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ADVICE TO INTENDING EMIGRANTS FROM GREAT BRITAIN, WITH IMPORTANT FACTS FOR THEIR INFORMATION, ILLUSTRATING THE SUPERIORITY IN SOIL AND CLIMATE, AND THE ADVANTAGES OF THE Gem CANADIAN NORTH-WFSI AS A FUTURE HOME, IN COMPARISON WITH THE WESTERN STATES OF AMERICA. |fi TOGETHER WITH OTHER VALUABLE INFORMATION OF INTEREST TO THE CAPITALIST AND SETTLER.J •*. BV THOMAS SPENCE, C/erk of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba* V Author of " Manitoba and its Resourcbs," &c., " Thk Prairie Lands tor Canada," &c., &e. " Every one who has anything of a National spirit should read it. "—Montreal Gazette. ? CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTORY. EMIGRATION FROM EUROPE. / The subject of colonization in other countries, has become a foremost social question amongst the farming classes of Great Britain. A succes- sion of bad harvests, combined with high rents, and diminished prices for every kind of farm including live stock, has at last rendered it impossible for the majority of farmers any longer to hope against hope. Under these circumstances but one course remains open for the occupiers of such lands — to emigrate — whilst they yet retain a remnant of means wherewith to do so. It therefore becomes an important question for those who purpose following this course, to consider well what country they shall adopt as their future home ; and as a guide to them, in arriving at this serious decision, this pamphlet is offered, that they may pause and consider well, that mo- mentous question : to where shall they emigrate for their own and family's best future interest and happiness. Our duty is therefore to point out in comparison, from facts and testimony of the most unquestionable order, which must carry conviction to the mind of the most ordinarily intelligent person, the superior advantages to be enjoyed by the British emigrant selecting as his future home, the Great Canadian North- West in prefer- ence to the Western States of America, the glowing and attractive pictures and representations of which have been held out throughout Europe, by railroad and other landed corporations ; and in drawing the comparison, we do so, not with any prejudice, but solely in the interest of the intending emigrant, who seeking a home in a new country, among his prominent considerations are, the climate, its temperature, adaption to the culture of the grand staples of food, its healthfulness, and general prosperity. 53138 The American Press is just now exercised over the question of the desir- ability of wholesale immigration, and ex-Commissioner Le Due, formerly Chief of the Agricultural Bureau at Washington, comes out in a letter strongly denouncing it as likely to end in disaster to the country. The very fact that the question is discussed, however, is significant. It is the first symptoms of plethora ; the United States have now begun to think that they have absorbed enough of the foreign element that has made them a great nation. The demand for people is now felt by some at least to be satisfied, and soon we will have the cry " America for the Americans " as the new phrase of know-nothingism. • A recent number of the St. Paul (Minnesota) Pioneer Press contained an article on the rapid exhaustion of the public domain of the United States, which showed conclusively that, within a very short space of time, the great Republic will no longer be able to invite immigration from other lands, with the promise of a quarter-section for every man who will till it. The last report of the Public Land Commission stated that the United States did not own in the West more than 25,276,960 acres of arable agricultural land which could be cultivated without artificial appliances. Since then, in 1880, the amount taken up was nearly 7,000,000 acres. This was sur- passed in 1 88 1, while during the present year (1882), the rush of settlers has beeii still greater, principally German, Swedish and Norwegian. It would in, therefore, that all the arable lands of the West will be taken up by me spring immigration of 1883. It remarks : " It is almost " startling to contemplate the speedy termination of the Homestead and " Pre-emption Acts by the exhaustion of the public lands. As it has been " said, it will scarcely seem like the United States when we cannot boast " of our readiness to give a farm to every comer." These facts clearly show what a brilliant future is in store for the Cana- dian North-West. When Uncle Sam's domain is used up, there will be room enough and to spare in that of John Bull. In the fertile belt of the great Canadian North-West there are 200,000,000 of acres of land inviting settlement — an area capable of making four States as large as Minnesota. This country will soon have a monopoly of free lands, and be the only realm in the world where a settler can get a farm for nothing. The cessa- tion of American rivalry will do much to turn the full tide of emigration hitherward. So far we have had to cope with a most unscrupulous and unremitting competition. There are no data by which to compute the multitudes who will very shortly be turning their steps to the great Canadian North-West, establish- ing Anglo-Saxon civilization and British institutions throughout a vast area, unsurpassed by auy other in the world, as the home of a free, contented and mighty people. In the words of the poet — " I hear the tread of pioneers "" Of nations yet to be ; The first low wash of waves, where soon Shall roll a human sea. ^ The rudiments of empire here ^' Are plastic yet and warm; • The chaos of a mighty world Is rounding into form. Each rude and jostling fragment soon Its fitting place shall find ; "' V The raw material of State, j Its muscle and its mind." \ CHAPTER II. Slanders upon the Canadian North-VVest refuted. The coNDiTiglf OF Dakota, U.S., Kansas, &c., as compared with the Canadian North-West. When American Railway Companies endeavour to secure settlers upon their lands, by circulating broad cast over Europe, pamphlecs containing gross and unscrupulous slanders upon a better country, it is only proper that the emigrant should be supplied with truthful information, which should prevent him from being misled, or prejudiced by such reckless and untruth- ful statements, as the following extract from a pamphlet recently issued as a " Settler's Guide to the American North-West " by the Northern Pacific Railway Company, and thus we select as a sample of the indiscriminate falsehoods published in other American pamphlets, to projudice emigration to Canada. It reads as follows " The width of country in which the winter climate maintains is limited. Tip. in Manitoba, in the Canadian Dominion, is a wholly different condition. The excellent line of the Canadian Pacific Kailway, as projected, was changed for the worse to the south, in the vain hope to fret away ft-om frosts in July and August. The climate of Manitoba consists of seven months of Arctic winter and five months of cold weather. And Manitoba is a country of npring floods which drowns out all the farms in all the valleys. Her principal river has the peculiarity of running from the south in the United States straight north. The mouth of the Eed River is frozen solid when the head and middle of the stream are broken up and running swiftly under the southern spring warmth. The ice dams at and around Winnipeg in a vast obstruction like a mountain barrier. The water sets back and covers all the sarrouuding country, drowning stock, floating away dwellings, buildings and fences, and driving the farmers oft to the tops of hills to save their lives. So it is with Canada's river^ which flow from the west eastward, tributaries to this Ked Eiver, They all rise in the Kocky Mountains. The temperature of the foot-hills of this range being warmer than the open plains of water-soaked Manitoba all these streams in spring commence running ice at the head before they open at the mouth. The consequence is floods, which annually desolate Manitoba and keep the people who have been coaxed into it anxious, poor, and sick. 