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British Columbia Historical Books Collection
Canada. Department of Agriculture
"On cover: Canada in 1890; the reports of the tenant farmers' delegates. Contains the reports of eleven men connected with agriculture in the United Kingdom. The reports describe the agricultural resources in Canada and the advantages the country offers for the settlement of farmers, farm labourers, and others of the working class. Each report deals with the various provinces visited by the particular delegate. The Preface states that the reports were also issued in four parts for general circulation. Parts 1 and 2 were intended for distribution in England; Part 3 in Scotland, and Part 4 in Ireland. Part 1 contains the reports of William Edwards, G. Hutchinson, William Scotson, and J. T. Wood; Part 2, those of Arthur Daniel, Francis Fane, Robert Pitt, and H. Simmons; Part 3, those of George Brown, and John Speir; and Part 4, those of Major Stevenson, and George Brown. A small number of Major Stevenson's reports were printed in a separate pamphlet numbered IV A." The Canadian edition was published under title: Tenant-farmer delegates' visit to Canada in 1890 . .. (Ottawa, Printed by S. E. Dawson, 1892). In 230 pages." -- Lowther, B. J., & Laing, M. (1968). A bibliography of British Columbia: Laying the foundations, 1849-1899. Victoria, BC: University of Victoria, p. 102. "Published by order of the Parliament of Canada. (Canadian edition.)" -- Title page.
230 pages : illustrations, diagram ; 22 cm
application/pdf
THE VISIT TO AND THEIR REPORTS .UPON THE AGRICULTURAL RESOURCES OF THE PROVINCES Prince Edward Inland, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba, The North-West Territories, and British Columbia. PUBLISHED BY ORDER OP THE PARLIAMENT OF CANADA. (Canadian Edition.) OTTAWA PRINTER BY S. E. DAWSON, PRINTER TO THE QUEEN MOST . EXCELLENT MAJESTY IMPORTANT NOTICE. 1 Canadian Immigration Arrangements.—In addition to the free grant of 160 acres of fertile land offered by the Canadian Government to any male adult of the age of 18 years and over, in Manitoba and the North-West Territories, and to the land that may be obtained at a moderate price in British Columbia, the Minister of Agriculture is now authorized to offer, until further notice, the following bonuses to settlers from the United Kingdom taking up such land within six months of their arrival in ihe country :—Fifteen dollars (£3 Is. 8d.)to the Lead of a family, seven dollars fifty cents (£1 10s. 10d.). for the wife and each adult member of the family over twelve years of age, and a further sum of seven dollars fifty cents (£110s. lOd.) to any adult member of the family over 18 years taking up land. Forms of application for the bonuses, without which no payments will be made, may be obtained, when passage tickets are issued, from any authorized Agent of the Canadian Steamship Lines in Great Britain and Ireland. Persons desiring further information, and pamphlets issued by the Government (which, are sent post free) descriptive of the trade, industries, and agricultural resources of the different provinces of Canada, are requested to communicate with the High Commissioner for Canada, 17, Yictoria Street, London, S.W., or with any of the following Canadian Government Agents :—Mr. John Dyke, 15, Water Street, Liverpool ; Mr. Thomas Grahame, 40, St. Enoch Square, Glasgow ; Mr. John W. Down, Bath Bridge, Bristol ; Mr. T. Connolly, Northumberland Hous^v Dublin ; Mr. H. Merrick, Yictoria Chambers, Yictoria Street, Belfast, j 4 TENANT-FARMER DELEGATES' VISIT TO CANADA IN 18 AND THEIR REPORTS UPON THE AGRICULTURAL RESOURCES Sfl VJJK OF THE PROVINCES OJ? Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba, The North-West Territories, and British Columbia. PUBLISHED BY ORDER OF THE PARLIAMENT OF CANADA. 3 mrd&H ■ (Canadian HJdition.) x*sjP OTTAWA PRINTED BY S. E. DAWSON, PRINTER TO THE QUEEN'S MOST EXCELLENT MAJESTY. ' ^ 1892. —-. -. ^_ __- ^—: ■■■•>■- rjffi£l. .*'■*> ~ '■ •■"iSW'J ■&% 'Jl~~ __; CONTENTS. PAGE. Introduction—Items of valuable information on Canada 5-11 ! Mr. George Brown's Report 12-32 Province of Ontario, 13. Province of Manitoba, 20. The North-West Territories, 27. Province of British Columbia, 30. General remarks on Canada, 31. Mr. Arthur Daniel's Report 33-43 The Journey, 33. Province of Ontario, 34. Province of Manitoba, 35. The North-West Territories, 37. Province of British Columbia, 38. The Provinces and Territories generally, as to Soils, Climate, Productions, Markets and Social conditions of the people, 40. A?^ William Edwards's Report 44-59 General remarks upon Canadian resources and public institutions, 45. Province of Ontario, 48. The Maritime Provinces, 49. Province of Quebec, 49. Province of Manitoba, 49. The North-West Territories, 50. Province of British Columbia, 54. Comparative detailed accounts of cost of farming and cost of living, 56. Canada recommended to emigrants, 59. ^Colonel Eranois Fane's Report 60-84 Province of Quebec, 60. Province of Ontario, -60. Province of Manitoba, 65. The North West Territories, 69. Province of British Columbia, 72. Ranching in the Territories, 73. The classes who should become settlers in Canada, 83. Important points of difference in favour of Canada as compared with the United States, 84. Morality in Canada, 84. Mr. George Hutchinson's Report , 85-98 Misconceptions of Canada, corrected.—The Capital, 85. Province of Manitoba, 85. The North-West Territories, 90. Province of British Columbia, 92. Province of Ontario, 94. Province of Quebec, 96. Province of Nova Scotia, 96. Canada recommended as a field for settlers, 97. Mr. Robert Pitt's Report 99-116 General description of the Dominion, 100. Province of Manitoba, 101. Province of Ontario, 109. Province of Nova Scotia, 115. Mr. William Scotson's Report 117-133 Province of Quebec, 117. Province of Ontario, 119. Province of Manitoba, 121. The North West Territories, 125. Province of British Columbia, 128, Pree lands— Happy homes—Canada a superb country, 132. Mr. Henry Simmons's Report .' 134-155 City of Quebec—City of Montreal, 135. Province of Ontario, 135. Province of Manitoba, 138. The North-West Territories, 146. Province of British Columbia, 148. Directions to immigrants, 153. Mr. John Speir's Report 156-186 Line of travel and general remarks on what he saw, 156. Province of Quebec, 157. Province of Ontario, 158. Province of Manitoba, 158. The North-West Territories, 159. Province of British Columbia, 159. " Who should go to Canada," 186. jj"• tor Stevenson's Report 187-211 ternal care of the Government of Canada towards immigrant settlers, 187. (jporv-pphicai position and extent of the Dorninion of Canada, 187. Province of M -Ho^a, 189. The North-West Territories, 197. Province of British Columbia, 200 'rovince of Ontario, 202. Province of Quebec, 204. Province of New Brunswick, 206. Province of Nova Scotia, 208. Province of Prince Edward Island, 210. / PAGE Mr. J. T. Wood's Report 212-230 Province of Ontario, 213. Province of Manitoba, 218. The North-West Territories, 222. Province of British Columbia, 224. Canada generally, 227. Misrepresentations corrected—A patriotic Government—Public education, 228. Domestic comforts— Under the British flag—Words of warning—Vast extent of Canada—How to begin, 228. LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. Farm Scene in Manitoba—The Beresford Stock Farm Winnipeg Experimental Farm, Ottawa Parliament Buildings, Ottawa Farm Scene, Ontario Farm Scene, Manitoba A View in Stanley Park, Vancouver A Prairie Scene j A Farmhouse in Manitoba (Drawn by Colonel Fane) A Farmhouse in North-West Territories (Drawn by Colonel Fane). Ranche Scene, Alberta ' City op Halifax Harvesting at Sandison's Farm, Brandon Ploughing Toronto Wheat Stacks, Manitoba Government Buildings, Ottawa (East Block) An Ontario Farm A View in London, Ontario View op Quebec , ' Ploughing at Sandison's Farm, Brandon Threshing at Sandison's Farm, Brandon Sherbrooke, Eastern Townships Improved Farm, Nova Scotia , City op Victoria ' Vancouver 4 20 32 .53 42 51 54 59 67 70 90 98 104 107 120 123' 133 151 152 158 167 193 205 209 225 226 1 INTRODUCTION. In August 1890, the High Commissioner for Canada, by direction of the Minister of Agriculture, invited the following gentlemen, 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, Personnel of Watten Mains, Caithness, Scotland; Mr. Arthur Daniel, 172 Dereham tj0n# Road, Norwich, Norfolk; Mr. Wm. Edwards, Ruthin, "Wales; Colonel Francis Fane, Fulbeck Hall, Grantham, Lincolnshire; Mr. G. Hutchinson, Brougham Castle, Penrith, Cumberland; Mr. E. R. Murphy, The Kerries, Tralee, Ireland; Mr. Robert Pitt, Crickett Court, Ilminister, Somerset; Mr. Wm. Scotson, Rose Lane, Mossley Hill, near Liverpool, Lancashire; Mr. H. Simmons, Bearwood Farm, Wokingham, Berkshire; Mr. John Spier, Newton Farm, Newton, Glasgow, Scotland; Major Stevenson, Knockbrack, Goshaden, Londonderry, Ireland; Mr. J. T. Wood, The Court, Halewood, near Liverpool, Lancashire. 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, Glasgow; 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. In addition to these reports, an official handbook of information is Directions to issued by the Dominion Government, and approved by the Imperial in1uirers- Government, which may also be procured, post free, on application to any of the Government agencies. It contains particulars of a statistical and general nature about the country, its resources and trade; the classes for which there is a demand in the Dominion, and which are confidently invited to settle. in the country; the prices of provisions and other necessaries; the rate of wages that are paid; and a more detailed description of the various Provinces than can be given in the space at the disposal, of the Tenant Farmers' Delegation. It is regretted that the delegates, except those from Ireland, were not able, owing to the limited time at their disposal, to pay a visit to the Maritime Provinces; but the pamphlet mentioned above, and others that are issued, supply full information in regard to those parts of the Dominion. 9, The Agricultural Resources of Canada. Provincial Government Lands—terms of purchase. The agents 9f the Government will be glad to supply any information 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 themselves in communication with the nearest Government agent. In Canada the Government has agents at the principal points throughout the country. The following is a list:— Quebec Mr. L. Stafford, Louise Embankment and Point Levis, Quebec. Toronto • Mr. J. A. Donaldson; Strachan Avenue, Toronto, Ontario. Ottawa Mr. W. J. Wills, Wellington Street, Ottawa, Ontario. Montreal ;.... Mr. J. J. Daley, Commissioner's Street, Montreal, Province of Quebec. Sherbrooke Mr. Henry A. Elkins, Sherbrooke, Province of Quebec. Kingston Mr. R. Macpherson, William Street, Kingston, Ontario. Hamilton Mr. John Smith, Great Western Ry. Station, Hamilton, Ontario. London Mr. A. G. Smyth, London, Ontario. Halifax Mr. E. M. Clay, Halifax, Nova Scotia. St. John Mr. S. Gardner, St. John, New Brunswick. Winnipeg Mr. Thomas Bennett, Winnipeg, Manitoba. Brandon Mr. A. J. Baker, Office at the Railway Station. Regixa Mr. J. T. Stemshorn. ' Calgary Mr. F. Z. C. Miquelon. ;^p 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. All complaints should be addressed to them. They will also furnish information as to lands open for settlement in their respective provinces and districts, farms for sale, demand for employment, rates of wages, routes to travel, distances, expenses of conveyance, and on all other matters of interest to settlers, and will receive and forward letters and remittances for settlers, &c. The following are the land regulations prevailing in the different provinces of the Dominion:— Prince Edivard Island.—The available uncultivated and vacant Government land is estimated at about 45,000 acres. These consist of forest lands of medium quality, the very best having, of course, been taken up by the tenants in the first instance, and their price averaged about one dollar per acre. Parties desiring to settle upon them are allowed ten years to pay for their holdings, the purchase money to bear interest at 5 per cent., and to be payable in ten annual instalments. Nova Scotia.—There are now in Nova Scotia about two millions of acres of ungranted Government lands, a considerable quantity of which is barren and almost totally unfit for cultivation; but there is some land in blocks of from 200 to 500 acres of really valuable land, and some of it the best in the province, and quite accessible, being very near present settlements. The price of Crown lands is $40 (£8 sterling) per 100 acres. New Brunswick.—Crown lands may be acquired as follows :—(1.) Free grants of 100 acres, by settlers over 18 years of age, on the condition of improving the land to the extent of £4 in three months; building a house 16 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 given to any settler over 18 years of age 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. by 20 ft. must be built, and 2 acres of land cleared. Continuous residence for three years from date of entry, and 10 acres cultivated in that time, is also required. (3.) Single Introduction. applications 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 purchaser. Quebec.—Lands 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 sale, and the remainder in four equal yearly instalments, bearing interest at 6 per cent. The price at which the lands are sold is from 20 cents to 60 cents per acre (15d. to 2s. 5|d. stg.). The purchaser is required to take possession of the land sold 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 house 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 colonization are the Lake St. John district; the valleys of the Saguenay, St. Maurice, and the Ottawa Rivers; the Eastern Townships ; the Lower St. Lawrence ; and Gasp& Ontario.—Any head of a family, whether male or female, having children under 18 years of age, can obtain a grant of 200 acres ; and a single man over 18 years of age, or a married man having no children under 18 residing with him, can obtain a grant of 100 acres. This land is mostly covered with forest, and is situate in the northern and north-western parts of the province. Such a person may also purchase an additienal 100 acres at 50 cents per acre, cash. The settlement duties are—to have 15 acres on each grant cleared and under crop at the end of the first five years, of which at least 2 acres are to be cleared annually ; to build a habitable 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 100 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 privilege of purchasing 40 acres additional, at the rate of one dollar per acre, payable in four annual instalments. Manitoba and North-West Territories.—Free grants of one qnarter-section Dominion (160 acres) of surveyed agricultural land may be obtained by any person who is |»nds how to the sole head of a family, or by any male who has attained the age of 18 years, on be acquired by application to the local agent of Dominion lands, and on payment of an office fee set1; eis* 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 application 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 applicationfor patent. 3. 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 the said five acres, and breaking and preparing for crop not less than 10 acres in addition, and erecting a habitable house thereon before the 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 1st September in any year are allowed until 1st June following to perfect their entries by going into actual residence. The only charge for a homestead of 160 acres is the entrance fee of • $10. In certain cases forfeited pre-emptions and cancelled homesteads are available for homesteads, but slightly additional fees are demanded from tbe settlers , in each case, and when abandoned pre-emptions are taken up they are required 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 the time, on furnisning 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 following diagram shows the manner in which the 'country is surveyed. It represents a township—that is, a tract of land six miles square, 91 containing The Agricultural Resources of Canada. 36 sections of one mile square each. These sections are subdivided into quarter- sections of 160 acres each. township diagram. 640 Acres. N. j- _.- ~cn .31... ...30... ...32... ...33... ...34... ...35... . .36... School ...29... Lands ..28... ...27... H.B. ...26... Lands. ...25... ...24... ...i9... ...20... ...21... : ...22... ...23... E 7. ...18... ...i7... H.B. ...8 ... Lands ...i6... ...i5... ...io... ...i4... ...13. . ...7 ... ...'9... School . .11... Lands ..._2... ..'6... ...5... ...i... ... 3... ...2... ...1... The right of pre-emption has ceased to exist, having been altogether discontinued after 1st January, 1890. Information respecting timber, mineral, coal, grazing and hay lands, may be obtained from any of the land agents. Homesteaders in the first year of settlement 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 variation 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 Agent. Name of District. Agency. Post Office Address of Agent. A. H. Whitcher .... Winnipeg Crown Dominion Lands. Timber. Winnipeg, Manitoba. Minnedosa " Birtle W. M. Billiard.... W. G. Pentland Little Saskatchewan. Birtle W. H. Hiam Souris Brandon '' John Flesher W. H. Stevenson ... John McTaggart C.E. Phipps E. Brokovski Turtle Mountain.... Qu'Appelle Prince Albert Cdteau Deloraine " Regina, Assiniboia, N.W.T. Pr. Albert, Saskatchewan " Cannington, Assiniboia Battleford Battleford, Saskatchewan " Amos Rowe Calgary Edmonton Lethbridge Winnipeg Calgary, Alberta Edmonton " " Lethbridge " | Saltcoats, Assiniboia Winnipeg, Manitoba Edmonton, Alberta, N.WVT. Calgelry " Pr. Albert, Saskatchewan " P. V. Gauvreau E. G. Kirby T. B. Ferguson Thos. Anderson C. L. Gouin . < John McTaggart. ..'. idmonton Dalgary Prince Albert British Columbia.—In this province any British subject who is the 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 320 acres of Crown lands north and east of the Cascades, and 160 acres elsewhere. The price is 4s. 2d. an acre, payable by four annual instalments. The conditions are—(1) personal residence of the settler, or his family or agent; (2) improvements to be made of the value ef 10s. 6d. an acre. Lands from 160 to 640 acres may also be bought at 10s. 6d. an acre, without conditions of residence or improvements. Introduction. 9 The Esquimalt and Nanaimo Railway Syndicate have not yet fully arranged 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 purchased at a price now fixed at $2.50 (10s.) per acre, subject to change by Order in Council. They may be " homesteaded " by settlers who intend to reside on them. A registration fee of $10 (£2) is charged at the time of application. Six months is allowed in which to take possession, and at the end of three years, on proof of residence and cultivation, he acquires a patent on payment of $1 per acre for the land. If preferred, tlie homesteader can hold his land for the first two years after entry by cultivating from eight to fifteen acres (the former if the land is timbered, and the latter if it is not so encumbered). During the three years next thereafter he must reside upon it as well as cultivate it. Homestead grants of 160 acres (price $1 per acre) can also be obtained for the culture of fruit. In case of illness, or of necessary absence from the homestead during the three years, additional time will be granted to the settler to conform to the Government regulations. These conditions apply to agricultural lands. The Dominion Land Agent for British Columbia is Mr. fl. B. W. Aikman, New Westminster. In addition to the free-grant lands available in Manitoba and the Lands for sal© North-West Territories, several companies have large blocks of land y companies, which they offer for disposal at reasonable rates, from $2.50 up to $10 per acre. Among others, the Canadian Pacific Railway Company (Land Commissioner, Mr. L. A. Hamilton, Winnipeg) has about 14 millions of acres; and the Hudson Bay Company (Land Commissioner, pr, Lawson, Winnipeg), has also a considerable area. The same remark applies to the Canada North-West Land Company (Land Commissioner, Mr. W. B. Scarth, M.P., Winnipeg) and the Manitoba and North-Western Railway Company (Land Commissioner, Mr. A. F. Eden, Winnipeg); and there are several other companies. The Alberta Coal and Railway Company also own nearly a million acres of land in the District of Alberta. The prices of these lands vary according to position, but in most cases the terms of purchase are easy, and arranged in annual instalments, spread over a number of years. In all the provinces improved farms may be purchased at reasonable Improved prices—that is, farms on which buildings have been erected and a provinces, portion of the land cultivated. The following are the average prices in the different provinces, the prices being regulated by the position of the farms, the nature and extent of the buildings, and contiguity to towns and railways:—Prince Edward Island, from £4 to £7 per acre; Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Quebec, from £2 to £10; Ontario, from £2 to £20 ; Manitoba and the North-West Territories, from £1 to £10; and British Columbia,, from £2 to £15. These farms become vacant for the reasons which are explained with accuracy in many of the accompanying reports. They are most suitable for persons possessed of some means, who desire more of the social surroundings than can be obtained in those parts of the various provinces in which Government lands are still available for occupation and settlement. 10 Hie Agricultural Resources of Canada. Export value of farm products. _L Currency. Standard weights. Canada has already assumed an important position as an agricultural country, and the value of its exports of such products alone now nearly reaches $40,000,000 annually, in addition to the immense quantity required for home consumption. The principal items of farm and dairy produce exported in 1889—the latest returns available—were: Horned cattle, $5,708,126; horses, $2,170,722; sheep, $1,26,3,125; butter, $331,958 ; cheese, $8,915,684*; eggs, $1,851,503 ; flour, $646,068 ; 'green fruit, $1,604,203 ; barley, $6,464,589 ; pease, $1,449,417 ; wheat, $471,121; potatoes, $287,763. In many respects 1889 was not a favourable year, and if other years were taken, the exports, particularly of food-stuffs, would be considerably larger than those given above. Besides the articles specially enumerated, a considerable export trade was done in bacon and hams, beef, lard, mutton, pork, poultry, and other meats, as well as in beans, Indian corn, oats, malt, oatmeal, flour-meal, bran and tomatoes. The chief importers of Canadian produce at the present time are Great Britain and the United States, but an endeavour is being made, and so far . with success, to extend the trade with the mother country, and to open up new markets in other parts of the world. The products of the fisheries, the mines, and the forests are also* exported to a large annual value; and the manufacturing industry is a most important and increasing one, especally in the eastern provinces, and includes almost every article that can be mentioned. In many of the reports mention is made of the money system, and the weights and measures, obtaining in the Dominion. The dollar, which is, roughly speaking, of the value of 4s. 2d., contains 100 cents, equal to J?d. each. The following are the coins in use :—Copper, 1 cent; silver, 5 cents, 10 cents, 25 cents, and 50 cents. Paper money is also much in use, and is redeemable at any time at its par value. The following are the standard weights of a bushel of the various products :—Wheat, 60 lbs.; Indian corn, 56 lbs.; rye, 56 lbs.; pease, 60 lbs.; barley (six-rowed), 48 lbs.; malt, 36 lbs.; oats, 34 lbs.; beans, 60 lbs.; potatoes and other vegetables, 60 lbs. The hundredweight and ton are fixed by statute at 100 lbs. and 2,000 lbs. respectively. It is not necessary to extend this introduction, or to summarise the various reports; they must be allowed to speak for themselves. They deal with Canada as it was seen by practical agriculturists, and refer not only to its advantages, but to its disadvantages, for no country is without the latter in some shape or form. It may safely be said, however, that Canada has fewer drawbacks than many other parts of the world; and this is borne out by the favourable opinions that are generally expressed by the delegation. Those who read the reports of $ie farmers who visited Canada in 1879 and 1880 will realise that immense progress has been made since that time—when the vast region west of Winnipeg was only accessible by raihvay for a short distance, and direct communication with Eastern Canada, through British territory, was not complete. Introduction. 11 The Canadian Government, in inviting the delegation, wished to Inducements place before the public information of a reliable and independent ^m^r^ts-"1 character as to the prospects the Dominion offers for the settlement of persons desiring to engage in agricultural pursuits, and it is believed that its efforts will be as much appreciated now as they were ten years ago. In Great Britain and Ireland the area of available land is limited, and there is a large and ever-increasing population; while at the same time Canada has only a population of about 5,000,000, and hundreds of millions of acres of the most fertile land in the world, simply waiting for population to cultivate it, capable of yielding in abundance all the products of a temperate climate for the good of mankind. It only remains to be said that any persons, of the classes to whom Canada presents so many opportunities, who decide to remove their homes to the Dominion, will receive a warm welcome in any part of the country, and will at once realise that they are not strangers in a strange land, but among fellow British subjects, with the same language, customs, and loyalty to the Sovereign, that are the characteristics of the old country, A great highway and a new revelation. Climate. Vastness of territory. THE REPORT OF MR. GEORGE BROWN, Watten Mains, Caithness, N.B. &c. of reports, pamphlets, v resources of Canada by " all sorts During the past ten years the number which have been written upon the 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 North of Scotland, as there can be no doubt the success or non- success of these men, given in a concise 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 Report 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 Railway, 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 Manitoba, 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 who 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, the Canadian Government some time ago resolved 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 be received with greater confidence by intending emigrants than the somewhat highly coloured statements of emigration agents and other interested parties. Every member of the delegation is therefore fully aware of the responsibility attached to the 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 again by covering of eternal snow a land and blizzards, unfit for the abode of the upon the seaboards and in the vicinity of third, which was followed of ice and Indians, bears Anglo-Saxon race, except the 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 takes place towards the encl of March. In a country so vast in extent the climate must of necessity be varied : for this reason, as the various provinces come under notice this most essential matter, upon which all successful agriculture depends, will receive attention. The immense area of Canada can hardly be realized. During the ten weeks' travel accomplished by the delegation, in which time they Mr. George Brown's Report. 13 went over 12,000 miles per rail and over 1,000 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 Facilities for set forth in the other reports; so, to avoid repetition, I shall pass over travel- this part with the remark that the distance which was gone over 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 the railway companies, notably the Manitoba and North-Western, in placing special trains at our command wherever time could be saved; and the energy and thorough knowledge of the country displayed by Mr. G. H. Campbell, Winnipeg, who acted as pilot throughout the trip. These very circumstances have, however, been the subject of remark both ih this country and in some parts of the Dominion, the 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 afford 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, the great bulk of them being excellent judges of land of all qualities. We also saw the crop in stook or stack, and the green crops growing upon the ground. We also took advantage in a general way of the 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. We had, in consequence, only to ask an Ontarian what he thought of Manitoba and the North-West, or vice versa, and the shortcomings 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. Province op Ontario. The Eastern Provinces have been visited by another section Area and re- of the delegation, as our time was very limited on our return from sources of Or. the North-West. This Report shall therefore be confined to the Western Provinces of the Dominion. The Province of Ontario embraces within its bounds an area of something like 182,000 square miles, and is situated along the 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, which, 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 Pacific Railway and the lakes ; the veritable garden of Ontario being situated in the peninsula formed by U no. 14 The Agricultural ani other Resources of Canada. Improved and partially improved lands open to sale rH \% till Prices of lands. Yield per acreA Lakes Ontario, Erie and Huron. Here we have well-cleared farms, excellently situated, and cultivated more in accordance with the ideas of old country farmers. 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 I for the sake of the boys." There are also farms vacant through the financial embarrassments of the owners, who could not, or would not, adapt themselves to the changed circumstances which affected farming all over the Dominion since the opening up of the North-West and the lowered prices of wheat. Many farms have also become exhausted by the ruthless and slovenly mode of cultivation adopted by the'occupiers in the continuous growth of wheat. Such land would soon respond to a different system, such as mixed farming. Farms vary in size, acres and more. running from 100 to 200 Land partially cleared and unproved can be bought at from £4 to £10 ,an acre, the price depending upon locality and value of improvements. • 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 £6 an acre. This outlay in a district where the climate might prove unsuitable for the particular branch of farming the settler wished to take tip would be too much of a risk, when good land can be bought ready cleared in a good locality and better climate. The average yield of cereals throughout the 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 relatively unprofitable in Ontario since Manitoba and the North- West became wTheat-producers. Ontario has, in consequence, adapted herself to the change, the outcome of which has been a more systematic style of procedure, many having gone into mixed and dairy farming. Rotation cropping, as a result, is being practised, the lines generally being a modification of the well-known Norfolk system—wheat, turnips, barley, clover. By allowing the grass—timothy and red clover—to lie down a year or more, and thus by introducing oats, beans or pease into the rotation, it may be extended indefinitely. While at Ottawa we visited the Experimental Farm (which will be further referred to). We were informed by Mr. Carling that a crop of Indian corn then being cut would weigh 20 tons an acre. The corn was in the green stage, and was intended for ensilage, equal quantities of hay and. it being chaffed and put into the silo. By experiment Professor Saunders has found that the feeding quality of corn in this state is equal to one-half that of good hay. If this be so, it will have a very marked effect upon the agriculture of the districts in which this crop can be growTn, Ontario being one. It will diminish, if not put an end to, the cultivating Mr. George Brown's Report. 15 of that most expensive crop, turnips, as here we can obtain 10 tons of good feeding stuff off an acre of land at a nominal outlay—a considerable difference from 1J to 2 tons of hay, this being the average produce per acre of this crop. Stock is now being shipped to England from Canada, which places the Ontario farmer in a better position than his Western brethren, as the cost of transport is much less, and his cattle are saved the deterioration incidental to conveyance by railway. Cattle are fairly well bred on the farms, thanks to the excellent blood introduced by the late Hon. Geo. Brown at Bow Park, and many others. It is a'matter of regret that many of the best bulls from the Qa^t\e raisinp. Bow Park herd find their way across the line to the States. Judging from what the delegation have seen of Canadian cattle generally,, they must be classed as " rough," and want breeding. I am aware that a gradual improvement has been effected during the past 12 or 15 years by many farmers, who have expended large sums in the importation of pedigree stock. Still, there is room for further improvement in this direction, as it would surely pay breeders to select their sires more carefully, as quality on this side of the Atlantic means money ; a beast well bred will at least fetch £2 to £4 more money when sold either as fat or store. Many rough, lanky brutes seen by us could not be cashed in the English markets. Here is an opening for a level-headed breeder from the old country. Not only in this province, but in the North-West, there is room for any number of men of this kind. I am quite aware of the difficulties farmers have to contend with in a new, unfenced country ; but I cannot agree with the idea prevalent in many parts of the Dominion, that the country is unsuitable for the breeding of higher grade cattle. Let those croakers visit Bow Park, Cochrane Ranche orBinscarth Farmland it may open their eyes to the fact that the very bluest Shorthorn blood thrives and improves in its new environments. Dairy farming is another branch of agriculture recently started in Manufacture Ontario. There are now over 700 cheese factories and from 30 to 40 of cheese and creameries. This is a considerable advance on old country practice, - and is well adapted for the manufacture of cheese and butter of that uniform equality so necessary for exportation. These factories are established at various centres throughout the province. The farmers in each district send their milk daily, and a balance is struck at the end of the season, every man getting his returns in proportion to the milk sent to the factory. It is evidently found to be remunerative, as milch cows are on the increase in the province. Fruit-growing is a special industry near Hamilton, and down by Fruit culture. Niagara River ; there being extensive orchards and vineries in those districts. Grapes, peaches, ifec, can be seen growing and ripening in the open air. Vegetables are also seen of every description, large in size, and excellent in quality. Throughout all the province potatoes are a most prolific crop; they grow to a big size, are sound, and extra Sheep raising, good quality. Sheep are reared in considerable numbers, there being about 1,400,000 last year within the province. This number might be increased with advantage, especially on the partially exhausted farms, as 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 flocks seen by us were South Down or cross-bred. They wanted uniformity of type—a pretty sure indication that they were badly bred. A little attention in this direction would be amply repaid by the production of better-class muttony.and wool of a superior kind. 16 The Agricultural and other Resources of Canada. Home market 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 Toronto Globe, 1890:— The lumber trade. Mining. Agricultural exhibitions. Wheat, 31s. 4d. per 8 bushels. Barley, 20s. 8d. " Oats, 13s. 4d. Pease, 20s. " | Butter, 7d. to 9d. per lb. Cheese, 4£d. to 5d. " Carrots, Is. 3d. per basket. Potatoes, 2s. 6d. per bag. Eggs, 9d. to lOd. per dozen Beef, 4d. to 6d. per lb. Mutton, 4d. to 7d. per lb. Pork, 4d. to 6d. per lb. Chickens, 2s. per pair. Ducks, 2s. to 2s. 6d. per pair. Turkeys, 4s. each. Hides, 2£d per lb. Tallow, 2d. " Wool, 9d. " 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. These mills work day and night during the open season; when the river, from which 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 the rivers during summer, so that every little stream during this season is literally covered with floating logs. When these arrive in the vicinity of the mills they are floated into specially prepared enclosures, from which they are taken as required to the sawmill. Logs of 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 seen as planks, &c. The labour-saving devices adopted in those mills are simply astounding to visitors from the old country. An idea may be formed of the systematic way the work is gone about when one is told that these mills cut on an average 600,000 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 time this form of phosphate was comparatively neglected, owing to the difficulty of grinding; improved appliances have overcome this, and now a steady demand has set in for this valuable manure, which, when treated with sulphuric acid, makes a high-class superphosphate. The Toronto Fair was next visited by us. Here we had an opportunity of comparing the products of all the different provinces of the Dominion. These were, upon the whole, a most excellent display, and far exceeding anything of the kind seen in this country. In the stock sections, horses were of their kind a good show, but to our idea light and a bit weedy. Driving horses are undoubtedly 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 were unfit for farm work. The mares are now being crossed with the Clyde and Shire, in order to breed heavier 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 locomotion 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, Hereford and Holstein cattle were excellent, but rather few specimens in some of the classes. Sheep were represented by South Down, Leicester, Lincoln, «kc, and were but a middling turn-out. In Mr. George Brown's Report. 