The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1913-06-15

corn, is either arid desert, or else 80
hot and humid that it must be given
up to the lack races, who have 80
far shown no capacity for settled IN
dustry when left to themselves.
Thus, If we omit the tropical coun-
tries inhabited by ava peoples
Central Africa and the islands OF
Southeastern Asia), 1t will appear
that, should the present increase OF
the civilized peoples be maintained.
the rest of the world will not suffice
for their agricultural expansion for
more thar a short period, that is TO
say, a period shorter than the four
centuries which have elapsed since the
outward movement of h European
peoples began with h discovery OF
the New World.
The Chief Resource OF Overpeopled
Countries.
What. then. OF South America, the
only continent containing both a large
temperate and a large tropical area
capable OF cultivation which still re-
mains greatly underpeopled? II h
therefore the chief resource TO which
the o~verpeopled countries may o. as
providing a field for their emigration,
and TO which the world at large may
look as capable of reinforcing it's
food supply. That II has not been
q s1&aRIta IA aAI qua ~ LIZ
political disorders which have given
it a bad name. partly to its being
less accessible than North America
Both these adverse conditions no long
er apply to It's temperate regions.
Considered as n field for emigra-
ton, South America may be divided
into three sections. There are. first,
the tropical n forest-coyered re-
gions OF Columbia. Venezuela. Gui-
- --z -m. y~.rsy. nn~n-Atvr Eho
temperate and grassy or wooded re-
gions of Argentina, Uruguay and
Southern Brazil outside h tropics:
and. lastly. the great central plain OF
the Amazon and its tributaries which
the Brazilians call the Selvas fwoods).
] exclude altogether the mountainous
parts OF Ecuador. Peru and Bolivia,
because they are already as well in
/ laabited as they e TO be- A very
small part of then Is At for stock or
for agriculture. and the climatic con
difions fexcept In a few yalleys) are
repellent to persons not accustomed
to great attitudes. Not V Italians
can be expected to cultivate fields
twelve thousand feet above eea-leyel.
4 Vast Area Fitted to White Settlers.
The other three sections just men
toned are much underpeepled. The
first is better fitted for negro or In
dian labor than for that of whites.
yet there are many parts OF IT where
men OF South European stock can
work in the open air and thrive. In
an area Of about t~o millions of
square miles, 1t has about seven and
a half million Inhabitants, of whom
a small minority are pure whites, the
rest Indians or negroes or mixed.
Four or five times that number could
easily find accommodation.
The second section In the n pre-
enrtnently fitted TO receive white men.
Its area may be roughly conJectured
at a million and a half Of square
miles, but so much of h Argentine
part OF II Is desert that IL would not
be safe to reckon more than two
thirds OF II as available for settle
ment. AS there are now only twelve
millions OF people IN this million of
square miles, there is evidently plenty
of room for more.
This is the part OF South America
which has drawn most INNING rants
during the last sixty years, Southern
Brazil leading the way. Argentina and
Uruguay following. IL is also tho
region which will chiefly continue to
attract Europeans for many years TO
come.
In Argentina and most OF Uruguay,
as in the prairie States OF North
America and the Canadian Northwest.
there are no trees to be felied. so the
land. extremely fertile, can be brought
under crops Immediately. The estates
are al present large. but II there were
settlers with enough capital TO buy
small lots, these could soon be had,
and already some Italians are estab-
fishing themselves as peasant Guilt
vators-
When Argentina VIII Have Fifty NIL
lion Inhabitants.
1t is a country where the labor IL
at present small in proportion to tho
area utilized. partly because much OF
the land is in pasture, partly because
its fiatness makes the use OF agricul-
Itural machinery specially easy. partly
because the harvests are largely reap
ed by migratory Europeans who re-
turn home for part of tho year.
Nevertheless, after making all allow
safefs. both Argentina n the other
tracts / have referred to are capable,
surprising immigration to continue at
the present rate. OF providing work
and homes for immigrants for at least
sixty or seventy years to come.
The estimate that before h end OF
the century Argentina may have fifty,
Uruguay ten, and Southern Brazil
thirty millions OF people need not
seem extravagant to anyone who
knows how rapidly settlement has adj
vanced in North America and who
realizes that before long h stream
of agricultural immigration will cease
to flow into the United States and
may slacken in It's flow towards Can
ada.
The cultivahle area of Chile are
relatively small. To one who travels
through Southern Chile there seems,
however, to be still room for a greatly
Increased population in its weli-wa-
tered valleys, which enjoy q delight.
full climate. The future of these
four countries Is assured. SO far az
the gifts OF nature can assure 1t. The
world VIII always want what they
produce.
The Vast Ammonium Plain.
Far more doubtful is the future OF
THE third section. h Seivas. or forest
covered Amaxonian plain. 1t includes
nearly ali the western half OF Brazil,
and the eastern parts OF Bolivia.
Yu~s.. ~AA E4~4smAns Es Ar nut{uNakA ~