234- HOW TO GET A FARM, 



traveller sees tokens of rapid and substantial im 

 provement, for a market has been opened for what 

 ever the land can be made to yield. 



Large tracts have been bought by companies and 

 individuals, and divided into small farms for the ac 

 commodation of settlers. It is the West over again, 

 only on a smaller scale. One of the first of these 

 enterprises was at Hammonton, where 5,000 acres 

 were speedily sold in small farms, many of the set 

 tlers coming from JSTew England. They find a cash 

 market at Philadelphia for all that they can pro 

 duce. Yet this was a barren tract, producing noth 

 ing salable but wild berries. Another settlement 

 on the railroad is called Egg Harbor City, founded 

 by Germans, who bought a large tract at a low 

 price immediately after the road was opened, and 

 divided it up into town lots and farms. The excel 

 lence of the location has attracted to it many fami 

 lies from the West. Nearly all the dwellings are of 

 brick, made on the spot. They have several brick 

 yards, numerous stores, a printing office, piano fac 

 tories, saw-mills, and other industrial establishments. 

 The streets are lined with shade trees, and the whole 

 settlement is a model of enterprise, ingenuity and 

 thrift. As seen from the railroad, it will strike 

 every observer as an eminently flourishing place. 

 A great area of wild land has been cleared and 

 farmed, and is producing crops quite satisfactory to 

 the owners. Some are establishing vineyards, oth 

 ers growing tobacco, and others sending great quan 

 tities of fruit and vegetables to Philadelphia. All 

 the land thus taken up and improved has quintupled 



