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A (l( -i.-ij|itiiiii (if till' jii;iiin\ \\n J'hf in.st. tliL' liil.us ami \'\ Mil rail l \n' m :i>(iii> What to ila nil tl.c' \va\ ncaltlifiiin. .> ,,r ;li>,i:,ti' l>cscri|>lii.ii 7«; .SU'aliil'uat i:ite-rt-.t- .11 tli< Ki (I 'I'lic m-assliupinis \{\\v\: Kcii.'liiy. TraiU' liclwctii I, S 111(1 Mini- I'licl ami tiiiilicr '"'''*■■ Tree .•nltinv ■■n i),,. ,,|,i,ii. Ilic M'ltK'iuMit hell ai.d i!- I'lairii lirc- ,,, ''■•''■'^'"•^V. ^, ,, . , ''"-■'■> 1,1 a-iic.iltural ini|.lc llif town ut .Scllviik. imiit> I'-.rta-ul-i I'raiiifaml w,:.uv:tnl. I'rlivs ,,f ^taj.lo in ■■ri,r,-yu-. Tlic .■.•Ktluuionto l'v:e.'>..|(ln ;;. ..,.!> ali.l hanlu ,n I ic.|-(i|i>(il imli\i.iiia)riiiiR...>. Price-. if fmiijtiire and ImiMin- I I iiv ck'-tcral liiv jvi.iiis. ('roll ifjiort for IsTii. < Iiaiii aii.l root rro|is Fi iiit> II. M iiiil iia\ urouii.l-.. Wa't.T Soil (iaiiic. laiLT -111.1 >ina|l. Fl-'h ill hint's .Mllll |!\ IT- A|iicult lire Stock raisin'^. U o.il ■j,vn^s Uil;, I 'ii'V j.roihic' material .Malntnl.a Markit- 'I'hi' r-a,i-.. I'.\l'o.lalio|i of .\l liiilol.a vv lua! for S", ,1. N( cc-^ji \ io|- railway '■•■niiiiiini I'alioii, )fail«a\ |.i-o.-|ic.I-- Naviu'alioii of Lake \VJn)ii|„.u an. I Sa«i^,i'clu->\aii I'lic trail.. ,,f \Iaiiit..lLi .statistic, of 'j'la.le mil \ .' \ i.^a- 'ion i:aak. ! loiiii -t.Mil la i\ . ■111. n-.r.cv Till- (Jov .■ihliii lit A;;ri.ailtiiral So... tii -. \ coiii|:ari--on of /■]■< 'ii-. A ile.«ci-i|nioii of |irt''( 111 -ttt..i- Kilii.ati.iiiai matter^. ( 'liiiiclic.s and Socii'tii',-. I'<.4 ottl.,..saml niailv. lApros ami tell urii'li. .\ihice to the iinini'^ranl. 'I'lie lali(l> ill the I'loviiice o|,vii for M'ttli iiu m. 'I he dilVerciil ii,odc> . f aciniirin- Jinic! ill .Mamtoha aiKlthe N.irlli Wi-t. ;. a-..|i> w |i\ iinnii-r.iiii - -lionlH iC't -ctt'.' far in a.lxaiicc of -cttli niei:|v. 'I'll!' ileiiiaiid for iiu-ciK;iiii al !ahor .iml .k.H. riitnii' |.ro>|„., t> ,;) t;,i \-,M|| U.si The coiiiitr;. uci \\ af.i. A roni|iari-on I., . ,v . i n tl,r I ni 1. d S.ale~alii| ll..- .\..i|l| U c-t . Stali'ieelits from ~'-v i r i! -om .-i - and l,(cl> *o jir.A c I h.. I or'-, i i iii.'>- of t'li- pami'.'i'i I k- ['( >t'.-- A 1 ( I ; IviiSK-BELFOH D PUULrSillNG CO.. Mill . I \\ I \. .^^_..4 OF CANADA. ^•— •- THIS COMPANY WILL BE PREPARED to arrange for 4]ie transportation ot intending settlers in Manitoba during the spi-ing, and special facilities will be given to large parties with their household effects, by all rail, or l)y lake and rail upon the opening of navigation. W The first large party from the Grand Trunk line mill leave early in March. Programme with lowest rates of fare and all other informatior.i caiik be obtained upon direct application to Mr. WAiNWRiGHivGeneml Passen- ger Agent, Montreal, or through the Company's Agents. JOSEPH HICKSON, General Manaijev; m~ THE FHORTEST, pCKEST, AND ONLY DIRECT ROUTE TO ALL POINTS IN THE NEW NORTH-WEST V - IS VIA THE NORTHERN PACIFIC RAILROAD Leave CHICAGO Daily, Except Sunday. Via O. M. & St. p. Railway, at 10.00 A.M. Via O. & IT. VT. Railway, at 10.00 A.M. St. Paul to Blsmark, 22 Hoiir» I St. Paul to Deadwood, 66 Hours | Chicago to Deadwood, 84 Hours. -o oo- 1^ ALL PASSENGER EQUIPMENT ON THIS LINE 18 PROVIDED WJTII WESTINGHOUSE AIR BRAKE, MILLER PLATFORM, &C. -o eo o- DAILY STAGES BETWEEN BISMARCK AND DEADWOOI> ^Seven Stages Eadi Week.) Eismarck to Montana and all points on Yellowstone and Missouri Rivers. TRl-WEEKLY STEAMERS leave Bismarck for Forts Berthold, Buford ami Benton : Powder, Ton {ju«,. Yellow- stone, and Upper Missouri Rivers ; Bi How to get to Maiiitohfr. Tlie cost of tho journey. Bonding aiTajigenients. A dt'scription of tlie journey via tliu lakes and ))y all rail. What to do on the way. ncseription of Winnipcfr. Its trade, etc., and Heal Kstate. Steamboat interests on the Red River. Trade between U. S. and Mani- toba. The settlement belt and its parishes. The town of Selkirk. Portage la Prairie and westward. Tlie settlement.^. The crops of individual farmers. The electoral divisions. Crop report for 1876. Grain and root crops. Fruits. Hay and hay ground.s. Water. Soil. Game, large and small. Fish in lakes and rivers Apiculture. Stock raising. Wool growing. Oairy produce. Importation of well-bred stock. Salt and .salt springs. The rainfall. The frost. The .seasons. Healthfulnes.s of climate. Absence of epidemics. Weather Recon' for 187fl. The grasshoppers. Fencing. Fuel and timber. Tree culture on the prairie. Prairie fires. Prices of agricultural inH>le- ments. Prices of staples in groceries. Pricesof dry goods and hardware. Prices of furniture and building material Maiutoba markets. The roads. Exportation of Matiitoba wheat for Sf^ed. Necessity for railway communi- cation. Railway prospects. Navigation of Lake Winnipeg and Saskatchewan. The trade of Manitoba. Statistics of Trade and Naviga- tion. Banks. Homestead law. Tlie reserves. The Goveniment. Agricultural Societies. A comparison of croi)S. A descripcion of present settlers. Educational matters. Churches and Societies. Post Otiices and mails. Express and telegraph. Advice to the immigrant. The lands in tho Province open for settlement. The different modes of acquiring land in Manitoba and the North West. Reasons why immigrants should not settle far in advance of settlements. The demand for mechanical labor and skill. Future prospects of the North- west. The country westward. A comparison between the Uni- ted States and the North-West. Statements from several sources and facts to prove the correct- ness of the pamphlet. era* 1^ Yellow- ns. Line. TORONTO : Rose-Belford Publishing Co. MDCCCLXXIX. il, Minn, mgo. A PllACTICAL HAND-BOOK AND GUIDE TO MANITOBA AND THE XOirril Wl-ST. The object of this })amphlet is to place before the public an array of facts in as clear and concise a manner as possible, to demonstrate the <^reat advantage possessed by M;uiitoba and the North-West for intending settlers and cai)italists. One of the first questions likely to b<' asked in reference to the country is — How can a person get there? and, in the next place — How much will it cost ? To these queries we reply as follows : — Takirg Toronto as a starting point, you can go by the Great Western Railway, or the Grand Trunk liaihvay to Detroit ; Michigan Central to Chicago ; * The Chicago and North Western Railway, and Chicago, St. Paul and Minnea- polis Line to St. Paul; the St. Paul and Pacific Railway to St. Vincent, and thence to AYinnipeg by the Pembina Branch of the Canada PaciQc Railway, ji:st com})leted. If you prefer rail and water route, you can go by the Northern Railway to Collingwood, the Grand Trunk to Sarnia, or the Great Western to Windsor, and from either of these three places you can take the steamer direct through the Lakes, without transhipment, to Duluth. From that city you take the Northern Pacific ♦Samuel Beatty, Agent C. & N. W. iry, iiossin House Block, York St., Toronto. to A IMlALTirAL HANI) IIWOK AND OUIDE Railway to Olyndoii, and from tluMico by tlu^ St. Vm\\ and Pacilh; Railway, anth, 187C. " Dear Sik, — In response to your communication of tlie 17th instant, asking vvliat facilities are (extended hy the Treasury De- partment to emigrants from Eastern Canada passing through Ame- rican territory t(» Manitoba, I transcribe Art 72.3 of U. S. Custtuns Regulations, which end)odies the tcms of comnnmicationsmade to this Consulate at ditlerent periods since 1871 . " Art. 723. Upon due entry and the giving of a proper bond at frcmtier ports, by parties intending to i)ass through the territory of the llnited States to the Province of Manitoba via Pembina, c»f their pers(,)nal and liousehold etl'ects, including horses, cattle, and waggons, imported for their own use, and not for sale, the articles may be delivered into the custody and control of the party for tho purpose of such transportation and exportation, instead of recpiir- ing them to be transported over a regularly bonded route. In such cases, Collectors shall canse entry to be made in trii)licate, care- fully specifying the articles, with (piantities, values and duties, one of which shall be transmitted by mail to the Collector at Pembina. Another given to the owner of the goods, to be by him delivered to the said Collector, and the third detained on the files of the Collec- tor at the post of departure. If desired, parties may give a bond without sureties, on depositing the estimated duties with the Col- lector of the port where entry is made, which deposit shall be returned on presentation of the proper proofs of exportation. "In view of these regulations, I would advise any intending emigrant to obtain a Consular certificate in Canada, showing items and values of his stock, present the same to the collector of the port of entry in the United States, and then make his special arrange- ments for transportation to Manitoba— either by giving his bond with citizens of United States as sureties, or his individual bond without security, or depositing the amount of accruing duties. The latter procedure has been very convenient — the Collector's draft to order of emigrant following the receipt of Collector Spencer's (of Winnipeg), In.nding certificate. "The ft't'B tt'ctii»u, tVc.,!it I'oiubiiiu 1 0<) " Aftor |)iissi?ij,' tho I'nitfd States fnmtior, tho ("iiiiLfnint nriy taku iiiiy I'lMitc iiL' (liuDHCH : l)iit I wiiiild u(l\ iwc tlutt lut.shmihl remain in jKiHHessiiin uf liis clt'ectH nntil )iis arrival in MHnitiil)a. Me should niiderMtand, liuwever, that liiH l)iiiid will nut bo releiwed or tho duties refuiiiled, if lie (lis|>(iseH of any portion of his stock {\n\- HVoidaldi' casualties, to Ite fully explained, excepted), in transit through the I'nited Stutes, " r am A-c, "(Signed) .). W. Taylou, " U. S. Cnnsnl." If you intoiid taking your team with you und (Irivin;^ from Moorhead over the prairie to Wiiiuipc j,, you would do well to ])rovide yourself with the following articles, if you do not luipjxMi to have them : — A Tent. Tin cujjs. Fryiuj^ pan. Tin j)late.s. Kettle to boil water. Knives and fyrks,(common). Tea i)ot. Iron spoons. Water })ail. Some wrought nails. Axe. A piece of leather (strong), Hatchet. i)a[)erof wrought tacks, some Butcher knife. stout twine. One or two plough lines and Bedding. And your provisions as follows : Tea. Hatn, Uacon or pork. ►Sugar. Flour. Salt. Jiakiii^^ Powder, Pej)i)er. Butter. Biscuits. Matches. Some Pain -Killer in case of sickness. Get hobbles'^ made for your horses to prevent their straying away from you at night. When travelling make it a rule to * Hobbles are 8traj)s made to confine the fore feet of the horse to prevent his galloping aAvay. Tliese straps are fastened on just over the hoof above the fetU)ck, tbe legs being allowed a i)lay of about a foot apart. In this way the animal can only hoj) along and cannot consefpiently travel any distance during the night. Hobbling horses does not in the least interfere with their feeding. ' Ti) MANITOHA .V.N|> IHK M IITII WhHT. IS imrnint?, take loni; n-Mts in th« start n'< «'arly jis possihlc in th» inim House, and prefeent your papers through a bi'oker (whose ottice you will easily tind), so as to facilitate the forwarding of your eti'ects, if you have more than ordinary baggage. As a rule, freight is forwarded on the Northern Pacific Railway without delay, but if there is any appearance of your goods and chattels being neglected or left behind, apply to the agent of the steamboat company, or to the captain of the boat you arri\ ed in to interfere in the matter. We would here refer you to wha^ we have already said in regard to several [larties dub- ing together - nd hiring a car, so as to cheapen the rate of freight between Duluth and Moorhead. Duluth is situated on the side of a high and steep hill at the extreme westein end of Lake Superior, and is possessed of a good harbour. It has a very scattered appearance at present, but is destined without doubt to become in time a place of great importance. As you leave it on the cars of the Northern Pa- cific Railway, you pass through a very mountainous country, nothing but rocks and pine bting visible, and you cross several bridges of immense height spanning deep ravines between the mountains. Gradually, however, you come to a prairie country which does not strike the eye as b( ing very productive, the soil being too sandy in many places, and in others covtred with great (juanlities of stones. The land along the Northern Pacific li. K. is thinly settled, and we fear it will be long ere its popu- lation will increase to any gieat extent. The rapid growth, however, of some of the towns along the line, through the in- strumentality of the railioad company, is remarkable, especially that of Brainard, Moorhead and Fargo, places of only a few years' standing. As you approach the Red River, the soil improves in quality, and indeed, if you take the overland route from Moorhead to Winnipeg, you will find the land along the river side fair, but a mile or two out on the prairie it is little better than a desert in most places. It is astonishing how little really good land there is unoccupied and suitable for TO MANITOBA AND THE NORTH WEST. 16 successful cultivation in the north-western States. Thus, along the banks of the Red Kiver in Minnesota and Dakota, the good landis contined to a narrowstrip oneacli side of the stream (most of which is already taken up), and out on the prairie it is hardly fit for settlement. You leave Duluth in tiie morning and reach Moorhead in the evening, but if the Red River steamers are running to Crookston ; you will have to change cars at Glyndon, and take a branch line of the St. Paul and Pacific R. R. to that place. It will consume the best part of the next day ere you reach Crookston, but when you arrive there you have no further transhipment until you arrive at Winnipeg. You will find the Red River steamers commodious, and the oiiicers cour- teous and obliging. The meals on board (for which you have to pay extra), are good and substantial, and the berths clean and comfortable. The trip down the river although a little monotonous is not unpleasant, especially as you generally meet some nice people on board, and the officers of the boat vie with each other to make themselves agreeable to their passengers. If you intend to go overland from Moorhead you will be able to start the day alter your arrival, and will experience the novelty of travelling and camping out on the prairie for the next eight or nine days. The pleasure of travelling over the prairie may be interrupted now and again by mosquitoes and sometimes bad roads, but taking it altogether, it is quite an enjoyable trip. You eat heartily and sleep well, and you have plenty to employ your time in looking after your team, making and striking camp, and cooking meals. Occasionally you will find some shooting, and at some seasons of the year, especially in the spring and in the fall, you will meet with numbers of ducks, pheasants and prairie chickens. It is not improbable that you may come across a deer, a fox, a skunk, or even a bear, but they are not numerous: altogether you will not find the journey irksome, especially if you take care at starting to have everything in proper shape, according to the instructions we have given you. When you pass through Pembina, at the boundary line be- tween United States and Manitoba, you have to repoit yourself at the American Custom-House, and be careful to see that your bonds are properly cancelled l^y the officials before you pass over into British territory. When you cross over into Manitoba, you will have to obtain a clearance from our own Customs offi- cials at West Lynne, after which you may consider yourself free to travel through the British North- West. If the saving of time is an object to you, we would advise you to take the iitage — not otherwise, as you travel day and night (a tedious operation), and make the ed into and from Manitoba through the Custom House at Pembina. These articles are, of course, additional to bonded goods, and are simply as are grown, produced or manufac- tured in the United States or in the Province of Manitoba. Dr. Phillips has appreciated the importcance of securing some reliable facts on this important point which seems to have been overlooked by his pre(U'ces8t)r in the Statistical Department of the State (iov- ernnient, and hence in his correspondence with Mr. A. E. Nelson, the special de )Uty co'lector at Pembina, he has received a complete schedule of articles imi)orted into Manitcjba during the season of 1870; from the customs district of Miiuiesota. A glance at this schedule, which appears in full in the report of the Commissioner of Statistics, shows tiuit the aggregate value of these exports is given at ^802,400. Manitoba is able to very nearly balance her exiiorts ■with her imports, the value of the latter being $704,8()8 ; or within less than $8,000 of what was paid for the articles brought into the province from the United States. Tlie imports into the Customs District of Minnesota are given as follows by Mr. Nelson, in the schedule forwarded to Dr. Phillips. " Value of goods entered for ex})ortation $155,3<>1 " Value of free gooJs entered ()35,8(>r) *' Value of dutiable goods entered for consump- tion 3,638 '* Total imports from Manitoba ... $794,808 *' Though the items are not specified in the list of imports, the article of fur is of course the m(jst important producti(^n of Man- itoba, undressed furs being on the free list. Flour, grain and lum- ber are also entered free of duty. " The foregoing facts and figures are interesting, as showing the commercial importance of Manitoba, and of the necessity of com- pleting the lines of communication between St. Paul and Win- nipeg. The difficulties of transjjortation on Red River during the winter are