'Tis a pity that Canada is so cold and so subject to be annually drowned out ; for it has a belt of wheat land extending to the Rocky Moun- tains as rich as any land south of the international boundary line." The falsehoods in the above extract are too numerous to contradict in detail, and too ridiculous to deal with seriously; but that the Emigrant may be well advised, and judge for himself, we offer in this chapter, from undeni- able official American sources, the actual condition of the greater portion of the American North-West through which the Northern Pacific Railway runs, and its lands are situated j the same American authority speaks honestly and truly of our North-West. If there is one thing on which the Canadian North- West can justly pride itself, it is its magnificent clin: te. The winters are lon^, it is true, but so bright, dry and fine, as to bt marvelously healthy and invigorating. Englishmen who have spent a winter in the country, greatly prefer it to an English-winter. The other seasons are equally fine. The summer days are warm, but the nights are moderately and delightfully cool, and as for the Autumn weather, which commonly extends into the middle of November, it would be difficult anywhere to find anything more enjoyable. The Canadian North-West has never been known to suffer generally from floods. The only floods known throughout the North- West (and what country escapes them, even England !) have occurred along a portion of the Red River in Manitoba, and their visitations have not been more fre- quent on the average than once in twenty-six ye ^rs, and the danger of them in future is always diminishing. At the worst, no serious inconvenience or loss has been sustained. On the subject of floods, the Northern Pacific Railway, in its endeav- ours to secure settlers upon its lands, ought to be silent. An American press despatch from Yankton, Dakota, dated April 7th,'i88i, stated : " The ioe gorge here broke last night. Two haudred baildiag^ had boeii par- tially suboierged, and much damage waa done. A steamer was carried away with tbe gorge for a mile, and stranded ou the railway track. Two hundred persons here were rescued from the submerged farming districts. The fuel supply has been reduced to a minimum. Many kinds of provisions are running cohort. The freshet swept away thousandsof cords of wood.*' Another graphic description of ihe condition of Dakota, traversed chiefly by the Northern Pacific Railway, on April 13, 1881, says that " ice is piled to a height of ten to thirty feet " along the banks of the Missouri, that " thousands of people are homeless, all they possessed having been swept away," that " hundreds of thousands of head " of cattle were drowned, that ** farm-houses are submerged, or floating about in the water," and that " the Entire Missouri slope is buried in snow." With this we dismiss that subject, and proceed to the condition, climate, and agricultural capacity of Dakota and Kansas, &c. &c., in contrast to that of the Canadian North- West. General W. B. Hazen, of the United States Army, a gentleman who could not be expected to have any natural predilections in favor of Canada, yet he has condemned the falsity of the statements made by the Northern Pacific Railway Company, in regard to their lands, and has spoken of the excellent wheat growing valley of the Red River of the North. The following extracts, from an official report by that officer, who was entrusted with the duty of enquiring into the character of the North- Western portion of the United States, were published in the New York Tribune, dated from Fort Buford, Dakota Territory, referring to lands of the Northern Pacific Railway and their agricultural capacity, climate, &c. ; he says : " For two years T have been an observer of the efforts upon the part of the Northern Pacific Railroad Company to make the world believe this section to be a valuable agricultural one, and with many others I have kept silent, although knowing the falsity of their representations, while they have pretty fully carried their point in establishing a popular belief favorable to their wishes. 8 " When roa ting Huoh statements of its fertility as appear in the article entitled 'Poetry and Phiioaophy of Indian Summer,' in that roo«t estimable periodical, Harper's Monthly of December, IB?!) — in which are repeated most of the shameless falsenoods so lavishly published in the last two years, as advertisements in the in- terests of that companv, and perhaps written by the same pen— a feeling of shame and indignation arises tnat any of our countrymen, especially when so hignlv favored with the popular good-will and benefits, Hhould deliberately indulge in such wicked neceptions. The theoretical isothermals («f Captains Maury and Blodgett, which have given rise to so much speculation, and are used so eztravagantl}' by those who have a use for them, although true along the Pacific coast, are not found to have been true bj actual experience and observations, in this middle region. " The past season, as seen by the meteorological report, has been exceptionally rainy and favorable for agriculture here, and the post has, with great care, and by utilizing all the available jea8on,made an extensive garden ;vith the following results : The garden is situated immediately on the river bank, about two feet above high water. Potatoes, native com, cabbage, early-sown turnips, early peas, early beans, beets, carrots, parsnips, salsify, cucumbers, lettuce, radishes and asparagus have grown abundantly, and have|matured ; melons, pumpkins and squashes have not matured ; tomatoes did not turn red ; American corn (early) reached roasting ears; onions with wheat and oats, matured at Fort Bethold, D. T., one hundred and fifty miles below, in the Missouri River. I am told by those who have been here a long time, that this may be taken as a standard for what may be expected the most favorable seasons in the immediate bottoms of the streams. The native com matures in about ten weeks ftom planting. It puts out its ears from six to eight inches iVom ihe ground, and has a soft white grain without any flinty portion, and weighs about two-thirds as much as other com. " My own quarters are situated on the second bench of the banks of the Missouri, at about fifty feet above that stream, and six hundred yards away from it. And to ndse a flower-garden ten feet by forty, the past two years, has required a daily sprinkling of three barrels of water, for which we were repaid by about three weeks of flowers. ^ " The site of this garden is supposed to be exceptionally fVnitAil, but I have before me a letter from Mr. Joseph Anderson, of St. Paul, Minn., who was hay con* tractor at this post in 1872. His letter states that in order to find places to cut the hay required by his contract that season, some nine hundred tons, he was compelled to search over a space of country on liie North side of the river, twenty-five miles in extent in each direction from the post, or some four hundred square miles, and that there was none thick enough to be cut for as ^eat a distance beyond. Respecting the agricultural value of this country, after leaving the excellent wheat-growing valley of the Red River of the North, following Westward one thousand miles to the Sierras, excepting the very limited bottoms of the small streams, as well as those of the Missouii and Yellowstone, from a few yards in breadth to an occasional water- washed valley of one or two miles, and the narrow valleys of the streams of Montana, already settled, and a small area of timbered country in North- West Idaho (probably one- fifteenth of the whole), this country will not produce the fruits and cereals of the last, for want of moisture, and can in no way be artificially irrigated, and will not, in our day and generation, sell for one penny an acre, except through fraud and ignorance ; and most of the here excepted will have to be irrigated artificially. I write this, knowing full well it will meet with contradiction, but the contradiction will be a false- hood. The country between the one hundredth meridian and the Sierrau — the Rio Grande to the British possessions— will never develop into populous States because of its want of moisture. Its counterpart h found in the plains of Northern Asia and in Weetem Europe. We look in vain for those expected agricultural settlements along the Kansas and Union Pacific Railroads, between these two lines, and 20 years hence the search will be quite as fruitless. We have in Nevada and New Mexico fair samples of what these populations will be. My statement is made from the practical experience and observation of eighteen years of military service as an ofiScer of the army, much of which has been upon the frontier, and having passed the remainder of my life a farmer- For confirmation for what I have here said, I respectfully refer the reader to General G. E. Warran, of the Engineer Corps of Uie Amy, who made a rioientifio exploration of this country, extendins through neveral years, and han given UH our only accurate man ot it ; or to Prot. Uayucn, for the pa^tHeveral yearu, engaged upon a Himilar work. The teatimouy 6f Governor StephenH, Qeneral Fremont, and Lieut. MullanH, ig that of enthuniaHtic travellers and diHoovererH, whone deHoriptionH are not fully burnn out by more prolonged and intimate knowledge of the country. " Herr Haas, the agent of the Berlin and Vienna banks, sent out to examine the country, could oartilv Bay the country is good so long as he advised his people to invest no money in it ; and it is doubtful if that remark wps based upon a sutticiently authoritative invistigation of the country to merit the r edence given it. Certainly it is incorrect ; and especially valueless is the testimony of men of distinction of our own country who are not practical agriculturists, but