MANY young men in the Atlantic States, who desire to go from home and strike out for themselves, as well as many foreign emigrants, have neither the means nor the disposition to settle down at once as farm owners, and therefore seek for employment. Some skillful mechanics may act wisely in going to the large cities, but the young man who knows how to work a farm has, if he will only realize it, the most honorable, healthful, and enviable calling in the world. He should resolutely turn his back upon the cooped-up city, and go out where he can breathe, and be respected and independent.

A man who is willing to work may find steady employment, at fair wages, as a farm hand, in almost any part of the United States, and can lay up as much or more money than he can in the city, where, if the pay be larger, the cost of living is higher, and the inducements to spend money greater. In addition, he is becoming familiar with the section of country, and getting new ideas of farming, which will be useful to him by and by. And the foreigner who hires out upon a farm for the first few months or years, is acquiring not only the information above alluded to, but acquainting himself with the manners and customs, and perhaps learning the language of the country. The demand for farm labor was never so great as now, and it is constantly increasing. Farm wages in America are much higher than in Europe, and the opportunities for social and personal advancement are tenfold greater. Some of the most prominent men in this country came here poor and friendless, and began by working for wages.

In 1866 the rate of wages paid for farm labor throughout the United States showed an increase in five years of about fifty per cent. The following tables, compiled with great care from returns made by correspondents throughout the country to the Agricultural Department at Washington, will be valuable to emigrants.

Table showing the average rate of wages of agricultural labor per month, when employed for the year.

STATES AND TERRITORIES	Per month for the year (without board)	Per month for the year (with board)	Per month, for the season (without board)	Per month, for the season (with board)
Maine	$27.00	$17.44	$31.76	$23.07
New Hampshire	32.74	22.48	39.12	28.43
Vermont	32.84	21.00	37.44	25.72
Massachusetts	38.94	22.36	41.61	27.83
Rhode Island	34.40	20.50	40.00	26.33
Connecticut	34.25	21.54	39.66	28.30
New York	29.57	19.32	34.88	24.26
New Jersey	32.27	18.98	33.13	23.78
Pennsylvania	29.91	18.84	34.10	22.87
Delaware	24.93	13.25	26.25	15.25
Maryland	20.36	12.76	23.83	15.58
Virginia	14.82	9.36	17.21	12.09
North Carolina	13.46	8.15	15.18	10.00
South Carolina	12.00	7.66	14.00	9.46
Georgia	15.51	9.67	18.45	12.07
Florida	18.00	12.12	20.55	14.46
Alabama	13.40	9.80	16.38	11.00
Mississippi	16.72	11.58	22.58	16.80
Louisiana	20.50	12.42	22.25	18.34
Texas	19.00	12.72	23.73	16.76
Arkansas	24.21	15.80	29.61	19.46
Tennessee	19.00	12.58	22.00	16.61
West Virginia	25.35	16.47	29.34	21.20
Kentucky	20.23	13.65	23.80	17.06
Missouri	26.75	18.08	30.84	21.66
Illinois	28.54	18.72	33.09	23.30
Indiana	27.71	18.72	31.50	22.50
Ohio	28.46	18.96	32.45	23.15
Michigan	31.26	20.48	34.95	24.15
Wisconsin	30.84	19.87	35.65	24.60
Minnesota	31.65	21.10	38.40	27.17
Iowa	28.34	18.87	33.24	23.82
Kansas	34.03	19.81	36.40	25.46
Nebraska	38.37	24.64	46.42	31.36
Utah Territory	44.71	26.32	58.22	38.41
Colorado Territory	67.50	42.12	79.16	50.00
New Mexico	25.00	16.50	30.00	25.00
California	45.71	30.35	50.00	34.39
Nevada.	75.00	60.00	85.00	70.00
Washington Territory	52.25	36.25	60.50	44.50
Dakota	30.20	20.00	32.00	22.00
Oregon	35.75	22.53	41.60	29.00

Table showing the rate of wages of agricultural labor per day, in transient service, December, 1866.