well kni>wn, and it only remains for the opening of direct rail connuunication between the United States and the populous and prosperous regions north of the boundary line, to quicken the trade between Minnesota and Manitoba, into proportions which can now be scarcely estimated. " It is to be hoped therefore that Dr. Phillips' valuable statistics on this subject may serve to direct attention to the subject, which is worthy of careful consideration on the part of Minnesota legis- lators, and all other citizens who have an interest in the development and prosperity of the State and the great North- West. '' That Winnipeg is to be the centre of competing lines for the 22 A PIlArTICAI, HAND-HOOK AND OUTPF, carryiii',' trade (eastward and westward, tliorc cannot Ix' a shadow (tf a douht. Kiastward, railways via United States, will contend with tlie}^ heiiig the junction of tiu^ lines, will be the location for th(^ principal de|)nts. Tliere a?'e also several local roads jnojected, the termiiii of which are to he at Winnipeg ; and in the near future, it is not difHcult to fon'see that ;i network of railroads westward will 1)0 constructed through this vast country, diverging in different directions from one main centre of supply, which from its posi- ti(m and advantages must he Winnipeg. Another point in favour of the city is, that she has the start already in wealth and influence, two very powerful auxiliaries; and although then^ will douhtless ])e other cities and towns established in the North West, yet she will hold the first place and will be in fact the great feeder of the country. In reganl to the future trade of Winnipeg, one has only to look at the immense country opening uj) wt^stvvaid to the Rocky Mountains which will have to be sup[)lied, to form an idea of what that trade is likely to bo. One more word in con- nection with the future metropolis of the North-West and we say it for the purpose of claiming the attention of capitalists to th(^ splendid field here open for investments. Real estate, as we have already shown, has rapidly increased in value in Win- nipeg during the i)ast few years, and lots in the city are bring- ing fair prices, present value ; but there is not the least doubt that even the highest priced lot in the city will more than quadruple its value in the course of the next five or ten years. There are, however, oi)portunities of buying city property in what is now known as the suburbs, for comparatively low figures, and it is to thes(^ especially we would like to draw at- ter.tion. The ])resent suburbs will, without doubt in a few years, become more central as the city extends its limits, and the value of what are now considered suburban lots will increase to a wonderful extent. Of course the more central the more valu- able will be the property, but an investment in Winnipeg city j)roperty of to-day, if held a few years, will tell the same tale as investments in Montreal, Toronto, Hamilton, Chicago, Mil- waukee and St. Paul have done before in their day. It is well known that jtarties who purchased real estate in these cities in their early days and held it, lived to see it the source of great wealth to tiiemsi'lves and their children after them. A!ul now, turning our steps from the city to the country, we will take a cursory view of the Province ere we go into details as to its advantages and resources. n; MAiNiiuJiA Ann lt^^, m>t\i ti-n r.Ri , GENERAL DESCKIPTION OF THE PROVINCE. The main liigliway, l»y wliicli you enter tlie Province at West Lynne, on the American Boundary line, runs northward .along the western side of tin; lied Riv<>r. A branch office of tlie (Canadian Custom House at Winnij>eg lias been established at West Lynne, where you have to report your airivnl and ])aKs the necessary entries, and you will find the officer in charge (Mr. Bradley), a most accommodating official, who will give you every assistance in his power. The steamers fiom the United States all stop here, and if you are a passenger on board with your effects, you have nothing to do, as the clerk of the boat reports his manifest, but your personal luggage will have to be examined V>y the landing waiter, the same as at any other ])ort of entry in the Dominion. At West Lynne there is i Hudson's Bay Company Post with stores, i^'c, and shortly afterwards you come to a ferry which connects with the Town of Emerson on the o])posite bank of the river. This latter place is in a most flourishing (;ondition, and bids fair to become a largo city in the near future. Its inhabitants are enteiprising and liberal, and its position as the terminus of the Pembina Branch of the Cana- dian Pacific Railway, will undoubtedly make it a place of importance. Already, it can boast of several fine buildings, amongst which arc; one or two churches,, hotels, and several handsome stores. And the houses generally, as in Winnipeg, are all of a superior kind, no shanties being visible. There is also a Dominion Lands office established there for the con- venience of intending settlers, taking up land in the neighbor- hood. Before going further, I will now give you a short outline of the Red River, from West Lynne, until it empties into Lake Winnipeg. From the southern boundary of the Province, till you reach the lake, it is 104 miles in a direct line, but the river is very winding in its course, which more than doubles the distance by water. The average width of the stream is 300 feet, and the banks are from twenty to thirty feet in height, until you reach the low and marshy district in the neighbour- hood of Lake Winnipeg. It is navigable to vessels of light draught the entire distance, the only trouble some places being in the parishes of St. Norbert and St. Andrews, where it is very shallow, with slight rapids and boulders in the bed of the stream. It will neither be a difficult nor an expensive matter to entirely remedy this evil, and of late years much has been done by the Government and private enterprise towards that object. The banks on both sides of the river are lined with wood, chiefly poplar, tamarac and a mixture of oak, elm, 00 Jt ^•*l»IWWtlOAr 'M^lrSIT-WJuk'^^NiryVTiLifi and biicli. Hotwctui West Lyiiiic, and the parish of St. An- drews, north of tlie City of \Vinnij»(% tlio woods appear heavi(!r and more continuous on the east«!rn si(h? of the river than on the western, and beyond tliis forest line to tlie east- ward and to the westward the vast prairie extends as far as the eye can reach, (h)tted here and thtsre on the bhitt's, and along the numerous creeks, with uroves of trees. The prairie, as a ^eiunal rule, is h^vel, although in some j)artH it is slightly undulating, and everywhere it has an incli- nation towards the river. The soil varies slightly in some parts of the Province, but is chietiy of an alluvial black argil- laceous mould, rich in organic deposit, and rests at a usual depth of two and a-half feet on the prairie, and from two and ahalf feet to twenty feet on bottom lands. There are swami>8 and marshes here and there, but on examination they will bo found to possess a firm bottom of alluvial soil, similar to the prairie, and so hard that horses and cattle can wade through them in every direction, and as they are generally at a much higher level than the streams, the channels of which are deep, it will not be a difficult matter to drain them so as to bring them under cultivation, when they will prove perhaps to be the finest land in the Province. Leaving the ferry landin-- opi)osite Emerson, you now i)ro- cee(l along a level prairie road, with here and there a deep creek or coolie to cross, keeping at a distance of a mile or so fn»m the river, until you reach the site of the proposed town of Morris, at Scratching Uiver ; you meet with very few houses on the way until you arrive at the latter place, where you will find several brick and frame buildings, amongst whiih are an hotel, school-house, and one or two stores. This is the point of diversion for the Manitoba Southern Railway, which, although at a stand still now, will undoubtedly be built in the near future. When constructed, this railway will run from Win- nipeg along the west side of the lied River directly south to Morris, where it will diverge in a south-westerly direction to the neighbourhood of Rock Lake, thus opening up communi- cation with one of the finest portions of the Province, the Pembina mountain district. After leaving Scratching River, the country gradually ap- l)ears to be better settled, the houses more numerous, and the land fenced and under cultivation. You now and then pass a tavern or stage station, a church or a-school house, and when you get within about twelve miles of Winnipeg, you lose sight of the prairie altogether, and enter a belt of woods. From this point you meet with small log houses in close proximity to each other, belonging principally to the poorer class of French half-breeds, until you reach " Riviere Salle," where there is a large grist mill belonging to Joseph Lemay, Esq., M.P.P,, three TO MANITOUA AND THE NORTH-WEST. 25 stores, a clmrch, a rt^nvont, and several fino frame buildings. From this point until you reacli Winnipeg, tiie road continues through the woods, and tliere is nothing particularly worthy of mention, except that tht! eastern side of the river api)ears to be as thickly populated as the western on which yuu are travelling. You have now ])asRed four ])arishef : those of St. Agathe, St. Norl)ert, St. Vital, and St. lioniface, and wlu'U you arrive at the Assinihoine river, you havt> to pass over cm a rope ferry, whi(;h lands you within thi' city liinits of the levee and ware- house of the Red River Transportation Company. You now pass through Winnipeg, and enter upon another of the main highways of the Province. Your course continues to be in a northerly direction along the west(!rn side of the Red River, and one of the first objects of interest which attracts your attention is vSt. John's Cathedral, with the Colleg(!s and Bishop's Court in the back-ground. Near here is R^'dwood Brewery, a fine property adjoining the fur-trading establishment of Hon. Alfred Boyd. As you jourui^y onwards from this point, the thriving condition of the farms along the road, and the high state of cidtivation in which they are kept, attest the thrift and comfort of their owners. You pass on the right-hand side, field after field of waving grain, and to the left is the b,)undless praiiie with herds of cattle grazing here ami there, proclaiming the wealth of the neighbouring farmers in live stock. After leaving St. . John's Cathedral, the next church you pa,ss is that of the Rev. John Black, in Kildonan Parish, ami further on a few miles the Middle church in St. Raul's ; near the latter, on the river bank, is a fine grist mill belonging to Mr. H. Pritchard, which turns out very good work indeed. There are also several windmills in operation along the road, and somo of the old settlers prefer this primitive mode to that of steam, asserting that it turns out stronger and better flour. The country, M'hich is open prairie with a belt of wooil along the river, and soil similar to that described between Winnipeg and West Lynne, is very much the same all the w.iy until you enter St. Andrew's parish, soon after which 3^ou p.i,ss into woods, and these continue until you reach St. Peter's Indian Reserve. In St. Andrtjw's, there is a fine stea.n grist mill belonging to E. H. G. G. Hay, and in connection with it the following ex- tract may be read with interest ; — •' Manitob V Flour Abroad. — The following are extracts from a letter received by Mr. E. H. (>. G. Hay, of St. \n Irew's, from Mr. William Greoy, Go/eriiimnt Flour Inspector, at Toronto, in refer- ence to satnphis of floiii'sjut to hiin by Mr. Hay. It will be seen th;it the flour is spoken of in the highest terms. Mr. Greey says : — ' Your favou" of 28th ult. , and sanii)leof flour arrived here on the C p I 96 A I'HACTICAL HAND HOOK AND OUIDE nth inHtunt. TliL' tloiir JHun excelluiit liiHt cIhhs " btruii^' luikuiu," II tip toj) <|uulity. It lii'iilHiiiy Htjiii.*jr) to .^.""i.IM* per hand. Some " stronj,' hakiTH" made near here s(dd fur ^o. 15 u ur sample ; yotir kind is nuuh neede baid< of the stream, and on the opposite side of the road open i)rairie. From St. James you pass into the j)arish of St. Cnarles, and from that i?ito Ibiadingly where thei-e are several extensive market gard(Mis, tho pro])rietors of which find a leady sale for their ])roduco in \Vinni})eg. Here also you will find a comfortable hotel. V'ou now ))ass into St. Fran(,'ois Xavier, which is ])rincipally settled by Fretich half-bn'eds from which you enter Jiaie St. Patd, also inhal)ited by the same class of peojjlo. In tho latter parish tbore is some of the finest pasture in the Provinco. Tho advantages of this country for cattlo-raising on a large scal(^ ar(! domonstratod by tlu' herds of fat cattle seen feeding (12th December) on tli(! nutritious grasses of the wide m;irsli in the Big Bay. It is a striking fact that cattle jtrefer the snow- sprinklod marsh grass to tho carefully saved hay, oftentimes ; for what reason we have not hoard. With tho shelter of woods, such food, there is no doubt, would sutlice for cattle a groat portion of the winter, and, even in the "open," lessening the time ro(piirod for stable and feeding to a material extent. In fact, we have the experience of farmers in the neighbourhood of tlu; great marshes, to prove that horned cattle may fatten on the marsh grasses up to December, and as early as the 1st of March. The soil up to this point is the black loam, but we now be gin to come to lighter land, which, although it may not last so long as the former, is splendid for wheat-growing and is easier worked. At White Horse plains tliere is a fine hotel with • i ' PRACTICAL HAND-BOOK AND GUIDE ample stabling accommodation, and within a mile or so, a H. B. Co. post, in connection with which a large farm is carried on. You now enter Poplar Point, and until that parish is reached, the halt-breed reserves monopolize the land outside of the two mile reserve limit ; but from its eastern line westward as far as the eye can reach, the country is dotted with comfortable houses and well cultivated fields, exhibiting what the neigh- bourhood would soon show if the stifling embargo of the re- seives were removed. The farmers of tliis section, as far as the " Beautiful Plains" west of the White iMud Kiver, are mostly fi'om Ontario, and, though sorely tried duifng the ])ast three years, hope to clear themselves from debt with this year's bountiful crop, and make themselves independent in a few years more. They claim that it is the wheat country " par ex- cellence" of the west ; certain it is that their wheat crop of this year was the best, and the grain nearly all No. 1 quaUty ; of many samjiles of wheat examined by us, shrunk or small grains were the exception, and the yield returned from the thresher better than was hoped for, oats averaging 65 to 70, and wheat somewliat over 30 bushels to the acre. The land along the river continues to be thickly settled through tlie parish of High Bluff until you reach Portage la Prairie, which is looked upon by many as the future city of this part of the country. We may mention that churches, school-houses, taverns, and stores, are to be met with along the highway at ititervals, but there is no necessity for enumerating them. At Portage la Prairie there are two good mills, a branch of Dominion Lands Office, a stage office, and several stores ; and taking it altogether, it is quite a lively place. A regular line of stages carrying the mail run between this place and Winnipeg. We have now given a short description of the three principal highways in the Pro- vince, running along what is known as the Settlement Belt, and will therefore proceed to a short description of some of the principal outside settlements. Riviere Salle settlement is best reached by way of Headingly and thence south over the Pembina trail which crosses the Riviere Salle near the upper end of the settlement. Good water can be had by boring to a depth of a dozen or twenty feet. The country is prairie soil, black loam, with numerous coolies or gullies atfordinj» good fticilities for drainage. Splendid pasturage in the neighbourhood, with good shelter from groves and fringes of woods. BoY\E RivKi; Settlrment. Towmkip 6, Rfihg' 4 an I 5 JVe:^t. Tiio Boyne Riv.:'r ta^ces its rise in the Pembina mountains, and is about fif.y mile; long. Its hanks are lined with a fringe TO MANITOBA ANP THE NORTH-WEST. 2iJ of heavy oak and elm timber which extends into a forest nianj miles in extent as you approach the mountains. The soil here, as in the previous settlement, is heavy black loam. This part of the Province is peculiarly adapted for stock-raising, on account Oi' the fine pasturage, water, and protection by timbei" POINTE DES ChENES OR S'lE. ANNE DES ChENES is situated on the Dawson Road. The country along here has a line ]>ark-like aj)pearanee, with laige tracts of woods in th vicinity. It has numerous surface springs, and the land is very fertile. In the neighbourhood of Puinte de.s Chenes there ar the settlements of Clear Sprirjg and Caledonia ; the land in both these townships is very rich and well cultivated by the settlers. Plenty of hay, wood, and water in this part of the country. Springfield Township, 11, Range 4, East, is almost directly north-west of Pointe des Chenes, on the eastern side of the Red River, about four miles north-east of AViiinipeg. This locality is well sheltered by a range of hills o/i the north, and on the east and south by an irregular spur frorri the same. Water, pure and clear, is obtained near the surface, and hay land and wood in sufficiency. The soil is so rich and easily worked that, as an intelligent farmer remarked, his farm seemed all ready except the build- ings. SUNNYSIDE. Township 11, llamje 5, East. The same remark is applicable to this settlement as to th« previous one. It extends to the heavy belt of timber reaching to Lake Superior. Cook's Creek, Township 12, Range 6, East, is in the same electoral division as Springfield and Sunnyside, and the descrip- tion of these two townships is applicable also to it. It is well settled. The electoral division of Rockwood contains the following settlements : Rockwood, Township 13, Range 2, East. Grassmere, Township 13, Range 1, East. Woodlands, Township 14, Range 2, We.st. V^ictoria, Township 14, Range 2, East. Brant, Township 14, Range 1, East. Greenwood, Township 15, Range 2, East. Dundas, Township 10, Range 2, East. Meadow Lee, Township 13, Range 2, West. Argyle, Township 14, Range 1, West. These settlements are in the neighbourhood of inexhaustible quarries of grey limestone, very valuable for building purposes. 