V^ iv THE EMIGRATION 'OF -..•,^ v' '^ ^ i-:''-:^' Hvr:. :--^:- GENTLEMEN'S SONS '' - 5 :.;- . ' -— . TO THE . -• . > .-- 'V- , a? UNITED STATES AND CANADA. ,^' /'■j^ f " '•?.';■ H "•? \.. .' ..." '- . ■ Rv ■ ~'' -'■ ■ '.--'■■■ '— i^. A. G. BRADLEY. ■.•-F---!,^ ^ "'^ - - >^ M .. t^-^ ' ■ f. _-" 1 - '' ."--7V ''' -.* - ■ i? /'y^/Ci? SIXPENCE. ,-.,t ?■- V ■;' ■" ■>-:. V '.v/.,-; vr ->•^^■A«^•: '■""■'■ ': ■■•A-;-' . ■ f.i i : -^ ■f > ■ ,■ v • --<■.-'", -";■< . ■-;. ■ i.-'TC'. .X ^%a :' Vv-.;?.. ■>" INTRODUCTION. The number of gentlemen's sons that annually leave this country for Canada and the United States, makes the ques- tion of the initiatory step to be taken in such a move a constantly recurring one in hundreds of households. I presume it is hardly necessary to point out that the only possible course by which a young man can fit himself for the management of land in a strange country, is by some sort of apprenticeship to an experienced farmer in that country, in whose household he may become initiated into its farm life and work, and the value of its lands. Taking this then for granted, I will make a few remarks on the different methods of sending out young men, based not upon theory nor upon second-hand information, but upon a ten years' personal experience of America, American farms and American farming. In former years when this class of emigration was com- paratively small and the movement desultory, there were two courses open to a young man's friends, either to send him out to shift tor himself or to send him to some English- man settled in the country as a pupil. With regard to the former method, it rested entirely on the character, age, and experience of the young man himself. The risk run was . great. To launch the young Englishman, fresh perhaps from school, amid the snare, and pitfalls into which, in a totally strange country inexperience might lead him, was, in a majority of cases, as unwise as it was unfair. Many took what was then the only other step, and sent their sons to English gentlemen settled in America through advertisements or through mutual acquaintances, at premiunas varying from £ioo to ;^i5o per annum. The objections to this plan were numerous — no choice was offered and distance forbade a personal inspection. In many cases, there was no sort of guarantee that the home offered was desirable. In others, friends and references in England could often merely speak to the identity of the person in question, and enlarge, perhaps, on his social con- nections, their recollections of him as a boy, &c.. As to his position in the country of his adoption, they had not proba- bly the most remote idea. Many again were but learners themselves, while those who were fit for the trust, no one who has seen much of this kind of thing will deny for a moment, were the exception and not the rule. Indeed, how should it have been otherwise. Again, when dissatis- faction arose, as under such a haphazard system ^was certain to arise in great numbers of cases between farmer and pupil, where was the remedy ? A continuous con- nection between the dissatisfied parties was almost a necessity. The young man's friends in England knew nothing of the country. There was no step to relieve the situation ; no impartial friend on the spot to whom they could apply for an adjustment of matters to some more satisfactory form. A high premium had perhaps been paid in advance and added to the difficulty. When I say that it is quite unnecessary to pay a premium of ;^ioo to ;^i5o a year, or more, I do not mean merely that it would be prudent for a young man to forego the benefits that this would procure him, but that precisely the same benefits as these can be not only procured, but, more than that, guaranteed for from one-half to one-third of that sum under the system which, with its different variations, I consider to be the only safe one ; while if he elect the less agreeable but perhaps more profitable road to experience in the household of a practical American or Canadian farmer, even that expense can be, to a great extent, saved. As the demand arose, consequent on increasing emigra- tion, for a more economical and reliable method of starting young men abroad, several agencies and schemes sprang into existence, upon methods, which though far from faultless and of course depending wholly on the efficiency and good faith of their conductors, are yet based upon the only true framework, namely, that of farmers ^eing selected in various neighbourhoods for such trusts by competent and experienced people living upon the spot, who again in their turn act themselves as referee, guardian, and friend, in case of those emergencies which with the greatest care and with- out fault on any side may now and then arise. The best terms that can be got for an inexperienced young Englishman not brought up to bodily toil, the best, indeed, that could, with rare exceptions, be expected for the first year (the busy and the dead season included) is free board and lodging in return for work ; and those who are familiar with the amount of experience that is required to make an average teamster, ploughman, axeman, &c., and tiie time lost, and the lisk to animals run in acquiring the elements of such accomplishments, are also well aware that the utmost application on the part of a beginner is necessaiy to make his services for the first twelve months worth his board and lodging in an ordinary American farm