The Detroit times., 1912-01-23
ARTICLE III.

Perhaps you have thought OF home
steads, squatters' rights and desert
land grants, etc, in connection with
putting the pillow OF the immigrant
10 the wilderness OF mesquite. cactus
and sage brush dismiss the dream, for
The unnaturallzed foreigner is bar.
red from all homestead privileges in
public lands.
So, the immigrant can farm in but
two ways. First, independently Now.
in small lots, the cheapest arabic land
in Southern California is about $500
an acre. That means the bare dirt
and water: neither dwelling, fence,
draught animal, outbuildings, nipple
ments, tools, household furniture or
furnishings. trees, shrubs, slips, plants
or seeds. Improved property, say a
young grove, will range TO $4,000 an
acre In fact. from a dozen oranges
or a fruit stand to a whole orchard,
everything in California is so much
"and up" and this land up Is all talk
ever seems TO be in stock. Five acres
is regarded by practical farmers as
about as small plot as even intensive
cultivation can do with. IL the living
Is to be made wholly from the land.
We exclude the gentleman farmer. the
suburbanite. the commuter and the
thrifty housewife-with whom a gar
den or some chickens constitute d.
version and whose naive views OF what
they had 10 invest before they made"
IL. Nor will we for the moment be
swayed by the airy real estate agent
who sells and re-sells the same tract
TO a procession of deluded mortals,
getting his commission "a-comin' and
a-gwine." But say three acres. giving
some ground for the family garden and
the balance for the money crop which
may take from one to any number OF
years to develop. Nearly $1,000 for
the first years indispensables and GER
tainly an equal sum for food and neces-
saries OF life. The eastern farmer who
expects to make California pay, learns
that he must invest $4,000 TO $4,000
then patiently learn new ways and
marketing conditions and trust for re-
turns when his vineyards or fruit trees
begin to bear. or course, there ls
cheaper land In California and all
through the west, per acre. provided
one buys great tracts, or gets the arid
land. But without water the ground
is worthless except for long specula-
tive purposes.
Nor can the whole family work on
the farm. Children under 10 must go
to school during the term. After 16.
the boys may work as long as their
father likes, but no female can do 9TH
er than domestic work or fruit pre-
serving. in season, or prosecution OF
her individual business, for more than
f--k.N 10. Lon
rigidly enforced. The wife alone, as
half owner of the community property
assumed TO be equally interested with
her husband in their business, could
slave as she does In Europe. That
universal privilege Of wife-hood is still
inviolate.
Are these immigrants. then, to come
as Independent husbandmen? II SO,
they must have tucked in their vest
pockets passage money, entrance fee.
transportation from dock to inland
points and one or two thousand dollars
to start I'm with.
Or, these immigrants are coming
S0r fhe time honored reasons: to I'LL
empty stomachs and empty pockets.
10 matter how desirable they may be
as ultimate farmers. they must first
find employment by which to exist and
to save enough TO buy
lands, which ever increase In value
and become harder to obtain.
or Big Business can herd these help
less immigrants in shacks upon vast
acres for the double purpose OF re-or-
ganizing the farm upon the lines or
other great industries; and. from the
fecundity OF these transplanted peas
ants insure abundant unprecedented
labor for the factories which will whirr
with the business OF supplying the