30 A PRACTICAL HAND-BOOK AND GUIDE The Penitentiary, which is situated in the Township of Kock- wuod,has been constructed partly oftliis stone and partly of brick manufactured on the spot. There are also immense deposits of gravel on the rid<;es. The land of all these settlements is rich prairie with parts heavily tindierod. There are abundant surface springs from which excellent water can be obtained, and there are also very fine hay grounds in the vicinity. The railway reserve of the Canada Pacific has letarded the growth of some of these settlements to a certain degree, but not sufficiently so to prevent the district from being one of the most important and flourishing in the Province. To the north of the Township of Woodlands are the settle- ments of St. Laurent and Oak Point, on the eastern side of Lake Manitoba, and in connection with this lake we may state the following : The uniform depth is from fifteen to eighteen feet, after passing a short distance from the shore. By far the greater portion of the land bordei ing on it, especially the south end, is well adapted for settlement, and for the raising of wheat. In many parts the shores are low and marshy at the edges, but which are very valuable for grazing purposes. On the north shore of the lake are innumerable salt springs, from which the natives make a very fine article of salt, and which, if properly worked, would yield largely. Also on the north shore are im- mense forests of spruce of a gigantic growth, and the waters of the lake are stocked with unlimited quantities of a very superior kind of white fish. The only limestone of any consequence in the Province, west of Poplar Point, is found in inexhaustible quantities on the east and north shores of this lake. The settlements of Oak Point and St. Laurent are well lo- cated, and at the south-western end of the lake, situated near the mouth of the White Mud Kiver (a stream of fine clear water), is the town of Totogan, which aspires to future impor- tance, having about the best harbour on the lake, besides being in the neighbourhood of first-class tillable land, and having good road communication with the eastern portion of the Province. A saw and grist mill, store, hotel, and several houses, have been elected here, and the town is surveyed into lots and well laid out. South of Totogan is the village of Westbourne ; the land in the neighbourhood is of the best (quality, and the White Mud Kiver on which it is situated is fringed with oak timber. Westbourne possesses a Church of England, a large hotel, and several stores. The river could no doubt be easily made navi- gable for schooners and flat-boats, from Lake Manitoba to this point. West of Westbourne is Palestine, probably the largest Canadian settlement in the Province. It is bounded on the west by the White Mud River, and on the north by the " big grass," an immense marsh which is covered along its edges with the very best of hay. Palestine is well wooded with poplar, TO MANITOBA AND THE NORTH-WEST. 31 oak, ash, maple, elm, Szc. Wild fruits, such as grapes, plums, black currauts, &c., grow iu abuu< lance, an*l the soil is Mack loam, rather lighter in character than that around Witinipeg, and so fertile, that the farmers who have settled there are as- tonished at the yield, it being on an average larger than most parts, and equal to any in the Province. Palestine has a flour- ing mill containing two run of stones, with the most improved machinery, driven by a thirty-five horse power boiler and engine — attached to this mill is a rotary saw-mill, witli lath machine, planer, ig Grass River, is a fine tract of good land in every way suitable for farming purposes. There is plenty of wood and cold spring water flowing down from the Riding Mountains. To the north-west we soon read: the Riding Mountains, where there is abundance of water and wood and arable land. The country here produces great quantities of plums and other wild fruits. We must now, however, retrace our steps in the direction of Portage la Prairie, so as to complete our list of the principal settlements. About half way between Palestine and Westbourne, is the rising settlement of Woodside, which is situated at the second crossing of the White Mud River, and has a post office. The soil is about the same as described in Palestine. After passing Westbourne on your way to Portage la Prairie, you come to the settlement of Burnside, which is also a very flourishiii j; Township, and contains some of the largest farms in the Province. The land is excellent here, with abundance of hay, wood, and water. Portage la IVairie we have already mentioned, but we may add here that steps are being taken for placing a splendid mill in operation at this point, the necessity for which may be seen by the following list of crops produced by the farmers in the neighbourhood during the past year. Dilworth 1,700 bushels. Alcock 3,000 " Moss 2,000 " McKenzie 7,000 " Grant... 4,000 •' Monroe 3,000 " A. McKenzie 3,000 " Houir 1,600 " Gerrard 1,000 " Brown 2,500 " 'I 52 A PRACTICAL HAND BOOK AND GUIDE Burgess ^.200 bushels. Cuthbert ^.^^^ Coadman 1'200 Wilton •'^'^00 Whimster ?>??? Ogletree Connor . Sissons 1,800 3,200 ^ _ 2,000 Kittson '-^'^0? (( (I (( n 5,000 5.000 (C Bell Ferris Meelon ^^^^^ " Logan ^,500 ;; Mawhinney 5>500 62,200 bushels. Havino- now given a short description of some of the princi- pal settlements in the Province, we will subjoin a list accord- ing to the late ehctoral divisions, distinguishing the parishes from the settlements. 1. Lake Manitoba, St, Laurent (parish), Oak Point. 2. Westbourne, Burn side, Totogan, Woodside, Palestine, Livingstone, Beautiful Plains. Portage la Prairie (parish), Oak Land. High Bluff (parish). 5. Poplar Point " Ossowa, Melbourne. Bale St. Paul (parish \ Poplar Heights. St. Francis Xavier, East (parish). St. Francis Xavier, West (parish). Headingly (parish). Riviere Salle, Boyne. 3. 4. 6 8. 9. Note -Since writing the above, the Marquette Milling Co. hare suc- ceeded in putting their mill at Portage la Prairie in operation, and art, turning out a very tine article < f iiouv TO MANITOBA AND THE NORTH WEST. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19 20. 21. 22. 23. St. Charles (parish), St. Boniface, West (parish). St. James (parish). City of Winnipeg. Kildonan (parish), St. John's (parish). St. Paul's (parish >. St. Andrew's, South (parish). St. Andrew's, North (parish). St. Cltment's (])arish), Dynover or St. Peter's, I'own of Selkirk, Clandeboye, Whitewold. Rockwood, Grassmere, Brant, Victoria, Greenwood, Dundas, Meadow Lea, Argyle, Woodlands. Springfield, Sunny side, Cook's Creek. St. Boniface (parish), Notre Dame de Lorette (parish), Prairie Grove. St. Vital (parish). St. Norbert " St. Agathe " Emerson, Hudson, Franklin, Riviere aux Roseaux, Mellwood, West Lynne, Dufferin, Letellier, Rivit^re aux Marais. Riviere aux Prunes, Riviere aux Gratias, Riviere au Rat. St. Anne, Ste. Anne des Chenes. Clear Spring, Caledonia. *A*Pit^(TItOAL''rfA'^irBorrK and guide And now in order to give our readers an idea of the prodnc ing qualities of Manitoba soil, we publisii the following reli- able statement from the Manitoba Free Press, of the 1 6th Sep- tember, 1876. It will be seen by these returns, gathered simultaneously in thirty-four different settlements by intelligent farmers, who in some cases spent days in inspection before summing up their conclusions, that the famous average of Manitoba's growth has been somewhat lessened by various causes, some local and some general, but mostly peculiar to this year. The unusually heavy rains of the late season have done their share, especially on low lands selected last year— an average season ; whereas this has been the wettest known since 1869. Another cause by which the average has suffered materially is the sowing on a first ploughing, as done often by new settlers rather than await the slow process of rotting the sod ; the half crop grown, is, however, better than none at all, and will go far towards provisioning those settlers' families for the winter. The loss by the depredations of blackbirds in some neighbourhoods sug- gests an in([uiry into a means for their destruction. Another cause strongly felt in some places is from old and deteriorated seed, it being remarked that where new seed was used the difference was easily perceptible. These returns are interesting also, as showing the remarkable evenness of the productive quality of the land and its capacity for producing what would be considered most surprising returns elsewhere, under such special disadvantages as ruled this season. Just now, when it seems so distinctly marked that the Middle and Eastern States and Ontario are becoming less reliable for agriculture, the endless virgin lands of our North- West are becoming known as specially productive wheat fields, and may be offered to their people for settlement on condition only of building railroads to reach them by. J AVERAGE PRODUCT PER ACRE. SETTLEMENTS ON RED RIVER. "0 ^ » . c .B' • g cS OS ® O tf ^ pq O i^ Oh H Emerson 25 40 50 25 200 Whitehaven, (Plum Creek) 35 40 50 35 200 400 Scratching River 25 40 40 25 200 Union Point 30 50 25 400 St. Vital & St. Norbert 35 45 60 30 100 Kildonan 30 45 50 30 200 \ TO MANITOBA i i '% ^ i '^ ^ I rr rt rt « o 3 • !:: fO O Ph Ph H S. St. Aiulrow'8 30 40 Ah 20 250 N.St. Andrew. 30 30 28 32 St. Clement's 35 50 55 40 300 St. Peter's 35 50 55 40 300 SETTLEMENTS ON THE A8SIN1B0INE RIVER. St. James 30 45 50 30 250 St Charles 30 40 50 30 250 Headin«ly 30 45 00 20 150 100 St.F.Xavier f 30 35 50 40 500 Bale St. Paul 40 50 05 40 200 Poplar Point 35 40 55 22 300 HighBlulf 35 40 55 22 200 Portage la Prairie 30 40 40 30 2oO SETTLEMENTS ON WHITE MUD RIVER. Toto^an 35 45 50 35 400 1000 WooTlside 35 40 00 00 400 lOOi Westbourne 36 40 GO 40 150 Palestine 35 TS 25 200 OUTLYING PRAIRIE SETTLEMENTS EAST OF RED RIVER. Springfield -28 30 45 25 300 70. Prairie Grove 35 50 50 40 350 Snnnyside and Cook's Creek... 35 40 50 200 Rosseau 30 40 60 30 300 OUTLVTNO PRAIRIE SETTLEMENTS NORTH OF ASSINIBOINE RIVER. Rockwood, Victoria & Gress- niere 25 52 40 20 260 500 Greenwood.".."-' 30 40 50 30 350 Tp. 15, R. I. E 45 Woodlands and Meadow Lea.. 30 35 50 20 200 Ossowa 20 25 45 140 OUTLYING PRAIRIE SETTLEMENTS SOUTH OF ASSINIBOINE RIVER. Pembina Mt. 35 • 50 20 150 BoyneRiver 38 60 60 30 300 REMARKS. Emerson.— Later growth here much retarded by heavy rains, and a local hailstorm which battered grain down ; about 6{j A I'RAOTICAL HAND-BOOK AND GUIDE one-third of the whole area sown on the fresh soil, and pro- duced 18 to "JO 1ms. per acre. Whitkhavkn. — Being a young settlement and crops sown on new ploughed land, this average is very satisfactory. ScKATciriNO liiVKli,— Crops mostly on new ploughed land, its average, however, is about 15 to 20 bus. per acre. KfLDoNAN. — Loss of average here, owing to rust and mil- THE NOUTIl-WEM. :i7 land, the returns of the wliolc Province v ouUl liavt been one- nixth better. We have collected the av(iag<'8 in divisions of areas separated by tlie ;^M'eat riveis whidi liaAe nsjiectively formed the nucleus of settle;iient and of ^vhose ricli valleys this city is tlie natural marketing centre, as i'oUuws : AVKriA(}K rUODlT'T VTAl Af'HK. Skitlkment on Red Rivkk. — Wheat 32 bushels, l»arley 42 oats 44^, })eas 27 J, potatoes 1S2, turnips 400. Settlement ON the Assiniiujine Ivivei!.— Wheat 33A bush- els, barh'y 40^', oats 53J,, peas i:9,l, [xttatoes l.'>0, turiiij)s 750. Settlemen'I" ON White JVlri)' Riveu.— Wheat 35 bushels, barley 40, oats GO, peas 31 j, potatoes 287J,, turnips 1,000. Settlement Kast of Red IIiveil— Wheat 2'Jj,, barley 40, oats 51 1, peas 32, potatoes 387, turnijjs 700. Settlement Noiith oe As.slnip.oine. — Wheat 30. barley 9, oats 41, peas 23.^,, potatoes 235, turuijjs 700. Settlement South of Assinilolse. — Wheat 3r.^ bushels, barley 60, oats 55, peas 2."), potatoes 225, turnips GOO. the total AVERAOE IMIODUCTION throughout the whole Province of Manitoba this year, will therefore be found to bo, as nearly as may be : Wheat 32^ bushels, barley 42^, oats 51, ])eas 32, potatoes 229, turnips GG2^. This is a much less total than was expected in the early part of the season; still greater than was latterly looked for, it being feared that the continual rains during the usual term of harvest would have utterly destroyed the crops in many sections. The figures cited above, together with others in our posses- sion, would indicate the total vieldsof the Province to be about: Wheat, 480,000 bushels ; barley, 173,000 ; oats, 380,000 ; Peas, 45,000 ; other grains, 5,000 ; potatoes, 460,000 ; turnips and other roots, 700,000. It has been feared by some that the effect of the bountiful yield will be the reduction of prices below a paying point. However, while prices are sure to range much lower than they have for many years i)ast, we think that next spring, wheu the immigration, which is sure to pour in, begins, will demonstrate that those who have sold their wheat at much bclovv one dollar a bushel are considerably out. Estimates, based upon impor- tation statistics, place the Provincialand North-West Territorial consumption of Hour for the next year at ninety thousand bar- rels, an equivalent of 360,000 bushels of wheat. This would leave only 120,000 bushels for seed and holding over — plaiidy insafficieut. However, we are disposed to believe that the flour consumption has been slightly over-estimated ; but not so much so as to leave any considerable surplus of wheat after the I' 38 A rUACTfCAL HAND-noOK AND GUIDE I I next twelve irontlis' n'f|uirement« aie supplied. The flour- manufacturing capacity of tut? Province has been increased by twenty run of stone. Of the c(/ar.se grains th(^ si'l'l'lv ^^^' ^^^ (greater in proportion to the (h^niand, and prices theieof may be expi^cted to ranj^e low. Ihit even tlirst! we eonlidently expect t(» see fairly remu- ner.itive, as a lar<,'e (piantity will be consumed in fattening meat for our own marki't, which hitherto has been supplied, almost entirely, ])y importaiion, not for the want of stocik so much as ihii want of grain to bring the same to fair slaughtering con- dition. Thus, taking everything into account, it is really doubtful, had we shipiniig facilities, whether they would be called into requisition for grain expt)rtatiou even with this year's ])roduc- tioii (Jii our hands. Imu/igration being bound to keep ])ace with our increasing grain growing, it may be reasonably deduced that long before we have a surplus for exportation eastward we shall be i!i pos- session of competing routes of trans})ortation in the Canailian Pacific Kailway to Thunder Bay, and the American railway system. NeitluM' is it going too far in the hopeful direction to conj(^cture that when we have a sui'plus to (export, an abundant and liigh-i)ric(!d market will be available in the wants of more southern provinces and states for new and hardier seed. A veiy high authority on the subject has predicted that for the first ten years of our surplus production it will be export"d for seed j)ur]joses, and at the expiration of that time the North- VVest will be known dl over the continent as its principal granary for the supply of breadstuifs. In view of the general feeling of joy and congratulation, we think it would be well to proclaim a day of thaidcsgiving and prayer throughout the Province for the grand results of an abundant harvest. In addition to the above, we give A FEW FACTS CONCERNING GRAIN AND ROOT CROPS In Manitoba. Wheat. — The average yield is from thirty to forty bushels per acre. Individual cases are known of sixty bushels spring, per acre, and as much as seventy bushels have been produced from one bushel sown. Oats. — The average yield per acre is from fifty to sixty bushels, although individual cases are known of 100 bushels to the acre. 10 MANITOBA AND THE NoHTH WEhT. 39 Haim-KY. — Nt'xt to wlu'jit, l»arl(>v is a fiivomito cereal >vitl» tlio Manitoba tariiMT ; its yit'lil varies from forty to fifty lui.s)iel8 per aci'e, aitlioiii^li as liii^li ;is sixty Idishels liave Iteeii kiiowii. Itb weii;ht is lioin lifty to titty five jiouiids jx-r l)iislie!, and it is an acknowledged fact tl.at the barley of Manitoba is nnsnr- passed unyvvhere for brewing |)Ur[)oses, oii account of the su))erior (piality and fine ( ulunr. I'oT ATOMS a.c produced to perfection in Manitoba. Their mealy (piality, snowy w liiteness, and farinaceous pro}tertie8 can- not be excelled anywhere, and the yield is enoinuais — as liigh as GOO bushels to the acre — the average being from 400 to 500 bushels. TuuNll's yield immensely, in some cases as many as 1,000 bushels, and from 500 to 700 being Cjuite common. Corn. — Indian corn is not extensively cultivat«'d, and it is thought that the large kind cannot be successfully raised, oiw reason being the cool nights for which ^Manitoba is noted, and which is