A Tour through North America by Patrick Shirreff

_Persons engaged in American Agriculture-American and British Agriculture-Application of Capital and Labour to Cultivation-Rent-Price of Land-Proportions of Nature-Capital and Labour in the Production of Farm Produce, and their distribution in Britain and America-Capital required to stock a Farm in both Countries-Unhealthiness of America-Climate-State of Society-Situation of young Men without Capital-Choosing America or Britain._

In North America, extensive landholders are not common in any of the districts which I visited; and where they do exist, a great part of their possessions are unproductive. The soil is chiefly cultivated by its owners, who, in sundry respects, resemble the tenants of Scotland; and they often perform a great portion of the manual labour of the farm. In many parts of the country, which has been long settled, the farmers are opulent, participating in all the conveniences of life; and, without passing their time in absolute idleness, hire a good deal of labour. In the more recently settled parts, farmers have few of the elegancies and conveniences of life, with an ample share of its necessaries. They do not labour hard after the first three or four years of settlement, and seem to live without much care. Land does not invest its owner with any privilege or status in society.