Church, with service in English. A few of the Japanese farmers are members of the Japanese Methodist Mission, but a larger number are members of the Buddhist Mission in Portland. Services are also held once a month in several of the localities where the number of Japanese is large. Moreover, in most of these small places, such as Hillsdale, the Japanese are welcomed in the local churches and some of the Japanese attend services there with the members of the white race. A large percentage of the Japanese farmers are members of the recently organized Japanese Association, and of the various prefectural clubs. They are not members of American fraternal orders.

Many orders are represented among the Italians of Portland and vicinity. Among them are the society "Cristoforo Colombi" with 250 members, the society "Giuseppe Mazzini" with 100 members, an Italian lodge of the Foresters of America with 314 members, and 2 Italian lodges of the Ancient Order of Druids, with 1 branch for women, with a total membership of 323. Each of these organizations has members among the farmers, and every farmer from whom data were collected, belonged to one or more of them. They do not, in so far as known, have membership in American lodges of American fraternal organizations.

The data relating to literacy and the use of English are too few to serve as a basis for drawing any definite conclusions. It may be said, however, that the 29 foreign-born Japanese men, the 10 Japanese women, the 10 Italian men, and the 8 Italian women, were all literate. (General Table 378.) Moreover, all the Japanese men could speak and 21 could read and write English. Of the 10 women, however, 6 who had been in this country less than five years could not speak and only 2 of the entire number could read and write English. Of the 10 Italian farmers all but 1-he had been in this country less than five years could speak, but only 3 could read and 2 write, English. Of the Italian women, 3, including 1 in this country between five and nine, and 1 for more than ten, years, had not learned to speak English, while only 2 could read and write it. (General Table 375.)

Closely related to the matter of literacy and the use of English is that of newspapers taken. Two of the 8 Italian and an equal number of the 19 Japanese households subscribed for no paper. Of the Italians 1 subscribed for papers printed in English only, 2 for papers printed in Italian only, the remaining 3 for papers some of which were printed in the English, the others in the Italian, language. On the other hand, only 2 of the Japanese subscribed for newspapers printed in English and these took others printed in their native language. The Italian papers subscribed for are published in San Francisco. The Japanese usually subscribed for a Portland newspaper, but several subscribe for newspapers published in Japan.

Finally, it may be added that there is no evidence of ill-feeling on the part of the native families toward the Italian farmers. It is otherwise with the Japanese, however. Though they are welcomed at some of the local churches and though there is little of the strong antipathy displayed in California, a great many of the natives object to having them as neighbors. It is stated that in some instances "hard feelings have developed between owners who have leased to Japanese and their white neighbors."

JAPANESE AND GERMAN-RUSSIAN FARMERS OF NORTHERN

COLORADO."

[For General Tables see pp. 950 to 965.]

INTRODUCTION.

In Colorado there are, perhaps, between 800 and 900 GermanRussian tenant and landowning farmers, occupying for the most part holdings in excess of 60 acres, and not infrequently much larger tracts. There are also upward of 200 Japanese farmers or groups of farmers, for they frequently hold land in partnership. They leased perhaps not far from 20,000 acres in 1909, but in so far as could be learned owned only one farm. This is located near Greeley and contains 120 acres.

Practically all the land occupied by the farmers of these races is in those sections of the State where the growing of sugar beets and the manufacture of beet-sugar constitute an important, if not the only important, industry. In fact the incoming of the two races and their settlement upon the land have been incidental to the establishment and development of this industry and the first representatives of each race were imported by the different sugar companies in the vast majority of the localities. In short, their presence as members of the community and their position as farmers are to be ascribed in almost all cases to the activity of these companies. They were imported from different places to meet the demand for laborers to do the thinning, hoeing, and harvesting of beets. Later on they leased land for the growing of beets under contract, the land leased not infrequently being the property of the company owning and operating the beet-sugar factory. Following this other lands were leased, and still later many of the German-Russians purchased land and settled permanently in the community. In all probability the Japanese will likewise purchase land when they accumulate more capital and become better established in the communities in which they live.

Not only has the influx of these races, with few exceptions, been induced by the beet-sugar companies; at present most of the farmers, if the Japanese of two districts are excepted, are growing sugar beets under contract with these companies as the most important crop. A tendency on the part of both races is evident, however, to engage in the growing of other crops more and more extensively and to occupy a position similar to that of the native farmers, who engage in diversified farming with a small acreage of beets as a part of it. Yet the Japanese and German-Russians are primarily growers of sugar beets, and in the emphasis they place upon this crop, stand in contrast to the native farmers.

The vast majority of the farmers of both races are located in northern Colorado. However, there is one important settlement of German-Russians in the southern part of the State, and some Japanese

• This report should be read in connection with the Report on Immigrant Labor in the Beet-Sugar Industry, where the point touched upon in the introductory part of the present report are discussed at length.

