Seeking Fortune in AmericaGrey, F. W. (Frederick William)
History
Seeking Fortune in America
Grey, F. W. (Frederick William)
Canada -- Description and travel; Mexico -- Description and travel; United States -- Description and travel
The Western States and Provinces of North America thrive on our
“thousand-pounders” and “remittance-men.” Some years ago in one small
prairie town of Iowa there were 105 young Britons on the books of the
local club. One of these (dubbed Sitting-bull after a famous brave) was
doing fairly well in a milk-walk; a few others earned livings as farm
hands; the rest were, said the natives, “doing no good.” How should
they, unless to the manner born? Four young sons of farmers and parsons,
all neighbours from Owersby, Walesby, and other Lincolnshire "by’s,"
bought a “raw” farm on instalments in the Red River Valley. A
land-seeker was sent there by the owner. “He has not got us yet,” said
the lads; “we are ready with our instalment.” But he got them at last,
with their improvements—homestead, stable, well, and many acres under
plough. That is how the “thousand-pounders” nourish the West; not that
these Lincolnshire men had so much between them, but many collapse with
even more capital, for lack of experience. And even afterwards the
experience, thus bought at a long price, does not generally lead to
much.
In 1890, 1280 acres of carefully-chosen land awaited me in Manitoba,
bought from and traversed by the Manitoba and North-Western Railway. To
qualify myself for farming this land I went to Guelph, in Ontario,
Canada.
The Ontario Agricultural College is recognised as one of the finest
institutions of its kind on the continent of America, because of the
thoroughness of its methods and the class of graduates it turns out.
There are graduates of this college holding professorships in many of
the agricultural colleges of the States, others in charge of large
farming interests, and also of some of the largest dairies in the
country.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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