house. " Wages from the first," which are advertised by some London firms, are generally arranged in the following way. A premium, amounting to about the first year's wages, is paid to the farmer out of the premium paid by the young man or his friends, to the Company, or, in other words, the young man works for his board, while his parent or guardian actually pays him the wages for the first year, at the end of which all binding engagements cease, and he stands upon his own merits to make a new contract. Whatever his worth be in the market he will certainly get that and neither more nor less if he elect to work anywhere for a second year. Nor is it necessary to add, that the fact of having received back in the shape of wages from the farmer that portion of his premium which was paid to I he latter for that purpose, is no guarantee for the continuation of such wages when no further fund is forthcoming Xo provide them. The premium of the London agencies now working is from £tQ to ;^iio. A part of this, say ;^20, as I have shewn, is paid to the farmer, who pays it back, month by month, to his pupil ; or, in other words, the latter works for his board. The remainder (;^5o) goes to the agency, and is the sum paid for their services. The expenses of large establishments in London are doubtless great, and the expense of a number of persons employed upon this side, working through agents beyond the Atlantic, as these organizations do, renders a large premium for their services alone, perhaps a necessity. With that, however, I have nothing to do, but wish to draw attention to what I consider the most efficient form of this system, and the one in which the interests of the young emigrant can be more immediately and more directly watched over, and which can be worked at less expense, and consequently at . a far less cost to people requiring its services. In the first place, the gentleman in America, who has the placing and the superintending of the young men, instead of acting as the subordinate and agent of a company in England, should himself be directly prominent as an individual, as to him much of the responsibility belongs. lie should be an English gentleman who has lived long in the country and thoroughly understands his own locality and its people, or an American gentleman who has a thorough knowledge of English character. It is desirable also, that the gentleman alluded to should have a home in the state or province he works in, at which he may receive, if it is thought advisable, the young man on his first arrival in the country, and to which the latter may look as a temporary head-quarters in case of any possible emergency. Then there must of course be a representative in England, who can personally interview or ■ correspond with candidates for emigration or their friends : and make all necessary arrangements. It is an incalculable advantage of course if such a representative has himself a ; long personal experience of American farming life, as he is then able to depict what an emigrant has to look to, in a manner impossible for those that have had no experience of the country or only that of a mere traveller. PART I. All the foregoing conditions are contained in the arrangements which three years ago I set on foot and which I am happy to say have been doing a constantly increasing work with the greatest success. My own transatlantic experience and intimate con- nection with the new world consequent on many years of residence, gave me an exceptional opportunity of acquiring coadjutors in the States and Canada, whose capacity for this work has done much towards achieving this satisfactory result. This same experience, moreover, has given me, as English representative of our organization, a great advantage — in discussing the preliminaries with intending emigrants or their friends — in determining the suita- bility of different districts for the various applicants — or, as is frequently necessary, discouraging those for whom such a step would be unwise and ill-judged. We undertake to receive young Englishmen about to emigrate whose age and inexperience requires help and guidance, at any of our centres iu America and Canada, and place them to the best of our judgment where they may learn American farming in the most efficient and economical manner compatible with a good home. We exercise supervision over them for the first year in all cases and longer if specially agreed upon. All preliminary correspondence regarding details of the life, outfit, arrangements for sailing, etc., is conducted by myself from my London office, where I attend daily from 11 to 6 and where personal interviews, as well as corres- pondence, are invited. The duties of my coadjutors upon the other side of the, Atlantic are set forth in their several circulars. They not only receive the young men in the first instance and place them with farmers whom they consider to be fitting persons, but they are prepared to attend through- out the first year to all those matters so far as lies in their power in which a very young man in a strange country may need help and advice. This includes, as elsewhere stated, a change of home whenever such should seem desirable. We cannot of course guarantee parents or guardians against the effects of vice, idleness, or deliberate folly on the part of young men. The method upon which our arrangements are based contain in themselves every reasonable precaution against such calamities ; if in spile of such removal of temptation, trouble does occur, we can only undertake to act to the best of our judgment or in accordance with the wishes of the young man's friends at home. We can only be of service to the young men so long as they follow the advice and instructions of the gentle- man in charge of the district in America to which they are sent. For the eflFects of opposition to him or indepen- dent action we decline responsibility. The best is done to prevent such trouble and to rectify it should it arise, but it will at once be seen that this is a very different matter from assuming a very grave responsibility to a third person over an individual whose actions may render the best efforts futile, or \vho, to justify his own errors, may make the grossest misrepresentations. Such cases in our experience fortunately are extemely rare — but the possibility of their occurrence must be taken into account in dealing with great numbers of young men of whom we have no former personal knowledge, and who themselves are undertaking a totally strange career. The fee for our services, as stated upon the circulars, is £2$. This is payable upon the day the young man sails. The principal centres to which our young men go are in Ontario, Manitoba, Virginia and Florida, and these are presided over by personal friends of my own. We have also connections in Iowa, New Mexico, Texas and California. It must be borne in mind that when a young man has decided to essay the career of an American farmer there is no necessity whatever for him to make up his mind before he has even seen America what state or province he shall ultimately settle in as a landholder. The first important step is to fit himself for the life, to practically learn its methods and moreover to test his untried capacity for the career. For this purpose some parts of the country are much better than others. We will in the first place take a brief notice of Ontario. PART II. Ontario. This Canadian province is an admirable training ground for young Englishmen who intend farming in any part of the dominion or in the Northern or Central Western States. The farms are compact and well tilled and comprise the manipulation of most crops and the handling of most tools known to- American agriculture above the planting States. The farmers are unsurpassed upon the continent for industry and thrift. The homesteads are generally sub- stantial and well built. The country is healthy and physically attractive. Il is very accessible from England and in all ways well adapted for a young emigrant's first essay — if he really ** means business." The young men that go through us to Ontario rarely cost anything in the way of board and lodging from the day of their arrival in the country. They are received by Mr. Rackham in the first instance and generally remain a few days at his house. He then places them with a practical farmer upon the understanding that they receive board and lodging for their services. They are expected to do their best. Lack of energy or of average physical health and strength, want of steadiness, or other reasons such as would fairly justify farmers in refusing to continue such conditions are to be regretted, as they would entail some further outlay for his maintenance on the part of the young man's friends— as I need hardly say we do not make our- selves financially responsible for the support of young men who for any reason fail to make their services worth their board. Such cases, however, in our experience so far are extremely rare ; they would, moreover, generally mean that the young man was unfitted for the life which he had chosen — and it is better that such a mistake should be revealed as soon as possible. Mr. Rackham does not make binding engagements with the farmers. He reserves himself free to remove the young man to another farm if good cause should arise. A binding engagement that compels two people to live with one another may moreover be practically annulled by the one anxious to dissolve it making the connection unendurable to the other. Work upon an Ontario farm is hard and constant. Living is plain but plentiful ; refinements and luxuries entirely absent ; conveniences often of the crudest des- cription. But still regarding what settlers in the West and in the Colonies — men often of large capital — have to put up with, we feel convinced that a young man who cannot stand an Ontario farm is in most cases not likely to succeed as farmer in the North or West. By far the greater majority of our young men, however, have adapted themselves well to the life, and have taken to it with spirit and determination, and often with real liking, more particularly some of the younger ones. Against the har work and plain living must however be placed not only the economy of the training but it must be remembered that a young man at the end of it is a very different sort of a workman from the articled pupil at ;^ico or £iSo a year at the end of the same period. The Ontario farm houses are g-nerally very good. Tne country healthy a. id attractive, well populated with good roads, markets, churches, doctors, and all the surroundings of civilization. The winter, as everybody knows, is a severe one. It is however a steady cold and Ontario being naturally a forest country as well as an old settled one where much stock is wintered, there is plenty of work in that season both in the woods and stack yards. Now one