which I shall constantly refer throughout this essay, I shall 

 proceed somewhat briefly to argue in support of the positions 

 already taken with reference to agriculture in general, and to 

 discuss the subject with special reference to New England. 



Were the intelligent observer asked to point out the finan- 

 cially successful of this country, he would doubtless seek them 

 among the merchants ; yet statistics show that only two or 

 three out of every hundred who enter upon a so-called busi- 

 ness career ever reach the goal. As for the rest, one by one 

 they become lost to view behind the crowd of new compet- 

 itors who press to the front, themselves to be displaced in 

 turn : while thus to the superficial gaze, the on-rolling tide of 

 humanity seems always the same ; but beneath that wave how 

 nianv sunken hopes lie hidden I And yet in the face of such 

 appalling facts as these, no one quits mercantile life because 

 of its reverses, for the fact is there well recognized, that fail- 

 ure or success depends upon personal efi^brt. 



Even the very circumstances by Avhich the enterprising man 

 surrounds himself are so balanced as to show him no peculiar 

 favor. Is the merchant's store in a locality favorable for trade, 

 his rent is correspondingly high. Is the farm near the market, 

 and the land therefore valuable, rents, or as the farmer is gen- 

 erally both landlord and tenant, taxes are greater. 



Again, the farmers' risks are less ; for what can be more 

 secure than land, which is his chief })Ossession. True, risk 

 may be covered by insurance, but insurance is onh' the price 

 of estimated risk ; and the very willingness of the merchant 

 to insure shows how important is this consideration. 



There is a vague notion afloat that the devotion of a coun- 

 try to other pursuits, to the exclusion of agriculture, Avill ulti- 

 mately destroy that industry ; but the very opposite is shown 

 to be the case. Twenty years ago the legislative policy of 

 California was to favor the mining interest nt the expense of 

 every other. Now agriculture receives more consideration. 



The reason is not liard to perceive. As the manufacturing 

 |)opidation increases, the demand for the produce of husbandry 