STATES	Per day, for transient service in harvest (without board)	Per day, for transient service in harvest (with board)	Per day, for transient service other than in harvest (without board)	Per day, for transient service other than in harvest (with board)
Maine	$2.02	$1.56	$1.49	$1.13
New Hampshire	1.98	1.52	1.67	1.26
Vermont	2.32	1.85	1.76	1.32
Massachusetts	2.41	1.92	1.83	1.38
Rhode Island	2.23	1.71	1.83	1.33
Connecticut	2.43	1.90	1.75	1.29
New York	2.41	1.92	1.75	1.23
New Jersey.	2.68	2.38	1.68	1.20
Pennsylvania	2.32	1.80	1.59	1.10
Delaware	2.09	1.62	1.31	.94
Maryland	2.00	1.68	1.31	.96
Virginia	1.46	1.21	.82	.57
North Carolina	1.53	1.17	.72	.50
South Carolina	1.25	.93	.69	.45
Georgia	1.48	1.06	.99	.70
Florida	1.12	.83	1.00	.74
Alabama	1.27	1.04	.78	.55
Mississippi	1.65	1.14	1.34	.89
Louisiana	1.66	1.20	1.08	.70
Texas	1.65	1.32	1.31	.98
Arkansas	2.07	1.52	1.34	.88
Tennessee	2.01	1.54	1.15	.83
West Virginia	1.78	1.31	1.31	.92
Kentucky	2.10	1.70	1.21	.86
Missouri	2.15	1.72	1.44	1.07
Illinois	2.41	1.91	1.62	1.21
Indiana	2.23	1.76	1.45	1.06
Ohio	2.20	1.73	1.54	1.13
Michigan	2.62	2.14	1.78	1.30
Wisconsin	2.68	2.15	1.78	1.28
Minnesota	2.68	2.27	1.75	1.35
Iowa	2.38	1.88	1.62	1.19
Kansas	2.31	1.82	1.65	1.19
Nebraska	2.65	2.15	1.93	1.43
Utah Territory	3.42	2.49	2.27	1.63
Colorado Territory	4.17	2.87	3.29	1.93
New Mexico Territory	1.50	1.12	1.00	.90
California	2.56	2.06	2.26	1.72
Nevada	3.50	3.00	3.00	2.50
Washington Territory	3.00	2.25	2.25	1.75
Dakota Territory	2.50	2.00	2.00	1.50
Oregon	2.40	1.80	1.75	1.40

In the Report of the Agricultural Department for 1867 we also find the following relating to the

The difference between wages without board and the rate allowed when board is furnished by the employer is naturally found to vary quite regularly with the cost of food products, the rate being higher in the East than in the West, and higher still in the Territories of the Rocky Mountains, but less in California than in Massachusetts. In the South the board of freedmen, consisting mainly of corn meal and bacon, is, of course, very low. Possibly in Alabama the difference between labor with and without board may be too small. The mode of hiring and supplying these laborers varies so much with circumstances that our correspondents found it difficult to reduce their information to the system required. The following is a statement of these differences in monthly pay on account of board, averaging $6.26 in the Southern States, and $12.51 for the other States:—

Maine	$9.56	Tennessee	$6.42
New Hampshire	10.76	West Virginia	8.88
Vermont	11.84	Kentucky	6.58
Massachusetts	16.58	Missouri	8.67
Rhode Island	13.90	Illinois	9.82
Connecticut	12.71	Indiana	8.99
New York	10.25	Ohio	9.50
New Jersey	13.29	Michigan	10.78
Pennsylvania	11.07	Wisconsin	10.97
Delaware	11.68	Minnesota	10.55
Maryland.	7.60	Iowa	9.47
Virginia	5.46	Kansas	11.22
North Carolina	5.31	Nebraska.	13.73
South Carolina	4.34	Utah Territory	18.39
Georgia	5.84	Colorado Territory	25.38
Florida	5.88	New Mexico Territory	8.50
Alabama	3.60