622 Traxsactioxs of the American Institute. 



room, and can't get it on five acres. I don't advise any man to take 

 a piece of land and go to work to make a living by fanning unless 

 there are twenty-five acres in his tract. 



Mr. T. C. Peters.— How is it with the Belgian peasants ? 



Mr. Horace Greeley. — They live, many of them, on two or three 

 acres. But they seldom eat meat ; for fuel they use little sticks and 

 weeds. If a man wants independence and substantial comfort in 

 farming let liim get 100 acres. I was talking with a man in Illinois, 

 who gave $125 for his land and now he is selling the timber alone 

 from the surface at $100 an acre. Let the young men of this country 

 buy land, and buy it now before it gets beyond the means of men in 

 moderate circumstances. 



Mr. Wm. Lawton. — The subject is of great importance. There is 

 a vast number of young men who can raise a capital of from $1,000 

 to $2,000. If they remained here it would soon be exhausted ; if they 

 w-ould take it and their intelligence, and settle out there, they. could 

 raise families and make permanent homes. If you refer tliem to the 

 old farms in New Jersey, it is like referring them to other business 

 where a great deal of money can be made and spent at the same time. 

 If a man settled out there, he is certain to make an independence. 

 Living here, he has no opportunity to enlarge his advantages. 



In 1828 he had been thrown into the possession of land in the interior 

 of Pennsylvania. He found within a hundred miles of Philadelphia 

 a population all German, who got the land at fifteen dollars per acre. 

 There they were in comfortable circumstances. They made their 

 own clothes ; educated their own children. The young farmers 

 were all married, as a general rule, and there was no difficulty in 

 getting a living. They all had increased their establishments ; 

 they had sheep and cattle ; they had log houses, and made their own 

 furniture; they were happy and contented. Talk ajjout business in 

 Kew Jersey. Tliere is a certain class to do that, but we do not want 

 the million to go there. AVe want room for the million. Where is 

 it but out on such land as this ? In a few years they could become 

 independent men, and get married. 



Donation of Jek8Ey Marl. 



A letter was read from J. C. Stevens, President of the Squankum and 

 Freehold railroad, offering the club fifty tons of Squankum marl free 

 of freight charges. 



On motion of Mr. Greeley, the club accepted this handsome present 