word as to the position of the young emigrant towards the farmer with whom he is placed. There are foolish people now and then to be heard lifting up their voices in protest against what they call "sending out young English gentlemen to work as English labourers." In the first place we would never recommend any young man to go to Americ except with his own wish and consent. In the second place,' we would at once revjmmend these worthy folks to get "Hodge" out of their brains ; he has no equivalent of any kind beyond the Atlantic. There is no " class " of labourers in Canada or the states, the negroes of the South excepted. Farmers for the most part with the help of their families do their own work. Assistance when required is hired sometimes by the year, but more often only in busy seasons and then dispensed with. Such hired help is often drawn from neighbouring farmers who are over-stocked with sons. There is no sense of inferiority whatever attached to the employe of a farmer — he may be above the latter strictly speaking in a social sense, or he may be from a less prosperous grade of the community : but such matters do not enter into the consideration of their mutual relations. The Canadian farmer and his whole household whoever they may happen to be, live together on terms of absolute equality. People who think cutting down trees an allowable occupation but feeding pigs degrading ; who consider that stacking wheat, or possibly, ploughing, is not under the exigencies of the case unworthy of a gentleman, but that carting manure or cleaning out the stable are derogatory, had better have nothing to do with emigration when a limited capital is the case. Such discriminations are inconceivable to a Canadian farmer and appear ridiculous to Englishmen who are farming or who have farmed in America and understand the spirit in which work is done there. Young men therefore, who work with Ontario farmers with a view to some day being farmers themselves will have to take part in any work that happens to be going on and do anything they are asked. 16 Learning farming in England is done by walking about observing operations, taking a hand sometimes in the harvest field, and paying ;^ioo to ;^2oo a year. Learning farming in Canada can only be done thoroughly by working on a farm for wages in the shape of board and lodging in the farmer's family at first, or more of course if it can be got. If the work be hard and the hours long it must be remembered that the work and the hours are the custom of the country, and that they are shared by all agriculturalists in person, rich and poor, educated and illiterate. If the young emigrant cannot stand the life it need necessarily be no fault of his own. I know at this moment quite young and fragile lads from luxurious homes, about whom great doubt was felt when it was decided that they should make their essay at any rate on trial, in a plain Canadian farmer's house on these terms — but have succeeded perfectly. While on the other hand I have seen some, very few certainly, but still some few young men, who in spite of health and strength and strong pro- testations of indifference to hard work and plain living, fail entirely when put to the test. This need not always be a matter of reproach to the emigrant in question. A dislike of desk work impels many young fellows to over- estimate the luxury of mere fresh air and to underrate the monotony of a manual employment they have no experience of. The discovery that they are unfitted for such an occupation may be looked upon as a misfortune and a disappointment. It need not necessarily be made a matter of disgrace. Capacity for a perfectly strange and untried life cannot be assured till it has been tested, and if a mistake is found to have been made, the sooner after a reasonable trial it is unmade, the better. An experi- ment such as this lasting, let us say, six months, will after all, the voyage included, have cost scarcely more than the same period at a public school or similar institution. Do not let us be misconstrued into recom- mending such a course to be lightly taken merely as an experiment ; what we do mean is that in the event of a serious purpose to become an American or Canadian II farmer, being defeated by a distaste for the life, a withdrawal is not quite the same thing as the withdrawal of a would-be engineer or lawyer after spending several years and many hundred pounds on articles and premiums. Again, there must always be found here and there young men who fail in emigration as they fail in everything else. It is a distinquishing trait of such characters that they are apt to lay the blame of their failure on every back but their own. To give satisfaction in such cases is far beyond moi'lal power. To guard against such an occur- rence now and then is an impossibility. The disagreeables moreover of such are so great that the bare risk of unavoidably meeting with them impart to this work a far greater anxiety than it otherwise would have. I have laid more stress on these matters than our past experience warrants, for by far the greater portion of our young men have succeeded in their work. What I wish however to point out is that the responsi- bility of the step must be with parents or guardians themselves. We do the best that we possibly can for young men going out through our hands. More we cannot do. If people have thoroughly reliable friends to whom the young man can be entrusted