beneficial to all other croi)s except corn, but the smaller de.scri})tion can be protitably grown. Sweet corn suc- ceeds admirably. Flax and Hemp have been cultivated and grown well, but the want of pro])er mills caused their cultivation to be almost discontinued. Grasses all grow to perfection, especially Timothy. Beets, carrots, and all other root crops come to hirge growth, and their cpuility cannot be beaten anywhere. In fact, tlie Province of Manitoba excels in root crops, and in regard to beet especially, it is looked forward to that the [)ioduction of this vegetable will in future rise to great imj)ortance in connec- tion with the maiuifacture of beet-root sugar. A large tield is open to capitalists in this line. In garden vegetables and salad plants, we may mention the following as being particularly worthy of notice : — Cabbages attain enormous size. Cauliflower do. Lettuce, very crisp and fine. Celery, large and white, with delicious flavour. Cucumbers grow to a large size. Melons succeed well in the open air, first started in the hot bed. Rhubarb succeeds well. Onions are another speciality in the Province, and yield largely of every variety. Tomatoes do very well, and the generality of other garden vegetables attain great perfection. The vegetables, however, that attain the greatest perfection aie Potatoes, Cabbages, 40 A PRACnCAl. HAND-n (OK AND (IUII»E Onions, Jicc'L, CauIiM'jwerB. i In conclusion we injvy quote tin- folio .ving from the Montroal f/eratd in ni^^'anl to sornf M vtutoba productH exhibited in the (Jorn Kxchiui^'f of that city : "The oatH wcro very lino, ami tin* numbor of staikH growing fruinoiii! HiMiil h1iowo<| liow pnxlujtivL' wmh tlio cntp. Tho wild hopn rivallod anytliiii.; <»f tin- ciiltivatoil class tliat \vt; iiave Nonn, and tho puas and broad beans woro rually sploiulid. Fancy oarly nttti) pota- toes, somo tubers nitie indues loiij^ and woif^hiii;^' two fiounds, the whole of til') selections averaLfinL,' from U to 1 / pounds eiicli. Then, there weresecMlliu^ potatoes ol" the first year, as lari^o as aj^'ood sized hen's oi'ing from alternate, thawing and freezing — a great detriment to their growth, it h is bee'i provcl that apple trees do thrive in this country, and there is n- doubt that the celebrated " Fameuse" of Quebtic could be proauced here to perfection. In Minnesota, not many years ago, it was contended that apple trees would not grow there, and yet to day the Minnesota apple is a notable product of that State. If Minnesota can produce apples, there is no reason why Manitoba should not do so equally as well. Wild fruits abound in the Province, amongst which may be mentioned strawberries, raspberries, whortleberries, cranber- ries, ])lums, black ami red currants, blueberries and grape, so that there is no scarcity of fruit for the settler. The principal wood in the country is poplar, next to which is oak, and in addition to these are the following : — spruce, tamarac, birch, elm, ash, and miple. All along the rivers and creeks, the banks are lined with woods, and the prairie is dotted with groves which afford a plentiful supply of firewood and fencing for the adjoining settlers. Timber for milling pur- TO MANITOFIA ANH TJIF. NnRHrvVRHT. U [idHOH \H [HfKMinMl ill tilt' vicinity of tlio lak«?H, and on tho lianks of solium of tlir strcatnH, sucli as liossjMUi, lirokcn-Hcad rivor— • Wliit»i Month, hinli rivtT, and n|)iifr end of tho Assinihoine, and at the northern end of Lako i\Ianitoha tlin piim grows to a vrry lari^c siz«*, ami is of the best description. The uncnhivatcd portions of tiic [)rairie, and the minuToiis marshes, afford everywhere u i>lentifiil siipj^y of hay whidi can l)e liad h>r the i,'atheriiig l>y th;; settler — and water, we have al- ready shown, can he procured almost anywhere, either fnjiii the river or creek, or hy digging surface wells on the prairie. The country abounds with ganu; of great variety, consisting of the folhtwing kinds : In the f(»ath<'re(l trilx! : — I'rairie chickens. Swans. IMieasants. * ('rancs. Partridges. (Jee.se. I'igeons. Snipe. Duck.s. Plover, &c., &c. In the largt'r game; we may mention : — •Moose, Mink, Deer, Martin, Antelope, Otter, bear, • Muskrat, Wolves, Beaver, Foxes, Skunk, and large numbers of rabbits are to be found in the woods. The lakes and rivers are filled with fish of the following kinds : — White-fish, Perch, Pickerel, Suckers, (Red and White), Pike, Sun-fish, Catfish, Gold Eye, Sturgeon, Carp, and in some parts, trout Kock Bass, and Maskinonge, Black Bass, The white-fish of Lakes Winnipeg and Manitoba is particu- larly worthy of mention, as being equal in quality to that found in Lake Superior. In the woods there are swarms of wild bees to be found, the honey from which is of a very fine quality, and there is no doubt that apiculture can be carried on with great success iv Mani- toba. The dry air and clear skies, together with the rich flora of the country, afford every facility for remunerative bee cul- ture. A very fine sample of honey was shown by a Mr. Robin- son, from the Rosseau, at the Provincial Show of 1876. Manitoba is destined to become one of the finest stock-rais- ing countries in the world. Its boundless prairies, covered with luxuriant gFasses, and the numerous marshes containing the 1) ' I 42 A PRA(;TICAL IIANn-BOOK AND OUH)E very best feed for cattle, are amoiii: the peculiar advantages of the Province for this line of industry. The cool nights for which Manitoba is famous, is a most beneficial feature in regard to stock, and the remarkable dryness and healthtulness of the winter tendc to make cattle fat and well conditioned. The easy access to tine water whicli exists in nearly every part of the Province, is another advantage in stock-raising. The abun- dance of hay everywjiere makes it an easy matter for farmers to winter their stock, and in addition to this there is, and will be for years, a ready home market for beef. In fact there have been «wery year heavy importations of live stock from the United States to supply the demand in the Province, simply because our farniers have not heretofore paid sufficient attention to this branch of farming. The usual yield of prairie grass when cut into hay is from three to four tons per acre. It usually grows about five or six feet high, and, although coarse, is very nutritious. Cattle can be wintered without any coarse grain, and keej) fat. It is now over forty years since the intioduction of sheep into Red liiver, and no case of any disease attacking them has ever been seen or heard of. The wool is of a very good quality, and the yield is from six to eight pounds per fleece from wethers, and from 2 to 3/, from ewes. Beef and mutton from Manitoba-fed cattle is very juicy and tender. There are as yet no cleese factories established here, but there are good openings for that branch of industry, especially as farmers find it very profital)le to cultivate stock-raising in conjunction with their other branches of farming. There is a large home demand foi- butter, which as yet seems never to be fully supplied, aud in consequence a great deal has been im- ported from the United States. We wouhl recommend those who are able, to bring with them well-bred stock, especially bulls and stallions, the better classes of which are scarce in the Province. In fact anything tliat will tend to inq)rove the stock of any class of domestic animals now in Manitoba, will be a boon to the country generally. Sufficient attention has not been paid to this important matter by our farmers, although there have been indi\ idual cases where well-bred animals have been brought in f »r breeding purposes, the venture having proved remunerative in the highest degree to the enterprising men v ho undertook them. In connection with stock-raising, dairy produce, Si,c., and in conjunction therewith beef and butter packing, we may again refer to the salt springs which exist in parts of the country. The brine from these springs yields almost a bushel of salt to thirty or forty gallons of tlie water, and the article thus pro- duced is equal to any English, American, or Canadian maiui- facture. The salt business has not been cultivated as yet to TO MANITOBA AND THE NORTH-WEST. 43 any extent, but in the near future it will certainly become a very important feature of the country, when beef, pork, butter and fish packing is gone into extensively. The rain-fall of Manitoba is peculiarly favourable to agricul- ture. In the spring and summer there are refreshing showers at short intervals, and what is termed a dry season is seldom or ever known. In another part of this pamphlet will be seen a thorough weather record for 1876, by which, however, it will be observed that the year just passed experienced a greater fall of rain than any of the four previous seasons. During harvest time, it sel- dom happens that farmers are annoyed or put back by wet weather, while during the time the crops are growing their eyes are gladdened by the fresh invigorating showers so peculiar to the country, and this feature of itself is perhaps one of the greatest boons known to the agriculturist. In the winter the frost penetrates on exposed places to the depth of from three to four feet, that is where the earth is lightly covered with snow. Where it is covered with snow, it is seldom frozen deeper than eighteen inches. Vegetation be- gins and progresses before the frost is all out of the ground ; owing is generally commenced when it is thawed to the depth of six inches, at which time the surface is perfectly dry. It is a fact that this frost helps the growth of crops, owing to the heat of the sun by day causing a continual evaporation from the underlying strata of frost. The seasons are as follows ; — Spring — April and May. Snow , CO © lO o CO 3 w OS CO i ^ IN (N © © lO ■* f-* CO «o © o o IQ © ^ s 1— ( © t^ © '*. i-H © o s 05 f-H lO 1^ 1- (N ^ I © C5 r-l © r-l OO CO OS © 00 _. S '*. (M_ ?? 00 s? s % ^ -5 < «? o w a CO OS t^ r-j © 00 © oi © 3 3 3- c3 it to ft -3 o ■a is 3 3 O 3 3 O g g 'o — I oJ o 3 o e ^^ -^ *j o o In 3 o OJ s 3 12; 3 A 4-3 o S 3 46 A PRACTICAL HANDBOOK AND GUIDE MISCELLANEOUS PEIIIODICAL PHENOMENA. The warmest day during the year was 31st July, the mean temperature being 81.50. The coldest day during the year was the 1st February, the mean temperature being — 30.95. The highest reading of the tliermometer was 95.0 oii the 5th August. The lowest reading of the thermometer was — 43.0 on the 4th February. The total depth of rain that fell during the year was 22.955 inches ; the total depth of snow was 74.21 ; total depth of rain and melted snow, 29.184 inches. The number of rainy days, 01 ; total number of snowy days, 40. The highest wind in the year was from 6 ]).m. to G.15 p.m. on the 13th December ; average, iO miles per hour. The most windy day in the year was the 1st June : average, 22.92 miles per hour. The least windy day in the year was the I2th March ; aver- age, 0.33 miles per hour. April 9th, wild geese seen. April 10th, robins seen. April 19th, frogs seen. April 21st, ice began to move on the Red River. April 24th, Red River open. April 25th, arrival of the first steamboat. April 26th, musquitoes seen and felt. June 27th, heavy hailstorm at 4 p.m. August 31st, lunar rainbow in the north-west at 8.30 p.m. November 13th, Red River frozen over. December 13th, heavy storm from north-west, broke out at 4 p.m. ; the air was filled with drifting snow ; man}' persons travelling lost their way ; several deaths happened from freez- ing, and many were badly injured. TO ftlANITOBA AND THE NORTH-WEST 47 CO o k1 1^ CO JO . in M -* ^ 05 US 03 i-H 00 !N rH ■>* o> t- (M o 1^; «« tf W aT C tjH It w ^ ^ H Q V > ^ ^ ^ < en ^ rt < aj P^ m P izi £ 0) t o c» H H J/2 X » M ■•» ^ _; t: it; -^ '^' '"' . ~ S ^ 2 "^ ->' '- » ?i I . rH ■* rH 1 a 58 ?0 •< a o ;?; w c? :2 (N ri (M 7) 11 5. 1- 'M 5S i-H « in C3 5-J 1-1 t^ 'M rH 00 in ■n o m a S ci 3 O a> 3 C C3 t*H o 03 "3 3 o 1^ ■rj r-l t-- » « -H rH l-< © (M ® M it o rt a ci V o ^ ^. ^ >5 < o. i5 Si. s: -s © CO c 1Z5 TO 71 O O Ol I J2 13 3 S C*H 5 o rr O 1 1- D « N 4) O O *♦-■ u 1. 'r* Pi PS —5 ■o ^ c^ 48 A PHACTICAL HANDBOOK AND GUIDE # The grasshoppers first appeared in this country in the year 1H18, six years after the commencement of tlie lied liiver settlement. They did not do much liarm in that y^r, but in 1819 they destroyed the crops, and for three successive years the hopes of the husbandman. They did not, howevei, appear again for thirty-six years until 1864, but did no great harm till 18G8, when they swept the entire crop of the settlement. We cannot deny that this; country has been severely scourged by these jiests, of late years ; but it is the opinion of m my of the oldest settlers that we will not be again visited l)y them to a^y great extent for a period of years, and by that time, the advance of settlements will have a tendency to restrict tlusir ravages. It is not our desire to hide defects, and while we admit the grasshoppers to be a great scourge, at the same time their visits are only occasional, and there is every reason to believe, that since they have visited this country so much of late years, we will be freed from their ravages for some time. One fact is worthy of mention, that a total destruction of crops has only taken place six times within fifty-nine years, which, it must be admitted, is a small average, and not sufficient to deter any one from settling in the country on that account. Honourable Mr. Sutherland, in his testimony before a Select Committee of the House of Commons at Ottawa, gives the following s'.atement on the 3rd of April, 1876 :— " 1 think (he says) that extensive settlement will prevent the ravages of the grassliopijers, and we have good reason to believe that we will be exempt from them during the cuming season, as there were no dep(jsits of eggs in the Province last year (a prediction veritied by fact afterwards, as there were no grasshoppers last sum- mer), and in all probability we will be relieved from that plague f(jr many years to come. To my own knowledge, the Province was not attected hy grasshoppers for twenty years previ(»iis to 1807, since which date we have had them off and on about every two years, or eacli alternate year." The f{'ll of snow on the prairie is on an average from twenty to tv/enty-four inches, and as there are no thaws in the winter, it does not pack, but is dry and light and disappears very quickly, allowing the husbandman to commence his labours at an early date. The fences used in the country consist of posts and poles of s})ruce and poplar, the latter of which, with the bark removed, will last twc/ity years. Fences made of pine or basswood are sometime', used, but they are more expensive, and no better than those of spruce and poplar. Poplar and oak wood are chiefly used as fuel, and there is not likely to be ever a scarcity of the former, as it is reproduced very rapidly. TO MANITOBA AND THK NORTH-WEST. 4y KefeiTing to the description of wood in Manitoba, S. J. Daw- son, Esq., in his report to the (Tovcrninenl, remarks as follows : " The prevailing growth everywliore is jxtplar, and lit)vv Uiis species of wood slionld be so prevalent on soil so different from what it grows on in Canada, is dne to thu tires which so frecpiently sweep over the country. A prairie or forest even over which the fire has passed, is just ready to receive the downy seeds of the l>op- lar, which in the month of Juno are constantly floating in the air. The Indians say, and 1 think there can be no dinibt of thu fact, that but for the fires the prairies would soon be overgrown witli wo(jd. Be this as it nuiy, the rapidity of the growth of the pojilar, once it has taken root in the rich soil of these plains, is truly astonishing." As a means of })recaiition, and as an encouragement to set- tlers to cultivate the growth of wood, the (Jovernment have in- serted the following clause in the Dominion Lands' Act in re- ference to forest tree culture : — FOHEST TREE CULTURE. Any person, male or female, being a subject of Her Majesty by birth or naturalization, and having attained the age of eighteen years, shall be entered for one quarter section or less quantity of unappropriated Dominion lands, as a claim for forest tree planting. Application for such entry shall be made (Form F.) for the purpose of cultivating forest trees thereon, and the applicant shall make an affidavit (Form G.) that he or she is over eighteen years of age ; that he or she has not previously obtained an entry of land for forest tree culture, the extent of which, added to that now applied for, will exceed in all one hundred and sixty acres ; that the land is open prairie and without timber, and is unoccupied and unclaimed, and belongs to the class open for entry for tree culture ; and that the application is made for his or her exclusive use and benefit. The applicant shall pay at the time of applying, an office fee of ten dollars, for which he or she shall receive a receipt and also a certificate of entry, and shall thereon be entitled to enter into possession of the land. No patent shall issue for the land so entered until the expi- ration of six years f. jm the date of entering into possession thereof, and any assignment of such land shall be null and void unless permission to make the same shall have been previously obtained from the Minister of the Interior. At the expiration of six years the person who obtained the entry, or if not living, his or her legal representative or assigns shall receive a patent for the land so entered, on proof to the satisfacition of the Local Agent as follows : — 1. That eight acres of the land entered had been broken and prepared for tree planting within one year after entry, an equal 50 A PRACTICAL HAND-HOOK AND GUIDE quantity duriiij^ tlic sc^cond year, and sixteen additional