have taken Journeys in the fVuitful months of the year to the Ked River of the North, to the rich valleys of Montana, or to the enchanting scenery of Puget Sound, except upon those particular points. " I am prepared to substantiate all I have here said, so far as such matters are susceptible of proof, but, from their nature, many things herein referred to must, to many people, wait the action of the great solvent— Time " In a later report, covering a greater extent of country, he quotes the testimony of persons who have examined the country as ** Confirming my repeated statement that the country lying between loo West longitude and the Sierra Nevada Mountains, all the way from Mexico to the British possessions in the North, is, in an agricultural sense, practically valueless, except in a few exceptional cases, where water can be used for irrigation, and that, even with this process, not much more than one acre in many thousands upon the average, can be made available on account of the scarcity of water." General Hazen proceeds: — " The past season has been one of nnnsual and somewhat remarkable rains in Da- kota, as well as in many other parts of the world. This has given fair crops of roots, vegetables and other grains, without irrigation, and has given the far struggling farmers about Bismarck great hopes for the fbture ; but the officers of the land office told me in November that they gre selling very little land, and that, even if the crops of the last very exceptionally favorable year could be taken as a criterion, general agriculture could not be made profitable m that region, remembering the suffering of those who have sought homes to the Westward of the limit of sufficient rainfalls. The great need of correct information upon the subject to enable Congress to dispose intelligently of questions involving the capabilities of this country, the building up of new and populous States, such as Wisconsin, Iowa and Mid^ouri, will no longer be seen on our present domain, and all calculations based upon auch a thin^ are false, while all extraneous influences brought to bear upon emigration, to carry it West of the one hundredth meridian, excenting in a very few restricted localities, are wicked beyond expression and fraught witu misery and failure." Prof. Henry, of the Smithsonian Institute, Washington, speaking of the explorations, under the auspices of the U. S. Government, of the region between the Mississippi and the Rocky Mountains, reveals to us the startling facts : — " That the western progress of its population, has nearly reached the extreme western limit of the areas available for settlement ; and that the whole space west of the ninety-eighth parallel, embrticing one-half of the entire surface of the United States, is an arid and desolate waste, with the exception of a narrow belt of rich land along the Pacific ooast." Now, in strong contrast to the foregoing, we select an instance of the fertility of the soil in the Canadian North- West — 250 miles north of the > 1 ; I 10 International boundary line, or North-VVest from Fort Buford in Dakota about 400 miles, at Battleford, on the great Saskatchewan river, and within 300 miles of the Rocky Mountains — and this is only one of thousands of similar instances among pioneer settlers of our North-West. The 'facts are related to the correspondent of the Toronto G/ode at Battleford, under date of August 5th, 1882, as follows, and are corroborated by the writer's own knowledge and experience of that section of the country : — " Yesterday afternoon a friend and myself drove oat into the country to vinit Mr. Adam fioyh-, a gentleman engaged in farming and stock-raising at the foot of the Eagle HillH, five miles sonth from here. We travelled over a rolling country, in some places light and sandy, and in others of good dark loam, covered with long, rich, green grass, and dotted with clear blue lakes and bluffs of poplar. The prairie fowl started up in flocks as we passed, sometimes almost over them, and the wild duoks flew in hundreds over our heads. We arrived at Mr. Boyle's late in the even- ing. This morning he kindly accompanied us over his farm, and at our request gave the following account of his experiences in this country for the past two years. '"Ar- riving here in the early part 01 October two years ago, with 26 head ot cattle, calcu- lating to sell them I found people just digging their potatoes, and the crops all harvested without injury from frost ; nor had there been any snow as yet, so, as there was no ready sale lor stock at that time, I docided to winter my cattle here, and took up this place, built a house and " corral," and brought them out in good shape in the spring on fifteen tons of hay, which was all I could buy, and it was too late to out any. They grazed out the greater part of the winter, there being very little snow in the hills. I have sold ^00 worth of butter and $650 worth of beef, besides what I have used myself, and have 34 head of cattle, for which I could take $1,200 to-day, but would not s)b11. A small stock-raiser has a far better chance here than in Bow River, it being hard to compete with the large ranch companies there, while here he gets ready sale for beef and butter at good prices, and this is the health- iest country I ever saw for stock. Last spring I broke nine acres of land, from five of which I harvested 220 bushels of grain, one acre of wheat producing 46 bushels. The balance was in potatoes and roots, and turned out well. This year I have 30 acres in crop, and expect to have 900 or 1,000 bushels of oats off 24 acres, and some of my gram will be reaidy to cut in two or three days. Those oats are alreadv sold to the Government at $1.25 per bushel. Take all the crop on the 30 acres, potatoes, oats and wheat, and I think I would not be over-estimating it at $1,600. There is only about ten acres of this old land, the rest being on first breaking, and with the excep- tion of about $100 paid for labor, myself and c boy 14 years of age have done the work, besides fencing about 45 acres. The oats on the old land average about 4^ feet in height. I have had green peas since the 1st and new potatoes since the 10th of July. My peas are ready to pull now. I have beans, turnips, onions, carrots and cabbage all doing well. This is the experience of a man who was not brought up to farming. My crops here are as ^ood or^ better than anything I ever saw in my life, and I have travelled and resided m nearly all the Western States and territories. I have lived in the famous Walla- Walla district of Oregon, and consider thi^sjust as good H place for farming." » < The correspondent remarks : — "The land on which Mr. Boyle's crop is, and which is the same as that generally u,--!] throughout the North-West, is a rich black loam with a clay subsoil. He has A spring creek of good water runnmg past his house, and plenty of timber (birch and poplar) for building, wood and fencing, in the ravinee running into the hills behind him, while a large swamp, in which he has cut 150 tons of hay this summer, stretches for a mile al ng the foot of his claim. There are hundreds of places with more or less equal advantages in the neighbourhood, though with the number of settlers com- ing in at present, the choice locations near town will soon be taken np, and new arrivals will have to vo further back. Prices for all kinds of produce are good, and average about as follows : — Wheat, $1.50; oats, $1.40; barley, $1.40; and potatoes, $1.25 per bushel ; hay, $10.50 per ton; beef, 12^0 and batter 50c. per pound." ii 11 Returning to the American North- West, Professor Henry, of the Smith- sonian Institute, Washington, speaking of the territory in the United States bordering on the International boundary Hne, says that : — " The whole space to the West between the 98th meridian and the Rocky Moun- tains, is a barren waste, over which the eye may roam to the extent of the visible horizon, with scarcely an object to break the monotony. TLe country may also be considered; in comparison with other portions of the United States, a wilderness, un- fitted for the use of the husbandman, although in some of the mountain valleys, as at Salt Lake, by moans ofirrigation, a precarious supply of food may be obtained." It is not necessary to quote the detailed description of this American Sahara, the concluding words of Professor Henry are more to our purpose. He says: — " AVe have stated that the entire region West of the 98th degree of West longitude, with the exception of a small portion of Western Texas and the main border along the Pacific, is a country of comparatively little value to the agriculturist, and perhaps it will astonish the reader if we draw his attention to the fact, that this line, which passes southward from Lake Winnipeg to the Gulf of Mexico, will divide the whole surface of the United States into two nearly equal parts. This statement, when fully appreciatefl, will serve to dissipate bome of