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Original copies in printed paper covers are filmed beginning with the fro «u)u^'~ ■» ,■;/ '•^. re\»«*> IC£« Loui^tudit Wokt l\!mn Gtwinwiii -^^^ ^ \ lULITSroiS nwiiit !>ii 1|A.VI« ^ NS *i?i»»" no FROM THK JOUUNAL OF TIIK UOYAL AUHlCUl/iUKAL SUOIKTY 01 KNOl.AND. VOL. XXI. -ss. rAKl' 1. ■ 1 .^ t iivm 'I' 11 1 ] P 11 A I R I E . The Doinlnion of (^an.ula includes the wludo of British North Aiiioricii fxccpt Xcwlouiuiliuul. liy the |]ritish North America At;t, passed in 1(S()7, the provinces of Upper and Lower Cana(hi (Ontario and (^uelx'c), New Hrunswick, and Nova Scotia were united unchT tlu; tith» of the " Dominion of Canada," and pro- vision was made in th(! Act for the admission at any sthsecjuent period of the other provinces and territories of British North America. In 1870, at the close of the Red River H.ebellion, the province of Manitoba was formed, and, with the remainder of tlie vast lludsorj's Bay Ttjrritory, now called the North-West Territory, was a,2.V2 r)(;,44tj 4,44i; 8-r> Total ;{,470,:5!»2 4,:324,810 0:^7, 78«J l--n The s(|uare mileai;e stated is the land area; adding to this the area of the },Mcal lakes and rivers, bays and inlets, 14(),()()0 n iHi •r h 4 Canadian A(/riciiUure. s(]uare miles, there results a total area of over .3,0 10,000 square miles, which may be compared with the area of Europe, 0,1100,000 square miles, and with that of the United States, 2,5»oo,5«8 square miles, or, including Alaska, 3,510,i)78 square miles. Out of the entire population, 40ii,491 persons, that is, about one-tenth of the total, were owners occupying their own lands. Holders of ten acres or less numbered 75, '280. Those who held lands of eleven to 100 acres were 24l),9J)7 ; of from 101 to 200 acres the number of holders was 102,243 ; and of more than 200 acres, 3(),4i)i). The area of land occupied in the Dominion in 1881 was 45,358,141 acres, of which 21,899,181 acres were improved, 15,112,284 acres being under crop, (1,385,562 acres in pasture, and 401,335 acres in gardens and orchards. The latest available figures which show the extent of trade in the Dominion are those of the Trade and Navigation Returns for the fiscal year ending June 30th, 1883. The total imports were valued at 26,450,805?., and the total exports at 19,()17,1()0/. The aggregate trade, including imports and exports, was appor- tioned thus: with Great Britain 19,839,530/., and with the Unit«'d States 19,540,211/., so that, notwithstanding the close proximity of Canada to the United States, the larger portion of her trade is still with the mother country. Upon the total value of imports the Customs revenue amounted to 4,()34,4()2/., being an average duty of 17*52 per cent., and an average ol 'I'ls. per head of tlie population. The exports of the produce of Canada, shi])pi d at Canadian ports, were : — £ PrtKluce of the mine, 5'.)4,177 „ fisheries 1,7()J,824 „ forest 5,074,1-15 Animals ami their iimduce ,. .. 4,<»5(),H(1!) A;;rieultural products '1,5();;5,704 Manufactures 700,()M The chief items under " animals and their produce " were : — £ Horses .. ,, ,. ai;(;,(;58 Horned cattle 771>,(i05 Sheep 277,(;ll kSvvine and their produce 117,7l(i liutter 341, k;;; Cheese 1,'J1)0,;574 Furs 217,505 Hides i)*J,l'.t7 i^acoii H7,;!'.)5 Wool 5(;,iOf5 K;:i];s 451,.'>17 F .■/^KK!.WL Peas 4^52,342 In addition to the above, \vheat, in transit from the Western United States, w.as exported to the value of 1,104,377/. As Canada is a young country, with a sparse population widely scattered, her revenue is derived from indirect taxation, there being at present many obstacles in the way of the collection of direct taxes. The inland revenue in the fiscal year ending June 30th, 18«3, amounted to 1,375,652/., of which 780,573/. was raised from spirits, 81,005/. from malt, and 377,260/. from tobacco. Of the last-named article, 0,558, 1)52 lb. were manu- factured, of which 454,1)22 lb. were exported. For reasons already stated, and on account of the proximity of the United States, where Protection prevails, a protective tariff is imposed on all, or nearly all, imports into the Dominion ; and it is claimed that owing to this " national policy," formulated in 1878, the manufacturing industries of Cr»nada have been very greatly developed. Air. Patterson, Secretary of the Montreal Hoard of Trade, in one of his reports, said that "in 1881 the total foreign trade of Canada was larger, in proportion to the population, than that of the United States ; while the shipping of Canada, per head of the population, was more tnan four times as large." The imports of wheat and bread stuffs from Canada into the United Kingdom during the last ten years, are set forth in the following table : — Wheat. Wbeat-mcal uiid !■ ItPiir. 1 I'wts. Cwts. 1S74 .S, 807, 174 ;58s »,;{.-).-) 1S7.) ;{,(;04,t;io ;{r)8,7(it> 187tJ 2,117,151 282, ().".;{ 1877 2,!H2,178 254, (;;»;-) 1S7S 2,(;(i;{..')8(] 2i»4,118 lS7lt 4,(!70,(;S«J 4(;o,4:!5 iscso ;!.s:»:{..-)i4 521,702 ISSl 2,8i;(),8r)4 2tiO,;M'J 1882 2, 1 184,828 :i;!i>,:!05 188:5 1,7U8,05G 1 40D,4tJ0 A country that spans the globe from the Atlantic to the i A 0 Canmlia n At/n'culturc. Pacific, whose southornmost point extends as far down as the Latitude of Rome, whiU' its northern limits are h)st amid the ice-fiehls of the Arctic seas, and whose area is nearly etjual to that of Europe, must necessarily possess many and striking variations in its physical features. And yet, in a few words, it may be said that the eastern part of the Dominion— the pro- vinces of Xova Scotia, New l^runswick, (Quebec, and Ontario — is forest ; the western jiortion, I^ritish Columbia, is mountain ; while the intermediate area of vast plains with their woodland borders constitutes the prairie region of Manitoba and the JN orth-West Territories. "To diarnctnist' in a fi-w lines a cunntry covorin'j; move than half the continent of Xorih America, and reaehinj; tVoni tlie hitituile of Coiistantinoplo to the X'lrtli Toh' — a ctmiitrv whose circuitous coast-line on the Atlantic nieasuns lO/'OO miles, and whost; western slioic n[ion the i'acilic, titndded with islands and indented by seeiire harbours and deep inlets, attains alnu)st an equal length — a countiy where mai/.e and jieaches are staple crops, and vhere veuetation lades out U[ion the desolate and melancholy shores of the Arctic Ocian, — to characterise such a country by a I'ew treneral phrases is evidently iniiiosisiblo. If wo look at the eastern portion alone, we see the t;reatest ionsl region in the world. If we consider the central ]iortion, \vc aru n'-^ai-ding the iireat prairie country ; but if we eruss the passes into tlie racilic Province, \vc enter upon that ' Sea of ^lountains,' comjmred with which the ni(»st mountainims country in Kuro[ie is of limited extent. "And yet, there are aspects in whicli, when British C'olundiia is excepted, this great country may be aiiitrehended by a wide generalisation, Jt is a country of broad lakes and flowing waters. A enuntry where the abundance of streams and tlu; regidarity of summer rains ]ireclud(! the ]!ossibility of druuuht. It is a land of gra.-s ami forest. A country containing by far the largest portion of fresh water ui'oii the globe; where, 2000 miles from the ocean, the traveller may lose sight of land and be prostrated by sea-sickness. A land containing tlie most extensive water-ways in the worltl ; where thousands cif miles of navigable rivers may conduct connnerce into the remotest corner of the continent at its widest part. The slope of the land Irom the lloeky ]\Iountains is so gradual that tlie rivers tlow with an even stream, and their sotu'ces arc so certain that they flow with an eipiable volume. The (jiily abrupt fall of land from Kdmonton to the sea is the terrace at Niagara, 'i'hat lall, and the minor rapids of the St. Lawrence, are overcome b\' the most complete system of canals in the world, aixl, with one tranship- ment at ^bmtreid, goods can be landed at the head of Lake Suiierior in the centre of the continent, 'JoSi nules from the; Straits of llell(i.>-le. Ol this dis- tance, LlOi) miles are in fresh water ; but if we turn farther north, and enter Canada by Ihidson's Lay, the ocean shi|i will reach, at I'oit Nelson, the out- let of a river syt^tem stretching out with few interruptiejns to the very backboiK! of the continent; and ilraiinng an interior basin, remot<'r than the St. Lawrence basin, of over '_',0^^0,OOU sipiare miles in extent. 'this iirofouiid ]ienetraiion and peiimation of the country by water-ways is the great charaiterisiie of (.'anada. From I'ort Nelson to Liverpool is L'lMl ndles — from Ni'W York to Liverpoo is oOlO miles. It is diirienlt to realise the fact that there, in the very Centre of America, an Englishman is til) miles nearer home than at New York."* * 'llaudbuok for the Doininion of Canada.' Dawbon Bros., Bloutreul, IMSI, p. 1. ,,:**afiiBi«»««if«»»!<«»w:,. J Canadian A(/riculturo. 7 In wrltlnji^ on such a subject as tlio acfricuUuro of Canada, it is hardly possible to at once pluns, a misfortune that men often heiiin to acquire a useful knowled^^e about the cnlouies when it is too late lor tiiem to make use of it for tluir own pnul. The information as regards the prospeels of life in these %yva\. teriitories should be ;j,iven in the schools and universities. 'I'o many a buy an accurate knowle(lv;e of how money can best bi; made, and the early years of nuiidmnd most profitably spient in Australia, New Zealand, and the Donniuou of Canada, would be of far nuire use than much of the oi)S()lete erudition still rrtaiied to him in our Knulish ptibljc schools. 'I'lie VDvaL^es of Conk, nf (diamplain, and Vancouver are as inter- est im; as are those of Ulysses, and the sid>se(|rient history of the lands they discovered the most edifyiiej; lor an Kii'^lish boy. if trne iiilbrmation were readily obtained, and colonial life were brou^lit as familiarly to the minds of l'aiu;lishmeii as their own home lile, it is diflictilt to believe that thi'i-e wo\Ud n'Uiain so many here who have no occupation liut the provirbial privi- ]ei:e of grumblin-- at their own fate, and at all around them. In Canada, if it Vi'ere net tor the constant bri:;ht sunshine, and for certain improvements in xXw. art of Government, both central and local, the Scotch and Kni;lish euu;j;rants iniuht ima'j:iiie that they had never left the Chi World, so ijood are the schools, so orderly an; the peojile, so easy th.e coiuuuiiiication from one district to another." During the last two or three years, that jiortion of Canada known as the Prairie has attracted far more attention in I'lnirland than has lately been bestowed upon the older and better-known provinces of the Dominion. It has been deemed advisable, therefore, to devote the first part of this paper to a discussion of the natural and agricultural leatures of Manitoba and the North- VVest. As the agricultural development of a country must be largely inHuenced by the character of its surface, the constitu- tion and capabilities of its soils, the composition and value of its native herbage, and, above all, l)y its climate, a notice of these and allied subjects will naturally prepare the way for the ; 8 CaraiJinv A(/n'rii}fiirr. siibscquont description of prairie farminfj;. The latter part of the paper deals with the ajjriculture of the longer settled and better known provinces of Eastern Canada. The Puaikie. Physical Features. — The surface of the prairie region of British North America occupies three extensive steppes, or table-lands, the lowest of which is on the east, and the most elevated on the west. The political boundary between Canada and the Western United States is here identical with the 4l)th parallel of north latitude, and along this line the prairie extends from the 9Gth to the ll2th meridian, a distance of about 900 miles from east to west. Northwards the prairie becomes narrower, and where it disappears on the bleak coasts of the Arctic Ocean its width does not exceed 400 miles. The Cana- dian prairie is bounded on the east by the rocky plateau which fringes the western shores of Lake Winnipeg, and then strikes west and north-west to Lake Athabasca. This plateau consists of very ancient crystalline rocks, of Laurentian and perhaps Huronian age, and does not present an unbroken front to the prairie, for it is penetrated by the Nelson and Churchill rivers on their way to Hudson's Bay. The character of this plateau may be well observed in travelling along the Canadian Pacific Railway from Port Arthur, Lake Superior, to the city of Win- nij)eg, a distance of 429 miles, nearly 340 of which are across this boundary ; much of the scenery is wild and rocky, and sug- gestive of mineral wealth, while in some parts dense woods and undergrowth, and in others extensive swamps, meet the eye. This wide belt of country presents few or no features of agricul- tural interest, and, indeed, whatever agricultural development it is capable of is likely to be long deferred, while such vast areas of fertile treeless prairie remain to the west. In the neighbour- hood of Telford, 338 miles west of Port Arthur, and 91 inih^s cast of Winnipeg, the rocky plateau, with its poplars, tamaracs, and other trees, gives place to a level sweeping country with stunted shrubs, and the clear rapid streams of the rocks are repl.aced by sluggish, muddy rivulets. The land of rock and swamp and timber is left behind, and the rich alluvial soil of the eastern fringe of the prairies is entered upon, for this is the Red River valley, with its eastern belt of muskeg, or floating swamp, 20 miles wide. The western boundary of the prairie region is constituted by the magnificent natural rampart of the Rocky Mountains, the junction of plateau and mountain being usually flanked by foot- liills, such as those to the south and west of Calgary, among which Cdnadian Aqriculturo. y tho Canadian cattle ranches have been established. This sujM'il) mountain axis (tonsists really ol a series ot parallel ranjjes, their total breadth iVoin east to west extendinfj some hundreds of miles, and the loftier peaks beinj|»- clad with per- petual snow thrown into bold relief when contrasted with the dark ji^reen hues of the pine trees which clothe the lower sloj)es. Professor Ramsay, of Cilasjjow University, writes : — " 'I'licn' avo few u;niMilfr slights than tlie circle of the Alps as se^ri from tlu! Milan Cathedral, sriirccly less line is tlx' vast wall of tiie Pyrenees as si^^lited I'roni Toiiloiise, hiil neifluir the one nor the other presents so nia.'