34 FAMILY RECEIPTS. 



and yet nothing is more certain. The first quality 

 of land, is generally considered to be river alluvion: 

 next to this, the richest upland, such as a fat and tena- 

 cious loam; then a sandy loam, or sand and clay; and 

 finally a dry gravel. Of all these descriptions of soil, 

 1st, 2d, 3d, and 4th, the last is that on which we gene- 

 rally find the best farmers, not only, but the most suc- 

 cessful farming. I have traversed most parts of the 

 United States, from Maine to North Carolina, and be- 

 tween the great western Lakes and the Atlantic, and 

 have every where seen proof of the correctness of these 

 remarks. The first choice of land, in the settlement of 

 every new country, taking the qualities as designated 

 above, is always in the numerical order, as they stand; 

 and the 4ih, after some 20 to 50 years, always becomes, 

 except in some very rare cases of river alluvion, the 

 first, and the whole order is reversed ! There may be 

 particular exceptions, but as a general remark, the 

 above observations will be found, on the strictest exa- 

 mination, to be sanctioned by general facts. Such was 

 the case, in the early history of the settlement of this 

 continent, such it has been, in every part of the country, 

 and such it still is, as settlements advance, every where. 

 One generation succeeds another, the second invariably 

 adopting different views from the first, if continuing to 

 reside on the same land; and yet all others, all of those 

 who are uninstructed by personal experience and obser- 

 vation, or very nearly all, advance to the wilds with the 

 old fashioned errors of opinion! Were we to omit ta- 

 king into consideration the grounds of this mistake, the 

 general perseverance in it, would seem to imply a 

 strange want of prudent foresight, or even a want of 

 common understanding. — Let us examine this matter a 

 little, for it is one of very general importance. 



Lands in a state of nature, wild lands, to which so 

 large a proportion of the young men resort for future 

 farms, if clothed with timber, forest trees, present very 

 delusive appearances, such, exactly, as would be likely 

 to mislead the judgment. Excepting only the river allu- 

 vion, universally sought as of the first quality, almost 

 without looking at the soil, the three other qualities are 