17 the implement department the Canadians are a long way ahead of us. The most improved appliances are seen here in nearly a perfect state, the construction of every machine being most carfully done; the materials, generally steel, produce a light machine, easy to draw, doing its work well, with little or no breakage. The delegation were very much indebted to Vice President MacMaster and -the directors for their kindness while visiting Toronto Fair. Before leaving this city we were invited by Chairman Somers, of the School Board, to visit the schools and Veterinary College. This we were enabled to accomplish, under the guidance of the chairman, Mr. Herbert Kent, solicitor, and Inspector Hughes. The Toronto schools arc perhaps the best and most complete in Edncation. the Dominion. The system of education adopted is admitted to be the best in the world. Every branch of education is here taught, and thoroughly well done. During our visit the fire alarm was sounded, and in a few minutes every man, woman and child was in the courtyard ; there was no confusion, the child red, headed by their respective teachers, coming out in divisions. We also saw the map of Europe drawn in outline by a whole class in five minutes. The financial arrangements are similar to those adopted in this country. We next saw the Veterinary 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 : Should a young man going out College of to Canada with capital pay a premium to a farmer in order to learn Agriculture at farming ? The payment of any premium is, in my opinion, unnecessary, and a waste of money, as any young man who is not afraid to work, and to " rough it I a bit, can readily obtain 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, who may prefer to take things more easy, and who can afford to expend money in acquiring a knowledge of agriculture : let those take a session or two at the Agricultural College of Guelph, where they will obtain a thorough grounding in the science and practice of agriculture. This institution is deserving of more than a passing notice, as its influence is widespread, not only in the Dominion, but wherever agriculture is looked upon as something more than following in the " rut" of centuries, and where scientific knowledge, allied with sound practice, has placed agriculture as a chief factor in the weal of a nation. The College is supported by the Ontario Government, and its fees are so graduated that a resident in the Province can obtain a first-class agricultural education at a nominal cost. There is a farm of 550 acres attached to the College, where a whole army of professors and superintendents daily, while in session, give practical lessons to the students. The climate of Ontario is variable. In the vicinity of the lakes Climate of all kinds of fruit can be grown in the open air. The winter sets in 0ntan0- later and lasts shorter than further north. During summer the extremes of heat and cold are less felt, as the proximity of such an immense volume of water tends to modify it. When the lakes are frozen the air becomes dry, and has an invigorating effect upon all animal life. The average duration of the winter is from four to five months. Before leaving Ontario, I have to record my sincere thanks to Mr. Blue, Deputy Minister of Agriculture, for much valuable information and books relative to the province. if 18 The Agricultural and other Resources of Canada. TERRITORIES. Courage and enterprise rewarded. Rapidity of progress. Three great agricultural plains. Climatic variations Manitoba and the North-West. It is to the men who conceived the plan and executed the work of building the Canadian Pacific Railway that is due the credit of opening up and placing at the disposal of the Dominion those immense plains of fertile land known as Manitoba and the North-West. Before the advent of the railway these vast regions were comparatively unknown, and squatted upon here and there by those hardy pioneers who transformed the unbroken forests of Ontario into fertile fields and comfortable homesteads. Without the means of transport afforded by the railway, those vast regions must have still remained the haunt of the buffalo, and the happy hunting ground of the Indian. Instead of this, a wide area upon each side of the railway line has been brought under cultivation. Towns have sprung up in a marvellously short time all along the route until the foot of the Rocky Mountains is reached, and the whole aspect of the country has become so changed that to me it appears, in this land of surprises, to be the greatest wonder of all. As an example, when visiting the show at. Regina, we were shown Indian exhibits which compared favourably with those of neighbouring farmers in wheat and vegetables, as well as in female industries, such as embroidery, knitting, <fec. Yet we were told that eight years ago these Indians were uncivilized, wandering about the prairies more often in their war paint than in the garments of peace. Yet in this short time these same Indians have settled down, and are now competing with the white settlers in the markets of the country. From Winnipeg to the foot of the Rocky Mountains there lies an immense plain, broken here and there with rising ground which can hardly be looked upon as mountains. This land is divided naturally into three areas, all of which lie at different alti- l tudes. West from Winnipeg we have the Red River Plain, extending out until it reaches a point about half-way between Winnipeg and Brandon. This is. the first area, the average height above the sea level being about 800 feet. From this point west until near Moose Jaw the second table-land occurs, attaining an average height of about 1,600 feet. From this point until near the foot of the Rocky Mountains is occupied by the third table-land, whose average altitude is nearly 3,000 feet. The soils upon these plateaus, as they are termed, are to a large extent of a similar character, being composed of decayed vegetable matter, drift, and alluvial deposit, Deep black vegetable mould predominates on the lower table-land, which embraces within its area the best wheat lands in the Dominion. The eastern part of the second plain has a soil of a similar character until Brandon is reached, the western portion being largely made up of the disintegration of the underlying formation. This area is admirably adapted for mixed farming. The third plateau, chiefly made up of debris transported from the Rocky Mountains, is more broken and rolling, largely interspersed with brooks and creeks, making it the home for ranching. The climate of Manitoba and the North-West is in great part one of extremes, summer heat being intense and winter cold severe. In Manitoba and the eastern part of the North-West, during the spring months the weather is dry, which enables spring work to be done quickly and the seed put into a dry seed bed. The rains of June give the needed moisture, to be follomed by the warm summer sunshine of the succeeding months, hastening the growth of crops until maturity is i Mr. George Brown's Report. 19 reached, towards the middle of August. Winter generally lasts about five months, and during this time, there can be no doubt, is very severe. There are redeeming points, however, which are apt to be overlooked, as the degree of cold cannot be judged by the rise and fall of the thermometer, as much depends on the state of the atmosphere, which . in this locality is very dry and. bracing. When snow descends the weather generally remains without change until the thaw sets in, so that the settler can clothe himself once for all to meet the cold season, as there is no necessity to change his clothing, as he would require to do in a more variable climate. This is the chief reason why many prefer the winters of Manitoba and the North-West (as seen by the interviews) to those of this country. Blizzards occasionally occur, but so seldom as to be outside serious consideration. Summer frosts, however, do sometimes occur, and are the chief difficulty wheat-growers have to contend with. To me it appears that the very dryness of the atmosphere during the period in which they happen is one of the causes. These frosts generally occur from the 15th to 26th August in some of the districts—that is, after the long- continued sunshine of the preceding months, which evaporates the sap out of every green thing on these broad prairies. This being followed by a cold, dry, moisture-absorbing wind from the north, musi; evaporate moisture wherever such is present. It is a well-known law that where evaporation occurs a lowering of the surrounding temperature at once takes place : for this reason, the greater the amount of moisture present in the wheat during the occurrence of the frost, the worse the wheat will be frozen, and naturally wet lands are the first to suffer. Again, altitude has a great effect upon the climate of a district, 700 feet altitude being equal to one degree of latitude. This fact seems to be overlooked in some of the higher parts of Alberta and Saskatchewan, where wheat is sbwn at much too high an elevation to leave it a chance of escaping the vicissitudes of climate. These considerations have made me arrive at the conclusion that Summer frosts the damage, on the average of years, sustained by summer frosts is *jofc the serious immaterial in districts suitable for wheat-growing; this view being presentedre" further confirmed by visiting perhaps the largest flour mill in the world, situate in Minneapolis, where we were told that smmer frost did little damage to wheat when near maturity, it being only in the milk, or soft stage of growth, when frost could seriously affect its quality for milling purposes, and that the cry of frosted grain was mostly due to proprietors of elevators and millers who wanted to beat down prices. Summer frosts will yet become a thing of the past, when earlier sowing is carried on, and earlier varieties of corn are sown as a rule and not as an exception; when the country is cultivated under a regular rotation of cropping, as sown grasses, which draw their supplies of moisture from the deeper layers of the soil, will have a tendency to modify the dry nature of these northern breezes. Planting of trees would also have a marked effect in this direction, as well as in diminishing droughts and affording excellent shelter, when the Manitoban and North-Western farmers become alive to the fact that continuous wheat- growing will only pay so long as the supply of nitrogen is present to produce a paying crop. There is also another reason, and an important one, for this cry of summer frost—viz., farmers have too much land under wheat for the labour they can provide to harvest the crop. In consequence of this, when the wheat is ready for cutting, it all coming about the same time, the farmer works away, getting the first portion done in good time—in fact, getting about half through when he ought to have finished cutting, and thereby escaped damage. I have per- 20 The Agricultural and other Resources of Canada. The three great wheat districts. Where the capitalist farmer had better go. haps devoted too much time to this I summer frost" business, but as it was the only point anent which we received so contradictory evidence, I consider it better to go somewhat into detail as to this matter. The climate of the western portion of the third plateau, which lies near the Rocky Mountains, is modified to a very considerable extent by the chinook, or warm wind of the Pacific, which, after passing over the Rockies, strikes down to the adjacent plain. This district being entirely devoted to ranching, the benefit derived is very great, as horses, cattle and sheep are allowed to run out on the prairies all the winter, often appearing in spring in excellent condition; while in the eastern portion food and shelter have to be provided to tide the stock over the winter. From the preceding may be inferred what is likely to prove the most suitable kind of farming in the various districts. Manitoba, Eastern Assiniboia, and South-Eastern Saskatchewan are the great wheat-producing areas. Western Assiniboia, part of Alberta and part of Saskatchewan, are well adapted for dairy and mixed farming. These districts are well suited for settlement by small farmers, farmers with some means, and capitalists, provided their undertakings are conducted within reasonable limits. The country for the capitalist, however, lies further west, where ranching prevails, as this entire district is, in general, well watered and well sheltered, and a supply of hay can readily be obtained from off the prairies or low-lying lands with which the country is to a considerable extent interspersed. In our journey through Manitoba we had every opportunity afforded us of acquiring information, as Mr. Scarth, M.P., Winnipeg, Land Commissioner of the Canadian and North-West Land Company, and Mr. Eden, Land Commissioner of the Manitoba and North-Western Railroad, did their level best to bring us into contact with all kinds of farmers in each district, and by their unwearied exertions brought under our notice a much greater extent of country than could possibly have been seen by us if left to our own efforts. THE PROVINCE OF MANITOBA. Manitoba fa S^TOT •''' Taking the Canadian Pacific line, which is the most central arms inspect- 0f ^e province, we proceeded to Portage la Prairie, ar.d arrive at the ed Mr. George Brown's Report. 21 centre of the wheat-growing district. Our first visit was to that veteran, Mr. Kenneth MeKenzie, M.P.P., Burnside; and we were all the more cordially received, as the two of us were Scotchmen. After examining Mr. McKenzie's barns, <fec, we inspected his cattle, numbering about 80, mostly made up of cows and heifers. The heifers were a good lot, and showed marks of being carefully bred. A fair, useful bull was also amongst the lot. Stretching away as far as the eye could reach we saw wheat lands in the stubble or ploughed; this being in keeping with what was seen in our eight miles' drive from Portage. Mr. MeKenzie came to his present holding 22 years ago, and simply squatted upon the land, borrowing his neighbour's team to put up his landmarks. He now, with his two sons, farms 2,240 acres of land, which he expects to have under crop this year. He has let his present holding at Burnside at what he considers a fair rent, and is altogether about the shrewdest man I have met in the Dominion. From Portage we struck up the Manitoba and North-Western Railway, after seeing all the country lying to the south of the Canadian Pacific, notably the crofter settlements (details of which will appear later). We stopped off* at Neepawa, there went to the top of an elevator, and from this point of vantage saw lhe surrounding district. In a radius of 16 to 18 miles nothing could be seen but an unbroken level plain, dotted with wheat stacks in every direction. After such a sight one began to realize the extent of this new country, when we knew the view might be extended down by Portage, east by Brandon, and south to the boundary line of the States. At Neepawa the greater part of the land has been settled for about 10 years, and judging from the crops, the character 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. I had the good fortune to meet Mr. Donald Fraser, late of Kintore, Aberdeenshire, who has been in this locality during the past eight years, two years of which he worked teaming about. Winnipeg. Six years ago he took up his present homestead, and began life with two teams and $10. Since then he has reclaimed 240 acres, with 80 acres pasture, which makes up his half-section. He now possesses 15 cows and 11 teams of horses, and would not take $8,000 for his stock and homestead. He has also started his son on 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. We next arrived at Birtle, where we visited the annual show, Anagricul- and saw some fair samples of grain, excellent vegetables, and j^le aMani- fair cattle; but sheep were a poor show. Horses were very good. toba. ' 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 river 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 personal ex- 11 years ago with $10 in his pocket, and chopped his way to a home- periencesof stead, and that during all the time he had farmed he had only two ^^^ crops Avhich were touched by frost. He had done well because he had seiv 3 iem- /es. 99 The Agricultural cmd other Resources of Canada. Binscarth fiirm. Field products. not put all his eggs in one basket, but went in for stock-raising 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 rs the parish of Dunnett, Caithness, Scotland. The following is the substance of his remarks :—" I am a North country man, and began life there as a herd boy. I then was made 'cadger,' or 'loon,' and worked at that job for some years, until I got a chance of coming out here under a three years'engagement—my passage, &c, being paid for me if I stuck to the man for three years. Well, I got here, and went to the homestead and began work. The place was called Raeburn, and I got from $8 to $10 a moth. 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 25 miles; landed at Birtle with 25 cents in my pocket, which I 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 $8 a month for a year. At the end of the year the ' boys' offered 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 $2.50 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 I worked without putting my foot to the shovel he would give me $2.50. When I got back there was a job at $25. 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, " hard to beat." We next proceed to Binscarth, where I was driven to the farm by _Mr. Wm. Scarth, from whom I received much information as to Mr. Murray. Mr. Scarth came to the country a year or two ago, and has be<mn farming; he is quite sanguine as to his ultimate success, 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 name well known in the North of Scotland, being of great interest to Orkney men. The farm is well managed, there being 300 acres under cultivation. Labour being scarce forbids further progress in this direction. The crops were excellent, more especially oats and turnips. Taking the 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 running through it in all directions,'deep bottom lands where abundance of hay can be cut, and the soil under cultivation, strong black loam. Mr. George Brow.i's Report. 23 The principal object -for which the farm is carried on by the Stock raising. Scottish Ontario and Manitoba Lani Company is the breeding of high-class stock, and for this purpose a Shorthorn herd has been established. The 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 Shorthorn; many were also a little rough about the head and horns. This, how ever, 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 young 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, but many experiments are conducted on the home farm, which, when succcessful, 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. We afterwards visited Russell, and drove to Dr. Barnardo's Training farm home and farm for boys The farm consists of 8,000 acres, 5,000 f°r k°ys. being purchased, and 3,000 presented by the Manitoba and Northwestern Railway Company. The object is the reclamation of the waifs of London and other large cities. There is room foi 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 work ; afterwards they are drafted nut 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 sheep, and the best Shorthorn bull I have seen in the country. A creamery has been set agoing, in which 30 lbs. of butter are made daily. Saltcoats—Crofters.—We next visited Saltcoats, in whidi district Personal ex* the crofters sent out under the auspices of the Imperial Government perience of are settled. The district is a wide one, and consists of great tracts of crofters as ^d prairie land, covered here and there with scrub. The soil is good, by themselves, 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 first crops arrived at maturity. The money advanced is to be paid in instalments spread over a number of years. 3i i> 24 The Agricultural and other Resources of Canada. -a 1 D. Grahame, 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 crofter, says :— " I 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 harvest 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 complain 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 work on the railway and refused it, preferring to occupy his spare time drawing firewood to Saltcoats. Robert McKay, Stornoway:— In 11 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. 1 think my land not fit for cattle, as the water is searce. I did not like the country last year, as we had no crop, owing to drought, but this year I think a great deal better 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 $30 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:— "I 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 September. 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 first." Alex. McDonald, Uist:— "I have 12 acres under crop, and expect to put 10 acres more next year. I have nine head of cattle and nine of a family. My family are all healthy. There is a school near us being built. We have a sermon every other week. I am very well pleased with the country, and would not leave it, as I 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 first 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 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 Mclvor:— '•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 Mr. George Brown's Report. 25 blind, and in the hospital at Winnipeg. I have to complain of things being dear here, and of the ductor who inspected us at Greenock for keeping us long on deck on a very cold night. I like the country, and think all my friends 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 failure; but now I am writing home telling them to come, and to Winnipeg for my brother." Pelican Lake 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. MeKenzie, Harris, began life with a team, cow and calf, and settled on 160 acres of land. During the first year he broke 8 acres, and in 1890 had 40 acres under 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, because when the snow comes on it never changes; so that one day one does not get wet, and the next dry, 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. Roderick McKay, Harris, has put in 44 acres wheat, also 5 acres for his father, who is an old man, and resides on a neighbouring homestead. The potatoes were an excellent crop, and first-rate quality, He has also broken 10 acres more this season for his father. He has six of a family, who are well pleased with the country. He has 11 cattle, 2 pigs, and lots of poultry. D. Stewart, Fort Augustus :— Interviewed Mrs. Stewart: "I did not like the country at first, A matron's feeling it very lonesome, as there were no neighbours about; but I got enthusiastic ^ * ™ ^ o tissuim on v. over that in time, and would not now like to leave the place. I have four of a family, and we hope to do well by them in the time to come. We have 70 acres this year under crop, beside potato ground. • We have eight cows in calf, five cows giving milk, and a litter of young pigs, which we sell when they are a month old. I do not find the winter colder than in the old country. I get 9d. per 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 18 months old." The next is the report of an interview Lord Aberdeen had some . time after with one of these crofters, and as it is representative, I here reproduce it. The Earl called upon John 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 A representa- family when we went on board the steamer that took us out of Scot- gwks &T land und 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 acres 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 ducks 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 landlords, no old country gamekeepers to arrest us for shooting game. Our carriages, horses, &c, are free from taxation; we only pay Taxes and $30 a year taxes for the whole section of 640 acres. We all like this soil,—land- country. The soil is black vegetable loam, "from 18 to 24 inches deep, ^ ^™{ 26 The Agricultural and other Resources of Canada. . I and a rich marly subsoil several feet deep, and a blue clay bottom. Several farmers have raised crops of wheat here 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 160 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 and their families." The Earl at this point wished to hear of any drawbacks to the country. "Very well, my son," said McLeod. "If I would tell you anything about the dark side, I would be telling you something I know nothing about, because it has been all the bright side with me since I came here. I am authorized to make this statement by the whole of the crofters in this settlement. When I first arrived at Killarney I was offered $2.50 a day for doing mason work, and the first job of mason work I did I got $2.50 a day ; I can now get $3 a day, but I cannot leave my farm. There is plenty of work here for masons and man labourers, but I prefer to stick to my farm ; and I can say that any man who will work and till his farm property can make a good living here." Moosominset- The crofters who make up this settlement are from the estates of tlement, Lady Lady Gordon Cathcart. In the year 1883, owing to the congested state ^t°HiSfh" of some parts of these estates, there was an offer made of £100 to the landers. head of each family who desired to emigrate to the North-West. This sum was to be expended, along with the amount obtained by the sale of their farm stock, in their transport, and to enable them to begin life with some hope of success in their new homes. Fifty-six families availed themselves of the offer, 11 going out the first year, and 45 following the succeeding one. The money advanced was secured under the 39th clause of the Dominion Land Act. The location 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 good loam, and in many parts covered with scrub. Good bottom land, as well as water, is abundant. A country well adapted for mixed farming. D. McDonald, South Uist :— Has been fairly successful, but had a bad crop last year, owing to drought. Has no complaint to make against the country. " I had 18 acres under crop last year, and will put in three more this season. I have two cows, four other cattle, and 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 implements, 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 1" " Na, faith. I did not sow all my land this year. If I had done so, I would be rich." Personal experiences related by the settlers. Mr. George Brown's Report. 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. 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, are 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 homesteads, 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 Railway. The company at once gave the sections to the Government, so that the crofters might homestead. These 13 families left this land of their own selection before they had occupied it 18 months. One of the 18 is dead; one works on the railway, but is to take up his homestead; the others have moved west. On our way back from the North-West I met a delegate from Dakota who travelled over Manitoba with us. He informed me that he had just completed the purchase of 60 homesteads at Saltcoats, where settlers from Dakota were to migrate; this district being, he considered, the best selection he could make. We now return vid Portage la Prairie and join the Canadian Brandon and Pacific. Passing on toward the west, we come to 3_>randon, the most vicinity, important wTheat market in the province. It has five grain elevators, one flour mill, and 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 many substantial buildings, containing a population of about 5,400. Near Brandon is the Government Experimental Farm. The farms in the district are excellent, and the soil well suited for wheat- growing. Leaving Brandon, we come to Wolseley, where we stopped on our return journey. We were driven out to Qu'Appelle valley. The scenery is a considerable deal better than the land, as the latter is low- lying, and seems to have been the bottom of a recent river. Cultivation is tried here and there, with fair results. The land lying on the higher lands is fair loam, and suited for dairy and mixed forming. the north-west territories. Our next stop is at Regina, the capital of the North-West, visiting Begina. Indian Head on our way. Here is situated the North-West Experimental Farm, as also the famous Bell and Brassey farms. The Bell farm is a big undertaking—much too big for one man to carry out Mammoth the work with economy. It is 13,000 acres in extent, and takes a ride offarms- 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 $4 to $5 per acre. There is frequently 40 per cent, lost by frost, which might be saved to a considerable extent if the farm was divided into holdings of one-twTentieth the size. One furrow outwards and another homewards is the ,half-day's work for a man and pair of horses. The climate is unsuitable; that 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 consists of 40,000 acres. A commencement has been made by establishing a fair lot of 28 The Agricultural and other Resources of Canada. —a magnificent country for farm settlement. 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. Regina is situated on a level plain, the surrounding country being flat, and suitable for grazing sheep. We visited the exhibition 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 success. This is the headquarters of the Mounted Police, many of whom were seen by us; they appear to be an efficient body of men. Prince Albert We next make our way up the new line of railway to Prince Albert, which lies on the Saskatchewan river. 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 parts. While there, I visited a few farms 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 few ranchers. These run out on the prairie during summer, and feed on hay during winter. While 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 can be grown here. To make sure, I examined his stacks and found the sample obtained by rubbing out a few heads to be equally as good—fine, plump grain, well coloured, and fit for brewers. Until lately, four-rowed barley—the "bere," or "bigg," of the north of Scotland—has been grown almost exclusively in Canada, there being a good market in the 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 way of settlement, 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 great extent of very diversified country—plain, valley, mountain and timber following in succession until we again arrive at Regina, and away west towards Moose Jaw, when we enter upon the great alkali plain, which is the northern portion of the American desert, or " bad lands " of the States. How these plains are to be economised has often been the subject of discussion 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 part of the year on these plains, but care and judgment would be necessary, so that a change of ground would be given at the proper time. As to cultivation, there can be no great prospect until all the best lands are taken up, and the margin 'for cultivation therebv increased. Mr. George Brown's Report. 29 Proceeding along the line, we arive at Dunmore, the centre of the Dunmore. 11 farms of 10,000 acres eachr belonging to the Canadian Colonisation ^fthe^pro- and Coal Company, formerly Sir John Kaye Lister's farms. These ducts, extend along the line from the vicinity of Regina until Calgary is reached. " There are 10,000 acres under crop this year, the greater bulk being oats and barley. Oats are sown in May. Hoi) winds an4 drought did a deal of damage. Where wheat was pown the produce was 25 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 ploughing done in the fall, as the dry weather effects 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 sheep on 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 foal for £60, and can get £60 for a team of horses. Farmers here grudge the fees for imported stallions, and usje 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 sheep would do well here, as they are hardy, and would not require winter shelter. We have sheep-sheds or other shelter for the winter. Ninety percent, of lambs are dropped ; and we have killed them when weaned 40 lbs., dressed. We kill 60 steers and 150 sheep per month to supply our customers and the dining cars of the Canadian Pacific Railway. Last winter we did not use any hay. Sheep do well on the 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 the 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 Town of Cal- the Bow and Elbow rivers. It lies in a hollow, and is surrounded on gary ,.lts ,, • i t , • i i • i i tt p i i \ , ... surrounding three sides by high-lying lands. Hive or the delegates arranged with country. Messrs. Stone and Alexander to drive out south and see some of the ranches in that direction. In our drive, some 40 miles out, we passed through perhaps the Ranching. best ranching country in North America, the various requirements necessary for this branch being present at eveiy turn—good water, good shelter, good hay lands, and tho whole climate of the district A district rich tempered during the season by the warm breezes of the chinook winds. m her But not only to the large rancher is this district suitable, but the smaller capitalists can make a larger return for their money than even those with more capital can obtain. Five hundred head being more readily managed than 5,000, the loss is diminished; and this loss often means a large profit if it can be averted or mitigated. We passed a good many houses of these settlers on the way, all of whom seemed to be prospering. Coming to High River ranche we stayed the night, 30 The Agricultural and other Resources of Canada. returning to Calgary next day. There are 900 horses on this ranche. On the average of seasons 250 foals are dropped, being 90 per cent. The loss last year was 10 foals and 3 mares. On another ranche 300 horses were kept, the mares being crossed with Clyde and Percheron stallions ; 85 per cent, foals dropped. No hay given during winter ; no loss, and horses look as well in spring as in the fall. A neighbour had eight steers which ran in the open all winter and came in during spring fit for the butcher. Another told us 80 head of cattle ran out all winter, and were found in good condition in spring. These experiences are sufficient evidence as to the character of the district, t ^h^^ki Leaving Calgary, we novi approach the Rocky Mountains, and ' come into contact with one of nature's greatest and grandest works. 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 which are seen mountain overreaching mountain, until* the mighty Selkirks are seen overtopping the lower ranges. It would require the pen of the poet or the pencil of the artist to even faintly depict it, and it is therefore outside the province of the rustic pen, so let us resume. Looking at these freaks of nature from an agricultural standpoint, they 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." PROVINCE OP BRITISH COLUMBIA. The forests The main feature of the province is the immense forests it con- British Col- tains. So great are these that it has been said, " Scotland might be umbia. buried in one of them and never be seen." This is, indeed, a land of great trees, rivers teeming witji fish, and mountains containing vast mineral deposits. How to develop these are the problems which are being daily brought under the notice of the Canadian public. The climate of the province in the south is mild and humid ; further north the summer 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 Rocky Mountains, the country being nearly all covered wTith heavy timber. We were told of great stretches of lands, lying between the Cascade and the Rocky Mountains at Spallumcheen, Okanagan valley and Kootenay; but the difficulties of transport will affect their development for some time. While at New Westminster we visited the "Delta," and from Vancouver City, Lulu Island. These are made up of alluvial deposits, and lie low, dyking having to be done in many parts of Lulu Island. As the canning of fruit (a beginning being already made,) becomes developed, all this land will be converted into Lumber trade. frujt gardens. The clearing of the forests for the purpose of growing- wheat or other farm produce would not pay at present prices, as the cost would be very heavy. When, however, the price for lumber increases, so that the settler can sell his trees instead of burning them, the clearance of the forest will become universal, as the climate 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 lumber and manufactured articles being Japan, Australia, &c. The fisheries. 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 Scotland, I here add a few notes obtained from Mr. Mowat, Inspector of Fisheries. Canned salmon can be landed in London with a profit at l£d. per lb. Each fish weighs on an average 10 lbs. to 20 lbs., and Mr. George Brown's Report. 31 costs on an average 6d. on the Fraser river. Men are engaged at from $2 to $2.50 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 system—that is, the cannery supplies the boat and nets, and get half the fish caught, and pay 4^d. per fish for the other half. Fishing commences during the first week of July, and continues for six weeks. The varieties taken are the quinnat or spring fish, the saw-quai, Fish varieties or redfish, and the cohoe, silver or fall fish. When the fishermen are *. Produc" through with the salmon fishing, white or deep-sea fishing is taken up. The creeks and rivers along the coast and the deep sea are teeming with every kind of fish. Fishermen make from £200 to £250 during the season. The salmon fishing commenced in the Columbia River 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 overfished. The Fraser, the Naas and the Skeena are, however, the chief salmon fishing rivers in British Columbia, and, to obviate the possibility of their being"over-fished, the Dominion Government have established a hatchery near the Fraser river, 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 200 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. But these are not by any means the only kind, as the whole coast away towards the north literally swarms with all kinds of whitefish. The industry only awaits development. To me it appears that British Columbia offers great inducements to our northern and west coast fishermen to settle, as fishing and farming could be combined here with some hope of success. New markets will be opened up when the mining industry is begun in earnest. There can be no doubt in the mind of anyone who is acquainted with the circumstances at home and those in British Columbia, that our fishing population in great numbers would find a congenial home in this province, and by ordinary care and industry place themselves in a very short time in an infinitely better position than ever they could do si home. When one considers the great mineral resources of British Columbia Mineral we may say that, except gold and coal, this great source of wealth is wealth. practically untouched. The iron, copper, silver, lead, &c, which the mountain ranges and river basins are known to contain, will yet be explored 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 Vancouver contains the capital city. The 'chief agricultural part lies south-east Is"ancl- —of no great extent. Although good tracts of land are scattered, throughout the island, still the whole place is heavily timbered, and would require money to clear it. At Nanaimo coal-mining is extensively carried on; much of it finding its way across the Pacific, down to California, <fec. GENERAL REMARKS ON CANADA. In a big country like Canada, where soil, climate and surroundings Experimental are so varied, it is often a most difficult matter for the ordinary farmer Farms estab- I! lished by the Government of Canada. . The Agricultural and other Resources of Canada. to choose a location, and, when chosen, to decide what kind of crops will be suitable for the climate and soil. In a new country, where the population is thinly spread over the land, experiments to find out the EXPERIMENTAL FABM, OTTAWA. 