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THE REPORTS OF Major STEVENSON, Knockbrack, Goshaden, Londonderry; Mr. GEORGE BROWN, Watten Mains, Caithness, N.B. , and Mr. HENRY SIMMONS, Bearwood Farm, Wokingham, ON The Agricultural Resources of Canada:— Prince ET'tvard Island; Nova Scotia; New Brunswick; Quebec; Ontario; Manitoba; The North-West Territories; and British Columbia. Published by authority of the Government of Canada (Department of Agriculture). 1891. WO.irijiKHliilt' & Co., Liniitwl, E.iston, London, X.W. ■vii T . .>' ■ 1 ! r f 1 .■ ^■\ Ihi^ •! - 'It : ^ . )i> THE VISIT OF THE TENANT-FARMER DELEGATES 'il W TO CANADA IN 1890. THE REPORTS OF Major STEVENSON, Knockbrack, Goshaden, Londonderry; Mr. GEORGE BROWN, Watten Mains, Caithness, N.B.; and Mr. HENRY SIMMONS, Bearwood Farm, Wokingham, ON Thfi Agricultural Resources of Canada:— PrincG Edward Island; Nova Scotia; New Brunswick; Quebec; Ontario; Manitoba; North-West Territories; and British Columbia. ■1 •1 r| Published by authority of the Government of Canada (Department of Agriculture). 1891. TV—,. ■*• T . XT ■♦,• ■ CONTENTS. 'i : ■I •«> i i' ^'i-^, : l^:i ^i "".• i{' ■: <:■ I..' 1 i^O I ■' FSEFACE «•• •■• «•• ••• ••• ••• ••• ••• ••• ••• Major Stevenson's Rkport Mb. Geoboe Bbown's Repobt Mb. Hehby Simmons's Repobt. ••• ••• •• • •■• f«« t«« ••• ••• ••t ••• LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. FAOI'; u 13 43 71 . •• ••• ••• ••• • . t .•• ••• ■# • « "I Farm Scene in Manitoba — The Beresfobd Stock Fauji View of Quebec ... ... ... ... ... Farm Scene, Manitoba Fbairie Scene TlIKESHINO AT SaNDISOn's FaRM, BrANDON A Farmhouse in North- West Territories (^Drawnly Colonel Fane).. City of Victoria Sherdrooke, Eastern Townships Citv of IIaliI'Ax A View in London, Ontario ... Farm Scene, Ontario Parliament Blildikgs, Ottawa Toronto Winnipeg Harvesting at Sandison's Farm, Brandon A Farmhouse in Manitoba (Draicn by Colond Fane) Ranch Scene, Alberta Vancouver Apple Orchard, East Hamilton, Ontario Experimental Farm, Ottawa A View in Stanley Pauk, Vancouver An Ontario Farm '. Improved Farm, Nova Scotia • • • • •• ••• ••• ••• ••• •• • ••• ••■ t** ••• fl •• 4 13 IS 20 21 27 32 30 41 4:> 48 41) CO 54 D5 50 CG G7 70 73 SO DG PAOIC o 13 71 Vi*. •J' ■>J .» ■ '.■\- 4 13 IS 20 21 27 32 30 41 4r> 4(> 4!) 50 54 55 50 CG G7 70 73 SO DG -^ m >'' '■ \» K ■ '■: » M PREFACE. H ■/I X ! 2 Ik August last the High Commissionor for Canada, by direction of the Minister of Agriculture, invited the following gpiitlmnen; who are all connected with the agricultural industry in the different parts of the United Kingdom in which they reside, to visit the Dominion of Canada, to report upon its agricultural resources, and the advantages the country offers for the settlement of farmers and farm labourers, and the other classes for which there is a demand : — Mr. George Brown, Wattcn Mains, Caithness, Scotland; Mr. Arthur Daniel, 172, Dereham Road, Norwich, Norfolk ; Mr. Wm. Edwards, Ruthin, Wales ; Colonel Francis Fane, Fulbeck Hall, Grantham, Lincolnshire ; Mr. G. Hutchinson, Brougham Caatle, Penrith, Cumberland; Mr. E. R. Murphy, The Kerries, Tralee, Ireland ; Mr. Robert Pitt, Crickett Court, Ilminster, Somerset ; Mr. Wm. Scotson, Rose Lane, Mossley Hill, near Liverpool, Lancashire ; Mr. H. Simmons, Bearwood Farm, Wokingham, Berkshire ; Mr. John Speir, Newton Farm, Newton, Glasgow, Scotland; Major Stevenson, Knockbrack, Goshaden, Londonderry, Ireland; Mr. J. T. Wood, The Court, Halewood, near Liverpool, Lancashire. The reports, if published together, would make rather a bulky volume, and it has been decided, therefore, to divide them into four parts, as under : — Part I. will contain the reports of Messrs. Edwards, Hutchinson, Scotson, and Wood ; Part II., the reports of Messrs. Daniel, Fane, Pitt, and Simmons ; Part III», the reports of Messrs. Brown and Speir, from Scotland ; and Part IV. was to have contained the reports of Messrs. Murphy and Stevenson, from Ireland, but as Mr. Murphy's report has not yet been sent in, Messrs. Brown's and Simmons's reports have been printed with Major Stevenson's, so as to make the pamphlet fairly representative of English and Scotch as well as of Irish opinion. Any or all of these volumes may be obtained, post free, by persons desiring to peruse them, on application to Sir Charles Tupper, Bart., G.C.M.G., C.B., High Commissioner for Canada, 17, Victoria Street, London, S.W.; or to any of the agents of the Canadian Government in the United Kingdom, whose names and addresses are as follows : — Mr. John Dyke, 15, Water Street, Liverpool ; Mr. Thomas Grahame, 40, St. Enoch Square, Gksgow; Mr. John W. Down, Bath Bridge, Bristol ; Mr. H. Merrick, Victoria Chambers, Victoria Street, Belfast ; Mr. T. Connolly, Northumberland House, Dublin. Copies may also be obtained from the steamship agents, who are to be found in every village. *> "j.: ♦1 W ^M^M • '. < I *■ » ■i ' If, r -ii^ <•' ,M ••."■■ ••v> ■H ■ ■ ■■ :'■ ■V,, ;' It 6 2%« Agricultural Itesoureet of Canada. Tn addition to these reports, an oflicial handbook of information \n issued by tho Dominion Governmont, and approved by the Imperial Government, whicii may also bo procured, post free, on application to any of the Government agencioa. It contains particulars of a statistical and general nature about the country, its resources and trade ; tho classes for whicii there is a demand in the Dominion, and which are confidently invited to settle in the country ; the prices of provisions and other necessaries; tho rates of wages that are paid; and a more detailed description of the various provinces than can bo given in tlio space at the disposal of the Tenant Farmers' Delegation. It in regretted that the delegates, except those from Ireland, were not able, owing to the limited time at thoir disposal, to pay a visit to thj Maritime Provincea; but the pamphlet mentioned above, and otherfi that are issued, supply full information in regard to those parta of the Dominion. Tho agents of the Government will be glad to supply any in- formation that may be desired as to the trade, industries, and varied resources of the Dominion ; and persons contemplating settlement in Canada are advised, as a preliminary step, to place thejnselves in oom- munication with the nearest Government agent. In Canada the Government has agents at tho principal points throughout the country. The following is a list :— Q'^*=°*=^ Mr. L. Stak-fokd, Louise Embankment and Point Levis, Quebec. Toronto Mr. J. A. Donaldson, Stwchan Avenue, Toronto, Ontario. ^"*^^^ Mr. W. J. Wills, Wellington Street, Ottowa, Ontario Montreal Mr. J. J. Dalev, Commissioner'a Street, Montreal, Province of Quebec. Shebbrooke Mr Henrt A. Elkins, Sherbrooke, Province of Quebec J*^^"*^'* Mr. R. Macpherson, William Street, Kingston, Ontario ?^"'"^'' Mr. JoHK Smith, Great Western Ry. Station, Hamilton, Ont. I-ON-DON Mr. A. G. Smyth, London, Cntai o. Ha"fax Mr. E. M. Clay, Halifax, Nova Scotia. St- John Mr. S. Gardner, St. John, New BrnnsAvick. Winnipeg Mr. Thomas Bennett, Winnipeg, Manitoba. • Mr. J. E. Tutu, St. Boniface, Manitoba. Brandon Mr. A. J. Bak er, Office at the Railway Station Regina Mr. J. T. Stemshorn. Calgary Mr. F. Z. C. Miquelon. Port Arthur Mr. J. M. McGovern. Victoria, B.C Mr. John Jessop. Vancouver, B.C Mr. Morrison Sutherland. These officers will afford the fullest advice and protection. They should be immediately applied to on arrival. AU complaints should be addressed to them. They will also furnish informnfmr. o„ f^ i„„^o Pre/act, 7 open for sottlempit in thair respective provinces and districts, farms for sale, demand . jr employment, rates of wagca, rOutos of travel, distances, expenses of conveyance, and on all other matters of interest to settlers, and will receive and forward letters and remittanoes for settlers, «&c. The following are the land regulations prevailing in the different provinces of the Dominion : — Prinot Edward Itland.— The available uncultivated and vacant Goverrment land in estimated at about 45,000 acres. These consist of vorest lands of medium qnalit/i the very best having, of conrse, been taken up by the tenants in the first Instance, and their price averages about one dollar per acre. Parties desiring to settle upon them are allowed ten years to pay for their holdings, tlie purchase- money to bear Interest at 5 per cent., and to be payable iu ten annual instalments. JVbi'v Scotia.— ThGTO are now in Nova Scotia about :,wo millions of acres of nngrontcd Government lands, a con9ider«b''> quantity of which is barran and almost totally unfit for cultivation ; but there is some land in blocks of from 200 to 500 acr, 1 of really valuable land, and some of ic the best in the province, and quite accessible, being very near present settlements. The price of Crown lands is $40 (jE8 sterling) per 100 acres. New Brunswick.- Crown lands may be acquired as follows:— (1.) Free grants of lOCi acres, by settiers over 18 years of age, on the condition of improving the land to the extent of £4 in three months ; building a house IG ft. by 20 ft., and cultivating two acres within one year ; and continuous residence and cultivation of 10 acres within three years. (2.) One hundred acres are ^iven to any settler over 18 years of cge who pays £4 in cash, or does work on the public roads, &c., equal to £2 per annum for three years. Within two years a house 16 ft. Ijy 20 ft must be built, and 2 acres of land cleared. Continuous residence for three years from date of entry, and 10 ocres cultivated in that time, is also required. (3.) Single applicitlons may be made for not more than 200 acres of Crown lands without conditions of settlement. These are put up to public auction at an upset price of 4s. 2d. per acre ; purchase -money to be paid at once ; cost of survey to be paid by purch&ser. (^i«6ec.— Loiids purchased from the Government are to be paid for in the following manner :— One-fifth of the purchase money is required to be paid the day of the luile, and the remainder in four equal yearly instalments, bearing intercot at (5 per cant. The price at which the lands are sold is from 20 cents to GO cents per acre (15d. to 2s. S^d. stg.). The purchoser is required to take possession of the land soi'd within six months of the date of the sale, and to occupy it within two years. He must clear, in the course of ten years, ten acres for every hundred held by him, and erect a habitable liouse of the dimensions of at least 16 ft. by 20 ft. The letters patent are issued free of charge. The parts of the Province of Quebec now inviting colonisation are the Lake St. John district ; the valleys of the Sagnenay, St. Maurice, and the Ottawa Rivers; the Eastern Tovnshlpi; the Lower St. Lawence ; and Ga8p6. On«(fritf.— Any head of a family, '.vhether male or female, having children ondcr lii years of oge, can obtain a grant of 200 acres : and a single man over 18 yeara of age, or a married man having no children under lb residing with him, if M« -'r .-!•-(•■!! ' iJi •■ •!■ nu • ••,} 8 The Agrimltural Resources of Canada, :*,■ ir,- I f ft' '' E ■ ; 'i , '¥ ■■*•; ■ * can obtain a grant of 100 ncres. This land is mostly covered with forest, and is Bituato in tlie ncrthem and nortii-wcstcrn parts of the province. Such a person may also purchase an additional 100 acres at 50 cents per acre, cash. The settlement dntics are — t/j have 15 acres on each grant cleared and under crop at the end of the first five years, o." wliich at least 2 acres are to bo cleared annually ; to build a habitaL' ; house, at least 16 feet by 20 feet in size; and to reside on the land at least six months in each year. In the Rainy River district, to the west of Lake Superior, consisting of well-watered uncleared land, free grants are made of 160 acres to a head of a family having children under 18 years of age residing with him (or her); and 120 acres to a single man over 18, or to a married man not having children under 18 residing with him; each person obtaining a free grant to have the privilego of purchasing 40 acres additional, at the rate of one dollar per acre, payable in fear annual instalmonts. Manitoba and North-West Territories.— Free grants of one quarter-section (160 acres) of surveyed agriculture! land may be obtained by any person who is the sole head of a faraily, or by any male who has attained the age of 18 years, on application to the local agent of Dominion lands, and on payment of an office fee of $10. At the time of making entry the homesteader must declare under which of the three following provisions he elects to hold his land, and on making applica- tion for patent must prove that he has fulfilled the conditions named therein :— 1. By making entry and within six months thereafter erecting a habitable house and commencing actual residence upon the land, and continuing to reside upon it for at least six months in each year for the three next succeeding years, and doing reasonable cultivation duties during that period. 2. By making entry for the land, cultivating it for three successive years, so that at the end of that period not less than 40 acres be under cultivation ; residing for at least six months in each year during that time within a radius of two miles of the homestead ; and erecting a house upon the homestead and residing in it for three months next preceding the application for patent. 8. By making entry, and within six months from the date thereof commencing the cultivation of the homestead ; breaking and preparing for crop within the first year not less than five acres ; cropping : ae said five acres, and breaking and preparing for crop not less than 10 acres in addition, and erecting a habitable house thereon before ♦he expiration of the second year, and thereafter residing therein and cultivating the land for at least six months of each of the three years next prior to the date of the application for patent. Persons making entry for homesteads on or after September Ist in any year are allowed until June Ist following to perfect their entries by going into actual residence. The only charge for a homestead of 160 acres is ihe entrance fee of $10. In certain cases forfeited pre-emptions and cancelled homesteads are available for homesteads, but slightly additional fees are demanded from the settlers in each case, and when abandoned pre-emptions are taken up they are req aired to perform specified conditions of settlement. Full information can be obtained from the local agents. In the event of a homesteader desiring to secure his patent within a shorter period than the three or five years, as the case may be, he will be permitted to purchase his homestead at the Government price at tliw time, on famishing proof that he has resided on the land for at least 12 months subsequent to date of entry, and has cultivated 30 acres thereof. The loUowing diagram shows the manner in which the country is surveyed. It represents a township— that is, a tract of land six miles square, containing #-.RI Preface, d 30 sections of one mile square each. These sections are subdivided into quarter- sections of IGO acres each. TOWNSHIP 540 AcRBS. 14 DIAGRAM. ir ...31... ..32... ...83... ...34... ...27... ...35... ...36... •"•Oi ...30...' School ...29... Lands ...28... ...21... H.B. ...26... I«nd8 ...25... W. ...10... ...20... ..22... .. 23... ...24... • _ ] ...13... ...17... ...16... ...15... ...14... ...is... ...1 ... ...6... H.n. ...8... Lands ...9... ...10... Bcliool ...11... Lands ...12... ...5... ...4... ...3... ...2... ...i... '•^■•-" - til =,.■=.1 , A.' Ci The right of pre-emption has ceased to exist, having been altogether discon- tinued after let January, 1890. Information respecting timber, mineral, coal, grazing and hay lands, may be obtained from any of the land agenta Homesteaders in the first year of settle- ment are entitled to free permits to cut a specified quantity of timber for their own use only, upon payment of an office fee of 25 cents. It must be distinctly understood that the land regulations are subject to varia^ tion from time to time. Settlers should take care to obtain from the land agent, when making their entry, an explanation of the actual regulations in force at that time, and the clause of the Act under which the entry is made endorsed upon the receipt, so that no question or difficulty may then or thereafter arise. List of Dominion Land Agents in Manitoba and North- West Territories. Name of .^gent. A. H. Whitcher W. M. Billiard W. G. Fentland ... W. H. Hiara John Flesher W. H. Stevenson... John McTaggart ... C. E. Phipps E. Brokovski Amos Rowe P. v. Gauvreau ... E. G. Kirby T. B. Ferguson ... E. F. Stephenson... ThoB. Anderson C. L. Gouin ... John McTaggart Name of District Winnipeg Little Saskatchewan Birtle Souris Turtle Mountain ... Qu'Appelle Prince Albert .. ... Coteau Battleford Calgary Edmonton Letbbridge Touchwood Winnipeg Edniuutou Calgary . . . Prince Albert Agency. '3 I H a ) a si jl $■ .5 res Post Otflce Address of Agent Winnipeg, Manitoba. Minnedosa, „ Birtle, ,; Brandon, „ Deloraiue, >, Eegina, Assiniboia, N.W.T. Pr. Albert, Saskatchewan, „ Cannington, Assiniboia, ,, Battleford, Saskatchewan, ,, Calgary, Alberta, „ Edmonton, ,, „ Lethbridge, ,. ,', Saltcoats, Assiniboia, „ Winnipeg, Manitoba. Edmonton, Alberta, Calgary, Alberta, Pr Albert, Saskatchewan, ■V^ !- ,4. 'V'' • A .^^r Mi/ ,♦;■■■■ ,» . : '.■• :: !■ '• ' '','■ ' ' I' .1 , *■* *• '.■'• r ; ;■'■> .•l"' % ' w. ..-■j; -,' '■■ ":,- '' *i. : • ''''.{ \ ' ''■'. ' ■■ ■■'-; ■; , ' >■>,■> '■;'. 10 2%« Agricultural Resources of Canada. British Columbia. — In this province any British subject who is tho head of a family, a widow, or a single man over 18 years, may, by paying a fee of 8s. 4d., acquire the right, from the Provincial Government, to not more than 820 acres of Crown lands north and east of the Cascades, and 160 acres elsewhere. The price is 43. 2d. an acre, payable by four annual instalments. The conditions are— (1) personal residence of the settler, or bis family or agent; (2) Iraprovemeuts to he made of the value of 10s. 6d. an acre. Lands from IGO to G40 acres may also be bought at lOs. Gd an acre, without conditions of residence or improvemeuta. The Esquimau and Nanaimo Railway Syndicate have not yet fully orrangeil the terms upon which they will dispose of their unoccupied lands. They own about 1,500,000 acres, but they are much broken up by rock and mountains. The land belonging to the Dominion Government begins near the sea-board, runs through the New Westminster district, and up the Fraser valley to Lytton ; thence it runs up the Thompson River valley, past Kamloops and through Eagle Pass, across the northern part of Kootenay district to the eastern frontier of British Columbia. The country is laid out in townships in the same way as in Manitoba and the North-West Territories. The quarter-sections may be pur- chased at a price now fii - V ' ^ii VIEW OP QUBBBO. T Ian ied at Quebec on the loth of September, having hud a most enjoyable passage out. The majority of our passengers went on to Montreal. After landing, the emigrant will find his interests carefully looked after by the officials of the Dominion Government. Necessary :ii7-- ■••■■ • >•." ■ l--r' •'•J < i.: ■ . \ ^, ■v '> *■ '» ," *■' 'i • \'r'' , J ■;> , " ' • *• _ *• t ■\,y „i ■■ \ <: '■I • * :^:r ■ '■Pa I* ;■' ■ '•".■ >>■■ ■ .■ u- •IV w. » ?-^ 14 The Agricultural Eetources of Canada. arrangements are made for the comfort and protection of female emigrants ; and these remarks apply not only to the port of arrival, but to all places of any importance throughout the Dominion! Wherever the emigrant may direct his, or her, course throughout the broad Dominion, they will find the eye of tlie paternal government upon them, and their interests carefully protected and preserved. I noted with pleasure the sleeping arrangements on the colonists' cars* and it is hard to conceive in what way more could be done to render travelling easy, and, as far as possible, comfortable. It will be interesting to those I represent to have a brief outline of the Dominion, and, for their information, I give a few details here that may aid them in considering what is to follow. The Dominion of Canada includes all the land lying north of the United States, w'th the exception of Alaska, Newfoundland, and part of Labrador. On the north this immense territory is bounded by the Arctic Ocean • rn the east by Baffin's Bay, Davis Strait, Labrador, and the North' Atlantic Ocean; on the south by the United States; and on the west by Alaska and the North Pacific Ocean. The Dominion has c^nn^n^A^^ '^^"'^^^ 3,500,000 square miles, with a population of about 5,000,000. There is ^o State church, and all Christian forms of worship may be said to exist— religious toleration being extended to all, from the churchman to the " heathen Chinee." The government is m the hands of the people— executive authority vested in the Queen, and exercised in her name by a Governor-General, aided by a Privy Council ; and Legislative, vested in the Parliament composed of the Senate and the House of Commons. Each of the Provinces has its own Lieutenant-Governor and a local Parliament. The military system may be described as voluntary. Besides a small Imperial garrison at Halifax, there is an active militia of almost 40,000 strong. The educa- tional system leaves nothing to be desired. There are a large number ot high-class colleges, possessing world-wide reputation; hundreds of private and high schools, and thousands of public and elementary schools. The railway system in Canada is being rapidly developed: hundreds, almost thousands, of miles of railways are being laid down annually. The Atlantic and the Pacific are now united by a band of steel —the Canadian Pacific Bailway, one of the largest undertakings of its kind; a well-managed corporation and the greatest civiliser of the age. In addition to the Canadian Pacific Eailway there are several other extensive railway systems— notably the Grand Trunk of Canada, the Inter-Colonial, and the Manitoba and North- Western Railways, all of which lines are managed in the interests of the community. The postal system together with telegraph and telephone arrangements, has received great attention, and no settlement, however small, can be said to be out of communication with the world. Leaving Quebec, I proceeded to Otta-va, and thence to Toronto, that i might visit the exhibition before proceeding West. I will merely deal with the agricultural exhibition held nt Toronto whiVh contained exhibits from all parts of the Dominion, in this place, as 1 ^•iJl refer to the city of Toronto later on, when speaking of the i'rovince of Ontario. As far as possible throughout this Eeport, I Major Stevenson's Report, 15 confine myself to my notes made on the spot, at the time or immediately afterwards, but, of course, to bring it within reasonable limits, they are much abridged, numerous interesting facts being left out, and only a few typical examples and illustrations being used, to show the development and resources of the several Provinces. I was much pleased with the exhibition; it Was one of the finest I have ever attended, and more extensive than I could have imagined possible. The exhibits of garden and farm produce were excellent and varied ; I saw pumpkins from Manitoba of great size, and fine melons, turnips, potatoes, and mangolds. As for cabbages, I never saw better grown anywhere. The exhibit in grapes, both purple and green, was very fine; and the grain, both threshed and in the ear, were very fine samples. I was somewhat disappointed in the show of horses; nevertheless, they were very serviceable, but the Shorthorns and Polled Angus were a good lot. I have rarely seen finer cattle, and they would do credit to the Mother Country. Sheep and pigs were well up to the mark, and the show of poultry was very creditable. There was a Wild West Show, which attracted no small amount of attention, and added considerably to the variety and entertainment of the exhibition. One of the most striking features of the exhibition was the implement department ; here lightness and strength were admirably combined, and it would not be possible to get together such an exhibit of agricultural machinery in this country. Farm implements of all descriptions are not only better made, but very much lighter and considerably cheaper than in the United Kingdom. In the ladies' department, needlework, embroidery, crewells, and quite a variety of all that pertains to the gentler sex was to be seen ; even the school children were not forgotten, and many of their sketches and memory maps were deserving of great praise. I left the exhibition regretting that I had not more time to bestow upon it, and feeling that perhaps, after all, the Dominion of Car.ada was not far behind us m matters pertaining to material development and the comfort of the human race. Makitoba, formerly the Eed Eiver Settlement, was formed into a distinct Provmce in 1870, and admitted into the Confederation in the same year. It is situated in the centre of the Continent, is bounded on the south by the United States, on the south-east by the Province of Ontario, and on all other sides by the territories of the North- West. It has an area of 60,500 square miles, and a population of over 150,000. Government is administered by a Lieutenant-Governor, assisted by an Executive Council and a Legislative Assembly. As to the educational system, there are a number of high schools, and upwards of 400 elementary schools. Railways are being rapidly developed, and the settlement of the country is progressing in a manner highly satisfactory. The Pro- vince of Manitoba as a rule is flat, or gently undulating, -vith groves of small timber m many places. Water is readily obtainable by sinking wels. The soil of Manitoba is a rich vegetable loam, black in colour and full of orgaLic matter; in some places it is of great depth, and its A- '■■■■■ . •■ . . 'Ill : II .'In ':••! i i ■' f f ■ M .lJ« ♦ i'- > ' -■ iK ' ;*' I!.:,- i I.. ' ■' ?i' ■ 16 The AgncuUural Resources of Canada. wealth of plant food cannot easily be exhausted. On arrival at Winnipeg I experienced the greatest kindness at the hands of a number of representative citizens, all of whom were anxious to do me honor as the representative of old Ireland. I had a lengthened conversation with a gentleman from Scotland, who settled near Winnipeg some three years ago ; he spoke in the highest possible praise of the country. He pursues mixed farming and butter-making. Before coming here he had little or no knowledge of agriculture. This season his wheat and oat crops have been very ti;ie, and he looks for a good return. Winnipeg, a city of only a few years' growth, now the capital of the Province of Manitoba, and with a population of about 30,000 inhabitants, in 1871, but 20 years ago, had only a population of about 100. The city in advantageously situated, and commands the trade of the vast region to the north and west, is lighted with electric lights, has a fine hospital, great flour mills and grain elevators, and many notable public buildings. The principal land offices of the Canadian Pacific Eailway Company are here, as also the chief land offices of several other companies. The Canadian Pacific Railway Company owns the odd-numbered sections in the belt of land extending 24 miles on either side of the track between Winnipeg and the Eocky Mountains. Sectional maps, pamphlets, and all inforpiation respecting these lands can be had from any of the company's agents, free of coat, at all points along the line. On Sunday, the 21st September, I drove out to Mr. Eden's. His residence is situated on the bank of the Assiniboine, and is in all respects a charming English residence, with suitable grounds and tennis courts. The land in the vicinity of Winnipeg is exceedingly rich, and bears heavy crops of grain and roots. On Monday I visited one of the principal publi'i scliools in Winnipeg ; the buildings are very good, the class rooms airy and well-arranged, and the children very neat and intelligent looking. Education is perfectly free, even school books, where necessary, being in many instances supplied free of cost. At the Dominion Land Offices I saw a number of samples of all descriptions of agricultural produce from the several portions of the province. The roots, grain, vegetables, flax seed, and some samples of hops were exceptionally good. I visited the city maVkets and inspected the beef, mutton, poultry, and- vegetables offered there ; all were of good quality and sold at reasonable rates. I went over the premises of Messrs. Gait, wholesale traders ; their establishment is certainly quite a wonder — extensive and complete. I compared pi'ice^ with those at home, and I find that most necessaries of life compare favourably, and many are cheaper. I drove out to Sir Donald Smith's place, " Silver Heights " ; it is very nicely situated, and the land surrounding it is very good. We were shown his herd of West Highland cattle, Herefords, and Buffalo. On our way out we passed some excellent fields of potatoes, and also saw large quantities of good cabbage and beet; celery seems to do particularly well. I waited on His Grace the Eoman Catholic Archbishop for the Province of Manitoba, and had a long conversation with him. He spoke warmly in favor of the province as a field for Irish emigration, and referred to the rapid progress that is being made; and instanced that Major Stcveneon's Iteport. 