^nili- ceat a spectacle as that stee[), strai'^ht line of snowy ]iealvs, vising; in one endless chain out of the ll;'t to put houmls :it h'n^th to the seenui]'j,ly bound- less praiiie.'" The Rockies constitute the water-partinjj * which separates the rivers that takt; their ori^^jn on the eastern water-shed from those whii;h an; fed bv the draina<;e of the Pacific slopes. Almost coincident with the; political boundary on the south of tiie C'ana. is 0 m 1 IK' > H m m 't:;1 iff 11 10 Cavadiau Aiirirultnre. rotainod, most of this northorn area hoing^ oovorod witli douse forests of evt'rsi(I(>s tlie tlnce sciils already loltMn'd to, four otlier Manitoba soils were examined in {greater detail. They came respectively Irom Niverville, 41 miles west ol VVinnipejjf ; Iroin Hiandon, l.'i.'j miles west ol Winnipeg; Irom Selkirk, 22 miles north-east ol" VVinnipej;^; and Irom Winni- yteg itsell". Th«?se soils showed a very hij^h perccnitage ol nitrogen ; that from Niverville nearly twice as high a per<:eiit- age as in the first G or I) inches ol ordinary arable land, and about as higli as the surface soil of pasture land in (ireat iiritain. That from J^randon was less rich, still the first 12 inches of depth is as ri(;h as the first 6 or i) in( lies of good old arable lands. The soil from Selkirk showed an extremely high percentage; of nitrogen in the first 12 inches, and in the second 12 inches as high a |)ercent.ige as in ordinary pasture surface soil. Lastly, both the first and second 12 inches of the VVinni- j)eg soil were shown to be very rich in nitrogen, richer than the average of old pasture surface soil. To determine to what ext(mt the nitrogen in these soils is susceptible of nitrification, and so of becoming available lor plant-growth, the soils an«l subsoils were placed in shallow dislies, covered with plates of glass, kept under proper conditions of temperature and moisture for specified periods, extracted from time to time, and the nitric acid determined in the extracts. The periods were never less than twenty-eight days, and the rate of nitrification declined alter the third and fourth periods. In the case of the subsoils, there was a very marked increase in the rate of nitrification during the eighth period as compared with the seventh, there having been only a tenth of a gram of garden soil containing nitrifying organisms added. This result is very striking, and of much interest, affording evidence that the nitrogen of subsoils is subject to nitrification if only in suitable conditions, and the result lends confirmation to the view that deep-rooted plants may favour nitrification in the lower layers of the soil. The authors further state that official records show that the; rich prairie soils of the North-VVest are competent to yield large crops, but under present conditions they do not give yields commensurate with their richness, compared with the soils of Great l^ritain, which have been under arable culti- vation for centuries. That the rich prairie soils do not yield more produce is due partly to climate, but largely to scarcity of labour, and consequent imperfect cultivation, thus leading to too luxuriant a growth of weeds ; and until mixed agriculture and stock-feeding can be had recourse to, and local demand arises, the burning of the straw, and deficiency and waste of manure, are more or less inevitable, but still exhausting practices. So long as land is cheap and labour dear, some sacrifice of 11 r 1'': 'iv: ' il 16 Canadian Aiirivnlturc, fertility is unavoidable in the pnxTss of bringing these virgin soils under profitable cultivation, and the only remedy is to be found in increase of population. Still the fact should not be lost sight of, that such practices of pioneer settlement do involve serious waste of fertility. It may not be out of place to append the opinion of the Rothamsted investigators, that a fertile soil is one vi^hich has accumulated within it the residue of ages of previous vegetation, and that it becomes infertile as this residue is exhausted. Through the kindness of my colleague. Dr. J. M. H. Munro, F.C.S., 1 am able to give the following complete analysis of, and report upon, a sample of prairie soil taken from the first 12 inches : — AnahjHlis of Prairie Soil fraui Jiirth\ MauHuha. The soil dried at 212° F. contains— Organic matter iind combined watiT .. ,. 1»*70 Small stones ami i^'ravcl I'll Gravelly sand 2* 'If) Coarse sand (11 "20 Fine sand 11-70 Clay and clayey .sand (ignited) 10'54 100-00 Associated in the air-dried soil with — Moisture (J- 70 The fine earth (passing through a sieve oO meshes to the incli) dried at 2]2°F. contains— Organic matter and combined water ,. .. lO'OT Rand and silicates 88-41 Peroxide of iron and alumina 4-105 Carbonate of lime 0 •".)(> Potash (KjO) 0-271 Phosphoric acid (PgOj) 0-lt'ot determined, and losis 0-402 100-000 I'er cent. Total nitrogen 0-412 'i'otal minerals dissolved by cold water .. 0-048 Potash soluble in water 0*0081 The sand and gravel of the soil consist chiefly of fragments and pebbles of quartz, with an admixture of other minerals derived from igneous rocks, and here and there a spangle of mica. Ihe black colour is due to vegetable matter, which is i)re8ent in very large proportion, and is the chief sourct'of the great fertility of the soil. A rough measure of this fertility is the percentage turr. Canadian At/riculture. 17 »tf nitrogtii ill llie thin earlli, wliich in at least double that found In the bur- face uoil ul' j^ikkI Et»;;li8h piistun;. Tlicre is an ample projiortioii of phosphoric acid, and tlm supply of potash is very larjic, as is usually the case with soils formed of thd li/ihris of vulcanic rocks. Lime alone, of all the elements of fertility, is present in feeble proportion, and its application to this and similar soils will proliably be of <^reat benolit in the near future, before the noed arises for the us(! of the ordinary artificial manures. The hijh relative proi)ortion of magnesia is noteworthy in coiuicction with the wheat-j;rowing properties of the soil. Native H(trlKt(/c. — TIjo most essential feature of the prairie is,, ]>erliaps, its treeless character, this characteristic beiri^, in fact., indicated in the name (Fr. prairie, a meadow). Thus the great mass of the vegt^tation of the prairie is composed of herbage, tliough shrubs may sotnetimes be seen in swampy localities, and the course r)f a river or stream is often indicated by a line of low tnu's. The character and feeding quality of the prairie herbage are matters of prime importance irom an agriculturfd point of view, and it is well to recall the fact that for ages the prairie has been the grazing ground of vast herds of buffalo, whose descendants are now fast disappearing. This fact alone is highly suggestive of the nutrient character of the plants which clotlie the prairie ; much more so, in. fcricrd. 1). fpirata. h'liiiiiUH rtimlfni<(i(iig. *(ihiri ria airoidcii. ii. diiians. *G. tenuiflora. JJurochloe hun'alii<. Hmditnn jiOxiiiiin. Kochria cristaiu. Van iinnna. J', amia. /'. prati iisits. }\ >« rtitiiKi. *!'. Ii iiiiij'oliit. Stfariit t^etiinK. *>'>ljnrtiiia cyiiunanutltn. *S. ijnicili:'. SiKinilidlux liftfroh j)ix. ISfipa iMiiuita. *S. >ratrnsis, are found chiefly on the eastern prairies ; the latter is also known as the blue gr.ass of Kentucky. The wild rice, Zizania aquatica^ grows luxuriantly in damp and marshy situations in Northern Manitoba, and it (•onstitutes a delicious article of food. It is quite distinct from, though related to, the common commercial rice, Oryza sativa^ and its grains are dark coloured. In some regions of the prairie, and particularly in the more I One only of these, C. distic/ia, is also British, and a British species of rush, Jnncus lia/ticus^ the Baltic rush,* is likewise common on the prairie. The sedges constitute much of the prairie hay, and make up the greater part of the vegetation of the ponds and marshes. On the other hand, in the vicinity of woods, wild vetches and peas, and various rosaceous and composite plants, mingle with the grasses and yield excellent prairie hay. The elegant little prairi(> rose, Rosn hlanda, which (mly attains * Tliin is the wire-grtiB8 of Utah, l!1 ■ l^l ;i: swampy districts, certain sedges enter largely into the composi- tion of the herbage, the following being the commoner ones: — Systoiimlic Name. Coninion Name. UsuaJ H.-ibiUt. ■"' 'I ' *Carex arlKfatd. Awncd sedge. C tUntichtt. *C Jmniginusfi. Woolly fruited sedge. ('. prnirca. , Prairie sedge. *C. iiKircidti. i Marshes. Ditto. Ditto. Ditto. Open prairies. 1 ' 20 Canadian Ayrkalturc. ■A height of about six inches, supplies in its hips a much- relished food in the fall of the year to horses and to the prairie chicken ; and the composite plant, Artemisia frigida^ known as " pasture sage," and the general appearance of which resembles that of wormwood, constitutes almost the sole winter food in some localities. Eiirota lanata, the " white sage," a plant allied to our spinach and goosefoot, is abundant on the tops of dry hills in the southern plains. The grasses and sedges marked with an asterisk in the foregoing lists, are held to possess special value as forage plants. Hierochloe borcalisj which is the holy grass of Scotland and Northern Europe, having been formerly used for strewing on the floors of churches at certain seasons, is very general on the prairie, and possesses a pleasant, lavender-like fragrance which it imparts to the prairie hay ; the Red Indians plait it into the form of a border to surround the birch-bark mats they are so expert in making. Professor Macoun told me that, on high dry grounds, the best pasture grasses met with are : Androjwfjon scoparius, Doutehua oli(/ostac'/n/a^ Hierochloe horealisy Poa ca'sia, P. temii folia, Sporoholus hcterolrjn'sy Stipa comata^ S. spartea (the best of all), aS. viridula, Triticum caniimm, and Vilfa cuspidata. The good forage grasses of the salt marshes are : Glyceric airoides, Spartina cynosnroidcs, S. yracilis, and Triticum repens. Horses left to themselves find their chief summer food in Carex aristata of the salt marshes; but as this dies with the appearance of frost, the horses then betake them- selves to the higher lands, and graze on Stipa spartea in the winter. No pastures are more valuable in summer than those of the salt marshes, juuI working horses when set at liberty make straight for then.. The prairie herbage varies greatly with the locality ; in that part of iVIanitoba north-west of Fortagc-la-Prairie the hay is very coarse, containing large quantities of Sjmrtina cynosu- roides, mixed with Calamayrostis Canadensis and Poa scrotina. A western horse accustomed to finer hay will scarcely touch this, while the ponies of the neighbourhood eat it with avidity. On the drier prairie this kind of hay is not seen, while other varieties are abundant. Where ponds abound, much of the hay consists of certain species of Carex, Poa, and Calamayrostis. If the soil is rich and not too moist, the Carices disappear, and grasses of the genera Danthonia, Elymus, Hierochloe, Triticum, and Vilfa, with numerous Rosacem and Leynmijiosie, appear in great profusion. The hay in river valleys is almost whf)lly Carex aristata, Calamayrostis Canadensis, and Poa serotina ; this is also the hay of the mixed forest and prairie country.* * ' Mauitoba auil Hit (jircut North- AVcal.' iiy Johu Mucuuu, M.A., F.L.S. Canadian AyricuUure. 21 The nutritive value of the prairie grasses is not only due to their abundant foliage, but in some cases to the production of grain also ; and Professor Macoun attributes their eminent feeding properties, not so much to the inherent value of the species themselves, as to the soil and climate in which they are grown. It must not be forgotten that for many centuries the prairie, in the production of buffalo beef, has been simply grazed ; how its herbage will submit to the new order of things, in which large tracts are to be mown year after year, remains to be seen. Numerous species of grass, which on the Canadian prairies grow tall enough to be cut for hay, in the drier country south of the political boundary seldom attain a greater height than a icvi inches. I was told everywhere that during the months of May and June, when most of the plants are in flower, the prairie presents a most lovely sight ; nor was it difficult to imagine this after seeing the floral stragglers which still decked the plain in September. As to the life- sustaining capability of the prairie in the winter, I cannot do better than quote the following words,* merely remarking that La Belle Prairie, where Viscount Milton and Dr. Cheadle wintered in 1862-3, is west of Carlton and somewhat north of Battle r)rd, on the North Saskatchewan River, and adding that Dr. Cheadle, in whose company I had the pleasure of travelling across the prairie, has lost none of his enthusiasm with regard to the future of the vast territory which he did so much to make known to his countrymen twenty years ago : — "Wc now prepared to loavo our winter quarters, as soon as the snow had disappeared sufliciently to admit of travelling; with carts. 'J'he first tliinji to do was to find the horses, which had been turned loose at the coniniencenient v)f tiie winter. We had seen tiieni or their tracks from time to time, and knew in what direction they had wandered. La IJonde tbllowed their trail without difliculty, and discovered them about eight or ten miles away. Wc were very mucli astonished at their line condition wlien he drove them back to La J5elle Prairie. Although very thin when the snow be 'I 'Si; >4 . ['■ 24 Cunadian Agriculture. Canadian prairie, though undoubtedly low, are yet tolerable. All over the prairies the air in winter is dry, and hence is physically different from the humid atmosphere which is asso- ciated with our insular position in this country. The dry air of the prairie performs for a man in the wintci" the services of a blanket ; it cannot, any more than the blanket, bestow heat upon the man's body, but it can, equally with the blanket, pre- vent the dissipation of the warmth of the body. No doubt, if the winter temperatures of Manitoba and the North-West were associated with humidity at all approaching that of our English atmosphere, the effect would be well-nigh intolerable. Last autumn Professor Glaisher, in travelling across the prairie, made a series of observations with the dry and wet bulb thermometer. At Portage la Prairie the dry bulb registered 80° and the wet bulb 07°. The next day, at Swift current, the readings were yi° and 72° respectively. In fact, throughout the journey there was a difference between the readings ranging from 10° to 19°. To this low percentage of moisture in the air is attributed the peculiar hardness, or flintiness, of the wheat grown in Manitoba and the North-West, a property of the grain which renders it peculiarly valuable in milling operations. The Report of the Department of Agriculture and Statistics of the Province of Manitoba for the year 1882 is specially valuable, in that it contains the results of eleven years' meteoro- logical observati(ms, from 1871 to 1881 inclusive. The record would extend back to earlier dates, but that the observer, Mr. James Stewart, had the misfortune to lose everything at the time of the Red River Rebellion. From the years recorded, 1 have selected, quite at hazard, the year 1879, and constructed the following table, an examination of which may prove of in- terest, it being remembered that the freezing-point is at 32° F.: — Temperatdue Observed at Winnipeg, 1879. Mean. Mean Maximum. l\lcan Miiiinuim. Hipliest Maximum. Lowest Minimum. Mean 1 Height of Barometer. I )e (Trees. iH'grees. DegreeR. Degrees. Dsprees. Inches. January .. - 2a 7-7 - 14-3 29-0 on 2Gtli - 34-3 on 14th 29-1918 February .. - 5-2 5-3 - 181 28-5on2l8t - 43-6 on 26th 29-2979 Llarf"), 14-2 270 - IG .TO-Oon 30th - 22-4 on 16th 29-1458 April 401 50-7 28- 1 71 -5 on 21st - 10-3 on 3rd 29-2126 ^«KV 53 5 6«-4 414 78-5 on 28th 28-3 on 6th 29-1886 .'*;.■»■ .. .. e;i-5 75-7 fill 88-3 on 3rd 33 0on l»t 29-0250 Zci\' . *;7 9 80-7 .56 -3 P30ou 12th 48-4 on 29th 29-0375 Aofrwet n4-2 76-4 .')2 0 87-5 on 9th 40-3 on 20th 29 0784 September .')l-3 «.5-3 38-6 77-5 on 4th 22-3 on 24th 29-1536 October 44-4 hi -2 31 2 88-5 on 6th r)-2on30th 29-0663 November 20 ft 29-4 100 48-4 on 6rh - 10-3 on 20th 29- 16.50 De<'eml»er . . -128 - 4-8 - 24- 1 17-4on3l8t - .W-.