The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1915-04-06

within the past fifty years such ar
rfvals have numbered 4,0oo, eco, and
of them ene-han has been from italy
and one-third from Spain. The ress
has come chiefly from France. Russsa
and SYRIA. The Germans and Aus
trians together have sent aheuf 1884,
zoe. and the British about 50, 000.
whereas the tgtaI immigration from
North America during that time IA
been less than 6r4aN-
Z do not believe tha Argentina is a
good place for the individual Amerl-
can farmer. It might be different II
a number of our people could club to-
gether and bring their families. estab-
fishing large colonies. The domestic
and social life of the ItaianS and
Spaniards is not suited to Americans
and the difficulties of mastering the
language OF the &c uHtry form a great
drawback. The native WelFte-do Ar
gentinian looks OWL upon work as
degrading, and he secretly despISeS the
man who works with his hands. He
likes to be a landed proprietor. and
he buys for cash and ON credit all the
land he can get, hoping that he for
eigners will do the work and build up
the country. He is willing to- trust to
the unearned increment or rise in the
value of land for his profit.
LIE lIdlIdI VI OpduldIo ~ ~ ~
with all sorts of hardships. His eFdi-
nary home is a mud hut, and his
whole family is crowded in n or two
rooms. Often the house has no win
dows, and a small opening in h side
walls with a board shutter gives the
only light. The lamp may be a bottle
Of oil with a hole through the cork
and a few threads Of cotton which
serve as a wick. At first the cooking
is done on h ground, the kettle being
hung by a wire to a tripod made OF
three sticks of wood.
The European immigrant expects
| his whole family to aid him. Men,
/ women and children go cut together
to pillow and to and they work
from daylight till dark, n later still
| when the moon shines. Many Of the
| settlers start in with farms ON the
[ shares, and some rent lands for a
| money rent. A few work for wages,
I but these are far lower than in the
| United States, and it is only ct times
Of harvesting and planting that labor
Is as well paid as with us.
One of the chief troubles of the in
coming settler is the way and is held.
! The most Of the country Is divided UP
into very large tracts. There are more
than a hundred men here each OF
whom owns more than 120. 900 acres
There are about ITO who WI from
$4,000 to TOO. eco each, and a thou
sand and more who OWN from IL. 000
to $4,000 acres. There are about 5e.-
900 who own from eco to 500 acres
and the holdings are so punched to-
gether hat it is almost impossible
to build up a population OF small
farmers. 1t will be only by dividing
the big estates that satisfactory social
conditions can be created. and at the
| nC0Cnnf n1ff1nnE fhaT anra6fiInn iC 70
in the future. The government is do
ing what it can to encourage sub
division. II some of the ~eStancieros
have sold lands to the immigrants, but
the majority Of the great estates are
intact.
AS to the government lands, tn.
best Of them nave gone into the hand,
of rich A~rgentinos and foreigners. Tn
total area, Of which perhaps half i
fitted for agriculture and grazing. TIL.
rest is mountain and desert, a grea
deal Of which can never be used, ant
the most Of which belongs to the gov
eminent. The public lands include al
told about zoe, 0O0, o00 acres. OF this
three-fourths are in Patagonia The
are for the most part arid, but hav,
some rivers running through Their
that may be used for irrigation. Their
are also public lands in the north, .bu
they are covered with woods and viii
nave to be cleared before farming
Some of the government land ha
been sold at q few cents per acre. an,
) many square leagues have been dis
!, posed Of at as low as 16 cents De
acre. Other lands have been granite,
to colonies and today the government
. is doing all it car to encourage colo
: n~ization- It grants land to such ON
; panleS as will undertake to bring il
settlers, and it sells grazing lands a
low prices in lots Of 5000 acres. Gov
' eminent lands may be leased. an,
. there are certain provisions for stock
ing them.
q IS to colonies there are a Iarg
. number in Argentina, some OF whic,
U are many years old. The first colon
: from Europe settled ever sixty year
ago, and about thirty years ago ther
e were e~ighty-five different eoIonie
which were cu1tivating altogether SO,