38 The Condition of the Western Farmer. [316 



exclusively the characteristic of the first three years of set- 

 dement. This will be still clearer when we consider the fact 

 that several of those who appear as taking railroad land 

 during these years, also owned government land which ad- 

 joined their new tracts, though just outside the limits of the 

 township. The others who bought railroad land during 

 these first three years did so, we may presume, either on 

 account of the exceptionally good quality of the particular 

 piece of land chosen, or for the purpose of being near 

 friends, or because it seemed better to the individual settler 

 to have the advantages of residence in a settlement a few 

 years old, than to go out upon the still newer frontier. The 

 largest number of settlements on railroad land occurred in 

 '78 and '79, immediately after the effects of a renewed period 

 of good crops had begun to be felt; between a half and two- 

 thirds of all the purchases of such lands being made in these 

 two years. During these years several homesteads and pre- 

 emption entries were made on odd-numbered sections, it be- 

 ing thought that the railroad title thereto had been forfeited ; 

 but soon the United States Supreme Court decided that 

 the claim of the railroad company was still good, and these 

 entries of course came to nought Since that time the great 

 majority of settlers have been obliged to buy their lands of 

 former individual owners. 



Let us now briefly consider the various causes for selling 

 or surrendering claims. From Table III. can be seen in the 

 first column the number of owners who left owing to causes 

 which can be classed together as " Prevalent agricultural 

 conditions." All who left the country after unsuccessful 

 attempts at farming, and whose troubles cannot be traced 

 to some definite cause which would have affected them in like 

 manner if occurring in one of the older states, are put in this 

 column. We have already seen that by 1874 there had been 

 only one man to be so classified. In the other columns are 

 put those who left owing, as nearly as can be ascertained, to 

 the causes enumerated. It has been a matter of the greatest 

 difficulty to ascertain with exactness what were the reasons in 