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are found leasing land in almost every locality of Colorado in which sugar beets are grown.

Northern Colorado was formerly devoted almost exclusively to grazing. The rainfall was slight and in the absence of knowledge recently gained relating to "dry farming" general agriculture did not flourish. Potatoes were, however, extensively grown along with live stock in some localities peculiarly adapted to that crop. Within a decade, however, irrigation companies have been organized and much of the land reclaimed, with the result that the farming has been revolutionized, many of the larger holdings have been subdivided, the population has grown rapidly, and the prices of real estate have greatly increased. The principal crops now grown are sugar beets, potatoes, hay, grain, alfalfa, peas, and tomatoes. Nine factories and several "slicing stations" have been established in as many localities to afford a market for the beets grown in the surrounding country, and several canneries have been erected for preserving the vegetables produced.

THE SETTLEMENT, PROGRESS, AND PRESENT POSITION OF THE JAPANESE FARMERS OF NORTHERN COLORADO.

The first case in which a farm in northern Colorado was leased to a Japanese occurred in 1902. There were few tenant farmers of this race previous to 1904. Indeed, in most of the communities Japanese tenant farming has grown up since 1906. The following table indicates as accurately as the data could be obtained the acreage leased by Japanese in twelve localities in 1908 and in 1909, and the distribution of the acreage leased in the latter year between cash and share tenants."

TABLE 28.-Land leased by Japanese in northern Colorado."

a Only 1 farm-120 acres-is owned by a Japanese in northern Colorado.
Land leased for beet growing only. Much land leased for other purposes.
Nearly all leased for cash.

d Not including five districts where division of total not accurately known.

Not including land used for other purposes than beet growing in two localities noted in .

The progress of the Japanese as tenant farmers is best shown by reviewing briefly the history of that race in some of these localities.

• These data were collected by agents of the Commission while investigating the beet-sugar industry. They were obtained from the officials of the beet-sugar companies, the secretaries of the Japanese organizations and other prominent members of that race, and by inquiry in each locality visited. They are not complete and, of course, are only approximately accurate.

Taking first the "Greeley District," embracing the localities about the towns of Greeley, Brighton, and Lupton, the beet-sugar company contracting for beets in that section imported 200 Japanese in 1902 to do the hand work in the beet fields. The plan did not work satisfactorily, and the number of Japanese laborers decreased and remained at a low figure for a few years. Beginning with 1906, however, more came to the community. In 1909 there were some 600 in the district during the beet-thinning season, of whom some 250 (including 9 women and several children) resided there throughout the year. In 1907 there were three leases of land to Japanese, the acreage being very small. In 1908 they leased more than 1,600 acres. In 1909 they leased 4,525 acres, 1,815 for cash and 2,710 for a share of the crops. About 80 per cent of this land is devoted to the growing of sugar beets, most of the other to the production of potatoes, vegetables, and alfalfa. Eighty of these farmers are members of the Brighton Japanese Agricultural Association, an institution organized in 1909 to promote the welfare and safeguard the rights" of the Japanese farmers of the community.

The beet-sugar factory at Brush was placed in operation in 1906, some 400 Japanese doing the hand work in the beet fields. The following year the members of that race leased some 400 acres and began to grow beets under contract. In 1908 they leased 1,735 acres, of which 850 were for cash and 885 for a share of the crop. This year (1909) they are leasing about 2,000 acres, of which some 900 are for cash and 1,100 for a share of the crop. The number of "settled Japanese" in the locality is about 165.

In the other beet-growing localities the history has been in a general way the same. About Merino and Atwood, however, the history has been somewhat different. Most of the Japanese were attracted there from the Greeley district by the lowness of the prevailing rents. There are some 158 Japanese, of whom 9 are women, settled in these localities. They engage extensively in the growing of potatoes and vegetables and practically all pay cash rent for the land they hold.

With the increased acreage leased year after year, there have been changes in the form of tenure and in the crops grown. At present perhaps two-thirds of the acreage leased is for cash rent, the tenant in most cases providing his own tools, implements, and teams. This equipment is provided by some of the share tenants also. In other cases, however, the landowner provides all of the necessary equipment, and the tenant does the work. Indeed, in some instances the landowners or their regular employees do all of the work with teams, the tenants merely the hand work. In these cases the position of the tenants is not materially different from that of the laborers who do hand work under contract, save that the former receives share of the product or proceeds, while the latter receives so much per acre for the hand work done. In a general way there has been a gradual evolution of the Japanese. Beginning as laborers, doing hand work under contract, they have then done merely the hand work as share tenants and then some of the work with teams, the landowner providing all necessary capital and making advances from time to time as the crop matures. Then, when the tenant accumu-