MORRIS BIRKBECK, ESQ. 



mutton I ever saw, was in company with Mr. Harline, in Phila 

 delphia market last winter. At BRIGHTON, near Boston, they 

 produced, at a cattle shew this fall, an ox of two-thousand seven- 

 hundred pounds weight, and sheep much finer, than you and I saw 

 at the Smithfield Show in 1814. Mr. Judge Lawrence of this 

 county, has kept, for seven years, an average of five hundred 

 Merinos on his farm of one hundred and fifty acres, besides raising 

 twenty acres of Corn and his usual pretty large proportion of 

 grain ! Can your Western Farmers beat that ? Yes, in extent, 

 as the surface of five dollars beats that of a guinea. 



990. I suppose that Mr. Judge Lawrence s farm, close by the 

 side of a bay that gives him two hours of water carriage to New- 

 York ; a farm with twenty acres of meadow, real prairie : a 

 gentleman s house and garden ; barns, sheds, cider-house, 

 stables coach-house, corn-cribs, and orchards that may produce 

 from four to eight thousand bushels of apples and pears : I sup 

 pose, that this farm is worth three hundred dollars an acre ; that 

 is, forty-five thousand dollars ; or about, twelve or thirteen thousand 

 pounds. 



991. Now, then, let us take a look at your estimate of the ex- 

 pences of sitting down in the prairies. 



Copy from my Memorandum Book. 



992. Estimate of money required for the comfortable establish 

 ment of my family on Bolting House, now English, prairie ; 

 on which the first instalment is paid. About 720 acres of wood 

 land, and 720 prairie the latter to be chiefly grass : 



Dollars. 



Second instalment . . . August, 1819, 720 

 Third ditto .... August, 1820, 720 

 Fourth ditto .... August, 1821, 720 



2,160 



Dwelling-house and appurtenances .... 4,500 



Other buildings ....... 1,500 



4680 rods of fencing, viz., 3400 on the prairie, and 1280 



round the woodland . . . . . . 1,170 



Sundry wells, 200 dollars ; gates, 100 dollars ; cabins, 



200 dollars ........ 500 



100 head of cattle, 900 dollars ; 20 sows, &c., 100 



dollars ; sheep, 1000 dollars .... 2,000 



Ploughs, waggons, &c., and sundry tools and imple 

 ments . . ... . . . 270 



Housekeeping until the land supplies us ... 1,000 



Carried over . . ... 13,100 

 243 



