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Monday. Altogether there are about 100 men and boys of Kenner employed on the railroad, in New Orleans, or in the neighboring sawmills. The wages vary from $1 to $1.50 per day for ten hours. One mile north of Kenner is the small town of Hanson City. a large saw mill is in operation and employs over 100 hands. sionally an Italian can find temporary employment in this mill. A few work there steadily and live in neighboring houses with an acre or more of ground attached to each, which they carefully cultivate. and thus add a good deal to their earnings, selling vegetables and strawberries to the employees of the mill.

SOCIAL, EDUCATIONAL, AND POLITICAL CONDITIONS.

The Italians of Kenner seem to care little for social life. The entire Italian population attends church on Sunday, making the church really the social center. Before and after mass they mingle and talk of various topics of the day. On Sunday afternoon many families drive to the homes of their friends to spend the afternoon, returning before dark, for it is very noticeable that none of the Italians are seen on the street after sundown.

As New Orleans is near at hand many go there for a day, starting early in the morning by train or carriage, and returning in the afternoon loaded with purchases.

Seventy-five pupils are enrolled at the district school in town, but the attendance is very irregular, for the children are kept out of school to work on the farms of their parents whenever necessary and school is given secondary attention. In spite of their irregularity in attendance they make rapid progress, finding their greatest difficulty in composing English. The parents ordinarily take little interest in the public schools, but a year or so ago when "nature study" was introduced into the schools, the parents made a strong protest.

Very few Italians in this group have either secured their first or second papers and little interest is shown in local political conditions.

MORAL CONDITIONS.

Few crimes occur among them, although several years ago some criminals from New Orleans sought refuge in Kenner and the crime committed by these men was accredited to the resident Italians. Again, an old-time feud between a family near there and a family in New Orleans is occasionally reopened, but Americans say that the resident Italians are honest and law-abiding and that they are always quiet and peaceable. The intermingling of the poorer element of the Italians in New Orleans with those at Kenner has produced a prejudice in New Orleans against the Italian as an immigrant. It is evident, however, from the progress made at Independence, at Millikens Bend, at Kenner, and at several other points in the State, that the Italians do not all deserve the contumely heaped upon them; that on the land they are succeeding and are useful citizens.

THE EFFECT OF TEI SELENEN

This settlement is noteworthy in that has helpe, some problem. With the decline numbers and the unsinstacey clas acter of the farm help now obtaLLIE THE (VIOS (12720 hial strains are in a serious predicament. Trbou a 127 suret a hand, ishar ers nothing can be produced and the rest of main ailing the pistes tion remains the same. Before the Trahans came to Kenner the land was divided into large sugar and sort ULINSJONS The Tynes of the land had almost come to the conclusion that nothing cop be made from these crops and were detening to Ivide the pishtstions into small farms to solve their drumes The Itabans PAIDA, undertook truck growing, and greatly increased the productivity of the land as compared with the time when cotton only was gre WI, OLS They supply the New Orleans market with a wide mamety of fresh vegetables, and on the whole are a most decaded beneti io ile neighborhood.

The second generation are not yet suficienty numerous to in dicate the future of the settlement. This generation mingles freely st school with native-born children, and it seems probable that the latter will grow up without the prejudice against liaans that is found in the case of their parents.

STATISTICAL DATA FOR SELECTED FAMILIES.

The table following represents the condition of five typical families at Kenner. Before coming to this locality the heads of families had resided in other parts of Louisiana, where the majority were farm laborers. On arriving at Kenner they purchased land, some paying cash and others made a small cash payment and the balance on time. One man is still renting land for $10 per acre. On every farm one or more horses or mules are found and one had two cows. Two of the families show an indebtedness. Only garden truck is sold, but all raise corn and hay to the extent of $100 per farm.

48296°-VOL 21-11-20

TABLE 58.-Economic history and present financial condition of certain typical South Italian families, Kenner, La.

CHAPTER XV.

DAPHNE, ALA., AND SCATTERED SETTLEMENTS, SOUTH ITALIAN TRUCK FARMERS.

INTRODUCTION.