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 establishment of an experimental farm in each province—Nappan for the Maritime Provinces, Ottawa for Quebec and Ontario, Brandon for Manitoba, 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 mo man will regret going to Canada to begin life there, provided 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. THE REPORT OF MR. ARTHUR DANIEL 172 Dereham Road, Norwich. country. Having been chosen by Sir C. Tupper as one of the farmer delegates to visit Canada for the purpose of ascertaining the resources of the country and its suitability for emigrants, I have to report that I left Liverpool on the 28th of August, in the Allan steamship " Circassian," and arrived in Montreal on the 8th of September. As this report will doubtless be read by many who have no idea The journey of the extent of the Dominion of Canada, I will briefly describe the inland. extent of our journey. From Montreal we travelled to Ottawa and Toronto, where we were met by Mr. G. H. Campbell, who acted as pilot for the remainder of the journey. Having had a special railway car placed at our service, our pilot A long ride gave the word of command, " All aboard," and we started for the great across a great North-West. After having travelled sqme 700 miles, and when near Thunder Bay—remarkable for its grand scenery—we experienced one of the many slight railway accidents so often heard of in the new world; but luckily for us, it proved to be comparatively harmless, for, with the exception of the engine leaving the track, and the five hours' delay, no one in the train suffered further inconvenience than having one's breakfast emptied into one's lap. Then we proceeded on our way to Winnipeg, Carman, Glenborough, Souris, Brandon, Rapid City, Minnedosa, Saltcoats, Portage la Prairie, Regina, Prince Albert, Calgary, Banff, New Westminster, Vancouver and Victoria. Thence we retraced our steps to old England, where I arrived on the 22nd of November, having travelled 16,000 miles by water and rail and 1,000 by road. PARLIAMENT BUILDINGS, OTTAWA. 34 Tlie Agricultural and other Resources of Canada. ONTARIO. General Description op Places Visited The capital of the Dominion of Canada. A great agricultural fair. Where farm pupils should attend to get a practical and scientific training. Upon arriving at Ottawa we were shown over the Parliament Houses, a very fine block of buildings standing upon rising ground, and commanding a grand view of the city and river, with its immense water power, from which is not only derived the force to drive the very extensive water works, and the electric machinery with which the city is lighted, but also several immense lumber mills. It was marvellous to see with what ease and speed the logs, which had been floated down the stream, were taken out of the river into the mill and reduced to small boards, splints and shingles (roofing material)—a process which only occupies a few minutes. We next visited the Experimental Farm near Ottawa, where we saw some very fine samples of both wheat and oats, especially of the' latter. I was informed they averaged about 55 bushels per acre. We also saw some good pieces of mangolds, swedes and carrots. The stock on this farm' was fairly good. We next proceeded to Toronto, where the Annual Industrial Exhibition was being held. This is, in fact, an agricultural show in the best sense of the term, in combination with an exhibition of every kind of machinery, of raw materials and of manufactured products, supplemented, to make it more attractive to the pleasure-loving section of the community, by amusements of the most varied character. What interested us greatly was the competitions for fast-trotting and high-jumping horses. One trotter went a mile in 2 minutes 25 seconds, and a jumper cleared 7 ft. 1 in. Dogs of various breeds were also trotted in harness. The cattle, sheep and pigs were, on the whole, very good, and would not have disgraced any show yard in England. Some very useful Clydesdales and Shire horses were shown, but the roadsters were not of a class that would sell in this country, as their great merit is speed, and not style. We saw two imported hackney stallions—"Young Nobleman," by "D'Oyley's Confidence," and "Norfolk Hero," by " Perfection." In my opinion these had the best style and action of anything in the show. Wheat, barley, oats and all kinds of vegetables from Manitoba and British Columbia were especially good. There was likewise a very fine collection of grains and fruit from Ontario. We next proceeded to the Ontario Agricultural College, at Guelph (supported by the Provincial Government), where we met Professor Roberts, who showed us over the college and farm. Here we saw some good cattle, especially a Hereford bull, which was purchased from the Queen's herd, and a Shorthorn bull of the Booth blood. Experiments were being made at the college upon the feeding of pigs. The college is built to accommodate about 90 pupils, who pay £21 per year, and $3 per week for board. They do most of the work on the-farm, for which they are paid and if they work the whole time, their pay will cover almost all expenses. This I consider to be a good institution. The pupils are taught the scientific, as well as the practical part of farming; and altogether the college affords an example which might well be followed in this country. We next went to Moreton Lodge—Mr. Stone's—and saw his herd of Herefords—a good lot; as also were Mr. Thomas McCrae's Galloways, on the adjoining farm. Taking a short journey into the county of York, I observed that most of the land through which I passed, as well as that around Guelph, was not as well farmed as we Mr. Arthur Daniel's Report. are accustomed to see in Norfolk, and would be all the better for under- draining. At all the places I visited in Ontario I found the same kind of farming. Wheat and oats are their chief crops, and in many cases they seem to rather neglect raising stock. It is only right to say, however, that large quantities of cattle and sheep are exported from Ontario, as well as cheese. A large portion of the farms, on which cattle were not kept to any extent, showed signs of over-cropping. A great many of the farms were, at the time of our visit, in the market, owing to many of the farmers with growing families desiring to go to the North-West, where their capital would enable them to establish their families in a more satisfactory manner. This land, from what I could learn, was in many instances heavily mortgaged, and the prices 'asked for it almost as high as for land in England. My observation i was that those farmers who went in for stock-raising were much the better off. I visited Oakville and Hamilton, large fruit-growing districts, the chief produce of which are apples, pears and grapes; but only in a few cases did I find these small farms well cultivated. At the Hon. John Dry den's well-cultivated farm at Brooklin we saw a good lot of Shorthorns. This farm is a striking contrast to the greater part of the surrounding country, which is not as well farmed as it might be. PROVINCE OF MANITOBA. We next took train to Winnipeg, the capital of Manitoba. It contains a population of 28,000, and at one time madje great strides; but it has not recently continued at the same rate of progress, owing to the I boom " which took place in the years 1881-83. Most of the lands around for several miles are held by speculators, and when the I boom burst" the land was left on their hands, and is likely so to remain for some time to come at the price asked for it, owing to the quantity of free land available. The result of this speculation has been to cause an amount of stagnation, with a consequent arrest of the development of the surrounding neighbourhood. Winnipeg has some fine buildings, including the city hall, post office, churches, schools, several large hotels, and banks. It also boasts of a weekly market, where all kinds of meat, fowls, dairy produce and vegetables are sold, the prices being—Beef, from 6d. to 7-|d. per lb.; fowls, 2s. 6d. to 2s. 9d. per pair; butter, 7d. per lb. Fruit here is very dear, owing to the heavy mail carriage, for it all has to come either from British Columbia or Ontario. Travelling on to Carman and Glenborough, w7e passed through a good district of land, the greater part of it occupied, so that very little was left for free homesteads. At Carman we went over a grain elevator, or general granary, where the farmers from the surrounding country were delivering their wheat. We stayed at Glenborough one day, driving out to Craigilea and Belmont, where we found the land very good for mixed farming, having a good supply of water. We visited some of the new settlers, amongst whom were several crofters, and almost all of them expressed themselves well satisfied with their lot and with the country. From all appearances they were doing well. Driving thence to Souris, we found that most of the land had been taken up by the settlers, who were all doing well. Here for the first time I saw a good band of about 250 sheep, the best lot I had seen in- Canada, except a few bure-breds in Ontario. The corn was chiefly out in "stook," and looked a very good crop, yielding good samples of both wheat and oats. Here we saw a few pieces that had been touched by a frost in August. At Souris a large quantity of the land is held by a company, who are willing to sell at from $10 to $20 per acre. 36 .»« 1 The Agricultural and other Resources of Canada. Brandon, which we visited, is a rising city, with a population of 5,400. It has well-built houses, several grain elevators, a flour mill and a lumber mill. A large trade is done here in grain from the country around, which is generally under cultivation, producing a very large quantity. We here visited the holding of a very successful Scotchman, farming 1,900 acres, 1,200 of which were in grain, from which he expected to get an average of 22 bushels of wheat and 50 of oats per acre. He stated that five years since he was not worth 50 cents, that his best friends were those that lent him money at 8 per cent., and that he would not now take £6,000 for his holding. He had two threshers running, on wheat, at the rate of 2 bushels in 43 seconds. From the machine it was carted straight to the elevator, where a charge of 2 cents per bushel is made for cleaning and storing. No stock except, horses was kept on this farm, which took 37 to work it. The system adopted on this farm is that of two grain crops in succession, and one long fallow. Under this process almost all the land is prepared during the summer and autumn for the next year's crop. This is the great secret of success. To get good crops the land requires to be sown as early as possible, in order to enable the crop to reach a certain stage of maturity to withstand possible frosts in August, with which they are sometimes visited. No manure is used on this farm; all the straw and stubble are burnt, because the climate being so dry, there is an absence of the moisture necessary for the speedy decomposition of vegetable matter. Meeting Mr. Bedford, I saw on the Government Experimental Farm, of which he is manager, some good samples of two-rowed barley— so good that I fear there have been few like them produced in England this year. But from the situation of this farm I do not consider they can be regarded as a fair criterion of the capabilities of the surrounding country for barley-growing, as the farm is on the river bank, and has consequently a more moist situation, better adapted for the growth of barley—the seasons of this country being short and hot. South towards Brandon Hills the country seemed to have been taken up, and well farmed. At the foot of the hills is a good country for mixed farming. A drive of 25 miles through a good corn country brought us to Rapid City, where there is a woollen mill on the river, doing a small trade. We then took train for Minnedosa and Saltcoats, whence we drove round Langenburg, and called upon several farmers who had been out only from two to four years. Most of them emigrated with very little capital indeed; some had their passages paid for them. We met English, Scotch and Irish families, who all appeared to be doing very well. One man who went out with twro sons had 840 acres, 300 of which were in with corn. He commenced by borrowing £200 at 8 per cent., all of which he had paid off, so that he had become completely master of the situation. Another who had been out three years had 160 acres—60 acres of grain—8 head of cattle, and 2 workihg oxen. Another, who had 160 acres, went out without any money. His corn crop was worth £200. He had also 16 head of cattle, worth £6 each. A fourth, with two small children and no money, borrowed £100, and though he had only been out three years he had 15 acres of wheat out of 160 acres, 5 cows, 2 oxen and 4 sheep. An Irishman who landed with 75 cents, but had borrowed £100 from the company, had 160 acres—50 acres with wheat—27 head of cattle, and was free from all liabilities. A Norfolk man—Mr. Knotts, from Watton—with three small children, who had been out two and a half years, borrowed £100 from the company, and had now got 27 acres Mr. Arthur Daniel's Report. of wheat and oats, and 11 acres more broken for next year, two working oxen, 4 cows, 5 steers, sow and pigs, 4 big pigs, and 150 head of poultry. When asked if he could meet his payments, he replied that he could be free from debt next year. This man stated that anyone coming out to this part of Canada could be worth £300 in three years, even if he had to borrow the money to make a start. All these people said they liked the country, and did not mind the winters, as the cold d^d not affect the children. We next visited Mr. Kennerton's new ranche of 9,000 acres, on which were 57 head of cattle and 40 horses, and a house and buildings which had cost £1,000. This ranche joins Langenburg station. Around Saltcoats we called on a great number of farmers, most of whom have been out three years, and have got homesteads of 160 acres each, of which about 25 were planted with grain, while they had an average of 8 head of cattle each. The greater part of them commenced with but little capital, and- had to borrow. All expressed themselves satisfied with their lot. We visited Dr. Barnardo's home at Russell. It occupies an elevated position. There were 60 boys at the time of our visit in the home. Several had been placed out with farmers, and only in two or three instances had they come back to the home. A large herd of cows and cattle and.a band of sheep are kept at the home, where the boys do most of the work. There is also a creamery attached to the home, where the boys are taught to make butter. This appears to be a good and well-conducted institution. At the Binscarth farm, which belongs to one of the Scotch land companies, we were shown a fine lot of Shorthorns. Everything here seemed to be well done. At Birtle we experienced the result of the prohibitory liquor law, for we could get nothing to drink but green tea, sour milk, and water that could not be called good. Here I met several young men from the old country, who did not appear very contented with their lot; although, on the other hand, ± met many who were. At Portage la Prairie we struck a good tract of land, but it had the appearance of being over-cropped. Most of the people are, doing well. THE NORTH-WEST TERRITORIES. . Thence we went to Indian Head, where is situated the famous Bell farm, which, like most other great speculations in fanning and ranching, appears to be a failure, though from what cause it is difficult to say. We were told by some that it is owing to mismanagement, and from what I saw I quite believe that a great deal may be attributed to this cause. Moreover, we heard of absurd things being practised on one of these large farms further west, such as buying 40 new water-carts for the purpose of watering the crops when the sun was 90 degrees in the shade. It is said that the season in 1889 being dry, this was tried as an experiment. We here obtained information that the chief part of the land adjoining the railway from Virden to Broadview is held by speculators. This will prove a serious drawback to settlement; for, like Winnipeg, these places are at a standstill, as the new settlers are obliged to take up land a long way from the rail. But this will right itself, as all this unsold land is subject to taxation. At Regina we saw some very fine specimens of roots and potatoes, which were good all through the North-West. From Regina to Calgary the land appears to be of the same character. Prince Albert, to which the rail had been only just opened, is destined to become a rising place. 4 Hi 38 The Agricultural and other Resources of Canada. On our way to Calgary we passed through, at Rush Lake, the first of the farms of Sir Lister Kaye, about which the agricultural world has heard so much. The concern was two or three years since turned over to a company, under the title of the " Canadian Coal and Colonisation Company." These farms—ten in number—consist of 10,000 acres each, and are situated' at intervals of 30 miles between Rush Lake and Calgary. At the latter place we obtained further experience of horse, cattle, and sheep ranching—an occupation which, except in a few instances, does not appear to have been so far very remunerative. BRITISH COLUMBIA. We next visited British Columbia, staying a day at Banff, in the Rockies, whence we proceeded to New Westminster, where there are large salmon and fruit-canning establishments. The land about here is good, but very heavily timbered. Vancouver, though only five years old, is a grand city, the most promising place in British Columbia, and will eventually do a large shipping trade with Australia, Japan and China. Although of mushroom growth, Vancouver can boast of two newspapers, handsome churches, schools and fine hotels. The city is not only lighted by electricity, but also has electric tram- cars. Victoria, the end of our journey west, is beantifully situated on rising ground, has several fine buildings, and has the character of being the most English-like of any place we visited. There is a large Chinese population, but they do not increase very fast, as the number who return to the Flowery Land nearly equals the number of immigrants. Soils and Productions.—The soils of the old provinces vary from a light to a heavy loam ; but the light, sand loam predominates. The chief crops are wheat, barley, oats, pease and maize. Of late years pease have ben more extensively grown. I account for this from the fact that in a great measure the land had been cropped so often without manure, with wheat and oats, that it had almost worn itself out for those cereals; consequently, a great many farmers have fallen back on pease. The land, for the most part, was not, in my opinion, as well cultivated as it might have been, with advantage to the owners, or as we are accustomed to at home; each man trying to cultivate more than he could manage without help, which is rather difficult to hire. The farmer does not pay enough attention to stock-raising. I do not mean to say that this applies to all the farmers. Many of them pay a good deal of attention to live stock, whiph is seen by the large number of cattle and sheep, and the immense quantity of dairy products annually exported. The average crop of wheat was 24 bushels per acre, which was worth 3s. 6d. per bushel. This will give the value of an acre of wheat at £4 4s. Oats yielded about 40 bushels per acre, which at Is. lOd. per bushel makes the value £3 13s. 4d. per acre. Owing to the hot and short summer, oats arc not generally a very good sample, and seldom weigh more than 34 lbs. to the bushel, which is the standard. * weight. But owing to the Government importing some different kinds of seed from our large seedsmen in England, the quality has been very much improved of late. I saw some very good samples of oats, weighing 42 lbs. to the bushel, grown at the different experimental farms. The four-rowed barley is the chief kind grown, but it is not so plump and good-looking in sample as the variety produced in this country. It is very bright, but much thinner and harder than ours, owing to the hot and short summer causing it to ripen quicker. Up to now it has all been sold to American brewdrs. The average yield is about 24 Mr. Arthur Daniel's Report. bushels per acre, and it is worth 2s.' 9d. per bushel, giving £3 6s. as the worth of an acre. Experiments are now going on all over the country in growing a variety of barley suited to the English market, and it seems likely to be a success. In most districts we saw large quantities of fruit under culture, comprising apples, pears and grapes —the latter coming to pefection trained on wire extended on posts in the open field. These crops appear to be very remunerative. The soil and products in Manitoba and the North-West differ much from those of the older provinces. The soil consists of a dark vegetable loam of great depth, and capable of producing grain for many years to come without the application of manure. Here we found the chief crops to be wheat, oats and potatoes. The latter, though only grown in small quantities, are very fine, and of good quality. Wheat is the chief crop, and averages, at a low estimate, from 18 to 20 bushels per acre; and as it is worth 3s. 4d. per bushel, this gives £3 6s. 8d. as the value per acre. Oats yield 40 bushels per acre, and are worth Is. 6d. per bushel of 34 lbs., which gives £3 as the value of an acre of oats. We also found throughout the Dominion creameries established, for the production of butter and cheese. These creameries are a great advantage to the small settlers, who have very little time to make their own butter and cheese. An enormous trade is done in the exportation of products, much of which finds its way to the English market. Yankee traders send a lot of their cheeses to Canada for shipment, so that they may get the benefit of the reputation of the Canadian products. Could the Canadians have their own brand duly recognised in the English market, our kindred in the Dominion would have a much greater demand from this country for those products, which are superior to those of the States. The prairie district is one vast tract of level grass country, destitute of timber, and without fruit trees ; but many of our small fruits are indigenous to the soil, and experiments are being made to introduce varieties of apples and pears and general trees that will suit the climate. The climate and soil of British Columbia very much resemble the climate and soil of England. Large tracts of land lying in the different valleys of the Fraser river are very fertile, capable of growing large crops of grain, hay, fruit and vegetables of all descriptions. • In one of these valleys (Okanagan) we were told that 25 tons of binding twine had been consumed this year. This, on an average of 4 lbs. to the acre, would represent 12,500 acres of corn, which at 20 bushels per acre gives 250,000 bushels. Calculating this at 3s. 4d. per bushel, the total value of the corn grown in that valley would be £41,666. Fruit also appears to be very largely grown in British Columbia, which has also an immense wealth in timber and fish, in all of which a large export trade is 'done. The timber is in some places of very large dimensions. We measured several trunks which girthed from 25 to 40 feet; one even girthed 52 feet. Inside this tree, which had been recently hollowed out by burning, we found a seat 12 feet long, placed there for the convenience of the public. We estimated' that one acre of this timber, which is burnt down to clear the land, would, in England, be worth from £4,000 te £5,000. Stock.—In addition to corn-growing, a large quantity of stock is raised in the Dominion, not only upon small farms, but upon large ranches, especially in the North-West. In the older provinces there are several lots of pure-bred cattle, sheep and pigs, which find ready markets, not only at home, but in the States and the North-West. The introduction of pure-bred cattle, with judicious crossing, has very § \ 40 The Agricultura and other Resources of Canada. much improved the native breeds, which are large-boned animals, and well adapted for working, especially on the prairie, where, it is said, they break the land better than horses. We saw, in the course of our travels through the west, very striking instances of the good done by these imported cattle. Almost all the small farmers aim at getting some good blood into their stock. We came upon a good herd of Shorthorns at the Binscarth farm, at Russell, Manitoba. This herd is sure to do a great deal of good, as it is located in the midst of a large tract of land well suited for mixed farming. On all the small prairie farms, where stock has been raised, the owners speak very highly of the praire grass, stating that they can raise for $6 a three- year-old steer which will fetch $35. But cattle-raising in the North- West falls under two headings—those raised on large ranches and those raised by small farmers, who house them during the winter, feeding them on hay, straw, and in some cases a few roots. lhis kind of farming pays very well, and the farmers who adopt this course are much better off than those who keep to corn-growing only We met several lots of cattle on their way to England, some oi them having been collected by dealers from small farmers, while some had been brought from the ranches. Cattle-raising on the ranches is quite different to cattle-raising on farms. The ranches each comprise many thousands of acres, and on them the cattle are allowed to roam at pleasure, without any shelter during the severe winters ; consequently the loss is now and then very great, in some instances exceeding 25 per cent. This, on the whole, so far has not been a pay- in" business, as we heard of several failures; and in only one case (that of a company) did we hear of a dividend being paid on the capital expended. It is only right to say that the people at work engaged m the business have had to contend with a new climate, and have had to cet their experience. They seem hopeful, too, that they will succeed; and the number of cattle is increasing every year. In the last two years several thousands have been sent to our markets, and this trade will no doubt develop. With proper attention to shelter and winter feed there is no reason why the ranches should not answer. Sheep-ranching is not*carried on so extensively, but m no one instance did I hear that sheep-ranching is profitable, while I heard of no end of failures. Canada is not a country where sheep-raising can be carried on to any large extent, owing to the breeders being obliged to house them during the long winter. I notice, however, that tor many years past the average number of sheep exported has exceeded 300 000. In 15 years 5,000,000 sheep have been sent to this country and' the United States, but they come largely from Ontario and Quebec. Horse-ranching, with good management, is a paying business. On one ranche we visited there were several imported stallions, and 160 mares from Ireland. The imported mares—even those from Ontario- did not breed well for the first few years. This naturally entailed a, great loss of time and outlay of capital. In my opinion, with miported stallions, and good native mares, a useful general-purpose horse can be bred .sure to meet with a good demand in the market. 'Rents, Taxes and Labour.—■'Rents in the old provinces vary from 12s. per acre to 30s., including taxes, which are very light. Most of the farmers, however, own their own land. The rents and taxes m Manitoba are nominal, almost every man fanning his own land. But labour is rather scarce, and as a rule commands good wages; for instance, masons or bricklayers get from $2.50 to $3 per day; carpenters, from $2 to $2.50; while thecommon labourer gets from $1.25 to $2 per day. This is the general pay. The food ranges about the same as here. Clothing, it Mr. Arthur Daniel's Report. 41 made from imported cloth, is dearer than it is at home; if made from Canadian cloth it is about the same price as here, but not so good in quality. House rent is also dearer. Education.—One would think that in so young a country education would be much neglected, but this is not the case. The system carried out in Canada far surpasses our own, and, moreover, is entirely free. Conclusions.—What, it may be asked, are the general and broad impressions left upon me by my visit to Canada ? First of all, I would reply there is the impression of a vast territory, capable of yielding boundless mineral and agricultural wealth, if capital and labour can be brought to bear upon it, and railway communication is extended to bring the products within reach of the teeming population of the overgrown old world. One is strongly struck with the conviction that there is in Canada a wide field open to all who are willing to avail themselves of the opportunity offered—whether it is the farm labourer, possessing nothing more than his pair of hands, after his passage out has been paid for him, or the capitalist with several thousands of pounds to invest. Both can readily find employment—the one for his labour, the other for his cash—in this vast territory, extending some 3,000 miles from east to west and 1,500 from north to south. Of course, the emigrant who has capital will have -the better chance, though we were frequently told—and we found many instances of it—that a man accustomed to work the land often does succeed without having fche advantage of possessing any money of his own with which to commence operations. Instances are numerous in which men brought up on the land have gone to Canada with only a few pounds in their pocket (just enough to support them till they can settle down), have taken a free homestead with borrowed money at 8 per cent., and have paid off their liability in three or four years, so that they "owed not any man." Remember that such a settler or farmer has no rent to pay, and no tithe-rent charge to hand over to the parson ; while the taxes are nominal—only a few dollars per annum A farmer's son who has a few hundred pounds, and does not mind work and a somewhat rough life, can without doubt turn them to good advantage and profit by farming in the North-West. With £300 he could well work 160 acres of land, which he would get as a free grant; and if he'should be able to extend his area of labour he could buy the adjoining 160 acres at a few dollars per acre. He would, however, find the 160 acres sufficient with, say, £300 t 42 Tlie Agricultural and other Resources of Canada, FARM SCENE, ONTARIO. Then, again, a man with a capital of from £1,000 to £2,000 would find Canada a country in which it could be profitably employed in agriculture. In the improved farm district of the older provinces land is not to be purchased at less than from $40 to $100 per acre, so that a man with that amount of capital to invest in farming could do just as well in England as sink it in acquiring land at such a figure in Ontario. At the same time, land can be purchased on easy terms; and in the older provinces there are many advantages, especially of a social nature, which a man could not get in a newer part of the country. In Manitoba, and in many parts of the North-West, he could obtain land at such a low price and on such favourable terms of payment that, having no annual outlay in respect thereof, except taxes of a nominal amount, he could grow wheat and oats at a good profit, besides raise a quantity of horses and cattle, which, if taken care of during the winter, would prove to be very remunerative. But he must be prepared to give up many of those home comforts inseparable from an English farmstead, and be ready to encounter a rough life, with a winter of considerable severity (of which, however, the settlers do not seem to complain), in order to make his fortune. Such a man, taking, say, 2,000 acres of land, ought to be able to make money, as the cost of wheat-raising is as under:— s. d. Ploughing 6 6 per acre. Seed 4 0 " Sowing and harrowing 3 0 " Cutting and stooking 4 0 " Threshing (20 bushels) 2 0 " Drawing to elevator 3 7 " Binding twine 2 0 " £15 1 20 bushels, at 3s. 4d. per bushel £3 6 8 Cost of raising 1 5 1 Profit £2 1 7 Mr. Arthur Daniel's Report. 43 In the Province of Alberta horse-ranching would be a paying pursuit if well conducted on a small scale; but ranching for either cattle or sheep I consider rather risky, in view of what we heard—at any rate, until the business is better understood, and managed differently to What it is now. Where it has been in any way successful it has only been on a small scale, where the animals can be sheltered from the severe winter weather. Nowhere did I hear of success in ranching with sheep; the results were losses and failure; but this may be remedied in time also. Canada further offers a good opening for the mere capitalist who has no intention of embarking in farming. The country is rich in minerals, which are not yet extensively worked, because of the absence of the necessary capital to provide the requisite machinery and labour. The inevitable extension of railway communication which is now going on must lead to the development of the mineral wealth of Canada. The capitalist would find a profitable field of investment by advancing his money on loan on good security, or by establishing a bank. The country is, in fact, waiting for more capital to develop its resources. There is another class who, if unable to gain a living in the old country, would find a country of hope in the far west—I mean the artisans, such as masons, bricklayers and carpenters. In British Columbia, which is unlike other parts of Canada, they would find a climate similar to that of the old country, and would be able to obtain employment at from $2.50 to $3 per day. Labourers are paid half that amount. Market gardening would prove very profitable to men in this district. Many would no doubt embark for Canada but for the imagined discomforts and distress of the sea passage, especially among those who are booked " steerage." What may be the condition of things on other lines of steamers I am unable to say ; but from what I saw on those of the Allan line, by which I made the outward and homeward passages, I can say that every care is taken to secure the comfort of the passengers. I made it a point to see how the steerage passengers fared, and never once did I hear of any complaint, while everywhere there was .evidence of a regard to cleanlines and comfort, so far as is possible on board a ship. With these steamers the passage to Canada—in fair weather, of course—is very like a pleasure trip. I would only say, in conclusion, that I shall be happy to give particular information to anyone who may entertain the idea of emigrating to Canada, concerning which, in this brief report, I have only been able to present a general, but as I believe, a faithful, picture of the conditions of things there existing. I am indebted to the courtesy of the Honourable John Carling, Minister of Agriculture, the numerous officials throughout the Dominion, and to the many kind friends who did their best to afford us every facility for seeing holders of land whom we visited. w THE REPORT OF MR. WILLIAM EDWARDS Ruthin, Wales. In submitting my report upon the Dominion of Canada as a field for settlement, I feel that the undertaking is pregnant with great responsibilities. If its capabilities are in any way over-estimated it may lead some of the most sanguine to expect there a paradise of unmixed pleasure, who, as a rule, are doomed to disappointment wherever they go. On the other hand, if I fail to realise my position, and underestimate its vast resources, I may influence the procrastinator to be content with his lot, ending his days in poverty, and possibly bequeathing the same legacy to generations of his descendants. I shall, however, endeavour to deal only with facts and figures, addressing myself more particularly to my own countrymen, with whose wants I am thoroughly conversant, and I hope in entire sympathy with their aspirations. Sailing from Liverpool on the Allan liner "Circassian" with six other delegates on the 28th of last August, we landed in Quebec on Sunday, 7th September. We had a pleasant voyage, with the exception of one very rough day in mid-ocean, and a moderate breeze for two more days in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, which, however, abated into a perfect calm as we entered the grand St Lawrence river, through which flow the waters of the great inland seas that divide Canada from the United States for some hundreds of miles; also of Lake Michigan in the States, on the south side of which stands the wonderful city of Chicago. The Atlantic To intending emigrants a short description of the voyage across the Atlantic may be of some interest. There is no doubt but that this has been the cause of detaining many a hard working farmer on his mountain plot in Wales, instead of seeking his fortune on the rich prairie land of Canada; whereas, had he only ventured out years ago, he would have found the trip enjoyable, as well as, probably, beneficial to his health, and would have been the proud owner of half a section of 320 acres of land, or more, with his children all in prosperous circumstances, and in a fair way to accumulate an independency which would ensure their enjoyment of life in their declining years a position rarely to be hoped for in their native land. But it is not too late; there is yet room in Canada for the sons of toil in millions to establish happy homes, with that freedom of action that every independent spirit cannot fail to appreciate. There would have been some excuse for hesitating had the voyage lasted three months, as was the case with one of the Scotch pioneers of Canada, with whom I had a pleasant chat, and who related with pride his experience 50 years ago. After 14 weeks on board a sailing vessel he was wrecked off the coast of Newfoundland, and at last found his way to the neighbourhood of Toronto, where he resides, and with his own axe had to hew his farm out of the forest, and in his declining years is enjoying the fruit of his labours. Now the nine or ten days' sailing is only a pleasure trip, especially on board one of these fine floating palaces, where the comfort of all is so much studied by the officials in charge of the vessel. The charges also are moderate, and within reach of the poorest working man. Special through rates are quoted for emigrants tjo Winnipeg and further; beds Mr. William Edwards' Report. 45 are hired by the Allan company to those who do not prefer providing their own; the food is of good quality, well cooked, and supplied regularly three times a day Many times have I heard the remark: "I would have emigrated long ago, but for these little ones; they would never live to cross the ocean." But my experience is that those are the very people who ought to go. There were on board the " Circassian " 35 or 40 children, varying in age from a few months to 15 years, of whom I took particular notice every day, and found only two of the oldest suffering from sea sickness; all the younger ones seemed to enjoy their holiday, and looked as happy as if they were in their playground at home. Therefore, those with young children need not dread the voyage in the least, and on reaching their new homes they would find the eldest of immense value in sowing and harvest time. I saw one sturdy little fellow of ten summers who had loaded 80 acres of wheat, his father pitching. The latter, who five years ago, was a gamekeeper in England, now owns 160 acres of land, with a good house and outbuildings. I find, in perusing my notes, that they are far too voluminous to be of practical use to the intending emigrant; therefore, much as I regret it, hundreds .of names and addresses must be left out. I hope those gentlemen who lost days of valuable time in assisting the delegates and driving them across the prairies will deem this a sufficient reason for not acknowledging their valuable services by personal reference in this report, and that one and all will accept my cordial thanks. I have always been under the impression that the resources of Social ad- Canada are not known in the principality to any extent, and since my vaneement . return I find, in conversing even with the best informed, that I was Canada, not far wrong. The United States have been for the last 50 years the chief attraction for Welsh emigrants, to many of whom, no doubt, the form of government was the great inducement. The political tendencies of Wales being pretty well known, I do not think a passing reference here is out of place—in fact, a comparison between the condition of Wales and that of Canada in that respect is most essential in my opinion. In Canada, as in the States, a man enjoys manhood suffrage, and if he aspires to political honour, and possesses the ability, the course is open for him, and he is paid for his trouble. He can enter the House of Assembly in his own province, and there is generally a Minister of Agriculture, as a member of the Government, to look after the interests of the farmers. , The Minister of Agriculture of the Dominion, the Honourable John Carling, acts for the whole of Canada, and sits in the Federal Parliament at Ottawa, and to him the farmer delegates are deeply "indebted; and his geniality contrasts favourably with some of our far less brilliant official satellites. In my tour through Canada I met more than one practical farmer who was a member of Parliament, and who could ride his own sulky-plough or self-binder; and I have no doubt that the practical knowledge of such men is invaluable in the councils of the nation. I should like to ask how many such men we can boast of in our national couneil. Wales may, perhaps, be proud of being able to return one farmer's son to Parliament, but among 670 members he is almost powerless to render any assistance to his struggling countrymen. In Canada I find that agriculture and commerce move forward together; their representatives in the Provincial and Dominion Parliaments are so equally balanced that one element cannot predominate, and, if I am not mistaken, the situation is not likely to change in the immediate future. 