318. Percy Wells Bidwell 



The Insignificance of Internal Trade. 



From this survey of the conditions of internal trade we are brought 

 to the conclusion that the opportunities to supply the markets which 

 existed at this time, both in the commercial towns and outside New 

 England, must have been restricted to a small proportion of the 

 towns. The especially favored localities were, (1) a narrow strip 

 of territory along the coast of these three states, (2) a strip of terri- 

 tory on both sides of the Connecticut River, (3) a few towns in 

 Litchfield and Berkshire Counties in which cheese and other dairy 

 products and wheat could be profitably grown, and (4) a few towns 

 in the immediate vicinity of such ports as New Haven, Norwich, 

 Providence and Boston.^ Altogether these towns contained from 

 one-fifth to one-fourth of the total population of these three states. 

 This represents the maximum number to whom the market, such 

 as it was, was at all accessible. The remaining portion of the agri- 

 cultural population was almost entirely isolated from commercial 

 relations with the outside world. 



This fact of isolation more than any other condition or cir- 

 cumstance was effective in determining the economic life of the 

 agricultural population in the inland towns of southern New Eng- 

 land at this time. There were, it is true, many other features of 

 the environment, in both its physical and institutional aspects, 

 such as the soil and climate, the political and ecclesiastical systems, 

 to which some of the most unique characteristics of the society 

 may be ascribed. But in the background, working sometimes in 

 harmony and sometimes in opposition to these other factors, was 

 the predominant influence of commercial isolation. 



With this chapter the analysis of the economic conditions of the 

 life of the agricultural population is concluded. The main facts 

 of the environment of the inland farmer are now before us. Our 

 final task is to describe his efforts to adapt himself to that environ- 

 ment. In the two chapters following this process of adaptation 

 will be outlined, first as regards the agricultural industry and then 

 as regards the salient features of home and community life. 



' The trade of the coast and river towns has already been discussed (supra, 

 Chapter III). References to the export of agricultural products from other 

 regions will be found in the two chapters following. 



