HISTORY OF AGRICULTURE 



73 



as later, there was land grabbing and speculation. 

 Individuals acquired large tracts in various ways at 

 very small cost, both before and long after the Kevo- 



leoo 1810 /8Z0 /830 /8fO /8S0 /860 /870 /S80 /890 /900 /9/0 



Fig. 15. Graphs showing by decades the total and the 

 rural population of United States, the rural population, 

 and the population engaged in agriculture in New York. 



lutionary War. In 1791, 5,548,173 acres of land 

 were sold in western New York for a total of $1,030,- 

 433, of which Alexander McCombs is reported to have 

 secured 3,635,203 acres, some of it as low as eight 

 pence an acre. It sold to settlers for one to six dol- 

 lars an acre. 