17 when he first yisitod Winnip(.g it took him 43 days to travel from Quebec, while iL can now bj done in three days, I visited the nunnery and was tttken through the schools, which ar<' certainly very nice and well conducted. I had the pleasure of being introduced to the Mother Superior and several of the Sisters, was taken over the premises, and left much pleased with all 1 saw. When at Winnipeg I had an opportunity accorded me of enjoying a wolf hunt — I may say in passing that the prairie wolf is not a dangerous animal. In Manitoba, as well as in other provinces of the Dominion, there are several packs of hounds ; the sport is excellent, and those who enjoy the hound and saddle can still indulge their taste even on the prairies of Manitoba. In Winnipeg there are tMO breweries, both of which are doing well ; and with the excellent hops which can readily be grown in the southern portion of the province, this industry, I doubt not, will prove capable of great development, and provide a large field for labour in the future. On Saturday, the 1st November, 1890, I drove to Oakdale Tarm, situated 15 miles south ot Winni])eg, on the Mest bank of the Eed lliver. We passed through the French settlement of St. Norbert; the land all the way out is of deep, rich, vegetable loam. The country is interesting, and fairly well timbered. After passing St. Norbert, one gets into a very nice wheat and grazing district, timber, and rolling lands. Here there are thousands of acres available at prices from S4 to S6 per acre, in many cases with houses on the lands. Oakdale Farm contains 400 acres, and is managed on the share system, i.e., the owner finds all capital and the manager works the place; on grain and farm produce they halve the profits, and on stock the manager gets one-third. Mr. Davidson the manager, informed me that grain-growing has been chiefly followed as yet, but that they purpose to pursue mixed farming, for whic^ the lands seem well adapted. This year 140 acres were under grain, 75 of wheat, 45 of oats, and 20 of barley. The yield all round will be good, and no injury was done by frost. Wheat, he calculated, would produce nearly 30 bushels per acre, oats 50, and barley about 35. Roots do very well, and there is a good supply of water all through the neighbourhood. Mr. Davidson moved west from the Province of Ontario, where he farmed previously. He seems well satisfied with results, and both he, his wife, and their children stated that they suffered no inconvenience from the winter cold. Spring ploughing,, he stated, did as well as autumn ploughing. A part of the crop sown last spring had been thrashed when I was there; it graded No. 1 hard, sold for 85 cents per bushei, and he expected it to yield 30 bushels per acre. There is a cheese factory in the neighbourhood which gives satisfaction to the farmers ; it was only recently erected, and it is expected that next year it will develop considerably. I drove to and visited the Jndian Industrial School at St. Paul's. Here I was pleased with all 1 saw ; there are at present 58 children in the school, which is a new institution, about 31 of these being girls, and all are bright, intelligent, and happy looking. There are 380 ac'f^s attached to the school. The boys are educated and receive I deal training in agriculture, gardening, and various trades ; the girls IV. .V^ • '' - ,' ■■ n. ^t: ■■■ ', -v • *.■.>■; I, ';.. 1 •» •J '.''V \ ff f •,•' ♦ /;. ' V :i ..1 .■;i ; «■ .■■■ 1.' If 1?- 1 I! !V'- J- • •■ iV 19 The Agricultural lieaources of Canada. are similarly trained to suitablo avocations. Tne land in thi« district is also of excellent quality, and I was inforiv.d by a lady whose farm I visited, that she had recently been offered SfoO j^er acre. This farm con- tains about KM) acres and has excellent housing on it; it is about five miles from Winnipeg. FABH SCENB, MANITOBA, On Friday, 23rd September, I left Winnipeg for Glenboro', stopping for a short time at the interesting little village of Carman ; this line of I'ail has only recently been laid down, and the village and district is as yet very infantile. Here I saw the formation of a new town which, doubtless, in the near future will become a place of some importance. Carman is the centre of an excellent wheat-growing district and is situated on a little creek called the "Boyne." A few Ptations from Glenboro' we were shown a calf eight months old weighing 950 lbs. ; certainly very practical evidence of what the country can do. Glenboro' is a growing township, and is the centre of a very rich .^rass and wheat district. The town has already made considerable pro^^ress and wears a contented prosperous air. I drove through the district south-west of Glenboro', through Stockton, and on to Pelican Lake, visiting several crofter and other settlements on my way, the land throughout being of prime quality, bearing excellent natural grass, and, where cultivated, heavy crops. IS ear Hilton Station, on the Northern Pacific Eailway, I found some ^i.of^.p|,o from the Island of Harris who came out in the summer of 1888. There are 12 families from that island settled there, and 18 from the Lewis, who are settled on the other side of Pelican » 4 Major Steveruon't lieiwrt. 19 Lake. D(. .J McKonzie, a good hardy specimen of a Harris crofter, Htated : — Eacli family began with one yoke of oxen and one cow with calf. Each head of a family received 160 acres of land. The first Hummer they succeeded in making ready about 8 acres for wheat tho following year. This season they average about 40 acres under crop, and hope for a yield of wheat of about 20 bushels per acre. The McKenzies, of whom there are two families, expressed themselves as more than satisfied with the country, and grateful to tho Government for what had been done for them. They expected to have 70 acr(?s under wheat next year. They have worked together since they came out, assisting one another. Their cattle have done very well, and they expect very soon to have a nice little stock about them. They have pigs and poultry, and are able to sell butter and eggs. They experience no inconvenience from tht^ climate, either in winter or summer, and they would not return to Scotland. They have a very good school for their children, and there is a Presbyterian church near where they can attend service every Sunday. Eoderick McKay stated that he likes the country well. It is grand for potatoes, oats, and wheat. He has a wife and six of a family. He is well pleased with the school system. He has 11 bead of cattle, including his oxen, two pigs, and a lot of poultry. Donald Stewart, from Harris, near Fort Augustus, stated he was in the service of Lord Dunmore. He came out in 1883. Mrs. Stewart says they did not at first like the country a bit : it was so lonely and no neighbours to speak to. She now likes it well. She has four children— two boys and two girls. The girls I saw ; the boys were in the wheatfields at a distance. When asked if they would like to go back to " bonnie Scotland," they replied they liked Canada better. Mrs. Stewart says their hopes for tho future are good. They have this season more than 70 acres under wheat, som<3 potatoes, and a very nice stock. They have eight cows with calf for next spring (six now giving milk). She showed me six very nice calves, fully up to the average in Ireland. She rears pigs and had just sold a litter at fSli each, when a month old. She did not consider the winter so bad, and had not worn more clothes than she did at home. She laughed heartily when she told me that Donald had a spot of frostbite on his nose, but that it in no way injured his capacity. She sold her eggs for 10 cents per dozen, but in autumn and winter got as much as 18 for them ; for butter she got from 12^ to 18 cents per lb. I dug some potatoes in the field and never saw fin*' These cases are typical of the crofters as I found them. I visited a large number, and everywhere heard the same story— prosperity, peace, conte»-*- This I consider very satisfactory, as the crofters, by early trair ' i ack of agricultural experience, are by no means the best calcuk .ake good settlers on prairie farms. Leaving the crofter settlement, > drove across t'ae prairie to Burnett's Lake. Here we halted. The natural grass here is very nutritious ; cattle and horses do remarkably well and are most pro'*^, bearing voung at a »«tr. — 4-l.l« . w - as young as ly^, iiOx-scvs 2f^. In general the water supply is from wells, the water good, and obtained at a depth of from 20 to 50 feet. lY.-c 2. * - r 1. ' * ' ■ '• I lN;.\, <> !(<' ■■v* :t: ■■M ( ",■"■;■ iV Pi'.^H'i " * It I-"', nl', ■- ^i^ 20 T?ie Agricultural Uetourcta of Canada. On tho shores of the Pi-lican Lake I visited the farm of a younj^ Enslishnmn, named Houghton, from near IJirkenheud, Lancashire. }!» told me he had been for a time in Tarr's liank, Warrington, but did not care for office life; he came here iivo years ago, and owns tliree quarter sections or 480 acres. Ho recently bought a farm of two quarter sectioin for his lirother, and is well pleased with the country, although he had some bad luck his first crop being destroyed by a prairie tire, together with his house, barn, and some of his stock; he married about 10 months since, and of course would not change places with anyone. A PRAIRIE SCKN'B. Leaving Glenbcro', I struck across the plains in a north-westerly direction ; here the country is well settled, and as far as the eye could reach there is wheat ! wheat ! ! wheat ! ! ! In some places the wheat had been cut and stood in stooks. ir otlier places it was in stack. Everywhere, however, it gives proofs of tiu- ixoieding ferti'itv of the soil, and the prosperity of the settler. ^^•^■- d-u to Souris by way of Wawanesa; the country throughout is weil adapted for settlement, and a few years hence I have no doubt this district will be foi:nd thickly peopled, having large and prosperous towns and busy manufactories. On the way from Glenboro' to Brandon, I interviewed many farmers with always the same result: I found them prosperous, contented, and happy. Arriving in Brandon I found it a prosperous little city, with a population of 5,000, the capital of the Western district of Manitoba. Brandon is the largest grain market in Manitoba, and the distributing market for an extensive and well-settled country ; the town is beauti- fully situated on high ground, and although only six years old has well laid dov/n streets, and very substantial buildings. There are fine grain elevators, a flour mill, and a powerful saw mill. I was surprised f Major Steventoti't Jtei H. 21 ftt the superiority of the iimchinery in u«o, id noted witti pUasure that most (,f the iimchinery was Cunndiuu-nmde. Brandon, from its geographical Hitiiution, must become a place of very conHider.ihIo i'^por- tance m a few years. I visited t he farm of Mr. Sandiw)n, Hituated near Brandon ; he farms ohout LOOO acres, of which he has l.fWO under crop, lie goes in for grain-growing excluaivelyj ho expects to p'arket this rUttMIIINO AT SANDISON'8 FARM, BRANDON. season about 45,000 bushels of wheat, and 60,000 bushels of oats ; he Jias been in this neighbourhood since 1887, and has been in Canada altogether six yean,. He came from Scotland, and had no capital. 1 faw two steam threshers at work on his farm threshing from the stook, each thresher doing from 1,500 bushels to 2,000 bushels per day. There were a number of hands supplied by the machine, and the cost of threshing was four cents per busiiel. I was informed that he had been offered 70 cents per bushel for his entire wheat crop delivered in Brandon. This he declined, and I have since heard on good authority that he was getting as much as 85 to 90 cents. I visited the Government experimental farm at Brandon. This farm has only been in existence for two years, and under the able management of Mr. Bedford it is surprising what has already been accomplished. The ])rogress reflects the greatest credit on the Government, the management, and all connected with the undertaking. Here I had an ^opportunity of seeing a most interesting exhibition of agricultural produce from the province, and examined the experimental plots. The system pursued by the Department of Agriculture in con- nection vvitu these farms must prcno of immense advantage to the agricultural community in the very near future. After leaving the experimental farm I drove through some of the wheat-growing districts. •r "■■M *^*' ^ ♦. ». *! 1/ ^1 7 I' ■ , * ' ', .h ' 22 TIic Agricultural Beaources of Canada. Amongst other places I visited was the farm of the Eev. Q. Poddie ; this was one of the first settlements in the district, a: d dates back ten years. Mr. Boddie came from jNova Scotia ; his farm is situated at the foot of the Brandon Hills. The lands are undulating and picturesque, being studded with well-timbered bluffs. At Brandon I met a large number of Irish settlers, ail of whom stated that they had done well and liked the country. In the evening I met Mr. Sandison, the large grain producer before referred to, and he informed u}^ in conversation that while six years ago on coming to Canada he was not worth 5 cents, he would not now take 3850,000 for his farm, stock, «&c., and that he might say he was free from debt. 1 saw a verj' nice herd of cattle, about 200, on their way from the I', rth-West to Montreal for shipment; they consisted chiefly of two and three-year-old bullocks, and were for store purposes. In Ireland they would readily fetch at present rates from j611 to ^615 each. From Brandon I proceeded to Bapid City. The district between Brandon and Eapid City is well adapted for mixed farming, and in the vicinity of the latter place sheep should succeed. Here I again met a considerable number of my countrymen, and v/as glad to learn from them that they liked the cpuntry, and were doing well. I visited very interesting flour and woollen mills, which, although not long in existence, are flourishing. The woollen mill already turns out over 1,000 lbs. of woollen yarrs per week. They were engaged putting up power-looms, and expected to have four at work by the beginning of January. They have more orders booked than they can supply for some time to come. Here also all the machinery used was Canadian- made, and the owner of the mills informed me that not only was the machinery as good, but quite as cheap as what could be procured in England. At Rapid City I took the train for Minnedosa, where I spent a short time. This also seems a favourable district for settlement ; the little town is prosperous ; there is a flour mill, but I had no time to visit it. I was called upon by the editor of the local paper, a very warm Irishman. He spoke in the highest terms of the progress being made by the country under the national policy, and hopes one day to see Great Britain and her Colonies fed<:,rtttud on commercial lines, each standing by the other, and the police of the world. I stopped for a short time at Binscarth Station, on the Manitoba and North-Western Eailway. I priced a large number of articles at the store, and consider that the prices compare favorably with those at home — some articles, notably tea and tobacco, being considerably cheaper. I met several young fellows who had homesteaded, some from Ireland, more from Scotland, and all stated that they were satisfied with what they were doing, and that a man had only to work to succeed. Salt- coats is a very interesting township, and, whilst only of a few years existence, has made very considerable progress. The country surrounding this place is particularly well adapted for mixed farming. The natural grasses are excellent, and where the land is rolling there is some timber, which affords shelter for cattle and horses. In the town they have promoted a creamery, which promises to do well, and be of no small i i Major Stevetison's Report. 23 benefit to the settlers in the neighbourhood. I visited a lai'ge number of families in this district, but a few examples must suffice : — Wilson and his wife and family state they have l)een in the country for two years; his start, he said, was poor enough. He landed with 13 of a family, and only 75 cents in his pocket ; he has now 60 acres under crop. I saw seven acres of wheat grown on stubble land without ploughing; this wheat will, I should pay, yield upwards of 30 bushels. He has 20 head of cattle, and is taking eight milch cows from the creamery : he is getting a thoroughbred bull ; he will, he states, have cash when he sells his grain to purchase machinery and develop more quickly; he purposes breeding horses; some of his f imily are in employment, and they help him ; he received a loan from the Manitoba and North-Western Railway Company to start on. Mr. Moore, from the Tweed, N.B., has a very nice place in the prairie about eight miles south of Saltcoats ; has been two years in the country, and has 100 acres under crop (he will have 150 under crop next year). Here I found flowers and ■ agetables in great perfection. He has four sons, and he and his sons each received 160 acres, making in all 800 acres. I saw some excellent turnips ; one I measured was 30 inches in circumference. At one top of potatoes I found 20 excellent tubers, some as large as any I have ever seen. Mr. Moore owns a steam-thrasher — an excellent machine — for which he pays $1,800 ; he has four years allowed him in which to pay for the machine. ICnott, a settler from Norfolk, was a gardener ; he came here two years ago; has only his wife and young children; had no capital; he worked for the railway company the first year, also hauled timber for some other settlers. He has 27 acres under crop this season. He sa} i he has now found his feet, as he has two cows, two oxen, and two pigs ; his wife reared 140 chickens from a stock of ten hens. They are greatly pleased with the country, and are confident of doing very well. Their neighbours, they state, are very kind, and they consider this the finest place that can be for those who have little or no monej^ but who are willing to work. Michael Farrel's farm is situated four miles east-by-south from Saltcoats. He is from the west of Ireland, but came here direct from Northumberland, where he was a herd some three years ago. He and his family were assisted emigrants ; they received a loan from the Manitoba and North- Western Eailway Company, and had to be supported for the first yetir. The family, which consists of the father, six sons, and four daughters, received four homesteads, or 640 acres in all; they will receive more lands as the other sons reach the age of eighteen. They have 30 head of cattle. This season they had 75 acres under crop, and they expect to have much more next year. They showed me a veiy nice Shorthorn bull, for which they paid 60 dollars last year, a good native pony in foal, two yokes of oxen, for one of which they paid $120 and for the other SI 30. They have two waggons, a binder, and a reaper, in addition to other machinery. They told me that they would not take a present of the best farm of 200 acres in Ireland, and go back. They think the country very III r ^ 1; mm '.:m ' I :i'v *: -■■..'I .: ■; «■;, » ^-^ •r . • 1 '* iv4 i^' . > ■; ■^■. J K ! • \': t^' ' I ' < :,»"■■ ' ' >^ '''i « ■ '• ? i ^ ' t^ ' ■ ; _;'i: ,';■ %^ ".:-N *■%■ '• '* , -.♦ ■' ■ ' .> .f •s, ' K-' ■'' • t . ' * •' I'v ■ • 1 It-; ..,'Y ♦ • I ',' 24 T^*? Agricultural Resources of Canada. healthy, nnd stated that no Irishman need dread coming out, as there would be plenty to take him by the hand when he arrived. Mr. G. Bolton represents a totally different class, one of those who was not accustomed to do much at home. I found him hard at work building wheat stacks, a thing he would never have dreamt of doing in the old country. He has already succeeded in making a very nice place. His house is situated on a knoll overlooking a nice little lake. He took me into his house and introduced me to his wife and daughters. The (^Idesfc was educated in Belfast. They like the country well, and told me that they were very happy, and had become quite reconciled to the life, and would not, if they could, cliange it for life under the old conditions. pn returning to Saltcoats I met two Scotch crofters settled in tliis district; they both expressed themselves as highly satisfied with t]i(» country, and told me that they could not be dragged out of their home- steads with ropes. They never knew what comfort Mas before; their wives and families were well satisfied, and there was a glorious field for their children as they grew up. When Tasked them what they thought of the action of some of the crofters who had thrown up their home- steads (of whom there were in all about 18 families), they stated that they believed Ihey had made a mistake they would regret all their lives, that they had heen mislead, and that they were now about to apply to be permitted to return, I may add that all the settlers I met in this neighbourhood \\ith the exception of one, were prosperous, and very well-to-do. The one exce|)tion, on the authority of his neighbours, had but himself to blame for his want of success. This district is rich in lime which makes an excellent cement, and with which it will be possible to erect excellent concrete buildings at a minimum cost. I visited the Barnardo Homes, situated about three miles from Kussell. The buildings are better than I had expected to see; there is altogether some 8,000 acres in the property, part homesteaded, part presented by the Dominion Government, part presented by the Eailway Company, and part purchased. It has been the means of doing much good, and should only one-half of the inmates be reclaimed to a good and useful life, Dr. Barnardo is disserving of all praise. There are at present 60 boys in the home, but there is accommodation for twice that number. They have this year 120 acres under wheat, 100 under oats, and 20 under barley. I saw in the garden, which is partly laid out, and which contains over 20 acres, some exceedingly fine vegetables. There is a fine milk stock on the farm, consisting of over 50 milch cows ; calves are reared, and butter made. I saw some nice store stock on the grass, and there is a nice herd of sheep ; both cattle and sheep do well. The boys are carefully looked after, and seemed bright and intelligent. They are educated, instructed in agriculture, and fitted to make their own way in the world. After remaining a sufRci'^nt time at tho home to become acquainted with methods of husbandry and acquire habits of industry, the boys are hired out to local farmers. From Euesell I proceeded to the Binscarth Stock Farm, which is excellently situated. The heifer calves and the two-year-old heifers were alike good, and in excellent condition. There are also some fine Major Stevenaon^a lieitort. 25 Shropshire Bheop on this farm. Leaving Binscarth, I procorded to Birtle. This is a growing township , now flour mills have just begun work ; these I visited ; they are very coinplet«», as usual, the machinery being all Canadian-made. The capacity of the mills is about 600 bushels per day. I visited the fair, as it is called, or agricultural show. The produce, both garden and farm, was most creditable. Here, as everywhere else, I met numbers of my countrymen and women, all of whom are doing well. At IJirtlo there are a number of good stores and two comfortable hotels. I went for a drive through the surrounding country. The land is good, but not by any means so strong as at Bran- don or Glenboro', iwid mixed farming is more the rule. I next visited Neepawa. Hero I was ishown over new flour mills being erected by a company, of which my informant was the principal shareholder and managei'. He gave me his experiences of the country, stating that when he came to the district 10 years ago he had just i$26 in the world ; that there were then but few settlers ; that lie worked tor a time in a small flour mill until he made sufficiei''t to purchase a yoke of oxen ; then he worked with his team ; rented a little land for cropping ; that he next homesteaded ; then traded in land ; that ho now farms 320 acres, and has another 320 acres ; that the mills are being built at a cost of $15,000, and that the capital of the company is $30,000 for the mills and elevators; that he has ^15,000 in- the undertaking, and would not take S30,000 for what he is worth. I drove out for some 12 miles through tho country, visiting a number of settlers ; tho land is good, and the settlers prosperous. Wheat is the principal crop grown, but the land is well adapted for all general farm produce. Portage-la-Prairie was visited by mo on the 2nd October. It is an interesting town, situated on the Assiniboine Biver, with a population of about 4,000. It is the market town of a rich and populous district, but it is not depending solely on agriculture, for there are numerous youthful but robust industries, flouring mills, grain elevators, a brewery, paper mill, biscuit factory,and others. The lands in the vicinity of Portage are amongst tho richest in the world. I drove with Mr, Baby, a French- Canadian settler from one of the older provinces, to his place, 11 miles from town ; this is almost entirely a wheat-growing country and well settled ; all the people are prosperous and contented. Mr, Bfiby farms extensively, and is making considerable improvements on his farm, Mr. Sanbry, who lives in the town, goes in for wheat raising exten- sively ; he lias 1,280 acres about 12 miles from Portage, and had this season 800 acres imder crop ; he calculates on an average yield of 25 bushels per acre, and estimates that ho will clear, after paying all ex- penses, upwards of .£1,200 sterling. He works about one-half of the land himself, and contracts for the preparation of the remainder; he can have his land ploughed and left ready for the si^ed for $1.75 per acre (7 shillings), and back-set and left ready for from S2.75 to S3.50 per acre (11 to 14 shillings); he considers this cheaper than main- taining an additional number of horses; ho stated that he had been offered 93 cents per bushel for all the wheat he had grown this season, at the elevators. 1- '•>. .; ■■ -!.. 28 Tli^ Agricultural Resources of Canada. The great features of Manitoba are excellent lands, free for homesteading, or at a reasonable price, very moderate taxes — I may say almost none. This province is peculiarly well adapted for young' men with but small (or no) capital, strong hearts, and willing hands, even though they have been reared amidst the comforts of an English home. They must, however, be steady and industrious. Men of the small farmer class, with large families, some of whom have reached years of maturity will, if they have a little capital, and they are ready to take advice from older settlers, do very well here ; they can either home- stead, or, if they desire, purchase a quarter section with a house and stable on it, get to work there, and homestead or purchase for their sons as they reach a proper age. Young men of the agricultural labouring class can easily procure homesteads, and by working out part of their time, and on their homesteads when possible, can readily make themselves independent. About all the towns there is abundance of employment for female labour, and domestic servants receive excellent wages and are well-treated. The winter is long and cold, but owing to the "exceeding dryness of the air," it is not I' wretchedly " cold, but rather *' pleasant and bracing." The winter is enjoyed by all the young people; I had an experience of SS'* below zero (it is only rarely that such a temperature is recorded), but it caused me no inconvenience. ■ . .,-; The Nobth-West Tebuitoiiies. Beyond the Province of Manitoba, nearer the setting sun, extends the region known as the North-West Territories. Much that I have said referring to the soil, climate, and productions of Manitoba, apply equally to the Territories. Out of this vast territory, in 1882, the Dominion Government formed four provisional districts, named : Assiniboia, Saskatchewan, Alberta, and Athabasca. This territory comprises a large portion of British North America, and has a total area of 2,500,000 square miles and upwards, with a population estimated at about 90,000. At Moosomin — the first point on the westward route visited by me in the Territories — I inspected the schools. The children are advanced for their age ; the average attendance is very good, although several of the children come a distance of five miles. I drove out and visited the farm of Mr. Gilliman, who came out from co. Cork, Ireland, in 1883 ; he homesteaded and pre-empted. He has had the experience of six years' crops, and expressed himself as more than well pleased with the country; he pursues mixed farming ; his grain has never been injured by frost, so as to affect the price ; he considers 18 bushels a fair average yield of wheat ; oats yield from 40 to 50 bushels^ and sometimes 60 per acre; he uses all his straw for forage. This year he milked 12 cows, and hopes to milk 18 next season. A cheese factory is being promoted in this neighbourhood on the co-operative principle ; 300 cows have been already entered ; each cow yielding a certain quantity of milk will represent a share. The cheese season will extend from May to Octd)er, Major StivensorCa Report. 