land. There
seems to have been no concerted ef-
fort to promote their acknowledgements
ing, at least comparable to what has
been done to open opportunities for agri-
cultural life to Jews and Italians. This
is no doubt because the Slavs presenting
no such problem of congestion as do Ac
Jews. do not render Americans uneasy,
nor have they a body of wealthy men
to aid the poorer among them. Neither
does any home ernment concern it
self to forward their interests, as Italy
concerns herself for her expatriated citi-
zens.
AS to the quality Of Slavic farming,
one naturally hears different reports I
suspect that the American often thinks
the Pole or Bohemian a poor farmer be-
cause he works on a different plan while
the foreigner used to small intensive
farming. thinks us slovenly and waste
full. Especially when he takes up old,
WORKOUT farm lands in Virginia or Ken
lucky. he has small respect for the
methods of his predecessors, who, he
says, robbed the soil.''
OF the financial success of Slavic
farmers there seems no reason TO DOUBT.
One hears few hard luck stories among
them. The only complaints are apt to
be by Americans who fear the low stand
ard of living which makes for the sue
cess of the new corners. That the stand
ard of living of foreigners is not higher
is certainly to be regretted. But 1t Is
rising and meanwhile foreign competition
does not threaten the current standard
of Independent farmers nearly as much
as it does that Of Industrial workers
The success of those who do prosper
advertises farming and stimulates ambi-
ton. 1t tends to create demands for
new refinements. More important, how
ever than any exceptional successes are
the large number Of thrifty farmers fam
lilies, poor but getting on which offer
to the next generation a fair chance Of
education and advance.