32 HOW TO GET A FARM, 



CHAPTER H , 



Number of Free Farms Population, Present and Future In 

 crease of Public Wealth. Past and Future Immigration Gold 

 Mines Farms Enough for All. 



IT is known that when land could be obtained 

 from Government at $1.25 per acre, the demand was 

 very active, both from settlers and speculators. As 

 the same description of lands are hereafter to be 

 given away, many persons will presume that they 

 will be rapidly absorbed by claimants. But there 

 are two potent causes to prevent such result first, 

 the obligation to occupy the land for five years be 

 fore any title whatever can be acquired, and secondly, 

 the enormous quantity to be distributed. The fol 

 lowing remarkable statistics on this subject are given 

 by Mr. Samuel B. Ruggles, in his late report to the 

 International Statistical Congress : 



&quot; The territorial area of the United States at the peace 

 of 1783, then bounded west by the Mississippi river, was 

 820,680 square miles, about four times that of France, 

 which is stated to be 20*7,145, exclusive of Algeria. The 

 purchase from France of Louisiana, in 1804, added to this 

 area 899,680 square miles. Purchases from Spain, and from 

 Mexico, and the Oregon treaty with England, added the 

 further quantity of 1,215,907 square miles; making the 