27 >■> ■ and it IS hoped that the system will greatly benefit the farmer. Eeferrin"- to the local fairs or shows, Mr. Gilliman said they did much good, not only from an agricultural point of view, but from an industrial stand- point ; at recent shows sevei-al prizes fell to the active and industrious lingers of Mrs. Gilliman for Irish lace and fancy work. He has 31 head of cattle, 10 horses, 30 sheep ; he keeps no pigs ; he prefers Shropshire sheep, but Southdown do equally well on these lands. Mrs. Gilliman stated' that she likes the country well, it is very healthy ; they have five children the pictures of health, and they do not know what it is to be ill. I got several very fine specimens of native flax from the prairie ; the fibre of this flax is rich, but is rather coarse in nature. I have no A FARMHOUSE IN TIIR NORTH WEST TERRITORIKS. [Drawn by Colmul Fane). doubt but that cultivated flax from Eiga, Dutch, or English seed would be productive of fibre of fine quality and large yield. I was given a nest of the golden oriol, made entirely of the fibre from the wild flax, the bird proving, beyond contradiction, the fibre-producing qualities of the soil and climate. Some of the land within a mile or two of the railway in this district, as in some other places in Manitoba and the Territories, is held by speculators. The prices asked are not un- reasonable, but they retard progress, and are at the present time cumberers of the ground. The lands in the vieinitv of JNIoosomin are good and well adapted for mixed farming. Wolseley is a nea* little village in the district of Assiniboia; the land is rolling and level prairie, bearing a good close grass, and is well adapted for mixed farming ; there is an abundance of good hay readily obtain- ,"♦1 rr,-\ / 11 • »,■ t:- \ ■ ..■!i i, ■;■' I . :.^ u* ■ In- ■ - .','■ .r »i i ^" 28 jTAe Agricultural Besources of Canada. able. In this neighbourhood there is a considerable quantity of land for honieateading. The water supply is drawn from wells, and there is a good supply, as a rule, readily obtainable. There is an abundant supply of timber for fuel and fencing purposes. Mixed farming is, as a rule, pursued. Wheat produces from 17 to 35 bushels per acre ; the average this season might be taken as 25 bushels. Much of this season's wheat shows symptoms of frosting. Oats do well, pro- ducing from 40 to 80 bushels per acre. Potatoes are grown for home consumption only, and produce from 300 to 400 bushels per acre. Cattle of all descriptions do well, and contagious disease is unknown. I visited the Fleming settlement. There are a large number of families of this name here. They came direct from Ontario that they might find a greater field for the settlement of their children. They were originally north of Ireland people. James Fleming stated that he came from Ontario in 1881, almost without capital. He homesteaded and pre-empted. He believes this place better than Ontario for mixed farming and cattle raising. Old countrymen, especially English and Scotch, stick too closely to their old ideas. He recommends mixed farming as most profitable. He has now 21 head of horned cattle, six horses, and some pigs. .This season they milked seven cows ; next season they hope to have 11. Cuttle do remarkably well. The winters, while severe, are pleasant, and they would almost as soon have the winter season as the summer. I called on a large number of settlers in this neighbourhood ; Mr. James Fleming is fairly representative of those I saw. All were contented. At Indian Head, I vi«ited the experimental farm, and was iwn every attention by Mr. Mackay. This farm will prove of reat benefit to the agriculturists of the North-West Territories ; tht. \. -incipal is a thoroughly practical man, whose whole heart is devoted to the work in which he is engaged. I visited the celebrated Bell farm. This farm is entirely given up to wlieat-raising; the fields are of immense size — some being four miles in length — the buildings on the farm are very good, the land of excellent quality, and well cultivated. After leaving Major Bell's, I visited what is known as the Brassey Farm. This is a property recently taken up by a Colonisation Company, of which Lord Brassey is chairman. They have acquired some 60 sections, or upwards of 38,000 acres, and considerable preparations are being made for the reception of omigrants. I arrived at Prince Albert on Sunday, 5th October. The town is situated on the bank of the Saskatchewan (or Swift-running Eiver) ; it is a place of some importance, and, considering that until recently it was 260 miles from the nearest rail communication, it is sur- prising that it should have developed as it has done. The town contains about 1,000 inhabitants, and the district about 4,000. In the neighbourhood of Prince Albert there is abundance of good timber. The Saskatchewan is said to be navigable for several hundred miles between Edmonton and Lake Winnipeg, the only break being at Grand Eapids, near its mouth. The country is undulating, bearing excellent grass, well wooded, and adinirably adapted for mixed farming and cattle raising. I have been given to understand that coal and iron exist in abundance in the immediate vicinity ■*■ i 'i' <■ Major Stevenson a lUjJOrt. 20 ef Priuce Albert; the town contains several saw mills, a good flour mill, and, now that it has rail co)umunication, it is I believe destined to go rapidly ahead; there is abundance of good limestone in the neighbourhood, and the subsoil makes excellent bricks. I was shown some roots which were of excellent quality, and one turnip I weighed scaled 18 lbs. I visited the district of Duck Lake, which is about 50 miles south of Prince Albert. The country round this centre i» exceedingly bluffy, full of glens, and bearing close grass well adapted for cattle and sheep ; the district is but thinly settled ; now, however, with railway conimuni-'ation it will fill up rapidly. Eegina, the capital of the North- West Territories, contains a population i)f about 2,800 ; the residence of the Lieutenant-Governor is here, and also the headquarters of the North- West mounted police. The land is of good quality, level prairie, and practically ready for the plough ; the district about Regina does not appear to suffer much from early frosts, and is well-adapted for wheat-growing, mixed farming, and cattle raising. This district is well deserving of the favourable consideration of intending emigrants from Ireland. I visited the agricultural exhibition ; the exhibits were u iformly good, particularly the exhibit of school children's work, maps, writing, &c. ; there was also an exhibit of ladies' needle and fancy work ; in the fine arts section, some of the paintings in oil and water-colours, were very creditable. Between Eegina and Calgary much of the land through which the line runs is of a poor nature, containing alkali : and much of the Mater is, I am informed, saline. iM Medicine Hat I was taken charge of by a north of Ireland man, and visited the agricultural exhibition. There was a very creditable show of roots and vegetables. The first prize cabbage weighed 28 lbs., and measured 5 feet in circumference. I saw a very nice, sample of hops. There are several coal mines in the vicinity, and the river is navigable for steamboats. Natural gas is also found in this region. Calgary has a population of 3,500 ; it is the most important town batween Brandon and Vancouver. It is charmingly situated on a hill- girt plateau, overlooked by the Eockies. It is the centre of trade of the great ranching country, and the chief source of supply for the mining districts in the mountains beyond. The town is well-built, and has a very substantial air. I drove out on the McLeod trail, and from the table-lands I got a magnificent view, — Calgary in the foreground, and the snow-clad peaks of the Eockies in the distance. The country is rolling, and covered with a close, rich pasture. On what is known as the Old Government Farm I saw a number of fine cattle. In returning, I followed the Eish Creek trail until it struck the McLeod trail. I had an opportunity of visiting the first woollen mills established in the district, and I procured sone very creditable samples of the goods produced. I visited what is known as High Eiver Horse Eanch, situated some 42 _,:!.,„ --.^fi- „c r^^^ c\-. i-L.'- 1, i.1. uv havu ubuut 900 nurses: 225 mares foaled ; they lost ten foals and three mares from various causes ; four stud horses are kept (they usually keep five), but one died last autumn. This ranche seems well-udapted for the raising of horses, no ", and a like amount was provided by the city and corporation. They make some twenty varieties of tweeds, and four or live of flannels and blankets. All their output is as yet taken by one firm. I visited what is known as the Delta, situated a little way down the river. Here we saw magnificent land. The value of this land, which is chiefly either farmed or held by speculators, is high, from $100 to $200 per acre being asked. All fruits do well here, growing to a great size and yielding enormous crops. I drove from New Westminster to Vancouver. The road passed through the primeval forest; as usual, I aw traces of great forest fires, and thp \veird and blackened skeletons of giant trees stood naked and grand am: . fresh young verdure. Vancouver, the terminus of the Canadian Pacific Eailway, contains a population of between 15,000 and 16,000. Until 1886 its site was covered with a dense forest. From May to July of that year its progress was most rapid, but in July a fire spreading from the surrounding forest swept away every house but one in the place. The situation is perfect as regards picturesqueness, natural drainage, harbour facilities, and commercial advantages. There are extensive wharves, warehouses, numerous hotels, churches, schools, &c. Many of its buildings are of cut stone, brick, and granite, and some of its private residences would do credit to a city of a century's growth. The streets are well-laid. There is an excellent water supply. Eegular steamship services ply to and from China and Japan, 8an Francisco, Yokohama, and Hong Kong, iind many other important places. A^'ancouver holds the point of vantage on the route to the East via the West, and is destined to occupy an important position in the future. The country south towards the Fraser has fine farms and is splendidly adapted for fruit-growing ; trout and salmon abound, and the deep-sea fishing resources are illimitable. The timber in the Stanley Park gives one an idea of what the soil and climate, "given time," can pro- duce. I measured one tree, a Douglas pine, which girthed almost 60 feet. The park is well laid out and possesses many natural advantages which, when utilised, will make it one of the finest pleasure grounds in the world. Vancouver is lighted with electric light, and possesses an electric street car system. There is a large demaiid for male and luinaic labour at a very high rate of remunera- tion. At present almost all unskilled labour and domestic work is performed by Chinamen. I proceeded from Vancouver to Nanaimo. This is a mining ^: \\ ■■ i>i I 32 The Agricultural Jiesourcca of Canada. if- town wearing a prosperous a, I visited tho minoM and descended a sha; 630 feet deep. The output of coal from tho three inim^H worked by the company is from 1,500 to 2,000 tons ])er day. The condition of the miners is good ; white miners earn from i$70 to $150 per month, and Chinamen SI. 25 per day. Not many Chinamen are employed in the mines The majority of the miners own their own liou8e.9. r.'-i !lV I .... U'l CTTY OF VICTORIA. Victoria, the capital of British Columbia, contains a population of some 20,000, and is charmingly situated at the southern extremity of Vancouver Island. It looks westward, towards the Pacific. The climate may be said to be that of the south of England " improved," and the town is English in its characteristics. Besides the Governmeuo offices, the city has many fine public and private buildings, among them, a large and well-appointed opera house. The city has many large commercial houses. A railway extends 70 miles north-easterly to Nanaimo. Steamships depart every few days for San Erancisco, where connections are made for the Sandwich Islands, Australia, Southern California, and other places. The city is well-built, w^ell-lighted — perhaps, the best lighted city in the Dominion — and has an electric tram service. I drove out in a northerly direction, about 12 miles, to a place called Newton Hill. The country through which I drove was very beautiful, with splendid timber, and here and there a little clearing and a farm house. There are fruit gardens attached to each house, and the crop of fruit and vegetables raised is marvellous. Some pheasants have been turned loose in these woods, and are increasing rapidly. I next visited the district of Chilliwhack, on the Eraser Kiver. Here I was surprised at the extent of available land for agriculture. These lands, as well as all the low level lands 1 descended hrce inin^H daj. Tho 870 to S150 linatiK'ii aro 1 their own opulation of extremity of The climate ed," and the meiio offices, ihem, a large commercial Nanaimo. connections lifornia, and ps, the best ram service, to a place ve was very clearing and 1 house, and ne pheasants iing rapidly. I'aser Kiver. J land for level lands Major Slevmson'a Ttfiport. 33 on either bank of the Fra^cr, are of excellent quality, and uill produce crop, ot a hnost any description. At this place 1 saw an admirable exh.b.t ot fruit, especially apples and peiches. 1 dro e rom there to Popcum a distance of 14 miles, chiefly through a low-lymg flat marshy district; tho land is wet but rich, and when drained will b^-come niost valuable. From Popcum I crossed til Agassiz, where I visited the Government Experimental Farm This W np"'r- .^f.'l^''^^^ «?"^« threo yt-ars ago ; it is situal d at the foot ot high hils, by which It is almost surrounded ^ho soil i. varied, and It IS well adapted to fulfil the objects for which .i... ed 1 ho Province of British Columbia offers many . rntages to f^o-e desirous to seek a new country. The capitalist can fii. ^^e sco. for safe and remunerative investment, yi.dding a largo return, and the ninu- acturer an ample field for las ability, and a local marl-t. And the labourer will readily find employment at wages which, if he lives prudently will, in a tew years, ensure independence. Unless possessed of considemble capital it is not the ,)lace for the agriculturist, as lands arerelatively dear; a farm might, however, bo rented at a r^ascnabW rate, or worked on the share system. OjNTARIO has an area of about 182,000 square miles, and a population exceeding 2,000,000. This province is rich in igrictdtural land' S excellent quality, has an abundant supply of timber, and vast mineral resources. In the southern districts, near Lake Ifuron, are the famous Oil bprings, from which petroleum is obtained in immense quantities. Its rivers and lakes are vyell supplied with fish and it. forests wit h game. nM^Kno^o if-'^' "V^.^ l^'-ovincial Government, has a popuhition ot Ibi^OOO. It 13 a city that any country might well be i)roud of. Jt IS groNving very rapidly both in wealth and manufactures. Jt is beauti- iully situated on J^ke Ontario, which affords it water cimimunication with the other great lakes westward, and with the St. Lawrence Kiver eastw-ard ho city has an unusual number of imposing public and private buiJdings. Its people are nearly all British, of English, Irish, or bcotch descent. I visited numerous agricultural centres in the province, all of which I found prosperous and interesting. Good agricultural lands in most places, may be puirliasod at from «40 to */0 per acre ; those in exceptionally favoured districts command as high a price as S80 to SHOO ; and stocked fruit lands are very valuable. Ihese prices include farm buildings, which, as a rule, are comfortable and serviceable Taxation, as everywhere throughout the Dominion, is very light ; and numerous farmers, borne down by rents and taxes in Lngland, Ireland, and Scotland, would find things much easier in Ontario ; but capital is needed. I visited the Agricultural College at Giielph. The buildings are excellent, and well-adapted to the requirRmPnts of f h« ^^tabP'-hm^nt • the young agricuiturii,t is taught practical an~d theoretical 'farming In the farm there are some 550 acres ; there are 85 students, the great majority of whom belong to the Province of Ontario ; sevcwil flr6 from othef Jjrotinces df the Dominion, ftnd Mm 13 fwm thfe dd ffoflttfty. 1?.— i) i-^: ■il If P,. 'V ^ <-\ ifi' ¥ U4 The AfjricuUural lit'noui'CCM of Vanada. Tlio estubliHhinont is luuiiituiiicd by tho JVovincial Oovornin<»nt ; ^20 aro charged eiicli utiulont I'roin Ontario for fet'«, and a niodtTulo Biini for board ; flSlOO for thoHo from other provinces or the old country. Agrit'ulturul land in the neighbourhood of Guelph sells for from !S50 to SHO per HCf«^ and can be rented for from *2 to S5; this of course including houses and buildings. The country in tho vicinity of Guelph is picturesque, undulating, and well wooded. There aro a large number of Irish settlers in tho Guelph district, and all spoke in tho highest terms of tho locality. I visited Brantford and drove through tho district, going round by Cookstown and thenco to (luilford ; this is a l)enutiful district and well adapted for old country people |)osHe8sed of capital ; luud, with good houses and stables, sells for from !S50 to «100 per acre. I visited Grimsby, which is a fruit-growing centre; grapes, apples, peaches, pears, plums, and small fruit aro grown. Strawberries are very productive, yielding from 2,000 to 3,000 quarts per acre. The principal grape grown is the Concord ; Niagaras are also largely grown ; these varieties produce large crops, from three to six tons pe acre. Wine is made, but not in any considerable quantity ; it is, however, likely to develop into an important industry. I visited Niagara, and was much impressed by the grandeur of the falls. Fruit is largely grown in this district also. A company for the produc- tion of wino hivS recently been ])romoted here. I was informed by one ot the shareholders thnt in one day, within a radius of five miles, 800 tons of grapes were purchased, sufficient for the season's manufacture; they look for an output of from 80,000 to 100,000 gallons per season. The wine is of excellent quality, a^rd it can be sold at from 80 cents to $1 per gallon wholesale. Ottawa, the capital of the Dominion, is most picturesquely situated at the junction of the Rideau and the Ottawa rivers. Tiie Chaudiere Tails, which interrupt the navigation of the Ottawa liiver, afford water power for a number of saw-mills and other )nanufactories. The city stands on high ground, overlooking a Midc valley, and contains the stately Government Buildings, and many other tine buildings, both public and private. Ottawa has a population of about 40,000. 1 visited tlie works of Messrs. Eddy & Co., which, while situated in Hull, on the Quebec side of the Ottawa Eiver, may be said to bo in the suburbs of Ottawa. They are lumber merchants, match manufacturers, puln makers, and manufacturers of sashes, tubs, buckets, &c. Then- works are most extensive, and during the summer months gjive employment to upwards of 4,000 hands. I visited the experi- mental farm ; tliere I met Professor Saunders, and ^\as greatly interested in all he told me about the farm and the system pursued there. This farm was purchased in 1886 by the Govern- ment, .'^'1 in the spring of 1887 operations began; it consisted of a number of small lots, some of which were partially cleared, others not at all. There are 460 acres in the farm, all of which is now brought undt r cultivation. The farm is well adapted for experimental purposes, containing as it does A variety of soils. The bjiildingis arie excjf^lleUt dX>A, thfe experimental plots are well arrarfgefl. The system "' of Major ^tevetHoai Hci>n with the several varieties ot grasses is very interesting and will nrove of great benefit in securing the grasses best adapted to the varied climate -^nd soils of the Dominion Men to ^york and develop the agricultural and mineral resources ai-e tho kind of immigrants wanted in Ontario. Agriculturisfs, from tho fact that agriculture is tho leading industry, stand in tho first place. Hut as well as wanting m m to clear the forest and reclaim the soil, there are always openings for really good mechanics and skilled artisans. Ontario is a manufacturing country: tho leading industries are implement manufactories, cotton factories, woollen factories, and indeed e>^ry branch of industry that goes to make a country self - ?Tn> ; The rate of wages is much higher than can be had in the united Kingdom, and the cost of living is very little greater. The Pbovince of Qlelec ^''i'oo nnr* ^l ^-^f V? 'T^'^c f ^^"^' ""^ ** population of about 1,500,000. The inhabitants of the British Islands and France will it «n?l nf T' '' \* ^°T f^^'^' ^°*^^ languages being spoken. Ihe soil of a large portion of this great province is very fertile, and capable of producing almost any crop which can be grown in the temperate zone. Tomatoes grow in profusion and ripen, as do also many varieties of grapes. It is rich in minerals-gold, silver, copper, iron plumbago, &c.~and has immense deposits of phosphate of lime. Its fisheries are of immense extent. I visited the Buckingham district, near Ottawa, and proceeded up the LievreEiver by boat to the phosphate mines. I was much surprised at the wealth of phosphate, mica, and plumbago in this district, as shown by the mines already developed Here will be found a huge and profitable field for both capital and labour.' u ^u o^ T ' ^^"^ "^^'"^^ ""^^y ""^ Canada, is situated on an island formed by the St. Lawrence and Ottawa Eivers, and on the site of an ancient Indian village called Hochelaga. Dao city has a far-reaching trade and great manufacturing establishments, has fine wharves, warehouses and grain elevators, public buildings, handsome residences, and good hotels. I visited the Canadian Eubber Companrs works ; f l/nn^^ upwards of 800 hands employed, earning weekly from «5,000 to «6,000, with a daily output if from 8,000 to y,WU It jber shoes; in addition to their shoe trarlp. hoUmrr l.n«o and many other things are made. I visited and inquired into a large number of industries in Montreal and neighbourhood- paper-making, iron rolling, cotton manufactories, boot and shoe lactones, flour milling, sugar refining, silk manufactory, re^dy-inade IV.—D 2 • ; m « ^-■■'■ l^'. ''','';' ' ^.,' ',■ ■■:' ».: N< 86 The A(j)-mdlnrctl Resources of Canada. clothing, &c., &c., and found that all wore in a satisfactory state. There is a good demand for labor at fair wages. I cannot pass from Montreal without saying a word n pecting the admirable fire brigade the city possesses. Through the kindness of Colonel Stevenson I had an opportunity accorded me of inspecting the brigade. On an alarm being gi.en, tho horses were hitched-up, the engine, fire-escape, and waggons in the street in eight seconds, and within seven minutes from the alarm being given, the engine, hose, fire-escape, and detachment were in action on a Baptist Church, a quarter of a mile distant. I inspected the abbatoirs, stock-yards, stabling arrangements, and meat- packing works of the Union Abattoir Company. I found all the arrangements in detail admirable ; and I was surprised to hear of the growth of the cattle trade. There passed through tlie stock-yards of this company for export during the past season, I was informed by Mr. Acer, 134,000 cattle and 60,0()0 sheep. Ten yoars ago this trade was almost unknown. During the past year tiiere also passed through the stables of the company upwards of 10,000 horses. 1 had an interesting conversation with Mr. ITart, who is engaged in tlio export of apples, lie infoi inc^d ma tliat his people usually ship from 30,000 to 50,000 barrels of apples to the United Kingdom. Ho spoke of the Merchandise Marks Act (English) as being highly approved of by both growers and shippers in Canada. 1 visited Slierbronke, and was much pleased A\ith the cou.i^y between it and Montreal, as well as in the neighbourhood of Sherbrooke. This town possesses great water-pcwer, which is utilised to drive numerous factories. I cannot pass witliout referring to one — a wooHon niauufactory— the Paton Maniii'uctuiing Company. They run 22 sets of cards, make tweeds of all sorts, and general clothing, shawls, rugs, &c., &c. "When fully occupied, the Company employs from 550 to 60U hands. Their output is \alued at from SGOO,000 to Major Stevenson 8 Report, 37 ictoiy state, ot pass from 3 fire brigade renson I had 3n an alarm -escape, and linutes from detaclimeiit nile distant. s, and meat- iind all the hear of the oclf-yards of informed by is;o this trade issed through , 1 had an aged in the illy ship from ingdom. Ho being highly 1. 1 visited tween it and rooke. This •ive numerous — a woollen rhey run 22 thing, shawls, ■uiploys from SGOO.OOO to iB700,000 per annum, and the wages paid amount to iSl 30,000 to S140,000 a year. This Company also owns the Quebec Worsted Company's works, and there employs 200 hands. 1 visited sevei-al farms in the vicinity of Sherbrooke ; the land is good and well cul- tivated, and the farmers successful. From Sherbrooke I proceeded to Cookshire; the village is very nicely situated, and the lands are of excellent quality; the country is rolling, well-wooded, and weil- watered, resembling many places in England and Ireland. I saw some very fine polled Angus cattle on the farm of Mr. Pope, M.P. Land can be purchased on very reasonable terms, from $20 to SJ30 per acre, with buildings. This applies to the whole of the eastern townships. I drove from Cookshiro* to Compton ; the country along the route is very nice, the farm-houses good, and the lands well cultivated. At Compton, Mr. Cochrane has a beautiful place. The jiedigree cattle have a reputation extending far beyond the limits of Canada. Tliere are 100 polled Angus, Go Hei'efords, and 60 horses. Certainly a visit to Canada would be incomplete without seeing this farm. Mr. Cochrane justly deserves the title of the "Pioneei- stock-raiser of the Dominion." I visited the farm of Mr. V\n-non : he has exceedingly nice buildings, and very good stock, and although a young hand at cattle raising, he has succeeded in getting ae much as So,000 for a Hereford bull. Quebec : This old city occupies the base and summit of a lofty craig, projecting into the St. Lawrence. It has a population of 65,000. A^ the settlement grew and the fortifications were enlarged, Quebec became the stronghold of Canada, remaining so until captured by Wolfe in 1759. No city in America is so grandly situated. Enormous quantities of lumber are annually shipped from this port. The lower valley of the St. Lawrence, and the northern lumbering regions draw their merchandise from this centre. The town is rich in churches, con- vents, schools, business blocks, and hotels. The transatlantic steamers of the Allan and Dominion lines call here in summer, and local steanuM-s leave daily for the Lower St. Lawrence. Quebec has a number of thriving industries, several of which I visited. The boot and shoe trade furnishes a considerable amount of employment ; so do the tanneries. I visited the engine, machine, and general iron foundry of Messrs Carrier, Laine, & Co., Point Levis; I found .^00 hands employed, and tha weekly wages amounted to 881,200. The pig iron used in these works is Canadian, chiefly Nova Scotian, and is of excellent quality. 