^on 24th 29-3210 Twmm Canadian Af/riculture. 25 The coldest day of the year appears to have been the 24th of December, when the highest reading of the thermometer was —28-4°, and the lowest —50-5^. The following table contains further information relating to the same year : — Meteorological Observations at Winnipeg, 1879. Rainfall, j Snowfall. Total Rain and ftUlted Snow. Days on which Rain fell. Days on wiiich Snow ft'II. Number of Fogs. Number of Thunder- storms. January . February . March April May , , June ,. July . . August September October November . December Total . Inches. Inches. Inches. 0 16-72 1-555 0 9 0 0 0 7-30 0-055 0 G 0 0 0-210 5-30 0-025 1 3 1 0 l-!»70 2 -65 2-230 10 1 1 1 2-78r) ; 0 2-785 14 0 0 5 7-050 : 0 7-050 15 0 0 10 3 705 0 3 705 IS 0 0 15 1-820 i 0 1-820 12 0 2 0 0-740 0 0-740 10 0 1 0 1-420 0 1-420 9 0 2 0 0-050 3-70 0-300 2 7 1 0 0 24-23 2-200 0 13 1 0 19-810 50-00 25-235 91 39 9 37 But perhaps the best general idea of the climate may be derived from an examination of the Table on page 20, in which are summarised the results of eleven years' obser- vations. In that Table the total annual amount of aqueous precipitation must, of course, be looked for in the line devoted to " total rain and melted snow," as, in making up these numbers, the fall of snow is rendered into its equivalent of water.* It will be seen that, on an average, the waters of the Red River are open for navigation during seven months of the year, so that the winter season extends over five months. Mr. James Stewart, of St. Andrews, Manitoba, in presenting to the Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Statistics the figures upon which the three tables here given are based, makes use of the following remarks : — " The climate of this country, I believe, is the finest in the world. On ac- count of the bracinii dry atmosphere the fluctuations of the temperature are not inconveniently felt, as is the case iu places where the atmosphere is more humid. The warm days in suuimer are generally followed by cool evenings, and such a thing as very sultry and oppressive heat is scarcely known. The warm days, followed by cool nights and copious dews, facilitate the growth of cereals in a wonderful degree. The winters here are also very pleasant and bracing, proceeding from the same cause, namely, the dryness of our atmos- * "On ■ Metcoroio a very rough estimate a foot of snow yields about an inch of rain."- logy." By R. H. Scott, F.R.S. ; Kegan Paul and Co., Third Ed., p. 1 mw m^ m\ !■■»: J - »i I'. i' m li 1^ li IB o a ^1 (T. 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As a riik) tlie nviiis aro chiolly iii llw; moiitlis of May and June, tlio tiuM! tlicy aro most wanted lor vegetation, while the fall months are gene- rally dry, so tiiat rarely any diiViculty is experienced in liarvesting the crops. The months of Septemher, October, and November are looked upon as the finest seas(jn of the year, being remarkable for fine cool dry weather, unknown, F believe, in any other country." A description of tho climate of the Canadian North- West can hardly be deemed satisfactory unless it includes an examination of the more f^eneral physioji^raphical phenomena which combine to HMider that climate what it is, and I therefore propose to make a brief reference to the phenomena in (juestion. The {jeneral rule that the tcunperature increases as the equator is approached, or as the poles are receded from, is liable to many local variations, determined chiefly by the relative disposition of land and sea. If places which have the same averag^e annual temperature are joined together on the map, the line so drawn is called an isothermal line, and sometimes the isothermals are fairly parallel with the equator. But there are many exceptions, and a notable one occurs in the case of the Canadian North- VVest, where, between the meridians of 100° and 120°, the isothermals rise very considerably to the north, the physical significance of which is that the North-West enjoys a much higher average temperature than many other parts of the globe in the same latitude. " The line of equal mi'an temperaturL", es|)ecial!y for the season of vegeta- tion, between ^larch and October, instead of following lines of latitude, bends from the Mississippi valUty far to the north, carrying the zone of wheat from Minnesota away to the (JOth paralltd in the valley of the Peace River, repro- ducing the summer heats of New Jersey and Southern Pennsylvania in Minne- sota and l)akt)ta, and those of Northern Pennsylvania and Ohio in the valley of the Saskatchewan. Within the isothermal lines that inclose the zone west and northwest of Minnesota, which is being or is soon to be opened to cultivation, lies a vast area of fertile lands from whicli might easily be cut out a dozen new States of the size of New York." * At Fort Vermilion, 58° 24' N. and 116° 30' W., Professor Macoun found barley cut on August (kh, 1875, and wheat almost ripe, and this, be it observed, in a latitude coincident with that of the extreme north of Scotland. In Blodgett's ' American Climat- ology ' it is stated that the buffalo winters on the upper Athabasca at least as safely as in the latitude of St. Paul, Minnesota, and the spring opens at nearly the same time along the immense series of plains extending northward from the city of St. Paul to the Mackenzie River. Again, meteorological observations show that Winnipeg and Fort McLeod, 600 miles apart, but in the same latitude, have about the same temperature, while Fort 1^. i .i IK. > r I A'- hi ill * J. W. Taylor, United States Consul at Winnipeg. ' Manitoba iinri the Great North-Wpst,' p. IH2. Quoted in Mocovin's E 28 Canadian Agriculture. Simpson, 770 mllos duo north of F'ort McLeod, is wanner. To understand thoroujjhly the cliinate of tlio North-VVt-st we must pass beyond the artificial bouny tlie Pacific." Its area, r2.'),()()() scjuare miles,* is slijjhtly in excess of that of the Hritish Isles, 121,11') s(]Uare mih'S : hut the |)opnlation of tin; Province is onlv about l'2r),()()0, of which VVinnip('«;, the capital, claims M0,00(). This city is most advaMta;;eousl V placed at the ronlluence of th(! Red and Assiniboine Rivers, occupy inj; the site of the old Fort Garry, on<' of \\ut he;i(l-(juarters of the Hudson's Hay Company, and thouj;h the fort is now unfortunatelv destrovi'd, its name will linjjer in history as that of the j)lace where the insurrection of the French- Indian half-breeds culminated, un«ler the leadership of Louis Riel, in the Red River Rebellion of 18l)l)-70. The fjreat obstacle to the {jrowth of Winnipe<;, and with it the ilevelopment of Manitoba, arose from its inaccessibility. The country between Lake Superior and the prairie metropolis has already been described, and it occupied Colonel VVolseley and his troops three months (May to August, 1870) to traverse this region, whereas the journey across the same district, from Port Arthur to Winnipeg, is now accomplished by the Canadian Pacific Railway in less than twenty-four hours. The first railway communication with Winnipeg was effected in the spring of 187i) through American territory, via Chicago, and the St. Paul, Minneapolis, and Manitoba Railway, and this at once gave an enormous impetus to business enterprise. But it was not till the winter of 1883 that the railway between Port Arthur and Winnipeg w.as completed, and then, for the first time in history, it was possible to gain railway access to Winnipeg without leaving Canadian territory. " Tlie chief rivers emptying into Lake Wiiinipeg are the Winnipojj, the Fed, and the Saskatchewan. The Assiniboine Fiver, -'avigable from 2.'-0 to 350 * By a rfc(>nt doci.sion, h()WOV(>r, of tlin Judicial Committee of the Privy Council, an cxtniBive area of laml, lying to the north and north-west of Lake Suporior, the poBscHisitin ol which wuh disputed by the ProvinecB of Alanitoba and (hitaiiu has been awarded to the latter. ( \uiii({i(in A(/n'iiUtufr. M iiiilos i\)\- sU'iuiKTs (it li<;lit ilrau;;lit, euttTS tlio lictl lUvci I,") milos Iroiii I/ik)' \Vimii|if4. liiid III lilt! coiilliu'iicc (if tlie rivers (" tliu Folks'") is HilUiitcd llif city 1)1 \Viiiiii|ic;^, Tlic \Viiiiii|M j^, wliicli llows I'nuii tli»! ti'rritnry l.\ in^ Mnitli-rast lit Lake Winniiit'ij;, m a inihlc rivrr Sdiiie lidO iinlcs loni;;, tliat alter ieaviiif; tlie Lake nl' the Woods, dashes witli itscU'ar water over many eascules, and traverses very heautiud scenery. At its tails I'roin tho Lake ot tlie Woods is one of ilie L'reati'st and most easily utilised water-jiowi rs in the world (at liat I'nrta'Ae). I, ike m^st rivers in the New W'orM, the lied IJiver is at inter- vals of years sidijict to lioshets. In the 70 years' e\|ierienee of tlio Selkirk colonists there have l)een tonr "lloods." 'I'lic hi.;hest level of the site of tlio city of Winni|ie;; is said to have lieen under o feet of water for several weeks in May and June in IH'JO, under L'i teet in iSo'J, not covered in IKCil, and otdy imder water on the hiwest levels in ISSli. The extent of overtlow has thus on eacli oeeasinn heen less. '1 he loose soil on the iianks of the river is every year carried away in <;reat masses, and the channel has so widened as to reniler the recurrence of an overflow nidikely. 'I'he Saskatchewan, though not in the Province, eni|ities into Lake WinnijieL' le^s than half a dej^rec! from the northern boundary. It is a mighty river risin;^ in the llncky ^lountains, and crossinu IH deiirees of lonj^itude. Near its mouth are the lirand i;aiiid>. .\l)ove these, steamers jily to I'ort Kdmonlon, a I'oini upwards of SOO tnilc^ north-west of the city of Winni|ieg. Steamers lun Irom (iraiid llapids, throuLih fiako Wiuniiieg, up Iveil lUver to the city of Winnipe*;."' * At the time of the Rebellion, in 1870, the popuhition ol Winnipeg was 300; eU'ven ^ears later it had risen to DOOO ; in tlie loHowinj; year, 1882, it rose to 21,000, and there are now 30,000 inhabitants. Tlie total annual assessment ol" the city in 1878 was (;70,0()0/., whereas last year it had risen to 7,G0O,OOO/., and the preeedinji; year it was even hij^her. In laet, the opening up by railways ot th(! vast territory ol whit h Winnipeg is, and must continue to be, the head-quarters, led to a "boom" am(mgst speculators, the reaction from which is still felt, though haj)pily it is dying away. If a stranger should happen to be in Winnipeg on a wet day, as it fell to my lot to be, lie will cany away with him a memento of the city which is likely to make a lasting impression, if not on his mind, at least on his garments. 1 know in my case it did. It is the Winnipeg mud. Most of the roads are rivers of mud when the weather is wet, and the oxen in the lied River carts, and the unfoitunate horses, seem (|uit(^ accustomed to stand shoul(l(!r-deep in the mire. As I was out and about all day long, I receivetl a very liberal plastering of that mud. 1 had it operated on in Toronto, in Montreal, in Quebec, in Halifax, in 8t. John, in R(»ston, in New York, till the cents began to mount up into dollars, and still that mud clung. In Liverpool, and again in London, the attack was renewed, but the indelible stains remained. Raflled and disheartened, 1 abandoned the struggle — I abandoned the garments too. It was suggested to * 'Eneye. Hrit..' Ninth Kd . IHS.'t, Art, '•Maiiitel.a." ■I ' im 32 Caiiadidn Ayrivnlture. me that the slime in the roads alForded strong; indicotions of the fertility of the soils in the Red River vallej, but the illustration is one that mi^ht profitably be dispensed with. The condition of its roads is a reproach to Winnipeg;, but it is one which its enterprising citizens will no doubt soon make a thing of the j>ast. 1 have spoken of the Red River cart, a remnant of bygone days. The Marquis of Lome says* : — " It is a very roii!^!) stnictiii-f, Init in^ciiiously made, fur its wlioela arc ]mt togeiber witliinit one jiiLrc d iroii. TIuto is iicitht-r nail nur niutal tiri'. Fig. \.~Thv lied lUcer Cart. (From 'Ciuiudian rictiires,' — liy i)ermission.) 1^^ ^■^ 'llie tliin;; rnak^ Imniliiy, lut :in>\vris iis iiiii|i(ist- well. Caravans ul' tlicst; conveyances liavo for tlic last thirty years taken tlie liall-brccd's i^uoils liy the prairie trails to all pnrts of the urtat valleys, and often oceupy 'JO davs in )_'ettin^ tu Kdnionton." The word Manitoba means the land of the great spirit, anerience of the Selkirk settlers, for the soldiers were not desirous to taky 1 »>wj ■;';•; -iJ si . iu\"l * ''I'lie \ortli-west Vassnge liy Land.' p. Hl». t '("Hiiadian I'ietnres," p. 1.17. ;m Ca It Oil ill n A (I r U ullurc. ii]i (lie land allotrueiit which was ottered to every ineniber of the expedition- ary corps. Yet if tliey had renieniln'red liow tlie eiirly i)ioneers had told tliem tliat tlie wheat ^rown on their lands came to a total of about '60 bushels ])er acre in each year, and that these cor))8 were raised jiivinji the land a time of rest every fifth year oidy ; if they could liave realised within how short a time those ]ilaces wliich they themselves had reached with so much toil by march and cani>e iH)rtag;o, throui;h woods and endless lakes, wouUi not only Iw reached by railways, but become >:reat railroad centres, they would not so carelessly liave llirown away their chance of making a fortune. When 1 was at Winnipeg in 18-^1 the city had scarcely 10,000 jieojile ; now it has 30,000, The streets are full of life. Kxcellent sho| s, large warehouses, and some handsome churches have been erected. The great want is a good jtavenient, for the soil is a tenacious black stulV, which clogs and sticks to everything it touches after rain. Fortunately it soon dries, and in the neighbourliood of the town the prairie sikI gives good surl'ace for anything but heavy traftic." The provincial authorities in Manitoba are artinjj wisely in fostering^ and guiding the development of agriculture. The periodical and other publications issued under the authority ol the Minister of Agriculture, Statistics, and Health, are very useful, and, provided the farmers of Manitoba will study then), cannot fail to prove of excellent service. The ' Manual of Acts and Orders in Council relating to the Department of Agricul- ture, Statistics, and Health,' issued in 1884, indicates very j'learly the kind of bureaucratic control which guides the j)ro- gress of agriculture. It is enacted that all that part of the administration of the government of Manitoba which relates to agriculture, immigration, statistics, and the public health, in- cluding hospitals, shall be un,.s«'i Canadia n Ayr lea Itu re. 35 to make diligent efforts to supply correct inlorination on all (juestions submitted to them. The special agricultural functions ol the Department are entrusted to the Board and Council ol Agriculture. The l^oard is composed ofone rej)resentative from each electoral division, appointed by tlie Lieutenant-Ciovernor-in-Council from among the agriculturists of note in the Province. They are entitled to no compensation for services other than for expenses occasioned by presence at meetings of the Board or Council, the sum for which is fixeil by the Lieutenant-Governor-in-Council. Seven form 'A quorum, and a meeting for the despatch of business must be held on the third VVednesdav of February in each year, in Winnipeg. Special meetings are held when extraordinary circumstances arise to necessitate such. A member absent from two consecutive meetings forfeits his membership, unless excused Irom attendance by resolution of the J^oard passed at the second meeting Irom which he may be absent. The duties of the Board are to advise the Department on all matters relating to the agricultural interests of the Province; to organise agricul- tural and industrial exhibitions open to competition from all parts of the Province ; to arrange, when practicable, for the repre- sentation of the products of the I*rovince at exhibitions in other provinces or in other countri<'s; to supervise the management of i'lectoral division agricultural societies, and generally to adopt «!very means possible to promote improvement in the agricul- tural interests of the I'rovince. The J^oard niav, subjei:t to the approval of the Lieutenant-(iovernor-in-( 'ouniil, pass i)ve-Iaws to regulate its proceedings, and lor other purposes not inconsistent with the provisions of the Act. The Council of Agriculture consists of six mend)ers of the Board electe«l at eat^h annual meeting i)y ballot. They have full power to act for and on behalf of the Board, and all grants of nuniev, subscriptions, or other funds, mad<> to or for the use of the Board, are expended undi'r their direction. Tliev meet as circumstances mav re(juire, at the summons of the Secretary- Treasurer of the BoanI, under orders from the Minister or Presi- dent ol the B<»ard. Three lorm a <|Uorum, and vacancies in the Council are (died by the remaining nu'mbers thereof. Abst-nt members are lomas under the seal of the JJoard, and the signature of the President and Secretary-Treasurer thereof, certifying that they are competent to practise as vete- rinary surgeons. A registtM* is kept of veterinary surgeons jiractising in the Province, and any j)erson acting as a veterinary surgeon >vithout being duly (jualified is liable to a fine of from 4/. to 20/. The (Council must authorise the organisation of an agricul- tural society in any electoral division in which there may not be one in existence, after a petition — signed by at least fifty persons, each of ^vh()m must liave actually paid in to the secre- tary-treasurer ])!