acres within the third year after such date. 2. Tiiat ei^litacres of the land entered had been planted svit!) forest trees during the secojid year, an equal (juantity dniing the thinl y<'ai', and sixttien additional acres within four yeais of the diitt' of (Uitry, the trees so planted being not less tliaii twelve; feet apart each way. 3. That the above area — thrvt is to say, one fifth of the huid — has for the last two years of the term been plantei] with timber, and that the latter has been legidarly and W(dl culti- vated and protected from the time of planting : i)i'ovided that in cases when; the land entered is less in extent than one (juar- ter sectioji or one hundred and sixty acres, tluin the nispective areas required to be broken and [)lante(l under this and tht; two next preceding sub-S(ctions shall be proportionately less in ex- tent. If at any time within the period of six years as above, the claimant fails to do the breaking up or planting, or either, as required by this Act oi- any part thereof, or fails to cultivate, protect and keep in good condition such timber, then and upon such event the land enteied shall 'he liable to foj'feitiire in the discretion of the Minister of the Interior, and mav be dealt with in t\\o same manner as Homesteads which may have been cancelled for non-compliance with the law. Provided that lu) person who may have obtaineui)d of old grass, and camji fires and numerous smokers do the rest. These fires ha])pen only in the spring and fall in old gi-ass, and It must be remembered they oidy occur on the op«'n prairie. Crops are seldom, if ever, injured by them, and where fields arc cultivated and fenced, the fires do not reach. Settlers wIkmi making hay, however, if they build their stacks out in the praiiie, should plough several fur- rows round them, so as to stop the flames fnmi reaching them. It is always better, however, to remove the hay when made as soon as possible to your farm yard, so as to make sure of your croj) and pnn'ent any possibility of its destruction by fire. As the country opens u[) these fires will become less frecpient. The prices in Manitoba of Agricultural implements can be seen by the following list : — Breaking Plows, P2^), Common do $\^. Reapers, $100 to $150. Mowers, $75 to $12;"). Reapers and Mowers combined, .?1.50 to $200. Horse Hay Rakes, $35. Waggons, American manufacture, as good as made in Canada, $80. Fanning Mills, $40. Spades, $1 each. Shovels, $1.25 each. Hay Forks, 75 cents. Manure Forks, $1 each. Harrows, $15. The prices of the following staple articles will give some idea of the cost of living in Manitoba : — Tea per lb., 50 to 55 cents. Sugar per lb., 10 to 12 cents. Coffee per lb., 22 to 33 cents. Tobacco, black, 50 cents. do smoking, 50 to 55 cents. Coal Oil, per gallon, 50 cents. Syrup, do 75 to 80 cents. Pails, each, 3 hoop, 30 cent? ; 2 hoop, 25 cents. Tubs, 16 inch, 90 cents each. A good stout Suit of Clothing for a man, from $8 to $15. Blankets, grey, per pair, $1.50 to $3. Canadian Blankets, wdiite, per 11)., 55 to 75 cents. Cotton, per yard, white, 8 to 12i cents ; grey 8 to 12 cents. 52 A PRACTICAL HANDBOOK AND GUIDE I'lints, 8 to 12 cents ; Winceys, 8 to 25 cents. Woollcin Stocking's, per jKiir, 25 to 30 cents. Fiiinnel Shirts, each, 75 c -nts to $i 25. Men's Boots, |2 to $3. Women's Hoots, |1.25 to $1.75. Felt Hats, 75 cents to $1. In household fittings the following prices are quoted for good plain articles : — lable, $3.50 to $4. Chair, 75 cents to $1. Bedstead, $4 to $4.50. Bureau, $8 to $12. Kitchen Stove, No. 8, good. Complete! Furniture, $27. Cup and Saucer, 8 to 15 cents. Plate, 8 to 20 cents. Coal Oil Lam)), 60 cents to $1, complete. Axes, $1.25 to $1.50. In Building Material .• — Good plain Lumber, $20 per M. Good dressed Lumber, $25 to $30 per M. Shingles, $4 to $6 per M. Lath, $5. Nails, 5 cents per lb., or $4 per keg. Lime, 25 cents i)er bushel at the kiln. Doors, $1.50 to $2.60 each. Sash. 8x10, $1 per pair. A good Single Harness, $20 to $25. do Double do $35 to $40. In the above we have only given quotations for a few of the l)rincipal articles required by a settler, so as to give you an idea of the general cost of goods in Manitoba, and we are of opinion that parties can purchase to better advantage in this Province, than to bring their old worn-out effects ,vith them, and pay freight on them. The reason why merchants in Manitoba are able to sell so cheap is, becaupo they purchase direct in Euro- pean markets instead of through second hands. MANITOBA MARKETS. For many year^; to come an increasin^^- home consumption will create a local demand sufficient to prevent any exportation in the way of breadstuff's of consequence. The prosecution of TO MANITOBA ANI> THE NURTII-WEST. oa public works in the uorth-wost by the Governnumt of tiie Do- minion, will cause a heavy «l('rnand for breadstutfs and other supplies, which the tarnicis of iManitoha will be in the best position to supply. So far there has betui a heavy iinportatiou of Hour, oata, and other farm produce from the llnited States into the Province, simply because we have been unable to supply the demand. It is gratifyin^% therefore, to the intending .settler, to learn that he is sun; of a ready nmrkt^t for his pro- duce when he raises it, and it will be years, even allowing that we have a heavy immigration in the future, ere we will be obliged to ^ud a market in the east for our breadstutfs. Mill- ing facilities are on the increase throughout the Province, and farmers are therefore able to turn their wheat into flour to supply the heavy demand for that article. We can furrush a better article than can be imported from the United States, and it is reasonable to suppose that wo can sell at lower prices when the cost of transportation is taken into considera- tion. The continual increase to our population which is going on, re((uires the settled farmer to supply the new arrivals with food until they can raise their own, and this is another cau.se of our large home demand. The following prices for produce have ruled in VVinnipt market for some time past, meeting ready sales at the quota tions named below : — j()' Flour (best), per 100 lbs $2 50 to $3 25 Wheat, per bushel 1 00 Oats, " 50 Barley, " 45 Butter (fresh), per lb 40 " (packed), " 30 to 35 Eggs, per dozen 40 Pork by the hog, per lb 10 to 13 Beef, quarter or animal, per lb Tito 10 Potatoes, per bushel 25 cu 50 Usual quotation being from 25c to 30c., but reaching at certain seasons 50c. and as high as $1 per bushel. The roads leading to Winnipeg fr m all parts of the Province are good, and farmers find no diificulty in bringing in their produce even from a distance. In fact, the travelled roads are generally of nature's make, level and hard, and even after a heavy rain, one day's sun will dry them sufficiently to enab'e heavily laden teams to pass over them. Every year they are improving so far as bridges and culverts are concerned, as the Local Government each summer, spends a certain sum of money building new bridges on couUes or streams where they are necessary, and in keeping tl e old ones in repair. Thus every r)i A I'ttAcriCAl- HAN'D-IJdOK AND (HIDK facility', iiHtiintl and tixtchutiical, in allonhMl tlto farmer in this lutw country to brin<< his pr.xhice to market. Just hotort^ tht) close of last Hcason's navigation, an rxperi- nii'iit wan niachi thion^h an tintcrpiising hous«' in Winnipeg, of t'Xpottin^' a certain (|iiantity of Manitoba wheat for seed pur- |»o«e«, the oilier coininj^ from Messrs. Stc^ele Hros. cV Co., of Toronto. The venture was a successful one, and will prohal)ly l)e f(»llowed in the future l»y larger shipments fioin this i'rovince. We (|uot(f the following, as showing the opinion of Ontario people as to the superiority of our grain for sited, and tlu're is not a doubt but that Manitoba wheat will b(^ eagerly sought for by Kastern farnu'rs, whenever they can get it, thus open- ing up the way for a heavy exjiortation froai this Province. IJefore giving i\w (piotation however, we must say that the wlusitin (puistion was grown from seed brought from Minnesota, which turnettaiic»'.s will peijnit, and whfu it is tiiiislird we will liavr dirt'ct cotuinuiii- catioii with tlic scalioard, tlin»imli the cliaiu of liakt's and tlir Kivrr St. liawn'iicc. This, in tlio futnrt', will ho onr ('iicap'st route of «»xportiii<; our Hurphis i^rain and hrin^'in^' in our sup- plit'H. In tiu' nicantinu', howevfr, we are f,dad to ohservt! that an early completion of the hiandi road to I'ernltina is con- templated, so as to connect us with the Ameriean railways. 'Ihe iron for this road has aluadv l)e«in hroU'.iiit into the i*ro- vince hy the Government, and is now lying piled on tlu^ hanks of the Red liiver, r«'ae placed nti the ties as soon as they are cut, and the lied of the lim; lias heen graded from Wininpeg to IV-mhina. The heavy cost of freighting, iu((. the Ked Kiver, is a drawback to this c(»untry, and almost an ol)- 8tacle to exportation ; and the cojiipletion <»f the Peml)ina Road will he a groat boon to the Province. There is no doubt that as soon as the railway is in runninii order to the boun- dary liiu', the Americans will hav«! finished the building of their road to St. Vincent, and this will give us immediate rail way communication with the outside world. In the future, the two routes — viz., the one through our own territory to Lake Su|terior, and the other ritr Pembina and the State.s — will be great competing liu' for the tradt; (»f the North-West; and as their centre of competition will be Winnipeg, the im- portance of that city will l)e increased in i)roportion. All trunk lines reriuire feeders, and several local roads are already contemplated for the near future, all of them l)eing so projected as to have them terminate in Winnipeg, in order to give thera- selves the advantage of the competing lines eastward. Thus, like Chicago, the City of Winnipeg is bound, by the force of circumstances, to become the centre of a network of railways, all of which will assist in developing this great country and en- riching the hardy people. To the westward the Canada PaciHc will o[rity over them. vi/. : ^Manitoba wlieat proiliices 10 bushels per acre. Minnesota. '• 20 " '• Wisconsin, •• 11 ** Pennsylvania. " 15 '* " Massachusetts, - 16 " »* niK PKKSKN r si:ttleks. The settlers at present in .Manitoba consis- of the following classt's : Publish half breeds, rrench half breeds. Scotch sealers, I'anadians from Ontario and Quebec, Mennonites. French troiu Quebec and I'nited States. Pcsules these there are other nationalities, but not in suthcient numbers to distiui^uish them in the lii^ht oi' classes. The Kni;lish half breed is i:enerallv a thnftv, careful and in- vlusirioas m;vn, retiring in disposition to such a degree that strangers are apt to consider him morose ai\d unsocial. On the cvMHi.iry. howcNer. lie is kind and hospitable, and many a set- tler cv>miug uuo the country has had reason to thank the Eng- lish half breed for the h.uuWf attention and fellowship exteudea towarv Is I am. Tb.ere aiv, however e* JVC alb amouiist tht poour people of this class, a few who from former habits of rov- ing over the prairies and ou the lakes have bet-n unable to settle down to taruung, and in consequence have ukI succeeded well as sc ttlers, but thev are t a e except U'li' I'Uc Krench lialt breed is a liirht-heartc . uidividual. fonder, as a rule, v^t p'.i\ ;haii woi H ospitao^ m the extrem when you visit his homo the U'st he has i placevi b^tore you. Shortly at'ter the troubles which ushervd Mauitob;i into Con- tcdcr^tion there existed a su\uu' tVx.ni: in the minds of TO MANITOBA AND THE NORTHWEST. .31) Canadians against the French halt-breeds, but this ot late years has died out, and we never see it shown, at U^ast out- wardly. There seems in fact to be a strong feeling of union at present amongst all classes whether native or oth<(rwisi', and all appear anxious to further the interests of tlici country generally. The Fronch half-breeds in former years were the principal hunters and traders of the plain, and in constujiinicc, their habits became more of a roving than a settled chaiactcr, and now the work of farming is distasteful to tluiin. TIh'v only cultivate a sufficient area of land to provide tlieiuselves with the necessaries of life, and tliercfore iiav(! little if any pio duce to dispose of. There are, however, exceptions to t his rule, as some of the largest farmers and stock-raisers in the Province are French half-breeds, and the whole class, as a ride are improving as agriculturists. The Scotch settler is a canny industrious man, careful of his means, and hoarding his pennies as others would pounds. J must not be considered, however, by this, that he is mcjan and parsimonious, on the contrary he is very kind in his own home when you visit him. He respects his guests, ])ut if you are inclined to bargain with him you must be prepared to cut the matter very fine, as he will have every " Ijawbee " out of you that he can before he concludes witli you. Thciy are good husbandmen, and have ever exhibited a very great d«;grg, is a proof of what we say, as in it farms in the neighbourhood of Winui- [»eg, Portage la Prairie, Emerson, Stone^ Mountain, and oth(?r good localities, are offered at from !!?2 to $7 per acre. Ilalf-Breed Scrip, payable to boa -er in IfiO acres of Dominion lands, can be bought at about ;")() cents per acre, or less, and are extensively used by incomin • settlers for location of Govern- ment lands. The Half-Breed Reserves, 1,400,000 acres, immediately sui"- rourding the, capital of the Province, and the old settlements on the Assiniboine River, which are now in process of distribution to the children of Half-Breeds, in parcels of 240 acres, will change haiids largely at reasonable p ";ces, and rapidly be- coming settled, will hereafter teem with prosperous cultivation. Without going into particulars, we may mention the follow- ing localities of surveyed lands which arc now open for settle- ment : — DOMINION LANDS NOTICE. Notice is hereby given that, on and after the 1st day of June, 1874, the Dominion Lands in Manitoba and the North- West Territories will, until further notice, be divided into the follow- ing Land Districts, viz : District No. l,i'i charge of Head Office at Winnipeg, will comprise all lands open for sale and settlement, North of the Township line between Townships 7 and 8, and East of Lake Manitoba, and the Range line between Ranges 5 and 6, to- gether with the settlement belt, and all lands claimed under the provisions of the 31st and 32nd clauses of the ** Manitoba Act." District No. 2, with i+s office at Emerson, will comprise all lands open for sale and settlement South of the Township line between Townshiys 7 and 8, and the International Boundary. District No. 3, with its office at Westbourne, will comprise all lands open for sale and settlement North of the Township TO MANITOBA AND THE NORTH-WEST. 6T lin«^ between Townships 7 and H, and West of 'Lake Munitoha and the Range line between Jianges f) and H. All applications to purchase or Homestead Dominion Lands must be made to the otfic(n' in charge of the District within which the lands api)lied for an^ situated. Donated Codd, A(/erif of /Jominion Lands. Dominion Lands OtHce, Winnipeg, May Lst, 1874. District No. L — There is very little land open for settlement in this district, as the; best locations have been already claimed. Vou can obtain good land, however, by purchase of half-breed rights and settlers' claims. District No. 2. — Then; an; the gnsater portion of ninety-five townships oj)en for settlemi^nt, and some of the finest land in the Province is included in them, especially that in the direc- tion of the Pembina Mountains. District No, 3. — Tl:ere are the greater portion of 154 town- ships still open for settlement, and the land in the neighbour- hood and westward of Palestine is splendid rolling prairie, with wood, water and hay in plenty. Who will say, therefore, that there is no land within the limits of Manitoba or in its immediate nt ighbourhood open for settlement, and what inducement can there be for the immi- grant to pass thousands of acres of fine country, with all the refjuisites for farming, and adjoining established settlements, to go away beyond them, where, perhaps, he and his family- will have to undergo foj years all the hardships and incon- veniences of a pioneer life 1 We advise immigrants to locate, if not within Manitoba, at least as near its limits as possible, and, in addition, would reiterate what we have already said, that there is plenty of fine land to be obtained in the Pro- vince, and no necessity for going beyond it. Should a settler, however, wish to take up a claim on unsur- veyed land outside the Province, his plan is to locate, and com- mence making improvements wherever he may find a desirable spot. If he should be unable to select a spot suited to his ideas within the limits of the Province, we would advise him to go westward beyond Palestine, and take up a claim as near the settlement as he can find one to please him. To do this he will require to act as follows. He may settle wherf ver he finds a place to suit him, and the Government has provided for his case as follows : — " Any land over and above the amount allowed to a settler under the Homestead Law, he will have to pay for at the Government price of ^1 per acre up to G40 acres. " 68 A PRAOTIOAI. HAND HOOK AND OUIDE t Kvery person claiming a Ilomostoad Right on surveyed land niUht, previous to settlement on such land, he duly onteretl therefor with the Local Atjent within wiios*; district such land may he situate, hut in case of a claim from at;tual setthnnent in tlien unsurveyed lands, the claimant must Hie such api)lica- tion within three months after due notice