United labor bulletin., 1913-08-30

States At the same time. large irrigation canals.
built by the government. lberatng cultiva-
tors from eternal worry over the prospects OF
rain. These changes taking place with
startling rapidity. The process Is proceeding at
a snafls pace. slowly that 1t is hard for for
eigners 10 realize that the transition is going on.
However, each year more and OF the Hitter.
ate farmers sending their sons and daugh-
ters to school. and each year they show more In
tercst in tho demonstrations held on the expert
ment FARMS and display less opposition to inno-
vations In few districts the advancement is
already quite marked. This is especially true
OF certain parts of the Punjab-the province OF
the Five Rivers. situated In northwestern India
which are known as the Canal colonies There
several million acres OF land that twenty years
ago barren waste. today have been con-
verted, thanks to n marvellous irrigation scheme.
into important grainproducing region. spread.
ing the fame OF India wheat far and wide in the
world.
The very first farm that visited in the col.
onies during n recent tour vividly revealed the
transformation of Indian rural conditions. In the
courtyard. shaded by a spreading tutube tree.
stood a reapng machine. In mud shed. erected
especially for the purpose OF protecting the farm
machinery. I wound four ched-steel plows. two
of them made in the United States. On the floor
of the iow-roofed vorandah the farmers son.
lad OF about twelve. at the highest reckoning.
clad Dame Nature had dressed him at birth.
but for a scanty breechclout, stood turning the
wheel OF n modern foddercbopper. which cut
green chart tmillep In small shreds that fell
about him in succulent shower.
After further travel and investigation among
the cutivators living round about Lyallpur. the
largest city In the erstwhile waterlcss wilder
ness which now, in the wake OF the water car
ried by the Chenab canal has become paradise
for farmers found that the cultivator whose
home had first visited not whit more
enterprising than scores of others in the district
who today are employing time and laborsaving
machinery to do all the work on their land. Wher
ever I went I found agricultursts galore who
owned their steel pows. harrows. cultivators
and improved fodder-choppers. Occasionally
would come across a reaper which was the prop
erty OF n progressive individual who prohted by
renting It to his neighbors at harvest time At
place found steam threshing ma
chine
Many causes have combined to make the farm
In the Punjab colonies progressive. In the
first place they moro less entirely have been
cut of from their old moorings. and have begun
life all over again In strange locality. They
have LEFT some OF their utra-conservatsm behind
them in the congested Punjnb from which they
hailed and the pioneer conditions that they
found confronting them in the region d.
vested them of some more of their inborn reac-
ton. The Lyallpur agricultural experiment farm
located In the very heart OF tho settlcbent has
demonstrated to them the good results OF deep
plowng with chilledsteel plows and the advan-
tage OF using improved implements instead Of
farming in the cumbersome bungling. old-time
way still moro potent factor that is encour-
aging these farmers to use modern machinery