the dreams which have been considered realitus as to the destiny of the Western part of the North American continent. Truth, however, transcends even the laudable feelings of pride and country, and la order properly to direct the policy of this great Gontederacy Cthe United States), it is necessary to be well acquainted with the theatre in which its future history is to re-enacted." For the information of the Emigrant who may have a longing desire to rsalize the romance and happiness of a life in the Western States of America, as drawn by the glowing and attractive pictures and representations which have been so liberally scattered throughout Europe, we clip the following from a Kansas newspaper, which, however terrible the description, bears upon its face the honest truth, and many Canadians who originally emigrated from the older Provinces to Kansas, and glad to get away, are now com- fortably settledin the Canadian North- West, tell similar tales of their experi- ence and suffering. It reads as follows : — Editors Planters Wilson Coonty, Kansas, > April 27, 1876. / Dear Sirs, — A few facts from actual experience of farming in Kansas — the other side, and the truth. We have been much amused by the gushing letters of some contributors to your valuable paper, about this State, and think the actual experience of farmers like ourselves might he as valuable as the moonshine idea of men who never put a plough in the ground, or raised a calf, or wintered a Texas steer, or tried to watch a corn-field, or sell corn at 10 cents per bushel. We came here four years ago, determined to like the country. Now, 've believe it to be a delusion and a snare. We wanted cheap lands; we paid $1.25 per acre, but it has cost us in dead outlay, in money and in time, |o to %'iO per acre, and is all tor sale less than cost. We came to find a gi-eat ptook country, \. ^.o.o the me of feeding might be short, and cattle might live on the range all winter ; we fi d it the worst hampered stock country we ever saw, and the grass nutritious and flesh- producing only three or four months of the year. We came to find a great wheat and corn country ; we find that wheat-raisers have not averaged their seed. Corn ranges all the way from nothing to fifty bushels per acre. We expected to find a tame grass country, but, so (hi 18 duction, developed by the energy, industry, and perseverance of her people ; our Huccess has been achieved without the phantom lures of gold or silver to blazon forth to the world, as was the case with California and Australia. An English writer has said : " Formerly the richest countriec were those in which the products of nature were most abundant, but now the richest countries are those in which man is most active." We may justly claim to have both essentials in full measure. Our bountiful soil ensures the first, and our bracing atmosphere the second. Of paramount importance to the emigrant is the healthfulness of the locality which is to be the scene of his future labours, and the home for himself and family. What to him are fair fields, flowering meadows, buried in the luxuriant growth of fertile soils and tropical suns, if they generate fever producing miasma and vapouri — what are soft and perfumed breezes, if they waft the seeds of pestilence and death ? What are bountiful harvests of golden grain, rich and mellow fruits, and all the wealth the earth can yield, if disease must annually visit his dwelling, and death take away, one by one, the loved and the young ? It is well known that some of the fairest portions of the Western States are so fruitful of the causes of disease as almost to preclude settlement. And thousands have left their comparatively healthy European homes to find untimely graves in the prairie soil of Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, and Missouri. The Canadian Land Regulations having been very generally represented to be mere onerous and less liberal than those of the United States, it is proper to point out to intending settlers that ten dollars ($io) covers the whole of the office fees in Canada, either for a homestead ; while in the Western States there are three fees, one of eight dollars, payable on entry, another of eight dollars for a commission, and another of ten dollars when the patent is izsued, making twenty-six dollars ($26). In some of the States the fees are thirty -four dollars ($34). In fact, there is comparatively very little Government land left, worth taking as homesteads at any price. Tlie United States lands are sold at $2.50, and upwards, per acre. A British subject, before he can receive his patent for United States Government land, is required to take the following oath, which must necessarily be somewhat repugnant to his feelings : — District Court, ) ; Judicial District, > State of County of ) I do swear that I will support the Constitution of the United States of America, and that I do absolutely and entirely Renounce and Abjure forever all Allegiance and Fidelity to every Foreign Power, Prince, Potentate, State or Sovereignty whatever, and particularly to Queen Victoria, of Oreat Britain and Ireland, whose subject I was. And fbrther, that I never have borne any hereditiiry title, or been of any of the degrees of Nobility of the country whereof I have been a subject, and that I have resided within the united States for five years last past, and in this State for one year last past. Subscribed and sworn to in open Court ) this day of 18..) ' * Clerk 19 / • Another important consideration. The Law of Canada and the Statutes of Manitoba, provide ample protection for the settler and his family, against their new home in the North- West being seized for debt at the instance of a vindictive creditor ; that is, if the head of the family takes the precaution of securing it, by effecting the necessary special registration. IN THE NORTH-WEST TERRITORIES. Any man who is the owner of real estate in fee simple or for life, with a house thereon actually occupied by him, may register as a ** homestead " in the ordinary Registry office for the district, an extent of land not exceed- ing eighty acres (in a rural locality,) or the lot on which such dwelling house stands (if an incorporated city, town, or village.) A homestead thus registered is wholly exempt from seizure or sale under execution or under any act respecting insolvency, for any '^'ebt of the owner contracted after such registration, provided the value oi the homestead does not exceed $2,000. If its value exceeds that amount, then it stands so exempt to that amount, except : — (i). For the amount of any mortgage given to secure tho purchase money of the property, and (2) for the amount of any taxes due thereon. In case the proprietor of the homestead is married, he has the right, upfon making the necessary affidavits, to have his wife's name entered by the Registrar upon the certificate to such homestead, whereupon she becomes the joint owner of a life interest therein. Should the wife at any time thereafter be unfaithful to her husband, no legal proof thereof being furnished • to a court of competent jurisdiction, her name may be cancelled, when her life interest absolutely ceases. Except in a case of that kind, the wife's name having once been registered, the property can only be disposed of by her joining with her husband in any deefl. If she should die previous to her husband and there are any minor children living, the homestead cannot be alienated without the sanction in writing of a stipendiary magistrate or the judge of a local court of record. In the event of the owner of such a homestead dying, the property goes to the widow for life, or, if he leaves no widow, to any minor child or child- ren, to use so long as such minority continues. [For further particulars, see the Homestead Exemption Act, 1878.] In case of a property being the wife's, she may, as in the manner above stated, register the name of her husband as joint owner with her. IN MANITOBA, The law is still more liberal in protect! g from, seizure for debt the property of a settler. Thus, the following is a list of the real and personal estate declared to be absolutely free from seizure by virtue of all writs of execution issued by any of the courts of the Province, viz. : (i) The land cultivated by the debtor to the extent of 160 acres, any excess being liable to be sold (with privilege to first mortgagee); also the house, stables, bams, and fences on the farm, subject to the same condition, (2) the beds, bedd- ing, and bedsteads in common use by the debtor and his family; (3) one stove and its piping, one table, necessary kitchen utensils and table crockery for the debtor and his family, one spinning wheel, one weaver's loom, the M I K 1 1 I , I ii I I » in 1 1 ; 1 20 books of a professional irian, one axe, one saw, one gun, six traps, and the nets and seines used by the debtor ; (4) necessary food for the family for thirty days; (5) one cow, two oxen, one horse, four sheep, two