shall have heen re- ceived at the local office of such land having hecsn surveyed, and the survey thereof confirmed, and proof of settlement and improvement shall he made to the local agent at the time of filing such application. Any person can purchase by scrip any (piantity of unoccu- pied land, surveyed or unsurveyed. The Government has, in the Dominion Lands Act, provided as follows for the purchase of land, and, for grazing, hay and wood : — ORDINARY PURCHASE AND SALE OF LANDS. Unappropriated Dominion lands, the surveys of which may have been duly made and confirmed, shall, exce[)t as otherwise hcrrdnafter provided, be open for purciiase at the rate of one •, wood, and hay, to be found nearer home. So, settler, keep as near a market for your produce as you possibly can. When the Canada Pacific Kailway is built through to the Saskatchewan country, affording communication with that vast territory, it will be time enough for immigrants to pour in, but until then let each man coming to the country with his family keep as near the line of existing settlements as he possibly can. It appears to us unnecessary to speak of the future of this great country — -the tale is told in a few words. A vast territory which cannot be surpassed in the world for agricultural purposes ; abundance of wood, water and hay, for the farmer, and a liberal policy to enable settlers to take up land ; railways in progress, and others projected to intersect the entire country, and carry the products to eastern markets. Where there is a fine agricultural country, the merchant must succeed, and when it is considered that the vast territory of unoccupied land in the United States has been proved to be little better than barren waste, it is not difficult to see that the tide of emigration from the older portions of the world must flow towards the north-west, and as the country thus rapidly fills with population, its commerce must extend and expand in proportion. In reference to what we have stated in regard to the United States, we will conclude by quoting the words of Professor Henry, of the Smithsonian Institute, Washington. He says : " we 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 t-he main border along the Pacific, is a country of comparatively little value to the agriculturist ; and perhaps it will astonish the reader if we direct his atten- tion to the fact that this line, that passes southward from Lake Winnipeg to the Gulf of Mexico, will divide the whole surface of the United States into two neai'ly equal parts. This statement, when fully appreciated, will serve to dissipate some of the dreams, which have been considered realities as to the destiny of the western part of the North American continent. Truth, however, transcends even the laudable feelings of pride and TO MANITOBA AND THE NORTH-WEST. 73 country, and in order properly to direct the policy of this great confederacy" (the United States), "it is necessary to be well acquainted with the theatre in which its future history is to be re-enacted." Now, looking upon that picture and on this, let us draw the comparison. Upon the northern edge of that great Sahara, we have the valleys of the Red River and Saskatchewan, car- rying their rich and grassy undulations to the gorges of tlie Rocky mountains ; forming an isolated belt of verdure across the Avestern half of the British American continent, an isthmus of fertile and habitable lands between the Arctic wastes, which extend to the frozen ocean on the north, and the vast deserts •between the Mississippi River and the Pacific coast. EXTRACTS FROM LOCAL PAPERS AND CORRESPONDENCE, To prove the correctness of the Pamphlet. THE SOIL. Bludgett (an American authority) states that " the basin of the Winnipeg is the seat of the greatest average wheat product on this continent, and probably in the looiid. The limestone substrata of this region, and its rich, deep, and calcareous loam on retentive clay subsoil, is always associated vith a rich wheat development, while its hot and humid summers fulfil all tlie climatological conditions of a first-rate wheat country. Some fields on the Red River have been known to produce twenty successive crops of wheat without fallow or manure, and the yield has frequently reached as high as forty bushels per acre. An important feature in the soil of Manitoba and the North- West is, that its earthy materials are minutely pulverized, and the soil is everywhere light, mellow and spongy. With these uniform characteristics, the soils are of different grades oi fertil- ity, according to local situations. A general ingredient of the soil is sand, o^M-Iiich silica is the base, as of all good soils. It plays an important part in the economy of growth, and is an essen- tial constituent in the organism of all cereals. We are told that about sixty-seven per cent, of the ash of the stems of wheat, corn, rye, barley, oats, etc., is pure silica, or flint. It is this which gives the glazed coating to the plants, and gives strength to the stalk." Now, this silica is an acid and is insoluble, but readily combines with lime, soda, magnesia, potash, and the other ingredients of our soil, and in this condition is readily 74 A PRACTICAL HAND-BOOK AND GUIDE available to the use of the plant, and forms an essential element' to the grovvtli of the cereals ; from this and other causes is at- tributable the superiority of our wheat over all other grown east or south. The packages of Manitoba earth are on exhibition at Ottawa, and experts there say that the soil catinot be rivalled by any other spot on earth. The specimens were taken from the Lit- tle Saskatchewan, and between the Portage and Winnipeg. THE CLIMATE. The first cricket match played in British North Ameiica this year came otl' Monday afternoon in this city. Sides were chosen by the Mayor and Mr. Richards. Although there has been very little time for practice, some excellent play was shown, some of the cricketers showing up in good form. The other side won the match. — \lth Ajjril, 187G. The difference : — New England States, the heaviest snow stoim of the season ; Manito])a — most enjoyable weather. Comparisons are always odious.— Sih April, 1876. Ontario papers are filled with items about the heated term. How we can sit down and enjoy the cool breezes that waft over the Prairie Province, and pity our sweltering brothers down cant.— July dth, 1876. Look at this picture : " If several inches of snow, temperature below zero, and a blinding snow-drift constitute winter, then the genuine article has come. Saturday night and all Sunday it snowed, and the Ice King ruled ii; all his terror. The weather since has gra- dually relaxed, and nature smiles in sunshine, while the roads yawn in coagulated mud." — Sherbrooke, Quebec, Gazette, October 20th. And on this : The weather in Manitoba at the same date was cloudy, but had been fair the previous week, and glorious Indian summer prevailed. The extreme cold weather said to prevail in Manitoba does not prevent the work of grading on the Canada Pacific Railway being carried on. And the question arises — could similar work be done in any other Province of the Domimon in the winter season ? AVhen our little snow storm of the 4th ult. came upon us, nearly every person expected winter at once, and as scarcely any of our settlers had their potatoes and other vegetables up, all were in a state of anxiety so long as the snow remained. The fine weather which set in immediately after its disappear- ance, and continues up to the present, has given ample time for getting the root crop safely stored, as well as for getting the TO 'jp^NITOBA AND THE NORTH WE'T. /•) Diitbuildings in shape for winter. Coiisi(lei'al)le ploiiQ-hinii; is 1-1 loo i)eing done. Mr. D. Porteous has been threshing, and his grain is turning out well. From foiu' acres of barley he threshed 280 bushels, or 70 bushels per acre. Threshing has not, gimerally speaking, commenced. — OUotxir liOth, 187G. A gentleman who left Ontario in the midst of a snow storm was astonished to find on his arrival here that Manitoba was enjoying perfect Florida weather He thinks that " 1 yper- l)orean" is more applicable to other places than the Prairie Vvoy'mcii.—OcitAn- 2\st, 1876. First Howers found on the Prairie, April IGth. First ploughing, April 17th. First wild fowl seen, April 6th. MANITOBA WHEAT. 5 J t r s y .r e s, iy 3S :1. r- le le So^rE Wheat. — Messrs. John R. McMillan, and John Wil- liams, of liockwood, have raised a quantity of wheat which weighs sixty -six pounds to the bushel. Forty -six bushe'-i were taken to Pritchard's Mill, St. Paul's, and each sixty pounds of Avheat gave the following returns: — 42. V lbs. flour, 4^ lbs. middlings, 21- lbs. coarse shorts, Sh lbs. bran, 2 lbs. allowed for dust and dirt, and passing through the smut ma- chine, stones, and bolts. The flour, we were told, compares with any other manufactured either inside or outside the Pro- vince. The wheat was raised on new land, and was the first crop the land produced. This exhibit was an excellent one, and any one who fancies he can beat it is recpiested to send on his figures. •' We have been shown some fine samples of wheat grown by Mr. Basler, at Little Saskatchewan. The wheat, which averages forty bushels to the acre, weighs sixty-eight pounds to the bushel. Mr. B. came to this country with Mr. Ralston in 1874, possessed of scarcely any of this world's goods, but now, notwithstanding the terrible ordeal through which the country has gone, is in comparatively easy circumstances, hav- ing this year five acres each in wheat, barley, oats, and potatoes. from which he secured splendid crops, lie also now owns a good house, ten head of cattle, and pigs, poultry, etc." " Fine Wheat. — An extraordinary fine sample of wheat grown by Adam McKenzie, of Beautiful Plains, has been shown us by Kobt. Rolston. The wheat, of which two thousand bushels were raised, is hard, plump, and bright ; and is said to have averaged from 60 to 68 lbs, per bushel. Some taken to C. P. Brown's mill, Palestine, produced 46 lbs. of flor*- to the bushel." " Another Sample of Fine Whkat. — A sample of the 76 A PRACTICAL HANDBOOK AND |»UIDE I' finest looking spring wheat we think we ever saw, has been handed us, raise! liv Mr, Joseph W. Johnston, of the Boyne. Prom a bushel and a hali 's sowing, forty bushels were harvested. The kernels are large, and the skin is very light in colour and thin. It weighs sixty-four pounds to the bushel. We do not knn"' the name of the variety." " An extraordinary yield is slmwn l)y the following : Seventy bushels of Avheat were threshed from a field where two bushels of seed were sown. Tiie happy agriculturist is our old friend Tom Taylor, of Mapleton." MANITOBA OATS. "Oats. — Mr. Thos. West has on exhibition the product of one oat grain, a stool of 92 stems. On one of the stems he counted 121 grains of oats. He lias a number of other very jirolific stools, gi'own in his garden in the north ward." "Oats.— Mr. A. H. Murray, M.P.P., has just completed the threshing out of the first seven acres of oats threshed in the parish of St. Charles this season, the gratifying result being ninety bushels to the acre ! Next !" " Oats. — Andrew Ness, of St. Charles, sowed two bushels of Surprise oats, and harvested one hundred from them. The ground sown was only about three-fourths of an acre." " Twenty acres of Mr. Sifton's two hundred acre field of oats have been threshed out, and yielded seventy-five bushels to the acre. The remainder will keep up the average." MANITOBA BARLEY. " Crops. — Mr. Roderick McKenzie, an old settler of Head- ingly, last week threshed out the product of four bushels of barley, which yielded 120 bushels, and of ten bushels of oat.^. which yielded over 350 bushels " MANITOBA ROOTS AND VEGETABLES. " Gakden Truck. — Mr. Egan, of Kildonan, is doing won- ders in this line, having had ripe tomatoes since the middle '' 1 August in abundance. Some roots of mangold wurtzel challenge the Province for size. A specimen shown measured three feel and a half in length and had grown two feet above ground. Send along your items and samples." Another Whoppep. — We were told recently of a radish grown in a garden in this city which measures 2 ft. 5| in. from the base of the first leaf to the tip. Next ! ROOTS AND VEGETABLES. {Extract from Report of Manitoba Provincial Show of 187G.) The display in this class is decidedly the " big thing " of Tc MANITOBA AND THE NORTII-VVKST, i i the show. The '* products of Manitoba " exhibited excelled • veil tiic expoctatioiis of the most sanguine believers in the Prairie Province — and most certainly their huge dimensions- and unpaialleled excellence could not be surpasseil. Indeed, t ho exhibit is so large that it is almost impossil)le to notice it in detail. In ({uality and variety the exiiibit Is far beyond that of any former year, and many visitors from Ontario pro- nounce it to be superior to any tiling they ever saw — the Cen- 'ennial not excepted. In potatoes the early rose was the most numerous, bu'- there were also some magnificent specimens of Peerless, California, Snowfiake, English, and Early Regent, and I number of good looking varieties unnamed. There are also several lots of seedlings of this year, but of course too small to show any marked characteristics. It is, however, a pleasing sign that attention is being directed to the creation of varieties suited to the country. Cabbages of all kinds and of immense size are exhibited. -Vlr. Egan, of Kildonan, took the first prize for winter cabbage, with a specimen that measured four feet in circumference, and very solid. Rev. Mr. Pritchard, St. Paul's, has one that nieasures fifty inches in circumference. The first prize for a collection was awarded to John Arkland, of St. James, and the second to William Laurie, of tiiis city. Turnips weighing 3G lbs. are among the monstrosities in this line. The best specimens of white turnips were shown by Mr, Macdonald, of Springfield, but he failed to get a prize because he entered them under a wrong name. The varieties shown were chiefly Swedish, yellow Aberdeen, and white. Carrots, parsnips, mangold wurtzel, turnip and long beet, some fine sugar beets, were in great profusion and puzzled the judges not a little. There were enough ripe tomatoes and melons on exhibition to show that with care they can be raised in this country. A number of the entries in this class were weighed, with the results given below. The articles, it must be remembered, were not specially selected but picked out at haphazard. The t-arly rose potatoes which gained the first prize averaged two pounds each, and others of the same variety, which did not carry otf prizes, averaged but half a pound less. There were, however, potatoes of greater weight exhibited. The 1st prize winter drumhead cabbages weighed 25 lbs. and 23| lbs., and another one balanced the scales at 23 lbs., there also being a large number nearly reaching the same weight. The first prize cauliflower, stripped of leaves, weighed G^ lbs. only ; but one to which no prize was given Ijrouglit down the balance at 12^ l!)s. The latter, however, was dirty and spoiled, and was thus during the coming winter. T. J. Demers, of Montana, left this city by boat last Friday, highly satisfied with his sale of horses and cattle. He intend.^ returning to Winnipeg early next spring, with two thousand head of cattle and four huiidred head of horses. Tiarge droves of cattle keep coming in from Minnesota, and meet with ready sale at prices that seem to satisfy the drovers, latest rates are : three year old steers, !?30 to 840 ; four year old, .S35 to .*50; oxen, sl50 to $iSO per yoke ; mUch cows, •■^So to !750. Good animals meet with ready sale. Stock from THK West.— Mr. T. J. Demers, recently ar- rived in this city from Frenchtown, Montana. He with a [)arty of eight, left that place on the 13th April, with ninety horses and six hundred and seventy head of cattle. About twenty of the latter and a few horses were lost. Several large droves of cattle and flocks of sheep passed through Moorhead last week, headed for the British posses- sions. Another instalment of fat and working cattle — three hun- dred head — have arrived from Uncle Sam's dominions for N. P. Clarke, who is represented here by Isaac Johnston. Stock Co^^TNG. — Mr. L. Worthington started from Sauk Centre recently, with a drove of one hundred and twenty-five cattle and six hundred sheep for the Manitoba markets. Droves of cattle are expected in shortly from Minnesota. The first importation of IJerkshire [)igs was made Sunday, by Mr. J. Dent. The pigs were brought iu from St. Thomas, Ontario. Large droves of cattle are passing Pembina almost daily, and nearly a thousand sheep have passed during the last fort- night. A drove of two hundred and sixty-five head of cattle passed through Fargo recently from Stearns County, Minn., bound for Winnipeg. Two droves of cattle, one^ eighty-two head, and the other, two hundred head, passed through Fargo this week for Win- nipeg, from Southern Minnesota. The above will give some idea of the business to be done in Manitoba, in the way of stock-raising. WELL BRED STOCK REQUIRED IN MANITOBA. Extract from the report of the Directors of the Provincial Agricultural Society ; — 88 A PRACTICAL HAND-BOOK AND GUIDE " It would be highly desirable if a greater degree of attention were given to the raising of cattle, hogs, sheep, etc., as the wants of new settlers, government working parties, police, etc., will for some years furnish a profitable local market, and its supply wii' retain in the country large sums which are now sent abroad. The supply of choice breeds would be a legiti- mate object for the enterprise of your society ; but inasmuch as your resources will not at present admit of it, the matter must be left to private enterprise, to be suggested and en- couraged by the memliers of your society who may correspond with stock-breeders, informing them that such shipments would meet with remunerative sale here, especially at the time of onr annual exhibition. FAKMING IN MANITOBA. A Mr. Lewis arrived here Saturday before last ; was out to see a farm on Monday ; on Tuesday he had concluded its purchase, and on Wednesday had jdanted potatoes on some ])roken ground, and now is ei'ecting a house. That is the kind of men Manitoba wants and the kind of men who wan*: Manitoba, and Avho will in a few years be counted lucky. Pluck and common sense it is, only. A contract for cutting and threshing one field of oats, not many miles distant from this city, was recently let for $1^200. This will give an idea of what farming is in the Prairit Province. Early. — Mr. Jas. Jefferson, of Gi^' Hvood, commenced ])loughing on the 10th April. Ploughing has been commerced in Spnngtieid, i'.'ckwood. and other parts of the Province. — 22)ul A/ml, I'^To. MANITOBA DAIRY PRODUCE. The large competition in the butter class — there being ovei- eighty entries — and the invariable good quality of the exhibits, would have been remarkable in older countries, and mark the fact that this Province is one of the best dairy countries in the world. CONTiMviPL.'TED CHEESE FACTORY- OPL>,ING IN MANITOBA. -A GOOD Chle>!: Fa«to^;-.