the rate at which the land was cleared was governed by the nature of the economy and differences in the amount of land farmed influenced the rates of cultural transfer and survival. He says it was more economical for the immigrants to clear land quickly and farm it extensively on the frontier, especially if a grain economy dominated as it did in Peterborough. Marginal climate, soil that was undesirable to farm, and opportunities for alternate employment discouraged commercial farming in Avalon and to some extent Miramichi. Mannion then tells how the farms in these areas remained small and a more labor intensive agriculture evolved. He claims settlers were too much involved in clearing land or fishing to pursue pastoral farming. As technology improved though, more capital intensive forms of agriculture appeared. The book then goes on to talk about the increasing technology used in farming. It tells how increasing links with urban centers were significant in the growing standardization of farm technology. Factory made implements were replacing homemade tools and a more scientific agriculture was developing in eastern Canada. Labor shortages was motivation to mechanize. Technological innovation and change, according to Mannion, were closely related to farm size. He makes this evident by showing how in Peterborough once the area cultivated exceeded an immigrants homeland farm acreage, some traditional tools and techniques were discarded. In Avalon though, Mannion says the traditional techniques remained in tact. All of the technological advances were for economic purposes as well.The next section of the book deals with the farm outbuildings. Mannion claims that the trait complex least affected by economic conditions was the farmhouse. He tells how some architectural aspects of folk housing were modified to cater to New World economic conditions, but the interior layouts and furnishings were mostly transferable of Irish trai...
