The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1912-01-14
! He IMMIGRANT
. ON SOUTH'5 FARM
The People From South
ern and Eastern Europe
as Iillers Of Soil.
URTHER STUDY
OF NEW QUESTION
Italian and OTHER Immigrant
Farmers and Their Relation to
Agricultural De.el pment of
Sout..ern States .laracter-
istics of Peoples Who Are
Headed This Way.

Washington. u. c.. January AL
though more trsn four-fit,hs Of our
recent immigrants were farmers or
laFin lhDorefs III thG.E native countries,
comparatively few nave catered agrI-
cultural pursuits In the United states
ne great majority have become wage
earncrs In mines ana i4c,urica Those,
VINO nave become f.GinvEs have done
40 principally us meinu..s OF communl-
lies eatariisheu tHrousu philanthropic
motives or promoted - land com
pan.es. Only ii small number OF South.
e!R ana Eastern EUROPEANS have pur-
chased land ana haze gone into farm
ING on an Independent bIsis.
nc rcaSO.. iOr xmas condition OF at.
fairs Is not difficult 10 ind. In the
hrss place. the principal object OF the
southern and Eastern european immi-
grant in coming TO the United States
h;-s netH 10 >srn as muca as possible
within a short period OF time. and
ihSh to return to his native land. Con
bcGuen'ly he has mad no permanent in
lcrCSt in the country. and does not
Wish 10 acquire land. Furthermore,
even II the recent Immigrant should
WISH to become a farmer, II would he
practically impossible Tor the reason
that the larger nnnbe: are In u neces-
5iious condition, and have very little
moIcy v hcn tAry rcacn their dcstina-
N4S!' bsIiS tOuHlEs- GUM HuDLNeT lac
tor Of very great Importance is that
the recent Immigrant. AS ii rule, can
not speak English. and he must,
therefore. go 10 urban or Industrial
communities where his coIntrymcn are
lirirg. Inability to speak English also
accounts for the fact that most OF the
& rIning by recent immigrants is done
on community basis. a group or
Southern and Eastern Europeans ac-
luire land together. and the leader.
who usually can speak English, acts
az the agent OF tho other members or
The enterprise.
Chnracterss ics OF Recent Immigrant
H Farmers.
The national government recently
aiadc an exhaustive study OF the
Southern and Eastern European immi.
grant in the territory east OF the
Rocky Mountains. The statistical part
of the report Is based Upon original
information secured from s75 house
holds representing total OF 5.ol7 per
sons. or the total number OF persons
about one fifth had been In this coun-
try less than i've years and two nfths
less than ten years. About one-huif
Of the Hebrews, North italian. Lithuan
Ian and Polish farmers were Of resi-
dence under ten years. Slightly more
than four-tlfths Of all the male immi-
grants who were twenty years OF age
~ WV hc!C vi tNG lTnDnl-
grant farmers who were qualified by
age and residence 10 become citizens
only 81 per cent. were fully ma
turalizcd. and II per cent had siEni-
fed their intention OF becoming citi-
zens By taking out FIRST papers OF
naturalization. About SO per cent OF
the immigrant men and women studied
had been farmers or farm lnborer. in
their home countries, and consequent
~ had some training and experience
for the occupation in which they were
engaged in the United States. or the
total number OF farmers of foreign
birth. IS per cent. could not speak Eng
lish About one-fourth OF the immi-
grant farmers and their households
were illiterate. or not able to read In
any language. o. :he children. six
anG under sixteen years Of age In the
households OF the recent IMMIGRANT
farmers. 20 per cent were at home, isl
per cent. attended school and per
cent were at home outside the home
The Hebrew families had the highes,
percentage OF children at school, and
the North italian the lowest.
Practically the only Southern and
Eastern European farmers within the
borders OF Virginia consist of small
settlement of Bohemians near Peters
burg and Disputanta. Be hemians. as
well as Poles and Italians, however.
are louno III CONSIDERABLE numbers In,
other Southern States. The latter race
is especially important because OF its
recent arrival and the large number or
its representatives.
italian Farmers in the South
Italian immigrat on to rural dis-
tricts In the Southern States has prac-
tically taken place during the past
twenty years. In Texas. at Bryan. in
BraZos county. Is located the largest
italian agricultural colony in the
South. numbering at least I.7oo
persons 1t origin dates back
to 1868. The Italian colony at Sun
nyside, Ark, Is In the black belt"
from which several smaller farm COL
onies throughout the Mississippi VAL
ley and elsewhere can trace their
origin.
Italian farming in the South covers a.
wide range OF products. widely diver
SHED soils and climatic conditions, sew
oral forms of land tenure. and vari-
OILS systems of culture The North
italians among the mountains OF
Western North Carolina practice self
sufficient diversified agriculture. In
southeastern Louisiana and In the
coastal plain belt OF Alabama the
South Italian truckers and small fruit
growers are doing exceptionally well
On the light, sand soisl In the Missis-
Iippi delta both North and South
italian cotton tenants are showing the
native cotton growers of how much
value careful cultivation, Kitchen gar-
lens and small store accounts may be
10 the cotton share hand" and tenant
italians have taken up new land.
kaA horIc Ean