-.— i* Mr. Col^i^ell, from Ontario, contem- plates sta* uu{^ a cheese factory next spring near Grosse Isle. This gen rairie surrouiuling tlu> city, ^^hile 1 was there, was literally covered with the tents and carts of the inland travellers : the streets literally cn>wded with the ever creaking Ked Kiver carts, aiul the stores aiul taverns were tilled with the variegated crowd that owned them, throwing their money about in a way w'lch iiulicateil thai thoy were bouiul to make things generally aijfreeable as loui;- as it lasted. The following is /lipi^ed from the (^r/o^wV* English correspond- ence : •• The advancing tra'.ie of Winnipeg, a few years ago a little vilhi^e. cannot Ih> better shown than in the fact that a merchant is lunv in Loudon making large purchases for ship- ment to Winnipeg direct. It is impossible in the face of facts, to shut cue's cye^ to the growing importance of the Prairie Province." Ihsi'KIi (uH't>s. The proposed change in the Dominion tariff" IS causing ipiite a flutter among the merchants. One paid a bill i>f 6-.r>tM> the other dav on his stock of bonded i^oods ; others are still awaiting definite advices from iHtawa. The aggregate amount of duties which will be paid in here at once. TO MANITOBA AND THE N0RTII-WK8T. IV \ if the tariff takes effect, will not be less than i^30,000 — a jm-tty good show for a " })anper" city. — Fchrunnj 10, ISTfl. For THE Old Countiiy.— Gerrie (^' "Willie" were anions; the passengers this moriung for the East. Oerrie, we under- stand, is homeward hound — with the object of puichasing large- ly for the Indian and jobbing trade, of .vhich this city is the centre. We lieg to notify the shrewd inhabitants of the (Jran- ite Cit)', that notwithstanding an absence of 40 years from his native Aberdeen, they will make i\. mistake if they legard him as another IMp Van Winkle. All we can say is, we wish him success and hoit coywje. Manitoha Fkkkjht. — The Moorhead Star says :— " P^noj-- mous (|uantities of freight consigne(l down the river and bound west to Montana and Ilismarck, continue to arrive here. It is estimated that 2,000 tons of Manitoba freight are now in the yards here, with large daily arrivals. One day aloni; 000 tons of Hour for river transhipment were received. The steamers take all that the stage of water will allow, and yet the aceommo- dations are great." Staticians vi ilie eastern provinces would be surprised to see invoices of 1,(^00 pairs of blankets, 300 ];)ieces of wincey, 300 dozen liose, and like quantities throughi^ir,t a large stock for a business house in the four year old ■'/ of Winnipeg. Most of our houses now import directly from the matnifactu rers in P]ngland and Scotland, and next year it is likely all will do so. The amount of duties in Manitoba for the year ending 30th June, 1876, was $253,045. 8N, as against i^ 17 1,4. 30. 80 in 1875, and .^07,471.07 in 1874. For England. — Mr. John 0. LeOappellaine startcul foi- England this morning, where he goes to purchase goods for Mr. J. H. Ashdown's sprmg trade. Hard Times. — One of our city clothing stores took in fifteen hundred dollars over the counter one day last week. A train of sixty carts, laden with fin-s purchased by Mr. Bannatyne and Mr. Patterson, passed up Main Street, Wedufjs- day. TRADE WITH THE JNTEHIOK. Up to this date over 1,500 carts laden with sujtpbes, goods, etc., have been sent west from this city on (Jov. rnment ac- count to the various mounted pohee posts, it is estimated that about 2,000 more have gone out on private account for traders, telegrajdi contractors, anrl the Hudsoti Hay Company ; and three months of the season is yet left. TravelUrs from i\w. west rei)ort that trad(;rs parties ar(5 strung all along the road, coming to the capital for tl>eir yearly 1)2 A I'RACTKJAL HAND-BUOK ANJJ UUIDE market It is cxi)ected tliat on account of the large catch this season, their })urcliiise of goods will be large;. A heavy order has been received by Mr. J. H. Ashdown from the Hudson's liny Company for tin-ware for outlyin-i' posts. Among the jirticles are 3,00') tin j)ails, 1,300 round pans, 1,501) oval pans, 1,800 pint cups, l,r)0(> half-pint cups, and 400 teapots. The amount of the order will be about !?;{,000. Mr. Owen K. Hughes, of the firm of Kew, Stobart S: Co., who left herr last sinniner for a trading trip towards the setting sun, has .succeeded in establishing a trading post at Cross Lake, one hundred miles north of Norway House, and about five hundre(l miles from Winnipeg, where he is doing an ex- tensive busiuvos. He has sent in an order for a large amount of goods, with i)art of which a train started on Thursday, and the reuiiunder will be shipi)e(l shortly. A large number of carts, laden with freight, will leave in a fevv days for Fort Ellice, Shoal Lake, etc., on Government account. The amount of goods going west from this city must be enormous in the aggregate, as nearly every day trains of carts itivien with merchandize are sent out. i! AGKICULTURAL MACHINERY. We understand that Mr. James Barclay, of Stony Mountain, tlie contractor for the new penitentiary, intends erecting a foundry and agricultund implement manufactory on the river front, near McLane's Mill, on laud purchased fiom the H. B. Co. VV^e congratulate Mr. Barclay upon his determination to remain and invest his ca})ital here in this much needed and undoubtedly remunerative enterprise. The wire and castings for ono hundred fanning mills, being manufactured here by Dick & Banning, were brought in by the Manitoba, and the mills will be finished this week. About two hundred reapers and mowers have already been scdd this season by the implement dealers of this city. One firm, Dick (k Batming, have disposed of eighty-three machines. MANITOBA WHEAT FOR SEED. On this point we have the opinion of a very high authority on the subject, viz: J. W. Taylor, Esq., U.S. Consul at Win- nipeg ; than whom no man has studied the subject with closer attention. He says, " that on a recent visit to the east he was surprised to find that Minnesota spring wheat, when forwarded and sold separately in the eastern market, commanded ten per cent, more than wheat of Canada and Ne\. York State. Further, TO MANITOBA AND THE NORTH WEST. 93 that spring whoat raised on the lino of the Northern Pacific, and St. Paul and Pacific railroads, brought five cents per bushel more than tiie same whoat raised ir)0 miles further south." His inference is that Manitoba whoat, when there shall be a surplus over local consumption, will bring 1 5c per bushel pre- mium : almost enough to cover transport to Montreal or New York. This appreciation in price is owing to the increase in weight and gluten of the flour, attributable to the northern climate, and other favourable circumstances. Manitoba wheat is already in demand as a desirable change of seed in the ad- joining States, and the I)ei)artment of Agriculture at Washing- ton proposes to distribute 200 bushels in small quantities over the United States. MILLS TN MANITOBA. Crops and Mills.— Mr. W. Smith, miller, of Portage la Prairie, is in the city. He reports bailey nearly all cut, and oats far advanced in cuttiini;. He saw three fields of oats cut on Wednesday near the stage road. Crops everywhere north, west and east of Portage la Prairie are magnificent, and will give an unprecedently large yiel I ; the loss ))y drowning is very insignificant, the worst manau'ed farm showinif a l)etter y;rowtli than a model farm in Ontario. Mr. Smith is adding another run of stones and a new boiler to his mill at l*ortage la Prairie, making now three run with a capacity for grinding 1,000 Imshels in twenty-four hours. His Mill at Point de Chene is being pushed to completion, and will be ready fbr grinding early in the fall. From Mr. Smith we have obtained his estimate of the grind- ing capacity of the mills of the Province for this season's har- vest : — Palestine, C. P. Brown, Totogan, Chisholm & Bubar, . Portage la Prairie, Wm. Smith, . St. Norbert, J. Lemay, Point de Chene, Wm. Smith, Winnipeg, J. W. Mc Lane, Bassett & McMillen, . St. Paul's Parish, H. Pritchard, St. Andrew's, E. H. G. G. Hay, . Ma[»leton, Hudson's Bay Company, . This makes a total of twenty runs of stone with a grinding capacity of 4,000 bushels per day. The people of the extreme western settlements are much pleasetl with the convenience which Mr. C. P. Brown's new 1 run I (( 3 (' 3 u 1 i( 4 u 2 a 11 2 (( 1 u 'J 4 A PRACTICAL HAND-BOOK AND (JUIl)E II- mill at CJliul.stone is iilVonliiig tliurn. It is turning out a first- class article of flour ainl giving universal satisfaction. The mill is one of the Wat'rous Engitu' Works ('o.'s, of Hrantforti, twcnty-hor.ie power portal)le saw and grist mill combined, which Mr. I>rovvn purchased last summer. We learn that he had no trouble in erecting the mill, it having been all set u\) at the works, and marked before taking apart, which, with the plan sent with it, avoided all trouble. AnoTIIEU Mux. — Mr. dames Speiice, of this city, has pur- chased the remains of the Tait mill at Silver Heights, and im- l)orted new machinery including two runs of stones, and is now engaged in the erection of a first-class grist mill on the Mircy Creek, just east of the Manitoba Drcwery, which he expects to have in running order by the first of October next. A new grist mill has recently l)een erected in the heart of ihe iMennonite settlement, about fifteen miles from Uat liiver. It is a two and a half storey building, 2()X.'M, and has one run of stone, the motive {)ower being supplied by a twelve horse- pov/er engine. The builders are Messrs. Maud iV: Co., of T>ei'lin, Ont., andjjthe machinery was procured from Gouldie & IMcCol- lough, of (Jalt. The mill will cost about St, OUO, and is expected to be in running order shortly. Mr. Weins, a Mennonite, is the proprietor. At McMillan & Bassett's mills 2,400 bushels (jf wheat are at present ground every woek ; but with the new boiler which i.s being put in, the (juantity will be increased to 3,000 bushels. An excellent sample of Hour from the Marquette Milling Co., Portage la Prairie, stated by com[)etent judges to be eciual to any XXXX in the market, has l)een brought into the city. This mill is running full time, and a large (puuitity of its fl.our is finding its way hero. A third run of stone is being put into Billy Smith's mill at the Portage. The mill is now running night and day. McLane's Mill is now busy filling a large order for flour for the Mennonites. Pive hundred sacks were sent out Tuesday. Pour hundred bushels of^wheat were delivered in two hours recently at McMillan tt Bassett's mill, for custom work alone. Twelve lots were recently purchased at the Town of Selkiik, by Mr. Martin Hoover, of Port Elgin, Ontario, who intends erecting on the property a large grist mill of four run of stones. Mr. Hoover left for Ontario yesterday to complete the necessary arrangements. Selkirk is to have a new grist and steam saw mill and sash and door factory. ^lessrs. McCioskrie & Thonuis have the matte)' in hand, and intend pushing the business to its fullest extent. The saw mill of Mr. Alex. McArthur, on the Vvlnnipeg river, has been purchased by Messrs. Thompson ^Si Walkley. TO MANITOUA AND THE NORTII-WEST. 05 Still Anothkr. -McKay & Smith'.s mill ..•:, the Points do Clu'iio will 1)0 ill working (tnlrr this week. Another niii of htono is l)«'in<^ put in i)la(3t) at Mcrian(^'s mill. CITY OF WINNIPKd. WrNNr.PF/i, AS Sf'-RN i;y a STRAX(if:R.— Mr. Warring Ken- nedy, a i)romiiH'nt Toronto rncnliant, who paid a visit to Winnipeg recently, thus gives iiis in)i)ression of this city in tho columns of a Toronto paper : " The City (>f Witini[)(^g is the door through which immigra- tion into the Province of Manitoba must pass, and is the great distributing point, not only for the Province, but for th(( whole North-West territory. It is situated at tho continence of tho Red aiid Assiniboino rivers, on tho west bank of tho formc^r, at an elevation of thirty fei^t above water level. Oidy a few years ago it was merely a village, containing some dozen of houscis. In 1872. tho population was iiOO, now it is r),000. This rate of increase in four years has been equal to that of Chicago's early days in ten years. In 1830, tho population of the latter WHS only 70; in 1840, it was 4,470, although it now has 300,- 000. This growth of the City of Winnipeg, as may be expected, has favoured the devt'lopment of ))roperty, and some have become rich by merely investing their savings in cheap city lots. Many lots bought three years ago for fifty dollars, are now worth five hundred. At present, suburban lots are considered the best investment. This growth, although rapid, has not been unhealthy." PROGRESS IX THE XORTII-WEST. The following 'atter from the Bishop of Saskatchewan is ad- dressed to the London Free Press : — Dear Sih, — I reached this place on Tuesday, the 18th inst. — not quite a week from London, Ont. I could not help con- trasting the speed of this journey with the comparatively long period of upwards of three weeks that was required to complete the same distance when 1 with my family came to Red River from London, just ten years ago. I have now before me the printed copy of a letter I sent on my arrival to my old friend Mr. Siddons, then the editor of tho Prototi/pe. It was there stated that we came via Milwaukee, Prairie du Chien and the Mississippi to St. Paul, where we stayed a few days and then went on to St. Cloud, the farthest point we could travel by rail or steamer. From that to Fort Abercrombie, a ^ Photographic Sciences Corporation ,\ 4 .V t •s? :\ \ ^9) V <\,"^ . ^.>. 6^ ■<^^ ^^■^ 33 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. U580 (716) B72-4503 5r . ^^ ^ 96 A PRACTICAL HAND-BOOK AND QUIDS i If prairie journey with the covered waggons and carts. It occu- pied us in all seven and a half days. What a change has taken place in these ten years ! I Ifft London this month on Tuesday, the 11th, at 7 p.m., and reached Fisher's Landing, at Red Lake River, on Saturday, at 10 p.m., where I went aboard a steamer that brought me to Fort Garry on Tuesday at 5 a.m., on the 18th inst. In that same letter to Mr. Siddons I speak of " a small village near Fort Garry with a number of stores." The small village often years ago is now the city of Winnipeg, with, I suppose, about six thousand inhabitants. In the energy and business enter- prise of her merchants, I believe Winnipeg to be quite on a par M'ith the most prospcnus and thriving cities of the United States. Commercially speaking, I feel sure that Winnipeg has the opportunity of a splendid career before her, and she has already shown that she numbers among her population a body of men who know how to turn good opportunities to account. One illustration of the business energy of Winnipeg I find in the contrast between the state of prices there to-day and what I found ten years ago, as the following extract from the above quoted letter will show : — " All imported goods are venj dear, owing to their having to be carried over the prairies in carts. Some things required for household use are two, three, and four times as dear as in Canada." At the present moment my impression is tha^. groceries an d dry goods of the best quality can be procured in Winnipeg at about as low a figure as in Ontario. There is every prospect of a magnificent crop in Manitoba. As yet there is no appearance of grasshoppers, as far as I can learn. • Very faithfully yours, J. Saskatchewan. St. Andrew's, Manitoba, July 26, 1876. This is what the correspondent of an Ottawa paper thinks of the Prairie City : — " A stranger's first impression on arriving at Winnipeg is, that it is a dull, dreary place, but a walk through the principal streets completely disabuses his mind of that fal- lacy, and convinces him that there is not a livelier place of its size in the whole Dominion of Canada. The amount of busi- ness done is indeed surprising. Stores are numerous, and they all seem to get plenty of custom. One thing certain is that, as in other Canadian cities, there are no failures or rumours of failures, but on the contrary, every merchant appears to be roll- ing up wealth. Without any exaggeration, I can say that there appears to be more business done than in Ottawa ; there is more bustle on the principal street and more evidences generally of business activity. TO MANITOBA AND THE NORTH-WEST. 97 REAL ESTATE. How many now in Ontario will regret forever the opportu- nity now passing of acquiring the best wheat lands in the world through investment in scrip ; in five years, when those lands now settled upon are worth $20 per acre, they will be purchas- ing ten acres for what would now purchase ten hundred. A cash offer of i?3,000 was recently made for the small lot on Main Street, next Dr. Bird's drug store — and refused. An Ontario gentleman, now in the city, purchased a year ago the Queen's Hotel on Main Street, for $2,000, and now receives a rental therefrom of .