46 The Agricultural and other Resources of Canada. A college for scientific and practical education of young farmers. Experimental farms of the Dominion Government. The agricultural college and experimental farm at Guelph, Ontario, under the able guidance of scientific and practical men, where the young farmers from all parts of the world are taught the practice and science of agriculture, testifies to the foresight of Canadians, and will exercise immense influence upon the future agricultural prosperity of this almost endless Dominion. This institution deserves more than a passing reference; the advantages to the young men who attend it are manifold, and the knowledge acquired in the short space of two years is such as to enable them to start at once upon a successful career; and, in whatever part of the earth they may take up their abode, their example will act as a stimulant to their neighbours, and prove of great national value Application for admittance from all parts of America, and some from Europe, have compelled the governors to give preference to Canadian students, who are admitted on easy terms, and are paid for any manual labor which they perform, enabling the more'industrious to support themselves or to reduce the charge to a nominal sum. As a stimulus to theoretical study they are awarded gold and silver medals. Their studies comprise English literature and political economy, agriculture, arboriculture, horticulture, agricultural and analytical chemistry, geology, meteorology, zoology, botany, veterinary anatomy, practical handling and judging of horses and live stock, dairying, arithmetic, mensuration, surveying, book-keeping and gymnastics. The scope of this report will not enable me to explain the details of any of these studies; but I found during my visit to the college that the axiom " Theory combined with practice " predominated. I may instance here what may surprise many practical men on this side of the Atlantic. A field of Indian corn was planted on the 29th June, in rows 32 inches apart, the average height of stalks being 11 feet on the 15 th September, when it was cut green and put in the silo for winter fodder, weighing 22 tons per acre. The greatest attention is paid to selecting and experimenting upon the different breeds of cattle, with a view of importing only those that will prove most profitable to the Canadian farmer; a commencement is also made in the same direction with sheep, which up to three years ago have attracted but little attention. Experiments are carried on with all sorts of grain, roots, clover and grass seeds, vines, and all other trees that may prove of value as shelter or to bear fruit. The students have access to and assist in all these experiments, the different qualities being pointed out and their usefulness explained. A lecture hall is provided, where all the students are accommodated with seats in an elevated position. The animals are brought before them, and their defects as well as their good points are brought into view and illustrated by the professors— in fact, anything that will be of value practically to the student is brought under his notice. The Dominion Government experimental farms at Ottawa, Brandon, Indian Head and Agassiz, all of which I inspected, are also doing excellent work for the farmers. To assist in diffusing practical knowledge, farmers' meetings are held in many-centres, which the professors attend, to give lectures during the winter months. The time of the year in Canada when mother earth refuses to open her arms for cultivation gives the farmer a grand opportunity to cultivate his mind and prepare to meet the fierce competition that is daily increasing, and mingled, I fear, with a little jealousy, in the United States. While thus encouraging technical education at considerable expense, the elementary,' which is practically free, is not neglected; and wherever a settlement is established in the North-West Territories, where only a dozen children are of school age, accommodation is provided for them Mr. William Edwards' Report. 47 within easy distance, three-fourths of the expense being paid by the Dominion Government. In the other provinces education is under the control of the local governments. I had an opportunity of inspecting five of the public schools at Toronto, where the health, tuition and general comfort of the children are apparently all that could be desired ;* but the school boards are not satisfied to stand still if any new ideas can be introduced, and one of their most persevering members came over to England this summer with a view of gaining further information, in order, if possible, to improve their method. With all these expenses to be borne by a comparatively young community, the intending settler will naturally enquire : " Where is the money to come from ?" and when told that the rates are merely nominal—about 6d. per acre—probably he will doubt my statement. When I was informed that there were no poor to be supported, no perpetual pensions to be provided for, no sinecure offices to be filled up, that there is only a small military force, and that the expenses of government are relatively small, I found a part of the explanation. I inquired of the best authority what was being paid to the officials in Canada, and was informed that the Prime Minister of the Dominion received about £1,640 per annum, the members of the Cabinet about £1,440, and members of Parliament about £200 per annum and a small allowance for travelling ^expenses. The Government, with all their economy, are perfectly honourable? and pay every one who renders the least service to the State. Even the juryman's services are recognised, and he is paid for his time, and his expenses are refunded. Outside the Province of Quebec English only is spoken, and an interpreter is rarely called for except in dealing with the Indians, who are treated in Canada with more consideration than they are in the States; but in face of this encouragement they are decreasing in number. Their mode of living not being conducive to health, they die young, and in many respects life seems of little or no value to them. They become very excited under the influence of alcohol, but the law is rigorously enforced upon those who infringe it by supplying them with spirits. With regard to the liquor traffic, local option is adopted in parts Liquor laws, of all the provinces, and some of the towns which I visited had no intoxicating drink of any kind, except at private houses and chemists' shops, and a doctor's certificate has to be obtained if it is wanted for medical purposes In Toronto and other large cities the public houses Sunday obser are closed from 7 p.m. on Saturday till 7 a.m. on Monday, and in all vance. my travels through Canada I saw only one drunken man on a Sunday. On that day traffic is entirely suspended, no street cars run, and very few cabs or other conveyances are to be seen. Perfect religious liberty and equality prevail in every part of the Dominion. In some parts the Roman Catholics are in the ascendant; in others the Presbyterians, or the several denominations of Nonconformists. In other parts the Episcopalians take the lead, but in some places the factions leaning to High or Low church services have a very deterrent effect. Every churchman with whom I had the pleasure of conversing shares the same opinion—i. e., that its ministrations have far greater effect than if it were connected with the State. Tithes are not heard of, except in the province of Quebec, where the Roman Catholic clergy are allowed to collect from their own adherents, but the law does not compel payment by defaulters; therefore, it is much the same as any other voluntary contribution, although bearing the—to Welshmen- odious name of tithe. IU 48 The Agricultural and other Resources of Canada. Climate of Canada. In addition to many other bugbears that are hurled against Canada with baneful effect is "the climate." Arriving there at the end of the hottest season, and leaving when winter was setting in, I had no opportunity of judging personally of the two extremes, but the uniform testimony of all, whether Canadian-born or not, to whom I put the question, was that, although in winter the thermometer registers many degrees below our coldest days, the atmosphere is so dry that the cold is not felt to the extent that one might imagine. For the first season or two the settler feels more inconvenience from the heat of July and August than the cold of January and February, but when acclimatised he thoroughly enjoys the winter, and endures the summer heat as well as the natives. The seldom occurrence of sunstroke proves that the heat of summer is not unbearable. The two extremes occupying only four months in the most northern part of the Dominion, two-thirds of the year is similar to our own climate, but far drier in winter, which sets in about the beginning of December and ends about the middle of April, when the farmer starts in earnest to put his seed down, and, as a rule, finishes about the end of May. I have seen wheat that was sown in the last week of June, and was being carted when I was there in the last week of September, a splendid sample, and estimated to yield 30 to 32 imperial bushels an acre ; but this is not an example to be widely followed. In Canada early sowing means success. Improved lands for sale Cost of purchase and rates of rent. Fruit cultun PROVINCE OF ONTARIO. The Province of Ontario, which is the oldest in the Dominion except Quebec and Nova Scotia, has much the same appearance as the British isles, but lacks the trim aspect of our quickthorn fences, and for a few months travellers are compelled to put up with badly macadamised roads, as the winter frost makes sad havoc of the best managed. The old snake fence is being replaced in many districts by wire ; in others the rails are nailed on cedar posts in a straight line, and, although split 40 or more years ago, are fit to stand the exposure another such term. In this province there are many desirable farms for sale owing to various causes. Some are selling to migrate with their families to Manitoba and the North-West Territories; some retire with an independency, and others are compelled to leave from a lack of agricultural knowledge, the land refusing to yield a profitable crop without the necessary stimulant. Many of our most scientific and practical farmers would do well here, and could buy the best farms, with excellent homesteads in thorough repair, for £9 to £15 per acre, or less by paying cash. Money is scarce, and the interest would be high. If a mortgage were required the rate is from 5^ to 7 per cent., according to the amount and time for which it is required. At first, the charge appears high, but when we come to consider that £100 in the hands of a practical man in Canada will go further than £300 in Great Britain it will be seen that the small capitalist has a much better chance of getting on, and only pays interest equal to 3 per cent. here. If these farms are hired, the rent charged is from 12s. to 18s. per acre, according to the situation, and they can be stocked with a little more than a third of the capital required in Wales. The above amount represents only the tithe and takes on our land, so that the farmer has practically no rent to pay as compared with ours. Labour is a serious item, if he has all to pay for, and no one ought to venture on an Ontario farm without capital or sons to assist him, and even then he should be prepared to pay for all his stock, besides a third of the purchase money. Fruit farming in some parts of Ontario is very Mr. William Edwards' Report. 49 profitable. In the neighbourhood of Oakville, and along the banks of Lake Ontario to the Niagara, there are many hundreds of acres under fruit trees. Vines are planted in rows, supported by wire fencing, three or four deep.; they yield from four to six tons per acre; in some places a few rows of potatoes or mangolds are grown between the vines. The grapes are large, and some varieties of excellent flavour, these are sold from 2d. to 5d. per lb.; and in the neighbourhood of Grimsby, where there are excellent fruit farms, I tasted wine 13 years old, and some 2 years old; both had splendid flavour, and would command good prices in this country. Some hundreds of tons of all sorts of fruit from this neighbourhood are shipped to Liverpool, and the greatest attention is paid to the fruit which is most in demand. A new industry is being developed in the " canning " or preserving of all fruits, especially pears, peaches, plums and other soft fruits that will not keep in , transit. I have a list of many farms for sale in Ontario, a copy of which I should be glad to supply to intending purchasers, or would give the names and addresses of real estate agents who sell on commission, generally acting for the vendor. MARITIME PROVINCES. I deeply regret that I was not able, owing to the limited time at my disposal, to visit the maritime provinces ; but, from what I could learn in conversation with gentlemen I had the pleasure of meeting from that part of the Dominion, I have no doubt that many remarks I have made respecting Ontario will apply to them. Improved farms, with portions of the land under crop, with good buildings and fences, can be obtained at very moderate prices, owing either to the owners retiring from business or to their removing to Manitoba and the North-West Territories, in view of the smaller amount required on the prairies to start their growing sons on farms of their own. PROVINCE OF QUEBEC. My time was too limited to pay a visit to Quebec; consequently, I cannot offer an opinion on its resources; but from a passing glance in a railway carriage I imagine that Welshmen would prefer going further west. PROVINCE OF MANITOBA The oldest settlements in Manitoba much resemble those of Favourable Ontario, and a new settler will find there plenty of hospitable and circumstances kind neighbours willing to give assistanae in erecting a homestead, or chance to be- impart any information that will prove of value to the newcomer, so come inde- that in a few months he feels quite at home among his new friends. Pendent- The greater part of this province contains millions of acres of wheat- growing land, varying in depth from 15 inches to 5 feet of black vegetably mould, and will yield eight or ten crops of wheat in succession without rest or manure. The prices at which farms can be bought here varies considerably, from 16s. for the unimproved prairie .to £4 for farms partly broken, and with good houses and outbuildings for the latter figure. For the hard-working farmers of Wales, with small capital and two or three growing lads, there is a grand opening, with a certainty of success and independency, health and unforeseen accidents permitting. But if any one is willing to sacrifice for 10 or 15 years the home comforts which he has hitherto enjoyed, he may go from 30 to 50 miles into the interior, where he can take up a .home- 1/ 50 The Agricultural and other Resources of Canada. Railway lands. Aid by loan to farm settlers. stead of 160 acres, paying the Government £2 for the title, and can buy 150 acres more from 8s. to 10s. per acre, payable over a term of years. His sons can do the same if they exceed 18 years of age. The Canadian Pacific Railway Company, to whom the Government granted about 20,000,000 acres in aid of that great undertaking of constructing a railway from the Atlantic to the Pacific ocean, also has land to dispose of on reasonable terms. This railway is nearly 3,000 miles in length, and winds its way for over 400 miles through the narrow passes of the Rocky and Selkirk mountains. A?£j The Manitoba and North.-Western Railway, which is to go north to the Saskatchewan river, is now complete as far as Saltcoats. This company offers every inducement to settlers by advancing money, or, at least, its value in the' shape of working oxen, cattle, implements of husbandry, provisions, seed, corn and potatoes, and breaking up of 10 acres ready to receive the seed in spring. If necessary, they will advance money for passage and maintenance on the way to the extent of £40 for each family; they will also build a house of two or more rooms at an outlay of £15 to £25, allowing the settler 15 years or more to repay the amount. Eight per cent, interest is charged for this loan, two years' interest from the 1st of November next after taking up a homestead being added to the capital, allowing the settler 2^- years before he pays any interest. Security is taken in the shape of a mortgage, upon the land, and the settlers' note of hand is sufficient for any stock or implements he may require. The rate of interest appears to be high, but the farmer has the advantage of buying everything for cash, and if he is persevering he can pay off the bulk, if not the whole, in five or six years ; and the company are prepared to receive any small instalment in reduction of the amount, the interest upon it ceasing from date of payment. At the invitation of this company, the delegates visited several settlers in and about Saltcoats, and it was very interesting to hear each of them relating his experience in the North-West, all with one exception—the wife of a settler—being perfectly satisfied with their lots. I have the names and addresses of all these, and many more, but am anxious to keep this report within reasonable limits, and the insertion of one would necessitate the filing of several pages. Suffice it to say that I shall be happy to supply the intending emigrant with references to all those whom I visited in every district named in my report. Saltcoats seems well adapted for mixed farming. Cattle and horses do well; all sorts of grain and roots can be grown, and butter of the best quality is made in this district. A cheese and butter factory was started last year, but the number of cows in the district was too limited to keep up a regular supply of milk, and an effort is made to distributd more milch cows among the settlers 1 ready for next season. I visited one of the factories near Winnipeg, at which first-class cheese and butter was manufactured. From every point of view I think these institutions have an important future in the North-West Territories. At the Barnardo Home, at Russell, some first-class butter is turned out, proving that the district is well adapted for butter-making. The stock of Shorthorns at Binscarth farm which is second to none in England, in the same neighbourhood, would satisfy any critic of its adaptability for grazing purposes. THE NORTH-WEST TERRITORIES. Wheat producing and grazing lands The land in the neighbourhood of Prince Albert and along the Saskatchewan river is of the same nature as Saltcoats, but is more ' undulating and carrying heavier timber, and is well adapted for barley Mr. William Edwards' Report. 51 growing. If sown in time, and the same attention paid to its cultivation as to that of wheat, it will prove the most profitable. This district is also well adapted for grazing ; horses do well running all winter, and are brought in for work in spring full of flesh. Young foals are left out with their dams, and are never handled after being branded till they are wanted for work or for sale. There are also some flocks of sheep in this neighbourhood, the favourite cross being Merino ewes and Cheviot tups. The ewes are bought for 13s. or 14s. each, their progeny yielding per head 5 lbs. to 6 lbs. of very fine wool, which is generally sold unwashed ; the price realised this year was 6^d. per lb. The lambs realised 14s. to 18s., and some of the best run up to 25s. Glenboro', Carman, Wawanesa, and the district about Rapid City, are all similar to Prince Albert and Saltcoats—all good grazing and grain-producing land, and they have convenient railway communication with the main line, and plenty of water; where rivers are too far, good water can be got by digging wells 10 to 30 feet deep. Grain elevators are erected on the railroads.at convenient dis-Farmers' tances, which are of great value to settlers. The farmers cart their £ram market, grain in bushel bags and empty them into the hopper; the grain is then passed through the machinery and deposited in large receptacles, perfectly clean and ready for transit. These large grain stores belong to private individuals, corn merchants, or millers, who have practical men in charge sorting or grading and pricing the wheat, which is divided into four different samples—Nos. 1 and 2 hard; Nos. 1 and 2 Northern. Barley and oats have until now been mostly consumed at home, but my opinion is that, at no distant date, barley will be largely cultivated for export. The samples which I inspected at the agricultural shows, experimental farms, and other places where it has been grown with care," will compare favourably with barley grown in best places of Great Britain, and is certainly better than the average of our malting barley in Wales. The samples of oats also are quite equal to ours, perfectly hard and full of flour. The price made of last year's oats in Sppt.pmber this year, for home consumption, was equal to ours. FARM SCENE, MANITOBA. / 52 The Agricultural and other Resources of Canada. Best wheat- producing districts. Farm implements. Exaggerated reports of losses by frost corrected. From Brandon to Repina. The best wheat-growing districts, in my opinion, are in Manitoba, ' and the same remarks will apply to all of them, commencing with Winnipeg, the capital of Manitoba, situated 1,424 miles from Montreal. The population is 28,000, increased from 100 in 1871. Brandon, Portage la Prairie, Neepawa, Indian Head and Plum Creek are all grand wheat-producing districts, and farms can be bought at about the same price in all of them—i. e., from 20s. to 60s. for prairie farms with buildings, and partly broken, except in the immediate neighbourhood of Winnipeg, where it is much held by speculators at a higher figure, and a great deal of it requires draining. In crossing the stubbles in all these places I noticed the softness of the earth, the surface yielding under the foot like snow ; and in looking at the farm implements I could nowhere discover a roller; the first I saw was not worthy of the name, being evidently home-made, and consisted of a number of rails nailed on to two round ends; it was very light and 9 feet long, but could do no good except smoothing the surface, and would not pay for the trouble. The next, and the only other, was a very good iron cylinder roller, 3 feet in diameter, and in two pieces. I questioned the owner as to the effect of this useful implement; he confirmed the idea I had already formed, that it was not used enough by far, and that he had a heavier crop of straw, and better grain on the rolled land. This was one of the most practical men I met in the North-West, and his opinion after using the roller for two years is worth recording for the benefit of those who are already settled there, as well as of intending settlers. The use of a heavy roller on such mouldy, soft soil, must be of great benefit. The disintegrating effect of the frost ought to be counteracted, and nothing will effect this but heavy rolling, by which the farmer would be amply compensated for his labour—in fact, I believe he could get one-third more corn on his land, of better quality, and it would ripen earlier. Consolidating the surface would also assist in keeping the frost and dampness from being drawn out of the ground too fast, which would prove of great importance in a hot season ; and, besides, wheat, like clover, requires a firm grip for the root. I am so convinced upon this subject that I cannot leave it without expressing my opinion, and also a hope that experiments will be carried on in Government farms. My firm belief is that two or three rollings would not be too much, and for the two last very heavy rollers should be used, either by adding some weight to the frame or by using the cylinder roller that can be filled with water to any weight desired. The seed distributor, with small spring wheels pressing the ground after the drills, are found to answer well, but the young plant will soon spread its roots to the soft ground on both sides, and until it gets to the undisturbed soil will present for a few days a yellow, sickly appearance, indicating that its progress is much retarded. Summer frosts are complained of in some districts, but the harm caused to wheat is much exaggerated, no doubt to suit the purpose of the buyer. I was informed by the manager of the great mill in Minneapolis, United States, that the frozen wheat, as they called it, turned out as good flour as the other, but not quite so much to the bushel of wheat. Hailstones in other places do occasional damage, but they are of rare occurrence. I saw only one piece of about 30 acres of wheat damaged in this way. ' Leaving Brandon and journeying westward, passing some 22 towns and. cities, including some important settlements, such as Moosomin, Wolseley and Qu'Appelle, we come to Regina, the capital of Assiniboia, where the member of the Dominion Parliament resides, who accom- Mr. William Edwards's Report. o3 panied the delegates to Prince Albert. Regina is an important centre, having a population of 2,200, and is increasing very fast; it is the headquarters of the North-West Mounted Police, a force 1,000 strong, which maintains order all over the territory between Manitoba and the Rocky Mountains. The Lieutenant Governor's residence is situated about a mile beyond this station. Between this point and Calgary are 38 stations of more or less importance; tlie delegates only stopped at Medicine Hat, and inspected the produce brought in for exhibition next day, to which reference will be made in dealing with the agricultural shows. The distance from Regina to Calgary is 483 miles. On each side of the railway at intervals there is some excellent land, but thinly populated; several large ranches, and among them some of the Canadian Agricultural Company's farms (better known as Sir John Lister Kaye's farms) are to be seen from the railway between these two points—they are ten in number, and contain 10,000 acres each. These have been valuable pioneers, and intending settlers may benefit by their successful, as well as their unsuccessful, experiments. Although ranching in Canada has been successful in the main, the profits realised from the invested capital is not equal to the average of smaller holdings where individual attention to the stock amply compensates the owner. The system adopted in ranching answers well in summer, and if the straw of Manitoba could be utilised as winter fodder and shelter for these large herds, instead of being Jburned, I have little doubt but that the system would suit 'both corn-producers and ranchers, as the latter would suffer less from losses in winter, and the former would benefit by preserving the vegetable matter and other ingredients contained in the straw until the land requires it, which is certain to happen in the next 20 years. I found that some difference of opinion existed among practical men as to the effect of manure after a few crops of corn are taken from the land. One who has adopted mixed farming on the plains of Brandon declared that he got better wheat, ripening sooner, after a dressing of farm-yard manure; another, who grows nothing but corn, condemned it as being worse than useless. Both farm in the same neighbourhood, the former utilising his straw and the latter burning it. This gentleman, I think, ought to consult the Ontario farmer. Calgary, the centre of all the great ranches, and the most thriving The central town between Brandon and the Rocky Mountains, is nicely situated P°™£ 0I ■ ,e on the Bow River, and has a population of 3,400. Being surrounded by plenty of good building material, the chief business places are all stone built, and the town has no doubt an important future. Cloth manufacturing has been commenced here, and judging from the quality produced the venture will no doubt prove a success. The samples of barley shown at the agricultural show also commends the district for the cultivation of that valuable cereal, and the exhibits of cattle would have been a credit to a provincial show in any country. There are several important ranches between Calgary and the Rocky Mountains, a distance of about 80 miles, which lack of time prevented the delegates from visiting. .Leaving the unbounded prairie behind, the Rockies present an appearance of grandeur that will baffle the most descriptive pen. Having reached an altitude of nearly 3,400 feet at Calgary, and travelling 60 miles further, the line entering the gap shows an ascent of 800 feet in 18 miles. Further on is Banff, noted for its hot sulphur springs, where invalids resort to benefit by bathing in the wonderful waters, which bubble out of the mountain, too hot by several degrees for the patient to enter. From Banff to Stephen station, a distance of 43 miles, the railway ascends to the highest point of th( 5 ie '/ The Agricultural and other Resources of Canada. Rocky Mountains, 5,296 feet, rising nearly 1,600 feet in 61 miles. The passenger becomes almost bewildered by the magnificent views, the mountain cliffs towering above on both sides, covered by cedar and fir-trees, the torrent below rushing and roaring through narrow passes, presenting nature in its most picturesque garb; but all of a sudden, the mind is diverted to the engineering skill that has given A VIEW IN STANLEY PARK, VANCOUVER. mankind this opportunity, not only of studying nature, but "admiring the accomplishments of modern engineering. The agriculturist must pardon me for wandering for a short time from studying his interest, and if ever he has the good luck of visiting this district he will readily forgive my weakness for scenery. With this very inadequate description of these wonderful mountains, some of their peaks rising 10,000 feet high, I will endeavour to give a short description of Great growth of forest trees, BRITISH COLUMBIA. The climate in this part of Canada is all that the Britisher can desire. The Hermit and Gold Ranges are similar to the mountains of Wales, but the valleys between them are much richer than ours, and grow trees of enormous size. It is not uncommon to see cedars and pine perfectly sound .6, to 7 feet in diameter, and many weighing 30 to 35 tons, and in some places so thick on the ground that it would be almost impossible to pass between them. I put my tape around one stump, supposed to have stood the storms of over 2,000 years ; it is now some 60 feet high, and girths 56 feet, or nearly 19 feet through. Mr. William Edwards's Report. 65 'The value of timber in British Columbia is not known, and the expense •of transit and handling such monsters is a barrier that remains to be •overcome. To a stranger, the splitting up of pine 4 or 5 feet in diameter for firewood seems an unpardonable offence. Some of these fine trees run up 200 feet without a branch, and from 50 to 100 feet higher with very few branches of only small dimensions. The land that produces these needs no other recommendation, but the clearing of even a few acres is almost too much for individul exertion. No doubt, in a few years the timber trade of British Columbia will develop a mine of wealth, -and will gradually clear the land for the agriculturist. The valleys that are now available for agriculture are believed to The rich agri- be as rich as any in the world. In many places the alluvial deposit is c?^u^al ^an^3 15 feet deep, and will grow four tons of hay to the acre, year after year ° without manure. On the banks of the Fraser River, wheat, oats, rye, and all other agricultural produce, grow to perfection, as do fruit of all -descriptions, the trees maturing and bearing fruit in three or four years. I measured one cherry tree near Mission ; it girthed 5 inches, had borne a heavy crop for three years, and was only six years old. This industry will soon be developed, and prove a formidable rival to San Francisco in supply the North-West Territories with what they cannot produce ; •on the other hand, it-would be cheaper for the Columbians to buy wheat from Manitoba than to produce it on land that can be made better use of. The land in British Columbia is worth about the same as in this country, and lets for about the same rent—20s. to 32s. per acre; but there is no other burden upon it, except a rate of lOd. per acre, and it is more productive than the average of the best land in England. The city of Victoria, the capital of British Columbia, which has a population of 15,000, and is situated on the south side of Vancouver Island, is more like an English town in every respect than any other in Canada, and but for the presence of some 2,500 Chinese, one would have felt quite at home. But where servants are so scarce, and labour so dear, the Chinaman is found very useful. The island of Vancouver is full •of mineral wealth, several large fortunes having been accumulated, and many more are now being made. Nanaimo, a small town 76 miles Mining lum- north of Victoria, is the centre of a busy mining district. Coal of the bering and ' best quality is raised and sold at the pit mouth at Is. to Is. 3d. per fis°in&- 100 lbs. Miners gain from 8s. to 12s. per day of eight hours' shift. There are many thousands of acres in the valleys of Vancouver Island where the agriculturist would thrive, but the timber merchant must precede him, and while the supply continues on the banks of the Fraser River, the timber trade of Vancouver Island will be heavily handicapped. This mighty stream is made use of to carry the timber growing on its banks for hundreds of miles into the sawing mills near the thriving city of Vancouver. This seaport has now a population as large as Victoria, although a much younger town. When the line of steamers commences plying between here and Australia, India and New Zealand, its future will be most promising. New Westminster, another ..growing city on the Fraser River, will soon become an important centre; a railway running from the opposite side of the river direct to the States, will, when complete, give a stimulus to the salmon trade which is already very extensive. The supply of salmon in the Fraser seems to be inexhaustible, and the Government make every effort to assist in keeping it up by hatching the salmon in a large house, specially prepared, from which they turn out from^six to seven million young salmon yearly, after rearing them by artificial means till they are two months old. There are several extensive factories on the banks of the •river opposite New Westminster, where the salmon is " canned " or Of J I 56 The Agricultural and other Resources of Canada. preserved. This is a most interesting process, and many hundreds of workmen are employed during the season in netting, cleaning, and cutting up the fish. It is then put into the familiar 1-lb. tins found in almost every house in this country. The tins are then soldered up and put into large vats, where it is boiled by steam at a certain degree of heat; each can is then proved and the gas let out; they are then placed on iron carriers and run into a retort, where they are subjected to about double the "heat of the vats. One of these factories turns out 20,000 cases, containing 48 tins in each, or nearly one million pounds, Wages of do- in the season. To all classes of young women, especially cooks and mestic ser- o-eneral servants, British Columbia has certainly more attractions than vants. °ny other part 0f thc Dominion. Wages from £12 (for mere children) to £60 per annum, with board, lodging and washing, for the best cooks, the Chinamen doing all the rough work. Mechanics are also well paid in all the towns, especially in Vancouver and New Westminster, where the building trade is brisk, and town sites have more than doubled their value in two or three years. Market gardeners are doing well; engagements for common gardeners and labourers are easily obtained, and they are paid from 30s. to 50s. per week. Capitalists would also find good investments and secure nearly double the interest for their money that is possible in this country ; and the same can be said of all parts of Canada—in fact, there is no class of the community who have energy or capital that could not better their position by emigrating to to any province in the Dominion, the choice, of course, being a matter for the emigrant's own taste and inclinations. Grand exhibi- The agricultural shows in nearly all the provinces are carried on tion of live much in the same way as they are in this country, but the townspeople stock, Poultry, ta]re more mterest, as a rule, than they do here. The show at Toronto products, and (the Chicago of Canada), with its population of 175,000, was a grand manufactures. SUCCess, financially and otherwise. The site is well selected, and belongs to the city, but is let by the corporation to an energetic committee, who have erected permanent buildings with ample room for all the exhibits, more buildings being put up annually as the show increases. This exhibition differed somewhat from others that I had the pleasure of seeing. By various attractions other than agricultural and horticultural produce, the show is made self-supporting—the gate- money covering all expenses. The marvellous dexterity of the cowboys in the Wild West Show and other performances during the day, and the fireworks at night, attracted thousands of spectators, who would probably have never visited an agricultural show pure and simple. Many of the agricultural exhibits would have done credit to our Royal Shew. The Canadian-bred Shorthorns in all the classes were a grand lot, and a few exceedingly good Herefords were shown. The Aberdeen and Polled-Angus would have run well in the Royal and Highland Show of Scotland. There were many other breeds exhibited, the Holsteins beino- very numerous. This breed is chiefly fostered on account of their milking qualities, but their straight rib indicates a bad feeder, and unless they can be improved in this respect they are doomed to . disappear and make room for the all-round animal. The horses were a good average lot, but not equal to our best shows in number or quality. Some good imported Clydesdale and Shire stallions were exhibited, and in a few years the quantity and quality of the Ontario heavy horses will no doubt be much improved. The light horses were not what an Englishman would have called first-class, a great deal of the native form being prominent, especially in the mares—flat rib, short hindquarters and long backs, not well adapted for saddle-work, but tfrand harness horses and good stagers ; 30 to 40 miles a day with Mr. William Edwards's Report. heavy loads is a common journey. In driving after them across the prairies I often admired their power of endurance. With the importation of good sires, such as were exhibited here, a vast change will soon be seen in Canadian light horses. Shropshires, Cotswolds, and Leicester were all well represented, and a few Merinos and cross-bred sheep were exhibited. Pigs and poultry were also numerous and well bred, the Berkshire seem to be the favourite in the former. The Plymouth Rocks and Leghorn are about equal favourites in the poultry ; geese, turkeys and ducks of enormous sizes were shown, many of them far heavier than the average in our best shows. Roots, grain, butter, cheese and garden produce were excellent; the pears, peaches, apples and grapes—grown in the open air—were everything in appearance and flavour that could be desired. Some monster melons, and what are termed "squash," were among theproduce testifying to extraordinary richness in the soil that produced them. All the cereals were exceedingly bright, and the samples of barley from all parts of the Dominion were all that a Burton malster could desire. Up to now, its cultivation has not been extensive, but is on the increase, and will prove before many years a valuable commodity for export to England, by which our Midland farmers will be heavily handicapped. The show of implements was in every respect worthy of the Canadian mechanic. By continual improvements and new inventions the § self-binder" is almost perfect —light in construction, but made of the very best material—durable, •and very cheap. With the cost of labour in Canada, this implement is indispensable to the farmer. The machinery and all the other implements were equal in every respect to the best exhibits in the leading shows of England. The exhibits at Calgary were next in number to that of Toronto. Some of the horses shown were superior to any exhibited at the latter. The agricultural show at Birtle was the only other one in which I saw the whole exhibits. The roadster mares .and foals here excelled; some exceedingly good cross-bred cattle were also shown, the native breed being continually improved by the introduction of Shorthorn bulls. I should like to remind the farmers of Wales, who have for years depended almost entirely upon the rearing of store cattle, that they will find in the very near future, formidable rivals in the Canadians, whose exports of live cattle have nearly doubled since 1888 ; last season 120,654 were sent to this country during the six to seven months that the St. Lawrence river is navigable. At Regina and Medicine Hat I inspected some excellent mangolds, swedes, potatoes, cabbage, carrots, and all kinds of vegetables and cereals; at Calgary and Birtle the vegetables and cereals were also exceedingly good, nearly in every case grown without the aid of manure of any kind. I have been engaged in cases of arbitration, and, as a valuer of farm crops in Wales for upwards of a quarter of a century, think I am entitled to venture an opinion upon a subject which must be of great interest to my fellow-countrymen in the principality, as well as to Canadian farmers. I have endeavoured to understate rather that overstate the productive capacity of the Canadian North-West, and this will be generally admitted when I state that my calculations are based upon a four years' average, one year of which was the worst that had been known for twelve years. y Average. TJie Agricultural and other Resources of Canada. The following table shows the cost of wheat-growing in Manitoba, as compared with the cost in Wales:— Cost oj Wlieat-growing in Manitoba, Produce per Acre, and Price. Yield per Acre. Price per Bushel Year. Bushels. of 60 Lbs. s. d. 1887 1888 1889 25 23 15 29 23 76 cents __ 3 o* 78 " 90 " _ 3 __ 3 1* 74 84 " H 82 " _ 3 3* £3 15s. S£d. per acre. znses. Interest on purchase money of farm bought at £3 per acre, at 1\ ■ per cent *0 f " Ploughing, seed, and sowing 0 15 6 Harvesting, threshing and carting to elevators 0 16 4 Winter keep of horses and oxen per acre 0 1 6 Rates and taxes per acre 0 0 8 Balance profit per 1 18 6 1 17 2i £3 15 8i- Year. 1887.. 