pigs, and food for the same for thirty days ; (6) the tools and necessaries used by the debtor in his trade or profession, to the value of $100 (if he be a mechanic) » and $200 (if he be a farmer or professional man); (7) the articles and furniture necessary to the performance of religious services ; (8) the necessary and ordinary clothing of the debtor and his family. The debtor is moreover entitled to choose which articles he will retain in the event of having more of a particular kind than is covered by the exemption. The articles embraced within the exemptions numbered 3, 5, 6, and 7, are, however, liable to seizure, if their price should be sued for — that is, if they have not been paid for. School and municipal taxes are recoverable, and may be levied for upon any of the debtor's real or personal pioperty, except such as is included in exemptions 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, and 8. There is no limitation as to the value of the farm or residence thus secured to the family ; whatever its value may become^ in remains the shelter, the castle, the home of the family, to cluster round its hearthstone in the hour of gloom and disaster, as securely as they were wont to do in the sunshine of« prosperity. We must remember that no general law can be framed for the protection of the unfortunate, that will not sometimes be taken advantage of by others ; but it may be safely asserted, that such an exemption law will be found a blessing to thousands of worthy men, women, and children, for everyone unworthily shielded by its provisions. Few people are aware of the vast extent of the Dominion of Canada, or of the fact that it covers a larger extent of territory than the United States, the wheat area of our North- West being larger than all France and Germany or equal to about 380,090 squarcmiles. It would be absurd to expect any country of this vast extent to be all equally fit to receive the plough at once. If only one-third is here pointed out as awaiting the industrious hand of man to insure him independ ence the other two-thirds are parts requiring draining or partial clearing. It would also be absurd to suppose it all equally fertile, as there is a consider- able difference between the deep beds of black vegetable mould which generally prevail, and 01 course there are occasional bad spots and poor sandy ground, which must be found in all countries ; but prominent among the questions -proposed by the emigrant or capitalist seeking a home in a new country are those concerning the climate, its temperature, adaptation to the culture of the grand staples of food, and its healthfulness. The newspapers of Canada and Great Britain, and the reports of the delegates of tenant farmers, liberally invited by the Government of Canada to judge the merits of the country by personal visits, have contained glow- ing pictures of the wonderful fertility of our prairies. Mr. Pope, the Dominion Minister of Agriculture, did a good stroke of business in 1880 when he invited these delegates to visit the Northwest. Here is a sample of the advertisements now appearing from one of them : — " Farming in Canada. — I am one of the Tenant Farmers " delegates sent to Canada in the Autuipn of 1880, and intend going out this Autumn to select a Farm for myself. I will also take charge of Gentlemen's Sons, who n S' wish to get them well placed with good practical farmers for a small premium. — For address, apply Box, '* A. H." Office of the London Cana- dian, 62, Ludgate Hill, London, E.G." But we wouid suggest the best and cheapest way for a gentleman's son to learn farming, is not to pay a premium, but to hire out for a while. Here as in no other portion of this continent are openings to-day that yield their wealth to brains, energy and pluck, and if a man wants to work honestly for what he has. he can do as well here as in any land beneath the sun. We would only add, that all intending emigrants should remember, that a new country like this, is not the idlers paradise, that all its mines of wealth are surrounded by bustling difficultieiS. It also has its drawbacks ; no country in the world it should be remembered is perfect, or without them. Its great superiority is, that it is a land of opportunities. Its rapid development and present prosperity may be attributed to four principal causes, viz. : First, its salubrity of climate ; second, the extraor- dinary fertility and adaptability of its soil ; third, to the liberal homestead law in force under the provisions of the Dominion Lands Act, and lastly to the great Railway system now under construction, affording a ready market to the settler. In no other country, can the British bom subject feel so much at home. — Within a short journey of his native soil — or be as free and independent, and attain, at least as much wealth as will suffice to make life comfortable, as in the Canadian North- West, protected by the British flag, and where English laws, are if anything, even more liberally administered than they are at home. Where education is free, and where the majority of the people are themselves, either settlers from Great Britain, or their immediate descendents from Eastern Provinces of the Dominion, and where all are prosperous, peaceable, contented, and happy. The following instructive passage which is here quoted from the letter of a leading American Statesman, the Hon. Horatio Seymour, late Governor of New York, should have great interest to the British agricultural emigrant in considering his future prospects. " Should England, (says Mr. Seymour), decide upon a national system of trade, she will be able, by the imposition of ten or twenty cents a bushel upon American wheat, " to bankrupt the farmers of our North- West {i.e., of the States). She can, by a like discrimination as to beef, pork, butter, cheese, and other farm products, cripple, if not ruin, our farmers all over the country, because it is too apparent to need argument that, with our vast railroad system and the agricultural lands developed by it, our own people eannot consume what our farmers produce." In short, says Mr. Seymour, " between our nojth-westem line of 45 degrees and 54 degrees 40 minutes there is a country owned by England with greater grain and stock growing capacity than all the lands in the Baltic, the Black Sea, and the Mediter- eranan combined." Ml ijl li CHAPTER IV. General detailed information of Practical value to the Settler OR Capitalist. Having in the previous chapters, we trust, amply satisfied the reader of the vastly superior inducements offered by the Canadian North-West, to the intending emigrant, the foUowiug information is given for his future guidance. WHO SHOULD emigrate. " The tillers of the soil " are the class who are most needed here, and who are most certain in achieving success by steady industry ; in fact, any man, whatever his station in life may be, who is able and willing to work, and has any adaptability for agricultural pursuits, can, in the course of a few years, build up for himself and family a prosperous future and independence. Professional men ahd clerks should not come unless with means to take up land and commence the life of a farmer. Carpenters, blacksmiths, etc., with a little capital to start with, can, when not working on their land, secure employment in the nearest settlements, and do well. There is also a con- stant demand for female servants at good wages (who are certain soon to become their own mistress). Laborers who can handle a pick and shovel will meet with ready employment for some years to come, in consequence of the construction of the Canadian Pacific and other Railways, the wages averaging $2.00 and $2.50 per day, equal to eight and ten shillings, stg. With prudence and economy he may soon save enough to start him on a free homestead of 160 acres, his own master. The tenant farmer with some capital, who seeks to improve his con- dition by his experience, and desires larger and quicker returns for labor bestowed and capital invested, has unequalled advantages offered to him, c.nd the ordinary immigrant with even a couple of hundred pounds to begin with can start under very favorable circumstances on a free grant of land. Detailed particulars will be found under the appropriate headings. The intending settler in Manitoba is advised not to encumber himself with very heavy luggage unless it is absolutely necessary. Cumbrous and heavy articles of furniture, such as chairs, stoves, tables, etc., would probably cost as much in transport as they would be worth, and things of this sort can be obtained reasonably in Manitoba. But beds [unfilled], bedding, and clothing of all sorts should be taken. Agricultural implements (which should be of the kind adapted to the country) would be better purchased after arrival ; also tools, unless those belonging to special trades. Mim All intending settlers will obtain either from the Government Immigra- tion Agents, or from the Land Officers, directions