* 1,1 00— a pretty neat return from a small investment in Winnipeg city property. — July 2m, 1876. OPENING OF NAVIGATION ON RED RIVER. The River. — Of course it is impossible to tell with any certainty the exact time when the Red River will unfasten its *' icy fetters," but the probabilities are — judgiiig from the present condition of the weather — that navigation can be re- sumed as soon as last year. The first steamboat to arrive at Moorhead last season was the " Selkirk," Capt. Alex. Griggs, which touched our levee at 3 p.m., Thursday, April 22nd. The firot boat in 1874, arrived on April 24th, and the first in 1873, on April 2Gth. The state of the weather at this writ- ing is such as to prophesy an early opening of navigation, although all conclusions must necessarily be over half guess work. The large quantity of snow now on the ground may augur a liberal quantity of flood water, which with our usual spring rains, will give a good stage of water the first part i)f season, at least. — Moorhearl Star, April Sth, 1870. "The First Boat."— "The first boat" of the season, arrived on Tuesday, 20th inst, being the " Minnesota," having a cargo of 5,105 sacks of seed wheat for the Central Relief Committee. This is the earliest arrival of a steamboat from the United States, ever known. The nearest approach to it was the arrival of the •' Selkirk " on the 28th of April, 1871 ; and the next nearest, the arrival of the " Selkirk " on the 30th April, in \S7b.— April '?.m, 1870. The following are the dates of the ice leaving Red River at the Stone Fort, from the journal of Wm. Flett, Esq., H. B. Co. :— 1869, 19th April ; 1870, 9th April; 1871, 24th April ; 1872, ith May; 1873, 27th April ; 1874, 1st May; 1875, 28th. April. 38 A PRACTICAL HAND-BOOK AND GUIDE NAVIGATION OF THE SASKATCHEWAN. I I A gentleman in St. Paul has written to his old home in Massachusetts, to remove the erroneous impression that pre- vails there that that city is the extreme North-West corner of habitable creation. He says : — " No better grain-growing country exists than extends for 500 miles north, and 600 miles west, while 1,500 miles north-west from this city, streams are open and pasturage is grown a full month earlier than here (air-line distances are meant). Nor is this vast North-West unapproachable. You can, to day. take rail from here to the Northern Pacific crossing of the Red River, and there take your choice of seven steamboats, of from 300 to GOO tons each, to Fort Garry, Manitoba, GOO miles by river, (about 280 miles by land.) At Fort Garry take a lake propeller (like those on Lake Erie and other eastern lakes) through Lake Winnipeg, 275 to 300 miles to its north-western end ; then take a river steamer and go up the Saskatchewan, and its northern branch to Fort Edmonton and beyond, 1,400, or within 450 to 500 miles of the waters of the Pacific Ocean, and when you get there you can go ashore and telegraph the same day to your home in the Connecticut valley or Berkshire hills. These are facts. The wires are up, and the boats are there and running." The Rev. L. Warner, who has been for the past two years engaged in missionary work in the Saskatchewan country, has recently returned to Ontario. Mr. Warner left Victoria Mis- sion — about twenty miles east of Edmonton — on the 26th of May, and came down by the H. B. Go's steamboat, the North- cote, to Grand Rapids, near Lake Winnipeg, where the goods are transhipped from the steamer navigating the Saskatchewan River to the boat plying between that point and the City of Winnipeg. The goods from either steamer are taken over the portage, which is four miles long, by means of a tramway which the Hudson's Bay Company has laid down. Mr. Healy is of opinion that were the navigation of the Lake Manitoba, Winnipegosis, and South Saskatchewan route improved by the canalling necessary, some nine miles only, at High Bluff and Mossy Portage, which would allow our river steamers to ascend to the mountains, the entire trade of that magnificent country would naturally tend this way. The Manitoba Southern Railway was intended to be the first link in a chain designed to connect this country with our city, and we hope it may be prtceeded with. Mr. Healy states that Fort Hamilton and Fort McLeod are about tlie same latitude as Fort Garry, and yet the seasons are very diff'erent, ploughing being quite possible in December, in fact their finest month is November. Though the thermometer is sometimes very low, TO MANITOBA AND THE NORTH-WEST, 99 yet the cold does not continue long, and altoj^cther the seasons are very favourable for agriculture. Cattle feed out all winter and fatten on the rich grasses, and the only ol'jection to sheep- farming on an extensive scale is the presence of wolves. Our space limits our remarks on this interesting subject, but we may revert to it again. The "ColvilI,"}'i.B. Go's steamer, Captain Hackland, arrived at the Lower Fort on Saturday, the 2 1st ult., from Grand Rapids, having made her last trip to that place for this season. She brought in about twenty-five passengers, including Capt. Aymond and his family, and the crew of the Saskatchewan steamer *' Northcote." Amongst other freight were two teams belonging to the H. B. Co. The " Colville " has been laid up for the winter about five miles below the Lower Fort. STAGE FROM MOORHEAD TO WINNII'EG. The stages commenced running on fast time, Thursday, through to Moorhead in thirty-six hours. The mails will arrive between four and six o'clock in the mornings, instead of in the evenings, as formerly. STAGE FROM WINNIPEG TO PORTAGE LA PRAIRIE. Mr. Blake, of Blake eg, and imniigiants, iC they desire to settle in the sonthern portion of the J'rovinee — in which is some of the finest land in the colony — can obtain information and select their holdings immediately ujion crossing the inter- national boundary line, and without going to Winnipeg. Hut location depends so much upon M'hat a man intends to do, that advice given without a knowledge of the circumstances of the person who asks it, is not of much value. There are p:irt.s of the Province which some immigrants i>ass by as undesirable, that others who propose to raise stock aie eager to obtain. So for some men it is better to buy a holding in the settlement belt, while for others tlie CJovernment homestead, which costs only ten dollars and its settlement duties, is equally advantage- ous. The information and advice of a friend settled in Maui toba is the most valuable that can be obtained, and an imjui- grant, after his arrival, need not be at any exjiense, while prosecuting liis inquiries, for house-rent or forage. A tent supplies the one and the ]»rairie the other. But it should be rememl)ered that when the winter comes emi)loynient in Mani- toba ceases, and the immigrant who may have worked hard in fencing and breaking land, raising a house for himself and build ings for his animals, has a long winter to pull through, and for the first year cannot, of course, derive much from his farm. But there must always be some difficulty in making a fresh start in a new country ; and if, as is generally believed, Maui toba has not to fear the return of the grasshopper for some years, a farmer who, having his own choice of locality, fails to make a comfortable living, will have less ability than hundreds of the old settlers who never learned the iiriiiciple of farming. — From the Globe. LETTER FROM MANITOBA. The following well-written and interesting letter on Mani- toba afi'airs was received from Mr, Robert Ferguson, formerly of Grey, by Mr, Mark Cardiff, of Brusstds, who has kindly handed it to us for publication. Its contents will be |)eiused with intere.st by our readers. The letter is dated the 19th of Janu- ary, and is addressed to Mr, Cardiff. It reads as follows : — Dear Sir, — Thinking that a smattering of Manitoba affairs would be interesting to you, 1 proceed to give you a few facts concerning this *' land of grasshoppers," that I have gathered 102 A PRACTICAL IIAND-llOOK AND GUIDE i ft (luring my sliort stay here. Upon entering Winnipeg, after our i)rotracte(l journey over the Dawson ]{oute, 1 was some- what astonislied to find a town of about 0,1 »0() inhabitants, which for stir and business fairly eclipses any of your Ontario towns of the same pojiulation. A number of excellent brick buildings have been ])Ut up during last summer. The new post office is a stately edifice, and is (piite an ornament to the town. The brick, which is made in the vicinity of the town, is hand- some and of a sui)erior quality. Any person taking a tour through this Province, could not fail to be delighted with the many promising featurt^s which it presents. Its rich prairie soil, free from every obstacle that would impede ilw. progress of agriculture, and many IduHs of timber which makes the best of wood, and can l)e procured by most of the farmers withor.t going many steps from }\is door, make it all that can be desired for farming. Last Monday, Mr. IJroadfoot and I went west about four miles to the timber limits. We travelled all the afternoon in a dense forest, as level as a floor. Most of the timber is first-class building material, and all of it the best of rail timber. All the farmers in Palestine can get all the stove M'ood they recpiire almost at their door, and only have to go four or five miles for building and rail timber, while some have these conveniences right at hand — From the Seaforth Expositor, MANITOBA. Emerson, Manitoba, Dec. 31st, 1875. As many friends in Lennox and Addington have expressed a desire to know more about Manitoba and ** The Great North- West," I now write to them through the columns of your valu- able paper. I have been here about two months, and can form an idea of the country, its people, prospects, &c. I can truly say that the land is vast beyond conception. God alone knows all about it ; just think of plains in British America with an area of 295,000 square miles, stretching from the Lake of the Woods to the Rocky Mountains and from the United States boundary to the Arctic Ocean, Manitoba is but a small part (-f this immense region. There are three vast steppes or prai- ries, the one rising above the other until they reach their western limits at the base of the liocky Mountains. The Red River Valley, one of the three, has an area of 55,660 square miles. Of this, the I^akes Winnipeg, Winnipegosis, Manitoba, Cedar, and St. Martins occupy about 13,900 square r iles. It is the most fertile of all the plains of the west, and easiest of access to a people coming in from the east. Supposing that the half of this or 3,400 square miles of this (2,170,000 acres) were sown with wheat, even at the average of Minnesota, seventeen TO MANITOBA AND THE NORTH WEST. 103 bushels to tlie acre, the crops of the Ucd Uiv^r Valley would be almost 41,000,000 of bushels. A Held on the IVmbina River, near this, which this year escaped the grasshopi)ers, yielded 1,800 Ijushels or 4r> to the acre. As to climate, i have found the winter clear, dry, and plea- sant. It is colder than some parts of Ontario, but on account of the dry atmosphere it is not so much felt. It is very healthy; women having poor health in Ontaiicj often become strong and vigorous out here. Stouter, healthier children, I never saw any\vh»;re. 1 have not seen a funeral .since ccmiing here. Spring ipens about as soon as on the Hay of (,»>uinte. Winter sets in al)out the beginning of November. The fall of .snow is much lighter here than on the St. Lawrence. We have ju.st enough to make good sleighing. For four years the country has been swept by grasshopjjers, but (iod who sent them can just as easily take tlumi away. The impression here is that they will not return for a series of years. If so, there will be a great emigration westwards. Let })eople come ; there is a stretch of one thou.sand miles from this to Peace; Uiver yet to be pcssessed. Wheat and barley ripened there this season on the 1 2th of August. In the Peace River Valley tiiere are millions of acres ready for the })lougli. At Bow River, 800 miles west of here, there arc plains where cattle can graze all winter. This place is on the great highway. Seven steamboats with barges pass weekly, and in one season 400 ilatboats with cargoes valued at ^5,000 each passed down from Minnesota to Wuini- peg. Lest I weary your readers 1 will stoj) here. Any parties wishing further information I will be happy to aid. My address is Emerson, ManHoba. John Scott, Pres. Missioruiry. — Napanee Beaver. Mr. Lillies, of Vv^'est Pilkington, has received a letter from Manitoba, where four of his sons have been for some time. They say : — Don't fear of us starving in Manitoba ; we are doing better than we could do in Ontario despite the ravages made by the grasshoppers. Two of us have cleared one hundred and sixty dollars per month all summer, burning lime and sel- ling it at 45c per bushel, another has averaged iBo per day with his team, sometimes teaming to the new Penitentiary, and sometimes working on the railroad. The fourth works at his trade — waggon-making — in Winnipeg, for $00 per month; steady employment. Our potato crop is sjilendid, our peas are excellent, and we had one tield of wheat that suffered no intru- sion from the pest. The weather is mild, prairie chickens are very numerous, and our anticipations as regards a good time next year are big. — Gait Rej)orter. 104 A lilAPTlCAL HANI) UOdFv AND OLIDE THE GilKAT NOKTII-WEST. I Professor Macoun, the Oovernmont Botanist, was cxaiiiined at ^roat leni^th by the Coinniittee on I ministration at Ottawa, recent- ly. Ho has crossed the continent twice, and made extensive in (juirics into the floral and <^C()loi;ical formation of the North-West. He has especially visited the Peace River district, of which he speaks vvi.h the utm tst enthusiasm. His descrijition of the vast area in the interior to the north-west of Fortdarry was (v>/ie, and further discoveries satisfied him that the two areas were similar in every respect. The ice in the rivers broke up in April. Stock raising was not ditficult, because the grass rem:iincd fresli and green up to the very opening of winter. He had seen thou- sands of acres of it three and four feet long on levels two hundred feet above the Peace River. He estimated that there was 252,- 000,000 acres of land in that region adapted to the growth of cereals. He had tested the lemperature, and .showed by figures that the average summer heat at Fort William, Fort Simpson, Edmonton, and throughout that region, was similar to that of Toronto, Montreal, and higher than that of Halifax. He was 10 MANITOBA AND THE NORTH WE-T. 105 positive that the climiite was uiiooraraoiily suitable for au'iioulmro, and stated that tlu» Oirthor one went north the wanner the sunnnor!) became. Thoro was no doubt they wore abundantly loii^ ennui^h to ripen wheat thoroughly. liesides the peculiar exoellenoo of that country for cereals, he had f(»uiid thouv-auds of acres of crystall'zed salt so pure that it was used in its natural state by the ITu'ison Fiay Co. Coal ab t veins, and wius so interstratified with heniatele or iron ore, yi«!ldin^ ~)0 per cent., that nolooility couM b3t- ing. Further west tlu soil is lighter and luore uiixel witli sand. \Vhere settlea and the North West Temtory. For further information, Maj)s, Time Tables, «S:c., apply to the Com- pany's Station Masters, or to G. B. Spriggs, General Freight Agent, and Wm. Edgar, General Passenger Agent, Hamilton. F. BROUGHTOnr^ General Manager. Hamilton, March, 1879. By all odds THE BEST ROUTE is via the THROUGH BONDED FREIGHT LINE I OF THE ! Chicago and ITorth-'Western \ Railway. Tiiih I'oitl starts from Cliica<,'(» and rtiiis in a din-ct lino to St. Panl. Minn., uliiTc : connects'iu a Union Depot witli tlio 8t. I'anl and Pacific Railroad for St. N'incun where it connects witli the Pembina Branch of The Canada Pacific Railiivay and forms the very hest route and tlie only one over wiiich ym .slunild sliip yoi freight or send your passenger.^ for Emerson, W innipeg (Fort (jlarry) or any point n Manitoba or The Red River Country. MMie Great Western, Grand Trunk and Canada Southern Railways connect at Detroit with tlie Rlichigan Central llailroad wliich is the eastern connection of the Cliicau'. and North- Western Railway, and any of these roads will contract to deliver yoiii fi'eight to the Chicago i^ IS orth- Western Railway at Chicago. Consign your freigl" to the care of the Chicago Sc Xorth-Western Railwiiy iind it will be given jd'ompi despatch to its destination. For fidl information you can address Cauadian Freight Ageat, 87 York St., Rossin House Rlock. Tot-onto, Ontario. Ur, I. I>. K\i:i^LA\D, II. €. \VI< liF.Se, Transfer Agent, M. C. R. K., Chicago, 111- Gen- Freight Agent 0- & N-W- R., Chicago, 1)1 81i'.\iM iisk for ami liL' MUX' tlifir Tirkt'ts road via tlu; (iniiul 'rniiik, (Ji-c at \\ Cstcni, cii- ("aiiada SMUtlicrn H. I;. tn Dutriiit; .Micliiuai; Cditial H. 11., l)(.'|niit to Cliicairn : I'liiia'.;^. St.. r.uil \ .MiiiiKa]i()lix l.iin' (Cliivauo vV Ni'ilii-Westiji-ii Kail\va\ J, Chicauo to St. Taiil; St. Paul \ Pat'lfu' and Canada I'arillr K. K.s, St. I'aui to W imd \iit(*, Ontario K., Chicago, JJI ;i Siiutlicni H. I;, t. I'ltul to Wiiiiii •II ami \Vc'>t Wis -'ts I'Liul US uhii\c S, I, Ifiiiutli, l!rei-k route.