1888.. 1889.. 1890.. Cost as above in Wales. Yield per Acre. Price per Quarter. Qrs. Lbs. £ s. d. 4 6 1 12 6 4 0 1 11 10 4 3 19 9 3 7 1 11 0 4 2 £6 12s. lid. per acre. Expenses. £1 11 3J Average rent of wheat-growing land £1 12 0 Tithe X ';■; 0 G 8- Taxes 0 4 6 Manure, carting, and spreading 3 0 0* .Ploughing, seed, and sowing 1 5 0 Harvesting, threshing and marketing 0 18 0 Deduct value of straw and unexhausted manure left per acre 1 0 0 6 6 2' Balance profit per acre 0 6 9- £6 12 11 Note.—If interest is added to the working capital, no profit can be shown to. the- Welsh farmer. Wages received by Farm Labourers in Manitoba and the North- West. Farm servants— Summer months, from £4 10s. to £5 10s. per month and board. Winter " " £210s. to £3 0s. " Maid servants—from £2 to £4 10s. per month. Stonemasons, joiners, blacksmiths and other mechanics—8s. to 12s. per day. Cost of Living compared with Britain. Clothing that can be bought here for £3 will cost £4 in Canada. Shoes " " " 16s. will cost 12s. in Canada. Rent of cottage here, £4 10s. ; in Canada, £8. Groceries about the same. Coal—one-third dearer in Canada. Butter, poultry, butcher's meat and bread—one-third cheaper in Canada- Ironmongery for household purposes—one-fifth dearer in Canada. Implements of husbandry and harness—one-fith cheaper in Canada. Mr. William Edwards's Report. 59 Taking an impartial view of the situation, I fear that those who Canada re- expect better prices for agricultural produce in Wales will be disap- commended to pointed, and their expectation that Canada will require all its produc- Emigration, tion to maintain the increasing population in the immediate future is only a delusion. The progress made in agricultural science will enable the Canadian farmers to cope with the extra demand for home consumption, leaving the production of settlers free for exportation; and, from what I have seen myself accomplished there this year by a native of Iceland, it is easy to imagine that the exports of Canada will rapidly expand in the next few years. This person, with the assistance of one man, a team of oxen and a team of horses, will this year be able to export 1,800 bushels of wheat at 82 cents, or 3s. 3^d. per bushel, so that, instead of curtailing the exports, populating the country will certainly increase it. In concluding this report, I have no hesitation in recommending Canada as a field for settlement to the industrious of whatever nationality, but I would specially recommend it to the small farmers and ntelligent agricultural labourers of Wales. THE REPORT OF COLONEL FRANCIS FANE, Fulbeck Hall, Grantham. The Canadian 1890, to invite Government having resolved, during the autumn of number of British farmer delegates to visit the Dom inion, for the purpose of examining into and reporting upon its merits as a field for emigration, I applied to Sir Charles Tupper, the High Commissioner for Canada resident in England, to be one of the men to be appointed in the above capacity. Sir Charles Tupper was kind enough to grant my request. I left Liverpool in company with several of my brother delegates on board the Allan S.S. "Circassian" on Thursday, 28th August, and landed again at Liverpool from the Allan S.S. " Parisian" on 22nd November, 1890. The results of my observations are embodied in the following extracts from my diary, which was too lengthy to be printed for general circulation. Left Liverpool 28th August on the Allan steamer. | Circassian," and arrived at Quebec on the 8th September. On the voyage had conversations with various emigrants—some who were interesting going out for the first time, and others who were returning to Canada after paying a visit to their friends in Great Britain. Cost of ocean I went over the fore part of the ship with the head steward. As passage. people were recovering, it was very clean. The passengers pay <£4 and £6 for steerage and intermediate, and from _£12 upwards for cabin. There seems a great difference in price between the two last, as the cabins of the intermediate are very good. Of course, the food is not like the " cabin," but all seems wholesome and plentiful. The steerage people sleep, men in hammocks, women in cabins with long trays, holding about 12 in a cabin. I saw all the stores, food, &c, which seemed excellent. PROVINCE OF QUEBEC. I see a great change in Quebec since I saw it in 1866. Many large buildings have been erected, new docks built, and a good part of the river made dry and turned into wharfs. The streets in the town, however, are as bad as ever. Outside the turnpike gate, very good. I went over the garden and small farm at Wolfsfield, and was astonished at the luxuriance of the growth of flowers—asters, marigolds, large balsams, sunflowers, and single dahlias—the two latter. almost shrubs. Tomatoes grow on sticks like vines in France. The lawn grass was very poor, though much pains was taken with it. The Indian corn, swedes, mangolds and carrots were quite as good as anything we had in Englad. Good deal of disease among the potatoes. Sept. 8.—Left Quebec at 1:30 p.m. for Ottawa. The experimental farm at Ottawa. PROVINCE OF ONTARIO. Sept. 9.—Arrived at Ottawa—11 hours from Quebec. Met the other delegates. Went together to call on the Hon. Mr. Carling, the Minister of Agriculture. Went with Mr. Small to see the Government- buildings, water works, a saw-mill; • and after luncheon to the Experimental Farm—450 acres. Saw good specimens of oats grown this year; better than last year's English. Some vgood barley (Prize Prolific). Excellent swedes. Colonel Fane's Report. 61 Short white carrots weighed 5 lbs. a couple; about 18 tons grown to acre. ( " Canadian Triumph " oats.) Examined several kinds of potatoes in the rows. Curiously enough, the red ones were sound; many of the others had scab. The best were Early Rose, Early Ohio, Lee's Favourite, May Queen. The Schoolmaster and Champions have not done well this year. Yield of the other potatoes was good. Several bulls are kept, mostly of the Dutch breed; the cows of this breed are supposed to produce most milk. No horses or sheep at present on the farm. All kinds of grasses, trees, ore.,1 are experimented on at this farm; also poultry fattening and breeding. There is also an excellent laboratory, free to all farmers without cost. Much use is also made of Indian corn cut green, with the cob three-quarter ripe, as silo. It is cut with a steam engine, and the stuff carried by an endless chain to the chamber. It is difficult to conceive anything better as silo. The Hon. 'Mr. Carling, the Minister of Agriculture, was kind enough to show us the Experimental Farm, and he and Mr. Small arranged all matters to make our expedition agreeable. Mr. Carling was kind enough to sav that all matters connected with our route, &c, would be left pretty much to ourselves. From Ottawa I went to Toronto, arriving there at 7 a.m. on the Growth oi llth September. At Toronto I stayed with a kind friend, Dr. Grasett Toronto, who escorted me to several places of interest in the city, which had grown from a population of 60,000 to 200,000 since I had last seen it. The great exhibition of Ontario, or annual fair, was taking Annual ind ^ place at this time. This exhibition is not quite like ours. There are *Pal ex^lbl" numerous buildings, many of them permanent, scattered over about 40 acres of ground on public land 2|- miles from the centre of the town. This property is given over for two months in the year to a large committee, consisting of all the leading inhabitants of Toronto. Here are held exhibitions of horses, cattle, trotters, fruit, dogs, work, agricultural implements, and many other things too numerous to mention. To this are added amusements, lacrosse contest, a " Wild West" •exhibition, acrobats, and also a children's day, when all the children of the district assemble, and amuse and show themselves. There is also a large building filled with stalls containing all the best work of the •district. On the 12th I visited the exhibition. The day was so unfortunate (I had to wade through a sea of mud and water) that I could not see much, and all outdoor amusements, judging, &c, were stopped. It is lucky it is not a three days' affair, like our exhibitions ; it goes on for thirteen days. As soon, as I got on the ground I went to the central committee rooms, where I was most kindly received by the vice-president,. Captain McMaster, Mr. Ridout, and others. I afterwards visited the machinery, but saw nothing very new—all implements much lighter than ours. One good plan I remarked, viz.: most of the small machines were worked, for the purpose of exhibition, by either electric or steam power, I don't know which. It explained them much better than we do. I saw a good arrangement for loading sacks out of a winnowing machine, a potato digger, and a very light drill, all made of English steel. It was almost impossible to see the horses; but I saw a fair Clydesdale stallion—"Nelson," by "Another Day." His stock was very good. I visited the market, and had interesting conversations with butchers and others. The show of fruit and vegetables, except melons and apples, was poor. This is a very bad year for peaches, but there / 62 The Agricultural and other Resources of Canada. were numbers in the market, all from the neighbourhood of Niagara. No salad lettuce can be grown at this time of the year, but they get it in spring and autumn. The meat looked to me poor and thin; mutton indifferent—mostly called lamb (really young mutton now). Veal seemed good. The following prices were given to me by a friendly butcher as- prices he paid :— Beef—Live weight 4 cents = 2d. Dead " 7 " = 3£d. Leg of mutton (sold retail) 14 " = 7d. Fowls (indifferent) 3s. a couple. Turkeys, at Christmas 12 cents (6d.) a lb. Very little of what we should call fresh pork used—I mean porkets*' such as I should kill for house use, of about 70 lbs. a pig, dead weight; I tasted the butter, all of which seemed sweet and " smell-less,' but very salt. Prices were—16 cents (8d.) a lb., 18 cents (9d.) a lb., and 20 oents (lOd.) a lb. The latter was "creamery" butter from the best factories. Cheese, 9£ cents (5d.) a lb. ; skimmed milk, 6 cents (3d.) The first cheese seemed good and firm, and not too strong —I should say better than the ordinary cheese we get in village shops in England. I visited the fair on several days. It lasted from the 8th to the 20th September. It was well attended always, and one day there were 70,000 people present. There were few police about, and all the people were well dressed and most orderly. During the last week the exhibition gradually developed, and the show became most excellent. The show of cattle, sheep and pigs was most excellent, and would do credit to any exhibition. There . were entries in horses, sheep, cattle and pigs. There was a most excellent dog show in a new building that had cost $8,000. I was told that the dog show arrangements were superior to anything on this continent. Then there was a children's day, when the children showed off their drill, &c. In one building was an excellent display of honey; in another an excellent display of the products from Manitoba. The oats were particularly fine; pease likewise. Wheat almost all of one kind—Red Fife, spring wheat—very clean and dry, but small in grain. There was a shed also of products from Vancouver. I had not time to examine them very critically. The thinnest skinned oats I examined were some black " Etamps." I saw some excellent oats also, shown by a farmer—Mr. Rennie, near Brighton, Ontario. Most of the corn was grown from seed and sent out to farmers by those excellent institutions, the Government Experimental Farms. There were some good Clydesdales shown. The fees for a horse called "Kenilworth" were $10; another horse's fees, $13 and $14. These fees are not paid till the following year, in March or so. The breeding stock of general purposes horses did not impress me; but the line they went on was good, namely, to give prizes for the best groups of stock by one horse. One mare (" Lucy Lightfoot") and foal would have done credit in any ring. I thought the arrangements for judging were indifferent and puzzling, as other horses and people were in and out of the various groups that were being judged while judging was going on. This should be corrected. The committee of the show, headed by Capt. McMaster, were most unremitting in their attention to the delegates, and we saw everything in the most comfortable way. We can never forget their kindness and hospitality to us. It was most fortunate that we were Colonel Fane's Report. at Toronto at the time of the Show, as it gave us such an excellent ppportunity of seeing the capabilities of this country. During the last day we were at Toronto the fruit and flowers were exhibited. This is the worst year for fruit for many years, but there was an excellent display of beautifully coloured peaches, an immense number of pears, apples, plums, pumpkins, melons and grapes grown out of doors. The flowers were fine in colour, but the arrangements of the cut flowers poor ; crowding them together seemed of more importance than elegance. The beauty of the asters, dahlias, balsams, &c, showed, however, what can be done if the land is properly cultivated. I forgot to say that I saw two famous horses at the show. One jumped 6 ft. 8 in., and his owner backed him to clear 7 ft., as he had done in the States. He will do this one day at the show. He was a very good-looking light-weight hunter, belonging to Messrs. Moorhouse & Pepper. On one of the days we were at Toronto we visited the Agricul- Guelph college- tural College at Guelph, about 50 miles from Toronto. We were even of agriculture, longer than usual doing this journey, taking 4£ hours by rail. This an( -gave us a very short time to see the institution and its neighbourhood. This is vacation time, so we did not see the young men, of whom there are about 100; but we saw their dormitories, <fec. An excellent school of dairying is attached to the college, also veterinary lectures are given, and real practical work is done by the pupils. The fees are very small, and can in large part be recovered by pupils working extra hours on the farm. We were most hospitably entertained by Professor Shaw, the superintendent, who explained all the arrangements to us. There was a large silo, in which Indian corn, cut in the cob, is put. It looked grand feeding stuff. I measured some of the Indian corn standing in the fields ; it measured above 8 ft. It grows 18 to 20 tons to the acre. We went to a large creamery attached to the farm, and were A model explained the working by so intelligent a gentleman that I longed to creamery, have him in Lincolnshire. They take in cream or milk from the neighbouring farms. Each sample is tested in a simple way, and the cream is paid for according to its butter-producing qualities. I gathered the following facts, but I may not be quite correct, as it is impossible to get a clear understanding when one goes about in half- dozens, as we did on this occasion:—9 to 10 lbs. of milk to a gallon ; 5 lbs. of cream to 1 lb. of butter. Measurements are all made by the pound. On our journey to Guelph we passed some of the best land we had seen in the country, with many young horses in the fields, but few sheep. Country near Milton pretty. The autumn wheat was well up in some fields as we went to Guelph. We had a short time to spare at Guelph, so we drove to two neighbouring farms, belonging to two excellent farmers, but could see them only, in a hurried way. One was the property of Mr. Stone, who owned some 300 Herefords, and farmed 900 acres of land. They were of a remarkably fine breed, and had been in his possession, many years. He used to get large prices for them at his sales, but their value has much diminished of late. He is to have a sale of 150 next month. His neighbour was a Mr. McCrae, a noble-looking old Scotchman who came out here with nothing 30 or 40 years ago. ' He owns the best breed of Galloways in this country. Had some very good Clydesdale mares, and had groVn 80 bushels of oats to the acre. His land was excellently farmed, with plenty of manure. The stubble showed A successful immigrant. 1—--«- J 64 The Agricultural and other Resources of Canada. Public school education in Ontario. what had been on the land. His only daughter milked the only cow they kept for their own use. One son worked on the farm, and another lived in Guelph. He had done well, and all upon a 100-acre farm, I believe. I understood, however, that he had another small farm elsewhere. He kept two farm labourers. He paid them highly —_£36 and _£33, and board, a year. On Monday, the 15th, we started—a large party—to go to some of the public schools of Toronto. They are carried on much on the same line as our board schools, and money seems as freely spent. The education is free, with the exception of some slight payment for books; and I am bound to say I never spoke to anyone of any class who is not perfectly satisfied with the working of them. The systems of ventilation, &c, are excellent, and the board and teachers most anxious to carry on matters well. The teachers are principally ladies, who receive pay on a graduated scale, varying from £60 to £140 a year. Each child costs the State about £2 5s. a year. The children are kept at school much later in life than ours. I attended one of the classes managed by one of the teachers—Miss Sams—who seemed to have complete control over her pupils, one or two of whom were 17. She said the attendance was about 90 per cent of those on the books. In the kindergarten class, which I also attended, the percentage was higher. The schools open with the reading of the Bible, and prayer; but beyond this there is no religious instruction. The teaching of sewing is merely nominal, and voluntary. A small quantity of physical drill is taught. What I saw was poor in quality and quantity, and could do little towards setting up the children. They work from 9 to 4, with very little interval; of course the little ones have much less. I was delighted with the manners and teaching of the ladies in all the classes. The boys all stood up, saluted, and said, " Good morning," when a visitor appeared. No motion was made by the girls. They are all remarkably neatly dressed, and there was no evidence of poverty in any one child. The schools are examined by an inspector (not Government), and a report made on each; but there is no payment by result, and no extra cramming for examinations in order to get a grant, as with us. I mention the common schools, but there are numerous high, veterinary, and other schools where the fees are almost nominal, and where excellent education is given. Denominational schools are sanctioned, and a share of taxation given to them. They have their own inspectors. I must now take leave of Toronto for a time. It is impossible to thank the people of that thriving city sufficiently for all their kindness and hospitality and attention to us delegates from Great Britain. I left Toronto on the morning of the 17th September, by train for Owen Sound, on Georgian Bay of Lake Huron. We passed through a pretty country, and at one or two places the farming seemed good. I saw only few sheep, and not many cattle. Some of the oats were uncut. At owen Sound I embarked at 4.30 on board a splendid steamboat—the " Athabasca "—and moved out into the bay at once. No vessels in sight, and only three or four gulls. We passed a grand lot of islands and points about 12 o'clock— among them a • well known one, Thunder Point—and passed into Thunder Bay, arriving at Port Arthur, a town, on the west side of Thunder Bay, in Lake Superior, about 1.30 p. in., on the 19th September. \ ' Colonel Fane's Report. ^ PROVINCE OF MANITOBA. We arrived at Winnipeg about 4.30 on the 20th September, after a comfortable journey. The dining arrangements were most excellent —in fact, better than in the hotels. There is some little beginning of prairie about 20 miles from Winnipeg. A great deal of wheat and oats still unearned; good deal of hay also unearned. Land was much like our Lincolnshire Fens in colour. In the afternoon three of us drove out into the country, and visited Sir D. Smith's farm, where we saw some splendid pedigree beasts, and some American bison—almost the last that are left in Canada, though I believe there are a few tame herds in the States.' There was a banquet that evening, to which all the delegates were invited. After spending two or three days in looking round Winnipeg and the surrounding district we left there at 12 o'clock on the 23rd September in our own " car " for Carman; went a short journey by a branch line; returned to Carman, and on to Glenboro'. We passed some charming country, with slight hills, and saw no . end of prairie hens and ducks. Some of the land was swampy, but it was most of it occupied, and near Trchcrne the land was good. Saw one French settlement and church. Asked a schoolmaster at Treherne about attendance; said 60 to 100. There are no police in this district. Plenty of schools. No local option, but think it will be in force next year. Saw Mr. Berry, a Leicester man, now a butcher. Has 350 acres ; doing very well. Began with nothing. Was told of Mr. Purvis, a Gainsboro' man—an excellent farmer—doing well. There are a good many English about this station and Holland. Sept. 24.—Slept at Glenboro', a nice little village. The party dispersed in the morning, some to visit crofters, others Icelanders; and a French delegate and I went to visit a French settlement at St. Alphonse. On this journey we saw a good deal of wheat that had been quite spoilt by a hailstorm in the spring, and was left uncut. We" drove back on a lovely evening. I killed two prairie hens out of the carriage, and as we approached Glenboro' thousands of ducks passed over our heads from the cornfields. It must be a grand country for flight-shooting. I saw on the road, at Cypress, river, Mr. Mawby, a son of Mr. Mawby, of Bourne. He is doing well on an excellent farm. We saw this day near Cypress river some splendid land and crops. I was delighted with this part of the country, as were the other delegates. They found both crofters and Icelanders most contented. Some of our people had capital shooting at ducks, on the road. A French Canadian barber drove us to-day. To show what wages are earned in this country, he told us he could get about $3 or $4 five days in the week, and $10 (£2) on Saturdays. I asked him what he did with all this money, and he said, " spend it." He paid $4 (16s.) a week for his board, and had to hire his shop. We saw to-day, as we did constantly, the foals running by the carriages with their mothers. They go 8 or 10 miles a day without difficulty. I think this must give them the good action they have ; and they certainly look wonderfully well, never being deprived of- their milk. Left Glenboro' on 25th September in four carriages for Plum Creek (late Souris), about 57 miles. Passed through a grand country the whole way to a village called Wawanesa (late Souris city). Thousands of acres of wheat stacked,, and being carted; stacks, two and two, scattered all over the country. J 66 The Agricultural and other Resources of Canada. Land values, local taxes, and acreage I | Stopped to talk to two excellent English farmers—Mr. Watson, who had been a keeper in Yorkshire, who started four years ago without a cent; and Mr. Smeaton who seemed a moneyed man. Both seemed doing wonderfully well; had good houses, surrounded by trees. Watson had only 160 acres of land, of which he will fallow half next year. He has this year 120 acres of wheat and 10 acres of oats. He has five sons to help him ; he and they do all the work. Worked first year on other land. Has 16 head of cattle and one pair horses— three pair of draught oxen included in the cattle. He says breaking and backsetting costs $4 (16s.) an acre. On this road we saw some fine crops of millet, which seems very suitable for forage. After dinner at Wawanesa, we started crossing the Souris River, and drove 27 miles to Plum Creek (late Souris), arriving there at 7.30 p.m. Land all taken up, but much unbroken. Rolling prairie. Few cattle. Good deal of wheat spoilt by hail. Our horses had brought us 60 miles this day, and seemed as fresh as possible at the end. Plum Creek is a thriving place, and apparently a very pretty one ; but it was dark, and we started directly after supper in a special train for Brandon, which we reached in one and a half hours, at 10.30 p.m., 25th September. Ascertained following information respecting land values, taxes, yield of crops, prices, <fec. :—Cultivated prairie, at $5 an acre ; uncul- yield of crops, tivated prairie, at $4 an acre. Taxes, &c, on 160 acres, from $14 to $16 a year =r to 8 or 9 mills on a dollar; no tax on buildings on farms; no tax on personalty, such as horses, cattle, implements, (fee, unless they exceed $500 in value; no one can be assessed above 2 cents in the dollar (5d. in £) without a special Act. The above varies in different districts ; North-West Territories taxes are lighter than Manitoba. Price this year for best wheat, 80 cents a bushel; average of year, probably 70 cents a bushels ; average yield of province, 23f bushels an acre ; yield of last four years—1887, 35 bushels to acre; 1888, 20 bushels to acre ; 1889, 15 bushels to acre ; 1890, 25 bushels to acre. Average, 23| bushels. Wheat can be grown at $8 (34s.) an acre. If sold for 80 cents a bushel, there will be on it—Cost of work, 40 cents ; profit, 40 cents; total, 80 cents. In 1880, 100,000 bushels were exported; in 1887, between 11 and 12 million bushels. Sept. 26.—Made a most interesting expedition to Mr. Sandison's farm, five or six miles from Brandon. Mr. S., a Scotchman, began without a cent seven years ago. Hired himself out at first, then took a small section, and has gradually added to this, either by purchase or hire, till he farms above 5,000 acres. He is still quite a young man— perhaps 30. He employs a great deal of labour, mostly Scotchmen, probably giving at this time of the year about $2,50 a day. He has 33 teams of horses (66 horses), and three teams of driving horses. A team sometimes goes with grain into Brandon with load three times in a day (total, 30 miles). His men's work hours are as follows :—Half- past 6 to half-past 11; rest, 2 hours; half-past 1 to half-past 6 ; total, 10 hours. He does not not find it answer to do longer hours. He threshes all his grain from the stooks, and leaves the straw in, Can thresh 312J quarters (2,500 bushels) in a day; but straw is very short and much broken; it is used to fire the engine. The wheat is cleaned again at the elevator before being put on the railway. It goes direct there, and a certain percentage is charged for dirt—with Sandi- son probably about 5 per cent. The men get $35 a month, and board. I saw some splendid black oats grown on the farm, about 80 or 90 bushels to acre (?), they said. I admired a stable well guarded with 3 feet of sods—almost the first of the kind I had seen in the country. Colonel Fane's Report. 67 Mr. Sandison and his wife live in the most tumble-down old .-shanty, though his stables, barns, <fec, are most, excellent. I believe he frequently goes to Scotland, and brings out fresh men for his farm. At Brandon we visited the experimental farm, one of those admirable institutions scattered all over Canada. Here we were received by the most intelligent and obliging of officials, Mr. Bedford. After a sumptuous luncheon, and an inspection of the various grains, and the grasses hung round the barn, we saw the various experimental grasses that had been tried for this climate. It is found that clover is killed by the frost, but lucerne stands well. We saw some excellent samples •of wheat and barley—the latter the best sample we have seen in Canada, .and well worthy of the attention of English maltsters. In the afternoon most of our party drove to some other farms, but I went to a blacksmith's to look at shoeing. All shoes are ready- made and nails ready-pointed. The charge for a new set of shoes is $2 (equal to 8s.); 25 cents (Is.) for a remove. At a butcher's, beef, 12\ cents a lb. (beef in winter, by carcass, 6 ■cents a lb.); lamb, 16 cents a lb. Journeymen get $30 a month and board. A lady who buys a deal of beef says th#t she only pays 10 cents (5d.) for all kinds of beef. Before we left Brandon in the morning, on the 27th September, we hurriedly examined a splendid flour mill, which could grind 1,000 bushels of wheat in a day with 200 horse-power. Charged 1^ cents per bushel to Sandison; perhaps 2 cents to anyone else. We also saw some interesting work done at a saw-mill. The places were fed by sawdust. engines at both these Dominion experimental farm at Brandon. Mills A FARMHOUSE IN MANITOBA (Drawn by Colonel Fane.) We left Brandon amidst the cheers of the public, to which we gave a hearty response, and drove 22 miles to Rapid City. The country was undulating and pretty, but more suited to grazing than grain. We, however, saw some grand crops of wheat, one of which extended as far as the eye could see. We saw good-looking cattle in large numbers. / Gd The Agricultural and other Resources of Canada. \ At Rapid City we were entertained by the Mayor and Corporation at the hotel, and then took special train to Minnedosa. There we joined the main line of the Manitoba and North-Western Railway, and wound through a pretty, undulating and well-settled country along the Little Saskatchewan to Birtle, arriving there at 7 on the 27th. I was met at the station by Mr. Herchmer who lives here, and Mr. Mytton, the clergyman, the latter of whom drove me to the town, a mile from the station. Before doing so, we were entertained at supper at the station by the railway company. The rest of my party went further west. After church I drove with Mr. Herchmer to dinner at Mr. Lloyd's, a nephew of General Wilkinson. Mr. Lloyd is managing General W.'s farms. He has about 1,200 acres here, and another farm a short distance off, besides having got his -cattle about 100 miles north on some unclaimed land. General Wilkinson is in England, but he has a son and a nephew here—the latter a son of my friend the Rev .C. Wilkinson. Mrs. Lloyd has had no servant for two months, but she had an admirable dinner for us, and it was interesting to see what a lady can accomplish when put to it. Mr. Lloyd had had a capital Barnardo boy in his service. He had gone back to the Home to superintend work there. His name was Fisher. Drove to see Lewarton, a man who came with a large family from Fulbeck to this country about theree years ago. He seemed to be doing well, and the elder boys had no wish to go back to England. Lewarton had a good house, which he had built himself; and the property was now his own. He could also have two more pieces of 160 acres each on .certain terms. They had about 30 acres broken, and had stacked their corn. Had 19 head of cattle, one pair of working bullocks, good potatoes, and turnips. At Birtle had interesting conversation with Mr. Thos. Vant, a Yorkshireman, who came to this country with a fine lot of boys two years ago. Doing well on a small piece of garden near Birtle. Children all well dressed. One son lives on a quarter-section (160 acres). Came to this country with £100. Built small house—two rooms above, two below—for £10. Paid $110 for oxen, $24 for plough, $40 for entrance to homestead and pre-emption. Earned one and a-half dollars a day at first at odd jobs; eldest boy also earned money. Has no wish to go back to England, except on a visit; is quite satisfied. Told me three days after he put in radishes, their leaves were as large as a shilling. Drove 20 miles from Birtle to Binscarth ; had to wait three hours for car from North-West. In the hotel found a landlord who had beea coachman to Duke of Cambridge and others. He and his brother had a livery stable and farm, and were doing well after four years. Weighed a potato grown here; it scaled 2\ lbs. Tasted jelly and jam made of wild black currants, wild red currants, wild gooseberries, wild cranberries, wild saskatoons, wild cherries, and wild strawberries. Early in the morning of 30th September the car was moved up by a branch line to Russell, one and a-half miles from Barnardo's institution for London lads. Here, there is a large farm, with upwards of 55 cows in milk, a creamery, good garden, good farm buildings, <fec. The boys seemed of all ages, from 13 to 20, some of low cast of countenance; but the matron said she had no difficulty with them. Splendid vegetables in the garden. Good water. Measured some vegetables in garden. Turnip radish, 14 in. circum ference ; long radish, 2 ft. m. long, swede, 2 ft. 4 in. circumference Colonel Fane's Report. drumhead oabbage, 3 ft. in. circumference, solid heart; cauliflower, 3 ft. 1 in. circumference of flower. Met here Colonel Bolton, whom I had known in the 100th, 27 years ago. He is an old settler, and large property owner in these parts, and says he has done very well. A few miles from here we came to the Binscarth farm, belonging to the Scottish Ontario Company. They farm 4,000 acres, and have a total of 19,000 acres wich they can acquire, I believe. Here wre saw some splendid pedigree Shorthorns, many of them worthy of the best show in England. The calves were particularly fine; bulls rather short of quality. Calves have never been out. About 120, two, three and four year olds had lately been shipped from this district;. average, $35 (£7) each. There are 80 head of pedigree Shorthorns on the farm, and 14 sheep. Land suffers from frost. Cattle allowed to run without tending after 1st October. No manure used on farm, though cake is given in quantities. From Binscarth we returned to Birtle, and drove to a small exhibition of horses, cattle, bread, butter, cheese, vegetables, onions, beet root, <fec.; also pictures, needlework and patchwork. Added to above were trotting and galloping races. All the latter part was poor, but the exhibition of roots and vegetables most excellent. A man told me he sowed 2 bushels of potatoes. He has four in family. Began to eat in July; in September he had 37 bushels to spare. In the evening we were entertained by the Mayor and Council, and afterwards spent an enjoyable evening in the Town Hall, listening to the experiences of various speakers. The delegates also had to speak. All speakers seemed to have prospered more or less. John Ewbank Edmondson came out, May, 1889. Bought half- section 4 miles from Birtle; has 70 acres in crop. Five boys, aged 14 downwards; three girls—young. Drilled wheat 16th April; cut wheat 10th August. Doing well. A young Scotchman also gave his experiences in the clearest way. He began with 25 cents, and appeared now (after eight years) to be worth a great deal of money. He was a gallant-looking young fellow, who meant work. Oct. 1.—Left Birtle, where I had received the greatest kindness, particularly from Mr. Herchmer and the Rev. J. Mytton, the English Church clergyman. We all started east together, and I went on to Portage la Prairie, where I changed on to the C. P. R. We saw quantities of cattle, and very pretty country from Min- nedosa, Neepawa, Gladstone, <fec, and splendid wheat land on Portage plains. All the corn was gathered, and a good deal threshed. We went for some little time along the banks of the Little Saskatchewan. It must be lovely here in spring; now it is all burnt up. Portage seemed a busy town, with good shops, and electric light. There was nothing particularly interesting to see between Portage and Moosomin, but all the land seemed pretty well taken up. NORTH-WEST TERRITORIES. I arrived at Moosomin at 11.30 at night, and was met at the station by Mr. McNaughton, a storekeeper of the place, who insisted on my coming to his house instead of the hotel, and gave me much useful and valuable information. Oct. 2.—Drove out to Pipestone Creek to visit a farm belonging to Mr. Manners. Spent the day with him, and returned to Moosomin at night. 