1 visited the graving dock and ship repairing yard ; there I found 100 hands employed. I drove down to Montmorency ; this district is thickly peopled, the land of good quality and well cultivated. In the cotton manufactory at the falls 1 found some 300 hands employed. Kjiw EiiuxswicK has an area of 27,174 square miles, and a population of about 340,000. It is possessed of an excellent climate difl-\?rent from that of Great Eritain in two respects, the one is much drier, and tlie range of the tlierniometer much gi'eatcr. Tlier(» is acon-^ich^rable differ- ence between the climate on the co^st of the Viwy of Kundv and that of I '•'. 4'' '. I* '. B ^':-** f:-i-! U ■■'■ ■J*. K ■ • ll\ ' U ■■ :-:) .■ :■ 88 The Ac/ricnltnral Resources of Canada. the interior, the former being milder and less subject to the extremes of heat and cold. New Brunswick is possessed of great agricultural resources ; valuable fishing interests give employment to a large number of men ; and there are also considerable manufacturing interests. Owing to cheap coal and proximity to the markets of the world, it has many advantages as a manufacturing country. Its manufactories are constantly being added to, and increasing as the field for their products becomes wider. Sfc, John may be designated a new city, having been built since 1877, in which year the old St. John was destroyed by fire. This is a busy modern centre; a maritime city with a good harbour and fine wharves. It contains a population of about 40,000, and there are the names of 5,000 children on the public school books. Education is on the national system, purely unsectarian. The school buildings are large and airy. Education free. The system is found to work well, and gives great satisfaction. I visited several of the schools in the Province, and was much pleased with all I saw. I visited cotton mills", sash and door manufactories, and a large railway rolling stock constructing ostablishment. Here a fully equipped railway train, including locomotive and snow plough, 'an be turned out. There are 300 hands employed in the rolling mills, foundries, car, and other workshops of this com- pany. As many as 800 cars are turned out annually in St. John. I found a considerable number of Irish friends — first a senator, who hails from within a few miles of my own place, next a Doherty, foreman in the foundry referred to, from Malen, Co. Donegal. The Irish settler wlio may go to New Brunswick will find himself surrounded by old country associations. Eredericton, the capital of the province, sometimes called " the Celestial City," has a population of about 10,000 ; it is situated on the St. John Eiver, and surrounded by a beautiful country of excellent land, well wooded and watered. I visited the village of Marysville and the cotton and timber mills there, the property of Mr. Gibson, whose people originally came from near Belfast. In the cotton mills there are 500 hands employed. These mills have been only some six years in existence. The buildings are of an extent to permit an enormous development of tlie industry. In connection with his lumber trade, Mr. Gibson employs upwards of 1,500 hands, thus having in his employment over 2,000 men and women. The premises are lighted by electricity throughout ; the employees comfortable and contented, and the female hands in the cotton mills particularly bright, healthy, and contented looking. In the village a church has been erected by the proprietor ; it contains an excellent organ, and the pastor and organist are maintained by Mr. Gibson, not as much as a collection being taken up in the church. I visited the Government Buildings, tlie Normal Schools, and the Gov eniment Stock Farm. A great deal of atten- tion has been paid, both by the Government and by private breeders, to the improvement of horses in the province ; this has been attended with good results, and the horses of New Brunswick will compare fuvonibly with those of any country. I cannot, however, say the same with regard to tlie horned cattle of the province, in which there is room for imj)rovemeut. Major Steven fion^ 8 Tieport. 39 he extremes agricultural irge number ists. Owincr it has mauy e constantly cts becomes L built since This is a ur and fine lere are the ation is on igs are large k well, and le Province, If, sash and onstructing f locomotive is emploj-ed f this com- t. John. I p, who hails foreman in Irish settler ;ded by old sailed "the ated on the if excellent rysville and )son, whose mills there le six years I enormous iber trade, ing in his i lighted by tented, and t, healthy, erected by pastor and I collection ildings, the al of atten- )reeders, to ended with e iuvombly same with re is roo:n From Eredericton I proceeded to Woodstock ; the laud along the railway and on the banks of the St. John Eiver is, where cleared, of good quality and fertile; there is a considerable extent of timber land. The country in the vicinity of "Woodstock is undulating and nicely wooded, the houses and farm buildings substantial, and the condition of the people prosperous and contented. Woodstock contains a popu- lation of about 4,U00, and has several industries. I visited the foundry and machine manufactory of a Mr. Connell ; 50 hands were employed, and almost everything from a steam engine down to a garden rake made. I drove into the agricultural districts surrounding the town. From Woodstock I proceeded to Kent, on the St. John Eiver, a prosperous and exceedingly picturesque village—the country rolling, wooded, and intersected by the Chickatyhock Eiver, which is said to be a good trout stream. I drove out about eight miles to the village of Glasville ; the road is through a charming country, wooded — the timber being chiefly spruce and maple, with a variety of hard woods. At Glasville I found an interesting Scotch settlement, some 29 years in existence. About 50 families came out originally — there are now in the settlement about 160 families, and a population of 1,500. From Glasville I drove to Johnville, another prosperous settlement. While Glasville is Scotch and Presbyterian, and was settled by a Presbyterian minister, Johnville is Irish, Eoman Catholic, and was settled by a Catholic father. The settlements date from about the same time, and about the same number of families settled in each. Johnvil, ; has now about 165 families and 1,600 inhabitants. New Brunswick offers many advantages to the immigrant : it is easy of access ; lands are good and cheap ; there is an abundant field for labour ; life there can be lived much under old country conditions ; and there is a wide field for the settlement of a family as they come for\\'ard. Nova Scotia is a peninsula ; it is connected on the north-west with New Brunswick by an isthmus some 14 miles across, and separated from Prince Edward Island on the north by Northumberland Strait. It con- tains some 21,000 square miles, and has a population of about 460,000. There is no finer scenery to be found on the continent of America than in many parts of Nova Scotia. The climate of the province is well suited to the European constitution, and the temperature is more equable than in any other portion of the Dominion save British Columbia. The climate varies in difl^erent parts of the country. In Annapolis Valley, the spring opens about two or three weeks earlier than in Halifax, and the weather is drier, clearer, and more exempt from fog. The soil in many of the agricultural districts is very rich, and the fruit pro- duced from the orchards of Annapolis and other districts brings the highest prices in the British markets ; the live stock in the province is good and siiows that attention has been bestowed on this irnportant department of agriculture. The fisheries of Nova Scotia are celebrated. It is perhaps in minerals that this province excels — the mineral resources of Nova Scotia have but to be developed to make it one of the ■•••. ! .-■ .1 • :'■-■' !*'■ r*( .■■''■'■ ff- 40 The Ayrloidiural Resources of Canada. wealthiest portions of the world. The resources in connection with manufactures are very groat: unlimited water-power, inexhaustible supplies of coal and iron, and an advantageous geographical situation ; as a consequence there are numerous prosperous manufactories. Great tracts of forest land exist in the province, producing millions of feet of pine, spruce, hemlock, fir, &c. Tiiis province is a sports- man's paradise; there is excellent hunting, shooting, and fishing, in every county. Nova Scotia owns more shipping, in proportion to population, than any other country, and her vessels are to be found all over the world. The exports consist of fish, coal and other minerals, lumber, and general produce. The first point in the province 1 visited was Amherst ; this town has a population of some 7,000, and possesses several industries. A boot and shoo factory gives employment to soiye 200 hands, and there is a large iron foundry, and several minor industries. The town is very prosperous looking. ^Mixed farming is pursued by the agriculturists iu the neighbourhood, and a great quantity of hay is grown on what are called the marsh lands. These lands are not vvhat would be undersiood as marsh lands with us ; they are lands of very superior quality — do'ep river deposit land-almost inexhaustible in plant-food producing properties, and resemt)ling our best slob or fen lands. I visited the new ship railway, and was taken over it by ]Mr. Ketchum, tlie engineer. The works are well forward, and it is calculated that the line will he opened before the autumn of 1891. The Agricultural Experimental Farm at Nappan contains 800 acres, 200 of which are arable, tlie remainder under timber. The farm was purchased by the Govern- ment in 1887. The buildings erected by the Government are very good; the soil is of several varieties, and well adapted for the purpose required. I was shown fine samples of grain, and 1 believe this farm will prove of gi-eat benefit to the inhabitants of the province. Halifax, the capital and seat of government, is situated on a bay. The city is beautifuly laid out, the streets running at right angles. Tlie Provincial Parliament Buildings, the Post Office, and Custom House are fine structures. The city is the seat of Dalhousie College. There are numerous shops, and prices are very reasonable. I visited the Government Buildings, the Municipal Buildings, the High Schools, the Dalhousie College, a sugar refinery, and a number of other in- teresting places and industries. The dried and pickled fish trade has doveloped to great dimensions. I visited Wolfville, and was there entertained by the King's County Agricultural Society, established more than 100 years ago, \ had tha honour of being their guest at their 101st anniversary dinner. I drove through fruit-growing regions of the Annapolis and the Gas- pereaux Valleys. Between Halifax and Truro the land seems good, and judging from the dwelling houses and farm steadings, the people are well- off. Truro has a population of about 6,500, and has some 18 or 14 industries, conspicuous among which are a milk-condensing establish- ment and a hat manufactory. I visited the Normal Schools at Truro, and inspected the system of training pursued. I drove out to the agricultuml sghool, ^vhicb is being promoted b^ the Proviuci^l Goveru' Major Sievensf.na Jle^wri., 41 lection with Qexhaustible al situation ; ies. iing millions is a sports- l fishing, in oportion to be found all ler minerals, i ; this town lustries. A Is, and there town is very Guitarists in on what are ! nndersiood lality — deep L producing visited the lie engineer, line will be Ixperimental arable, tlie he Govern- e very good ; )se required. a will prove ed on a bay. angles. TIk^ 3tom House ege. There visited the gh Schools, of other in- 3h trade has the King's 3ars ago. I. sary dinner, id the Gas- fis good, and plo are well- le Iti or 14 ig establish- dIs at Truro, out to the ih\ Goveru' ment, and which is calculated to be of immense service in the practical training of agriculturists. The land in the vicinity of Truro is of exceptionally good quality, and commands reasonable prices. *l.v---i.f i- ■ - ,, ?4- ■ ■ !■* 4ii^^«Kflrft-Ti,- •iKE---,^-4^ ■•*--■ -^ CITY OF HALIFAX. In Nova Scotia there is a lurge field for inmiigratiou. . There are always large numbers of desirable I'arins for sale at prices from ^£200 to £1,000, so that persons with a little capital are sure to find openings. Lands may, in many places, be had to rent ; and then, uncleared lands are readily obtainable. There is a good demand for labor, and poverty does not exist. Pbince Euwaud Island is the smallest and the most densely peopled of the Provinces of the Dominion, with an area of 2,133 square miles. It has a population of about 112,000. Aa seen from the water the appear- ance of the island is exceedingly prepossessing ; on approaching the coast, the country affords a charming picture of well-cultivated and wooded land. The general surface of the island is level, but in some places it rises to a height of nearly 500 feet above tha level of the sea. The scenery is very English ; and prosperous homesteads are scattered all over the country. The climate is very healthy; the cold is more severe and lasts for a longer time than in England, but the atmosphere is dry and salubrious, and the summer is of such bi'ightness and beauty as to amply compensate for the winter. ( ■tiiirlnttetou n, the seat of Govern m.ent, is pleasantlv situated unon id, and contains about 13,000 inhabitants. It is 'I7> t)' a point ot 1 \\ell laid out in wide and well-built streets. The harbour is large, deep, and convenient. Agriculture and fishing may be said to be the etu))le industries of the island. Mixed farming is pursued. The farm :•'/ U 'I' "Wf • f-S .' r' I ''A 42 buildi T7ie AfiricMltiiml Rtsources of Canada, good, id the farms contain from 100 to 1,000 acres. The soil is rich and very productive; and the cattle and horses, judging from those I saw, are particularly good ; the dressed mutton and beef I saw in the market could not be surpassed. Lobsters are taken in large quantities and canned, and mackerel and herrings are cured for export. I visited a farm, the property of Mr. Blake, M.P.P., and saw some excellent cattle. One heifer, a Shortiiorn^ four years old, fully sixteen hands high, and weighing ^•'^'^ /'' !' ^ ^^^^ visited the Government Stock Farm, whei'e great car.) \i * stowed upon the improvement of horned stock by the Rutlu ;s. The system pursued is admirable, and the results are readily seen on looking at the class of stock possessed by the islanders. Island horses are justly celebrated. I do not care so much for the American trotting variety recently introduced; nor do I think they ever will be a horse for export to Europe. Land on the island can be procured on reasonable terms, and this province is well deserving of the consideration of intending emigrants who, while possessed of a little capital are desirous of following agriculture and fishing. In concluding this incomplete report of the resources, I can but add that nowhere can there be a grander field found where the immi- grant, no matter what his class, creed, or condition of life may be, in which to employ his or her energies than in the Dominion of Canada. I have tri(>d as briefly and as concisely as possible to place my views with all candour before those whom they mostly con- cern, and I say it without fear of contradiction, that Canada is the place for British capital and British labour to find a fair field and no favour. The Canadian people love their flag, are loyal to the crown, and the future I hope will find the Mother Country and her eldest daughter, " the fair Dominion of Canada." di-awn more closely together in com- mercial relations than has been the case in the past. Permit me, on behalf of those I represent, to thank the Dominion Government, the several provincial governments, and the people of Canada for the excieding great kindness shown to me, and for the facilities accorded me in prosecuting my inquiries as to the resources of the country. 1 sailed from Halifax with feelings of regret at leaving so magnificent a country, and so generous a people. I tried to console myself with the hope that I might be again spared to visit the Dominion at no very distant period, and I found my thoughts well expressed in the concluding lines of Canada's national air : — ' ' On merry England's far-famed shore May kind lieavcn sweetly smile j God bless Old Scotland ever more, And Ei-in's Emerald Isle. Then swell the song, both loud and long, "^ Till rock and forest quiver — God save the Queen, And Heaven bless the Maple leaf for ever." 40 THE REPORT OF MR. GEORGE BROWN, Watten Mains, Caithness, N.B. During the past ten years the number of reports, i)amphlets, &c., which have been written upon the resources of Canada by " all sorts and conditions of men," leave little of an original character to be said upon the subject. Keeping in view this fact, my Report shall be chiefly confined to the experiences of Scotch settlers who have emigrated from the Xorth of Scotland, as there can be no doubt the success or non-success of these men, given in a concis(! form, will have greater effect in the localities from which they emigrated than any amount of a general description of the country. At the outset it may be as well to explain that any views set forth in this Ee])ort are not to be held as beyond dispute, but as the impressions of one who has only been a short time in the country. Since the completion of the Canadian Pacific Eaihvay, which spans the continent from the Atlantic to the Pacific, the Government of the Dominion has become aware that there are immense tracts of fertile lands, excellently fitted for the growth of all kinds of grain and the rearing of stock of every description. These lands are situated in ]\[anit()ba, the North- West, and British Columbia, nearly all of which are suitable for settlement by all classes likely to emigrate, be they capitalists, tenant farmers with some means, small farmers, or labourers \yho have a knowledge of farming. In order to obtain a share of the tide of emigration which is ever flowing from the older European countries, tlie Canadian Government some time ago rtisolved to invite a number of representative farmers from England, Scotland, Ireland, Wales, and France to visit the Dominion, whose reports upon the present condition and future prospects of the Dominion would bo received with greater confidence by intending emigrants than the some- what highly coloured statements of emigration agents and other interested parties. Every member of the delegation is therefore fully aware of the responsibility attached to tiie issue of his report, if such prove misleading or overdrawn. Emigrants who have been induced to leave this country upon the strength of any report, and find Canada a different land from that represented, are not likely to hide their light under a bushel, but will soon make known in somewhat forcible language their opinions of the authors. Until lately Canada was believed by the majority of people in this country to be a land covered for nearly two-thirds of the year by snow and frost, with few and brief glimpses of sunshine during the remaining third, which was follo\\ ed again by a covering of eternal snow ; a land of ice .and Indiana, boars and blizzards, unfit for the abode of tho Anglo-Saxon race, except upon the seaboards and in the vicinity of tho Great Lakes. The exact opposite is, I fancy, nearer the truth, as the winter often does not set in until late in November, and the thaw generally I If ''•'•, 44 The Aijricnliural Jtesonrcet of Canada, \^ H:'' r^vp " '■■-. ■f^ 11*^. ' }•:-. .,■- ■■ takes placo to\\ards the end of March. Tn a counliy so vast in extent the climate must of necessity be varied : for tliis reason, as tht; various provinces come under notice this most essential matter, upon which all successful agriculture depends, will receive attention. The immimse area of Canada can hardly be realised. During the ten weeks* travel accomplished by the delegation, in which time they went over 12,000 miles per rail and over T,OUO miles by road, they began to comprehend the vastness of the country, as they could but touch the fringe at various points of the " Great Lone Land " of Butler. The route followed by the majority of the delegation will be fully set forth in the other reports ; so, to avoid repetition, I shall pass over this part with the remark that the distance which was gone oven- by the delegation could never have been accomplished were it not for the shrewdness of the Hon. John Carling, Minister of Agriculture, in arranging to have a special sleeping car placed at our disposal, and the admirable plan of the journey suggested by him; the courtesy of tlie railway companies, notably the Manitoba and North-AVestern, in placing special trains at (mr command wherever time could be saved ; and tlic energy and thorough knowledge of the country displayed by Mr. (t. 11. Campbell, Winnipeg, who acted as pilot throughout the trip. These very circumstances have, however, been the subject of reinarlc both in this country and in some parts of the Dominion, tlie general criticisms being — that we were in the hands of the Dominion officials, who would take very good care to show us only the better parts of the country ; that the season being too far advanced before going out, the crops being all harvested, we would have to content ourselves with a general view of the country, which would aii'ord insufficient data to form correct conclusions as to the agricultural resources of the country. In the first place, the delegation had an absolutely free hand to go where or when they pleased, we having only to intimate a day or two before the route agreed upon by us, or the locality we wished to visit. In the second place, I must remind the readers of this Report that the delegation were all practical farmers, th(j great bulk of them being excellent judges of land of all qualities. AVe also saw the crop in stook or stack, and the green crops growing upon the ground. AVe also took advantage in a general way of tlie well-known jealousy, or, rather, of the idea held by nearly every man that his own particular location is situated in the very best part of the Dominion. AVe had, in consequence, only to ask an Ontarian what he thouglit of Manitoba and the North-AVest, or vice versa, and the short- comings of either province would at once be depicted in most fluent and graphic language. By striking an average between the two, we could arrive at a pretty accurate estimate of the locality under discussion. Onffirin, — The Eastern provinces have been visited by another section of the delegation, as our time was very limited on our return from the North-AVest. This Report shall therefore be confined to the AV^estern provinces of the Dominion. The Province of Ontario embraces m\]nr. jts boiuxds m are^, of something like 182,000 square i u ■..^.- Mr. Georrje Jirowns Ite^tart. 45 miles, anil is situated alon<; tlu; margin of the Great Lakes. The northern portion of the province is wild and broken, and, from an agricultural standpoint, comparatively worthless at present. It is, however, covered with timber, w'hicb. in the near future, will become an invaluable possession, as it appears to be simply a question of time when the exhaustion of the forests of the United States will create a demand for lumber for the States lying upon the eastern seaboard. The fertile land lies towards the south and east of the province, between the track of the Canadian Pacifi'' Railway and the lakes ; tlie veritable garden of Ontario being situated in the peninsula forjned by Lakes Ontario, Erie, and Huron. Here we have well-cleared farms, tjxcellently situated, and cultivated more in accordance with the ideas of Old Country farmers. A VIKW IX LONDON, ONTARIO. (Ivicliinond Street, looking south,) There can be no doubt, Southern and Western Ontario offer great inducements for old country farmers with some means to settle there instead of moving further west. By so doing they obviate the necessity of "roughing it,'' and settle down in the midst of a community far advanced in the comforts and luxuries of life. Life is too short for a man of middle age to go into the bush and chop his way to a farm of a couple of hundred acres — all the more when he can buy an improved farm at a reasonable figure : this can be readily done just now, as many of the pioneers whose families are now grown up are inclined to move west " for the sake of the boys." There are also farms vacant throiigli the financial enibarrassinents of the owners, w'ho could not, or would not, adapt themselves to the changed circumstances which affected farming all over the DominioJi since the opening up of the JVorth-Wefet and the lowered prices of wheat. Many fawnfe have also bfe'cbtaie exhausted by the ruthll^fe and j|> I i 46 1..V The Agrkuliural Jtesonrces of Canada. Hlovt'iily mode of cultivation uiloptt'd b^ Ihe o(;cu|)ior,s in tlie continuous growth of wheat. Such land would soon rospond to a different system, Huch as mixed farming. Farms vary in size, running from 100 to 1^00 acres and more. Ljind partially cleared and improved can bu bought at from .£4 to .£10 an acre, the price depending upon locality and value of improve- ments. Near towns it often runs up to over double these figures. There are no free grants of land in this district, but such may be had in the uncleared parts of the province. It is rather a serious matter for a new-comer to begin and clear land, as it would cost from £4 to £(i an acre. This outlay in a district where tlio climate might prove unsuitable for the particular branch of farming the settler \vislu>d to take up would be too much of a risk, Avhon good land can be bought ready cleared in a good locality and better climate. I.'. ' V ; K . *''k K ■ H •' FARM SCEVE, ONTARIO The average yield of cereals throughout tho province is — Autumn or fall wheat, 18 to 20 bushels; spring, 16; barley, 25; oats, 32 to 35 bushels per acre. Soils are made up of, or may be classed as, the various loams, ranging from sandy to clay. Many are very rich in vegetable matter, notably those overlying the limestone. Wheat cultivation has become r .atively unprofitable in Ontario shice Manitoba and the Nortii- "West became wheat-producers. Ontario has, in consequence, adapted her- self to the change, the outcome of which has been a more systematic style of procudure, many having goiie into mixed and dairy farming. Kolatiou cropping, as a result, is being practised, the lines generally being a modification of the well-known Norfolk system— wheat, tuj-uips-, barley, cldver. By allowing the grass— timothy and re'd cloVer— t'o lie dbSvn J Mr. Otorye Bi'owu's Rtport. 47 a jt^ar or more, and tluw by introducing oats, Leans, or peas into the rotation, it may be extended indefinitely. AVhilo at Ottawa we visited tlic Experimental Farm (which will be further referred to). We were informed by Mr. Carling that a iun'ity. 'IMiroughout all the province potatoes are a most proliHc crop ; they grow to a big size, are sound, and extra good quality. Siieep are reared in considerable numbers, there being about 1,400,000 last year within the i)rovlnco. This number might he increased with advantage, especially on the partially exhausted farms, us there is no kind of stock that increases the fertility of land so quickly, especially if fed with corn during winter and summer. In general, the tiocks seen by us w(^re South Do\\n or cross-bred. Th(\y wanted uniformity of typ'; — a pretty sure indication that they were badly bred. A little attention in this direction would bf amply repaid by tiie production of bet ter-class mutton, and wool of a superior kind. Pigs and poultry are most prolific, and find a ready market at home and in the States. Undernoted are the current prices of produce, taken from the Toi'onto Globe, 1890:— Wheat, 31 s. 4(1. iwx 8 bushels. Bnrley, 20fl. 8tl. ' „ OatH, liis. 4(1. „ Peas, 20s. „ Butter, 7(1. to S)(l. per lb. Cheese, 4Jd. to 5d. „ Carrots, Is. yd. per biwket. Potutoes, 2s. 0(1. per bag. Eggs, 'Jd. to lOd. per dozen. Beef, Id. to Gd. per lb. Mutton, 4d to 7d. per lb. Pork, 4d. to (Jd. per lb. Chickens, 'la. per pair Ducks, L's. to 2s. Gd. per pair. Turkeys, 4s. each Hides, 2i per lb. Tallow, 2d. Wool, 9(1. n I) These prices ought to leave a good margin for profit, when the cost of production is considered. Ottawa is the chief seat of the lumber trade of the province. "While there we visited the saw-mills, said to be the largest in Canada. Tiiese mills work day and night during the 0))en season; when the ri\er from wliich the motive power is derived becomes frozen up, many of the hands go up country and take a turn at log-chopping. The timber is floated down tlie rivers during summer, so that every little stn^ain dtu'ing this season is literally eov(>red witli floating logs. When these arrivi^ in the vicinity of the mills, they arc floated into specially pr(q)ar('d enclosures, from wliich they are taken as required to the saw-mills. Logs ot considerable dimensions are drawn up the slide by means of an endless chain to the floor of the mill. In a very short time the logs are next s(>en as ])lanks, &c. The labour-saving devices adopted in those mills are simply astounding to visitors fnmi the old country. An idea may be formed of the syst«i}natic way the work is gone about wlien one is told that these mills cut up on an average G00,000 cubic feet of timber daily. In the vicinity of the town another important industry is carried on, viz., phosphate mining. Canadian phosphates have been for some time known in the English market as "apatite." This substance is crystalline in form, and consequently hard, brittle, and glassy when pulverised. For a considerable timij this form of phdsphatfe was comparatively neglected, owing tb th& diifidulty of grinding } imt)i^ved Mr. (JtOi'tjc JiiviVnn litjioi't. 49 HppIiiinceH have overcoiue this, and now iv Ml"acly dcniaiid has nvt in for this valuable iiianuro, which, when treated with sulphuric. acid,inakoa a high-ciasa wupcrphosphate. r\ULlAMK.