The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1910-05-04
SOUTHE NJ
ITALY
THE LAND OF THE COMMON
PEOPLE-THE EFFECTS OF
IMMIGRATION.
Especial. Correspondent.)

grants from southern Italy, while
those who leave the northern part
of the kingdom go to South Ameri-
ca. Why these two streams of i'm
migrants should cross each other the
Commissioner of immigration could
not tell me except tnat as the
streams started to flow so they have
continued, each in its own separate
way. Even here in Italy, the two
streams of blood do not easily flow
together.
l have been paying a short visit
to that section of Italy where most
of those have lived who come to the
United States. 1t is a most interest
ing place to see and | find the homes
OF the people more interesting than
the palaces. For the most part those
coming to America to work in the
mines have been farm laborers on
the plains and mountain sides.
Their homes, their lives ana their
labors are all very simple. Nearly
everything is done by hand and Of
ten in what seems to us to be the
hardest way 1t fairly makes you
ache to see how hard is their work.
In summer they rise with the light.
going out in groups to the fields and
vineyards to work before the sun
is fairly up, having eaten only a
light breakfast at dawn. As they go
the party may be heard singing
They work till toward noon, then
have their lunch and rest for an
hour of more. They return rather
early to the village to care for their
animals. After supper they loll
around out of doors tired out, and
before it is dark they are asleep.
They must indeed be a light-hearted
set to enjoy life in spite of rags,
hard work, bare feet in winter and
heavy taxes.
AS the vineyards were not in need
of attention at this season of the
year, l will describe the cultivation
of the plains as l saw it. In the vi
cinity of Naples the cultivation of
the soil though crude in method is
highly intensive. The land belongs
to the ancient families and is rented
out to the peasant farmers in tracts
of from one to three acres. The soil
is volcanic in origin and naturally
very fertile. At the foot of Mt.
Vesuvius you may see the whole
process of soil making from the bar
rem mass as it leaves the crater to
the productive gardens of the sea
level. You have the solid rock where
the lava ran down some ravine and
cooled. Perhaps you can follow its
course where it destroyed houses,
railroads, cities, everything Some
of the rock is cracked by contrac-
tion in cooling, and all is more or
less mixed with cinders. Years of
rain and sun disintegrate the mass
and presently few feeble weeds
appear. Next come the pines and
then more tender herbs. In the
process of disintegration the rock
gives off gases most necessary to the
life of plants. Vineyards are soon
planted where the lava once de-
stroyed them. They flourish for
years where those planted by former
generations were destroyed until an
other flow of lava shall destroy
them.
In addition to the natural fertility
of the soil the farmers do much to
add to its productiveness by the use
of manure and irrigation. Four and
even five crops are raised each year.
Just now the winter crops of cab
bage, cauliflower, crimson clover,
rye ensilage, artichokes, celery, and
other vegetables have been gathered
and other crops are succeeding them.
Peas, beans, lentiles and root crops
are growing. Wheat is well on to-
ward jointing and has received it's
last hoeing. (They cultivate their
wheat here). Oranges and lemons
are nearly all gathered.
On the level plains they plant
most of their vegetables in rows
ridged up by hand. Heavy hoes are
used for this work, with blades as
large as an American shovel, which
no one of our farmers would care
to swing. | saw women using these
hoes, or coarse rakes almost as
heavy, dragging the soil into ridges
or breaking up ridges that mad been
pronged hoe made classic in the
painting, 1.-The Man with the Hoe"
is used instead of a plow. Thous-
ands of acres in this part of Italy
have just been turned over with it,
men and women alike working with
this tool, in which / can see no
poetry.
Here aud there on the level plains
there are wheels to be seen standing
over concrete wells or cisterns run
by hand power or by donkeys from
which irrigation bitches go out, or
water is carried on the head, to the
rows of plants during dry weather.
The vegetables which go to the
tables of hotels and ships from these
rich gardens, grown in such soil and
forced into such rapid maturity, are
exceedingly sweet and tender.
Every foot of ground is cultivat-
ed. Vineyards and orchards are all