as to where to go and how to proceed to select land, if their point of destination is not previously deter- mined. There are also Government I^nd Guides, who will direct parties of settlers to their particular localities. All settlers are especially advised to look very closely after their lug- gage, and see that it is on the trains or steamboats with them, properly checked. Very great disappointment and loss have often occurred from neglect of this precaution. It is better for the immigrant not to proceed until he knows his luggage is on the train. Settlers' effects, including their cattle in use, will be passed free through the Custom House, and any necessary bonding arrangements will be made, which will thus prevent any delay, inconvenience, or loss occurring. Each passenger, before his departure from the port in Great Britain, should be provided with address cards, and he should see that one is fastened to each of his pieces of luggage. Immediately on the arrival of settlers in the Canadian North-West, the Dominion Government Agents will see them properly accommodated, and will give them every information to assist them in choosing a good locality to settle in. For rates of passage, either ocean or inland, it is better to apply to the Agents of the steamships or the nearest Dominion Agent, who will give all information and directions. The following are the officers of the Dominion of Canada in Great Britain : — LONDON Sir Alexander T. Galt, G.C.M.G., &c.. High Commis- sioner for the Dominion, lo Victoria Chambers, London, S.W. Mr. J. CoLMER, Private Secretary, (Address as above). LIVERPOOL. Mr. John Dyke, 15 Water Street. GLASGOW.... Mr. Thomas Grahame, 40 Enoch Square. BELFAST Mr. Charles Foy, 29 Victoria Place. DUBLIN Mr. Thomas Connolly, Northumberland House. The cost of conveyance from any part of Canada to Manitoba is ex- ceedingly moderate, and the steamers from Great Britain are now so numer- ous, that the transport of a family from any part of the United Kingdom or from Canada to the great wheat growing region and cattle raising districts in the North- West, cannot fairly be considered as a difficulty when the advan- tages offered are considered. A continuous line of railway now exists from Quebec and the different sea ports to Winnipeg, and about five hundred miles west, and daily extending under rapid construction. The system of emigrating in small colonies will be found very advan- tageous to the pioneers, as well as economical ; neighbours in the old land may be neighbours in the new ; friends may settle near each other, form com- munities and the nucleus of new settlements and towns, establish schools and, in short, avoid many of the traditional hardships which have usually Ml II ! 24 u : I, ! 1! ;. in \m ij Si, Siii^ attended pioneer life. The colony system is also calculated to supply the needs of all members of the community, and to furnish employment to every industry. Whenever a colony is established there will soon be near its centre the storekeeper, blacksmith, carpenter, etc., post office, school house and church, and, with the progress of the Canadian Pacific Railway and Steamboat navigation, a market. Until then an ample market, com- manding high prices, is created in the interior by the influx of following settlers and the rapidly increasing trade. The attention of the capitalist intending to emigrate is drawn to the importance and mutual advantage of this system, in which capital, directed by sagacity and enterprise, possesses such unquestionable advantages, united with industry and a plucky purpose, and in no place under the sun could it reap better rewards than under the bright skies and healthful atmosphere of this fair land. Those with limited means should endeavour to arrive in the country as early in spring as possible, say during the month of April, or early in May, so as to have time to hunt up and locate their land. (Guides for this pur- pose are furnished by the Government to parties free of expense). By arriving at this time, they have a season of seven months before them, in which to get some of their land under cultivation, build a house, and gather a crop for the family use, before the winter comes on ; »to the poor man, who expects his support from the soil, the value of time is an important con- sideration ; as a rule, the autumn is the worst time he could come. If the immigrant reaches his land by the middle of May, he can at once break up a few acres, and sow wheat, oats, barley, &c., realizing a fair crop. If he does not commence until the middle of June, he is too late to produce most crops the same season, but he is yet in time for barley, potatoes and turnips. The best time for breaking the prairie sod is in June or July, when the grass roots being filled with juice, a thorough rotting of the turf is secured, and if turned early in June, potatoes may be dropped into the furrow, and covered by the plough with the tough sod, and will grow through it ; the yield will be about half a crop. Indian com may also be planted on the sod, while turnip seed may be sown, and very slightly covered ; but the ground will be in better condition for the succeeding year where nothing is planted upon the turf. In the following spring the ground should be thoroughly har- rowed, and the wheat drilled in or sown broadcast. If sown in May it will be ready for the reaper early in August, and as soon as it is taken off, ploughing may commence for the next year's crop. An early variety of Indian corn should be used. After the furrow is turned, it may be planted by chopping a place with a single stroke of the hatchet, dropping the corn in, and pressing it down with the foot. Squashes, pumpkins, and melons grow on the sod. Beans also may be grown on the turf, and by using early varieties of seed, an abundant supply of these articles of food may be raised for the use of the family. A great advantage to the new settler in having a good yoke of oxen is, that they will work better in the breaking plough, and grow fat on the green grass that they eat at night; whereas, the horses, accustomed to a liberal supply of oats, will not do so well at first on grass alone. A tent may be used to live in at first to gain time in putting in crop. - =,■ .V,.^ ,,-,.:•, t= .,^. ..:.:,,■-. • :l!l-!i i 25 WHAT :S REQUIRED TO START WITH AND THE COST OF A HOME. The question is often asked, how much money is indispensably necessary for the settler to get a fair start with ? The answer to this depends very much upon who the questioner is, what family he has, with how little they could be content, and many other circumstances which cannot be antici- pated. It is therefore best to tell simply what may be done, under ordinary adventitious circumstances. In the case of a poor man going on Govern- ment land — I St. The entry fee for his homestead of i6o acres will be $io ; a tent, $12 ; material for his house, if built of sawn lumber, size 16x18 feet, say $125. The work he can do himself, and for winter this can be made warm enough by building a sod wall outside of the boards. Furniture, consisting of a cooking stove, crockery ware, half a dozen chairs, one table, and two bedsteads (bringing his own bedding), will require about $40. To work his farm, a yoke of oxen, $130 ; a breaking plough, $203 waggon, $75 ; total, $392. If he begins in the spring, he can ^ .vv corn, potatoes, and garden vegetables, but will have tobuy flour for a family of four persons, say $40 ; groceries, $20 ; a cow, $40 ; total, $85. Add for two or three hogs, hoes, shovel, rake, scythe, and other incidentals, say $40, and we have the following : — •, < '■ ; v' Entry Fee for homestead $ 10 Tent 12 Material for honse 135 Furniture (exclnsive of bedding) 40 Farm implements and oxen 225 Living the first 16 months, if no wheat sown 100 Incidentals 40 1552 equal to £110 83. stg. or, he may even manage to get along on a lesser sum, by doing with fewer implements at first ; for instance, say : — One Yoke of Oxen $120.00 One Waggon 80.00 Plough and Harrow 25.00 Ohains, Axes, Shovels, &c 30.00 Stoves, Beds, Ac 60.00 House and Stable, say 150.00 equal to £93 stg. $465.00 If all his time is not employed about his own claim, he may safely cal- culate upon having opportunity to work for his neighbours, and earn con- siderable, or the construction of the Canadian Pacific and other railways will afford him all the employment he desires. The above calculation is of course only intended for the guidance of the poor man. THE SECOND YEAR OF SETTLEMENT. He will require cash for seed wheat, and a drag to harrow it in, say $75 ; this year he may confidently expect from his 50 acres of wheat 1,000 26 •liNI '^M bushels. Deducting 200 bushels for bread and seed, and selling the re- mainder at say 60 cents per bushel, will bring him $480 ; his cash expenses may be limited to groceries, clothing, &c., say $150, and he has $330 to improve his house, and add to his stock and farm implements. If he breaks 50 acres again this year, and secures a crop of say 2,000 bushels (a low average) the third year, the accomplishment of which depends mainly upon his own industry, he will be able to make himself and family comfort- able and have a good home. All such as have more money than the sum given above, will not be under the necessity of submitting to so many pri- vations at first, but it may be added, three things are necessary for success in any country. They are industry, economy and c ireful business MANAGEMENT. For the information of those with more ample means, and desiring tO' farm on a larger scale, the following is added as a detailed list of present prices at Winnipeg : — "Waggons complete $ 70 to $ 90 Extra Prairie Breaking Plough 20 to 25 Cross Plough, 13 inches 17 to 20 Cultivators, 5 teeth 7 to 9 HarrowH, iron with 60 teeth 15 to 20 Sulky Plough ; 60 to 65 (These Sulky Ploughs are much in use, saving the labour of walking, the horses being driven as in a waggon.) Sulky Ploughs, 2 gangs 115 Seeders .