that is of course another matter. If again he be of an age and character to warrant making the essay upon his own account there is no reason why he should not do so. In the absence however of these conditions our arrangements will be found the best guarantee. It is impossible in all cases to ensure harmony when bringing a Canadian farmer and an EngHsh gentleman's son into intimate connection for the first time who have never seen each other before, and are of entirely different habits, training and associations. Now and then friction will arise through no special fault perhaps of either. A prompt change of quarters only possible under an arrangement like ours is then a simple remedy. In some cases that have come under our charge apparent failure has been converted into success by a judicious . change of home. Occasionally when one change has not had the desired effect a second has been resorted to and produced contentment and success. It is in such cases 12 perhaps, that the striking advantage of such supervision as we give, is most apparent. Manitoba. With regard to this province t'.ie relations of young men going out to Mr. Kelly of Brandon are precisely same as those are to Mr. Rackham in Ontario. The general points of such relationship therefore have been so thoroughly discussed that it only remains to touch on those differences which are due to local conditions. Owing to the comparatively crude state of life in the prairie province it is not easy to find many settlers who would give an inexperienced young man his board and lodging for his services and at the same time afford him a home that in our opinion is sufficiently desirable. Of course young men acting on their own responsibility may put up for a short time with quarters and associations that Ave should not feel justified in utilizing when acting for others. Most of the homes that could be got upon these terms would be so confined and rough in their interiors, and the people of such an unsubstantial description in the matter of property and on so small a scale, as to render the wisdom of any connection of this kind with them extremely doubtful. Mr. Kelly after a good deal of experience in the matter has come to the conclusion that he must for the present decline the charge of any young men whose parents are not prepared to pay from £2 to £^ a month in the shape of board throughout the first year. A personal investiga- tion last autumn on my own part convinced me that he was right. Good house accommodation is still scarce in the North West. Those people that live less roughly and in a better style than the majority of settlers and have better houses are inclined to set a certain amount of value on such, added to which the long winter in a prairie country renders all outside assistance superfluous, and in regarding the matter of a home that is expected to continue through the whole year, this has to be taken into consideration. Mr. Kelly operates over a large area of country and occasionally finds openings where board Will be given free and the surroundings at the same time sufficiently desirable in his estimation. These however^ till the country gets older^ will be the exceptions, as a rule some board will have to be paid as before stated. There is no doubt but that Manitoba is the part of Canada to which the settler with small capital should eventually look. For those therefore who have a preference for going directly to the North West, Mr. Kelly who has several years experience of farming in the country, will make the best arrangements possible. Virginia. For the South and South West the above State is for every reason a first rate training ground, and more than that, it is an excellent field for the permanent settlement of persons with small and moderate capital. The climate is exceedingly healthy, and the seasons open. Unlike Canada where the farmers are for the most part of one class, all varieties of people in Virginia are found living upon the soil, from educated gentlemen to illite- rate mountaineers. It is ,vith the better class of farmers that our young men are placed by Major Saunders, and upon terms which vary according to circumstances. (See circular) Major Saunders is a Virginian' gentleman of an old established family ; he was an officer in the Civil War of i86i to '65 and at one time represented his county in the legislature. He was a delegate from his county {1885) to the agricultural convention at Richmond and for the State of Virginia at the national farmer's convention in Chicago ^1885) ; he lives at his home of Caryswood, near Evington, in the County of Campbell. Major Saunders' long experience of his own State, his wide connections in all pa' ts of it give him facilities for placing his young men that English agents or local settlers cannot possjbly share. These natural facilities, moreover, are helped by frequent journeys and correspondences in this particular interest and by some years' experience of the class of young Englishmen under notice both as a pupil and a settler. As an instance "Free board and lodging for work'^ 14 is not popularly supposed to be possible in a respectable family in Virginia for the class of emigrant under consideration. If an enquirer were to ask an English settler from that State whether such terms were obtainable, the latter would be almost sure to say they were not. Were he asked to take a young man into his own house his terms would run from £%o to ;^I20, whether he were living roughly or well. Again I notice that the London agencies who place young men have to charge £iio in Virginia. Major Saunders, however, being on the spot and having the special advantages above alluded to, is able to get the very best homes in the State for his young men at a cost, the very maximum of which is far below these figures. The cost of the first year, inclusive of premium, to young men going to Virginia through our hands ranges from ^75 down to ^25, or in other words as stated in circular, Major Saunders never pays more than £^0 2l year board, more often pays from ^35 to £^0 and secures some few openings every year where a free home is given for work. Major Saunders confines himself to no one portion of the State. He picks out the best localities and the best people. In comparing Virginia with Canada and the North it must be remembered that wages in the former are com- paratively low, the value of unskilled assistance much less, and the conditions of life almost always less rough than in more Northern and Western latitudes. For information on Virginia see " Virginia for English settlers " price 6d., Virginia handbook with maps," price 2s. ; both to be had at this office. PART III. t Florida. In view of the large emigration to this State, I am making arrangements for the reception of young men and others who wish to go out as learners on to groves or fruit farms. The conditions of Florida make the position 15 of the new comer somewhat different from what it often is in more northerly countries. His assistance is generally regarded as of less value and he must, as a rule, be content to h^arn his business as a pupil or paying boarder. The great industries of Florida, orange growing combined with general fruit and vegetable culture, are practically speaking of recent development. They are carried on for the most part by strangers from other States and England who have come into the country within the last few years. Among these the well-to-do and educated element is very largely represented. The latter are also quite as successful in this particular line as the plainer settlers who in matters of general farming would probably be their superiors. The household of an English gentleman therefore settled in Florida offers to the learner as good practical instruction as that of an American, — a decided exception in other States, — while the difference in expense is little or nothing, all other things being equal. Parents, guardians and young men themselves naturally incline towards their own countrymen. Our arrangements for the reception of young men are therefore made almost entirely with English gentlemen some time settled in the country. There are of course great numbers of these in all parts of the State ready to take young men upon their groves. Some are necessarily more practical and successful than others. Some have greater home advantages and comforts, some again have estates more healthily situated than those of others, while every degree of character and responsibility must perforce be represented. A constant business connection with Florida enables me to select from among these the most desirable homes with the most responsible people at moderate terms. A representative from this office moreover, has gone to Florida, and is making particular investigation upon this point. It will be recognised then that the placing and supervis- ing system with a central authority so invaluable in other parts is hardly applicable to Florida, where young men go direct into the households of responsible English gentlemen and pay a board. With regard to this latter feature it must .16 be explained that there is little or no demand for Unskilled and unaclimatized assistance in Florida. The reasons foi* this are numerous, but not altogether easy of explanation* The clin^ate to begin with, though not unhealthy, demands during parts of the year, considerable prudence on the part of the new comers. Educated settlers therefore shrink^ and naturally so, from the responsibility, expense and trouble of an inmate, who will give only his \Vork, wheri such work must necessarily be of a totally unskilled description and be indulged in only in moderation during the probationary period. Cheap negro labour moreover, is always available for ploughing, clearing and all rough work. Again, in a new country, under which head Florida may be classed, tolerable accommodation is valued more highly than where house room is abundant. The two extremes of America, Manitoba and Florida, in this one feature at least have something in common. The settler who has borne his pioneer hairdships and who has made for himself a comfortable or at least sufficient home, is inclined to set some store by it. In all countries it must be remembered that the addition of an inmate to a household means something more than the market value of the food consumed. In a new country where housekeeping and catering are more troublesome this is felt even to a greater degree. That there may be isolated instances here and there in Florida of a young man going out and getting through his first year under more economical conditions is possible, but for all practical purposes those who go out to Florida with the intention of gaining experience to fit them for settlers, must expect lo pay for their board. Rates of board with the better class of settler viry from^ _^40 to £%o a year. Generally speaking, wh a yo"n