compare life on a farm in Upper Canada in 1840 with life on a farm in New France a hundred years before.?

Answer 1

I would deal with this in four categories: land tenure, crops, transportation & communication, and industry

In NF in 1740 an habitant (peasant farmer) would not have owned his land outright but held it from a seigneur in exchange for a variety of payments and other obligations. A farmer in UC in 1840 would have had free title to his land (though he might have had some indebtedness).

In NF in 1740 an habitant would mostly have grown wheat, some peas and a few other crops mostly for self sufficiently, to pay dues to the seigneur and church and perhaps with a bit left over to market. A farmer in UC in 1840 most likely would have grown wheat for a variety of local, regional or international market but might also have specialized in a variety of other cash crops depending on location.

In NF in 1740 the farmer would have depended on the rivers and a very inadequate road system. He might never have read a newspaper or written a letter in his life. The UC farmer would have had a much better developed system including a denser road net and canals and would live to see railroads. If literate he might have been a regular reader of newspapers and in regular communication with distance relataives by mail.

The NF farmer was living before the industrial revolution. He would likely have made his own farm tools out of wood and bought very little in the way of manufactured goods. The UC farmer was living at a time when the industrial revolution had been going on for decades. He would have purchased and owned factory made farm machinery and factory made industrial good for the home.

Answer 2

In 1740, New France was colonized by France. The farmers were basically feudal farmers. The settlements were small and agriculture was mostly subsidence farming.

By 1840, New France was Canada and under British rule. There was some immigration, however due to an increased birth rate, Canada experienced an over population, increasing the need for wheat, oats, etc.