SOLON ROBINSON, 1843 369 



these things are universally practiced in the west, I shall 

 not assert, but that they are to a great extent is true. 



It would seem to you wonderful to see so much good 

 soil lying waste — and wicked to see so much good soil 

 wickedly cultivated — extravagant to see so much grain 

 grown for no other apparent purpose but for the pleasure 

 of seeing it grow, without deriving any profit from the 

 growth. 



The question is sometimes asked, if land is so cheap 

 and good and easy to cultivate, why don't the western 

 farmers all get rich? 



I have already answered this, but I will repeat; it is 

 in consequence of the extreme fertility of the soil. I am 

 not going to undertake to tell why it is so, but so it is, 

 that when the whole land is so cheap, so easily culti- 

 vated, and so productive with so little labor, mankind 

 will grow indolent, and do not accumulate wealth as fast 

 as you do who have to dig and delve among the "rocks 

 and stones, bushes and briars, and stumps," and then 

 manure your land at an expense for one year, that equals 

 the value of the rent of an acre of land here, equally 

 fertile as yours after receiving the manure, for more than 

 seventeen years. 



And although we can raise corn and oats here for six 

 cents a bushel, better than you can at 56 cents, we cannot 

 compete with you on account of transportation. But in 

 articles of more value, we do, and might to a much 

 greater extent, if we cultivated our soil as you do yours. 

 It is an incontrovertible fact, that you "expend more 

 labor with less profit," than we do. And I believe it is 

 an equal fact, that you make more profit out of your 

 labor; for you are compelled to be more industrious. 

 But again, you are compelled to spend a greater amount 

 of your profits to provide for your artificial wants, in 

 the artificial state of society in which you live. For my 

 own part, I am willing to plead guilty to a love of indo- 

 lence, and for that and some other reasons, I love this 

 country. But I don't want any more to come here solely 