*. 75 to 95 Reaping Machine. 120 to 140 Farming Mills 35 to 45 Self-Binding Harvester Combined Reaper 300 to 320 COST OF B^LEAKING AND WORKING LAND. The following is as near correct an estimate of the cost of operating a prairie farm in Manitoba, or the North- West, and the methods of farmings as we can give : — Breaking from June 1st to July 20th, cost per acre. $2.50 to $ 3.00 Backsetting, same breaking in August and September, per acre 2.00 Seeding (getting seed in the ground following spring) per acre 0.75 Cutting, Binding and Shocking at harvest, per acre 3.50 Cost of raising one acre of wheat, say 10.75 Twenty bushels (low estimate) wheat at 70 cents 14.00 Profit per acre on first crop, in round numbers 4.75 . Hauling to market costs about half a cent, per bushel for every mile. For subsequent years it will be the same as above, less the cost of break- ing* $3-00 per acre, and there will be an increase in yield of lo per cent, a year for three years, where it remains for ten years following. PLAN FOR A SETTLERS HOUSE. A very comfortable house, large enough for a family of- several persons, may be built at a cost of $236, or about ^£4^ 4s. stg. It would be 16 ft. 20 inside, contain a living room 13 x 16, bedroom 7x12, pantry 4 x 7, on idling the re- rash expenses has $330 to nents. If he )o bushels (a pends mainly mily comfort- than the sum so many pri- f for SUCCESS UL BUSINESS i desiring ta 5t of present the ground floor, with stairs leading to the attic. The studding would be twelve feet from the sills to the eaves, the lower storey eight feet, four feet above with a sloping roof will give an attic large enough for good sleeping accommodation. The house would need five windows, one outside and two inside doors. The items of expense would be approximately as foliOws, not. including assistant labour that may be required. 4,000 feet common lumber, at |30 $120.00 4,000 shingles, at $6 24.00 Nails,&c 20.00 * Sberthln^ paper (to make air tight) 20.00 Doors, windows; &c 24.00 For contingencies, say 28.00 Total $236.00 The following diagram shows the arrangement of the interior — ground floor. 20 i.iii„.i..h.j., sasp .LIVING ROOM \B X IB I- u PANTRY BED ROOM 1X\2 SfaUB -X bssEOiai: Plan*— Soale 3-16th8 of an inch to the foot' The eaves should project a foot or more, to carry the rain from the sides of the building, — untill bricks can be obtained for the chimney, a joint of stove pipe will serve instead, only great care should be taken to protect the surrounding wood from taking fire. The plan is drawn on a scale of 3-i6ths of an inch to the foot, so that a settler with the plan before him, may make his own calculations, and be his own joiner. The house should front towards the East or West. The winds prevailing in Manitoba are from the North and South-West. Easterly storms do not often occur. In building the house, oaken poasts at each comer, five to six feet in length, and eight or ten inches in diameter, should be sunk into the ground nearly their full length, and the sills spiked firmly to them. This, with proper bracing, will give sufficient firmness to the structure, against the strong winds which often prevail on the prairie. In the autumn, it should be well banked round with manure or earth, with battened walls (strips to cover the seams), and sheathing paper (a kind of thick pasteboard) ; suet a house is very warm, and will give good accommodation, till the owner is in circumstances to replace it with one of more ample dimensions. Ml I !'|i| ii .( I) i,i MM: ll'HiJ !,; 28 THE CLIMATE. The dryness of the air, the character of the soil, which retains no stagnant pools to send forth poisonous exhalations, and the almost total absence of a fog or mist, the brilliancy of its sunlight, the pleasing succession of its seasons, all conspire to make this a climate of unrivalled salubrity and the home of a joyous, healthy, prosperous people, strong in physical, intellectual and moral capabilities. Therefore, the assertion that the climate of our North-West is one of the healthiest in the world may be broadly arid confi- dently made, sustained by the experience of its inhabitants. Some of the hardiest and strongest men the writer has ever seen are Europeans and Canadians, who came to this country at an early date, and finally became settlers. Agriculture, therefore, cannot suffer from unhealthiness of climate. Its distinguishing features in relation to husbandry : The melon, growing in open air, and arriving at perfect maturity in August and September, may be briefly explained by reference to the amount of sunlight received during our growing seasons, viz : Whilst at New Orleans in July they have fourteen hours of sunlight, we have sixteen, with much longer twilight than they, consequently our vegetation grows more rapidly than theirs, and matures much sooner. This is a beautiful law in compensation, as what we lack in heat is made up in sunlight during our summers. Changes in our temper- ature, it must be admitted, are sometimes sudden and violent. We are about half way to the North Poleji^and subject to either extremes. This, instead of being a disadvantage, is rather in our favour ; it gives variety, a thing desirable at times. Then, again, these changes are, for the reasons already given, seldom pernicious. Plants and animals are armed with the proper implements for resistance. I would not infer that we are subject to hurricanes, or other violent commotions of the atmosphere, any more or as much as other places. But we have a touch at times of both extremes, a vibratory movement of the climates of the torrid and frigid zones. The seasons follow each other in pleasing succession. As the sun approaches its northern altitude, winter relaxes its grasp, streams and lakes are unbound, prairie flowers spring up, as if by the touch of some magic wand, and gradually spring is merged into the bright, beautiful June, with its long warm days, and short, but cool and refreshing nights. The harvest months follow in rapid succession, till the golden Indian summer of early November foretells the approach of cold and snow ; and again winter, ith its short days of clear, bright sky and bracing air, and its long nights of cloudless beauty, complete the circle. The average fall of snow is about six.inches per month. The snow falls in small quantities, at different times, and is rarely blown into drifts so as to impede travelling. With the new year commences the extreme cold of our winter, when, for a few days, the mercury ranges from 15 to 35 degrees below zero, falling sometimes even below that. Yet the severity of these days is much softened by the brilliancy of the sun and the stillness of the air. Thus, while in lower latitudes they are being drenched by the cold rain storms, or buried beneath huge drifts of wintry snow, we enjoy a dry atmosphere, with bright cloudless days and serene starlight nights ; and when the moon turns her full orbed face towards the earth, the night scene is one of peerless grandeur. , THE SOIL AND ITS AGRICULTURAL CAPACITY. The soil is generally an alluvial black argillaceous mould, rich in or- ganic deposit, and resting for a depth of eighteen inches to four feet, on a tenacious clay. Scientific analysis devrVips the presence in due pro- portion of elements of extraordinary fertility, comparing favorably with the most celebrated soils of the world. This theoretic excellence is amply con- firmed by the practical results of agriculture. An important feature in the soil of our prairies is, that its earthy materials are minutely pulverised, and is almost everywhere light, mellow, and spongy. WHEAT GROWING. The average yield of wheat in Manitoba, deduced from tlie aggregate of local estimates, is twenty-five bushels to the acre, the range of ordinary yields being from fifteen to thirty -five. Experience has taught us to allow largely for the disposition to base general inferences on the most striking and notorious instances, and for the general habit of confounding a usual result with an average one. A comparison of the yield of wheat for past years in Manitoba with the best districts of the United States, will show its superiority over them, viz : — Bed Biver Spring Wheat, average prodaction, 25 busbels per acre. Minnesota do do 20 do do "Wisconsin do do 14 do do Pennsylvania do s do ] 5 do do Maesachnsetts do do . 