Agricultural conditions in southern Alabama are slowly passing from a dormant state into one of wakefulness. Many Southerners are engaged in truck farming, and it was they who first discovered the wonderful possibilities of the soil. In the antebellum days the vegetable gardens on the Southern plantations were most fruitful and productive. In many places in the South the small farmers have for years raised limited quantities of vegetables for the Southern cities, such as Birmingham, Montgomery, Mobile, and New Orleans and found this occupation most remunerative; but as a commercial enterprise this industry received little attention by them until recent years. Now both Baldwin and Mobile counties are making rapid strides in commercial truck farming.

The Southerners have always maintained an interest in the production of garden truck. This interest of late years has been stimulated by the influx of people from the northern States into this section, as well as by small numbers of foreigners that are slowly coming into these two extreme southern counties of Alabama. So quickly has truck growing developed that within a few years much of the land that was formerly producing only forests of longleaf yellow pine has been cleared and planted to cotton, turnips, tomatoes, cabbages, strawberries, and sweet and Irish potatoes. Some of the truck is sold in the near-by markets. The rest of the fruit and vegetables find their way northward into cities along the lines of the Mobile and Ohio and the St. Louis and Nashville railroads. Mobile County is becoming one of the best truck gardening counties in this section of Alabama, and many farmers are successfully demonstrating that two crops of vegetables can be grown yearly on the same ground. Trucking and the extension of railroad facilities into this region have been the chief reasons for the increased productiveness of the county. Across Mobile Bay on the east is Baldwin County, one of the largest counties in the State. The climate here is similar to that in Mobile County, but the water supply and soil are much better. Small numbers of foreigners are coming into this county yearly and settling on the vacant lands both along the coast and farther inland.

Daphne is situated on the eastern shore of Mobile Bay, some 14 miles across the water from Mobile and 6 miles north of the wellknown single-tax colony of Fairhope. Located about 6 miles from the center of Daphne is a settlement of North Italians, composed of 21 families, numbering 180 persons.

The climate is mild and the rainfall is ample and well distributed during the long growing season. The Gulf of Mexico exerts some influence on the climate, tending to temper the extreme heat of summer and in some measure increase the precipitation. The soil is for the most part a light sandy loam, not highly fertile, but yields good returns to careful cultivation and the application of fertilizers.

HISTORICAL.

The first Italian to settle in this locality was Dominick Trione, who came with his family from Illinois in 1889. He purchased 320 acres of land in company with another man for $400. After paying $200 he found that his title was worthless, because the land company from whom he purchased was a fraudulent concern, and he lost his land. The next year he purchased 40 acres at $2.50 per acre and began to clear the land and make improvements.

That same year, 1890, Alessandro Mastro-Valerio arrived at Daphne with 20 Italian families and settled on land procured from a land company. An account of the early days of the settlement is found in the Report of the United States Industrial Commission. At the time this colony was started, Mr. Mastro-Valerio was conducting experiments for the United States Department of Agriculture and the Alabama Experiment Station and he had formulated a plan whereby Italians who cared to might work the soil and become independent landowners on easy terms. The last family moved into the locality six years ago. For some reason the colony has not developed as it was hoped; in fact the number of settlers has not increased since the beginning, although available land in the immediate locality is plentiful. It is true that the American owners on realizing the demand that might be made for land have raised the price from $5 to $25 per acre. This doubtless keeps many Italians from purchasing. since they believe that the land is worth only $5 to $10 per acre. Numerous advertisements in Italian papers, desire for a change of climate in order to improve the health or to escape the cold of Illinois, along with the encouragement given the settlers by Mr. MastroValerio, induced the Italians now on the land to settle in Daphne. Many of the present Italians came from the coal mines of Illinois. and purchased 40, 80, or 160 acres of land, as the case might be, paying from $1.50 to $6 per acre for it. Before moving to Alabama some of these men had been working in the mines for eight or ten years, having at the same time two or three children who contributed their earnings to the family fund. Out of the money they had saved they were able to pay cash for their land.

Arriving in Daphne they found plenty of good level land, covered with a heavy growth of yellow pine. Acre by acre the woods were cut down, small houses were erected and gardens started; but it was several years before a living could be made from the land and many of the Italians found it necessary to work as farm laborers in order to supplement their incomes.

The distance from markets and railroads, coupled with the local prejudice toward the Italians gave rise to much discouragement and many trials and difficulties during the early days.

a Report of the United States Industrial Commission, Volume XV, p. 461.