of the smaller market that existed in Quebec. There had always been an exceedingly high number of farmers in New France and even in the early history of Quebec. It is estimated that in 1851 about 70% of Quebec's inhabitants were farmers. In the eastern United States, these numbers were drastically different: the earliest census data on this topic shows that in 1870 only 13% of residents in Massachusetts and 25% of residents in New York state were farmers. At this time, the agricultural sector still accounted for over half of the Quebec working population. These contrasting numbers meant that the Quebec farmer served an internal market only 1/3 the size of the market available to the average New York farmer. This smaller market in New France meant that habitants had little surplus wealth. Despite the lack of excess income, habitants still had to pay a variety of annual dues for the land received from a seigneur. There were certain responsibilities or "duties" that came with receiving a free plot of land from the seigneur. Firstly, habitants were expected to cultivate and live on the land. If a piece of land was not cultivated within a year, the seigneur had the "droit de réunion," meaning the right of repossession. Secondly, there were several dues that habitants had to pay to the seigneur. One due was the "cens", which ranged between 2 and 6 sols. This charge was mostly symbolic, since it was a fairly paltry sum. Rent was typically set at an annual rate of 20 sols for every "arpent" of land, and a significant expense would typically be paid each year by habitants to the seigneur towards fees for livestock grazing on the villages' common fields, wood harvesting, etc. Seigneurs also received "lods et ventes" if habitants sold their land, which was equivalent to one-twelfth of the sale price. Another duty of habitants was to grind wheat at the seigneurial mill and pay a fee of one-fourteenth of the wheat ground. Some habitants also owed the seigneur one-thirteenth of the total amount of fish they caught. In addition, some habitants were responsible for completing 1–4 days of mandatory work during the sowing, harvesting, or haying season, which were called "corvées". Habitants were expected to fulfill all of these obligations to repay the seigneur for granting them land in the first place. Family life The habitants went to New France