•(> fern, not less than one dollar (4.s-. 2r/.), — has been filed in tiie Dcpartincut in the form set forth in the Act. The objects of such societies are generally to promote the pro- gress of agriculture by hnlding exhibitions at which prizes may be awarded for live-stock, agricultural and horticultural pro- ducts, implements, and machinery ; and for any excellence in agricultural pro(lu(;ti()ns or operations, by imj)orting or other- wise procuring seeds, jilants, and pedigree animals of new and valuable kinds, or bv offering bonuses for the introduction of tlie same ; by ofleriuir ])rizes lor essavs on (juestions relating to agriculture, arboriculture, or horticulture ; by ]>romoting the circulation of agricultural, arboricultural, and horticultural publications ; and by holding meetings lor discussion, and securing the delivery of lectures on subjects connected with agriculture, arljoriculture, or horticulturr . The protection of game comes within the lunctions of the Department, and an enumeration of the close times will carry with it an indication of tlu' animals included in the restrictions. None of the following are to be shot at, hunted, trapped, taken or killed within the times specified : [a) All kinds of deer, including cabri or antelope, elk or waj)iti, moose, reindeer nr cariboo, or the fawns of such animals, between January 1 and October 1. (/>) The varieties of grouse commf)nly known as prairie chicken, or pheasants, and ])artridges, between Janu- ary 1 and September 1. (c) Woodcock, plover, snipe, and sandpipers, between January 1 and Auirust J. (d) Any kind of wild duck, sea-duck, widgeon, teal, wild swan or wild geese, except the variety of wild gccse commonly known as snow Caiuu/idfi Af/riculfure. ;i7 fjeese or wavers, between IVIay 1 and Aujfust 15. (c) Otter, (isher or p(>kan, beaver, inuskrat and sable, between May 15 and October 1. (/ ) Mink and marten between April 15 and November 1. No jierson is allowed to liunt witli dojj, gun, net or otherwise, within the enc^losed grounds or lands of another without first obtaining j)ermission from the owner, agent, or o(-(*u|)ant of such grounds or lands. In order to en(;ourage persons who have imported, or may import, different kinds of game with the desire to breed the same on their own lands, no person is allowed to hunt, shoot, kill or destroy any such game without the consent of the owner of the property wherever the same may be bred. Most of the wild birds are protected by law against capture, tlestruction, or injury, and, excej)ting the birds w hose close times have already been enu- merated, it is illegal to take, kill, or injure any birds save the following, which are unprotected : eagles, falcons, hawks, owls, wild pigeons, blackbirds, kingfishers, jays, crows, ravens, snow buntings or snow birds, shrikes, bitterns, lurhiws, crimes, grackles, cormorants, gulls, mergansers, j)elicans, and loons. The penalty for infringing any of the bve laws lor the protec- tion of game is a fine of from 2/. to 10/., and costs. To assist in carrying out the stringent regulations relating to the diseases of animals, the Lieutenant-(iovernor-in-Council appoints, from time to time, as oHicers of the Department, one or more veterinary surgeons (pialifii'd to practise in the Pro- vince, and each person so ajipointed is known as a lace to be infected, sends, with all speed, a copy of his certificate to the Department ; and if it appears that contiigious or itifectious disease exii. s, as declared by the veterinarian, the Minister n»ay so determine and declare, and may pn'scribe the limits of the infected place, and may from time to time extend or curtail such limits by means of notice in tlie ' Manitoba Cin/ette.' If any animal, hide, skin, hair, wool, horn, hoof, offal, carcass, meat, dung, hay, straw, litter or other thing, is moved in contravention of the rules with respei-t to infected j>Iaces, the offender is liable to a fine of 20/. A similar penalty is incurred by any owner, breeder, or dealer, or by any veti'rinary surgeon who, on perceiving the apj)earance i»f infectious or contagious disease, fails U> giye immediate notice in writing to the Department at ill m 'ill •11 iU/!i 3« Canadidii At/riculturc. Winnipeg, and to tin* veterinarian for the district. A lik<* penalty is inllicted on persons wlio expose infected animals, or the remains of such animals, and on persons wlio violate such regulations for quarantine as inny be made by the Lieu- tenant-Governor-in-Council. In cases in which animals are ordered to be slaughtered a compensation amounting to two- thirds the value of the animal may be claimed, but such value is in all cases to be determined by the Minister; while it the owner or his representative has been guilty of an offence against any of the provisions of the Act, no compensation is allowed. Any horse or other animal affected with glanders or farcy is to be destroyed, and the carcass burnt or buried to the satisfaction of the district v<'terinarian. lOvery steamboat, rail- way and other company, and every person carrying animals for hire in the Province, must thorouglily cleanse and disinfect, in such manner as the Lieutenant-Ciovernor-in-Council may from time to time di'-^'^'^ all steamers, vessels, boats, pens, carriages, trucks, horse-box, s anit « liicles used by such company or person for the carrying cS ':;?. .ils. In the case of non-compliance a fine of 20/. is incurred. It is easier to piv "ut the s]""'pad of noxious weeds in a new country than in one wheu ihe sol! Ins been long under cultiva- tion, but even in a new country it is difficult unless there is concerted action over a wide area. This, however, is the cast? in Manitoba, and it may perhaps surprise English farmers to know that there everv owner or occupier of land must cut or cause to be cut down, or otherwise destroyed, all wild mustanl, wild oats, and Canada thistles growing thereon, so often in each and every year as is necessary to prevent their going to seed ; and if any owner or occupier of land allows any such wild mustard, wild oats, or Canada thistles to grow thereon and the seed to ripen so as to cause or allow the spread thereof, he is liable to a fine of from 21. to bl. for every such offence. Public; roads and highways are placed under the charge of overseers or pathmasters appointess, jiiove interesting: — Vai;ii:iy of Wiikat. I{r most suc(;esshd farming. The average amount of seed wheat sown per acre in 1881 was 1'8 bushels; but there is a feeling in favour of mu{;h thicker seeding, as this would provide against immature seeds, s(?cure the retention of moisture in the soil, prevent tin? growth of weeds, and promote early matvu'itv. Wheat stools out very freely here and west of Manitoba. On the Bell Farm, and also on the experimental farms of the third prairie plateau, I noticed some extraordinary c;ases of tillering. Much damage arose from want of care in looking after grain that had been cut and stooked, but not stacked, during the abnormally wet harvest-time. Imn .>per care in stacking likewise led to loss. VVith printed information of this kind circulating amongst the farmers, the agriculture of Manitoba ought surely to undergo a marked and rapid im- provement. In 1883, the acreage under wheat in Manitoba was 200,842. The yield, based on tlu? returns of the thresliers, gave an average !*■?; ■ m I >. ■ r !•,!,'- M 1: ( \nim/i(iii ^If/nrii/tiirr. of 2rS l)usln'ls per acre, sli(>vviiis. to the measured iMii)erial bushel. " No. 1, Si'UiNCi \Vm.;AT. — Must be sound, well cleaned, and wei;4h not less than 00 ll)s. to the measured imperial bushel. " Xo. 2, Sriiisr, Wiikat. — ^lust be sound, reasonably clean, and weij^h not less than 58 lbs. to the measiirod imperial bushel. " No. 3, Spring Wiikat. — Shall comprise all wheat fit for warehousing, not class enou;^li tor No. 2, and weii^hing not less than 5(j lbs. to the measured imperial bushel. " ItEJEf'TKi) Sprixg Wheat. — Shall comprise all wheat fit for warehousing, but too low in weight, or otherwise unfit lor Xo. .'5. "NoTK A. — All good wheat which is slightly damp shall be reported * no grade,' with the inspector's notation as to quality and ctjndition. "Note B. — All wheat that is in a heating condition, or too damp to be considered safe for warehousing, or that has any considerable admixture of foreign grain or seeds, or is badly bin-burnt, whatever grade it miglit other- wise be, shall be reported 'condemned,' with inspector's notation as to quality and condition. "Note C. — Wheat containing any admi.xture of ' goo.se wheat' shall be graded ' rejected.' " Note 1). — Wheat containing smut or sjirouted kernels, in however slight degree, shall in no case grade in its class as high as No. I." With this classification before them, wheat-growers are en- couraged to so clean and prepare their grain that the sample may grade as high as possible, and so command better prices. As the term " goose wheat " in Note C. may prove puzzling to the reader, 1 may add that this name is given to a very leafy grass- like plant which produces abundance of grain. The grains are highly translucent, and have the appearance of very large, well- Canadian Affricultare. 43 formed, sharp-pointed grains of rye, with a well-defined groove or furrow, liut it is too large and shapely for rye. Professor Macoun informs me by letter that it was first cultivated, and is still grown, at Kdmonton, on tiu; North Saskatchewan, and that the grain originally sown was obtained from the crop of a wild goose some twelve years ago. He inclines to the opinion that it came from Alaska, or from some Russian settlement across Behring's Strait, and adds that wild geese invariably take to the corn stubbles on their way from the north in autumn. The Edmonton farmers call it "wild goose barley." I have a few grains in my possession and hope to raise some plants, and thus get an opportunity of examining "goose wheat" more closely. The following figures sliow the acreage and yield of barley during the last two years in Manitoba : — :i; *•;? I;' 1883 18S4 Acrcau''. (50,281 40,930 l!iisli(>Is prT Acre, 30-00 32-83 Totiil Viold. Buslicls. 1,808,430 1,313,028 V The acreage in 1884 thus shows a falling off of over 31 per cent, as compared with 1883, and the yield is 464,^)02 bushels less. The reasons assigned are the want of railway facilities in some districts, and tlie unsatisfactory state of the markets in 1883. The average dates of harvesting barley in the backward season of 1884 were : — cutting began August 26, ended Sep- tember 11 ; stacking ended September 28. Similar information about the oat crop is given in the follow- ing table : — 1883 1884 Acreage. Bushols por Acre. Total Yield. 215,431 i 1 44-00 1 RiisliPls. 9,478,964 128,487 39-07 5,107,079 I 4 The falling-ofF last year is attributed to the unsatisfactorv prices which were obtainable for the surplus grain in 1883, and in many cases to the distance from market. Oats sown on spring breaking of the sod were necessarily put in late, and, as a consequence, the crop incurred damage. All information collected last year points to the conclusion that oats, and barley too, must be sown early to be successful, and until this point is strictly attended to satisfactory results cannot be expected. F ■Am 44 CtnuuUan /tt/ririi/fnn' The (|\iality of the root crop of 1S81 was excellent, l)ut turnips suflered eiirlv in tlie season Iroin tlie attacks of };rnl)s and ilies. It is nnicli to lie hoped that the enterprising Hoard of Aj;riculture of Manitoha will en* loni; e.«>tiniat«! the yii'ld of ro(«ts in tons instead of hushels per acr(>. As it is, 1 can only pivo the averajje yields in bushels per acTc, vi/., of ])otatoes, 201; turnips, I)*,t2 ; manjjolds, o')(» ; carrots, '2'2',\ \ beets, 275. Turnips are usually estimated at (>() lbs. to the bushel. The respective acreajjes were: of potatoes, tSS17; turnips, ir>(Sr); manifolds, 275 ; carrots, 200; beets, 120 — in all cases a fallinjir oir as compared with 1 8So. Of pralri(? hay in Manitol)a there was cut, in l«S8l, a total weifjht of 22r>,8r)4 tons, the average yicM beiiij; 1-72 tons per acre. Of cultivated {grasses and clovers the total tonnag(» was 7()t>7, and the avera<;(! yield 1-25 tons per acre. Tlie followin<>; averages relate to j)eas and (lax in 18S4 :— Pins Flax ll;»lvist Hinaii. Kn.lcil. Vi Ililslii'N A in I ill Of) Aiigimt 25 Scpteiii1nr 14 St'ltttiubi'r 7 St']iti'iul)er 22 1( Native hops grow wild in every county of the ]*rovince, and are the only variety used by settlers. 