It is manifest now that wealth is seeking unusual investments in farming lands by the money kings of Europe and America, when a single lord of England can own three million acres in the heart of the most fertile section of the United States, and have his rack-rents sent to Viscount Scully, in Europe. Sir Edward Reid owns two million acres; the Marquis of Tweeddale, one million seven hundred thousand acres, and several others of the titled aristocracy of Europe own farms ranging from forty thousand to three million acres each, making in the aggregate an area of several states. And quite recently fifty million acres more have passed into the hands of the English stockholders in the distribution of the land grants to the Northern Pacific Railroad. These large bodies of land owned by aliens--lords of Europe, with the syndicates and American monopolies and railroad grants,[17] and special gifts by Congress of one hundred and ninety-seven million six hundred and ninety-nine thousand acres to the rich monopolies in this country and Europe, amount to an area greater than the sum of eleven states of average size, and which may ere long be considered sufficient to constitute a respectable nucleus for an “AMERICAN LAND TRUST.” FOOTNOTES: [9] Dr. R. Dunglison. [10] Charles Whittlesey. [11] Charles Whittlesey. [12] “Ohio Valley,” by Samuel Williams, p. 40. [13] “Autobiography of a Pioneer,” by Rev. Jacob Young. [14] Atwater, “History of Ohio.” [15] NOTE--1895.--“Out of eight new Republican United States Senators just sworn in, four were born in Ohio. There are now eleven Ohio-born Senators. Ohio does a good business in ‘raising men,’ to say nothing about the good women.”--_Chicago Inter-Ocean._ “True. It might be added that the managing editor and chief political writer of the _Inter-Ocean_ are Ohio men. And, according to Mr. Dana and Mr. McCullagh, to be an editor is ‘greater than a king.’”--_Exchange._ [16] Howe’s Hist. Coll. [17] Minnesota, with an area of 46,000,000 acres, gave 20,000,000 acres to 3,200 miles of railroads. CHAPTER IV. OHIO--HER BEASTS, BIRDS, AND TREES: AIDS TO HIGHER CIVILIZATION. BEASTS. In the absence of native beasts, birds, and trees, a country is unfitted for the habitation of man. Nature had given to Ohio these supports to life and aids to civilization in great abundance. The Indian was not inclined to improve his “talents,” still he was exceedingly kind, through instinct or wisdom, in preserving in nature’s superlative beauty things necessary for the coming man. Of the various wild animals in Ohio, no one species has ever shown greater numerical strength than the gray squirrel. In the early settlements, he often annoyed his new neighbors with his mischievous habits and petty larcenies; nevertheless, the pioneer was generally pleased to see him, as at all seasons he was good for a savory meal.