The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1912-01-14

OF odibouFy ABOUT n1ty North 1tRl- 4
ian families and from 400 u VOC In
dividuals arc a. ahis tine l!virsr In tho
colony. Twenty OF the families con-
stitute the village of Valdege, and no
family lives farther than two miles
from the post-offioe. The farms of
tho colonists are small. usually rang I
ng from Ave to 100 acres. The prin-
'ipal neld crops are corn, wheat, oats
any hay. Both Irish and aweet pota-
toes and grapes for Wine making are
grown for home consumption, and
sometimes there is surpluR, which
Is sold. Fruit crops are apples, pears
peaches. All kinds of vegetables suit
ed to the climate are raised for home
consumption only.
Walden6ian minister, while travel
sng through the United States in 1898,
net an agent OF the Morgantown Land
improvement Company. corporation
controlling large tracts of mountain
lands in the vicinity of Valdese. Att
this time all the land where the col
on. now is located was unimproved
and heavily timbercd. The minister
thought this region was particularly
adapted to colonization, especially
With people from HIS province. who
were accustomed TO farming on the
mountain lands of Northern Italy, and
arrangements were made with the land
company by the minister to establish
colony.
The colonists, with but one or two
exceptions, came directly from Italy.
They were all mountain farmers from
the Province OF Torino, North Italy.
ana understood the care and culture of
soil OF the character found in the
vic.nity of Valdese.
The progress made by the colonists
mas been remarkable. All of the old
settlers and all except one or two of
the families who have come to the
colony within the past two years have
paid for their land They possess sub
stantial buildings. good orchards and
vineyards, and many of them have adj
ded to their original purchases They
nave also made considera BILE improve
ments on the methods OF agriculture
employed by the farmers In this sec
tlon who work on the same quality OF
land. The natiTo farmers are all ono
or twc-horse farmers. and practically
all land Ia prepared and cultivated
with small one-horse plows. The i'm
migrant farmers cultivate fewer acres,
pillow mere deeply, prepare their soil
more thoroughly and diversity their
crops to greater extent
Hebrew Rural Communities.
Hebrew rural communities In the
United States are confined TO the
Northern States, and are very largely
composed of Hebrews from Russia,
Roumania and Galicia- The reason is
evident Most Hebrew farmers were
established on the land directly or in
directly through the influence OF an
Immigrant aid society of some sort
Nearly all of these organizations were
founded for the purpose of assisting
Russian Hebrews. The greatest Of all
such organizations was the Baron dc
Hlrsch Fund. incorporated in 1891 to
administer the trust funds of the
banker and phiIanthropist, Baron de
Hlrsch. which he devoted to the anne
iioration of the economic condition of
russian Hebrews. Other Hebrews
have been, and are being aided, but the
ou!k of assistance has been given to
those from Russia. During the period
from 1852 to 1885. a dozen or more
rural colonies were planted in Oregon,
the Dakotas, Kansas. Louisiana, New
Jersey, Michigan and elsewhere. where
iand was cheap, and procurable in
laige tracts All were given material
aid and encouragement, all met with
unforeseen obstacles and discourage
Htents. and every one except the New
Jersey colonies dragged out a short
unhappy existence, and finally failed
. utterly. The only one which has at
ta!ned to status of commercial farm
! Ing Is located at Vineland, New Jersey
The thousand or moro Hebrew farmers
, in New England and New York, either
speculate in real estate or provide a
market for part of the fruits of their
tlelos by keeping summer boarders or
ludgers, or depend to greater or less
extent on some other outside enter
prise. peddiing, cattle trading, junk
buying, etc, for a considerable part of
: their Income.
Polish and bohemian Farmers.