6 69 J " 70 Satisfied industry. f A Fair. Horses and values. Tlie Agricultural and other Resources oj Canada. A FARM HOUSE IN THE NORTH-WEST TERRITORIES. Drawn by Colonel Fane. On road passed a man named Middleton. Has 320 acres, 62 broken. Hopes to get 1,000 bushels. Will keep his straw. Has one team of bullocks, cow and calf. Was with H. W. Smith <fe Co. Came out with nine children and $1,000; is perfectly satisfied, and sees a good prospect for self and children. Has been out six years. Had a good place in England, but no prospect for children, as in this country. During our drive passed the houses of the following settlers :— 1. Middleton—Had been book-stall man. 2. Another man—Tea trader in China. 3. " " Market gardener. 4. 5. 6. Grocer. Civil engineer. Groom. 7. " I Banker's clerk. On returning to Moosomin we found that the train which should have arrived at 11.15 p.m., was two hours late. Mr. McNaughton insisted on sitting up with me till half-past 1 in the morning, and helped to take my luggage to the station. Our car came in the traiii. I only lay down for two or three hours. Oct. 3.—I reached Grenfell at about 3 in the morning, where I was met by the Rev. F. Baker, the olergyman of the district, who was very kind to me. There were a great many people in the village for the agricultural show that was going on. I have never seen so many English in one place before; many well-dressed young English gentlemen; they brought in horses, sheep and cattle to the show. The roots, (fee, were shown in the Town Hall, which has been built for the purpose, though the inhabitants of the village do not amount to above 200 persons. I saw a good thoroughbred stallion—"Corneille," by "McGregor"; a first-rate shire stallion—"Prince 8th"—out of Keeval's stud ; several teams of horses, ponies, <fec.; and' a good thoroughbred yearling bull Shorthorn, belonging to Mr. Rowley. The sheep were a poor show. w Colonel Fane's Report. 71 Small ponies stand the cold best. Teams of big horses, $350 to $450 ; these are not turned out in winter. The best teams of ponies could be bought at $120 to $150 the pair; they were generally accompanied by their foals. They and you^ng stock got no hay or oats, and were out all the winter, but looked very well. There was an excellent exhibit from the new Experimental Farm at Indian Head. The blade oats, lucerne and clover were very good; but the best exhibits of wheat and pease were from the Indian reservation, a few miles from here Products of Indian Head Farm :—Spring rye good: sown 7th July, cut 1st September. Red clover wintered well. Lucerne wintered well; 18 inches of root. Scotch tartarian oats, 60 bushels to acre—very good. Land : 8 inches of black loam; clay underneath. The show would have been better had they not had a hailstorm on 8th June last. This being the North-West Territory, no liquor is allowed to be sold without a permit. Persons requiring 2 gallons of wine or whiskey must pay $1 to Government. No innkeeper would be allowed to have a permit. This does not stop drinking at times. I hear that a German settlement in this neighbourhood is very flourishing. I have collected from an old settler the names of some of the old country settlers within 11 or 12 miles of here, together with their previous occupations, from which it appears that out of 61 only 14 had been farmers. There are several more Englishmen in the radius, whose names I could not gather. They have a second church at Weed Hill, a cricket club, and a pack of hounds. At Regina, where I arrived at 5.30 a.m. on 6th October, Colonel Herchmer, the Chief Commissioner of the North-West Mounted Police, came to fetch me The barracks are excellent, with every comfort for the men, and the Commissioner's house the nicest and best-kept house I have seen since leaving Toronto. I spent the day with Colonel Herchmer; looked at the roll of his men, visited the stables, riding school, (fee. This is the headquarters of the force, which consists of about 1,000 men and 40 officers. The force is entirely mounted on "bronchos," raised on the prairies north of this. They are a good class of horse, with good feet and legs, rather wanting in rib, but with capital action. Colonel Herchmer buys them at about an average of $120 each, at three and four years old. The police make almost everything they use on their own premises. I drove round to two places with Colonel Herchmer, and visited some settlers. One man had two young men from England (Risk and Browning) working for him; one of them had been with him two years. They had just bought 320 acres from the Canada North-West Land Company, at six miles from Regina, paying $6 an acre, to be paid in six yearly instalments. I came across a farmer named Young, from Coddington, in Not- Once poor tinghamshire. His brother still farms there. He has been able to do PeoP^ who well for his five sons—first, editor of paper, aged 24; second, tinsmith w*u_ (foreman), aged 22; third, chemist (foreman), aged 20; fourth, with a chemist; fifth, at a bookseller's. Young farms, shoots, and keeps a small store. Herchmer told me to-day of a man named Brown, one and a-half miles from Birtle. Began in 1879. Cut some hay, above ice. Had 6i / The Agricultural and other Resources oj C anac la. Passing through the Rockies. The capital B.C. eight or nine children, a scythe, and two or three week's food ; lived in a stable in winter. Father has now 320 acres ; son also 320. Two daughters married. Has two span of horses, 50 cattle, and doing well; owes nothing. Brown comes from Oakham, where he was on the railway. Saw at Regina a man named McLeod—Highlander, with large family. Came with nothing seven years ago; has now good house, windmill, 80 or 90 head of cattle ; supplies town with milk. I slept at the hotel at Regina, and at 5 in the morning of the 7th October went on board the cars, and travelled all day. There seemed very little land taken up between Regina and Calgary, except the large farms of 10,000 acres each, which were taken up by Sir J. L. Kaye, and now belong to a company. They raise very little wheat, but I saw some fair crops of turnips. It looked a good sheep country, but I only saw one flock of a thousand or so. We saw the sage bush growing strongly for the first time. Lakes seemed much dried up, and there appeared a good deal of alkali about. In some parts the ground was nicely undulating. The country north of this is so much better that this part of the country has been rather neglected up to this time. We did not even see many horses. Medicine Hat seemed a busy place, as the Saskatchewan is great distance. Left Regina at navigable here, and the coal district is at no 5 a.m. morning of the 8th. from near Newark. 7th October, and reached Caleary on the A Mr. H. D. Johnson came to see me. He came Had been in the country eight years. His wife was the daughter of Mr. W. Holt, schoolmaster of Denton. He came out as a nlason. He now builds for the Government; gets $1,200 a year. Son farms 160 acres of his own. As there was a heavy fall of show in the night I did not stop long at Calgary, but took the train again at 2.30 a.m. on the 9th for the west coast. PROVINCE OF BRITISH COLUMBIA. Oct. 9.—Left Calgary. It was most fortunate that we had a faU of snow yesterday, as it covered all the tops of the mountains to-day. We were the whole day passing through glorious scenery, with splendid peaks and wild ravines in all directions. The only drawback was the quantity of dead timber, the gaunt, tall lines of which covered the face of the hills. Towards the afternoon the scenery improved in this respect, and the shape and colour of the mountains were as fine as anything I have ever seen. At Glacier House, where we stopped for a meal, the view of a glacier close by Was most exquisite, as there was not a cloud in the sky. We crossed the Columbia River at one point, and went on all night through the same sort of scenery. ~>i At about 3 p.m. on the 10th October we arrived at Vancouver, and went straight on board a fine steamer, which landed us in about five hours at Victoria, on Vancouver Island. The voyage was very delightful, as we travelled through narrow channels and past many islands almost all the way. This was my first view of the Pacific. The surroundings of Victoria are beautiful, with endless bays, hills and rocks, covered with vegetation, and splendid Douglas pines and other timber. Wherever there was any cultivated ground the crop seemed good on it, there being at least 6 or 7 inches of good soil on the top of clay. The wheat I saw was very fine (white autumn wheat); oats also good; but what astonished me most was the profusion of fruit. On the llth I called on Sir J. Trutch. His garden seemed to grow everything in profusion. Thick hedge ©f privet, roses, broom, large Colonel Fane's Report. 73 violets, cherries, potatoes, apricots, honeysuckle, pears, plums, hollies, <fcc. The trees were absolutely loaded with fruit; inded, I have never in my life seen such crops. The difficulty with all these things, however, is to find a market for them. Sir J. Trutch drove me some miles into the country. It surprised me to see several times in our drive, pheasants fly from the cultivated land into the patches of wood. They were imported here a few years ago, and have thriven wonderfully. They must be difficult to kill, as the covers are very thick with heather, willow, broom, <fec, and long grass, and various kinds of pines. Everyone seems to have a gun, but we saw frequent notices to sportsmen not to trespass. An attempt is made to preserve. Oct. 13.—Left Victoria for Vancouver at 4 in the morning. We Vancouver reached the town of Vancouver at 10, and had three hours there. The City. town has made gigantic strides in four years, and promises to be a most important place. The Canadian Pacific Railway have not only built a splendid hotel there, but are now building an opera house. The town has electric light, electric tramway, <fcc. The latter goes a fearful pace; one is surprised there are not accidents; but children, dogs, <fec, seem to take care of themselves in these countries. I had some interesting talk at an estate office. The manager told me that in spite of the great works going on here, the taxes are at most $3.50 in $1,000. Return to the Territories. I left Vancouver at 1, once more for my long journey east. I very much regretted I had not more time on the west side of the Rockies, as though there is no great quantity of agricultural land, at Kamloops and other valleys there is some very fine land, in a mild (limats. After staying at Banff, and visiting the Devil's Lake, I left for Calgary, arriving there at 2.30 a.m. on the 16th October. Colonel Herchmer, who is in command of the police depot here, had kindly arranged to drive me in a four-horse police team across country to Lethbridge, vid Fort Macleod, to see the big ranches of the district. We left at 2, and had a delightful drive over the prairie to the Quorn Ranche, 30 miles. A great part of the country seemed settled up, but there was very little cultivation. There were no green crops. Cattle and horses were scattered about. Some of the creeks were very steep, and required a good deal of driving to get over. The land seemed first-rate, but cold; there were patches of snow about. The ranche covers 17 square miles, and is held on lease. There are fine buildings, yards, <fec. They have 1,200 horses (200 of which are imported Irish mares), 12 stallions and 3,000 head of cattle; no sheep. One of the most remarkable features of the place is that they got 2,000 head of cattle from Ontario last year, one and two year olds, at prices varying from $20 to $25 each. Will pay well as three and four year olds at $40. It must be remembered that neither horses nor cattle ever get an oat, except the stallions. Mares foal generally alone, in the open. They employ eight men all the year round. We left the Quorn Ranche next morning, and had a splendid drive, in lovely weather, about twenty miles, to the High River horse ranche, belonging to a company, but managed by Mr. Macpherson, late of the 78th Highlanders. They have 950 horses, three thoroughbred stallions, and a Norfolk trotter. They had 250 foals last year. Big ranches and a fine country. " 74 The Agricultural and other Resources of Canada. The ranche extends over 60,000 acres, but only 8,000 are paid for, on lease at 2 cents an acre. They have also 1,280 acres of freehold. Their staff consists of manager and three men, and occasional help. Wages of latter at hay time, $30 a month and board; head man and wife, $40 a month and board. Coal is found near the surface at about seven miles distance. Fine river and plenty of fish close by. We started again at 2 o'clock, and drove about 20 miles further to the North-West Cattle Company's ranche. We drove over a splendid rolling prairie, with fine grass and many cattle. This is one of the largest ranches in the district, and is managed by Mr. Stimson, a Canadian gentleman. Oct. 18.—We got up early, so as to have a good look at the horses, calves, &c. There are about 10,000 cattle and 800 horses on the ranche, which consists of about 240,000 acres, for which they pay 1 cent an acre a year on lease. We saw about 100 mares, and some two, three and four year' olds. For the latter they get up to $120. They have 2,000 calves this year; they have just finished weaning them. They have sold many hundreds of steers this year, at an average of $50 each, and have paid a dividend. We were shown some excellent stallions, the best I have seen in the country; and two very good Norfolk trottors—" President Garfield," by " Bay President," and " Sam Weiler." These horses have nothing but hay all the winter, and were by no means in high condition. After a delightful visit, we left at 10 o'clock, and drove 17 miles to the Little Bow River (or Cattle Company's) ranche. This is managed by Mr. Cochrane, a Leicestershire man. He, a cousin, and Mr. Graham, are owners of the ranche, which consists of about 60,000 acres, held on lease. They have about 1,100 cattle, including 100 pedigree Galloways, but no horses. Their land is so dry that they send all their cattle for the winter to another ranche, near the mountains. The proprietors go to England. Mr. Cochrane estimates the value of capital in the ranche at $55,000; expenses, $3,000 a year; receipts from sales, $4,000. No interest has yet been paid on capital. The weather all day was delightful—quite warm till 6 o'clock in the evening. After luncheon, we drove five miles further to a rest- house and post office, called Mosquito Creek. Here a police team from Macleod met us, and I parted with ray kind fried Colonel Herchmer, who went back to Calgary, about 60 miles. Cannot say how good and useful he had been to me, as without him I should not have seen half the ranches and their kind owners. The Oxley ranche is a large one—some 250,000 acres—owned by a company ; Lord Lathom, Mr. Staveley Hill, and Mr. G. Baird are the principal share-owners. I am told they have only 6,000 head of cattle, but I think they must have more, as they have just rounded up 1,500 or so of steers to send to Montreal. I could not gather that they ever earn a dividend. I started with the team at 9.15, and drove parallel to the Porcupine Hills for some hours. We were principally on the Oxley ranche, but also passed several small ranches, owned mainly by Canadians, who, I heard, were doing well. At about 1.30 we crossed what must be a very nasty passage at times—the Old Man's River—and shortly I found myself in comfortable quarters with Major Steele, of the constabulary, at Fort Macleod. I had heard that a successful man in this country was a Mr. Mollison, who farmed about five miles from here. He came to see me this morning (20th Oct.). I found him a shrewd, clever Scotchman. He had only been here two or three years, but was doing well. He Colonel Fane's Report. 75 farming on was one year with the Lister Kaye farms, but he is now his own account. He owns 320 acres. Can grow good vegetables (he showed specimens), and keeps milk cows and horses. Next year he hopes to try irrigation. He was quite satisfied that this part of Canada would be a success. Oct. 20.—Colonel Macleod, Mr. Peters and I started in a four- Fort Macleod horse team from, barracks at Macleod at 10, and drove 32 miles Intrust, to the celebrated Cochrane ranche, owned by Mr. Cochrane, a gentleman well know in Lower Canada as a breeder of Shorthorns, &c. The country was uninteresting for the first 20 miles, and the prairie poor, but as we approched the ranche, it improved. We were gradually nearing the mountains (S.W.)- the whole journey. There are about 200,000 acres in the ranche, which runs up in undulating ; plains towards the Rockies, and, in fact, up their lower spurs, where is the best grass. They have about 12,000 head of cattle and 100 horses. Many of the best cattle are Herefords. They have sent 1,000 head to England this month in charge of the second brother. The first lot sold at £17 each at Liverpool. They have about 2,000 calves this year. They lose a considerable number by wolves. They spey all the heifers they do not want, and have been very successful with them. The average of 500 steers sent last year to Montreal was 1,450 lbs., live weight. One they tried for themselves weighed 1,044 lbs., dressed. Mr. Cochrane considers that a beast loses 200 lbs. in transit from here to Liverpool; cost of carriage as above, £6 to £7. He considers that 60 to 40 will represent the proportion of good meat and offal respectively, but he could not say that these weights had been properly tested with cattle fed only on the prairie. Mr. Cochrane considered that Herefords did better than any thing else on the ranche. The company has paid a good dividend this year. In the afternoon we went several miles to look at cattle, all of which were as fat as possible. We left Mr. Cochrane's hospitable house at 8 a.m., 21st Oct, and drove 11 miles to " Standoff," where a new police station was being built for the Government, by officers and men of the police force, under the directions of Mr. Peters, my companion, who is Government clerk of the works. He tells me that the police can build these places quite as well and much cheaper than if done by contract. It can well be imagined what excellent practice this is for the police, who generally after a few years retire from the force and make first-rate settlers. We passed a good many small ranches, and then travelled for miles through the Blood Indian reserve. At one place we came upon the officer in charge of the reserve, who turned out to be a Mr. Pocklington, son of a well-known lawyer at Boston. He has been 17 years in this country, and, like many other Government officials, began as a constable in the police force. At this place, I parted with Colonel Macleod, who returned to Fort Macleod with Mr. Pocklington. Mr. Peters and I continued our journey, and after passing two very nasty rivers, which are not pleasant now, and most dangerous at certain seasons, I arrived at Lethbridge, after some 200 miles of delightful driving over the prairies, and seeing many, small, besides several very large ranches, in the most agreeable way, and with pleasant companions. Pincher Creek and Macleod have many English ranchmen in the neighbourh ood. Lethbridge is'the headquarters of the coal district, and busy work ia being done here. The town is the neatest western town I have seen, though only of a few years' growth. The houses of the miners are princi- The Agricultural and other Resources of Canada Prosperous farmers. Return to Ontario. Personal interviews and general industries. pally built by the Gait Company, who own the mines and railway. I was met here by young Mr. Gait, the son of Sir A. T. Gait, whom I recollect seeing in England. I wrent into one of the miner's houses. Hp was civil, as usual, and asked me to sit down while answering questions. He was getting first- rate pay—some $4 a day, and only paid $1 a month for his house of two rooms. Oct. 22.—We passed through a grand district, particularly between Virden and Brandon, and some 20 miles beyond Portage la Prairie. At one station there were three elevators. There werefarm houses the whole way, and a nice sprinkling of cattle. A good deal of fall ploughing had been done; but there was still a good deal of corn standing in the stook. Unusually wet weather has interfered lately with the harvest. I did not see many cattle. Nearer to Winnipeg we came to poorer land, with a good many cattle ; there were a few trees on sandy hills. After that the land was good, but very wet, and so it continued all the way to Winnipeg. These last 20 or 30 miles are of the finest wheat land, but require draining. The soil is a rich black mould. It sticks to wheel and boots like India-rubber, when half dry. We passed A. Wilson's late farm, about 14 miles before we got to Winnipeg, at 4.30 in the afternoon. Before leaving Manitoba I should mention that I never saw or heard of a policeman there, except at Winnipeg. They must be a law- abiding race. Sundays are wonderfully well kept. Nothing is seen of the rowdyism of the western towns of the States, where I am told gambling saloons are kept open most of the Sunday. In every small town there are Church of England, Presbyterian, Methodist and Roman Catholic churches. The hotelkeeper of the hotel I am staying at here (Winnipeg), and the proprietor of the principal hotel at Regina, were talking to me to-day. The former said he paid $15 a month to his women, the latter $25. When I said governesses were not better paid, the Regina man said two of his maids had been governesses in the old country. I heard yesterday from a gentleman in the train that many of the waiters in the summer hotels in New England are students, &c, who spend their holidays in that way. There is an excellent club at Winnipeg, of which I was made honorary member. I met many pleasant people there. Left Winnipeg at 10.45 a.m. 25th Oct.; travelled due south. The land for the first 40 miles was wet, and not much cultivated. It is held by speculators. It seemed to be fine land, but would want some draining. Towards Morris much of the land was taken up, and quantities of wheat were in stacks, and being threshed. At Morris there were three elevators at work. We crossed the frontier into the United States at Gretna, and travelled via St. Paul, Minneapolis and Chicago. PROVINCE OF ONTARIO. Oct. 29.—Arrived at London, Ontario, at 11.30 p.m. I knew no one in London, but soon became acquainted with several gentlemen, who volunteered their services to me. Mr. Webster, the member for the county, drove me out to Mr. Luard's, a Lincolnshire man ; and in the afternoon Mr. Weld, editor of the Farmer's Advocate, drove rae 13 miles to see the town waterworks and pleasure grounds, and on to Mr. Gibson's, who owns a farm called the. Belvoir farm, of 300 acres. I found Mr. Gibson was a Lincolnshire man, who had been at school at Broughton. He received me most kindly, and showed me all m- v Colonel Fane's Report. i \ about his farm. The fall wheat both here and on the road to the Belvoir farm looked most promising. The cultivation was evidently most excellent, and the land very good. This was altogether the best farm I have seen in the country. Mr. Gibson had a splendid Durham bull—"8th Duke of Leicester"—a flock of 60 pure-bred Downs, about 70 pure-bred Shorthorns, 40 or 50 pedigree Berkshires, and 100 beautiful turkeys. His house was a most comfortable one, and his wife (a # Canadian) gave us a kindly welcome. Mr. Gibson began with nothing, but has now this farm, worth many thousands of dollars. He says he cangetgoodmenat$1.50aday,andsometimesless. He grew 42 bushels of wheat to the acre on part of his farm this year. Sold it all for seed at $1.50 a bushel. He sells a good many pedigree animals, going over to England for them at times, as well as breeding. His Indian corn was first-rate. He feeds his animals in winter upon cut Indian corn (with the cobs), mixed with bran and turnips. He gives very little artificial food. His sheep are all under cover in the winter, and his beasts are all well housed; the young ones being shut in loose boxes in pairs while feeding. The farm is both well watered and well timbered, and was altogether a most desirable-looking place both in looks and soil. The village of Delaware close by, with its pretty church among the trees, made an attractive and most rural picture. In driving to the Belvoir farm we passed the waterworks of London, which are tastefully laid out with walks, &c. This place is much resorted to in the summer, and the view from the observatory was most beautiful, showing the winding of the river Thames below, and miles of woods, with good-looking farm-houses scattered about. Oct. 30.—Mr. Hodgens, a gentleman whose acquaintance I made yesterday, came at 9 o'clock to drive me out to his farms, stables, (fee. He breeds extensively, besides buying young animals, from his own stock horses. He has several Cleveland and pure-bred stallions, and 60 or 70 brood mares. He deals a good deal with Withers, the horse dealer in Oxford Street, London; and he is now about to ship about 25 horses to England. Many of them are intended for the English carriage-horse market. I saw some remarkably good ones among them, most of them 16 hands high, with good action. They are all broken to harness on the farm, and I saw a very fine pair, three years old, leading manure, that looked like making £200. He breeds also largely for the American trotting market, besides having several thoroughbreds which have been successful Queen's platers. The stamp of horse I saw at Mr. Hodgens's was far superior to anything I had yet seen in Canada, and showed what can be done by judicious breeding. Mr. Hodgens is quite satisfied with the results, as far as balance-sheet is concerned, and has proved that more profit is to be made by horses than Shorthorns, particularly when foals or yearlings are bought from neighbouring farmers. Mr. Hodgens tells me that an immense number of foals are bred in this district, 20 stallions standing at one station alone. He almost always breeds from his three-year-olds. Mr. Hodgens tells me that many good farms about here, with fair houses on them, can be bought at from $30 to $40 an acre. He has rented some land himself at about $2 an acre. There are apple orchards attached to most of the farms; this year they have been a failure, but some years they export a great number. The country is thickly settled, and would no doubt be a desirable one to live in, as labour is much cheaper than further west. The town of London is handsomely laid out, and the agricultural buildings, park, &c, the best I have seen in^the country. The whole of the ground round London is undulating and well timbered. Ll 78 I The Agricultural and other Resources of Canada. I inspected a cheese factory, of which there are many in the neighbourhood. The cheeses seemed very good, and are exported to Europe. The factory takes the milk of about 600 or 700 cows. The milk is weighed as it comes in, and the whey returned to the farmer the next day. About one-third goes back in whey to the farmer for his pigs, (fee. Cheese fetches 10^ cents per lb.; last year, 8£ to 9 cents. In the afternoon, I inspected the flour mill, elevator, &c, of Mr. Rich. Mr. Rich is a Lincolnshire man, but came to this country about 35 years ago. He came with nothing, and is now a prosperous man. A man called Linnell came to see me in the evening. Has been here 10 years; wishes he had come earlier. Is doing well; gets $1.50 a day. His boy of 15 gets $1. Has his own house in a village some miles off, with one acre of ground, but lets it, as he is living here at present. Pays $7 a month for his present house. Pays nothing for his children's schooling, but $2 a year for books. Can get good beef at 4 cents per lb. Says masons get $2.50 a day ; carpenters $2 a day. Linnell's mother and brother live at Great Gonerbv, Lincolnshire. He himself was confirmed at Fulbeck. Came three times to the hotel to-day, determined to find me. Ho had been at least in eight or nine different trades before he settled to his present one. Oct. 30.—I left London at 12 at night, and in half an hour reached the small town of Ingersoll. During the evening was asked by a gentleman named Podmore to come and see the large shipping establishment for cheese, bacon, &c, of Messrs. Grant & Co., to-morrow morning. Oct. 31.—Visited the establishment of Grant & Co. They do an extensive business in shipping bacon to England. They kill about 30,000 hogs a year, averaging about 16 stone apiece. The bacon is cut so as to suit different markets; that of Bistol being different from Liverpool; and they, again, vary in fancy with other places. The bacon is either singed or scalded, according to fancy of market. The bacon is all kept in iced cellars, and is ready for shipment 25 or 30 days after killing. All refuse is used. The blood, &c, makes an excellent fertilizer when dried by a certain process, and sells at $25 a ton; the grease is pressed out and made into lard for home use; other parts are made into sausages and pork pies. Messrs. Grant are also large exporters of cheese. About 150,000 boxes will go to England this year, each cheese averaging about 65 lbs. I tasted several, which were most excellent, some resembling Cheddar, and other Cheshire. All the best cheeses go to England. There -are an immense number of cheese factories in this neighbour- hood, all worked pretty much on the same plan. The cheeses are kept in large iced cellars till ready for shipment. They are brought in from the factories between the months of June and November. The temperature of the ice cellars requires to be most regular, otherwise they would not keep. I tasted some a year old, which had not the slightest appearance of mould. Nov. 1.—Left Ingersoll at 6.30 a.m. vvrent through Hamilton, (fee, to Niagara Falls. Beautiful view of Hamilton from Dundas. Very little wheat land. Well timbered ; good orchards ; great many young peach trees; very few cattle; large vineyards; and pretty flowing rivers. Altogether the prettiest country I have seen. The station at Hamilton is much the neatest I have seen on this continent. At Grimsby the orchards seemed very large, and the land very good, though wet. It probably looks worse than usual just now, as they have had constant rain for some weeks in these parts. At Thorold I took a carriage, and drove across eight miles to Niagara Falls. I Colonel Fane's Report. 79 meant to visit some farms, but it rained and sleeted the whole way. The roads were in a dreadful state, and were almost impassable when we got to Tramways, near Niagara Falls. I left Niagara Falls at 3 p.m., Nov. 2, and got to Hamilton at 4.30. It poured the whole way, but I could see much of the country wanted draining. There were very few cattle in the fields, all being given up to orchards It seems a pity there is not more mixed farming, as peaches have been a failure, and apples a bad crop this year. Grapes have been very plentiful, but only fetched 2\ cents a lb. I passed a factory for making them into wine. The country must be lovely in summer. Nov. 3.—Went into the market this morning to look at the meat, (fee. Vegetables not so good as in Manitoba. Beef poor; some good lamb, or, rather, young mutton: dressed, 60 lbs. apiece. Best cuts of beef, 12^ cents per lb. Spoke to an old Devonshire butcher, who has been here 35 years (from Bideford). Has thirteen children—five sons, all butchering in the States ; three married daughters ; the former consider Hamilton I slow." Old man thinks that people have little power over their children in this country ; they soon lose their influence over them. Went with Mr. Hendry to see his horses. Mr. Hendry is the Pickford of Canada, and has here and in other places about 5,000 horses. He has the finest draught horses in Canada, all bought in the country or bred by himself; they are all out of country-bred mares by Shire, Clydesdale, or Suffolk Punches. He does not like Percherons. I saw some splendid teams. All are weighed, and matched, principally by weight, and some were 17*3 in height. The weight of two of them was 1,770 lbs. and 1,790 lbs. An ordinary pair would cost $400. They can pull 9 tons on wheels, 11 tons on sledges. All wheel-making, cart- making, shoeing, (fee, done on the premises. Shoeing averages $2 a horse per month. Mr. Hendry, jun., considers that the tallest horses have the greatest power of moving a heavy load. Mr. Hendry drove me out to his farm, about six miles from Hamilton, to see his thoroughbred stock. His farm was a lovely one, composed of hills, valleys, timber, and having several small streams running through it. He had three thoroughbred stallions, one of them a great beauty—"Strathspey," by " Glenelg," out of "La Polka" (" Glenelg " was by " Citadel"). He had 64 animals ont his farm, many of the thoroughbreds showing great substance. He has several horses in training, and we saw some of his yearlings gallop on his private course. He showed me some splendid mares. The clover eddish on this farm showed an excellent plant. After spending some hours there Mr. Hendry drove me to his charming residence overlooking the town, where I was received at luncheon by his family in the kindest way. In the afternoon, drove with Mr. Smith, Dominion Immigration Agent. Went to Mr. Barnes's, who has a large vinery, orchard, &c. Has 9 acres of apples—nonesold this year; some pears—sold $100 ; 20 acres of vines—sold 55 tons at 2\ cents a lb. = £27 an acre; no pigs; one cow; no peaches. Expense of garden, $900 a year. Gives his head man $300 a year, with house, and gound for vegetables; ordinary labourer, $1.50 a day. Drove all round the bay, and across a new cut to the harbour, to Mr. Fothergill's farm, with Mr. Smith. This is one of the most substantial houses I have seen in Canada. Good rooms and kitchens, and splendid cellars, full of potatoes, apples, &c. He is a most cheery and hard-working man. His wife and daughter were milking when we arrived, and he was about to do the same. . ; i °^ The Agricultural and other Resources of Canada. Mr. Fothergill has some good stock, also about 40 cows. He sends the milk to Toronto. This farm has 240 acres, ^and three miles off he has another farm of 250 acres. He came out here from Northumberland about 30 years ago, with nothing. He has had 17 children—13 alive. Five of his sons are farming. His crops were indifferent this year—wheat, 27 bushels to acre; barley, 23 bushels to acre; oats, 40 bushels to acre. He has often had 80 or 90 bushels of oats to acre, and 40 of barley. Mr. Fothergill prefers Clydesdales to Shires for this country. Pays his labourers 75 cents a day, ordinary work; $1.50 at harvest time. Mr. Fothergill says you can rent good land at $4 to $5 an acre about here. Land on Middle Road (the best near Hamilton) is worth from $80 to $100 an acre. Got home at 8 p.m. Roads abominable. Some Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire men came to see me in the evening. One—a tailor named Thorpe, from Nottingham—seemed a very intelligent man. He is quite satisfied, though his wife is a little homesick. They have been here three years. Gets good wages; but house rent and coals are dear. Complains, like me, of the meat. Hours, 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., with an hour for dinner. Almost all piecework. Nov. 5.—Meant to go on to Toronto to-day; but heard that there was to be a ploughing match in the neighbourhood, so determined to stay to see it. Asked Mr. Smith, one of the best farmers in the neighbourhood, about his yield this year. Only got 20 bushels of wheat and barley to the acre. Never uses cake or artificial manure; considers turning over the sod of clover sufficient manure. Some top-dress the wheat after it appears above ground. Complains, much as we in England, that the sons now want "rigs" (carriages), and the girls organs; and that times are not good in consequence. Went on to Toronto in the evening. Stayed with Mr. Bridgeman Simpson. Nov. 6.—Went to Barrie, about 60 miles. Land good in parts, but no very good-looking farms. Farms can be bought about here for about $40 an acre, with house, &c. Saw Barrand, tailor, from Fulbeck. Went to his house ; saw his wife and four children. Has been out nine years. Had saved at one time about $700, with own house and furniture, but lost all by fire. Gets $9 a week when in work; his wages for year would average about $7 a week. Wife does most of her own sewing. Books for school, about $1 a year when children are young; more later. Barrand pays $4.50 a month house rent; has five rooms, all on ground floor, with backyard for chickens, &c. Pays for beef 12£ cents per lb.; bread, 11 cents for 4—lb. loaf (but loaf does not weigh 4 lbs.); butter, 18 cents per lb.; coals $6 per ton; wood, $3.50 a cord (lasts a month in winter). Has now got his own furniture paid for, and is beginning to look up again. Saw also at Barrie a young man named Brown, from Leadenham. Is doing remarkably well as a market gardener; wishes he had come out five years sooner. Used to get $30 a month, and board, but has now been admitted as partner in the business. Lives with his partner and pays $10 a month for board. Have 30 acres, 20 acres of which are strawberries. Have hothouses, (fee, and sell plants in the spring. Nov. 7.—Left Toronto at 9, with Mr. Wade, a gentleman connected with the Agricultural Department of the province, and two of my fellow delegates (the first I had seen since the 1st of October), for Whitby, about 30 miles. We passed some good land near Whitby, and some excellent cart-horses (Clydesdales). We drove to the farm ^ \P ronto. Colonel Fane's Report. 81 of Mr. Dryden, who is Minister of Agriculture for the province. He entertained us at luncheon, and afterward showed us some most superior Shorthorns and several young bulls in prime condition; also some excellent Shropshire ram lambs, and a Clydesdale mare with the best foal I have seen in the country. Mr. Dryden's father was one of the earlier importers of stock in this country, and his son carries on the business most judiciously. He farms about 400 acres, and lived on that only, till he became Minister. He has a most comfortable house, good barns, (fee. I am sorry to say we had not time to walk over his farm. What we saw seemed well cultivated. We got back to Toronto at 6.30 p.m. Dr. Barnardo has a Home in Toronto, which I visited to-day; it The Barnardo seemed admirably managed. There were no boys, however, in the Home at To house at the present moment. About 300 come out every year ; they are all applied for long before they come, and there are now 30 or 40 applications from farmers, on the books. Ages, from 12 to 16. Agreements in print are made with farmers, who keep them till they are 18, unless they separate by mutual consent. Almost all become farmers ; no town applications are entertained. About 5 per cent, only returned for misconduct, (fee. Farmers agree to pay $100 at the end of their service; no great difficulty in getting the money. There are visitors going round to see the boys all the year. One gentleman I saw had just returned from an eight weeks' tour ; had seen about 100 boys; had not had to remove one, and only slight faults found. The boys are placed in a district of about 160 miles north to south and 80 east to west. A good many of them have money in the Savings Bank to begin with when they are 18; they are not lost sight of, after that eveji, if possible. The boys come out in batches early in the spring, and go on to July; it is not advisable that they should come out later. Some farmers complain that they are slow ; but of course they have all to learn. The superintendent thinks that about $3.50 a month would be the average earnings of a boy : of course he is found board, washing, and mending by the farmer. PROVINCE OF QUEBEC. Nov. 8.