14 THE FARMER'S AND 



from one to three miles distant, or nearer, if practicable. 

 It is of importance that you get within a reasonable dis- 

 tance of a supply of timber ; it is of much less import- 

 ance, however, than it was before the introduction of the 

 Pise mode of building houses and fences, an account of 

 which may be found in another chapter. 



It is of great importance that the settler do not purchase 

 too much land ; especially if he take it on credit. On this 

 point we cannot be too urgent. Many is the man who 

 has been ruined by not being careful in this particular. 

 Land-holders and land-agents are too apt to induce the 

 purchaser to buy too freely ; especially if the latter make 

 a pretty good down-payment. An instance in point occurs 

 to the writer. 



A man once came into the land-office of which the 

 writer then had charge, to " take up " a piece of land, as 

 it is called. He was considerably advanced in life, 

 say past fifty ; and bore marks of having done much hard 

 work, and of having passed through many trials. " I 

 have come, sir," said he, " to take up a piece of land. 

 Though I am almost an old man, I am going to begin life 

 again. I am poor, and have a large family, but we are 

 all willing to work." 



" Happy, happy to see you," said the land agent, in 

 somewhat of a cheering, earnest way ; " you are just the 

 kind of settlers we want. Our land is good, and there's 

 plenty of it ; and the more children you have, the better 

 off you are. But why are you so poor ? You say you 

 are willing to work." 



" Why, sir," he replied, " I have had a great deal of 

 sickness in my family, that is one reason ; but the prin- 

 cipal one is, that 1 took up too much land when I made a 

 beginning. The landholder, knowing I was a hearty man, 

 and that I had a little money to pay down, prevailed on 

 me to take up three hundred acres, when I should have 