\T lil ILDINOS OTTAWA. lien the cost The Toronto Fair was next visited by us. Here we had an oppor- tunity yi comparing the products of all the different provinces of the Dominion. Tiie.se were, upon the whole, a most excellent display, and far exceeded anything of the kind seen in this country. In_ the stock sections, horses were of their kind a good show, but to our ideas light and a bit weedy. Driving horses are undoubtedlv above the average, and are extremely hardy, and excellent goers, showing little sign of fatigue after covering 'long distances. Still the great bulk seen by us \sere unfit for farm a\ ork. The mares are now being crossed Avith the Clyde and Shire, in order to breed li^avier animals, for which there will soon be a demand in Canada, as the ploughing with oxen will yearly fall into disrepute after the country becomes more settled. This style of locomolion may be steady, but it is much too slow. The land also being all broken will be more easily cultivated, so that all farm work will be done by horses. Shorthorn, Angus, Jlereford, and Holstein cattle were excellent, but rather few sj^ecimens in some of the classes. Sheep were represented by South Down, Leicester, Lincoln, &c., and were but a middling turn-out. In the implement department the Canadians are a long way aLiead of us. The most im])roved appliances are seen here in nearly a perfect state, the construction of every machine being most carefully clone ; the materials, generally steel, produce a light machine, easy to" di-aw, doing its work well, with little or no breakage. The delegation were very much indebt'ed to Vice-President MacMaster and the directors foi* their kind- IV.— E Rd'. *;■ i. ;, ;. If Nil' ; ', . ' if • 4 !»■■ ;• r.f »•*. ■ ■-,■ to The Atjricniturat liesoufC>s of dmada. ness while visiting Toronto Pair. Before heaving this city we woro invited by Chairman 8oniers, of the School Board, to visit the (schools and Veterinary College. This we were enabled to accomplish, luider the guidance of the chairman, Mr. Herbert Kent, solicitor, and Inspector Hughes. . . mm^ TOIIONTO. The Toronto schools are perhaps the best and most comj)let(^ iu the Dominion. The system of education ado])ted is admitted to bo the best in the world. Every branch of education is here taught, and thoronghly well done. During onr visit the fire alarm was sonndcnl, and in a few minutes every man, woman, and child was in the court- yard : there was no confusion, the children, headed by their respective teachers, coming out in divisions. AV^e also saw tlie map of Eurojic drawn in outline by a whole class in five minutes. The financial arrangements are similar to those* ado])ted in this country. We next saw the A^eterinary College, and were taken round by Dr. Smith, the proprietor and principal. This is an institution which must have a considerable effect for good in a country where horses, cattle, and sheep will in time be counted by the million. The question is frequently asked : l^hould a young man going out to Canada with capital, pay a ])remium to a farmev in order to learn farming? Th> ayment of any premium is, in my opinion, imnc'cessary, and a waste of money, as any young man who is not af ravel to work and to "rough it "a bit can readily ol3tain employment with some good farmer; thereby not only will he gain experience, but will be able to earn and save money. There are some, however, ^^'bo may prefer io Mr. Oeorge Browns lieifrt. fji iake things luoro easy, and who can aftoi-d to .-xpend money in acouirin.' MOiuulmg m tho sciencn and pi-aotico ot agriculture. Tliis iuNfi- ution IS doservuig of nu.ro than a passing "n<,tice, as its i Huenco ndespread not only in the Do.uinion, but wherever a^ " IS Ookod upon as sonu-lhing nu>re than following in tho "rut" of S X' r^ -'^r ''^''^'^' knowledge, allied with sound p.;^.tic^ rhe College IS supported by the Ontario Government, and its Ves ttndents daily whlem session, give practical lessons to the students, kmcs ot tiuit can be grown in the open air. The winter sets in kfer heat td "'if" ^'-"/"'•''"'- ""^•^^'- ^^-'"'f^' -mnuH the ^^ • n f o ot water tends to modify it. When the lakes are fimen the air becomes dry, and has an invigorating effect upon all anima fe Tl e average duration of the winter is from four to five months Mr. T?f^°''^; 1*^^^!'"^ P|itario, I have to record my sincere thanks to Manitoba and the. North- West.-~n js to the men who conr-eived the tut 18 due the credit ot opening up and placing at the disposal of ird^hrzrh-mi""""^^ ''-'''' ""' '^"^ ^^"^^"-- - ^^ Before the advent of the railway these vast regions were com- >aratively unknown, and sd for settlement by nmall farmers, farmers with some means, and capitalists, jirovided their midertakings are conducted within reasonable Hunts. The country for the ca])italist, however, lies further west, when^ ranching prevails, as this entire dist.-ict is, iu general, well watered and well sheltered, and a supply of hay can readily be obtained fi-om oil" the prairies or low-lying lands with which the country is to u considerable extent interspersed. In our journey through Manitoba we had every opportunity affoi'ded us of acquiring informat'oii, a- Mr. Scarth, M.l'., Winnipeg, Laiul Commissioner of the Canadian and North-West Land Company, and Mr. Eden, Land Commissioner of the ]\ranitoba and Xorth- Western liailroad, did tlieir level b(^st to bring us into contact with all kinds of farmers in each district, and by their unwearied exertions brought under our notice a much gn-ater extent of country than could possibly have been seem by us iF left to our own efforts. WlSMl'KU. ;!' ■ >f Taking the Canadian Pacific line, which is the most central of the province, we ])roceed to Portage-la-Prairie, and arrive at the centre of the wheat-groAving district. Our first visit was to that veteran, Mr. Kenneth McKen/ie, M.P.P., Burnside ; and we were all llie more cordially received as the two of us Mere Scotchmen. After examining Mr. McKenzie's barns, st man 1 have met in the Dominion. From Portage we struck up the Manitoba and North- Western liaihvay, after seeing ail the country lying to the south of the Canadian Pacitic, notably the crofter settlements (details of which will api)ear later). We stopped off at Neepavva, there went to the top of an elevator, and from this point of vantage saw the surrounding district. In a radius of 10 to 18 miles nothing could be seen but an uubroktm level plain, dottc^l with wheat stacks in every dir(>ction. Af^er such a sight one b(^gan to realisi* the extent of this new country, when we knew the view might be extendcid down by Portage, east by Brandon, and south to the boundary line of the States. At N(H>imwa the greater part of the land has been settled for about 10 years, and judging froiii the crops, the charact(?r of the soil, and the great energy displayed by the settlers during that time, no one can doubt of the future possibilities of this province. IIAIIVKKTIXU .\T IJANDIMON'h I'AIi.M, lUIANIiOX. I had the good fortune to meet Mr. Donald Fraser, late of Kintore, Aberde(mshire, who has been in this locality during the past <'ight years, two years of which he worked teaming about \Vinnipeg. (Six years ago he took up his ])reseut homestead, and bt'gan life with two teams and *10. Since then he has reclaimed 240 acres, with 80 acres pasture, which makes up his half-section. 1I(! now ])ossesse8 15 cows find 11 teams of horses, and would not take i|i8,000 for his stock M The Agrmdtvral Itesovreea of Canada, and homestead. He has also started his son in another half-section, with 100 acres under crop, 12 cows, and 2 teams of horses. The second son has taken up a quarter-section — 160 acres — and is joint owner of a portable steam threshing mill. I saw his grain, which was just threshed, and would estimate it as follows :— Wheat, 5,000 bushels ; barley, 400 bushels ; with about 200 bushels of oats. A pretty tidy affair this for five years' work. ■ /! - ( ■■4:;;' -^■.^^ii»i(#*te A FARMHOUSE IN MANITOBA. {Drmm by Colonel Fane.) "We next arrived at Birtle, where we visited the annual show, and saw some fair samples of grain, excellent vegetables, and fair cattle; but sheep were a poor show. Horses were very good. After seeing the show, we drove to -General Wilkinson's farm (Birtleside). The farm is 2,000 acres in extent, and was bought three years ago. Cultivation was begun two years since, and 300 acres are now under crop. The Birtle Eiver runs through the farm, which makes it, owing to shelter from scrub and knoll, admirably adapted for breeding stock. After dinner, we adjourned to the Town Hall, when, after the customary speeches were gone through, it was suggested that some of the farmers in the district would come forward and give their experiences. A Mr. Cook first stood up, and said he came there 11 years ago with «10 in liis pocket, and chopped his way to a home- stead, and that during all the time he had farmed he had only two cro]}s which were touched by frost. He had done well because he had not put all his eggs in one basket, but weni in for stock-raising Mr, O'eoyrfe Browns H^jwrt. 57 as well as corn-growing. The next speaker was James Murray, who came to the country along with his father in the year 1880 ; his native place is the parish of Dun-ett, Caithness, Scotland. The following is th«> substance of his remarks :— " I am a North country man, and began li^e there as a herd boy. I then was made ' cadger,' or ' loon,' an> worked at that job for some years, until I got a chance of coming ,at here under a three years' engagement— my passage, &c., being paid for me if 1 stuck to the man for three years. VV ell, I got here, and went to the homestead and began work. The place was called Eaeburn, and I got from S8 to «J0 a month. I started the first morning to plough with oxen along with the others; some of us got on fairly, but others got all round the houses, and landed at the stable door instead of the end rig. After a time the 'boss' and I quarrelled, owing to another man. The ' boss ' started and cursed me all round, same as if I was a « nigger.' Well, I went away, and walked 2o miles ; landed at Birtle with 25 cents in my pocket, which 1 spent on my supper. I could get no work, so started away other 25 miles without any breakfast, and got to near Saltcoats, where I got work at S8 ji month for a year. At the end of the year the ' boys ' oifered me «25 a month for another year. Meantime, my father took up his home- stead, and sold it in 1884. When my father joined me, and we took up our present homestead, in 1885, I bought a team for $83. My brother, who had been working in the country, came and took up the quarter-section next me, and joined us, we having 320 acres between us. My father lived at the homestead, and my brother and I worked out when not needed, getting «2 to «2i a day. I went down country to meet a brother and sister who were coming out, and for which I sent them $60 to help. On getting there I had to wait a week or two, so went to a man and asked for a job. He offered me »2 a day, but if 1 worked without putting my foot to the shovel he would give me «2i. When I got back, there was a job at 1825. My homestead was after this entered upon, and we got 15 acres broken the first year ; next year 25 acres more ; and this year 70 acres ; so that next spring I will have, with my brother, 110 acres under crop. We have also 12 horses, 30 cattle, and 50 sheep, with pigs and poultry. I have also a good house, 20 feet by 18 feet, stable and sheds, with self-binder, and all the other implements required for the homestead. I am also clear of debt, except a few things which I can pay out of my crop this year." _ To me it appears that Mr. Murray deserves his good fortune, and is the right sort of settler for any new country— ready to take a turn at. whatever comes his way, showing pluck, energy, and perseverance at every turn, and, upon the whole, " bad to beat." Binscarth Farm.~-^e next proceed to Binscarth, where I was driven to the farm by Mr. Wm. Scarth, from whom I received much information as to Murray. Mr. Scarth came to the country a year or two ago, and has begun farming ; he is quite sanguine as to his tiitunale suct-t'ss, and from what I could learn as to his plans, is on the fair way to make money. We drove to the Binscarth Farm— a nauie well known in the North of Scotland, being of great interest to ( )rknev men, I*' ' ■! J I i ■ 1 K . 58 77tf AgriouUural Meaources of Canada, The farm is well managed, there hoing 300 acres under cultivation. Labour being scarce forbids further progress in this direction. The crops were excellent, more especially oats and turnips. Taking tht; whole farm, it is an ideal location for the breeding of cattle, as it lies well, is sheltered from all points, having streams and valleys runninpr through it in all directions, deep bottom lands whore abundance of hay can be cut, and the soil under cultivation strong black loam. The principal object for which the farm is carried on by the Scottish Ontario and Ma,nitoba Land Company is the breeding of higli- class stock, and for this purpose a Shorthorn herd has been established. Tlie nucleus of the herd was obtained from Ontario some six years ago, and during that time a great advance has been made, both in numbers and breeding. The older cows inspected by us seemed to be patchy, and wanted the symmetry, which always is such a characteristic of the Sliorthorn ; many were also a little rough about the head and horns. This, however, only applies to the older cows. Those younger show improvement, and this continues in all the different ages until the calves of this year are reached. These are about the best I have seen anywhere, showing Shorthorn blood at every point ; indeed, the heifer calves would be difficult to beat by the best herds in this country. There can be no doubt that these stages of progression are due to the care and judgment of Mr. Smellie, the manager, who appears to be an enthusiast in Shorthorn breeding. The herd now numbers over 300. The yo\mg bulls are sold annually, at from £20 to £35. The feeding]; is hay and straw, bruised oats, and bran for cows and young bulls. Young cows and heifers are turned out to the prairie during summer, getting no extra feed. The company owns 30,000 acres of land in this vicinity, all of a similar character. The establishing of this farm is therefore a wise and far-reaching policy, as it not only gives the settlers who have taken up homesteads the opportunity of obtaining good sires to use in their herds, hit many experiments are conducted on the home farm, which, when successful, are adopted by these settlers. The latter are in consequence prosperous, which gives the locality an excellent character, and results in settlement and enhanced prices for land in the district. Barnardo Home. — We afterwards visited Eussell, and drove to Dr. Barnardo's Home and Farm for Boys. The farm consists of 8,000 acres, 5,000 being purchased, and 3,000 presented by the Manitoba and North- Western Railway Company. The object is tlie reclamation of the waifs of London and other large cities. There is room for 60 boys in the Home: these are generally from 15 to 17 years of age, and are kept here for a year or so, and during that time are instructed in all kinds of farm Avork ; after- wards they are drafted out amongst the farmers in the district. There is a demand for the Barnardo boys, so that the institution is of real benefit to the neighbourhood. Some 300 acres are at present under crop, and a garden of 25 acres, in which all kinds of vegetables are cultivated. There is also a fair stock of cattle and 8heep, aucj the besj; Shorthorn bull I have seen in \\\o countiy. A Mr, Oeovfji Jiruwn'g Jteport, 59 creamery has been set agoing, in which 30 lbs. of butter are made daily. . Saltcoats— Crofters. — We next visited Saltcoats, in which district the crofters sent out under the auspices of the Imperial Governmenc are settled. The district is a wido one, and consists of groat tracts of ^ prairie land, covered here and there with scrub. The soil is good, being a deep fertile loam ; water being obtained anywhere by sinking wells from 10 to 12 feet. This settlement consists of 49 families, who were sent out in 1889 ; other 30 families being located near Pelican Lake, in Southern Manitoba, in 1888. The Imperial Government provided means (£120) for each family, which was expended on their transport and homestead, rations being given them until their ftrst crops arrived at maturity. The money advanced is to be repaid in instalments spread over a number of years. I), (jrahauie, an old Hudson Bay man, who came out to the country one and a half years ago, for the second time, as a Government emigration crof ler, says : — " 1 have to complain of great hardship the first year, because the crops did not grow for the want of rain, and I could not get work at all. I wrote home to my friends that no one should leave there and come to this country. When the hanx'st of this year— which is a good one— was over, I was better pleased with the place, and would not return home on any condition. I have to cojiiplain of the charges the people of this country make for their goods. I have also to complain that the rations were stopped too soon." Note. — In cross-examination, find that this man had been offered w^ork on the railway and refused it, preferring to occupy his spare time drawing firewood to Saltcoats. Robert McKay, Stornoway : — "I have 11 acres under crop this year, and will have other 20 acres broken for 1891. I worked on the railway in the winter time, and got 5s. per day. I think my land not fit for catt e, as the Avater is scarce. I did not like the country last year, as we had no crop owing to drought, but this year I tliink a great deal bettf^r of it. I am quite satisfied with everything done by the people or Government at home. When we got to Halifax we began to get trouble. I think I was charged SCO too much for things bought, and I am not satisfied with having only the half of a waggon, as my neighbour and I often want it the same day. I would rather have a cow less and get a whole waggon. I would have no hesitation in telling my friends to come to this country, and would not now leave it for anything." Charles Docherty, North Uist : — *'l have 12 acres under crop this year, and planted 10 bushels potatoes, and have a return of 160 bushels of potatoes and a good crop of wheat. My family also ate potatoes from June till Septeir.her, I have 12 head of cattle, including my work oxen. I expect' to have 20 acres under crop next year. I would not leave the country unless they dragged me away with ropes. I was not pleased at ftre^," Alex/McPonald, Ujst :-— M i it tr. i* '! "^t i .' 'ii It ... '" h, *,'■/ •1 1*^ 9 1 ■ hi r. •,' '4' >;' ' •■ ,• 60 The Affrieulitiral JtesmtrcfS of Canada. •' I have 12 acres under crop, year. I have nine head of and expect to put 10 nciea more next year. I luive nine head of cattle and nine of a family. My family are all healthy. There is a hcIiooI near us being built. We have a sermon every other week. I am very w«'ll pleased m ith the country, and would not leave it, as 1 think it the best place in the world for a man with a family." Note.— When asked what he thought of the action of the 18 families who left their holdings and took to lumbering instead, he replied, " I believe they made a mistake, owing to the bad crop the iirst year, which they will regret all their lives. I think they were misled by a man named Murray." Martin Macdonald: — *' I have 8 acres under crop this year, and 4 acres broken for next year. I did not like the country last year, but am very well pleased with it this year. I worked for the railway, and made $83 in three months. This money kept us all the winter. I wish all my friends to come out. I could not go back to live in the old country. I have written for my mother, brother, and two sisters to come here, and I think they will come ; anyway, I wish no better place." . Kenneth Mclvoy:-- " I have 12 acres under crop this year, and expect to have 20 acres more next year. I have 11 of a family ; one girl, aged 16, is nearly blind, and in the hospital at Winnipeg. I have to complain of things being dear here, and of the doctor who ii spected us at Greenock for keeping us long on deck on a very cold night. I like the country, and think all my frv nds ought to come out here, as it is a grand place. I was much displeased with the country last year, because the crop was a home telling them to come, and to failure ; but now I am writing "Winnipeg for my brother." Felican Lalce and Killarney. — This settlement consists of 12 families from Harris and 18 from Lewis, the latter being settled on the opposite side of the lake. These emigrated in 1888. D. McKenzie, Harris, began life with a team, cow and calf, and settled on 160 acres of iind. During the first year he broke 8 acres, and in 1890 had 40 acres und-^r crop. His cattle have done well, and he sells enough butter and eggs to keep the house. The winter is not so bad as in the old country, l)ecause when the snow comes on it never changes ; so that one day one does not get wet, and the next iry, the same as in the old country. Would not leave the country for the same quantity of land in the old place. There is a good school and a church near the homestead. Koderick McKay, Harris, has put in 44 acres wheat, also 5 acres for his father, who is an old man, and resides on a neighbouring home- stead. The potatoes were an excellent crop, and first-rate quality. He has also broken 10 acres more this season for hin father. He has six of a family, who are all well pleased with the country. He has 1 L cattle, 2 pigs, and lots- of poultry. D. Stewart, Fort Augustus : — Interviewed Mrs, Stewart. " I did not like the country at first, feeling it very lonesonie, fts there were no neighbours about ; but T S"t Mr, freo.^e Bt'owtCn Uein)i't, 61 H* over that in time, and would not now like to leav » the place. I have tour of u family, and we hope to do well by them in the time to come. Wo have 70 acres this year under crop, beside potato ground. We have eight C0W8 in calf, five cows giving milk, and a litter of young pigs, which we sell when they are a nu>nth old. J do not find the winter colder thaii in the old country. I get 9d. i)er lb. for butter, and 5d. per dozen for eggs. This is the grandest country in the world for rearing stock and poultry, as heifers will have a calf when IH months old." The next is the report of an inter\'iew Lord Aberdeen had some time after with one of these crofters, p.nd as it is representative, I here reproduce it. The Earl called upon .lohn McLeod, who is the leading crofter of the settlement, who replied as follows : — " Well, my Lord, I can tell you it was a lucky day for myself and family when we went on board the steamer that took us out of Scotland and landed us in this fine country. I have three sons, and they own 160 acres of land each. I own 160 acres myself; making a total of 640 acres. I and my sons work together on the land, and we have about 90 tx'res under crop. We have three yoke of oxen, several cows, and young stock. " We have about 900 bushels of wheat this season, and plenty oats, barley, potatoes, and vegetables. We will have 150 acres under crop next year. We are only three miles from timber at Pelican Lake. There is any amount of fish in the lake, and a large quantity of ducky and geese, and turkeys and prairie chickens on the wheat fields ; when the season for shooting comes in, we can blaze away at them. We have no landloixls, no old country gamekeepers to arrest us for shooting game. Our carriages, horses, &c., are free from taxation ; we only pas S30 a year taxes for the whole yection of 840 acres. We all like this country. The soil is black vegetable loam from 18 to 24 inches deep, and a rich marly subsoil several feet deep, md a blue clay bottom. Several farmers have raised croi)s here of \vheat for 10 years in succession without manure. I often think of our people in Scotland who are working all their lives for the landlords for just enough to keep soul and body together. Let them come to this country, where they can be free from the grasp of landlordism, and become the owners of an estate of 1 60 acres of good land as long as grass grows and water runs. We have plenty of room for them in this great North- West country, and I can now with confidence invite them all to come where they can make comfortable homes for themselves find their families." The Earl at this point wished to hear of any drawbacks to the country. "Very well, my son," said McLeod. "If 1 would tell you any- thing about the dark side, I would be telling you something I know nothing about, because it lias been all the bright side with me since I came here. I am authorised to make this statement by the whole of the crofters in this settlement. When I first arrived at Killarney, I was offered iSlI'SU a day for doing mason wdi'k, and the first job of mason work I did 1 got i$2-50 a day ; I can now get $3 a day, but I cannot leave my farm. There is plenty i work here for masons and man labourers, but I prefer to stick to my farm ; and I can say that any '»! •ii 'uji ■I : f !! N1 i * 4 ,, ■ ,1 1. [;-'-( '■ It'*'. ^ M The Af/ricultural Hesourcei of Canada, who will work niul till hU fiinii pi'oporly can luiike a good living \wrv." Moosomin Settlement. — The crolttTH who make up this settlomeiit are from the estates of fiaHy (lorilon Cuthoart. In the yoar 188J3, owinj; to the congested staf" of some parts of th(!se estates, there was an offer made of £W0 to the head of each family who desired to emigrate to the North-West. This sum was to bo tjxpended; ulong with the amyuiit obtained by the sale of their farm stock, in their transport, and to enable them to begin life with some lioj/e oi' success in their new homes. Fifty- six families availed themselves of the offvi", 11 going out the first year, and 45 following the succeeding one. The luoney advanced was securccl under the t30th clause of the Dominion Land Act. The lo<'ation selected is near the town of Moosomin ; the country around being rolling, or undulating, with gullies and creeks scattered about in its area. The soil is a good loam, and in many parts covered with scrub. Good bottom land, as well as water, is abundant. A country well adapted for iiiiAtu farming. D. McDonald, South Uist :— lias biHHi fairly successful, but had a bad crop last year owing to drought. Has no complaint to Jiiake against the country. " 1 had 18 acres under crop la^t year, and will put in three more this season. I have two cows, four other ail tie, und one team of oxen, and have got all the implements I require, self-binder included. I might go back to the old country, but would not stay there, as this is a healthy place, and a man is more independent. Besides, 1 have got a very good crop this year." Farquhar Beaton, South Uist : — Had very little money when he came to the country. Has now 100 acres under wheat, 30 head of cattle, 1 horse, all the im- plements, and a team of oxen. Has a tidy house and offices, and farms his land well. Would go back to the old country if he got a very good situation, but would not go back to farm. J. Campbell, South Uist :— "I have seven cattle, and 40 acres under wheat. I like the country, but would like to visit the old place."' " Would you stay ? " " Och ! no, no." ♦' Then you would not farm at home ? ■' "Na, faith. I did not sow all my land this year. If J had done so, I Mould be rich." McKinnon, South Uist, located at Red Jacket : — "I sold 18 to 20 cattle this year, and have on hand 40 head more. I bought a pair of horses for 250 dollars. Seasons are changeable. I have about 80 acres under crop, and have a return of about 2,000 bushels wheat." Any comment from me is unnecessary, as the preceding interviews, selected haphazard from my note-book, ai'e sufficient evidence as to the present position and future prospects of the crofters. I may add that on inquiry I found that of the 18 families who left their home- steads, 13 would not take the locations selected for them by the officials in the vicinity of the others, but went in a body to the Leech Lake district and selected the land for themselves. Some of the lands are odd-numbered sections, and in consequence belonged to the Manitoba and North- Western Itailway. The company at once gave Mr. George Jirown'n liepori. tn ihri scclioiiH to the (roverimienf, ho that the crofters might homeHtead. Tht'HO i;{ t'ainnie.s left this land of their own flidection lit'fore they had oocupit'd it IH months. One of the 18 \% dead ; one works on tho railway, but is to take up his houieslead j the others have moved west. On our way back from the N(.rth-West I met a delegate from Dakota who travelled over Manitoba vith us. lie informed mo that he had just completed the purchasi) ot 60 homesteads at Saltcoats, where settlers from Dakota wore to migrate ; this ilistrict being, ho considered, the best selection ho could make. We now return via Portage-la-Prairie and join the Canadian Pacific. Passing on toward the west, we come to Brandon, the most important wheat market in the province. It has five grain elevators, one flour mill, aiul a saw-mill. The town lies up from the railway on a high bank, and, although only about six years old, is of a fair size, with a good numy substantial buildings, containing a p()j)ulation of about 5,400. Near Brandon is the Government Experimental J^arm. Tho farms in the district are excellent, and the soil well suited for wheat- growing. Leaving Brandon, we come to Wolseley, wliere we stopped on our return journey. We were driven out to Qu'Appelle ^''alley. The scenery is a considerable deal better than the laud, as the latter is low-lying, and seems to have been tha bottom of a recent river. Culti- vation is tried here and there, with fair results. The land lying on the higher lands is fair loam, and suited for dairy and mixed farming. Our next stop is at Eegina, the capital of the North- West, visiting Indian Head on our way. Here is situated tho North- West Experimental Farm, as also the famous Bell and Brassey Earms. The Bell Farm is a big undertaking — much too big for one man to carry out the work with economy. It is l.'J,000 acres in extent, and takes a ride of 27 miles to go round it. There are 1,600 acres under wheat this year, and Major Bell expects to put in 3,000 acres next year. The produce is about 25 bushels per acre, and the cost of production from JS-1 to U'i per acre. There is frequently 40 per cent, lost by frost, which might be saved to a considerable extent if tho farm was divided into holdings of one-twentieth tho size. One furrow outwards and another home\^■ard3 is tho half-day's work for a man and pair of horses. The climate is unsuitable; thau is, it is too big a risk to have a grain farm pure and simple so far west and north, although mixed farming would leave money. The Brassey Farm has just been started, and ':»ongists of 40,000 acres. A commencement has been made by establishing a fair lot of Clydesdale mares, the intention being to breed horses of greater bone and substance, which will soon be required for farm purposes. There is also a fair herd of cattle. The land is fair. Grain-growing is also to be taken up as time goes on. Eegina, is situated on a level plain, the surrounding country being flat, and suitable for grazing sheep. We visited the exhibitioii there and saw some extra good roots, potatoes being a very good show. There was also an excellent exhibit of butter, which would make it appear that dairy farming might be taken up with stie"ci?fe^. Thi& is tho ." ^1 • i .