11 



incurred, and waste in transportation. But a condition insep- 

 arable from the cultivation of large areas of cheap land is dis- 

 tance from local markets ; and this condition becomes doubly 

 unfavorable when viewed in the light of the fact already men- 

 tioned, that no soil can long be made to yield even a ftiir re- 

 turn to mere tillage. For if it is conceded to be an axiom 

 that a constant renewal of fertility is a necessity of continued 

 production, it is surely no great leap by which we come to the 

 conclusion, that, other things being equal, the successful con- 

 duct of a tillage farm depends upon the cost of manuring the 

 land. And it is further evident, that where population is 

 most dense, tliis condition is best fulfilled. 



Were I asked to point out the best paying farms of this 

 countiT, I should seek them not where land is cheap and 

 agriculture conducted on a vast scale, but upon the outskirts 

 of some metropolis, — as for instance among the markct- 

 cardens about lioston, the secret of Avhose success is hidden 

 only by the shades of niglit, when cart-load upon cart-load, 

 the waste of city consumption, is conveyed back to the out- 

 lying farms ; and thus while the world is sleeping, is supplied, 

 as to a growing boy, such vitalizing gain as more than bal- 

 ances the daily loss. Nowhere better than in such sections 

 of city-surrounding country as our own county represents, 

 can the system of high farming be carried to perfection. The 

 nearness of the consumer furnishes a ready market for veg- 

 etable products which from their perishable nature demand 

 immediate consumption, while unrivaled facilities for obtain- 

 ing fertilizers leave a margin for profits which can scarcely 

 be equaled in places more remote. It must not be forgotten, 

 however, that such favored sections have also their disadvan- 

 tages. Little is the skill and capital needed profitably to raise 

 field crops, compared to that which can enter upon market 

 gardening with reasonable expectations of success. 



But a comparatively small number of husbandmen, either 

 East or West, arc in a position to Avarrant high fiu-ming ; and 