—Left Toronto at 9.15 at night, and got to Montreal at 8 a.m. on the 9th. Rain and sleet all day. In the evening met General Grant, who has a son who took up a section of 160 acres near Gris- wold, in Manitoba ; has now, with a young man named Lawder, from Australia, 640 acres more, seven miles from Griswold ; 150 of former are broken up. Had 105 acres of wheat and 45 acres of oats this year ; got 25 bushels of wheat to acre this year. Have 25 head of cattle, mare and foal, and five other horses, one team oxen, 20 hogs. House of four rooms and kitchen. Neither of young men had anything to begin with, but have had from friends, about $1,000, since. They are now running a livery stable also, and consider themselves worth £2,000. When all the land is paid for, which will be in about a year, they are about as successfull a pair of young " gentlemen farmers " as I have heard of. Mr. Lawder had four years' experience of bush life in Australia. Mr. Grant came out at 17. Nov. 10.—Left Montreal at 8 a.m. for the Eastern Townships. Country round St. Hilaire, St. Hyacinthe, (fee, occupied by French. Long, narrow fields ; plenty of poor-looking stock in the fields; enormous churches and convents everywhere, and many tidy houses. Towards Richmond the country became very pretty, with numerous fine rivers and wooded hills. It was principally a grazing country. The farm-houses much occupied by people from Europe, and some very neatly kept. Passed some large copper mines. J m0m 82 The Agricultural and other Resources of Canada. The Cochrane farm. Met Mr. Beevor—a Nottinghamshire man—employed on the railway. Saw some good Herefords, and also a few good-looking colts. At about 12.30 reached Hillhurst, a station near where Mr. Cochrane has his famous farm. It is needless for me to write about Mr. Cochrane, and his famous farm, stock, &e, is known all over Europe as a most successful breeder, and I believe he has obtained for his cattle as large a price as anyone in Europe. I believe his great fancy at one time was Shorthorns, but at present he breeds black Polled Angus cattle, Herefords, trotting horses, and Yorkshire pigs. His yards, stables, &e, are very complete. In his business at this farm he is principally assisted by his eldest son, leaving his large ranche west, to the care of his two younger sons. He farms here about 1,000 acres. His stock consists of 99 black cattle, 76 Herefords, 25 Jerseys, 15 other cattle, 200 sheep, 57 horses, and 15 pigs. He intends sending all the Herefords to the ranche, and keeping black cattle only. Wages, about $1 a day ; monthly, $15, and board ; married men, $23 a month. At page 75,1, mentioned that from the Cochrane ranche they had shipped about 1,000 cattle to Liverpool this year. Mr. Cochrane sent his son with them, and took all risks himself. The venture proved very satisfactory. Part of the cattle arrived in first-rate order—in fact, they rather improved on the voyage. They averaged about £17 a head at Liverpool. Young Mr. Cochrane wrote to say he saw some killed, and they " died " well, and the purchaser was well satisfied. Mr. Cochrane had not received an account of the last batch. These cattle were all weighed by car-load at Montreal, but were not weighed at Liverpool; but he considered they were worth 4^ cents a lb. at Montreal. They were all well bred, there being 250 Herefords in one lot. Mr. Cochrane confirms what I have before heard—that the loss of 200 lbs. weight in cattle between Calgary and Liverpool takes place on the railways, and not on board ship. Of course no one has had more experience in this matter than Mr. Cochrane, as he has shipped pedigree cattle to and from Europe for the last 30 years, and has always been most successful in the business. Mr. Cochrane was able to give me a printed statement of the ranche, showing a good profit on the working of last year. This year he expects it to be better. Nov. 11.— After a delightful visit at Mr. Cochrane's, I left at 6.30 this morning for Quebec. I had meant to stop at Sherbrooke, but the trains were so awkward that I could not do so. I would have driven, but there were 21 degrees of frost this morning, and the roads were dreadfully rough, so I had to give it up. I meant to visit Lennox- ville, where 300 young boys and men are educated excellently in a college I had long heard of. At Sherbrooke I should have wished to visit an institution for waifs and strays, managed by the Rev. Canon Thornloe. I heard this highly spoken of. There are several manufactories at Sherbrooke, a town of 10,000 inhabitants. I had to go on, however, to Richmond, and wait there two hours for the train from Montreal. I made a good deal of inquiry about farms in this very pretty Country, and found that about $30 an acre would buy a nice cleared one, with good water, good house, and plantation of firewood This sounds cheaper and better than the prices in Ontario. The country is certainly much prettier, but the winters are longer and more severe than in Ontario. There is not much agricultural land between Richmond and Point Levi, opposite Quebec, but some grand rivers are passed. The woods were particularly beautiful this morning, every twig being covered with what is called u verglas; " the whole fdrest shone like diamonds. We Colonel Fane's Report. °*\ arrived at Point Levi about 2.30, and crossed over to Quebec. I drove straight to my dear friends the Prices', at Wolfsfield. At 9 this morning I embarked On board the Allan steamship " Parisian," after a delightful and most interesting trip of two months and seven days in the Dominion; and, after a prosperous voyage in that most comfortable ship, arrived at Liverpool on Saturday, the 22nd November. CONCLUSION. I have been frequently asked on my journey what I think of Canada. I reply that it is difficult in ten weeks to give a decided opinion on a country larger than that from the Rock of Gibraltar to the northern part of Russia. The delegates, however, have had exceptional opportunities of seeing the resources, (fee, of the country, having covered 10,000 miles of ground, exclusive of our sea voyage. I have no hesitation myself in saying that the Dominion of Canada A good coun- is a most favourable country for emigrants of certain classes. It must tJTS^ j^nd. remain with the emigrant himself to choose where to settle. For this grants, reason one should hesitate to give advice; but were I to do so, it would be on the following lines :— 1. A man with a certain amount of capital could buy a nice farm, The classes with good house and cleared land, at about $30 (£6) an acre, in the J^ZfJ^l ^ Eastern Townships, and many parts of Quebec and Ontario. By doing Canada. so, he would avoid the hardships of Manitoba and the North-West; he would be in the midst of comparative comfort and society, and within easy reach of markets, schools, <fcc. 2. A small farmer or labouring man, with one or two boys ranging from 12 to 16, and girls of the same stamp, could find occupation, and be sure of a competency hereafter, wherever he went; but he would perhaps have a better opening in Manitoba and the North-West. The work would be severe, particularly for the parents; but there is no reason why the children of such persons should not rise to the highest positions in the province. In fact, this has been the origin of many of the most prominent men in the State. The Government offers especial facilities to such people, and there are millions of acres of good prairie land waiting for good men to occupy them. 3. The above remarks equally apply to young unmarried men of the same class. 4. For mechanics or market gardeners I would recommend British Columbia, where wages are very high, and the climate admirably suited to gardening, as w7ould appear by my report. 5. For sons of professional men, officers of the army, (fee, it is Unsuitable for more difficult to speak. They are a numerous class in the North-West; immigration, but neither I nor my fellow-delegates are able to speak very hopefully of their prospects. Their life is a hard one; and I could not find many who were more than "stopping." There are, of course, many exceptions ; but I think a great many were little more than " remittance farmers," and several might be called farmers who farmed with a | seatter-gun and a smell-dog." Very few have received a training to suit them for the Jack-of-all-trades work of a western farm. There are many who do their best; but all their education at our public schools goes for naught when on a farm in this country. Many of them, in consequence, seem almost to lose heart, and live worse than many labourers would do in England. Still, I am bound to say that, even among this class, I never heard any grumbling; and numbers told me that they infinitely preferred this life to that of a clerk or other seden- 84 The Agricultural and other Resources of Canada. Amostimpc tant differeri in favour of Canada, as compared with the Un ed States. it Morality of the Canadiav people. tary occupation in Europe. There seems a charm about the independent life of the west that suits our youth. The question is, how will they be in their old age ? * 6. It appeared to me that the ranche life is much more suited to a gentleman brought up to the pleasures of British country life. In this case there is constant excitement—riding after horses and cattle, with a hunt occasionally after wolves and coyotes—but then capital is wanted ; for it .appeared to me that ranching, except on a large scale, is seldom remunerative. For men who want a few years' discipline and rough life, I can fancy nothing better than the work and freedom and air of a ranche near the Rocky Mountains. 7. I wish I could speak of the Maritime Provinces of Canada, which, I believe, have charms of their own. I, unfortunately, was not able to visit them. There is one element in Canada which ought not to be lost sight of by an emigrant to the west, viz., the advantages of the Dominion over the United States.' It is almost impossible to take up an American paper without reading in it some startling murder perpetrated in the western States. The shooting by judges, colonels, &e, of one another seems of daily occurrence ; and little punishment seems to follow, except occasionally by Judge Lynch. Even in Chicago, revolvers, I was told, were worn by peaceful citizens; whereas in Canada all is order, even in the wildest parts. I may mention that I was in no village where Sunday was not as well kept as, or perhaps better than, it is in England. I never attended a meal at a storekeeper's, public dinner, or settler's where grace was not said before sitting down; and every where the most enthusiastic loyalty was shown. I think it difficult to find any country where there is less rowdyism and drunkenness than in Canada. I don't mean to say that there is not a good deal of whisky-drinking at bars. There is no doubt far too much of it, and it is most injurious to many men ; but I should say that, taking them as a whole, the population of the Dominion of Canada is decidedly an abstemious one. I can only conclude by saying that the emigrant from the old country will find, if he goes to Canada, a most kind-hearted and hospitable people, ever ready to help a new hand. For myself, I can only say that, from high to low, from one end of the country to the other, I was received with most unbounded kindness and hospitality, and my visit was indeed made a real pleasure to me during the whole time I was in the country. * In qualification of the above passage in my report on the prospects of young " gentlemen " in Canada, I am happy to give the names of two most trustworthy gentlemen who came home with me in the " Parisian. General Grant has a son settled near Griswold, Manitoba. According to the General, his son and his partner, Mr. Lawder, are doing particularly well. Mr. W. H. Porritt has four sons, all married, living on their sections near Holland, in South Manitoba. Mr. Porritt speaks most hopefully of their prospects. He knows the country well, having taken up a section eight years ago. He sees an immense advance in Manitoba during that time. I believe none of the above young men were educated at our large public schools.—P. A. P. THE REPORT.OF MR. GEORGE HUTCHINSON, Brougham Oastle, Penrith. tion corrected. The capital of the Dominion. Having been honoured by an invitation from the Government of Canada to visit the Dominion, and report upon its suitability as a field for the settlement of agriculturists, I complied with that invitation, and now proceed to make my report. I may mention that I had previously visited Canada in the autumn of 1879, at which time I was •appointed todo so by the Penrith Farmers' Club. My first visit having been a very pleasant one, I was glad to have the opportunity of making a second trip, in which I could note the' changes that had taken place during the last eleven years. I am afraid that, even after all the reliable information that has Misconcep- recently been spread respecting it, Canada is still considered, by the average Englishman, to be "a small strip of country between the United States and the North Pole," chiefly characterised by its severe winters and fur-bearing animals. But, in fact, the Dominion is of vast extent, teeming with natural riches, of great agricultural capabilities, and vast mineral wealth. In company with five other delegates, I sailed from Liverpool in the Allan steamship "Circassian," on Thursday, the 28th of August, 1890. We landed at the city of Quebec on the 7th of September, and on the following day sailed up the river St. Lawrence to Montreal. Thence we went by rail to Ottawa, where we had an interview with the Hon. J. Carling, Minister of Agriculture. Ottawa is the seat of the Dominion Parliament. The chief industry is the timber trade; the saw-mills are very large, and are worked night and day during the summer, but, on account of the ice, are stopped during the winter, excepting where steam power is used. From Ottawa we went to Toronto, where the largest Agricultural Exhibition in the Dominion was being held. The Agricultural Exhibitions in Canada are very different from our Agricultural Shows. In Canada, every town of any size has an Exhibition ground, upon which are erected large permanent buildings for exhibition purposes ; the Exhibition itself being a combination of our Agricultural Show, Flower Show,Dog Show, Picnic and Variety Entertainment, these added attractions inducing those to attend who are not connected with agriculture. As 300,000 persons visited the Toronto Exhibition, it must financially have been a great success. From Toronto we went, by way of North Bay, to Manitoba. Some parts of this journey lie through country which is wild and solitary in the extreme, nothing but mountain and wood meeting the eye on every side. PROVINCE OF MANITOBA. We arrived at Winnipeg, the capital of Manitoba, on Saturday, the 20th of September, and were received at the station by the Mayor and Corporation. Winnipeg is now said to have a population of 26,000. A glance at the map of Manitoba will show clearly that the railways are so centred in Winnipeg, that, for all time to come, it must necessarily be the most important city of the North-West. It is scarcely possible to realize that, eleven years ago, not a single railway had crossed either the Red River or the Assiniboine River, and that to-day seven railways run into the city. We visited several of the schools, in Winnipeg, and had 7 Agricultural exhibitions in Canada. 86 Mr. George Hutchinson''s Report. Public schools a good opportunity of seeing the excellent way in which everything and churches. C02mec^e(j ^rth them is carried on. I spent Sunday, the 21st of September, in Winnipeg, and I was pleased to note how well the churches I attended both morning and evening were filled, and the orderly and Sunday-like appearance of the city in general. On the Monday I drove out to St. Paul's, a few miles north of Winnipeg, and visited the Indian Industrial School, where 60 Indian boys and girls were being taught English, and trained under the blessings of civilization. Climate of An erroneous idea is very prevalent respecting the climate of Seed time and Manitoba. If the seasons there had been as unfavourable as they are harvest. often represented, the population would never have increased at the rate it has done during the last twelve years, nor should I have found so many old settlers who have endured the winters from twelve to twenty years still looking healthy and strong. The snowfall is not so excessive as in some parts of the Dominion, the depth seldom exceeding eighteen inches or two feet. I have heard of cases in which the subsoil has been found to be frozen hard at a depth of four feet. Spring and wheat sowing generally commence in the first week in April, which is generally a dry month, giving the farmers the best possible seed-bed in which to put their wheat. I have been, times without number, assured by people who for years have made Manitoba their home, that, with a little care, they never suffer from the cold, owing to the dryness of the air; and that twenty-five degrees below zero is not felt half so much as freezing point would be in a place where there is a damp atmosphere. In speaking to the most recent settlers, who have been only a year or two in the country, they will tell you that they do not dread the winter, but rather look forward to it with pleasure, as the season for sleighing. The farmers take advantage of the facilities which winter affords them for carrying their wheat to market, and for cutting and hauling timber, which could not be easily moved at any other time. They can then take the shortest route, as the rivers, lakes, and swamps are all frozen up, and make the very best of roads. As a general rule, the climate appears to be favourable for the sowing and gathering-in of the crops—there being very little of that rainy and murky weather that makes hay-making and harvesting so troublesome in this country—it being apparently easy to tell in the morning the sort of weather there will be during the day, and generally after a few days' rain the weather will keep fine for weeks together. I heard a few complaints, especially from new settlers, about the annoyance arising from mosquitoes and sand-flies during the summer months ; but, as a general rule, these pests are not considered of much account by the older settlers. The frosts that occasionally occur in the autumn, not those of winter, are what the farmer in Manitoba dreads the most.—These frosts pass along in streaks, something like hail-storms In some cases you will find that while the wheat on one farm has been injured, that on the next farm has not been touched at all. I saw some very striking examples upon several farms I visited in the neighbourhood of Elkhorn. This early frost is a very tantalising trouble : the farmer may have a splendid crop of wheat ready to cut, and in a single night the frost may come and reduce its value by one-half or two-thirds ; this being what really did occur in some cases, during last season in Manitoba. The frost which did the most damage last year was that of the night of August 22nd. When it is considered how short the seasons are, and how liable the wheat is to injury by these early frosts, it is of the greatest importance that the earliest varieties of wheat should be Tlie Agricultural and other Resources of Canada. 87 ■cultivated. Early sowing has also been found to overcome to a considerable extent the possibility of such damage, and the necessity of -this cannot be too strongly pressed upon thefarmers. Mr. J. W. Sandison, a very extensive and successful farmer near Brandon, Manitoba, was -very emphatic in his belief that, if the farmers would have as much •land as possible ploughed and harrowed in the autumn, so as to be in a ^position to make the most of the first chance in the spring for sowing, they would very seldom, if ever, have crops damaged by the early frost. He attributed his unvarying success in wheat-growing to the strict -attention he had given to this. The introduction of wheat from a means of overcoming the Soil. Northern Russia is also being tried as difficulty. When it rains in Canada, it does so to some purpose. It is a Rainfall, perfect downpour, such as we do not very often see here. It does not, however, last long. On my arrival in Manitoba, I found the farmers •complaming of the wet weather they were having for the harvest; it •was said to be the worst experienced there for fifteen years, with the -exception of 1884, the latter part of which was wet. If we had had such weather in Cumberland, we should have been congratulating ourselves upon the favourable harvest conditions, as the season was, on the whole, not so wet as many we experience here. I will now endeavour to give some account of the soil and crops in the district of Manitoba which we visited. The soil is a deep black mould, extremely rich in the chief elements of plant food, and therefore •not easily exhausted. The farmers, knowing this, take all they can ' out of it, and return nothing whatever in the form of manure. It is ■true, in fact, that for several years after the soil is, broken up, the •addition of manure would do more harm than good. By turning up a little of the subsoil now and again, the fertility of the surface is 'renewed, and wheat may be grown, year after year, for a long period, •without exhausting the soil. The province is too far north for growing maize, but it appears to grow garden vegetables in great perfection. Outside the city of Winnipeg, I saw a large number of market gardens in which were good crops of onions, potatoes, carrots, and many other ■vegetables, grown in a rough-and-ready sort of way. Leaving Winnipeg by the South-Western Branch of the Canadian Glenboro j Pacific Railway, we had a very pleasant trip to Glenboro', the present terminus of the line. I visited two or three farmers in this district, all of whom said they had succeded beyond their expectations. Many -farmers in the 'Glenboro' district have over 150 acres under crop. Some of them claimed to have over 30 bushels of wheat to the acre, and 50 • of oats. At Glenboro' I inquired what facilities there were for obtaining land, and learned that all the free grant lands had been taken •up, but the Canadian Pacific Railway still held land for sale to actual settlers at from 20s. to 30s. per acre. There are always a number of •farmers in every district ready to sell out and move futher west. Near the Pelican Lake, fifteen miles north of Killarney, are settled the crofters, who were sent out with the assistance of our Government in 1888. During a drive between Glenboro' and Souris, a distance of • about fifty miles, I saw some splendid crops of wheat, the fine dry weather of the last few days having put the grain into good condition. "The farmers were very busy stacking, and in some cases threshing the wheat direct from the stook. Friday, September 26th, was spent in visit •ing Brandon and farms in the neighbourhood. W went first to Mr. J. W. Sandison's farm. Some idea of the scale upon which Mr. 'Sandison farms, may be gathered from the fact that he expected to -have over 5,000 quarters of wheat from his crop last year. He used Railway lands. 88 Rapid City. Saltcoats. Public schools and endowment. The Agricultural and other Resources of Canada. fourteen binders for cutting his crop. He said he would not accept an offer of £2,000 for his anticipated profits from that year's returns. From Brandon we drove to Rapid City, which was particularly interesting to me as being the furthest westward point which I touched during my visit in the autumn of 1879. Rapid City was without a rival in the estimation of its inhabitants. The announcement in 1880 that the Canadian Pacific was to take a more southern course was a great blow to the city, but, having now got railway communication, it appears to be recovering, and, no doubt, in the near future it will yet become a place of some importance. Our next halt was at Saltcoats, in Assiniboia, in the North-West Territories. This is a town of some two years'growth. It has a creamery, making from eight hundred to one thousand pounds of butter per week, The cream is gathered twice a week, from a radius of over 20 miles. In the neighbourhood of Saltcoats I called upon several farmers, most of whom appeared to be doing well, although all complained about the deficient crops of 1888 and 1889, and said the greatest drawback had been the early frost. Two farmers near Saltcoats, who had children of school age, complained about their distance from the nearest school. This point should be considered by those who have young children, previous to taking up land in a new and sparsely settled district, since the schools there must necessarily be more widely scattered than in the older districts. As this matter of education is of importance to anyone who contemplates removing with his family into a new country, I may mention that the schools in Manitoba and the North-West are endowed by setting apart two sections, or 1,280 acres, in each township; this last being a district comprising 36 square miles. I had several opportunities of visiting the schools, and of noticing the excellent way in which they are managed. As a general rule, a school is built in a new district as soon as it is required. No school fees are paid, but all the school-books have to be paid for, and these I found were very much more expensive than in England. In fact, parents who had removed with their families from England, stated that what they paid in England for school fees and books amounted to less than the cost of the books alone in Canada. We visited Dr. Barnardo's Home for boys, where they are taught farming. On leaving, they are assisted to start on a farm of their own, or have situations found for them in different parts of Manitoba and the North-West. This new development of Dr. Barnardo's appears to contain the elements of success, and certainly deserves to be well supported. We also visited Binscarth Farm, where we saw some extraordinarily good Shorthorns, the heifer calves being particularly worthy of mention. We also saw thirty-six cows in milk or calf, amongst which were some very good specimens. The company which owns the Binscarth farm has two townships for sale, the object of the farm being really to show to intending purchasers the advantages and capabilities of the district. Our next halt was at Birtle, a town in the valley of the Bird Tail Creek, and not unlike Brandon and Minnedosa, in the beauty of its site. As far as we could judge during our short drive, it appeared to be in a good district, and surrounded by good farms.. We spent Thursday, October 2nd, in Portage la Prairie and district. In 1879 this was the most thickly-settled part of the North-West. Knowing this, I expected to find great changes in the shape of better farm buildings and fences. What I saw greatly exceeded my expectation. This district being noted for its wheat, I was surprised to find the farmers keeping so many cattle, and giving so much extra attention Mr. George Hutchinson's Report. 89 to stock-breeding in general. At Portage la Prairie I got some interesting figures as to the actual cost of growing wheat on a quarter-section, or 160 acres of land, all the work being let by contract:— £ s. d. Ploughing 0 8 0 Seed, 2 bushels at 3s. 4d 0 6 8 Sowing and Harrowing... .• 0 3 4 Reaping with Binder, and Stooking 0 8 0 Stacking and Marketing 0 4 8 Threshing, at 2d. per bushel 0 3 4 Expenses per acre i I 14 0 These 160 acres produced 23 bushels per acre, which were £ s. d. sold at 3s. 4d. per bushel, or per acre 3 16 8 Deduct expenses per acre 1 14 0 £•2 2 8 Cost of growing: wheat. The carriage of wheat from Manitoba to Liverpool varied consi" derably; but including insurance, landing, and other charges, about 2s. per bushel, or 16s. per quarter, would be over an average, so that this wheat could be delivered in Liverpool at a cost of 28s. per quarter. Manitoba wheat, at the present time, is worth 40s. per quarter in Liverpool. This price allows a considerable margin of profit for the wheat-growers of Manitoba. The best improved farms, with good buildings, around Portage la Prairie would cost from £10 to £25 per acre. On my return from the west, I stopped for one day at each of the following places :—Wolseley, Elkhorn, Alexander and Carberry. As these are all in Manitoba and the North-West, it will be best for me to mention them here. At Wolseley I drove through the country with Mr. J. P. Dill, to whom I am indebted for much useful information. We visited several farms, at two or three of which they were busy threshing. The major part of the wheat was a fair sample, and yielding well. On two farms it would be reduced in value quite one-third, on account of being touched by the frost. Mr. Dill gave me the following particulars of 10 steers he bought in the neighbourhood of Wolseley in July, 1890, for export to England. They weighed 10^ cwt. each, and cost 14s. lOd. per cwt., or £7 16s. Od. each ; in this country they would be worth about 30s. per cwt., or £15 15s. Od. each, or if 56 lbs. is allowed for loss of weight during the journey, £15, or a difference of £7 4s. Od. The settlers in Manitoba and the North-West Territories have great faith in the feeding and fattening properties of the prairie grass. The appearance of their cattle bears them out in this. They look better than could be expected, when it is considered how little convenience the farmers have in general for sheltering their stock during the winter. A mistake has been made in the early days of some settlements, of which Wolseley is one, in taking it for granted that they are best adapted for wheat-growing; whereas experience has proved that the farmer who keeps a few cattle, and goes in for | mixed farming," is the best able to tide over the seasons when the wheat crop partly fails. Near Alexander, I called on Mr. George M. Yeomans, who, together with his sons, has several large farms in that neighbourhood. In 1879, when I first visited Canada, Mr. Yeomans had a farm near Portage la Prairie, and moved to his present location soon afterwards. In a letter, dated November 10th, which I have received since my return home, Mr. Yeomans says:—" At the time you called upon me in Cost of freight to Liverpool. Points of interest. Cost of steers. Rapidity of farming de velopment. 9C The Agricultural and other Resources of Canada. u 1879 there was not a single settler (farmer) in this neighbourhood y " the nearest to where I am now writing being twenty-five miles off,. " at Grand Valley, a little east of where Brandon now stands. To- " day there are two thriving villages, with seven grain elevators, all' " now running and sending out wheat; and, although the season is " nearly over for threshing, yesterday I could see the smoke of eleven " steam threshing machines from my door." This extract will give a better idea than any words of mine of the change that has taken place in Manitoba during the last ten years. Carberry, my next stopping place, was particularly interesting to me, as it was upon or near the site of this town that I camped out one night on my way to Rapid City, in 1879. I find from my notes taken in that year, that there was only one settler there at that time; and that between what is now Carberey and Rapid City—a distance of over twenty-five miles—we did not pass a single house. Carberry is now a town of about 500 inhabitants, and boasts that over 60,000 quarters of grain were marketed here last year. On the day of my visit (Nov. 4th.) Carberry was alive with farmers bringing their wheat into the town to sell. I counted over twenty farmers' waggons in the street at one time. The buyers also appeared to be very numerous, and the competition sufficient to satisfy the farmers that they were getting a market price, for their wheat. The price for that day was 3s. 4d. per bushel, or 26s. 8d. per quarter. The North West-Territories. From Portage la Prairie we continued our journey westward, on the main line of the Canadian Pacific ; the first halt being at Indian Head, in Assiniboia, 314 miles west of Winnipeg. Near Indian Head are situated the Bell Farm, the Farm of the Brassey Colonization Company, and the Government Experimental Farm. We visited these farms, but as our inspection was made in an almost continous downpour of rain, we could hardly do them justice. I noticed that some of the wheat on the Bell Farm had been much damaged by frost, and consequently was a very poor sample. The new railway from Regina northward having just been completed, we travelled over it as far as BANCH SCENE, ALBERTA. Mr. George Hutchinson's Report. 91 Prince Albert. Notwithstanding the deluge of rain from above, and the unlimited amount of mud below, the next day was spent in seeing the surrounding country. We were shown some very good samples of wheat and barley. The cattle also appeared to be healthy, in good condition, and more numerous than I expected to find them in a district which had, until recently, been so very remote from any railway communication. Prince Albert was the most northerly point reached during ■ our tour in Canada. On our return to Regina we attended an exhibition of roots and vegetables, among which were some remarkably fine specimens. North of Regina there are two or three small stock ranches. Cattle in this district are worth about l|d. per lb., live weight, a steer that would kill about 9^- stone per quarter being worth about £6 15s. The value of the same steer here, at 6^d. per lb., would be nearly £13 17s., or a difference of £7 2s. Regina is 4,011 miles from Liverpool. We were unfortunate in visiting Regina in very wet weather, and, as a consequence, we did not see much of the district; but, from the samples we saw, it must be a fine wheat-growing district. Free homesteads can still be got within ten miles south of Regina. Regina was the last place we stopped at in Assiniboia, our next call being at Calgary, in Alberta, 483 miles from Regina, and 2,264 from Montreal. Calgary is the chief town in Alberta, and the centre of the The ranch most important horse and cattle ranching country of Canada.. At 9?-mi*?y of the Quorn Ranch, which is a very large one, we saw some Irish mares with their foals, amongst which were some very good animals. I spent two days on the ELnells Ranch, about thirty miles south-west of Calgary, belonging to Mr. Fisher, a native of Cumberland, to whom I am indebted for much kind attention during my stay at his place. Mr. Fisher has about 180 head of cattle, and a large number of horses. Both the cattle and horses on this ranch were in extraordinarily good, condition, and appeared to be in the best of health. Very little shelter is provided for either horses or cattle on the ranches of Alberta in addition to what is afforded by nature—such as a few trees, or other natural protection. The snow does not lie long, owing to the warm winds which blow from the Pacific, through the passes of the Rocky Mountains; and, as a general rule, the winters are milder than they are further east. Stock-raising appears to be the principal industry of Alberta, although I met with some farmers who were giving a considerable amount of attention to grain-growing and dairying. On the cattle runs hay is cut and stacked in the most sheltered places, and served out to the stock during the most severe weather of winter. When Alberta becomes more thickly settled, I think it will be found that the small cattle ranches will pay best, and that the number of stock kept by one owner will not be more then can be comfortably Losses, housed. A certain amount of loss has been experienced through deaths from excessive cold during winter, and a blood disorder (supposed to be caused by the eating of injurious grasses) during summer and autumn. Should this loss reach 20 per cent., which I do not think it Beef cattle does, it is not so great as it would be elsewhere, when the ease and and Pricm. cheapness with which the cattle can be produced are taken into consideration. On the ranch adjoining Mr. Fisher's I saw some very good three-year-old steers, which would weigh, when dressed, not less then 48 stones. These steers could be bought for £7 10s. each. In this country they would be worth about £17 each, leaving a margin of £9 10s. to bring them a distance of 5,131- miles to England. Great as this distance is, cattle are now being successfully transported over it. 92 The Agricultural and other Resources of Canada. Sheep raisi nsr. From the Cochrane Ranch, which is 100 miles further south than the one just referred to, 800 head of cattle have been landed at Liverpool, 500 of which were sold there for £17 each. I saw very few sheep in Alberta, but those I did see would have been more profitable if more care had been bestowed upon them. After a few years it will be better understood what breeds of sheep are best suited to the country, and what shelter and food should be provided for them during winter; then, I have no doubt, sheep will do well there, * as Alberta appears to have plenty of good grass adapted in every respect for growing wool and mutton, and also possesses a climate very Horse raising, suitable for that purpose. The cost of raising horses in Alberta is surprisingly low. They apparently require a smaller provision of hay and a less amount of shelter than cattle. There is no question that horse-raising is proving a profitable business in Alberta. A disease, somewhat similar to our " influenza," gives a considerable amount of trouble amongst the horses in that region, and throughout the North-West. This disease will no doubt soon be stamped out, as the Government always deals energetically with these matters. I visited a farm situated on the north side of the Bow River, two miles, from Calgary, and owned by Mr. Jos. Laycock, a native of Kendal. This farm was well stocked, having then twenty-five head of dairy cows, with young stock, amounting in all to over seventy head. Mr. Laycock was making from 80 to 100 lbs. butter per week, which found a ready sale in Calgary at one shilling per pound. From the appearance of the straw and oats, the crop on this farm had evidently been fairly good. Mr. Laycock had also been succesful in growing a few turnips. To Dr. Lafferty, the Mayor of Calgary, I desire to give my thanks for his great kindness to me during my stay there. After my return from Carberry, on Wednesday, November 5th, I visited Dominion City, fifty-six miles due south from Winnipeg. The farmers here were more forward with .their work than in other parts— most of the threshing being finished, and a larger area of stubble ploughed. The farmers appeared to be well satisfied with the return from this year's crop, it being not at all unusual for the yield to have been as high as thirty bushels per acre. Province of British Columbia. General industries. A description of the scenery of the Rocky Mountains being scarcely included within the scope of this report, I shall not dwell upon it, further than to say that its magnificence and grandeur are exceedingly impressive. New Westminsteris a prettily situated little town on the Fraser River. It is the second town on the mainland of British Columbia, and also the centre of by far the largest agricultural district of the province. There are also some most extensive saw-mills here, one of which we visited, and were astonished at the speed with which the saw passed through the logs, and the expeditious way the partly finished timber was passed about from one machine to another, by the aid of various carriers. There are also numerous salmon fishing and salmon packing establishments along the Fraser River, which employ a large number of men, especially Indians. From New Westminster we sailed down the Fraser River, an exceedingly fine stream, exceeding in some parts two miles in width. At Ladner's, near the mouth of the river, we visited an orchard containing a large number of apple and other fruit trees. Apples appear to grow well in this district, and from the number of young trees I saw, the farmers appear to \i Mr. George Hutchinson's Report. 