The farmer and mechanic., 1915-10-12

santa Barbara, now a THRIVING Ii,tJe
cls OF 1900. Santa Barbara is sit
uateu ABOUT six miles from Villa
nniilerlcana, ~ where l am now writing
mere the men looked over the coun-
try and bought lands. paving about
20 an acre or less. They did not set
Tie as a colony, but scattered about |
oser the country, each man making
ms own purchase and paying for
! ~, rn.s own tract according to his means
mere was no community interest ex-
cept that of being fellow-Americans
mat was almost fifty years ago and
since then a great number of the set
Gers nave made their homes here
Some have become disguised long
Stnce S ana gone back TO the States
Otners returned home ONLY to come
pack to Brazil. finding that they pre-
| Ierred the conditions here to those of |
| the new regime in our country A |
number have stayed and become Bra |
zlllans. Among the older Americans !
now living here with their families are
the following:
Mr.: William Pyles from Georgia. |
! Mr.. William keese from Mississippi.
! MT AlOnZO keeSe from Mississippi
Mr. William Prestidge from Alabama,
Mr. Wilbur Mcknight from Texas, Mr..
Ezekiel Pyles from Georgia. Mr.. John
Rowe from Mississippi Mr. McAlpin
from Alabama. Mr.. Charles c. Finley
from Mississippi, Mr. John Carlton
from Mississippi. Mr.. Charles NJ Hall
from Virginia and others.
Mr.. Hall now lives in Americana
although he has a number of large
farms in the country nearby He has
sugar plantations and cattle ranches
and is, | Judge 2 man Of considerable
, wealth. | called upon him in his
nome, and met some of his children.
who are now grown up. The young
ladies have been educated in the Uni
ted States and the family is a delight
full little slice of America transplant
ed to the heart of Brazil Mr. Hall
did not come with the party from New
Orleans. but on a later steamer, which
carried several families from Alabama
. and elsewhere. The first settlement
i near Santos was at the town Of Iguape
and Mr.. Hall said the colony contain
ed preacher by the name of Ballard
: Dunn, who returned to America and
J. brought out more people. When the
e ! Iguape colony became disguised Bal
II lard Dunn left them and went back
= to the United States After that the
: climbed to the highlands, many of
Z them on foot. None Of the colony
4 had very much money, but lands were
e cheap, and those who held on have
e found that their investments have
u Quadrupled and quintupled in value,
o has, on the whole, increased more than
similar lands in those parts Of the
IS United States from where they came.
" And still there are not many parts OF
II the world more beautiful, more fertile
Re and more SalubriOus than these high
lands Of Sac Paulo. The land is about
1000 feet above the sea- It is about
~ twice as far south Of the equator as
II Panama is north Of it, and the eli
D. mate is something like that Of south
I'd ern Florida Of northern Cuba The
III scenery is beautiful. The country il
p rolling and it reminds me Of the She
Id nandoah valley Of Virginia or the ia
OF nous blue grass lands Of Kentucky
n There are great meadows with tree
aa scattered here and there through
" them, and you have a succession o
40 views at every spin Of your mOto
p car.
m The soil is rich and it will raise corr
ty cotton, sugar cane and rice. Some O
IS, the cotton lands now under cultivatic
a. are producing a bale and a half to tn
Ia, acre, and sugar cane grows luxuriant
da w. Therei a great deal Of rice rails
n, ed, and there are four rice mills nea
Villa Americana. Not long ago som
he of the Americans started plantin
an WatermeIOns. They were doing we
ty. when the Italians came in and com
ne peted, cutting the prices to such a
NE extent tnaL the AIElcTlCdIlS udu 10 6iN
ay up the business Inc ItaIiah lTnni
re grants are among the great compet
nd tors of the Americans. They live o
rs almost nothing, large part Of the
,m food being sausage and mush. On
a Of the Americans tells me they es
ay the mush and smell the sausage al
,m this Suffices.
ew
.v- In connection with the agrlcultur;
ms conditions Of this part Of Brazil, l car
ips not do better tnan oescrioe niy Eisi.
the farm Of one of the Oldest of tt
American settlers. l refer to that
in Mr.. Ezekiel Pyles OF Georgia H
he came here at the age o1 ."ehly- NV
not and he has under cultivation and
The pasture sometmns NE d 'llouSa !
to acres Of land. He has 400 acres Whlc
me are now in crops of one kind or othe
Gol1 ole a =