The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1913-06-29
ITALY'S MODEL FARMS
LESSON FOR AMERICANS
Possibilities of Cooperation Along Agricultural Lines Striking
y Demonstrated to Commission by System Observed
Count Di Points Estate--Co-operative Fertilizer
Plant Revelation

of the model farms of Northern Italy
today. 1t Is the property OF the Count
di Pontd.
The estate comprises about 1000
acres, which Is an unusually large
holding for Italy, although a member
of the commission was able to inform
the Count di Ponti that he owned a
farm Of 1000 acres in Texas, with
out considering himself a curiosity.
The farm Is divided into two parts. an
irrigated portion which the proprietor
reserves for his own use for dairy
farming. and dry portion rented on
the share basis, known in Italy Is
the "mezzadri'' system.
The Visit of the Americans WIS
made holiday for the laborers and
iarm hands, although enough men
were kept at work to demonstrate the
enterprises on the farm.
Automobiles of the American party
swept into a farm yard enclosed hy
a brick house. the porches of which
gave a vivid scene of drying clothes.
bandanas; wrinkled old peasant wo-
men. smiling men and a swarm. OF
curious children. Fourteen families
are hired by the proprietor to farm
his part of the estate. Nothing of In
terest from the cooperative stand
point was learned on this part Of the
farm. The commission was therefore
taken to the dry" part. where live
the tenants.
Possibilities OF Cooperation.
The score Of families which arc en-
gagged in farming this portion Of tho
estate live in a little village. and here
the members of the commission wero
given their first view of the many pos
sible phases of agricultural co-opera-
tlon. Men, women and children were
lined up along the little street; hats
and bandanas were waved in well
come. and the little children muir
INJURED their half-frightened "GracF'
when coppers were slipped into their
hands. This part of the estate Is d.
vided into holdings of about 80 acres
each.
The principal money products OF
the little farms are cheese and silk
worms. Each farmer raises enough
of general farm crops to support hfS
family. but most of his attention ID
given to dairying and to raising silk
worms. The cheese Is made In a plant
comparatively owned by the farmers
and built with their own money. Three
men were at work making Swiss
chees at the time. The farmers bring
their milk to the dairy. where It Ia
weighed and marked 20 their credit.
According to the amount Of milk given
to the dairy the farmers receive per-
centage of the profits derived from the
sale Of the cheese. The waste from
the milk used in the cheese making
Is fed to- hogs comparatively owned.
which when fattened are killed in an
abbatoir. likewise comparatively
owned, for nothing is lost on an ftaf-
Ian farm. There is also a sausage fac
tory. Everything these farmers buy
comes from comparatively owned
store. The warehouse held familiar
types of American agricultural ma
ehinery. The siik-worms are turned
over 10 the proprietor who takes q
certain portion of the cocoons as hts
share. All " the farming Is done on
a share basis. the proprietor putting
up the buildings. the farmers contrtb-
uting the labor and the farm products
being divided between them. II was
plenty evident that the Count d.
PoMti was very popular with his ten-
ant Some years ago, when his ten
ants were required to strike because OF
ers in that vicinity, he was elected by
his tenants president of the strike
80 that to him fell the odd
task of settling a strike against him.
self.
Land of ArtiRciality,
Undoubtedly the paternalism which
exists in, the comparatively conducted
Oh tH@S type pEGFGuA8
from receiving many im-
pressions of practical value from
them. But It made a great impres-
sion upon the delegates, that farmers
of this class could be brought to such
economic Independence
through the medium OF cooperation.
Above all the extreme utilization or
everything impressed the Americans.
No trees are cut down for fuel. for
IN onh 10 mo M -
are cut off as are necessary and the.
next year the same process is followed
with other trees. This. gives the couN-
try curdously fantastic appearances
when viewed from a car window. Tho
land Is mostly cultivated in long. mar
row strips and altogether there II A
aspect of artificiality to the garden
farms of North Italy.
The visit could not fall t. impress
Americans. Here were peasant FARM
ers, swarms of them. producing crops
on a scale so small that It apparently
wesild have been ..ynpnssfhle. to mak3Ae
them. and yet through the great forCo
OF cooperation these farmers were
given. a far greater control over the
manufacture and market Of the4N
produce than Is possessed by mot
American farmers.
Cooperative Fertilizer Plant.
A $4,000 plant for manufActu4M
of phosphate fertilizer. stOtnG~
warehouse for distribution Of Aa1&
and plant for manut0GSz
ture Of corn cattle food. all An1a
cooperative EFFORT An4
nanced through credit co-operaxtVNA
obtained, were shown to the Auk4
can Commission on Agricultural g "a
operation at Piacenza. asf
The manufacture OF comprG1~
corn cakes was an impressive n
onstration Of the utilization " GV6
asset which is a characteristics
ura of European agriculturos u
country about this city does NJ
duce any corn. Cattle 10 raised
ever and so corn has to ~ Uni
from other districts. In IA, 5S
grain there IL an oil which hN6Dy
lutely no nutritive value. It n n
But In Italy the corn Y. p1HX
presses and THU
squeezed out. The oil = a0l1
manufacture Of soap and I'm
pressed into cakes which nx1g3
uted among the members m
operative institutions Th4
has been attempted IN
(CcnttnusA ~