-•■| A m I ' 5 • '. i. ■ t \m •'■''¥*■ ,'■." ■^■;' m r i" *.■■',■ . 1 i ■',' f"*. * . 4 ... St ;■ (.■\_" ' ^ J .^■-' * ,'1 ''■■'; ■ 'i ;:•' *, • •■ -^ ■ ■., :. 1 \ ' »■ "- ■'';, 'i.«; j< ' ■:? .' , *• • •• ■• '.' * "■'.' '■•; ^ i !■ "■ i »■ ■ S '' ■ i ' '%* 64 The ^(jt'icidtui'al liesourccs of Vaaada. headquarters of the Mounted Police, many of whom were seen by us ; they appear to be an efficient body of men. We next make our way up the new line of railway to Priuce Albert, which lies on the {Saskatchewan Kiver. We have here a great country, extending west by Battleford to Edmonton, well adapted for mixed farming, the land being very much similar to that in the vicinity of Indian Head, but rolling, with valleys and knolls covered with scrub, which affords good shelter for stock. Water is plentiful in most part8. While there, 1 visited a few farmers in the neighbourhood, and was well pleased with the general appearance of the country. Sheep are reared in this district, and considering the great extent of some of the prairie lands (200 miles), thousands might well take the place of the hundreds at present in the hands of a fe^v ranchers. These run out on the prairie during summer, and feed on hay during winter. AV^hile visiting Mr. Plaxton I was shown some two-rowed barley grown by him, the best sample I have seen anywhere, either at home or in Canada. There can be no doubt this variety ca i be grown here. To makc^ sure, 1 examined his stacks and found the sample obtained by rubbing out a few heads to be equally as good — fine, plump grain, ^ell coloured, and fit for brewers. Until lately four-rowed barley — the "here," or "bigg," of the North of Scotland — has been grown almost exclusively in Canada, there being a good market in Cue United States for this variety. Barley of a better quality can, however, be grown, and will find a ready sale in the markets of Great Britain. It is, therefore, simply a question of time when two-rowed barley will take the place of the inferior variety, as there can be no fear of it attaining- full maturity in a climate where wheat can be grown. All this district is as yet almost untouched in the May of settle- ment, so that there are great opportunities for farmers with some means to take up locations in the district. On our return we passed through a gi'eat extent of very diversified country; plain, valley, mountain, and timber following in snccessicm until we again arrive at Kegina, and away west towards Moosejaw, wJien we enter upon the great alkali plain, which is the northern ])ortion of the American desert, or " bad lands " of the States. How these plains are to be economised has often been the subject of dii-cussion amongst the members of the delegation. The grazing of sheep has been suggested ; but it must be kept in view that sheep grazing upon alkaline lands are subject to a disease known as "pining," or "vanquish." This we know to be the fact in this country, as seen where sheep are kept on the granite formation, especially during drought. The disease is said to be due to alkaline poisoning (potash or soda), and the only remedy seems to be a change to a district lying over a different formation. Sheep might be grazed during a i)art of the year on these plains, but car^' and judgment would be necessar}^ so that a change of ground would be given at the ])roper time. As to cultivation, there can be no great prospect until all the best lands are taken up, and the margin for cultivation thereby increased. Proceeding along the line, we arrive at Dunmore, the centre of the 11 farms of 10,000 acres each belonging t'o the Canadian Colonisation Mr. Charge Broum's Report. 65 aud Coal Company, formerly Sir John Kaye Lister's farms. These extend along the line from" tiie vicinity of Kegina until Calgury is reached. " There are 10,000 acres under crop this year, the gi-eater bulk being oats and barley. Oats are sown in May. Hot winds and drought did a deal of damage. Where wlieat was sown the pro- duce vyas 2') bushels per acre. Oats sell at 2s. 6d. per bushel if kept till spring. When damaged by frost the crop is converted into winter fodder, so that the loss is lessened. It is important to get the ]iloughing done in the fall, as the dry weather affects the land in spring. In future we shall only grow crops for winter feed. There are 7,000 to 8,000 cattle, 400 mares, and 23,000 sheej) oji the farms. The best mares are heavy draught ones, obtained from Ontario, which are put to stallions imported from the (South of Scotland (Clydes). The horses which did best last year were those which were allowed to run out all winter on the prairie. These were found in spring to be shaggy in the coat and quite fat. Have sold lately mare and !' al for £G0, and can get £60 for a team of horses. Farmers here grudge the fees for imported stallions, and use scrub horses instead. We have imported a large number of Cheviot and Leicester rams ; the ewes are Merino. Cheviot rams take the lead for crossing, Shropshire second, and Leicester the third place. Black-faced shee^p would do well here, as they are hardy, and would not require winter shelter. We have sheep-sheds or other shelter for the winter. 90 per cent, of lambs are dropped; and we have killed them when weaned 40 lbs., dressed. AVe kill 60 steers and 150 sheep per month to supply our customers and the dining cars of the Canadian Pacific Eailway. Last winter we did not use any hay. Sheep do well on tlie prairies up till September, when they are taken to winter quarters : one man can manage 2,000, with assistance at lambing and during storms. Vermin and scab do not appear amongst the flock here. Merino ewes cost lis. each, and the wool pays all costs of production. We use Shorthorn and Polled Angus bulls, and have plenty of calves, which are doing well. Use Galloway and Angus bulls to cross with the scrub cow." Such is the outline given us by Mr. Stone, the manager of the company, and it gives a fair idea of farming on a large scale in tiie North- West. He arranged a round-up of horses near the railway line, and from what we saw we were of opinion that the great bulk of the young horses were just those needed for the country. At last Calgary is reached— a nice town, lying at the junction of the Bow and Elbow Eivers. It lies in a hollow, and is surrounded on three sides by high-lying lands. Five of the delegates arranged with Messrs. Stone and Alexander to drive out south and s(?e some of tlie ininches in that direction. In our drive, some 40 miles out, we passed through perhaps tho best ranching country in North America; the various requirement « UHcessary for this branch being present at every turn— "ood water good shelter, good hay lands, and the whole climate of the district tempered during tlie season by the warm breezes of tlie chiriook winds. But not only to the largo rancher is this district uitable, but tho suialler capitalists can make a larger return for their money than even IV.- r ■ I J i :r it*- . , , it ■»'■ m The Afjrmdtnral Uesmvi^a of Canada. tliose with more capital can obtain. 500 head being more readily managed than o,000, the loss is diminished ; and this loss often means a large projit it it can be averted or mitigated. We passed a good m l-v RANCH RCEKK, AIiHKRTA. H:- If ■'.;' ^i' .!■ many houses of these settlors on the way, all of whom seemed to ho prospering. Coming to High Eivor Kanch, we stayed the night, return- ing to Calgary next day. There are 900 horses on this ranch. On the average of seasons 250 foals are dropped, being 90 per cent. The loss last year mhs 10 foals and 'A mares. On another ranch 800 horses were kept, the mares being crossed with Clyde and Porchoron stallions. 85 per cent, foals dropped. No hay given during Avinter ; no loss, wwA horses look as well in spring as in the fall. A neighbour had eight stee.-s which ran in the open all winter and came in during spring iit for th(^ butcher. Anothei- told us 80 head of cattle ran oul. all winter, and were found in good condition in spring. These experiences are sufficient evidence as to the character of the district. Leaving Calgary, we now approach the Eocky Mountains, and come into contact with one of nature's greatest aiid grandest \\orks. Hour after hour is passed in which the most magnificent scenery meets the eye, now abrupt, then undulating, again opening up in a vast vista, in wliich are soon mountain ovorroaching mountain, uiitil the mighty Selkirks are soon overtopping the lower ranges. It would require the pen of the poet or the pcMicil of the artist to even faintly depict it, and it is therefore outside the province of the rustic pen, so let us resum(>. Looking at these freaks of nature from an agricultural standpoint, they Mr. George Brown's Rejyort, 67 are not in it ; so we shall pass Banff, with its springs, and pass on to British Columbia, which has been compared to a " sea of mountains." I VANCOl'VER, British Columbia.— The main feature of the province ie the immense forests it cont.-iins. 80 great are these that it has been .said, ^ " 8cotlaiKl might bo buried in one of them and never be seen." This is, indeed, a land of great trees, rivers teeming with fish, and mountains containing vast mineral deposits. How to develop these are the problems which are being da'ly br» "ght under the notice of the Canadian public. The climate of the" province in the south is mild and humid; further north the siunmer is shorter, and winter longer and more variable. All kinds of fruit are grown to near perfection in the open air. Agricultural land is not so plentiful as in the provinces east of the Eockv Mountains, the country being nearly all covered with heavy timber. \Ve were told of great stretches of lands, lying between the Cascade and the Eocky ]\[ountains, at Spallumcheen, Oakangan Valley, and Kootenay ; but the difficulties of transport will affect their "development for some time. AVhile at New Westminster vie visited the "Delta," and from A^anconvor (Jjty, Lulu Island. Thes(^ are made up of alluvial deposits, and lie low, dyking having to be done in inany parts of Lulu Island. As the canning of fruit (a beginning being already n\ade) becomes developed, all this land will be converted into fruit gardens. The clearing of the forests for the purpose of gro\Aing IV.— F 2 I f ^ .R -• .1': , t ■■' : . , I ' I '■' !>■' 'A .';: Qg 37t^ Agrimltnral liesources of Canada, wheat or other farm produce would not pay at pretjent prices, as the cost would be very heavy. When, however, the i)rice for lunibt'r increases, so that the settler can sell his trees instead of burning theiii, the clearance of the forest will become universal, as the climatic and soil would simply warm the heart of every good farmer, "When on a visit to New Westminster, we inspected the saw-mills, which are very extensive, the chief markets for hunber and manufactured articles being Japan, Australia, &c. As this is one of the centres of_ the fishing industry, and as this subject is of great interest to the fishermen all over the North of Scotlaiid, I here add a few notes obtained from Mr. Mowat, Inspector of Fisheries. Canned salmon can be land(,'d in London with a profit at l^d. per lb. Each fish weighs on an average 10 lbs. to 20 lbs., and costs on an average Od. on the Eraser River. Men are engaged at from $12 to ^'Ik per day. A few of the fishermen, who own their boats and nets, get from 4|d. to 6d. per fish they land ; others work on the half svstem— that is, the cannery supplies the boat and nets, and get half the fish caught, and pay 4Jd. per fish for the other half. Fishing commences during the first week of July, and continues for six The varieties taken are the quinnat, or spring fish, the saw-quai, or redfish, and the cohoe, silver or fall fish. When the fishermen arc through with the salmon fishing, white or deep-sea fishing is taken up. The creeks and rivers along tlie coast and the decjp sea are teeming with every kind of fish. Fishermen make from i:200 to .£250 during the season. The salmon fishing commenced in the Columbia Eiver in 1865, and reached in 1873 to a take of 60,000,000 lbs. of salmon; afterwards this take fell off to about half, the river being over-fished. The Fraser, the jS'aiis, and the Skeena are, however, the chief salmon fishing rivers in British Cohmibia, and, to obviate the possibility of their "being over-fished, the Dominion Grovernment have established a hatchery near the Fraser Eiver, out of which 7,000,000 salmon fry are sent yearly into those rivers. There is a most valuable fish, called the cole, or skil, caught off the coast of Vancouver and Queen Charlotte's Island, in from 150 to 2(H» fathoms, which is of great value on account of the oil obtained from it, and the fine flavour of the fish. These fish are caught by line and hooks in great numbers, and are likely to take the place of mackerel in the American markets. J3ut these are not by any means the only kind, as the whole coast away towards tlie North literally swarms with all kinds of white fish. This industry only awaits development. To me it appears that British Columbia oli'i'rs great inducements to our Northern and West Coast fishermen to settle, as fishiuf' and farming could be combined here with some hope of success. New markets will be opened up when the mining industiy is becun in earnest. Thei-e can be no doubt in the mind of anyone who is acoiiainted with the circumstances at home and those in British Columbia,' that our fishing population in great numbers would find a con<^enial home in this province, and by ordinary care and iiuhistiy place themselves in a very short tim*^ in an infinitely bett^T position than ever they could do at home, Mr. Gcovfje Broion^s lieportt 69 When one cou.sidtTs the great mineral reHources of British Coluiiibia, we may say that, except gold and coal, this great source of wealth is practically untouched. The iron, copper, silver, lead, &c., which the mountain ranges and river basins are known to contain will yet be ex])lored and opened up. When this occurs, British Columbia will be looked upon as one of the wealthiest provinces in the Dominion. Capital has already begun to flow in this direction, and judging from what the Columbians have already done, a very few years will mark the rise and progress of this most pleasant province. Vancouver Island lies about 80 miles from the mainland, and contains the capital city. The chief agricultural ]mrt lies south-east —of no great extent. Altliough good tracts of land are scattered throughout the island, still the whole place is heavily timbered, and \yould require money to clear it. At Kanaimo coal-mining is exten- sively carried on, much of it finding its way across the Pacihc, down to California, &c. In a big country like Canada, where soil, climate, and surroundings are so varied, it is often a most difficult matter for the ordinary farmer to choose a location, and, whe^n chosen, to decide what kind of crops will be suitable for the climate and soil. ]n a new country, where the population is thinly spread over the land, experiments to tind out the proper kind of crop to sow can hardly be undertaken by a new settler. The Dominion Government, keeping in view these circumstances, have come to the relief of the farmers of the country by the establish- ment of an Experimental Farm in each province — Nappan for the Maritime Provinces, Ottawa for ^Quebec and Ontario, Brandon for M.' litoba, Indian Head for the' North- West, and Agassiz for British Columbia. From the central farm at Ottawa, in charge of Professor Saunders, the others take the cue. Here crops, flocks and herds, pigs and poultry, all undergo a most crucial test as to their various qualities, and adaptability for the country. When a success has been made at Ottawa, it is further tested at each of the farms, and adopted in the locality where it attains its greatest maturity. From what has been written, it may be inferred which parts I consider the most favoured and suitable for the various degrees of the tillers of the soil. I can only add that no man will regret going to Canada to begin life there, ])rovided he makes up his mind to work, and exercises ordinary caution. And I conclude by giving it the highest praise a man can give — viz., were it possible for me to break all the ties and change the responsibilities which surround me here, I would go to Canada and stay there. » Hfl Im::- M- h !v> THE REPORT OF MR. HENRY SIMMONS, Bearwood Farm, Wokingham. Having accepted tUi> uppointnient under Sir Charles Tapper as one of the English delegates to visit and report on the Dominion of Canada, 1 left Liverpool on the 4th of September, on board the Allan Line steamship " Sardinian," for Quebec. In the course of my remarks I shall have to try and remove from the minds of intending euiigrants some very commonly entertained prejudices. Let me then first start with my experience of the sea voyage. To cross the Atlantic does, I know, a])pear to many a terrible under- taking, but I can truthfully say the time spent by me on the ocean, both on the outward and homeward passage, was most enjoyable. I am an excellent sailor, which, of course, added materially to my pleasure, but I noticed— although on both journeys we had a fair experience of our ship rolling and pitching— the passengers who were ill gained their usual health and spirits after the second day, and entered heartily into any amusement going on. AVith an excellent bill of fare served at 8.30 a.m., 1, and 6 p.m., and supper or tea from 9 to 10 i).m. to any one requiring it, it left nothing to be desired as regards our creature comforts. Then by the aid of shuffle-board, deck quoits, speculation on the ship's log, auction sale of tickets daily, tug of war, music, dancing, concerts both in the first saloon and also by invitation from and to the intermediate and steerage passengers, card parties, the use of a small library, and much pleasant interchange of ideas one with another, the day sped on, and we found ourselves ready to turn into our comfortable cabins for the night Avben the lights were put out at eleven o'clock. Sunday is strictly observed on board, service being held in the morning, and in the evening we joined the steerage passengers singing hymns, &c. These remarks hold good as regards the intermediate and steerage passengers, according to their degree, as equal care is taken for their enjoyment and comfort. On the outward passage we landed at Moville, while our ship lay to in that beautiful bay awaiting the arrival of the mails, and drove some few miles along the coast, visiting the old Green Tower and other points of interest But the most interesting part of the voyage was on getting after five or six days out amongst the icebergs. J. had beard and read of icebergs, but had no conception that so many and such vast islands of snow- covered ice could be seen floating away towards the south. Some presented an appearance of one solid block, covering an area of many acres in extent, others of more fantastic shapes, arched and beautiful, and on being told that, high as many of them towered above the water, only about one-fourth of their size was visible, it seemed beyond belief. Our captain was not so enthusiastic, and was heartily glad to be out of their region before nightfall. So we journeyed on, sighting Belle Isle then some two or three days up the Gulf of and the Itiver St. Lawrence, f I ii U'l' m *r j^m\ '.; ■..'' "it: c|;. ,i« 4 r' ' %■ .'^ '■* r» ■ ». * ■' ( '•'■ •' ■^^ / ■ .• . „ %■' ■•'■% 1 ^ 72 The AyrimUural Iteaourcea of Canada. landing some of our passengers and mails at Rimouski, till we arrived at Quebec on the morning of Sunday, the 14th September. Before leaving this dubject of the ocean passage, 1 may say that one gentleman told me it was his sixty-fifth voyage, and he had never known anything more serious than a boat or two blown away ; and a steward on the ship said it was his 150th voyage, and he had never experienced any disaster at sea be} ond an occasional rough passage in the winter months. It is said to be proved by statistics that one is safer from accident of all kinds on board a well-appointed steamship than by his own fireside at home, and it may be worthy of remark in passing that no casualty of any kind happened to any one of our party during our long journey of some 17,000 miles, but that within one week after my return, the only uncle I had living was burnt to death in his own house; Three other delegates having journeyed with me in the ship, we now started together. Our instructions being to present our- selves as quickly as possible to the Hon. Mr. Carling, the Minister of Agriculture at Ottawa, we made a stay of a few hours only at Quebec ; Mr. Stafford, the Government agent, driving us about eight miles round the country, passing through the Indian village of Lorette. The land appeared of good quality, but wet and undrained (we had had a good deal of rain), held in small allot- ments by peasant proprietors, and the crops of oats, potatoes, and roots were poor, and the land not so well farmed as it might be according to our ideas. The people appeared very orderly and well dressed, it being Sunday; but as regards farming, without much push and enterprise. Of course, ne saw but little of the country, and should therefore, perhaps, withhold an opinion. The view of the town from the Citadel is very imposing. We left by train for Montreal, reaching there at seven o'clock, remaining the night . ' the Windsor Hotel — said to be one of the best hotels in Canada or the States. In the early morning we drove round Montreal, getting a grand view of the city (the largest and grandest in Canada) from Mount Eoyal, a most imposing sight, with the St. Lawrence Eiver, A^'ictoria Bridge, and Kapicfs in the 'distance. We left for Ottawa after breakfast, reaching the capital about one o'clock. ..'he railway passes through a poor agricultural district, and the crops struck us as if they would have repaid more careful farming. On reach- ing Ottawa, the seat of the Dominion Government, and containing the Houses of Parliament and departmental buildings, (which are very tine structures), and the centre of the Ontario lumber trade, we presented ourselves to the Hon. Mr. Carling, and arranged to journey with him by the night train to Toronto. In the meantime we had conveyances and drove out to see the central Government Experimental Farm, about two miles from the city, the leading one of five established — here, and in the Maritime Provinces, Manitoba, the North- West Territories, and British Columbia, We were most courteously received by Pixjiussor Sauiidcrs, the nuinuging director, and conducted over the whole es' ^lishment. This farm, comprising 450 acres of mixed soils, was only started In the spring of 1887, its chief object being to carry out many useful experiments in all kinds of farmwork about which "t-T., Mr. Henry SimtnOmi's Itejiot't. 73 reliable and positive information is most needed; including the best kinds of seed corn, both us regards yield, quality, and what is of the utmost importance, early maturity, to meet the drawback of the fihortness of the season and autumn frost ; the growing and testing ■,i ^ bout which BXl'BRIMKNTAL KARM, OTTAWA. of all kinds of grasses and fodder plants, with a view to determine which kinds will answer best in the respective soils and varying climate of the Dominion. This is a subject of much difficulty, as, owing to the severe winter, many of our finest grasses fail, and timothy grass seems the one great favourite at present ; we saw, however, many of the finer grasses doing well in the A'arious plots, and rye grass, lucerne, and sainfoin looked promising. The latter would be a most useful plant in the country if once acclimatised. Indian corn was being made into ensilage, producing 20 tons per acre. It was in an advanced stage of ripeness and corned, and when passed through the chaff-cutter and pressed into the silo, formed an excellent fodder for winter consumption. We also examined some good samples of wheat, barley, and oats, just thrashed out. The mangels, swedes, and various kinds of common turnips were all good. Grapes of many kinds, said, to comprise 150 different varieties, were growing in the open field, many of them fine fruit ; but owing to the backward season and want of sun, scarcely ripe, although we ate many. The Canadian grapes have a peculiar flavour, rather thick skin, and glutinous inside ; but the taste once acquired, you become very fond of them, and one commendable feature throughout Canada is, that the m 13 11.4 I 4" I-- r»''r '"if.' '(■•■' m ^ •vk k <■ ! .. 