58 THE FARMER OF TO-MORROW 



one hundred and sixty acres, being adopted in 

 the beginning as a standard. 



In 1800 the area of the United States was 

 892,135 square miles, and the acquisition of 

 Louisiana and Florida increased the area to 

 1,792,223 square miles in 1820. Then came 

 Texas, the Spanish Settlements in the south- 

 west, the Gadsden Purchase, and the read- 

 justment of boundary lines, until, in 1853, we 

 possessed 3,026,789 square miles, comprising 

 continental United States, excluding Alaska. 

 In 1800 there was a population of five million. 

 In 1853, when the nation had expanded to its 

 ultimate limit, it numbered nearly twenty-five 

 million souls, about eight to the square mile 

 eighty acres to every man, woman and child. 



The first concern of the established govern- 

 ment was to foster agriculture to provide 

 food for its people. In fact, as early as 1743 

 the British Government appropriated $600,- 

 000 to encourage the cultivation of indigo and 

 other crops in the colonies. The colonies 

 themselves set aside small sums to encourage 

 new lines of agriculture hops in Virginia, 

 mulberry trees for silk culture in Georgia, and 

 grapes for wine growing. Franklin, as the 

 agent of Pennsylvania in England, sent home 



