People also came to the English colonies for better economic opportunity. However, once here, people had to supply and ship materials to England at a low price and then England sent the finished products back to the colonies at a high price. This system was called mercantilism. The New England Colonies had poor soil for farming, plenty of forests, harsh winters, and cool summers. Due to this geographic makeup, people who settled in the New England colonies could not become large scale farmers, but rather became hunters, lumberjacks, fishermen, rum producers, and fishermen in order to make money. The Middle Colonies offered fertile land. There was a long growing season and mild winters. People living there could become farmers and