4 ■ ^1*. :,.i- 74 ifVetf AijricHllHral Itfaoitrceg of Camula, first thing plju-ed bi For© you on the breakfast table is a dish of eriipes and other fruits, and again after dinner. Many acres are planted \\ ith fruit trees, and a large belt of forest and or-uunetita' trees and shrubs, obtained from all countries and climes, have been planted around the farm boundaries, sei- ing the double purpose of shelter from cold winds, and also that of testing their growth and adaptation to the different ])rovince3 of the Dominion. The houses for the respective managers are excellent, also the buildings gen. -ally. The actual farm bui]dings°are the most spacious, ce uvenieutly planned, and econom .ally built erections of the kind 1 'lave seen in any country. The stock consisted of V}. good working h, ses Mid five distinct herds of -altle, of fuumt ten annuals in each hci a -namely, Shorthorns, Polled Ai.:4us,lt(.l8tein, Ayrshire, and Alderiu-y- all selected chiefly front tl. Dominion, at a very moderate outlay, and, as I considered, ith go^d judgment, immy very good specimens of the breeds mentioned being secured. All the luilk and butter produced is sold in < )ttawa. Sheep and [)ig8 are to bead'lad; but, at present, the arrangements in these departments are incomplete. The poultry yard is in its If a great astitution, embracing all the best known breeds, and ths.ioughly uu iher breeds that would have been no disgnice to sx English ' lioyal '" nhowyard ; and the horses included sotn:; very useful (Shire and good C t^desdale specimens. The trotting hocse is; everythinf^ in Canada. These showed in great force, and the pace is gor also high jumping — the champion umper cleared a rail fence 7 it. 1 ill. high. The show of impleun nts was better, and certaiidy more extensive, than any J have ^een in England ; every convenience is brougiit out to reduce labour, and all made light and fairly cheap. Tiiti fruit of all kinds was most extensive and of good qualit\ more luu'ticulaily grapes, pears, apples, and plums, also a fine assortnunt of rose^' and other flowers. Hoots, cereals, and grasses of all kinds equal to ihose grown in England were to be seen in great abundance; flie dillerent provinces and Government experimental farms viein^ with ach other to excel — altogether forming a vast and most interesting exhibition- Dogs are numerous and fine in Canada and n ry good show of these animals was included. We spent two days doing the round of the show, and could well have extended our stay, as we met many tanners an'l otlusrs, from whom we obtained tiseful information; but not to waste time it was arranged for tlu; delegates, who had now all arrived at Toronto, to start on the evening of the seeor.d day for Winnipeg, from which point we ho])pd fo stai't on our actual North-West tour. Accordingly, we all left on Wednesday evening, in a most comfortable Kalo(m and Pullman sleeping car provided for our special use by the Grand Trunk and Canadian Pacific Kailway Companies, on the rati i* long and tedious journey by Port Arthur i Winnipeg, a distance ( ^ome 1,200 miles, reaching ^v'iunipeg on Satu daj evening about five ./clock. This journey for the most part x< th lugh a picturesque country of forests and lakes, but entirely out of court for any purposes of agriculture. Minerals are now bfnng worked on some parts of th Hne, and should more be found, as in ail probaljilil) will be the ca,^{ , a scattered population may spr ng up; but at present the 'ong ride thiuugh appai'ently deserted forests, all more or less destroyed from time to time by fire, without seeini^ so much as a I* rd of any kind, makes one glad when, as you near Wii ipeg, passing Hat V agi\ am ne or two other apparently more thriving and pretty puces, you begin to feel once more in the civilised W(jrld. It was on this journey, as we wound our way round the margiu of Lake (Superior, at a spot rather omi- ^msly called the " Jaws of Death," that the accident occu'i-ed to our ei^ine and tender, from running into of ViQrl f'nlLin f\-n frk f li* * i'of»lr TT»rMn f.no lioinrntci tti- 'm^f ---.•• -t .^•.- •'- • .w5-.' » * -'I*.- *»v*^»«t.r> It fortunately resulted in nothing more ^erious than giving us all a large mass of >ove. a good shaking as we sat at breakfast, and sending the engine and two other trucks off the line ; the line itself l)eing also torn up, causing a m :t^- ff-.t lir i l:l .H ''■■| i^ ■•J^^ M ^ ■'•; -v. i4.-|:^ ^ '. *'• ',■;■ • ''. I ,' ■' f » ' :' >.' * i t , ft >' . J ■■1' .' - ^ J i'' re y'Ac AijrkuUural Jieaotn'cfS of Cunadn. delay of somo hoiu-H k'fore u start could hv ajjaiii niud«'. Had the accident happened a few yards Fjirther on, Mio whole train nii^ht have gone down a precipice ; in that case I am afraid tho delejyates' mission would have come to an abrupt conclusion. However, "All's well that ends well." On long night and day journeys by train, breakfast, luncheon, and r'.inner cars are attached at different stations to the trains, and run on till all the passengers ore served, then leave at the next station. On reaching Winnipeg we were very cordia'ly received bv the Members of Parliament and citizens generally, and took up our quarters, to remain over Sunday, at the Clarendon Hotel. Winnipeg is a flourishing city of some 27,000 inhabitants, and favoured by its 8ituat).>n, as i-egards railway and water communication, must go ou increc ng, although just now suffering from over-speculation at the time tne (^anadian Pacific Kailway was first opened. It contains many very fine public buildings, churches, schools, aud private bouses ; at the same time many wooden houses are to be seen, giving at first sight a somewhat mixed impression, but this feeling leaves you as you become better acquainted with the capabilities of the place and its people. We were made honorary members for the time being of the Manitoba Club, a most enjoyable arid well-conducted establishment, and 1 >vited on Monday evening to take i)art in a dinner given to 8ir Hector ki.ngevin, the Minister of Public Works of Canada. The health of the dele- gates was proposed, and we had to return thanks in due course. About 250 dined, and altogether a very jolly evening was spent. We drove out on Sunday afternoon, after attending church, s(mie six miles, crossing the ]ied River by the ferry, returning on the other side, and crossing by the suspension bridge, which serves alike for railway and passenger traffic. The roads were very bad, owing to the late rains ; and th(> land, although very rich in quality, was very badly farmed, according to the standard of British cultivation. Much of the land round Winnipeg is open prairie, in the hands of speculators, and not being fenced can be fed and used by any one. A large quantity of good land in the Selkirk district, some IS miles distant, is open to emigrants. On Monday morning we went over several Targe warehouses, inspected the provision market, called on and had audience with the governor of the province of Manitoba, and afterwards visited the schools. The schools are entirely free, and open to and used alike by all classes of society. The teachers both male and female appeared very^efficient. The Government do not pay, as in England, by results, but 75, 70, or 60 per cent, of their salary, according to the class of certificate the teachers hold. A good system of drill, to call in or dismiss the various classes, or should an outbreak of fire occur, is practised by the children. The school buildings are good, and the sanitary and ventilation arrangements excellent. Winnipeg contains in all ten schools, 500 children and upwards attending each. The children we saw had a particularly intelligent and strong, healthy appearance, very clean in person, and well dressed. These remarks apply generally throughout the whole Dominion, the school system wherever you go m Mr. Henry ^immoiui's liqtort. 77 being all good alike, and churches and chajM^ls in every ditttrict. No one contemplating emigration need have any iningivings on either of these matterrt, as they will linil the arrangomniits good and in tlieir own hands. In the afternoon we drove out in an opposite direction to that tiiken on Sunday, to " Silv»!r Heights," ahout six miles, a ver^ nice residenc'j and farm belonging to Sir Donald Smith, and were received by the steward, Sir Donald being away. They had about 300 acres (»f arable land, and planted 240 acres of it with wheat each year. H«> waa satisfied with a yield of 20 bushels per acre ; dung was of no use, he had tried it several times, but should do so no more, as it only produced weeds. The same statement has been often made to us since in other districts, and it certainly has puzzled th«; delegates a good deal when, finding fault with the farmers for burning the straw, as is so much done throughout Manitoba, we were met with this answer, and have not been able to cDUvince them against the practice; as, however, mixed farming becomes more general, this will no doubt be discontinued. We have been told men will remove a building rather than clean out the dung, and in one instance we saw this actually done. A small herd of West Highland cattle and a few HiTefords, all running together without much attempt at managetnent, nuiking in all, including calves, about 40 head, comprised the stock on the farm, except horses and a few sheep shut in a yard. The steward said he haa only 90 acres of poor-looking prairie i)ast\n'e, and it was not nearly (mough to carry the above herd ; he wanted nearly ten acres to a beast to do well. A small herd of seven wild buffaloes are kept in an enclosed ground as a relic of the past. On our return journey to Winnipeg, we passed some good land used for garden purposes, well culiivated, and very productive. We walked into gardens and +alked with the occupiers, who evidently used dung when they could get it, and highly valued it, the result being tine vegetables and potatoes of good quality and quantity. Some very nice private residences on the banks of the Assiniboine Kiver attracted our notice in the distance. The manager of the Manitoba Penitentiary, an Englishman who accompanied Lord Wolseley to Fort Garry in 1870, told me he had held the appointment 20 years, and during that time had only known five convicts convicted a second time after leaving the prison. On leaving, he was allowed to give them a suit of clothes and £2 in mojiey, and generally heard of their doing well by letters from the convicts themselves. He told me that, although he h ped to retire in a few years, he should end his days in Canada, as lie loved the cuiintry and people. On Tuesday morning we took leave of Winnipeg, accompanied by Mr. Scarth, the Member for Winnipeg, and journeyed on through a ^urge tract of useful open prairie land, much of it broken up and appearing to have good crops of wheat, which all were busy stacking and thresh- ing, and we saw several lots of cattle in the distance as we passed. Oiu* fi!'^f ufon Ai-oq nf. (~!'»ri>inn nnifw n now a(if>lt>iTioi»f in nntmpniionpn r>f se crofters, I believe. We passed on through a very useful, open country by Barnett Lake, and so on to Pelican Lake, getting a fine view of the beautiful scemuy all round as far as the eye could reach, and iiad a long talk with a young farmer busy stacking wheat. His former occupation was in a Liverpool merchant's otfice. He is married, and his two Mv. Ilf/nvj/ Simmons's Report. 79 sisters, who came out to Canada with him, have hoth since married well to neighbouring settlers. A young man, an English clergyman's son, was helping him on the stack. AH appeared happy and contented, enjoyed the freedom of the life, and, as they put it, being their own " boss." We again started over the prairie, occasionally calling on a settler as we passe'l, and driving through some good hay country down to Belmont, a station on the Canadian Pacific Eaihvay. Here we halted for tea, and then on by moonlight over the prairie, watering our horses on the way at an Icelanders' settlement (these are said to make some of the very best settlers, being thrifty and industrious), and so back, after a run of over 50 miles, to Glenboro'. Some of our party carried guns, and bagged prairie chi(^ken, ducks, and teal during the day's ride, all of which are very plentiful in this district. The following morning we left Glenboro' in four rigs, or spring waggons of the country, our destinations being Plum Creek, and thence by rail to Brandon. The land for some miles was very rich, well farmed, and caused many of us to wish we had a thousand acres of such soil in England. The lirst man we spoke to was very busy, like the rest, stacking wheat, but quite ready to tell us his experiences. He was formerly a gamekeeper in Lincolnshire ; he farmed 160 acres — V20 acres in wheat and 20 acres in oats this year, and expected most of the wheat to yield 40 bushels per acre, and, judging from what we saw of it, half will yield it, and the other half over 80 bushels. It was quite refreshing to see the way this man's work was set out and done ; he nas evidently doing, as he said, well ; had bought another quarter-section of land, built a good house and premises, and, with the assistance of his sons and daughters, who all work, will make money. He liked both country and climate, and had lost asthma, from which he suffered a good deal when in England. Another young man near was farming a half-section (320 acres), with a very nice house and buildings on it ; he paid for the land, which had been broken up, eight dollars an acre, and was every year ])aying for more live and dead stock out of his crops, which were, like his neighbour's, fairly good. We then continued our way through good land, all well farmed and in large holdings : here we saw a flock of about 200 South- down ewes and lambs, which the owner said paid him well, although he had to yard them by night from wolves. We halted at a new railway station and very thriving village on the Eiver Souris called Wawanesa; very pretty scenery, and the station and village all built within the last year. On resuming our journey we crossed the river, and passed through a long stretch of prairie, not of such good quality as that we had left, and mostly unbroken, held by speculators. Badgers and gophers (little animals between our rat and squirrel) abound, the badgers making holes in the trail very dangerous for the horses' legs ; but it is curious to notice how very carefully these endurable little country horses avoid stepping into them. Evening found us at Plum Creek, after a drive of 56 miles. We calculated that during our drive, looking some two miles in each direction, we had seen something like 3,000,000 bushels I :i. ■'•V, i,- ■■■111 i f It I 11^ \i 80 Hie Agricultural Jiesources of Canada. oi! wheot in stack. We noticed a severe hailstorm had crossed one district early in the season, and the wheat injured by it was just being cut very short and green, and not of much value. It is a rare occurrence in Canada, and no such thing as a hail insurance olfice exists. Plum Creek is a very pretty place on the Souris lliver, and a large quantity of good land is available for corn-growing ; but here the speculators have been largely at work, and much of the land is in their hands, for wk.ch they now ask from eight to ten dollars an acre. We left by train, arriving at Brandon foi the night. Friday morning we went, accompanied by Mr. Daly, M.P., and many of the leading men in Brandon, to visit a large farm occupied by a Mr. Sandison, from Scotland, whose land was some of the richest and his management of it, from a mere orn-raising point of view, the most business-like we have seen in Canada. From his own statement, verified by oth'^rs, about seven years ago he began this farm with borrowed capital. He is to-day undoubtedly a man of very considerable means, say from s«?ven to ten thousand pounds. The system is one of continuous eropping, and this year, after six previous corn crops, he complains he grows text much straw, all of which he burns out of his way immediately affer harvest. He has J,o50 acres of Fife wheat (the most favourite wheat pr'j'duced in Canada), which he expects will yield from 35 to 4() bushels, of 60 lb«. ti&e bushel, per acre ; and from the way it came down the spouts of two threshing ireaichines then at work in the fields, being at the rate of three bushels every minute each machine, and the appearance of the crop, all being then in -sViOck, it will probably, at any- rate, reach the 35 bushels per acre, and nvM of it o^' good quality, and no complaint of damage by frost. Of oats he ha« .3-31) acres, all after six years' previous corn crops, and he estimat«"s the yield at from eight to ten quarters, of 34 lbs. the bushel, per acre. Jhn black Tartars are really a very fine crop. He took an adjoining sec!*^'' - of 640 acres last year for three years, at a rental of half a dollar , •■ per annum. It is all ready for ])lanting with wheat next season, well cleared, and will only require breaking down with tlie harrows in the spring of 1S91 to produce, after drilling, a fine crop of wheat. The only stock on the farm is 18 pairs of horses, working sulky i)loughs on which the ))loughmen ride; and we noticed twelve binders standing in the homestead awaiting winter quarters. Wild geese, ducks, and otii/i' game are ])lentiful on the farm, and produce good sport. On our homeward journey we called at the Brandon Experimental Farm, where luncheon was provided for our party. The same system is carried out iiere as at (Ottawa, and the buildings and management are on the same commendable principle, and under good painstaking managers. In the afternoon we drove over the country on the east side of Brandon, calling on our way through the city to see a stud of Shire and thoroiighbred horses, imported from England. We thought them only second rate, and fear the English sellers take quite enough money, without, nt the same time, taking care that the article sold is ^iKyA, We had a drive of some ten miles '^ut, taking a circle home again through a great country of laud avftilable far emigraut«, and a goot', • Mr. Jfcnrif Stmmons's Report. gj deal of it already taken up, at from five to twelve dollars an acre, ilus country IS said to be mbiect to drought, but as a whole we think It well wm-thy the attention of intending s.^ttlers. A considerable quantity 01 land tor many mdes beyond Brandon is available and of good quality, and when in Ontario I heard of several old settlers there having chosen this part of the country for sending their sons into We saw prairie chicken and ducks in abundance, and heard of wolves and a few bears m the neighbourhood. A supper and sniokin- concert was given in our honour, to which we were invited in the evening. "^ '*' On Saturday morning, after seeing the very complete mills owned by the mayor o the city, sawmills, corn elevator, &c., we started in five ngs for Eapid City, distant about 21 miles. The first part of oui wly led us again by Mr. Sandison's farm, and through for some six or seven nil es a very fane farming district. The country was literally covered AMth wheat and other corn stacks as far as the eye could reach but -is we approaclied Eapid City the country was more'wooded and of n er or quality but much of it was taken up and settled, and some very good ious.>s built Eapid City hai;dly carries out its name, as it appe^a^ o have stood still m the race of late, owing to the mai^ lineot'rSvav not having passed through it as was expected; however with the increased rayhvay communication it has recently acquired it is tlion' t more attention will be directed to that district. \ve ook^ oye? ' woollen manufactoiy and gathered that a considerable quantity of sheep are kept in the mnghbourhood, and we noticed soine herds of cattle on the hills around. Complaints of frosted wheat were mac^. hctovy.^ ''"' '' ''' '^'"' ^^ ^'''^''^' P^^ ^''' '^'^ f^iHyItis: We t^ok the train for Minnedosa, where I left our party in order to spend Uo or three days with a gentleman formerly a pupil of mine at Bearwood England, the rest of our delegates going on meanvvlX o Saltcoats to see the crofters, then to Russell, Lr dT Ear a^ home and farm for boys, afterwards to Binscarth, over some ca tie ranches, and on to Bartle -all of which, no doubt, wi 1 be fuinescrM in their respective reports-and on the following Wednesdavmm-nin^ we a 1 again met at Minnedosa. On reaching Mhanedosroi^S^t^, ^ evening, I at once engaged a rig to drive me o" to C auM^llSm to my friends house, about 10 miles distant. 1 arrived theiv nS .uteresting drive, the latter part being through :i^^ ^'^:,::! and seeing a skunk, wolf, &c., cross our t?ail- -about nine o'clock at nun u^>ut ren minutes atter my arrival. This gentleman, the so ,f a clergyman in Dorsetshire England, when with me as pupi led oui te an easy life, riding round the farms, and merely carryinr; out nw n5 to the resnectirp fn,-pm«n „r,rlo„ u: ' u ri *-'" V, "^ out my orders to the respectiyp foremen under him of n.rxA himself Here I found him with his far :y20 acres, at a cost of 5 dols. an acre, nearly all croi red n IL !'i ™ A \u,nAir^r,u W...11 H„„,.,i 1..... _- ^»"cuii^ uu ciopped. agood house „-„„.. -... placed, uuL no H(!U1 iu lllH house tx) pnnlro,. .U „„„ th and singli house manserv cook or do any mg was to run about a mile to get extra bread to ant. The first carry us over IV.-. ■Q 4 It 62 The Agrlculttiral Beaouras of Canada. M Sunday, when we cooked our supper, and to feed on the floor. My object in recording this is simply to show that, in spite of all those apparent drawbacks, C'anada has charms. Here you have a man, in every respect by education at Oxford a gentleman, ploughing his own land, cooking his own food, cashing up, making beds, &c., with the help of one manservant, making a fairly good living and thoroughly enjoying the life, in spite of all previous experience of comforts in England, as he told me over tlie smoking of a short pipt, as we talked well-nigh into Sunday morning. In order to save time, 1 may here just mention that, finding a letter from England awaiting my arrival here from another old pupil, who is engaged to marry one of my daughters, and asking to be allowed to settle in Canada rather than Australia as before arranged, I sent a cable- gram for hiui to come at once to Clanwilliani. He is now there, and from letters received since, delighted with the country and his new lite, and in all probability a section of land will be bought for him. This is the real fact which led up to the absurd reports copied from the Canadian into the English papers. On Sunday evening about half a dozen neighbours — all English gentlemen, educated at college — called to see me. They, like my friend, held farms near, followed much the same kind of life, managed to live and improve their position steadily, and were happy and contented with the life. On the Monday and Tuesday following we drove through the country in my friend's waggon and pair of horses, I paying others to carry on his harvest work in his stead, time being valuable just at this seasoji. We visit i iirst his sister, who has lately left England, from leading a lady's life, hunting in the season, to marry a former acquaint- ance, a young man, son of a clergyman, also in Dorsetshire, who has ;{20 acres of land near. I found him, having but a small quantity of land bi'oken for corn this year, gone to assist a neighbour with his harvest, and the wife left at home with one little English servant girl to milk the cows, water the horses, feed the pigs, &c., &c. The house was simply built for a granary, but re-arranged in haste ibr a temporary house, and a better dinner, better cooked, or in more comfortable quarters, 1 do not desire than this lady, witliout any notice, got ready for us. On the following day we visited another friend, also farming 320 acres, Avho had married a Canadian lady. Here we had good fare in the greatest comfort, which at once convinced me that Canada without a wife is a very poor place indeed. My earnest advice to a settler is, ''Get at once a good wife, and you will have then ittlo lo desire." During the two days we visited many farms, on all of which the owners were busy stacking wheat, and we had to hear tales of much of it being more or less frosted, causing disappointment. I fear, however, that this largely arises from the advantages of early seeding and better farmiiig not being thoroughly appreciated; but I am glad to say Iphs than anticipated. The old tale was told from former bankers' clerks. Bailors, and gentlemen alike — •' We have to rough it, and meet with many Mr. Henrjf Simmons's Report. •■ §3 reverses, but prefer farming here with it all to our original occupations " You wonder sometimes, thinking can tliey reallv mean what thev say but as you become better acquainted with the country you imdersland and t.eheve. To prove that this kind of life in no way tends to lower a mans natural tastes and instincts, my friend said to me in the mid«<^ ot a dense forest, where we had lost our trail, and had iust mana-ed to get our waggon and horses over four large trees which had fallen across our way a wolf passing us the while, "I do miss, Mr. Simmons, very much indeed my music and literature." ^ This is a very useful part of the country, with good shooting, plenty of wood and water, and land that will produce for some vears' successive cropping 25 to 32 bushels of wheat per acre which can be purchased at from 5 to 7 dols. an acre. My friend left me at iMinnedosa on Tuesday night, where I again joined the other delegates on Wednes-. day morning, going on to Ni^epawa, our next stop. ^ JSeepawa-an Jndiaii word meaning plenty— is well named, as this IS one ot the most productive districts we have struck, in 188'^ only three houses existed, now it is rather a pretty town of some 600 inhabitants. 1 he land tor the most part is a deep, rich loam, and bears wheat from 2o to 40 bushels per acre for many successive years. One farmer told us his crop on 173 acres yielded 26 bushels per acre this season, and his oats and some barley turned out remunerative Last year he was ottered for his wheat in the autumn 115 cents, and 'sold in the spring for 95 cents only. This district h^ads away to the Eidin- Mountains, where a big hre was raging. Much good hay land is Jiereabouts, and altogether it is a good country and the people are prosperous. At night we joined our car, and auoke next morninc. at Fortage la Prairie, an old settlement of some 3,000 peopi- and a grand tract of corn-producing land, reaching away for many iniles on all sides ot the town. Here our party divided, taking different sections ' ot tlie country. Jj our large corn elevators and extensive mills are here and It IS quite a sight to witness the constant flow of wagwns brin-^-in.^ in wheat, and returning with all speed to the various threshin? machines at work in every direction as far as the eye can reach It is said at least one million bushels of wheat are received here each season AVe drove out with a Mr. Sorby to see his farm, 17 miles distant, and passed through a large breadth of country, in which wheat has been grown on the bulk of it ten, fifteen, and even twenty years successively On asking why the crops generally appeared to have been only moderate this year, we were told the season had been unfavourable ; but my own impression was that the land looked exhausted, and that some course of imxed farming must be followed if the crops are to keep up their former yields, Mr. 8orby emigrated from Ontario, bought two sections (1 ^80 acres) of unbroken prairie and half a section of hay land, at a cost of about JO dollars an acre. This is his second crop only. He had 830 acres of wheat, 23 bushels per acre, allowing for shed corn, owing to not beine able to cut in time, and some frosted wheat ; and 50 acres of oats .56 bushels per acre. He intends ornwinof 1 oqo nr-raq ,^i' ..u^..^. ,1 c'> e oats next year, and increasing his reaping machines to ten in order to cut all ju about one wei^k. He has two good houses, good buildings, IV.- G o" ' i f 84 The Agric\(liwal Meaovreet of Canada. ' .1- 1. 1 i ^* ■■■ !• :• •S^j:' T'.: ■ I " '}■•' '!•■ '.