1 saw some excellent samples at the Manitoba I'lxhibition, held at Winnipeg, in Septeud)er, 1884. The general opinion is that the cultivation of hops might bo made successful s(» far as yield and (juality are concerned, but the (juestions of a market and the cost of labour have yet to be considered. The native variety is of such excellent ([uality that it is tiiought its improveuient by cultiva- tion would probably be attended with irun-e success than the introduction of ordinary cultivated varieties from Ontario or elsewhere. It is feared that the high winds which fre(|uentlv prevail on the prairies might interfere with the cultivation, and the open prairie would certainly not be suitable for hop fields, properly sheltered grounds being absolutely necessary. Though Manitoba abounds in wild fruits, the cultivation of fruit is nevertheless receiving increasing attention. The wild varieties comprise strawberries, black and red raspberries, black and red currants, high and low bush cranberries, saskatoon berries, gooseberries, red and black cherries, red plums, blueberries, whortleberries, juneberries, grapes, and hazel nuts. Of these, only the saskatoon berries will appear Ciintiifioti /ler acre, and an etjual or larger number after seeding with cultivated grasses, a great prospect is opened up for the near future, and an extension of sheep-farming would carry with it the athancement of agriculture, involving the best means of cultivati()n for raising large ({uantities of cheap roots and green crops. One drawbac k is suggested by the diHiculty of keeping sheep fenced in and confined to their respective farms, as wire fencing, the kind most generally in use, is very detrimental to the wool. But appropriate branding of the fleeces and the use of sheep-dogs would go a long way to remove this difficulty, which certainly looks less formidable than that of the winter management of the ilocks, for, with a foot or more of snow on the ground, housing of some kind would appear to be necessary. On July 1, 1884, the number of pigs in Manitoba was re- turned as 32, 701, arranged under the heads of Berkshire, Suffolk, ^ Orkshire, Chester, and Poland China. The number of thoroughbreds is rather limited as yet. I'^very farmer, as far as possible, keeps enough pigs for his own use, but in several districts very little pork is raised beyond the requirements of home consumption. As railway and market facilities increase, pig-breeding will no t tlirougli without hired help. The wages paid to farm hands per month, with board, vary from I)/. 12.v. to (5/., the average being 4/. iJ^.s*. It is very diHicult to obtain female servants on farms, their ajipan'ut iSl in tliis hrict' survey of the a<;riculture ol Alanitoba is that oflifial ri to 1882 inclusive, and they are embodi(Hl in bushels per aci-e in the followinir table : — 1876. 1877. 1878. 1879. 1880. 1881. 1882. Whrat 32 r.arlcv \I Oalrt * ;"il I'cari :!2 I'otutoes .. 22;t llye 27 2!) 1 .".0 .82 1 US n K» :{7 ' .-,s ."is •V.i .M ' H2 ;!s •AS :!(i2 :;is ;vjo 278 40 40 1 oo •• 1 2!» ."i7 :u 21)4 :!5 Commentinjj^ on the yield of wheat in 1882, the first annual liepoit contains the foUowinj^ observations : — "Tho harvest of 1HS2 lins aiMcd aiiotlicr link to tin' loim cliiiin of cvidciico which plows Maiiitoiia to l>e tlic iirciiTKjr wheat ilistrii-t of tii»! world. 'I'iic practii-'al roiilts ol llic thix'sliiir_', Lriviuix an aveiajc yirld pt r aero of oL* ItiKslit'ls, have shown that the tlieorifs iirevionsly udvanced wero foinuUd on fact. Nor eoiild if will liave Ixen othi-rwisc, (or cliniatolo'^ist.s havt: loin; .since satis'at'toiiiy dcuionsf rated that tiie etiltivatcd jilants yiidd tlic tircattst jinKJuct near the iKtithcrnniost limit of their 'jrowtli. lUnrethe |H'rf(C'tion of wheiit here, wliere, instead of Iteiii'^ develoji, d too rapitily, as is the I'asu farther south, the niidtie Inxiiriaiiee of the stem or leaf is restrained by the cool late sjirinj;, and tla^ ehiif tlevehipment of the plant thrown into the ripeniii'^ ]ierioil. The a.ssertion of the distiii'^nished Amerieaii elimatoh j^ist, |{lod;4ett, ' tiiat the l>a.sin of tlu; Winni|)eL: in the seat of the L^ieatest averu'^e wheat pnuiiict on this eontinent, and prohahly in the world,' has heeii provi(| correct liy the record of a yearly avera:^e ol over -'.» luishels per acre trom IHTO to 1SS'_', In Ontario, the ISH'J sprini^-wlieat crop yielded Iml lO'") lin.-^hel.s per acre, while tlie three ureal wheat States of the American I'nion yiehled as follows: Dakota, lti'7 ImisIkIs; Minnesota. ]'.'>'■'< bii>hels; lo\ wa. lels. Miiiucisota is the empire wheat State of the I'nion. ItH averages for I'J years Were: lS(i'>, 17-70 hush. Is i^r acre; 1S70, l.".-u7; IS71, lliL's ; l.s7'J, il-iO; Canadian Agriculture. 41) 1H73, 17-01; ISTI, 11-J3; IHTf), IT'Oi") ; ISTC, U-fil ; 1H77, l<;-78 ; 1.S7S, r-'T)0; LS7:t, ll-:U); 18S0, 1.",-;K). a yearly avcrimcM-ril-al bushels. " TIk! report (if the Ontario A'jrirnlHiral ('oiuiiiissioti, whose iiivesliuations (iiibraecd tlie results of years, ])laees the ;:;eiieral avi raL:;u ot' the Province at 11*5. In the 10 years, from 1H70 to 187it, the yearly avera<:;e jier acre over the whole area of the United States was but I'J.".. Suulh Australia, akota, but chielly in Maniiolia. TIk; jio.ssibh; acreage of Manitolia uliiat is only bounded by its settlement, and we must expect a eonstantly-iiieriasim; crop in that [art of the Domiiuou for many years to come." Th(' testimony from these American sources may l)e appro- priately supplemented by that of a Canadian genth-man of extensiv(» business experience, Mr. W. \V. Ogilvie, managing partner of tli(? ()gilvi(! Milling Company :~ " We liUe ^biuitoba wheat beeause it cojitains more gluten than any other. This is the (pialily that is reiiuirid to make a \\%\\\ loaf o| bread. It is alloijetlier in the sod, which is new, dark and deep; it has a greater depth of dark soil than any part of the I'liiled Slates Yoii wdl ^et I'J lbs. more and much better bread from 100 lbs. of Manitolia wheat-Hour than from thilario wheat -llour. it will also .^ive '_' to ."> lbs. more lloiir per bushel than Ontario wheat. 'I'lie wheat of Oiilaiio is every year jiettiu'^ weaker, and eonlaiuinz nmre stareh and le.^s -^l ill en, so thai this yetir (18M') we find it inipo.ssilile to make ^ood lloiu' out ol it. 'i'he element reipiind I'or i^iowiii:! ft 1 'fi-S ym ■ i 14: 115 !.. r- I \ '1 r--^ H Si 50 Ca nadia n A (/n'rult a re. •Si c c 1 i ;::!■; ii'i!'/'iiP; P>ik1 wlu'at has )i;\s>cil out of tlio lainl, mid nn iiiiminiiij I '*/ i ''' I,: i:| 52 Cauodiou Aiiricidlnrv. and while there received a U'tter from a friend in Scotland, con- taining a few grains of (ihirka wheat taken from a vessel that had arrived from the Hlack Sea, and was discharging her cargo at Glasgow. They sowed the grains, and kept on cultivating year hy year, till they obtained a sufficient (juantity to carry off the first prize for spring wheat at the Provincial Exhibition at C'obourg. The grain was improved by its cultivation in Ontario, and has still further advanced in quality in its nearer approach to the northern limits of cultivation in Manitoba. This inci- dent is further of interest in showing the value of the Provincial Exhibition as a stimulus to improvement. The average yield of barley in Manitoba from 187<> to 1)S82, both inclusive, was 81) bushels per acre. The report of the Ontario Agricultural Comnussion places the y<'arly average of that Province at 25 bushels. In the decade from 1870 to 1 871) the yearly average in the United States was 21*1). During the last two vears the vield of barley in Manitoba — 30 bushels and i)ii bushels respectively — shows a falling off as compared with the average of the preceding seven years, but this may really be accounted for in part, perhaps, by the greater care with which the estimates are now made, and the more thorough collection of statistical information. Similar remarks apply to the yield of oats. I'or the seven years, 1870 to 1882, the average is n-ported at 57 bushels per acre, whereas for the last two years the numbers have been 44 busiiels and 40 bushels respectively. The Ontario Agricul- tural Commission reports the \ early average of that Province at oi}} bushels. In the Uniteiit every man cannot raise wlieat." Ca nadia n At/ ricn If arc. 53 Tlie extension of" railway communication on the prairie will not only greatly facilitate the means oi" transport, but will have the elFect of developing new centres of industry. A case in point is afforded by Minnedosa, which lies to the north-west of Winnipeg, on the Little Saskatchewan River. It is now reached by the Manitoba and North-Western Railway, and 1 am in- formed by the Hon. Win. Nelson Hood, who is well ac(}uainted with the locality, that the land around Minnedosa is of the most fertile character, and that when its splendid water-power becomes fully utilised, this rising young city is not unlikely to grow up a second Minneapolis. ;!i f« H The Noutii-VVest. When the traveller leaves Winnipeg for the west by the Canadian Pacific Railway he notices that the line strikes out across the open prairie, and for a distance of five-and-twenty miles beyond the race-course there are no indications of cultiva- tion ; this is due to the land being held by speculators who are waiting for the " rise " which shall enable them to " clear out." " The country has only one pest worse than mosquitos, the specu- lators, called in vivid Western parlance ' boomsters,' who fortu- nately have, for the moment, burst themselves in a vain attempt to drink up the whole North- West ! "* The traveller journeys on through the flourishing young towns of Portage la Prairie and Hrandon ; and after a run of some two hundred miles he, on the second prairie plateau, leaves the province of Manitoba, and enters the great North-West. Recent as has been the settlement of the majority of the inhabitants of Manitoba, that of most of the dwellers in the North-West is still more so. Indeed, it was not till the beginning of 18JS2 that the track of the Canadian Pacific Railway emerged from Manitoba into the v.ast territory beyond, and it was in the same year that this portion of the North-West was, for purposes of government, separated into four provisional districts, namely — Assiniboia 1)5,0()() square miles Alberta 100,000 Saskatchewan . . . . 114,000 Athabasca 122,000 Of these, Athabasca is greater, and each of the others less than the entire area of the i^ritish isles. Regina is the capital and the seat of government of the North-West territories, and also the head-quarters of the North-Western Mounted P»)lice, who are the guardians of the peace on the prairie ; it is in Assini- ♦ 'llumlbodk tbi tlir Uoiuiuiuii of Cuiuulii,' p. 332. yy »» J> »» >) >» i AM ll 54 Canadian At/ricuUure. boia, the other important towns being Moosomin, Broadview, (^u'Appelle, Moose Jaw, and Medicine Hat. Here it should be mentioned that Bishop Anson's Farm for the instruction of intending colonists in the agriculture of the Province is at Qu'Appelle. After leaving Manitoba, the railway traverses the length of Assiniboia for a distance of nearly 500 miles, and then enters the district of Alberta, which is bounded on the south by the United St.ates, on the north by the district of Athabasca, on the west by the Rocky Mountains, and on the east by the dis- tricts of Assiniboia and Saskatchewan, the latter lying to the north of the former. Passing in a north-westerly direction out of Alberta, the Canadian Pacific Railway enters the Pacific Province of British Columbia, and almost immediately attains its summit level of 5300 feet above the sea in the beautiful Kicking Horse Pass of the Rocky Mountains, at a point 960 miles from Winnipeg. Had the line continued its westerly course, instead of trending to the north-west, it would have passed through the heart of the ranching country which extends southward from Calgary. The chief towns in the district of Alberta are Calgary, Fort McLeod, and Julmonton. In Sas- katchewan the leading centres are Battleford and Prince Albert. It is not within the scope of this paper to enter into further details of this nature, but 1 have elsewhere given a fuller account of the young cities of the prairie.* In seeking to obtain information as to the agricultural features of the great North-VV'est, the inquirer experiences considerable difficulty, for, vast as this territory is, it possesses as yet no history, and such ofhcial records as do exist are meagre and insufficient. Originally the whole area was under the juris- diction of the Hudson's Bay Company, and it is only within the last two years that there has been any influx of population from beyond its borders. But though Captain Butler, in his well- known book, correctly calls it " the great lone land," it is destined to remain lone no longer, for the irruption into its area of the well-laid track of the Canadian Pacific Railway has placed it within easy reach of settlers from the East, who will invade its solitudes, and cultivate the wilderness which was till so recently the home of the countless herds of buffalo which have now well-nigh disappeared. And yet it is twenty years since Viscount Milton and Dr. Cheadle advocated — "the opening out and colonisation of the magnificent regions of the Red Itiver and Saskatchewan, where Gr),0(X) square miles of a cnuntry of unsur- passed fertility, and abounding in mineral wealth, lies isolated from tlio world, neglected, almost unknown, although destined, at no distant period * ' Across Canada : A Rc'pf)rt on Onnada and its Agricultural Reaourcos,' obtrtinabic at the office of the High Commissioner for Canada, 9, Victoria Chumbera, Loudon, S.W. Canadian Af/rkulture. f>b perliaps, to become one of the most valuable possessions of the British Crown." The meteorological records of the North-VVest are necessarily very scanty, and the only figures I am able to quote are those indicating the temperature at lulmonton, in Alberta, on the North Sask.itchewan River, during the months of 1882, the following table being abridged from the ' Twelfth Annual Report of the Meteorological Service of the Dominion of Canada,' which was published last )ear. I have also added in a parallel column the monthly mean temperatures in the same year at Humboldt, a station in Saskatchewan, considerably to the east of Edmonton : — Teinppriitiiri' at Knton, 1982. Ih'grees Fulireiibi'it. M''an Maxiinurii. Mean Mininiuiii. Mean. I At Humboldt, 1«h2. I Degrees Fulirenh(>it. Mean. tliinuary .. February . . March April May.. .. •lune July . . August .. Heptenilier October .. November 17 2.') 24 •77 12 62-4.') 6i>-37 72-00 73-3;) Deceinl)er 42' 30- 15 4;> -4-28 -3<;(; 1-08 37-00 47 04 49r.l 48-33 70 41 23 3.5 ■ 27- 10- 19-08 ; -2-00 G 10 12 49 58' 00 00 48 34 20 8' 74 73 81 75 20 75 '84 98 78 36 54 -2-58 0-90 7-90 28-93 40-84 50-47 CO- 01 03- 16 49-23 34-47 10-97 5-03 in ^ i' rii'- 1 ■ '! '1 The highest temperature recorded during the year 1882 at Edmonton was on August 8, 9, and 10, on each of which days the thermometer rose to 87°. The lowest temperature ( — 52°) was touched on February 16. The thermometer did not fall to freezing-point between May 22 and September IG, and only on one occasion (June 21, 30°) did it sink below 40° between May 25 and September 5. Hence there is a short, but rapid season of vegetation during the summer months ; and, speaking of Edmonton, Viscount Milton and Dr. Cheadle observe, " wheat grows luxuriantly, and potatoes and other roots flourish as wonderfully here as everywhere else on the Saskatchewan." In describing their journey along the banks of the North Saskatchewan towards Fort Pitt during the second week of April, 1863, they say — **-Tlie weather was beautifully bri-^ht and fine, and the snow had almost pone. Flocks uf ducks and geese passed continually, and the whistling of their wings, as they flew overhead on their way northwards, went on inces- santly all night, almost preventing sleep. The country we passed through Ikl tl ;fi« 66 Canailiav /It/j'icnifinr. was ut' the usii;\l ricl) I'liMrnctcv — miiv^lcd wixxls, rolliirj innirics. niid lakes nncl slrcaiiis — cxi'cpt loroiitMliiy's itmrncy, wlicii \V('ct(issc<1 a McnU ami havrcii tract. 