342 THE FUTURE OF OUR AGRICULTURE. 



lished habit of those countries — but the would-be settlers, 

 who under able guidance — at the supreme head of which 

 in Italy now stands the highly meritorious Societa Umani- 

 taria of Milan, whose Director of the particular Section, 

 Signer Samoggia, is peculiarly fitted for the work — organise 

 themselves in co-operative societies for the collective renting 

 of a largish property, which they lay out in small holdings 

 according to their requirements. 



Italy is in this matter particularly active — and success- 

 fully so. The very public- spirited Societa Umanitaria of 

 Milan, liberally endowed as it is with funds by the benevo- 

 lence of a v/ealthy philanthropic Jew, who left it practically 

 his whole substantial estate, and ably officered, has taken 

 up the task of promoting collective co-operative holdings 

 with great energy. Its beneficent action is, as a matter 

 of course, in the main confined to Northern Italy, where 

 it has already produced much good work. However, it is not 

 only co-operative societies that are active in the matter. The 

 public generally appears to be impressed with the convic- 

 tion that in the creation of small holdings, arrayed in groups 

 so as to enable the holders to act together in all things — 

 not in renting, buying and selling only — lies the salvation 

 of generally backward Italian Agriculture. More in parti- 

 cular do Italians hope for the long delayed reclamation and 

 utilisation of the long neglected, dismally barren Agro 

 Romano by such means. Under recent legislation the 

 Government is armed with ample powers for expropriating 

 land of neglectful territorial magnates. And, although it 

 does not employ those powers solely in favour of collective 

 settlements, yet it decidedly favours such. There is a 

 special Department now in the Ministry of Agriculture to 

 take charge of this matter. Among other things such 

 organisation is designed to provide for security of tenure 

 for tenants, which is now distressingly wanting on the 

 laiifundia, where the bid of a few lire more will dispose 

 the landlord to give notice to his tenant, who, with such 

 sword of Damocles perpetually dangling over his head, 

 cannot possibly throw much energy, labour, or outlay (his 

 own or borrowed) into the improvement of his holding. 



