No. 4.] FARM HELP PROBLEM. 155 



Mr. II. G. ^Vortii (of Nantucket). Perhaps I can add a 

 trifle in regard to Italian labor. I have had in my employ 

 several hundred Italians for railroad construction. The Ital- 

 ians, like people of other nationalities, vary very much. I 

 find that the southern Italians in coming to this country are 

 unused to working ; they are small men, and very poorly fed, 

 and it takes them some time to learn how to use a pick and 

 shovel ; whereas the Italians coming from the north of Italy, 

 as a rule, are pretty well up in ordinary operations such as 

 I was engaged in, about as they would be in farming; they 

 are larger men, stronger men, and do much more, and I think 

 every one of them would be equal to one and a half or two 

 of the Neapolitans. I think the Italian laborer equal to the 

 German, the Swiss, the Irishman or the Dutchman. Of 

 course he cannot speak the language, but I consider him as 

 good and agreeable as any other. 



Mr. Austin. I had some twelve years' experience with 

 the Italians, as many as one hundred and fifty at a time, and 

 I agree with the former speaker in regard to them. If you 

 can get the north of Italy Italians, they are all right. The 

 most of mine came from Lombardy, and I found they knew 

 a great deal about farming, although they were not much for 

 teamsters. They were the best men that I ever had for car- 

 ing for stock, and for grubbing, opening up a piece of land, 

 or anything of that sort, they had no equal. I had these men 

 for twelve years, and in that way I became quite familiar 

 with their language, so I obviated in a great measure the 

 trouble of having them do directly the opposite of what I 

 wanted them to do. But if you get the class of Italians that 

 land here in large numbers from Naples, you will get a very 

 inferior set of men. They are the ones that go round with a 

 hand organ, trying to get a living with the least possible 

 work. But my experience with Italian labor has been very 

 satisfactory indeed, and I would advise any one who can get 

 a good Italian from the north of Italy, to get him, and I 

 believe as soon as you can make him understand what you 

 want, you will be perfectly satisfied with his labor. He is 

 one of the most conscientious laborers we have ; and, although 

 when they arrive they are a suspicious class of people, as 

 soon as you win their confidence they trust you implicitly. 