16 do do The weight as compared with the following States, is : — Manitoba Spring Wheat 63 to 66 ^bs. to the bushel. Minnesota to 60 to 65 lbs. da Illinois do ,. 52 to 58 lbs. d ) Ohio do 57 to 60 lbs. do Pennsylvania do 57 to 60 lbs. do The soundness and fullness of the grain is unmistakeably indicated by the fact, that it will command a higher price than any Western State grain, when it goes to market unmixed and well cleaned. The fact established by climatologists that " the cultivated plants yield the greatest products near the Northernmost limit, at which they will grow " is fully illustrated in our productions. An extensive miller in Minnesota was astonished on visiting Manitoba at the yield of wheat in his hand. " We have an excellent harvest in Minnesota, but I never saw more than two well formed grains in each group, or cluster, forming a row, hut hete, the rate is three grains in each cluster. Thai's the difference between twenty and thirty bushels per acre^ 30 STOCK RAISING. The experience of many years shows that no physical impedinnent arising from climate or soil, exists to prevent the prairies of our North-West becoming one of the best grazing countries in the world, and with the in- troduction of immigration, in a few years, the beautiful prairies of the North- west will be enlivened by numerous flocks and herds, and the cattle trade, already springing into importance, will rapidly increase. Near the foot of the Rocky Mountains there are now several extensive stock farms. For raising cattle and horses, this country is equal to the State of Illinois, and for sheep-raising it is far superior. The quality of the beef and mutton raised upon our northern grasses, has been pronounced of superior excel- lence. Among the peculiar advantages of Manitoba for stock-raising and wool-growing, the most prominent are — ist. The richness and luxuriance of the native grasses. The grass is mainly cut on the swamps and meadows, which chequer the prairies, or fringe the streams and lakes. 2nd. The great extent of unoccupied land, affording for many years to come, a wide range of free pasturage. 3rd. The remarkable dryness and healthfulness of the winter. The cold dry air sharpens the appetite, and promotes a rapid secretion of fat, and vigorous muscular development. All point to stock- raising as one of the most important and promising of the diversified chan- .nels into which the industry of the immigrant and capitalist is to be directed. Vn ii-' "'' SHEEP AND WOOL GROWING. There is not room in this guide to give the subject of wool growing the attention which its importance deserves. The experience of forty years, and of some who have been engaged in the business in Australia, establishes beyond a reasonable doubt the following conclusions : — I. — That from the nature of our climate and the general undulating character of the prairies, the richness of the grasses, and the purity of the waters, this country is adapted in an eminent degree to be healthful and profitable breeding of sheep. 2. — That sheep are entirely free from the diseases which cut them off" so largely in more southern climates. 3. — That the characteristic dryness of our winters not only protects them from the casualties to which they are exposed in moister winter cli- mates, but stimulates them to a more healthy and vigorous growth. 4. — That the naturalization of sheep imported from Illinois, Ohio, and other middle States of America, improves the quality of their wool, 5 That is hy far the most profitable branch of industry in which the settler with capital can engage, especially in connection with stock-raising. •^ W GAME. The prairies and forests abound in great variety of wild animals, among which are deer, bears, wolves, foxes, wild-cats, raccoons and rabbits, otter. 31 mink, beaver and muskrat are the principal aquatic animals that frequent the water courses. Buffalo in the Western prairies. Pigeons, grouse, partridges and prairie chickens are among the feathered game. In the fall and spring ducks and geese are found in immense numbers. PISH. The larger lakes abound in white fish, a 'delicious article of food, weigh- ing from four to five pounds. The fisheries of the lakes, when properly developed, will form an important source of revenue. The rivers and streams abound in pickerel, pike, catfish, sturgeon, gold-eyes, &c., and trout in the mountain streams. FRUITS. The culture of fruit, especially the apple, has been almost entirely neglected heretofore in this region ; probably on account of there generally being such an abundance of wild fruits, or the difficulty of procuring cuttings. For this and other reasons an erroneous impression has prevailed that we could not raise fruit or apple orchards — an extraordinaty inference, when we consider that many forms of wild fruit are indigenous to the country, abounding in the woodlands, and unsurpassed in flavour, size and pro- ductiveness — the princip 1 of which are strawberries, whortleberries, sas- katoon, and marsh and higli bush cranberries, therefore immigrants are not likely to suffer for want of fruit. In Minnesota the wild plum improves so much by being transplanted and cultivated as to equal any of the garden varieties. The high-bush cranberry also improves by transplanting, and makes a beautiful ornament to the grounds about the prairie farmer's house. :h cut them off — OATS, BARLEY, RYE, POTATOES, ETC. The whole group of subordinate cereals follow wheat, and are less res- tricted in their range, growing five degrees beyond wheat, in the Mackenzie River Valley to the Arctic Circle. Barley is a favorite alternative of wheat in Manitoba, and yields enormous returns, with a weight per bushel of from 50 to 55 pounds. Oats also thrive well. Potatoes — the best known prin- ciple established by climatologists, that " cultivated plants yield their greatest and best products n^ the northern-most limits of their growth," applies with peculiar force tO^he production of potatoes with us. The mealy quality, the snowy whiteness, the farinaceous properties, and the exquisite flavor which dissinguish the best article, reach perfection only in high latitudes. The potatoes grown are well known to be unsurpassed in all the quali- ties named, while their prolific yield is not less remarkable. Turnips, parsnips, carrots, beets, and nearly all bulbous plants, do equally as well as .potatoes. 32 ^ In conclusion, we would again repeat the Great Canadian North-West invites the honest and industrious, however friendless, to make themselves free homes, in a country blessed with British constitutional laws, ample protection to life and property, a healthy climate, and a fertile soil. Great as are the unquestionable advantages which a union of money and industry possess, there is no country under the sun where unaided muscle, with a plucky purpose, reaps greater rewards than under the bright sides, and helpful atmosphere of this fair land. Feeling himself every inch a man, as he gazes upon the unclaimed acres which shall reward his toil, the settler breathes a freer air, his bosom swells with a prouder purpose, and his strong arms achieve unwonted results. Any man whose capital consists on his arrival of little but brawny arms and a brave heart, may do as others, have done before him, select a home- stead in some of the many beautiful and fertile regions westward, and into which railroads will rapidly penetrate ; after which, being allowed six months before settling upon the land, he may work upon the railroad and earn enough ol money to make a start in a small way ; and by the time he produces a surplus, the railway will be within reasonable distance to take it to market; he finds himself the proud possessor of a valuable farm, which has cost him little but the sweat of his brow. The object of this guide is to present the facts to the world as briefly as possible, relative to this portion of the Dominion of Canada, to those who desire to know them, in such a shape, as may be worthy of careful perusal,, as we have conscientious care to willingly deceive no one. Cruel is the writer who draws immigrants to any country by gross misrepresentations. Changing one's home is to all a serious event. Shiftless discontent trans- forms many a man into a pioneer, who, finding a new country not a Para- dise, send back evil reports of the land. No matter how milk and honey may abound, no matter how large and luscious are the grapes of Eschol, they are nothing to some tall sons of Anak, who becoming, m the face of difficulties, as " grasshoppers in their own sight," soon desire to return into Egypt.