'I'liis was a level ])laiii, liackiil by an aiiiiiliitln'alic u\' liaic, nii'^t'd hills. Hut liryniid tliis, at ji place called tlic SuMroe, fiMiii a river wliieli S) riii]j;s (lilt el" the <:ieuiid tlieie, the eeiiiitry rcsuiued its lunner character.'""' Nor arc these intrepid travellers less entlmsiastie in their description of the rejjions they penetrated alter leavinjjf I'Ort Pitt and inovin<:!; westward towards I'Minonton : — *'WeiH>w enlend a must ^lorimis country- — not indeed ;zranilly iiictnresquc, Imt I'lcli and iH'antifnl : a c'Hintry ot" VdllinL:; hills ;ind t"erlile \ alleys, of lakes and si reams, in'nvcs oi' hiroli and aspen, ini.» :!i ;i.-. ;{<; r.o 21) 2S 27 2G 2.-) ];» 2(1 21 22 2:5 2» IS 17 IG 1.*) 11 ]:; 7 8 9 10 11 12 G f) 4 8 2 1 l: 'The N<.r!h-W.Kt Passa-e hy Lan. I7H. ( ^anailla n Af/nrtilfiirr, 57 " 'I'lic sccti'iiis aro .'ippDitilrd as i'.illdws : — "Oi'KN i't)i{ lI.iMi;sri;,vi> am» I'iik-kmi'TIOns. — Xos. 2,\, H, 10, 12, II, IG, lU 'III !>.> Ill •»< •>,> ■ll> <> I •>/• in, -W, _„, _ I, _,S, ,,\.), .»_, .1 1, ..I). "",'anaiiian I'ai II If liAii.wAY Si;i I'loNs. — Nos. 1, ;;, ;", 7, 9, 1'?, 15, 17,10, _1, _.>, _.), „(, .>!, ,}.i, .1.1. " Nt)s. 1, 1», !.'{, L'l, 'jr», ,*-5.'5 aldiiu' tlio iii:un liiii", Wiiiiii|i(rth-\Vest('rn Railway Company, at present engaged in laving a line from Portage la l*rairie, in Manitoba, to I'rince Albert on the North Saskatchewan, have a land grant of 2,750,000 acres, out of which tlicy had at the beginning of 1881 ac(|uired a right to sell 512,000 acres. Tlie Company sell land warrants, entitling the purchaser to one or more (juarter sections of 1(50 acres each, to be selected by himself from any of the Company's unsold land. The Government grant to the Can.adian Pacific Railway com- prises, in addition to other concessions, the lands lying within a belt twenty-four miles wi(l(? on eatih side of the line in Mani- toba and the North- West. These lands are offered for sale, at prices ranging from lO.v. per a(;re upwards, with conditions rc(|uiring cultivation, or at lesser figures without conditions. To encrourage cultivation the Company stij)ulate that : — "A rebate (if fi 1)111 H.s. to Ms. sterliiii; i>er acre, accordiirj; to tlie jiriec paid for i\n' laud, will l>e alloweil on the acri'aL^e actually croinied, uu tlio following conditions: " 1. 'J'lie purciiaser will not be entitled to rebate unless at time of jmrchaso he enters into un undertaking to cultivate the land. "2. Une-halfof the laud Contracted for to be brought under cultivation within four years from date of contract. In cases where jmrcliascrs »lo not reside continuously on tlie land, at least one-eiglitli of tlie wliole quantity pur- chased shall be cultivated during each of the four years. •'3. Where a purchaser fails to carry out fully the conditions as to cultiva- tion within the time named, he will be letiuired to pay the full i>urcliase price on all the land contracted for. lUit if from causes beyond bis control, proved to the satisfaction of the Company, a settler so fails, ho may be allowed the rebate on the laiul actually cultivated during the four years, on payment of the balance due, including the full purchase ^irice of the remainder of the land contracted for. . H ;! r)8 Canadian At/rirnlfurc. " All h:i]('s lire siil)i('rt to tin- lulldwliiu' i;i'i)cr,il coinlilitms : — '' 1. All iinpnivi'iiinits iiliccd ii|iiiii laiKi imrcliiiscd to he maiiitiiiiu'il tluTt'iiii until tiiiiil paviinut has Ih'imi made. "L*. All liixi's iui'i ii.'-si'-;siiifiits liiwl'iilly imiHiscd ii|iiiiiy rcscrvt's from siilo, under these re.:ulati()iis, all mineral and I'nal lands; and lands elaetory eviilenee ol" thi'ir intention and aiiility to utilise the same. " "). The Company reserves the ri^ht to tai^e witliout remuneration (except, for the value of hnildini^s and improvements on the reipiired portion of land) a strip or sirips of land 'Jno fn't wide, to he used tor ri^ht of way, or other railway pur|ioses, wherever the line of the Canadian I'aeltic Railway, or any liranch thereof, is or shall he located." Oil its own lands the (lovorninciit ofTrrs 1 (>() acres (a (juartcr section, that is) iVcc to each sj'tth'r, with the privileire of pre- empting another 100 acres, the conditions being stated as foUows : — "Under the Dominion I/uids IIe'j;ulat ions, all surveyed oven-nunihered sections, exer]itinj; !^ and 'Jtlin Manitoliaand the North-Wtst Territories, which have not been hounsieaded, reserveil to provide wood lots lor settlers, or other- wise dispi)sed of or reserved, are to Imj lield exclusively for homesteads and jire-emptions. " liomesteats, mini n<^ and other special )>ur|ioses, the homesteader shall lie;^in actual residence upon his homestead within six months from the date of entry, and shall reside upon and make tlu! land his home for at least six months out of every twelve months tVir thren years from the date of entrv : ainl shall within the tirst vear alter the date of his homestead entry, break and pre[iarc for crop 10 acres of his homestead quarter section ; and shall within the second year crop the said 10 acres, and break and jinpare for cro|) lo acres additional — makim: lio acres; i'.nd within the third year alter the date of his homestead entry, he shall crop the said 2") acres, and break and prepare for crop 15 acres aiiditional — so that within three years of the date of his homestead entry he shall have not less than 2' acres cro]iped, and lo acres additional broken and prepared for crop. " Land, other than that included in Mile Melt, Town Site l{v> Coal and Mineral districts, may l)e homcsteaded in either of the tw(' >vvinj;, methoiis : — " 1. The homesteader shall bcfjin actual residence on his homestead and cultivation of a reasonable portion thereof within six months from date of entry, unless entry shall have been made on or after the 1st day of September, in which case residence need not commence untd the 1st day of June fol- lowiiif;, and continue to live uixin and cultivate the land for at least six months (jut of every twelve months for three years from date of homestead entry. "2. The homesteader shall be;4in actual residence, as above, within a radius Canadian A(/ricnlfure. 51) of two miles (if liis liitiiu'sfciid, iuul oontiiiue ht make liis Iimhic williiii mucIi nuliiis for ut least six tiKHitJis nut of every twelve iiv.mtlis for the tliree years next siieeeedini^ the date of liDinesteacl entry ; ami shall within the first your from date of entry lireaU and prepare for crop 10 aeres of his iiomestead • piarfer section ; and shall within the second year crop the said 10 acres, and l)reak and prepare for crop If) acres additional — maUinu' -') acres; and witliin the third year alter the date of liis homestead entry he sliall crop the said 25 acres, and hreak and prepare! for crop lo acres additional, so that within thrco years of the date of his iiomestead entry \\r shall have not less than lio acres cropped; and sliall have erecteil on the land a lialiifalile lioiise in which lio shall have livi'd diirinL; the three months next precedm;^ his application for homestead patent. " In th(! event of a homesteader desirin;^ lo secnri; his patent within a sliorter jwriod than the three years provided liy law, lu; will he permitted to purchase his homesfeated on becoming entitled to his homestead jiatent ; but should the homesteader tail to fultil the hoinesteail conditions he forfeits all claim to his pre-emption. "The price of i)re-em]itions, not inchi", when the latent heat of the eartli and tiie plants has l»een <;iven off, Hut whatever \n>. the true cause, the fact apjx-ars tfi be well attested. The cliief h'ssoii which exiierience has fa>ipht the farmer is to sow his wheat tsarly in the spring, so that the ear shall Ikj past the milky stage before the frost comes." Notwithstanding the long and severe winter the reports as to the climate nearly all concur in representing it as not only toler- able, but bracing and healthy, and people who have gone to the prr.irie in indifferent health have found the change beneficial. An old Scotchwoman wrote home, " It is fine to see the bairns play in the snow without getting their feet wet." The settlers appear, in the great majority of cases, to have 11 ' Kneyc. Urit,' Niiitii Kd., Art. "CHiiada." «. -J ()2 Caundiau AijriruUnrc. coinmcnrrd with less than 200/. rapit.il, frrqurntly with less than 100/., and soinotinics with none. On the other hand, rases are recorded in whieh the initial capital ranjred to as hif;h as 2000/. The eijjhtv or ninety fanners who liirnisli inlorination under this head report their financial ]>osition as improved, and in some cases very markedly so. Hitherto the \orth-\Vest has non no doubt partly accounts for the very rapid rate at which vegetation procee to see in progress, was in 1884. In the I'resich'nt's Report, presented to the annual mtu'tinjjr liehl on January Uth, 1884, at Winnipeg, it is stated that opera- tions were l)e<>^un during the summer and fall (»l' 1882, when ground was broken to the <'xtent ol about 2700 a(;res, and as it was impossible to further prepare tiie land by back-setting, it was d(!cided to sow on the " breaking," or once-turned sod. Tlie experiment, for such it was, inasmu(;h as it had hitherto been th(! custom to ba(;kset before sowing, proved successful, and served to demonstrate that a crop might be raised after merely bn-akiufi^ the sod. Wheat gave an average yield of nearly 20 busjjels of choice hard grain per acre, some of which was sold at ?tii. 8^/. per bushel, delivered on the cars at the farm station, Indian Head. Oats gave a light yield, attributed to severe drought in the early summer. Hetween 3000 and 4000 bushels were sold at from 3.v. to 3.%-. 2ws that precede seeding. The annual r«'port for 1883 further states tliat during the year building was carried on c«)ntinuously. Near the main building, erecti'd in 1882, there was built a granary of 30,000 bushels capacitv, with "lean-to" additions for the storage of implements, two barrack cottages for the accommodation of the men at the main station, a blacksmitirs shop, and a horse- infirmary, with sev<'ral necessary sheds, while twenty-two ad- ditional (-ottages with stables were erect<'d on the surrountling sections. M<'tal nmfing is chi<*(ly emph)yed. The cottages are substantiallv Imilt, »)f a unihtrm si/e, 2() feet by 30 feet ; each contains live rooms, and most of thes<' residences are occupie*! by marrie«l tenants. Kach cottagj', with stable at- tached, cost about 1(10/. A stationary farm granary, of 4000 bushels capacitv, and fourt«'en portable granaries, circular in form, and capal)le of holding 10(M) bushels each, were add 1(1 0 rami ruinl, Ciun lit (see Ik'Iuw, 15.) .. <),7-l IK !» l'x|'fIlSf Aocniiiit IIH 7 I) Interest Accoiiijt 41t> 7 H hirwtois' Kt'cs 47 '.< <> Hills I'aval.le M4 14 O i'.ye-liiw h H S H. .1. KbtTts, 'rrcasurcr ami Swrutary .. H H •» Salaries 1,4'J1> 11 10 tarvMf; ii o rills total will not, by the way, be founti e(|uivalent to the Paoifio Railway haviiis; crictMl one at Fort Wiiliaiii, I.(M)6. Others, erectcil la^t veur. wwre at Kiiiii, '27,000; (Jictna, 'Jti.OOO; MorriK, UO.OOO ; Manitoii, :iO,0(K); Carberry, 4U,UU0: (iriiiwoia, 3(),000 ; and ut Virden, 2U,UU0 buaheU. Ctinatlian Af/ririi/fnrc. i'lf^ rorrosponilinp^ one in the* puWllsliod .Kcounts, iii.isinucli as I Ciml what apjiears to bran orri»r <>1 1(),()0() dollars in the lattor. Tlic Dutliiy oil the lann, — il «. rf. A. Krotn Capital AiTouiil 'J2,H3r, 17 0 I'.. I'roiii CiimMit Acc(nu\l •"•J'JI IK '.» Contiiii^i'iit 7 17 <) i'jK.-.cr, 1:5 ;; is thus mado up: — A. From Ciipital Acroiinl — C s. if. IUIaiu-('.,n l'l..ii-l,ii,^ ill 1HS2 .. .. 'J14 10 0 Huililiii-^s 7, MarnosH -lOl 11 7 Waj^oiis ami Slci.;lis iir,~t -1 10 Cows .'il'J 0 O Fiirnitiirt' ;>'» l''> '• Wells ;{0H S r, Cnnlces 133 ('» 4 tVncins:; '">•'» 4 4 HonK 13 0 0 l^aituiir fin Impri'vi'iiit'iit:* I/JOf) 1.") .> Survey UahiH'f 14 ."» <» • C'J-i,H:!t; 17 o I'. Vunn Curn'iit Account — £ •<••. SmlOatM 74L' 10 S Salaries — Su[>«riiit<'ii(lcnt .. .. '_'!;» H '2 r.,M.k-l<.riKr .. .. I.') 0 1 2«1 17 «i fhsurance "''^ l'> o Priiitiiisi U 5 t) Coulees Int it in .i forin, sdiowii on th<' opposite pajj^e, in which it will jierhaps in? more easily understootl. Mv visit to the Hell I'arrn was inatlo on September 14th, lf>St. Major lie!!, who was exeeedini;! v kind, };ave Sir Kiehard Temple, Proiessor Slu'ldon, an self-bindinat measurin*:^ seven miles from corner to corner; most of the fields, however, are two miles loni;, by on«' mile wide. The straw was of fair U'Ujrth ami Ix-autilully clean, lninji: free from even the faintest trace of rust ; at present it is burnt as it comes from the thr<'shin<;-niachine, bj'injr uses, can turn up two acres a day, at a cost of 8.v. per acre. On an adjoining farm belonging to Colonel Sykcs, and where stenm-ploughing Ciimulian AtjricuUuro. r.7 -wX-jeo CO -coo CO c-c:o • ifl »rt I-: 'o ic . ■: I » c c c c tr c: cc -t" t' cc X 1^ ?': ei c X «♦» :; V5 "M — < x c: C I". "M I- r1 rt — C M -M r~ 1-; n t~ c- — I - -*< •- -f -M O CO 1.-5 CO CO 00 o CO !| § 4) a r Z '" i S i£ ts r- c S , -^ .rs s >. » i 15i < SO Li — y .-« c» 8J a= : « 5^ ^ o -^ c« ^ • ^. -^ f* '■ ti • 0^ -^ rt »• ^ * ^ -ss a ;2- p a e .i . 3- Slbl OOo ;;^ C tK 3 - ■ S — * ki C a 0) J; u 2 « > »^ o •' o afl I—* »— __4 C ?^ tS -r ^ c a , 5'"^ 5.3 * c 5 « c » SP g 2 -r ='^^-^'-'-=^ I, c 5 ShKmW Was 0*»i r^OOOiNOOOOCO . © C M ;r '-5 -f C '.-. CO * M ^ ^ ^ p^ ic c 05 X -f « rj ^ '^ , , iM ic ^ C5 a-- 1~ « '~ ' r ■*• to lO !?i « -t^ Ci I ~ "f 'x; o -t"' fo « c-r -^ —' "2 IM lO CI n < 13 2 To o * aa cS -•-> s 5 ^-Z l^^^^C I — . 5 -J ^ "1 f- <~. I 3 '::-_^ 5 2 V - - O K U '.^ - -« "< ^' ; 1 ' ."I II 1^ J t;8 Cniiii/inii Aqriiiiltinr L. was n-sorti'd to, tlir cost was -/. ()>•. jmm- ;u it. IMou;;l»iiij; noccs- sarilv cc'iscs with the l)»'j;imrm<; of winter, hut tin* pulverising; efl'eet ot the loiijj; frosts in the proinotiou of a ilesirable tilth and the f(»rniati<»ii of a jfootl seed-hed, is a factor of <<)nsi I. - *v s. rconoiiiv ol the i.inii provides lor a smnmcr fallow once rvcrv three* years, so that otU'-thinl ol the acreajje uixh'r eiiltivatioii would !»<• left in hare fallow every summer, thus alVordin;; opportunity for keepinj; tin* land rlean, while the ajjjfretjate vi«'ld of wheat will prohablv not be less than mijjht be obtained by eontinuous cropping. At the time of my visit about 20() horses were beinjj main- tained, and all that were not ens^ajred in the harvest- work were emplove«l in plou^jhinjf. The eost of a };<><>d carthorse, weijjhin}^ 1400 lbs., ranj^es from or/, to 40/. In summer \'M) men are - :i 70 CdiuuUan Aers already mentioned, it was found practicable to cut ^00 acres of wheat per day, so that, at this rate, the entire 7000 acres could be cut in nine workings days. The averap;e yield of wheat in 1883 was 20 bushels per acre ; for 1884, it was estimated that the yield would reach an average of 25 bushels. The cost «)f growing wheat in 1883 was \s. O^r/. per bushel; in 1884, the cost was estimated to be not more than 1a*. 5]r/. per bushel, or ll.v. 0(/. pj'r (|r. Major Hell saitl he believed he could grow wheat and place it on the wharves at Liverpool at about 23.