• • • .f.M and what vn-e had hardly Been in Canada before, a large shed for implements ; but he and his family live in Portage la Prairie. His system is to keep few men and liorses on the farm, being able to hire any qmmtity of both in tlie busy time ; only during the winter hjiving a foreman uud one other man to pay. He only visits his farm once a fortnight, exce])t during the busy seasons of spring planting, hay- making, harvesting, and autunui ploughing — this lasting about six months from the middle? of April, He said he had let 640 acres to a man to plough for 1 dollar 75 cents (7s.) per acre, and the work was being well done. He purposes growing wheat successively for four years, and then planting timothy grass and stocking, rather than having bare fallow. No rick cloths, waggon cloths, thatching, or horsoshoeing being wanted in this country is a consideration. This is, without doubt, the easiest system of farming we have seen, and must pay well for the first few years — the question arises. Will it last ? This the present owner cares little about, leaving those who follow him to find it out. My opinion is tluit the prairie farmers will soon find out that the land will repay better and more careful farming than it now in many cases receives. The land now, including buildings, is worth about 50 dollars an acre ; much of it would grow barley, and this will, no doubt, be resorted to as a change of crop. A paper mill using straw, for which they pay eight shillings per load of 15 cwt. delivered, is in this district, and the company have mills in other parts of Canada. This would appear a rising industry in a country where straw is not valued as a manure. We left Portage on Thursday evening, arriving at Indian Head on Friday morning, and having breakfasted at the Commercial Hotel, went at once over the Government Experimental Farm, carried on here under the manage- ment of Mr. Mackay exactly on the same lines as those already described at Ottawa and Brandon, and certainly with equal credit to him as regards skill. The land is of better quality, but the climate more backward. Here an excellent lunch was prepared for our party, and great hospitality shown to us by Mr. and Mrs. Mackay. We then started to see the world-wide known Bell Farm, formerly consisting of 53,000 acres, but not proving a success, the land "as sold, some 13,000 acres being purchiised by the then manager. Major Bell, and the remainder by a colonisation society under Lord Brassey. A very heavy storm of rain and hail coming on, w(! could not do justice to Major Bell's farming, as, unfortunately for him, we entered on the side of his holding on which all his wheat was badly frosted, much standing uncut and horses and cattle feeding on it, and the other cut green and made into stacks for fodder. The storm wos so heavy that we turned back, and did not see his finer and better wheatc, of which he had grown 1,400 acres, and hoped next year to grow 3,000 acres and 200 acres of oats. We saw at his houso, whiq|i with the buildings was remarkably good, some good samples- of the corn grown this season. The Colonisation Society's Farm comprises 60 sections of 6-J*' acres each, but as it was only started in Mav last little work has been done beyond the erection of a manager's house, buildings, and cottages. The idea is for English labourers to be assisted Mr. Henry Simiiiotis's Jieport. 85 to emigrate, v\ork oa the farm for a year, and then settle according to ability on portions ot the land unbroken, paynie'^nts being extended in easy instalments over several years. It will be interesting to see how this experiment answers. We saw some good English iShire horses, and noticed oOO Shorthorn cattle in one field. This neighbonrhood is not equal to that we had just left, and as we rejoined our car at three o'clock in the afternoon and travelled towards Eegina, we passed through prairie land of rather poor quality, little wood upon it, and very few settlers. The cost of producing a crop of wheat from sowing to tlie delivery into the elevator is estimated throughout Manitoba at from 289. to 3(ts. an acre. We reached Eegina, but made no stay there this time, going on a 250 miles journey by train to Prince Alberl, arriving then; on Sunday morning after a somewhat uninteresting travel through a ilat prairie country of poor quality and lacking wood and water, but it is said to be better than it looks. A fire was burning for many miles as we passed on over the prairie, the railway track, stations, and the few houses to be seen being protected from tl.o iire by what are called fireguards. This is about six or eight furrows ploughed along each side of the rail and around the house*, which pi^events the fire crossing. The effect of the fire gives a v(;ry desolate, bleak, barren a])pearance to the country. At the various stations very large heaps of buffalo bones, collected off the prairie by Indians, and sent, I am told, to l^higland, are to be seen, and the Indians themselves, with horses and qunint-shaped carts, camping very like the old English gipsy a sliort distance away on the rising ground. A few herds of cattle, flocks of wild geese, ducks, an occasional wolf or fox, startled by our train (the second only, I believe, thrt has passed up this newly-laid line), completed the picture. Prince Albert contains about 900 inhabitants, and is very pleasantly situated on the Eiver Saskatchewan, the surrounding scenery being very beautiful, and there are some very good houses on the high ground, with the police barracks and nunnery on the hilltop. We were taken in carriages for a circuitous drive through the country of 85 miles, ca-ling at various farms and inspecting the grain. Some of the wheat was frosted, probably owing to la+e sowing, but the barley was tf good quality. So far as we could judge, this district is more calculated for ranching than corn-growing at present, having no market ; but the line now ooen, and" should eventually the contemplated line from the Northern Pacific be made, it would grow rapidly into an important settlement. We heard of much good corn land and fine hay country in the opposite direction to the one we took, and the whole is well sheltered, with wood and water, and affords good shooting and sport of all kinds. I fancy this part of the country must \^•ait a few years till more accessible districts are taken up. We left on Monday morning on our return journey, calling at Duck Lake, and driving out through a wide extent of prairie, with apparently little stock on it. A considerable trade in furs and skins is carried on here. Our next stoppage wag at Saskatoon, to see some •r # t 86 The AynmUural liesonrces of Canada. •r:!: ■ ■■ ,1 ■Ml ■ '•'.■ I :,A 'i very fino samples of corn and specimens of roots. Oats were particularly fine, and here it wfts that a radish was given us weighing nine pounds, of good quality and flavour. We then continued our way, reaching Kegina on Tuesday morning in a downfall of rain. Eegina, the capital of the North- West Territories, contains about 2,000 people, and was started ten years since ; it boasts of little beauty as to situation, being ilat, and surrounded by boundless prairie. It is rightly named " Queen City of the Plains." It is a growing city, with several good hotels, churches, banks, and other public buildings, but owing to the heavy rain, the streets were in a wretched condition. We could see little of the country, the weather being so bad, but attended an agricultural exhibition going on in tlie city. Unfortunately the cattle did not arri\ e until after we left, but we saw quite a display of excellent corn, grasses, and roots from the Indian Head Experimental Panu, and also others grown by farmers in the neighbourhood, including butter, cheese, wines, pickles, bread, harness, and many other useful things; also needle- work, fancy articles, writing, juaps. and work done by children. A special exhibition of the productions from the Indian lleserve, in- cluding most of the things above mentioned, particularly interested us, and we thought the wheat the best in the whole show. We met many farmers, among them a Berkshire and a Lincolnshire man ; all reported favourably of their position and prospects. We were entertained at a grand dinner in the evening by the leading citizens, and afterwards rejoined our railway car, starting during the night for Calgary. AVe have noticed throughout Canada mares with foals are worked as before, both for driving and farm purposes, the foals running by the side of the dam ; this, coupled with the climate, may account in some measure for the poM ers of endurance the Canadian horses possess. In England our hard roads would make this impracticable. On our long ride to Calgary of some thousand miles— chiefly through a wide expanse of prairie land, much of it of somewhat barren appearance, with here and there settlers' houses and occasional herds of cattle and horses, several large lakes, but not a tree to be seen — we met several fellow-travellers, who gave us much useful information ; one in particular, a Mr. Stone, manager of eleven farms of 10,000 acres each, much of it being land we were then passing through, acquired by 8ir John Lister Kaye, and sold by him to the Canadian Coal, Agricul- tural, and Colonisation Company. Mr. Stone's experience was that, owing to the frequent droughts, he should in future look rather to horse and cattle ranching than corn-growing, only raising corn sufficient for his own use and requirements. He had suffered this season from frost to the wheat and hot winds in July, which had damaged the oat crop, of which we saw 300 acres being cut for fodder. He had grown 25 bushels of wheat per acre. He had 400 mares, and imported Shire and thoroughbred stallions, and endeavoured to keep them out all winter on the praiiie, sometimes without any hay being given them. He also had 23,000 merino ewes, crossed with Cheviot, Shropshii'e, and Leicester rams, which seemed to me must lead to a mixed medley of mongrel sheep, unless the pure strains are imported. Ewes cost 14s. each, and he sold lambs at lis. each. He clipped this season 50 tons of J\li'. Iteanj Siinmoiisg lUj'Oi't, 8? wool, which sold at 7|d. per lb. unwashed. Foot-rot is unknown. The sheep huve to be housed at night all the winter against the wolves, 500 of these animals being killed annually. One shepherd attends 2,000 sheep. This housing is a drawback to proiitable slieep-farniing. He had in all 700 horses and over 7,000 cattle of the Shorthorn and Polled Angus breeds on the respective farms and ranches, He prefers the Berkshire breed of pigs to Yorkshire or any other breed yet tried. Water can be got at about 60 feet, and the wells are worked by windmills. General Grant was another gentleman who, with his son, was seeing the country West. His son was settled at Griswold, 25 miles from Brandon ; had lived two years with a farmer, then homesteaded a half-section ; had since taken up another half-section and additional hay land ; and having now a partner in a young Englishman, they had added a livery stable business, and appeared to be doing well. The General returned with us on the " Parisian " to England, pleased and delighted witl his .'on's success and Canada generally. We arrived on Thursday morning, 9th October, at Calgary, the capital of the important district of Alberta. It is a thriving town of about 5,000 people, situate at tlie junction of the Bow and Elbow liivers, commanding grand views of the Eocky Mountains. We were received at the Alberta Hotel by the mayor and others, and at once started for a long ride to see the country, and called at a large farm held by a gentleman who with his brother combines this with land in British Columbia and a large business as butchers. We saw grazing on the prairie a herd of 120 bullocks of mixed breeds ready for slaughter, and they appeared to be doing well. We also saw a small flock of Merino sheep. Not much corn is grown excepting oats and barley for home consumption. Threshing was then going on with a horse power machine worked by 12 horses, a novel sight to us. The yield was satis- factory, being about 5G bushels per acre. After luncheon we returned to Calgary by another route, through a good ranching country, fording the rivers, and calling at a woollen manufactory, where we sn,\v good rugs and blankets produced from the wool grown in the district. The following morning it was arranged to dividt^. our party, some staying to do the Agricultural Show being hiM in Calgai-y, while six of us left at eight o'clock in a four-horse '^' for a two days tour through the fine ranching district stretching out towards the foot of the Eockies. We passed over more than 100 miles of country, seeing several noted horse and cattle ranches, and returned to Calgary the following day, much pleased with the enormous resources of this vast Alberta Province generally. AVithout doubt, opened up as it now is by the Canadian Pacific Eailway and other lines in formation to the Edmonton, Lethbridge, and other districts containing an untold area of land suitable for corn-growing, dairying, and grazing purposes, with an abundance of timber, coal, and valuable minerals, is will fast become one of the great centres of Canadian trade and osperity. We left for Banff during the night, arriving there on Sunday together •( i« m '' )i )■ ,' A '.■^-, ';■' •II It.',.. ■':,; $8 27*. J/enri/ SiminotiS*ii Ue[tdrt. 89 m extiMit. Liko tlie dciia, after (Jminago, it is rich and most productive, and hcIIh for good prices according to situation. Tiiu country .struck UH as somewhat unin itinp^, and roquinng hotter railways and other A VlinV IX STANLEY I'AKK, VAXCOIVHU. means of access before it can be fully developed. The climate through- out Britifth Columbia is a good deal like that of England, only not so changeable. AVe lei Vancouver on Friday evening by boat, calling for the night at Nanaimo, and seeing the coal mines there (output daily 1,800 tons, price at pit's mouth, IGs. a ton), then on next morning to Vancouver Island, to Victoria, the capital city of British Columbia. The mayor and corporation received us on arrival, and after taking up our quarters at the Driard Hotel, were driven round the city and public park, calling on Lieutenant-Governor Nelson, a very genial, intelligent man, in our round, and visiting the public buildings and museum of the natural productions of the province ; afterwards a dinner v.-RH given in our honour; and a mo^t enjoyable evening spent. On Sunday we drove out into the country, calling at various farms on our way. The quantity of fruit hanging on the trees, chiefly apples and ^■^ ^ n% V^. "^^ '^^^ IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 1.0 I.I 1.25 ■ 50 ™"^= ■2.5 ■■■ '^ I4S 12.2 la iio 18 U ill 1.6 '^yy/A Photographic Sciences Corporation 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, NY. 14580 (716) 872-4503 1. iV \ :\ ^> ;\ t. ^^^^. ,. ",!.: Blind a t'ow miles out, our party divided, I and one other delegate going on with Mr. Hobson to Paris (5,000 inhabitants), passing through a country of mixed farming very like many parts of England, good houses and homesteads, and laud fenced in, fairly well farmed. We were told much of it could be bought at from j£10 to £15 an acre. Twenty-live bushels of wheat per acre was about the average yield this season. We called on one or two farmers, and all gave a favourable report of the district. AX ONTARIO I'ARU. t'v- ■^; ft We left Paris for Woodstock (9,500 inhabitants), reaching there about 7 o'clock in the evening. The following morning we drove through a fairly good country, making our first stop at Mr. Green's, of Ennerick, a Welsh gentleman. He has a very nice house and good premises, with well-timbered park-like grounds and entrance drive. Purchased by Mr. Green eight years sinc(} at 55 dollars an acre, he now would sell with all improvements at 75 dollars an acre (£15). He has two daughters and three sons, and, although quite ladies and gentlemen, they appear to do most of the work, and I have seldom had a better lunch or more comfortably served. Mr. Green has a small herd of pure-bred Shorthorns, a nice flock of Sliropshire sheep, a few good Shire-bi-ed horses, and some pedigree pigs. The Yorkshire pigs, said to be of Mr. Sanders Spencer's breed, do little credit to their breeder. We next visited a neighbouring farm, owned by ]Mr. Donaldson, of about 400 acres, with good house and buildings ; a very nice herd of pure-bred Shorthorns, with a good bull in service, HBISK Mr. Ffenrt/ Simmons'ii Report. •8 and a good flock of vShropshire sheep. Mr. Donaldson has three sons who have left Ontario for the West, purchasing 320 acres each in Manitoba, in the Brandon district, and they are doing well. His reason for this is that young men can start cheaper in Manitoba than in an old province like Ontario. We returned to Woodstock, going on by train to London for the night, where a Mr. J. Gibson, of Delaware, joined us. London is a nice town of some 35,000 inhabitants. We left in the early morning to drive out to Mr. Gibson's farm at Delaware, about LS miles by the route we took, passing through a fairly good country, with good fences, houses, and buildings. In many places the old original log hut could be seen standing at the rear of the new, substantial, well-built, brick residence. All the houses had gardens and trees planted around, giving them a Iiomelike and English appearance. Some of the land looked light and sandy, but the wlieat all show(!d what we should call at this season gay. Mr. Gibson's is a M'ell-built, good-looking house, approached through well planted and kept grounds, with good buildings, and about 300 acres of productive land, farmed on the English system chiefly. He has a herd of pure Shorthorns of the most fashionable strains of blood, and one cow in particular struck us as really the best we had seen in Canada : a very choice flock of Shropshire sheep, and Berkshire and Yorkshire pedigree pigs. He is himself a Lincolnshii'e r an, and has crossed the Atlantic 33 times, and boasts of having been in every county in England save two. Altogether, he is a successful farmer, and a man of the right stamp all round. Delaware is a very pleasantly situated village on the banks of the River Thames. We returned by another road to London, passing through a poorer district not so well farmed, remaining in London the night, and being again joined by the rest of our party, who had taken an opposite direction through the province, and returned delighted ^\ ith all they had seen. Shooting in Ontario is claimed by the respective owners as in England. On Saturday morning we all left by train for Guelph, in order to see the Agricultural College there, passir g through a us^eful mixed -farmed district, but much of it apparently wanting draining and capable of better farming, good houses and buildings everywhere, and land fenced. On arriving at Guelph we found it was market day, so we first inspected the market and talked with many of the farmers, and then passed on to the college, being received by the president, Mr. Mills. After luncheon, we were shown over the establishment, and then conducted over the farm, and saw the system of butter-making and the respective small herds of Shorthorn, Hereford, Polled Angus, and Alderney cattle. A very fine Hereford bull, bred by the Queen, took our fancy, but unfortunately he was a bad stock-getter. Experiments are carried out in crossing the various breeds, and in all the Shorthorn sire produced the best results. Some useful lambs bought in the fall, feeding off rape, looked like paying fairly well. All sheep are housed in the winter. The quality of the wheat grown was inferior. This college is conducted on very sound practical and economical principles, and every encouragement is given to the pupils, numbering at this time 80, to do good manual work on the farm, for vvhich payment is made according to ability ; and it is I t. - '-■ 9 Hi".!, 04 The Agricultural Eesources of Canada, i-i^,''1 :,m-' ,'..s '1,? m' $ ! I' ■'.; possible for hard-working younj? men to clear the fee of .£20, paid by those born in Ontario annually, by their own industry during their stay in the college. The whole system is sound and worthy of all encouragement. AVe now made our way back to Toronto, from thence to Ottawa, where we were entertained at a dinner given by Mr. Carling, the Minister of Agriculture, the mayor, and corporation, and on the morrow took our leave and journeyed on to Montr \ from thence next day to Quebec, embarking on the good ship " Parisian "' for England. Having thus briefly described our long travels through this vast and interesting country of Canada, I will end my report by a summarv of the conclusions I have arrived at as to the capabilities, from an emigration point of view, of the whole country generally. The first thing to impr(\ss on emigrants is, that unless they are prepared to work, and for a time, at any rate, forget the luxuries ol" life in England, they had far better remain at home. This at first mav seem hard and discouraging, but against this stands the fact tliat throughout our travels, no matter how unfavourable the surroundings appeared, we never heard man or woman regret their coming to Canada, or wish to return to England other than on a visit to S(;e friends. Tiie first year is often trying, but afterwards they become accustomed to the country and people, and everyone is* happy, contented, and for the most part fairly prosperous. We met several settlers wlio had gone home after a short stay disgusted, but finding no place in the old country had ivturned and were doing well. Very little complaint was made to us about the climate; no one denies its being cold in tlie winter, but the atmosphere is clear, dry, and bracing, and so different to our variable, moist Eugli.sh climate, that most people prefer it. Tlie seasons, both summer and winter, can he calculated on as to their respective duration, and consequently every care and provision made. The summer, lasting only from about the middle of April to the end of October, is a time of bustle and constant strain f- u the time the crops are put in until they are harvested ; then follows winter, during whieli to a great extent labour is suspended, and an immense amount of good fellowship and enjoyment goes on throughout the country. I would advise intending emigrants to go out and obtain work, ^^•hich can easily be got in summer, and to look around before deciding as to their future. I say to all, " If you are doing fairly well at home, there remain ; but if you happen to be one of the very many for whom no place here seems open, or from some cause or other have missed their mark or been met by misfortune, then take my 'vord for it, a home can be found in Canada." The industrious labourer, skilled or otherwise, can always find remunerative employment. The gardener or small dairyman would have no difficulty in British Columbia. Tlie man with only I'lOO would find homesteads ready to be entered on in many parts of Manitoba and other parts hereinbefore described ; and the man with larger means can find there also any quantity of land, either for corn-growing or ranching, that with industry and good management will soov: r.iP-V.e hhn happy and independent, It may bi' Mr. Henri/ Shnmona'a Jieport. <)5 that many a good man will say, ♦' 1 sliould not mind a rouffh life inyselt but could not subject my wife and children to it." To such a one 1 would say— assuming that he has a fair amount of money—'" Take a good section of land, and leave for awhile your family in the neare.^l town till some of the rough work is done.'^ I found men doing this at 10 and lo mdes distance from the town with success. But after all the rough life, as it is called, has its own peculiar charm, and 1 saw mothers and daughters who had lived in the greatest luxury in England perfectly contented in their log hut, while a bett.>r house was building, with no domestic help whatever beyond their own family. Another plan, and to many emigrants with capital at command I rvould very strongly recommend it, would be to go into the Province of Ontario, which embraces an area of 182,000 square miles-much of it very productive land-and seek out one of the many desirable farms constantly to be bought at from £10 to £20 an acre, with good houses buildings, and fences, and land all under cultivation, and where every comfort of life can be obtained and enjoyed just as easily and more economically than in England. The Ontario farmers prefer sellin'i^ their holdings and sending their families, if not going themselves, to the rougher life of the Far West; and these, from their experience of earlier years, make good settlers— so making openings in many parts of Ontario for the class of emigrants described above. In England, although from sheer necessity a change is takin-^ place in this respect, laborious manual field labour has been re<^arded as a degradation ; in Canada it is really a passport to society. AVhereso- ever we vyent, the hardworking well-to-do settler (and the two things are usually found .to follow each other) was received by every Canadian no matter what his own position in life was, as a brother, to whom they were ever ready to give honour and respect. The same remarks apply equally to the wives and children. To the capitalist Canada offers great advantages, and large per- centages can be obtained on good security. The only men not wanted in Canada are the dissolute and idle ; any such on getting there will be gi-ievously disappointed. I never saw a beggar or was solicited for alms throughout the country. Another objectionable class is that of sons of gentlemen w ith any amount of money at command w\m neglect their occupations, loaf about tow n, lose their capital, and so get the country a bad name. Of course, there are many exceptions, and educjited gentlemen have succeeded, but you will find they were sent out with little money, and left to find their feet in the new country before money was supplied them from home. _ For my own part, I can truthfully say I never met with more civuity, hospitality, and kindness than I did throughout Canada at every point and from every class of her people, to all of whom I sliall feel ever deeply indebted. To the various railway and steamship companies who so generously studied our comfort and convenience my thanks are gladly rendered, and especially to the Hon. Mr. Carliuo' and the various deputies under him, not forgetting our friend and courier, Mr, Campbell, for attentions and considerations throughout tT cl'T? ~'i "".—■"""'' "-'--.MtiiUi juunicj- tiiuL Mmo can never eflace, 1 lett Canada with regret, although naturally glad to jnake for home 9 m h' ': \ •■<•'] 5 ■H'- ;! w '' i 'i' t ■ . h t .' i !ii '11 1 ' m 1 m • W 'In :vf: ,' ■ ■■'•'j J,/,' ).' '* 'i ^ ■ ■•? • \ '*'P' m '':li ', liM ': my y :. .' :• * . *", ■ (. '"■ » ■ .' ;■ ! :.M ! ' ■ l': ■■••■.1,1' • .:• .'J ■ ,-' '■:.?1:^ "* '' ,■ i;'" .' i'" [•■; l^k: |J \':-f:.\ ...■X '■ 'i ..' '■' li"' ''^ s '-'h ? ■i* '!a <■■' ■'^ ' I ' 1 ' ■ '•-:*:•!. .- 1 '. ■ ■■■■) : s ',; 'k ' '' 1 I ■■.. ' ' ■ '?. ■■ ' i {':■: -. '- . ■■ • i. ' « i.,'!:!- v' 4 1 . - 1 \ ■fe^'E ' *'■' 'M' -■■ ^ •. .*.■ ,' m ^ $6 ST/tf Aui'iaiUuml lieaourcea of Canada. after a three montliH absence ; and ns it appears likely that some of my family will settle there, I cannot altogether help cherishing tho idea that at tome future time I may make a second visit. May the visit (if tlie delegates prove of mutual advantage to both countries by causing reliable information to be made known and Canada better understood ; then, I feel sure, a fair siuire of our sar- ,j1u8 population will go out, to find in that vast, but thinly popu- ated^ country, happiness and prosperity. { IMPROVKD FARM, NOVA SCOTU. JfCorquodale & t'o., tiimHcrt, Cardfiigton Street, London, N.W. LJ '■rtm^r^^^jgft^^^ that somo of cherishing tho mtagc to hoth known Jind re oF our sar- ; thinly popu- i± 1(56 fV r ^^VKMBO^" ""• '■- - *» —■ — ■ Cmnbnitail Hu' Iv** i. »o«r vjt^ , ^* Wurli" — ^mJ li .1 -i^--. ^* - 6'j •'■'_ a 3 i' i'-^i 7. (I VKwlWuilf" I )_ — — — f'lZiju'-TS FT -yn^tlt '',•'1^1 —I I ll.l. ii M l ■ ' \ ^* III 'Hi' 7^///. Qvalira •>•»-., u,ir ■ - 1,(M7 wllf J (ai»t UrrrjK. I • llullrsi J.4(W ■■ ijiwy;,) llt^ifu Vuvrt {vim 4iii>rt „ "'>») • • ■ XM ■■ {Still, 1 :i*mt'» '■'. IhIaikU ■ l!,4(jO " ¥»j. t uiiui4a ;>,inu ' AilVlin't • 0,(Vl4 •■ J_Tuii»> 1,4,-4 •• xrtwu: M Hi>i>» ii.in: {Ml (4u«bM> - ll,fll'>.iill»« ■ .'iicl«r» •■ l.t.loU •■ • Mi.li.' K.is W.I IlilirM) ■ M'm ' Auiiuiul iV» XtvluHli - la.w; • Hj.!«.» (Auilriliii . . i.1.ij{ l.trvpn"! '■■ HiTf Ki'ln (tin N'rw Vuik CJiHtHtNtt m fAvtm Canadian RoijTi: i.ififi :» -y /■i'- ^>'¥V. -.■'^l at CI tr :iiOi,. ■ •'•. *<. <• 4 ?*■. #»■ Copies of the Tenant-Earmers' Eeports, anS other Illustmted P*ai|>hl^|8 on Canada, may be obtained, post free, pn. application^ to ■^ * i , ' , • / The W0 Commissioner for Canada (Sik CHABLES TUPPEE, Ba»t., 0.C.M.G., C.B.), 1 7, Victoria Stree , London, 8M. ; Or to the following Canadian Government Agents: — Mr.fJoHif DtkI!, 15, Wat«r Street, liverpooi; Mr. 'Thomas GRAHA.MB, 40, St. Enoch Square, Glasgow; . Mr, Thomas Cosnollt, Nortjiumberland House, Dublin ; Mr.'llBSKT Mebbtc?k, Vict<)ria Chambers, Victoria Street, B^B^t; Mri J- W. Down, Bath Bridge, Bristol' % 1 V ^i l^.vvJf^.-.-ia&ss.'i ^1^^"^' er Illustrated application^ to PPEE, Babt., • • J its-: — :-• ■■■ w^ow; >ublin ; itreet, t; -*— ' 4^' m I'-M l^'l ■1 ■J * V. *'■ ■ » ' ''! . '■ •■' !:.f ". it '•'.'■I- ■ i J WITH THE COMPLIMENTS OF Sir CHARLES TUPPER, Bart., G.C.M.G., C.B., High Commissioner for Canada. !■■ ■' l» . I ■' IMI'OUJ'ANT XctTicK. •>!• scvon dollar, ml c.^ ," it S " SVu """" ?f K..rm« of •-' i..Srfo 'u..O-r'' '""^''r "' ^''"'^• f--^'- ti.r.f^ . tsu ili. :"-' '"^ •^'i'""'- ^^>'^" "f CaiKul,-,. i.rr rem.",.') . '''fte/^nt provinn-s , '-''i UouK. lul i,;- m/- n'"''^'•■■•^'''■^'''''"''•■'•- a.a,ubon., Victors Sreet^dli;, "'"'■"'• ' '"^'^"'^