New England: Better for Industry Than Agriculture? Actually, the Opposite.

The premise is incorrect. New England's rocky, thin soils, short growing season, and hilly terrain made it poorly suited for large-scale agriculture.

Instead, these factors drove early industrialization: abundant water power (rivers), ports for trade, timber, and a labor force displaced from marginal farms. Textiles, shipbuilding, and machining flourished. Agriculture remained small-scale (dairy, apples, maple, subsistence).

So: geography hindered farming → pushed capital/labor into industry.