«. per qr. This price included 8 per cent, interest on the capital involved, and anything above this figure, realiscil at the time of sale, would represent profit. This result is in accordance with the fol- lowing statement, which is, of course, open to criticism : — E^tinuUed Cost of (jrowing a Bmhcl (60 Ih.) of Wheat on the Bell Far.m. s. d. Horses 0 L't liiibour 0 si Maintt'iiaiice ()f Labourers 0 li Suii(iri»'s, iiichiuld most materially add to the profits, and indeed are a necessity to a thoroughly weli- apiH)inted farnj. " For u farm of 21.'} acres — one-third of a s(juare mile section — the size best adapted for the team of three horses and one plo\igh, on tlie supi)ositii)n that tlie purchaser starts work in April with 25 jht cent, ready for crop, and without importing into the consideration the original cost of the land, nor interest ou cajutal :— it " ik Ml 7i ( \uiadian Aifricnlture. FinsT Ykar. £ «. (/. t'ost tif cott.'if^c mill stiiblo onH'tcd the previoua v.ar nOO 0 0 Siukins wi'lls (1>) 10 0 0 ;nioisoaaiul Imriuss I'JO 0 0 1 Cow 14 0 0 1 lliuid ])l.m>;h f) 0 0 1 Harrow 7 0 0 1 Wnji-^un K! 0 0 1 StTiK r (crtjmtity 'J.'> acrt'8 |)or (liiy) 10 0 0 1 St'U'-l.in.lor (capacity 0 l',usli(>ls scetl wlxat tor 40 acres 15 0 0 2ri Huslitls oata lor 10 acres.. .. 2 0 0 Ctanlen seeds 100 Seed iK)tattK38, 1 aero 2 8 0 Maintenauco of Family (.">) and servants .. .. ." 120 0 0 Heprtirs (i 0 0 ( >m' extra liaud in liarvest, 2 months 12 0 0 Thresliin- laOO Kushels at 'JJ'/. •• 15 0 0 Oats ami liay lor lird belore harvest 30 0 0 Twine tor biudinj; 3 0 0 Total on Current account 290 8 0 Total Kxpenditure £'.>23 8 0 " In the mean time the ploiiuhman will have broken during the season 100 acres new land and stubble, and [iloughed 'lO acres, so there are ready 150 acres for second year. « 'p The crop from first year will be : — £ ». d. 1000 bushels wheat at (sm/) 3.s. -id. (abutd) ,. .. 160 0 0 5(H') bushels oats .. .' 40 0 0 250 bushels pjtatocs and roots 20 0 0 £220 0 0 Canadian Aj/riculture. 73 SkC(»NI> YkaU — KXI'KNDITUIIK. £ n. it. I-alKnir — niiin ami girl 84 0 0 Kxtia liilMntr, liiirvi-Ht iiiid tlirr«liiii'^ ;{(', o 0 'J(M) 1)ii.h1r'Ih wlicat for Htvil ;j'J 0 0 Seed, «)ats and lecd ;{<) 0 0 lii»y ir> 0 0 Mailiteiiaiice ]00 0 0 Olio Kulky iilou);li !"> 0 0 IN'pairs aiul coiitiii>;i'iicu;H ;{0 0 0 'I'wine 7 0 0 Tiireshins 40 0 0 iay5 0 0 SkcOND YkAK — HkTI IINS. 1 40 acreH wheat, .'{'lOO biislu'U ofiO 0 0 10 acres uatH, fiOO bushels 40 0 0 KoutH L'O 0 0 £020 0 0 •• In th<' third year, and each year thereafter, the system of summer fallow is adojited, ami tlie land crnpiied is 140 acres, leaviiii,' a dill'erent one-third thereof at rest each year. The cruj) will consist of 110 acres of wheat and liO t>f ^rain and roots for feed ; and the expenditure is about the same iw that of the second year, savin<; that tliecost of hay is dropjRil out, it beiiij,' needless to carry it forward year by year. *' This will <;ive ex|H'nditnre S,'M\'i And crop returns— wheat, other <;rain, and roots, m 5(18 Or a net profit of JCliOil "The estimates for A oOO-acre farm may l>e approximately arrived at bv multiplying the capital account of the 2i;{-acre farm by 2, the current acc«iunt by L'i, a>'d the income by 3, producing the following results : — "Capital account .. ZVim £ «. Current account JIS7 \Q income I0O4 Q ^'L't profit £r)l(J 10 Or a net profit of 23 per cent, on the whole exj^nditure. " I'ur a farm of 1(»(X) acres, by adtling one-third to the eajiital accoimt of a SOO-acre farm, one-half to the current account, and two-thirds to income as follows : " (.'apitttl account .. X1GH8 £ ,. Current acctmnt 1481 5 income l.'f,06 8 £1U25 3 Or a net profit of .^2 i»er cent. " Cost of stock : working o.xen, .'{.')/. jxT yoke ; milch cows, 12/, to 14/. for SO-jd yradc ; youn'4 pigs, H\>i. to 2/. each ; .s1k.i.|,, 1/. i.^, t,. 2/. each." \ II (t ifii .1- ■ ' a ■ m I Ctttuiiliiin Aiirintlfiirr. In (Titl(lsinu[ the ton'i^curij; statement, it is im|><).ssil)Ie to ignore tlw |)riee ot wheat, whieh is estimated to he worth ehjse upon 'lis. per (|uarter, fn'e on rail, at Indian Head. I'his estimate seems to \\\v too hij^h, and certainly unndiahh' lor a term ol' vears. A(hlin<; lis. per ipiarter lor Ireiijht to I.iverj)ool, the price at that port wonhl recjuire to l)e ."JS.v. r\ ship, a riy:ure (|iiite unohtainal)h' ossihle to the lact(»ry svstt'in. The diyision ol lahonr is necessarily carried to an extreme, and the mana;j:ement ol so hiiije an undertakin;; inxoUes an almost military discij)line ainonj; the woikers, and the j)roj>ri<'tors are lortiniatj* in hayiny; so ii clns. Iv rsiuiiiinMl ihcv are liuinii to vary a yrcat (leal in rlicnucal ctnistitufnts. (icticrally, liewcviT, tlx; alkali i'. larjicly eoiit- jHiscil ul'siKJa cotiiiiininis, uifti .an nccasittnal <•>,<:( ssi,f lime ami iiia'.MU'sia, or jMitasli. 'Ilif tujliiwin;: analyscH of tltosc simIh sIk-vv Imw viiri.ildr tlii-y an-. Till' lust i.s tal;';ir:, ■III'', tiic lliir .i f iiiil< \S( St i,lll.-,,ll Ilisollllili' (siliciull.s' Illuttrr INroxidc of iron .MiiiniTm ('iir)H'iiati' of litiio IM ioH|ili;iti' of linii ( arlM.niiti' |i cultiv.ition. 'I'he next ste|> is the eoii->nni|ition ol' the excess ol" alkali, which can 1m' c fVected hv croj h of the cfp al ' rain-5 in wi-t scaMHis. In such seasons t!if>s)' alkali lands, if decj.ly cnltivated, oi'ten jiriMJuco spletidid crops of <:rain. Wheat is csiKcially a preat coiisMiner of the alkalies; and these iM'in'^ jiartlv renioveil in ihis wav, and tlie reinainin;; excess ininuleil with the deeply-ciltivated soil, renders it, in niaiiv instancc-s, in ii few years ca|ial>lo of beiiin used fir tlie other oniinaiy crop> of N't liiaska. 'I'lcated in this way, these alkali lands Mrieii U'come the most valualile port oiis of tin' tariii. Tin re are comparatively few alkali laniis in the Stati' that caniioi he rtrlaiimd in this way."* 'riioiii;li ill tlic iorco^oinu;' ;iiial vscs the pni cntaifcs ol phos- pliHtc ol liin<> ami of potash an> liii;li, the most rcmai kablc fcaturr iii tlir cxtraordinarv ;inioiiiit of ciirhoiiatc ot soda tlicv hIiow tli(>s(> lands to po>s('ss, wlitcli Is inor(> than sulluiciit to luilv arcoiiDt tor their alkalim' character. CiUitit/iiin I'lici/lc liiiihtuni /'.r/u rinit'tidi/ /•'iiriiis.— \n eonse- (|Uomf? ol' rumours rind reports to the ellect that inueh ol the rountrv ahuiu' the line ol th(> Canadian i'aciiie K.-iilivay in itsi roursi* across the third prairie steppe, which extends Iroin .M«»oso .law to Cali^arv, a distance of jnore than !(>•' mih-s. w is larjxelv made up ol desert and alkali lands, and was « oiisetjUenth (|uite unfit lor cultivation, thi* railway authorities «» late in the seasitn there was hut little time m whi» h to perlonn ili«' necessary o|)eiat ions. As soon as the hxality ol a larrfi had l>eeii s«de< ted, the thirty tr- ims were unload«'d in the morning, and put to Work under the direction of (Uie of the ( ompanv's field inspectors, and continued to hreak the prairie-sot] tlirotig^h- out the il,i\. Tho f'ofnpany's Land ' otninissioiier, alter sf^e'tng * ' Cnilofl State* (oolotjieiil nnjrraphie,d Hurvf>y of r'oik>r»r|o »pfi .^djaef•llt Trrrilory. IHTt. By I''. V. Havden, f :< t;fo!o|jfi>f W^shinTt'* : (•ovi-rnnient IriittmL' Olllee, lsl*'<. p. 'IfW. f H. m 76 Cnmulian At/ricnltun: the (lav's work faiilv stiutc«l, took tlir locomotive and liis rar, nnerimental stations We're established : the l)reakinsif thrctuirhout was found t<; he easy, and the soil in «"very rase ^ood. It was j)roj)os<'d to rultivate the ground thornu<;h1v, in aeeordanee with the most approved methods ot hrrakin^ and l)a( ksettin^^, so as to have a seed-hed rea- the sprini; ol IS.S.'> ; those in rhar«;e of the work wen-, however, h- ments, and seed-jirain to commetnc the sprinj; sowinffs. At Winnipeg th<-r<> was still mu« h snow on the ground; hut on jjoi II ;r westward the wn continnousiv Iro/en, it is evident that the sod had no opportunitN to rot, and the land, when sj)rin^ se<'dini; be^^aii, was practicalU in the s.inu- condition as when lelt in the tail, so that a proper seed-bed could not he prepared, conscipient I \ much ot the seed remained on the sur- face tt» he withered bv the sun or eaten bv Itirds and f^opln-rs. To save space, 1 have ((indensed tlu' particulars relatiny^ t » the several farms int<» the Talde on the oj)posite patje, the \i<'lds jfiven in which were as«ertainey ac worthy ol not«', particularl .' in the innv of Dunrnore, where M'uinu tnnk piaic on the -llh and .^th wf Apii't, .and Cannilian A(/ririi/tu/r. i i I Ml ir- •rs. hr . 1, 1'^ u ;2 3 ■r. "2 1 ^11 a S" 5J a' X ~ it •^ >r 5! — ^— ' « C^ IT V. — 11 o S o ::^ X a J "2 » — ■M M (M ffl X 4> -^ ri ^ ^ 2 '~ 'J" O W J4 »»< 'i> c^ r» — C 35 ri r; ?4 -^ — < , , >, >. >. ' ' ^ "o ■ 0 , . >( >. t^ d 5 i ►l >» X z >i /J _rt -r "^ iS 0 "^ >, >i 03 85 >» a >. a c 4' 2 2 s a s a a OS « s •r. 7- •^ •J. (/J V. X a s E I IM S 3 •O 3. 30 3 a a i JO ~ «4 >» S 2 iC B .1 X « o 3 5 'A 2 ^ M 5o 5 *J C4 94 '■*• -r X, ;^ -i I I- 9 3 « ■J 5^ : i - •/. 5- X ,2 X a 03 Vi •^ a X I- 3 n 1' 78 Caiunliau /it/ririiltuir. Imrlcv was liurvcstcd (»m Jiilv 'J.'jnl ; oats on Aiijjust Htli ; and uhrat on Aiijjust Ttli. Hailcy thus occiipiiMl tlnrc months «'i;;htcj'n days for its frrouth ; oafs, lour months onr day ; and wheat, four months two davs. In some <"asrs j;o(nl v<'<;ctal»I<'s were i^rown : and at ( ilcichcn, in particular. I had an opportunity ats, is interest iuj;, !ie( ause it is situated at th<> summit of the (irand ( otrau of the Missouri, a description of which is ;^iv«'n in an earlier part of this paper. At eacli farm an a( re «)f land was set apart to determim* the results of autumn sowinir, sprinir-whrat and oats heini; sown an• That Irom l.dl seedinij with spring ;;raln on tlu- western j)ialns a satisfactory result cannot l»e looked lor. t. That cereals, roots, aiui jxarfh-n pro- duce cm be sujcesslullv raised at eh'\ations of Irom 2. That seedln<; can be done su(1l( icntiv earlv to allow «)f all the crop beln;; harvested beiorc Septemlxr 1st. With rej;ai(l to this last point it mij^ht be thou;>:ht that the summer of iS^t was abiiormallv earlv on the ])rairi<>, but I know that the contrary was the cuKe ; it. had been an nnusuallv w«t ba«kwar«l summer just tin- reverse of what we ex|)i'rienced in Iln^dand -and, at the Hell r'nrm, l.'iO miles •■ast ol Secretan, the most easterly of the experlnu'ntal farms, hary('stii\|r was, as I have already stated, in lull o|M>ration on the 1 1th of Scpfcndter, a nun h latssitat(>s its heiny; of th<' KjmI I'vfc? variety, containing not nuire than 10 per ecial merit, an rollin<^ lands, the <-oulees, the foot hills of the Kockies ilankin^ the lofty summits that loom <:ran(lly a<>:ainst the westJMii sky, aHord j)lenty of i;roun«l shelter to cattle in this well-watered re;;i(m ; and the warm (liiuook winds from the Pacific coast on the south-west rush thi(>Ui;h the Kootenav, (row s \est, How Kiyer, and numsh cattle and tlie esrablishment of new ranches, risen to ir»,0(l(); .Mid the increas<' has since been, and still is, pro- gressive. 'Ilu' l)on)inioM (iovernnu'Ut <;rants lea.s«'S ot sections of thes<» ifra/inj; lands at the nominal rent of 1 cent(.V/.) per acre, and in the at,"e<'n'»-nt, the t<'rm " cattle " impl\ in^ bulls, oxen, cows, or horses at least oni' year old. The contract is lor twenty-one years, (Iminy: wiiich pcrio«l the lessee ajjrees not to a|)plv any prrt of the land to otiier than ^ra/in^ purposes, nor to ^ra/e shet'p upon the land without the consent in writinjj of the M inisttT ol the Interior. Should the (iovermtrin ('outi'-il at any time durin;^ the twenty-one years think it to be in \\\c. public interest to open f«)i' settlement the lands than ont-e in a winter, lit k up the snow atui lay bare the pastures. A good cattle ranch should cover an area of at least from ^(^(Hin jures Ut .'{(),()()() acres. I am indebted to Mr. J. (i. Col mer, Secretary of the Canadian OHice, in London, for the following summary (p. 81) of the leading ran»:hes and their e(|uipineMt, as existing last summer in the district between Calgary and lort Mrl.eoil on the t obtainable yet. Ordinarily all that is to be sei'n at a ranch is the open prairie, with the catth' grazing la-re and tlieri-. and the best time to see the cattl<> is at the " round-up,' whiili, however, only takes place twice a vear in the spring and in the fall. Although each ran( h companv leases a certain definite area of land, its limits are not adhered to, because this would involve too great an out! tor h-ncing. 'riirrejore ail the <'attle are branded w itit the mai ks of their respective owners, and thev roam at will over the (ountrv. At the half-vearlv *' ronnd-up " the tattle are all ctdlectetl, anti the various brands M'p.trated antl t ounted, the calves being constdt>red as the jinijiertv of the ranch wht)8e cows thev follow. Alter the " nmntl-up." anv crittle not brantled are sohl, and the proceeds go to tlie Sto khtihlers' Association to provitle the funtls with which their work is tarried on. J he ( ochrane Ranch is one of the }>est kntiwn. It occupies some splendid grass-land, and the tatth at three \ears old will weigh 12(»() to \'MH) lbs., and be worth I'M. (m the ranch. Messrs. (ochrane, however, had an unpleasant e.xjM'rience three years agti. They purchased upwards of 4VHlruii.l Kiuirh Co. (N'nilli F.,il<, <)M Miiii'h Hivcr, riinlicr (If. k) .I.iiicM aii.l liiil.rwick (North Fork. t I'aHH, I*. C. District) (iarn.t HrotlitTs (S.iiith F.irk, I'. C. Dintrict) .. .. Sniitli (I'iiii'licr Cr.. k) All.rt M.l.co.l) I»r.\anl (W illow Citik) Mdilary Col.ii.isati.'n ( o, (miu rai Stranj^c (Ilow Kiv.r) I''. Siiiiiwon (llit-di liiv.T) N ii'inity of Caiguiy aial .Morl.y 'I'.ital 4,r.o() I,2U0 I.TiuO T.IIUO I.TOU s.ooo lliir?«'». •120 'JOO CiO TtOO 250 175 M'tO SO :{iM) :i(» 250 150 400 4U 000 100 1.200 150 .'iOO 20 220 20 180 40 2.100 too i;iio 6,000 — 300 50 000 50 2,::oo HOO h:o — :!(io 75 2(10 :iou MOO l.7(M) mo l.(MM( l.'.'IIO 45, n;o 5,.*mO (HI a spcciCMMl (lav in ()ct(»l)<'r. liiit tlicv omitted to settle the time ;it \\lii(li the cut h' were to eoinineiue their jouruev, jitid as they haj>|iene«l to start hvte, thev were so ov«'r-(lriven in onU'r to ifet to their joornev's end at the appointed time, th.at thev arrived in a verv exhausted condition, ("attle ran travel at tho rate ol ten to filteen miles a dav across the prairie, a?id thrive on the |o(irnev ; hut much more than this was attempted in tho case in point. There was a heavy' i
