The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1910-11-12
ITALIAN FARMERS IN
 THE UNITED STATES
Why Few Italian Immigrants Be- come Farmers-Successful Agri- cultural Colonies in Many
 States - Their Methods

come Farmers-Successfu Agri-
 cultural Colonies in Many
 States Their Methods
 and Ours Contrasted.
 Or. G. E. di Palma -Castiliglione
 Manager Labor Information Off,
 flee For Italians.)
 Exclusive Service The Survey Press Bureau.)
 Now I wish to say here that am unable to secure help as good as the very poorest of the Italians and ] made failure of your people simply man is and a good one, but he is the typical American that is entirely lack ing in sympathy with a foreign peo- pie of whatever nationality they may be. I feel that not only I have lost by the Italians going away, but :all ern land owner whose plantation was deserted by some Sicilians wrote thus to me.
 The belief is prevalent that Italian immigrants do not desire to be till CTS of the soil in this country. So are partly responsible. Without the explanation of the proprietor the de- sertion of the Sicilians might even have been mentioned to prove the common assumption. The opinion shared by so many is erroneous. No colonists exist in the United States. These have a population of almost 4,000 Italian families. The majority of them are formed not by farm hands working for other people but by farmers owning the land they cul- tivate.
 Since most of the Italian immi- grants were accustomed to agricul- tural work at home, this may seem a meagre showing. Why do peasants from Calabrian vineyards betake themselves to the overcrowded cities a lifetime and of a skill, which is often of a high order? It is not be- cause they are by nature against working on the land. Thousands emigrate solely to save money enough to buy farms at home.
 The reasons are simple. At home the immigrants either had no land or else owned but tiny parcel. The money they have barely suffices to bring them to America. They can not think of buying farms. They do not find here colonization companies willing to help them financially. If they work as farm laborers, they re- ceive less than in other employments.
 The Italian immigrant engaged in railroad construction, road building, upon reservoirs, or in other hard un- skilled labor, receives at least S1.5O about twenty-six days each month and so gets $39. He can usually se- cure employment during eight months, so he earns $312 in a year. His expenses for living, including beer and tobacco, do not come to a balance of $190 for the year. Often if work is brisk he earns more.
 Farm hands are paid from S15 to S25 a month for few months. Dur ing the rest of the year, farmers either need no help or are willing On the whole it is safe to say that not more than s1SO is paid by farm CTS even to those they employ all the year. From this must be deducted about $2 a month for beer and to- bacco which leaves the laborer after twelve months work only $155 or S35 less than he can get by working four months less.
 The obstacle of language is serious. It prevents Italians from knowing or the opportunities existing, especially as, until recently, no effort was made to distribute among them in their own language information as to 1oca- ton, price, fertility and income of American farms. At present this ls done by our Labor Information Office but the work should be supplemented by private societies, by Italian news papers, and by Italian priests. On the farm there is constant change of tasks and endless opportunity for mistakes from inability to under stand orders In construction work there is a fellow countryman at hand to interpret. Farm life is made forbidding to the foreigner by strange food, the lack of his own church and by separation from those of his own speech.
 In spite of the difficulties there are considerable numbers of our Italian population on farms. They are wide ly scattered. Thirty-eight states have more than a thousand Italian resi- dents each. There are Italian agri- cultural colonies in Arkansas, New York, New Jersey and California, and the abandoned farms of Connecticut are being taken every year in larger numbers by Italian immigrants. In the outskirts of all great American cities Italian market gardeners may be found. In the Southern States, where the negro tenant raised 200 pounds of cotton per acre, the Italian can grow over 300.
 In Fredonia, Chautauqua County, New York, and all over California Italians are producing an enormous quantity of wine. Some of that pro- duced in California is widely known and advertised.
 New Jersey, however, has the two most important Italian agricultural colonies. Vineland in Cumberland County has about 1000 Italians. This settlement, which is largely devoted to raising grapes, was founded by the deliberate efforts of influential Italians as was that at TontitOwn. Arkansas. It shows what can be done by attempts to establish col onies provided with churches, schools and post office. The formation of colonization companies would aid be- cause they could advance money to Italians who are anxious to settle on