>t in thu Western States than north ot the 'itlth parallel. The ( 'ochraiie ranch has since ln>en ren)ove still in Cidorado. Many ol tin' ran( h cattle are ol the old Spanish breed, but on tlw (\)clirane ranch tliorouy:hl)red bulls — Short- horns, I lerelonls. aiul particulaih Pulled ;\ii«:us are beinjf used. These bulls were imported trom the Cochrane herds in Lower Canada: a journeN ot .'1000 miles by rail and boat laners tor the \orth-\\'est<'rn Mounted Polici', and tor tlu' Indians, ey«'ry one of the latter beinj; allowed 1 lb. ot tlour and 1 lb. of beef per day ; tlu'se rations, yyith a certain area ot land in the Indian res(>r\('s tor each Indian tamily, bein^ in accordamc with the sti|)ulations made with the abo- rifjines \yhen the pale-lai<(l settlers depiiycd them ot tln'ir land, and brou^dit about the now almost coinplet<- extinction of the butialo. The sj-tthrs, too, are considerable bu><'rs, and there is a pros|)ectiye marlv<-t at (liica^o, tor the Montana ran( limen do a considerable trade \yith this cit\, their cattle iK-in^; dri\en northwards across the international boundary to Maple (reek on the Canacd in bond to (liicajfo, ?"/(i Winnipeg:; this su;rj;ests an outlet tor their jiroducj- whi( h the ranchmen ol Alberta are not likely to iffiiore. 'i'he price of steers last season was trom 12/. to 14/., and of dry cows trom 10/. to 1*2/. 'i he natural annual increase on the ranches is estimated at about It') ])er cent., tr«)m animals two years old and U|)uards. Amoiiij; the leadinsted in the Oxley ranch), (ieneral StranfJf, Sir J*', de VV'irjton, ly*s uiiifit arc: a Caliroriiia saddle witli tapadcros ((ittin^rs) coinplcti*, a riile on saddle, a pair of s<-liap|>s (Icatlicr le^^in^s), a pair oi Mcxicati spurs, an overcoat, and a cow-lxiv liat or sott s'inihrero. 'J'lie (oll,' which usually Itciiins in May and lasts for ahoiit six s\e< ks. All the stockmen in the country send repre-enfatives in proportion to the numlier of their Inni, and each 'cowl oy ' hriiij^s wiih him lioiii lnur to six horMs. k can Im* imaixiiied that, wiih tio men in camp, and a hand ol over •'{()(> horses, the scenes that occur are often livdy and soinetiints excitiiiu'. In ihe autumn, local ' roundups' in the ditVcreiit stock di>iricts are held lor the piirpo>e of hraiidiiiL' the summer calves, which liy lln' tnljowim; sjinni: v\oiild prohaMy have left tla'ir mothers, hecoinin^ ' no man"> laitle,' or as they are tei huically ti'inied, Diiin ti'/:s. " 'I'he hie ol the rancher and cow hoy is at limes a hard oie -but withal, pictur(S(|Uf and soi ody of the herd presses on them, diiveii by a do/en cowboys, ytlliii;.; and cracking tlieir wldps, in a cloud of dii.^l lirhiiid and at their sides. The leaders are forced into deep water, and soon have to HW'ni, Htrikin^ out boldly for Ihe farther siiore ; (he others lollow, while the cowbi.ys ride into the ciirient (o ' keep them a'f»oin'.' Last ol ad collie the calves, wuh the rest of the cowboys riding behind. Hut by this time the leaihrs itru climbing out on the op|iosite bank, and the main Innly is drifting' down St reftiii in a confiistid mass. A couple of men gallop d«iwn the bank, plun.;e into the river, and head ilniu u|i stream a.raiii, and in a lew iniiiiitis the wh I'roin disease, r.'iiinot t.iil to enlist the 8Vinp;itlietie !itteMtioii ol' I'liJirlisli lanners ; ansent, I proce<'(l to f;ive the siilistance ol the regulations ol" an Order in ('oinicil which ap|>eared in the otiit'ial 'Canada (ia/ette' so recent! V as Septend)er i^, 1SS|. |t reti-rs to Manitoba and the \orth-\V«'st : Wlicrca^ till' (lisi-aso .-if iili'uro-piu'umnnia |irt vails aiuoti.; no it (Mltlf in till' Wi'stt'iii St.ito III' liliimii, as udl a-< in utlnT mnri' iistmi nl' tlic Tiiiti'il Sta'i's, ftiul tliitro is ri'iismi to iK'licVt' that ticul cattle I'ur l>n; to iimri' Wcshtii States ami 'I'erri- forics, it is .iriii'reiTiiiitieil Inini till! rnile.l Slates ainl 'I'errit.u'ies iulo the I'luvinee ft' Maiiiinlia ami tluJ North- Wr.st Territory nl" ("anaila \>e ]iniliil>ite<1, e\rf;it on the InllnwitiL; d'ti- neh cattle Irniii tlie I'last sliall not 1m» iillowed to cross th« Canadian Iroiitier, indess at'ter nisiK-ctinii \>y a iiulv-aiitlii>risid veitrinary Mirijeoii, ai'iiointed l)y the M^li^ter ol A^riruiiure, they shall Ite deelarid lice from cniiiaL^ nus ili>e.isi', and alsn t'oitn well-iniindi d siis|iicion tliern't'; and hiriher, Hiich cattlo shall ho siiliji-ct to a (|uariMitinc' of t!0 days, nr siuh oilur jt-riod as may ai i>ear to the Minister i>l' A.'ricultnrc advisalile. o. At l''t'Ml< or Kreediii'.^ I in r| loses, or for transit, shall iml he allowed to cross the Canadiati frontier unless tliey arc declared hy the duly antlioriM'd vi teiinary snr'ieoii to he free from cont i^^ioiis m wed-loimded sii^picinn tlieriof. fi. 'I'he owner niii>t iirixhice a duly attested certitieate, statin.; the Statu or 'I'errilory and iiarticiilar locality whence the cattle have Iteen hrou'^^ht. 7. The nniKirter ol such cattli- shall pay a h-«' : for ttiie arrival, -hs. ; for nut cxceeiiiiu' live, "J.s. each ; not, cxceedin.; ten, Is. .'!«/. each ; not oxceidinj^ twenty, loi/. eacli ; not exct!idin'.i hl'ty, iul, each; over Iift\, "w/. each. H. No car which Inis heeti loaded with cattle in th(! I'liitcd States, and crosses the Canadian froiitirr, shall he allowed alterwards to carry ('anadiaii cattle. \K No car or cars carrying; sncli I'nited States cattle in transit from West tn Kast, Ititwreii the piiints ahove named, shall lie allowed to lie shunted in close proximity to any (.'aiiadian cattle. |o. Kvery such car »hall 1m' kept as far apart as possiMe from cars <iiall Inrm any [nut of a train carrying; (.!anadian cattle. I'J. Kvery car or ttain carrying; cattle in transit from West to j-last he- twien the iKidits In lure named, shall stop at such fixed places as shall he named l-y liie Minister of Aj^riculliii)! for the puriwise of rest, jvetliie.; and Canuilidn Aijricullurc. »5 \vtitfriii'4; mi'l hik'Ii plact's hIikII Im ili-cliire-l ' iiifcctctl ' within the terms of * 'I'lit! Aiiiiiiiil (".•uiii;;i->us nisciiHcs Act, IH7',»,' hciti^' strictly iM.btrd, ami nil (•'MiiiiiMiiic iticiii with tli>'iii proliilnti'd, cxcciil liy tin; uliict'r.i aiil imii m cliiir^c 111" lilt' truiiis, nr »•!' sudi inlcctcil placi's. !.'{. Mvcry <'ir wliich h.is liccii used tur (Mrryiir^ animals frnm tlic rnit(!(l Suites i>r '!'( rntoncs, ill tr.iiisit tliruii,'li tlic. I>istiicts.>i AiinTta ami Assiiiil».)ia, or tlio I'i-ttviiicc III M;tiiilnl)a, t'iu JliinTsoii iiml (irclna, shall In; thnruiii^hly clcaiictl and disiniii ted Itclore ri'-i-nfi'i iii^ the I'mviiun nf Manituba, in such maninr as sliall lie onlered hy the Minister nl A^rieiiltnre. The suitability <>l Soiitln'iii AlluTta to |)ui-|)i>s(>s of rnnchinpf is now n'jfanliMl as rstahlislu'd. It is Ktatrd that the poorriit pastuH's ill All)(>rta surpass tlu> ^[rcatcr |)art of the area of the State of Montana in stock-iaisiiij; capahilitirs, and soini* of the lea old ranches ar(> bein<; stock(* drawn from the lli^h Kiver to the How Kiver, and thenc(* alonj; the South S;iskatchewan. Last summer over 12,000 sheep were driven from Miuitana into Alberta, ont; company alone importing a ilock of 8000 head, and in the season of 1885 the drive of slu-ep is expected to far I'xceiul that of last season. The upwards of (»0()0 horses in Alberta are estimated to be worth 80,(*00/., and the leading; ranclu's are doin^ th(>ir best to improve the breed, havinu; imported from across the Atlantic a number of first-class sires, includinjf I*er- tdierons and Clydesdah's. i'he estimated value of the cattle of Alberta last summer was .17'), 000/. Hovine epidemics are entirely unknown in this n*|;ion, and thoujfh it is customary for the catth; on these ranches to be neitln'r sheltered nor in any other way rare apprehended from pndonged falls of snow, even if such should occur, providetl there are abundant stocks of hay with which to U'i'\\ the latth? ; indeed, prairie hay is now largely gathered in summer for this pur])ose. It is worth noticing that the amount of butter made in Alberta does not nearly supply the hual demand, and last summer farmers found a icady sale for ail the\ lould make al from Ln. ',)(L to • 1 # ^> V\^, IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) /M /. A- :/. ^ 1.0 I.I 1.25 |J0 "s^* 11^^ :i 1^ 12.0 U 111.6 V <^ %:#' »■*' *><^* '* Photographic Sciences Corporation 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580 (716) 872-4503 ■X" 1 Ci^ 86 Canadian Agriculture. 2.V. per lb. This is partly attributed to the high price of dairy cattle ; the number of these was, however, largely increased during the season. The manufacture of cheese has not yet commenced in Alberta, but several enterprising farmers intend to embark in this industry next summer. Indeed, with its rich, sweet, and luxuriant grasses, and its innumerable streams of pure cold water, 1 can see no reason why Alberta should not develop into a first class dairy farming country, nor why Calgary should not become one of the great cities of the Dominion. I must thank Mr. F. Cochrane for considerable information, which he was kind enough to give me when I was at Calgary. Life on tlic Prairies of the North- West. — The prairie, whether flat or rolling, is less uninteresting than might be imagined. On the level prairie it is possible to get a conception of the immensity of the blue vault overhead, such as can be obtained nowhere else, not even on the sea, for the contrast between earth and sky is more marked on the prairie than on the ocean. But one duty seems imperative on the prairie farmer, at least it should be — and that is the planting of trees. They can be obtained cheaply enough, and a few put in every year would, even in half a dozen years, immensely improve the appearance of the now treeless plain. They would also act as conservators of moisture, and, besides breaking the force of the wind, would afford grateful shade in the summer and shelter in the winter to both man and beast. Although various species of clematis, buckthorn, maple, black- thorn, bramble, rose-briar, and white-thorn grow in one part or another of the prairie, and might no doubt be combined into hedge rows, yet these latter are undesirable, as they would afford facilities for the accumulation of snow-drifts. Hence, as a lover of the picturesque in agriculture, I advocate the practice of tree culture on the Canadian prairies ; every tree that is planted will constitute a potential source of wealth, and ere long it might be said of the North-West prairies as it is of Nebraska: " Tiie bleak naked surface of this prairie State has become diversified with myriad groves which relieve the mr)notony of the landscape and refresh the eye with the beauties of woodland growth, while they form a barrier against the winds, and are developing into valuable preserves of timber." Indeed, Professor Brown, of the Ontario Agricultural College, looks forward to the time when the North-West will be in a position to constitute, l)y annual wood-thinnings, a source of revenue, and, with this object in view, he advocates — •' I. The pstalilislirnent of two or more stations as nurseries throujihout the North-Wost, with houses for labourers and foremen, and enclosures suitable lor iiroiiuction ol' tree;?, both from seed and Vty purchase. Canadian Agriculture. 87 J le I "2. Tlie careful tcstin? of varieties of trees native and foreic;n to Canada. "3. The gradual and systematic choice of positions for pkntatioiis, their fenciu]ierty here, and there is abundance of coal as well as of timber in the vieinity. Horses do well when left out in winter. This is now comparatively well-known gmund, but there may be some interest in endeavouring to see what lies beyond the ])aths whicli are already more or less beaten tracks. There is uo stranger sensation than that of camping night alter night in meadows which are lull of such good grass that you feel inclined to look nnnul for their owner and to ask his leave. But there have been none from the beginning of time to say you ' nay.' Even the savage has here never molested the pioneer. No one having a taste for exploration, for sport, or for settlement in some far-away but fair region, where he may live as the )ioneer of a community on land certain to rise in value, need fear to ])ursne )is object on account of any native's hostility. There is no one to hinder lim, if he wishes to break the soil where the great Peace IJiver forces its way thiough the grand masses of the mountains, or settle near the Hudson's Bay Comi)any'8 posts farther down along the banks of the deeply-wooded stream. There is a singular charm in thus being amongst the first in a new land, but by-and-by more companionship is desired : and it is not to be doubted that each wave of emigration as it is poured westward will send many a stout fellow onward until he rests satisfied with his farm, from which he may see the giant and serrated ridges and peaks of the Rocky Mountains far away, cut clear and distinct, dark blue, against the western sunset light." As the traveller by the Canadian Pacific Railway speeds onward across the prairie, he will not fail to notice every now and ag^ain, the bulFalo skulls which lie bleaching in the sun. Last autumn these were quite familiar objects, but the utilitarian spirit of the age will allow them to rest there no longer. They are being collected and sent in truck-loads eastward, to be worked up at St. Paul or Chicago into artificial fertilisers. Intoxicating liquors are entirely prohibited from the whole of the North-West, and it is illegal either to make or to possess any of these fluids. This prohibitive law is not in force, however, in Manitoba, and as a train leaves this Province and enters Assiniboia, members of the North-Western Mounted Police may come " aboard " and search the cars for contraband liquor, as indeed they may do anywhere else between Manitoba and British Columbia. The law was made for the sake of the Red Indians, who do not understand the intelligent use of " fire- water," but who will speedily drink themselves into a state of frenzy, provided they get an opportunity to quaff ad lib. It is an offence under any circumstances to supply an Indian with alcoholic drink. The " free and happy barley," which flourishes m MT 't J M i '■'I 90 Canadian Agriculture. so well in the iVorth-West, and the mag^nificent hops which grow wild, cannot there mina^le their infusions as they do in many lands where Red Indians are not. However, the prohibitive law is not irrevocable, but it will probably remain in force just so lonjij' as the weakness of the Indians for alcoiiolic li(juors may appear to render it expedient. The prohibition is said to have had a very beneficial eflect durinjj^ the time that the larjje body of workmen en«;agcd in layinuf the Canadian Pacific Railway passed throu. There are also a. Jewish settlement, made up of Jews of various nationalities, and an Icelandic settlement. » FuTUUE OF Pkauue Fauming Most of the farming in Manitoba and the North-VV'est must be describetl as pioneer farming. 'J'here is very little s(!ttled or approved practice, and rotations are almost uidcnown. Rut Manitoba has taken a great step in advance in the atablish- ment of her Roard of Agriculture, probably the most efficient in the Dominion, and the influence of which is bound to make its mark upon the development of agriculture in the Province. !* ;iil y2 Canadian Af/ricuUure. The de.irnoss of hired l;ibour, and the necessity, especially at harvest-time, of g^ettinp; throuji;h much work in a short period, lead to a great demand for labour-saving appliances, many of which are of American make. Current prices last summer were about as follows: — Hreaking plough, Al. 7s.; stubble plough, ol. lO.s-. ; sulky plough, 13/. lO.s". ; sulky gang plough, 20/. ll.s". ; set of iron harrows, 8/. lO.v. ; broadcast seeder, 12 hoe, 1-1/. Ki.s". ; horse hay-rake, 7/. lO.v. ; twine-binder, 5 feet cut, 48/. ; ditto, 7 feet cut, 52/. ; Brant ford mower, 1<)/. ; reaper, 2 J/. ; waggon, 4 wheels, 1,')/. lO.v. ; set of Manitoba bobsleighs, 6/. bs. A yoke of oxen would cost about 32/ ; and l^ritish possessions; and 1 may be permitted to reproduce here opinions which 1 have not hesitated to express elsewhere : * — " It is niudi to be hojied tlmt tlio ])rairie Ainncrs will not abuse tlic privi- \c'^e tiiey have of working:; a virgin soil of givat fertility by imiult^iu^ in reck- less or slovenly fannin;^'. No duubt the temptation is