93 ?er be giving increased attention to the culture of this fruit. On our return up the river to New Westminster, we called at the Salmon Cannery of Messrs. Ewen & Co. This establishment is a very extensive one, and turns out in one season over 25,000 cases, each case containing forty-eight 1-lb. cans of salmon. On our return we noted the splendid scenery on the banks of the Fraser, and on approaching New Westminster, the view we obtained of the city gave us a vivid impression of the beauty of its situation. On the following day we drove over the twelve miles which separate New Westminster from Vancouver City. The road is cut through the native forest of majestic pines and cedars. Vancouver City is the Pacific terminus of the Canadian Pacific Magical Railway. The site upon which the city stands has been cleared, at 8£owtJi of V -Xiicouvtii the cost of an immense sum, from forest land, upon which grew the city, monster trees which are common in this neighbourhood. In 1885 there stood where the city now stands, a solitary saw-mill; but as soon as it was ascertained that this spot was destined to be the terminus of the mighty railway, hundreds of people rushed thither, and within a year a city arose, which in June of the following year was completely destroyed by fire, not a house being left. It is now said to contain 14,000 people. From Vancouver City we passed over to Lulu Island and Sea Island, at the mouth of the Fraser River. These islands have an area of over 40,000 acres; the soil is very rich, and yields crops of surprising quantity—three tons of hay, eight quarters of oats, and seven quarters of wheat being given as the average yield per acre. Most of this land could have been bought five or six years ago at from 4s. to 5s. per acre; now from £6 to £15 is demanded. From Vancouver City, we crossed the Gulf of Georgia to Nanaimo, Vancouver on the Island of Vancouver. The principal coal mines of British Island- Columbia are situated here. From Nanaimo we went to Victoria, by the railway which connects these two cities. Almost the whole of this line (73 miles) passes through heavily timbered land, a very small proportion of which is cleared, with few signs of settlement. Victoria is the capital of British Columbia. It is delightfully Provincial situated, commanding a splendid view of the Straits of Georgia. On capital and i the day after our arrival in Victoria we had a long drive into the country and visited several, farms. Most of the farms appear to be small, and to be carried on in a rather rough fashion. On one farm, better managed than some of the others, we saw some very good wheat and oats. :; The dairy also appeared to be giving a good return, the butter making Is. 5d. per lb. All the best land being heavily timbered, a good farm can be got only after great expense in clearing the forest. This work is said to cost from £5 to £10 per acre. Small cleared farms, with buildings, can be bought near Victoria at from $5 to £25 per acre. One near Victoria, which had a large orchard of good fruit- bearing trees, and good buildings, had been recently sold for £30 per acre. On our return to New Westminster, we sailed up the Fraser River as far as the Chilliwack Valley on the south bank. Through this district we had a long drive, and noticed that most of the farmers gave their chief attention to fruit-growing and dairying. The lumber industry will, for years to come, continue to be of some importance in this district, and afford employment to a large number of men. At Popcum, where there is a very large saw-mill, we crossed the Fraser River, and walked to the Government Experimental Farm at Agassiz. Here we found the men busy taking out the large fir stumps, most of the land having had to be cleared before being cultivated. I measured surrounding The Eraser Eiver Valley. 94 The Agricultural and other Resources of Canada. Wa{ es. Climate of B.O. Agricultural exhibition of products and machinery. Guelph Agricultural College and Model Farm. one of these trees, the root of which they were taking out. It was 150" feet long and 5 feet in diameter. From Agassiz we continued our journey easward. Wages in British Columbia are higher than further east. An ordinary unskilled labourer receives about six shillings per day. Farm servants, engaged by the month, are paid from £4 to £6, with board and lodging. The Chinamen perform most of the domestic duties in Victoria, and generally fill the places of the under-servants. Their presence, however, is tolerated only for the sake of convenience, white labour for this class of work being difficult to obtain. Women servants are scarce, and get from £2 10s. to £4 per month, with board. The climate of British Columbia is very different from that of the part of Canada lying east of the Rocky Mountains. It varies considerably in different localities, but, taken as a whole, it is much more moderate and equable than that of any other portion of Canada, enjoying cooler summers and milder winters. The appearance of the country in general denotes a heavy rainfall. The wooden roofs of the houses, in some places, have a thick covering of green moss, and the forests have a thick undergrowth of plants and shrubs which grow only in a moist atmosphere. Province op Ontario. I spent six days in this province on my first arrival in September- and completed my inspection on my return from the West in the latter part of November and the beginning of December. Before, leaving Toronto I had my first experience of a Canadian winter, as at this time the snow was falling fast, and the sleighs had taken the place of the ordinary means of conveyance. At Toronto, the Agricultural Exhibition, or Show, was being held. We had here an opportunity of seeing samples of the agricultural produce from every part of the Dominion, from the Atlantic to the Pacific coast. The cattle classes were very good, especially the Shorthorns. The heavy horses were not an important class, either in numbers or quality. The light trotting horses yoked to light carriages are always a great feature at the Canadian exhibitions—every farmer possessing, as a matter of course, the best trotter. The machinery and implements were an interesting display, their chief notable features being their extreme lightness of material, and evidently good construction. Self-binding reapers were very numerous, the ordinary reaper being- conspicuous by its almost total absence. This indicates how largely the binders are used and appreciated. The exhibit of grain was very large, the finest samples being those of wheat and peas, the oats and barley not being so good. Potatoes and mangels were good ; the turnips, in some cases, were very large, but rather coarse. One day was spent at Guelph and the farms in the neighbourhood. This is one of the best agricultural districts of Ontario. The Guelph Agricultural College is also well worthy of a visit. The college and farm buildings are well placed upon rising ground in the centre of the farm, which consists of 550 acres of various qualities of soil. The students do nearly the whole work upon the farm, under the superintendence of a foreman for each department. The students are paid for this work at rates varying from 2d. to 5d. per hour. They can in this way largely reduce the cost of their board and lodging, for which they are charge 10s. per week. In our drive round the farm, we saw an excellent crop of Indian corn ; this, after being passed through a cutter, makes excellent food for stock. The college has also conferred a great benefit on the farmers of Ontario by the importation of thoroughbred stock, and by holding annual sales as the animals increase on the farm. Mr. George Hutchinson's Report. 95 Near Hamilton we saw a splendid crop of grapes, said to amount to more than two tons to the acre. The best fruit section of Ontario is in the south—in the counties lying between Lakes Erie and Ontario— it being only in this region that, up to the present, fruit-growing has received much attention. Accompanied by Mr. W. F. Cockshutt, of Brantford, I visited the Bow Park Bow Park Farm, where I found a herd of Shorthorns which in number Parm- and quality cannot be equalled in Canada, and perhaps not surpassed in any other country. Canadian farmers, having such a herd in their midst, ought to improve the general quality of their stock faster than they are apparently doing ; and it is a surprising fact that the majority of the bulls sold at Bow Park are bought by farmers from the United States, whereas it is evident that it would conduce much to the benefit of the Dominion to keep them at home. In the neighbourhood of Brantford, the land is of good quality, and can be bought, a few miles out of the town, for from £8 to £12 per acre. At Norval, in the County of Halton, and in the district round that Purchase town, I spent four days with Mr. John Robinson, a native of Penrith, J^lndSe^ to whom I am indebted for much kindness during my stay. One farm, age yield, about two miles from Norval, 100 acres in extent, had been recently sold for £1,600, and afterwards left for 14s. per acre, and another adjoining it for £1,175, and let for 12s. per acre, or on an average for the two, of about twenty years' purchase on the rent. These farms had good dwelling-houses and buildings. The taxes on each of these two farms amounted to £6 10s. per annum. The average yield of wheat in this district is from eighteen to twenty-five bushels, and of barley twenty-five bushels per acre. At the flour mill in the town of Norval, the farmers were receiving 4s. per bushel for their wheat, delivered at the mill. It is not so easy to calculate the cost of growing and marketing an acre of wheat in Ontario as in Manitoba, but, for the sake of comparison, I give the following, which is the average received from several farmers :— £ s. d. Ploughing, Sowing, and Harrowing 1 13 4 Harvesting and Carting 0 6 3 Threshing 0 3 0 Carting to Market 0 2 5 Rent and Taxes 0 16 0 £3 10 umaK-_-z-_n_Gam £ s. d. 23bushelsat4s. per bushel 4 12 0 Deduct expenses per acre 3 1 0 £1 il 0 At St. Mary's, in the County of Perth, I called upon Mr. J. D. Butter and Moor, who gave me some very useful information about the egg and eggs* butter trade, in which he is very largely interested. Mr. Moor sends waggons into the country for fifteen miles around, and collects the eggs and butter from the farmers. Last year, from this district 660,000 dozen of eggs were collected by Mr. Moor and another dealer, the price paid varying from 6d. per dozen in March, to 9d. in November. Mr. Moor pays the farmers 6d. per lb. for butter in summer, and for a short time in winter as high as 9d. The butter made in the factories generally fetches 2d. per lb. more than ordinary farmer's butter. At Tavistock, I was shown over one of Mr. Ballantyne's cheese Cheese fac-. factories, by the manager, Mr. Bell, who gave me some useful particulars Ji0™?8' p*?" regarding the cheese trade. Mr. Bell is probably as good an authority prices. 96 The Agricultural and other Resources of Canada. Sheep farming. General characteristics of Nova Scotia. on cheese-making and the cheese trade as I could have met with' There are six cheese factories within a radius of 10 miles from Tavistock* at which 905 tons of cheese were manufactured during last season, and there are over 400 co-operative cheese factories similar to the above in Ontario, so that the total quantity of cheese made must be very large. Almost the whole of this cheese comes to Great Britain. At the present rate of increase, it will not be long before more cheese is brought hither from Canada, than from any other country. The cheese at the Tavistock Factory was sold during last May, June and July for 4£d. per lb., and during August for 5^d. At this factory, the farmers are charged ld. per lb. commission for manufacturing the cheese, so that the farmers would really get ld. per lb. less than the above. It takes about one gallon of milk to make one lb. of cheese, so that the farmers sending milk to the Tavistock Dairy were receiving 3|d. per gallon in May, June, and July, and 4^d. in August. The cost of taking the milk from the farm to the factory is included in the charge of ld. per lb. for manufacturing the cheese. At the Union or Big Factory, the cost of making cheese is fd. per lb., being less than the average on account of the larger amount made, and the shorter distance the milk has to- be hauled to the factory. At Woodstock, in Oxford County, I visited a farm of 300 acres, belonging to Mr. Wm. Donaldson, who is a native of Dalston, in Cumberland. He has a very superior stock of cattle and- sheep, amongst the cattle being some very good heifers. He gave 16s. 6d. each for 60 lambs, which, after feeding them for four months, he had just sold for 20s. 3d. per 100 lbs. of live weight, or 29s. each. These lambs were sold to go to Buffalo, in the United States, where 3s. duty would have to be paid upon each. Mr. Donaldson also fattens, during winter, about 20 steers, which he says pay very well. During my visit he had twenty, for which he had paid £7 10s. each. He had three men-servants, who were boarded in the house, one of whom received in wages £33, and the other two, each £31 a year. "Province of Quebec. My visit to the Eastern Townships and the Maritime Provinces was paid too late in the season to allow me to see much. I was pleased with what I did see of them; their general aspect, in some places, being somewhat like that of some parts of Cumberland—hilly, well watered and wooded. The soil appeared to be good, and particularly well adapted for green crops and pasture. The land, too, considering its quality, was cheaper than in the neighbouring provinces. One farm of 180 acres, with comfortable house and good barn, could be bought for £750, and a second of 300 acres, with two dwelling-houses—one in good order—good farm buildings, railway station upon the farm, and school within one mile, could be bought for £1,250. There are many farms for sale, of which the two I have mentioned are a fair average. I would advise anyone visiting Canada with a view to settling, to see this district for themselves. Province op Nova Scotia. In Nova Scotia we paid a visit to the far-famed fruit-growing district of the Annapolis Valley. Few parts of Canada can show such prosperous-looking farm-houses, or such pretty villages as can be seen in this valley, which lies between Digby and Windsor. The apple orchards are rapidly increasing, not only in the Annapolis Valley, but also in many other parts of this province. It is becoming Mr. George Hutchinson's Report. 97 more generally recognized that excellent fruit can be grown over a large area of Nova Scotia. Another great feature of this province is the dyke-lands, which have been reclaimed from the shallows at the inlets of the Bay of Fundy. As the name, dyke-lands suggests, they have been enclosed from the sea. In many cases the grass is cut from swamps, which have notryet been dyked, and over which the tides flow during certain seasons. The grass is made into hay and stacked on a framework, which is raised several feet above the foot of the piles. It is a curious sight to see the water flowing around and under the stacks, when the tide is at its height. The real dyke-lands are fenced in from the sea by a strong bank of earth, from six to eight feet high, the land within the dyke being quite firm and solid. These dyke-lands, or bottomlands, are of great value to the owners of the adjoining highlands, their fertility being unusually high. They are never manured, yet, on an average, upwards of two tons of hay per acre are cut from them ; and this has been done for many years without showing signs of running out. These dyke-lands are worth from £20 to £40 per acre, while a farm on the highlands, with dwelling-house and buildings, will not be worth more than £2 to £6 per acre. Conclusion. Emigration is a matter that should be undertaken very carefully, and an endeavour should be made to get clear ideas of what settling in a young country really means. In many parts of Canada there are as good farmers, as good houses, and as good schools as in England. But it must not be forgotten that considerable capital is required to purchase a farm in these districts. Anyone going out with the intention of taking up a free grant, must expect to live for a few years in a very thinly-settled district, and, as a consequence, to put up with a good many inconveniences, in addition to the usual ones of mosquitoes, bad roads in summer, and cold in winter. These things are, no doubt, more or less of an annoyance, but I have often noticed how little most of the people who have been a short time in the country regard them. The large number of farms for sale in the old provinces may be Improved accounted for as follows :—Most of the owners obtained the land for fa*jm® avail- nothing, and by hard work have made it of considerable value ; with chase< the capital acquired by selling it they wish to take up land in Manitoba, or the North-West Territories, where they have better opportunities of getting their sons settled upon farms of their own. Some of the farmers of Ontario have so reduced the fertility of their farms that they find it no longer profitable to farm them in the old way, and either have not capital enough, or are not willing to change their system of farming, to bring the land into heart again. They therefore want to sell, and begin afresh on new land further west. There are also many farmers who have their farms mortgaged, and are ready to sell and make a fresh start. It may be said that the same reasons apply to the British farmer, and that he also, if going to Canada, should go to Manitoba or the North-West. But it appears to* me that the English farmer, in taking up land in the older provinces, will find life more like that he has been accustomed to, and will be able to bring the soil into a better state of cultivation in many cases in which it has been much neglected. On the other hand, no one could be better adapted than the native Canadian to open up a new country. The fanner who has made up his mind to leave his native land to a country seek a home on Canadian soil will find in either Manitoba or the old rich in resources. 38 The Agricultural and other Resources of Canada. The proper class for immigration to Manitoba. provinces, plenty of scope for his energies. He will have the advantage of being nearer England than in any of her other colonies, and will go to a land of immense mineral as well as agricultural resources yet to be developed, a land that has a great future before it. The question my be asked, "Who ought to go to Manitoba and the North-West?" I reply, any man who has made up his mind to emigrate, and is not afraid of hard work, and a few discomforts for a few years, especially one whose family is old enough to be of some use upon the farm. No doubt there are many drawbacks to be encountered, many hardships to be endured, but not one that a little pluck and perseverance will not overcome, and none that will not be amply compensated for by the comfort and independence to be gained after a few years. Anyone about to take up a homestead should take plenty of time in making his choice, and do nothing hastily. There are many interested parties who will urge him to make a purchase which might prove a disappointing one. The soil, and even the climate, vary very much, even in districts not far apart. Great care is therefore necessary in the choice of a location. It is a good plan to spend a year or two in the country before finally deciding, and then to buy or settle in a district of which some knowledge has thus been gained. Anyone, if there be such, who goes to Canada with the expectation that as soon as he sets his foot on her soil he will make his fortune, is under a great mistake. Above all things, an emigrant should have good health, and be prepared to do anything that first comes to his hand; he will then, in a few years, find himself his own landlord and independent. I have been careful in this report to avoid even the appearance of exaggeration, but my desire is that everything I have said should be taken in its fullest meaning. In conclusion, I beg to thank all those who showed me such extreme kindness during my sojourn in the Dominion; especially Mr. G. H. Campbell, who rendered us such invaluable assistance during the time we spent in the West, and the Hon. J. Carling, Minister of Agriculture, who received us so courteously at the outset of our course of inspection. CITY OF HALIFAX. THE REPORT OF MR. ROBERT PITT, Crickett Court, Ilminster. -xhibition at Toronto. I have the honour to present my report of the result of my journey through Canada, during the period commencing 4th September, and -ending.6th November, 1890. In the first place, I wish to tender my thanks for the honour shown by my selection for such work, and can but trust that the result may be satisfactory. The opening of the local Agricultural Society's show at Toronto The agricul- was the means of my seeing an exceptionally well-patronised annual tural and arts exhibition, which, for a purely local show—or annual " fair," as it is looked upon by part of the population—is not to be beaten by any of -our English agricultural societies. The exhibits of cattle, horses, fruit, .and agricultural implements were particularly large, giving me the idea that I was to see a distinctly progressive country. The exhibit of The exhibits- cheese did not appear large, seeing that the statistics make it the most valuable export of the country, next to lumber, and also that the prize for the premier cheese at the show was a sum equal to £12 English money. Other exhibits at this show—such as carriages, waggons, -stoves, bee-keeping appliances—were made an attractive feature in -quantity, and, indeed, in excellence. Fruit deserves a special mention, -as growing it is evidently a staple industry, and at all, times it is a very cheap and welcome diet in the Province of Ontario. Summer pears and apples shown, indicated that they were largely grown, and eminently suited to the climate. In pears, the names "Beurre du ■Congress" and "Josephine de Malines" are a fine and useful variety -of summer sorts ; but in mid-autumn I found the supply of good pears, such as the English "Aston Town," deficient. In apples, the " Duchess^ of Oldenburg," the "Snow," the "Gravenstein," and amongst cookers the "King Tompkin Co.," are Al. Grapes, white and black, outdoor • and indoor grown, made a large show, and are immensely popular with the people here, some varieties being excellent eating, even the sorts •with very small berries ; but there is much room for improvement in propagation of other sorts which have a peculiar flavour, which is quite an acquired taste. This branch is receiving careful attention at the head Experimental Dominion ex- Farm at Ottawa, under the able supervision of Professor Saunders, perimental Director of Dominion Government Experimental Farms, of which ThSr great' there are five throughout the Dominion. The conception of this value to the policy (of creating these farms) for the advancement of agriculture country, .and assistance of farmers throughout Canada, is due to the Hon. John Carling, M.P., Minister of Agriculture, and is an estimable work—one that Great Britain has never done, but might justly -copy. As the term " Experimental" signifies, they are not so-called 1 Colleges " for young men whereat to play at farming, but orthodox farms in every sense, where crops of ordinary acreage, and not plots, are scientifically, but practically, taken off the land in the best conceived rotation. The Ottawa farm is not in the best agricultural district of •Canada, but is carefully selected for variety of soils. A large amount -of work has been got through in its three years' existence, making it look in profitable order for its particular requirements. The essence 100 The Agricultural and other Resources of Canada. An immense country. Its area, com parative and actual. Civil divisions. Provinces larger than European • Kingdoms. of the system is to grow all crops, and feed all stock suitable, or likely to be suitable, to the country. The results are printed in annual reports, pamphlets or bulletins being issued periodically, as occasion requires ; and every farmer throughout the Dominion, whose address is once obtained is supplied with these free by post, without any subscription or payment being required of him. Thus a system is inaugurated, and is doing more valuable work each year, by which every farmer in Canada's western, central or eastern Provinces may at all times gain insight and advice from the experimental farm of his own province, or the head farm at Ottawa. The whole work done here shows advanced management, with a thoroughly honest purpose, which is very refreshing. Almost every branch of agriculture is taken in hand, from corn-growing to chicken-breeding, grass culture to tree- rearing—of which latter a promising experiment is now making good way towards success in Russian pines for planting in the, at present, treeles zones of the prairies, which may have the effect in a few years of making these as good in this respect as any other parts. In perusing this report, or considering the qualities and capabi" lities of any land, careful reference should always be made to a map> and, for preference, a map of the provinces of the country, or " coun" tries " by themselves, as each province in this immense Canada may be styled. To arrive at an idea of the size of countries before having travelled over them, is very difficult, and it is especially so with Canada, because she is the largest civilised country in the world. The area of her inland lakes and rivers would just float Great Britain and Ireland, and yet leave a strip of water all round, so that they would still be islands. Comparing Canada with other continents, she is, roughly speaking, the same size as the whole of Europe ; half a milion square miles larger than the United States of America (without Alaska) ; also about the same number of square miles larger than Australia. In exact figures, Canada has 3,379,000 square miles of land and 140,- 000 square miles of principal lakes and rivers, making in all 3,519,000 * square miles. This immense territory is divided into provinces, many of which are themselves larger than, or about as large as, our own most extensive European countries. For instance, Manitoba is rather larger than England and Wales; Ontario and Quebec are each about the same size as the German Empire ; British Columbia is one and a-half times as large as Germany ; and Alberta, Athabasca, Assiniboia and Saskatchewan are about half as large as that empire. When we learn that Germany supports 45,000,000 souls on her 211,000 square miles, which is equal to 216 people to each mile, it will be apparent to what extent Canada is now capable of expansion, the present population numbering only about 5,000,000. All this country is now so close to us that it is reached in seven days' steaming (and soon will be four and a half), with almost perfect immunity from accident; the centre of the continent in three days more by rail; and it is crossed in another three —making only 13 days in all, or less than half the time taken to reach Australia. Passing through from England, it was necessary for me to visit Toronto, in Ontario, for the sake of the show then in progress; after which, in order to make a round trip, the Provinces of Manitoba, Assiniboia, and Alberta were visited in order named, returning by the Great Lakes to Ontario, thence through New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, home. Mr. Robert Pitt's Report. PROVINCE OF MANITOBA. Winnipeg is the fortunate town so easily found on the map of Canada by putting one's thumb down in the centre of it. On arrival at this town of startling growth, the capital of the easternmost of the great prairie districts, Lieut.-Governor Schultz held out a kindly welcome, as he does to all citizens in this free country. Now' getting on to the land of Manitoba south-west of Winnipeg, and making calls at different farms quite at random, in the hope of arriving at an average of what can be done in each locality, a neat brick house near Silver Heights attracted attention—that of Mr. Tait, of St. James', the son of a Hudson Bay Company's employe. On the 100 acre farm here, he has built this good house, and also put his son out on another farm in a neighbouring grazing district, from which 40 head of cattle had just been shipped to England as part of the year's produce of this farm, and 60 horses are constantly kept for breeding and drafting from. Upon the home farm had been reaped this year 40 acres of wheat, yielding 30 bushels per acre. No manure was used for this result, and it is only put on for raising potatoes. Two adjoining farms had been sold last month—one for £10 per acre, and the other for £8 per acre. These were improved farms, with house and buildings on them. It must be remembered that there was in 1881-83 a land boom in Winnipeg, since which time a great depreciation has been felt. The effect of this has now passed over, and land is decidedly on the increase again, so that for this locality the above values are about the thing. The land here is a good loam, with a clay subsoil, and may be called a heavy land for this country. Following out south-west from here, the original prairie is still unbroken for many miles; not for want of being taken up, but it is held for speculation, being near Winnipeg. Around Carman, a station on what is called the Glenboro' railroad, things seemed busy this season; a grain elevator being at work, and much stimulus for building being apparent. The settlement, though only ten years old, has full-fledged municipal machinery in operation. I saw some grain samples here, but quite the first to come in, and wanting in colour. Treherne, another station along this road, and colonized now twelve years, has a flour mill, belonging to a different owner from that of the elevator, which is found here, as at almost every station now. It is always an advantage for a place to have a flour mill and and an elevator, or two elevators under different ownership. Made a careful inspection of the Crofter settlement between Hilton and Belmont stations, on the Northern Pacific and Manitoba line. There are 12 families here from Harris—one of the islands of the western Hebrides of Scotland:—and 18 from the island of Lewis. These people were sent out in 1888 as an experiment under a Government grant system, but were sent too late—in June—that year, to secure any crops ; and the season of 1889 having been a very bad one, this year is the first in which they can hope to make any profit, The repayment of their advances does not commence for more than two years, so that they have ample time to get into a satisfactory financial position. Taking one or two examples out of these 30 families : First, Mr. and Mrs. Stewart, with a young family of sons and daughters, one daughter being big enough to work in the house, had now got 60 of their own 160 acres under wheat crop, and 30 rented from a neighbour. From this they expected to secure 2,000 bushels this year. They had 20 head of cattle, several pigs, and some fowls ; sold butter and eggs to neighbours ; had a pony and buckboard, a fair cow-house and stable, and a two-roomed dwelling-house, with a well of water only 8 101 Farms inspected. Wheat yield per acre. Highland crofters, from the main land and Islands of Scotland. 102 The Agricultural and other Resources of Canada. Personal examples. A Yorkshire immigrant. How to begin in Manitoba. Thriving settlements. 1 15 feet deep. Next take Duncan Macdonald and wife, and their grownup son, neighbours about three miles from above-mentioned family. Here was a fair dwelling-house, with outhouses being made round it in good fashion, and a milk-house sunk underground, denoting good progress. The locality here was very' nice-looking, with good top soil of loam, near the Tiger Hills, which, although not high, give a pleasing appearance to the country, and are well watered. So that, seeing the progress made, and remembering the bad harvest the crofters contended with in 1889, the experiment must be considered a success, as they are all still on the land, and probably in a position to pay off, this year, a part of the mortgage taken by the Government for security of their loan if it had been due. The system of colonization by free grants— or I homesteading," as it is called—is the same all over the North- West of Canada. A homesteader may select a quarter-section, which is 160 acres, wherever he finds it unoccupied. By living on it six months a year for three years, and bringing a reasonable area into cultivation, it becomes his own for ever,; and he can also secure for small payment an adjoining section if it happens to be vacant. At Kindower House, five miles from Glenboro', met Mr. Watson, who came out four years ago from Yorkshire. Has two daughters and five sons, two of whom are now able to help him; therefore he is well suited for a colonist's life. He began by renting a farm, some way off from here, and had bad luck, a frost nipping off nearly all his crop ; but he plucked up courage, and managed to buy his present farm, which is nicely situated on good, rich-looking soil—140 acres being under crop this year out of 160. Has 16 head of cattle, a pair of horses, <fec, &c, and managed to borrow a pair of oxen to help to harvest his wheat this year. Expected his wheat crop to thresh out 40 bushels per acre, which would probably fetch 75 cents, or about 3s., per bushel at his station. Adjoining this farm was that of Mr. Smeaton, an able young man, who came to the country two years ago, working for an employer the first year. This plan cannot be too greatly emphasized. As every farmer knows, changing country is most deceiving, always meaning a change of system, and much more so when going to a far-off country. A person taking up land here should certainly have resided in the country one jor two years, during which time good wages may be made ; and, board and lodging being always found, these wages come in towards capital for starting with. Driving across the prairies from Glenboro' in a westerly direction, numbers of good thriving settlements are passed. The country is undulating to a pleasing degree, and the soil a rich-looking dark loam, in many places showing considerable thickness. The prairie in this district is not the often-imagined everlasting flat, but situated under the north slope of the Tiger Hills, and dotted with farms and woods, which make it quite pretty. Mr. Rothwell's farm at Northfield, near Wawanesa, had a clean, well-worked appearance, the whole being in very good order, with a flock of healthy Down and Leicester cross of sheep, a field of roots, nice clumps of wood copse about, and a good road through it. Another—the Elliott settlement—just west of Wawanesa, was a thoroughly good-looking district, and thriving, though some crops had been cut by a hailstorm this year. The picture here presented to the eye is very wonderful, the land being largely broken up, i.e., cultivated. It presented on driving through, one sea of wheat, oats, or baley—some standing, others in the sheaf, or in stacks, or being carried ; men and horses and oxen dotted about over the whole, working truly their hardest while daylight lasted each day ; and far and near in the summer sun glistened the log huts and, in many cases, Mr. Robert Pitt's Report. 103 well-built houses, of all these workers. West of this, round Minnewawa (a pleasant-looking, thriving place), as the railroad is only just making, there is considerable room for homesteading. The country is of undulating character, good, rich top soil for the most part, and good water within 20 feet of surface. At Souris, a town some 22 milles south-west of Brandon, situated on The Souris the river of same name, there now is much stir, there being railway com- District and munication, elevators, flour mill, saw mills, etc. The Souris is a small and shallow river of great length (about 800 miles), draining for a large part of its length a fine, rich country. The town has been in existence eight years, and has now about 700 inhabitants, the district having been taken up by a company, who paid the Government $1, or 4s., per acre. By this system the Government retains every other section for home- steading, and it might be made a help to colonization if the company in these instances was obliged to sell at any time at current value; but Acreage yield as they hold for profit, this generally retards a district. They do, how- and prices, ever, sell a considerable area every year. The price of such lands ranges from 16s. to 24s. per acre, spread over a term of years. A farmer at Souris said he threshed out 40 acres of wheat this year, yielding 40 bushels per acre, and sold for 80 cents, or 3s. 4d., nominal, per bushel. At Beresford, near here, Mr. Smith has a successful farm of 600 acres, in grass, wheat and roots, a stock of 60 horses, and breeds pedigree cattle; and being what is called salt land—namely, having deposits of alkali salts—he believes in making manure for it. This is a knotty point at present amongst the settlers, but one which is likely to be settled all one way. Many farmers at present in the North-West say the prairie is so rich in nitrates that it will not stand manuring, and that the land will never be improved by manure. \ A certain amount of success, however, has already been made, as in Mr. Smith's case, at Beresford, by manuring this salt land ; and it appears that after a few years' dressing for root crops, it becomes good wheat land. Doubtless, as has been the case in other new countries, the first settlers here find the soil so rich that they are not obliged to grow anything but wheat; and the winters being long, requiring animals to be fed six months, they are disinclined to begin this course of farming. Experience will no doubt prove, after a few crops of wheat have been taken off the land consecutively, that manure will be needed to keep up the yield ; so that the early use of well-rotted farmyard manure will mean the necessity for keeping stock, and hence the greater enrichment of the soil and the farmers at the earliest possible date. There is great discussion at present as to whether straw, made \ into manure, will rot in the climate of the North-West, and it is difficult to find any genuine attempts as yet; but there can be little doubt of success, if properly treated. Doubtless it must take longer than in a moist climate ; but if deposited in a sunk midden, and turned over twice a year, mixed and covered with a little soil, it will rot well in three years. It would, however, pay in the long run better than putting on the ground in half-rotten state. There is great disposition, even in Ontario, to use farmyard manure only half rotted ; this being evidently carelessness, or fear of expense. It is noticeable, in contradistinction to this, that some in Ontario are now looking to the liquid manure—saving it in straw-yard with tanks below—which many an English farmer has yet to learn to do, and will do, as time goes on. Burning the straw in the North-West appears a sinful operation, even at this early period of the country's history. Were this buried now on a waste corner, it must come in as a useful fertilizer some years hence, when many a one will be glad of it. It is possible, owing to 104 The Agricultural and other Resources of Canada. RedFifewheat HARVESTING AT SANDISON S FARM, BRANDON. the action of frost on it during winter, if only buried a foot or two, it will take some years to rot; but whether or no, the fact remains, it will then be available for turning over, and at worst will come in handy for setting potatoes in. The reprehensible practice of burning, it is argued, leaves some manure behind; but how much ? The majority, and the most valuable, of the manurial properties are lost in the air. Mr. Sandison, of Brandon, kindly showed his large wheat and oat farms : this expression, " wheat and oat farms," is used because at present nothing else is attempted. Here are 1,850 acres under crop this year—the best Red Fife wheat seed being used, and Canadian black oat—all this in one broad stretch of country together, without a division ; and of hedges, of .course, there are none. With 12 binding harvesters, taking about 60 horses to work them, 2 threshing -machines, and 60 men at work, with the expectation of 30 bushels of wheat and 70 of oats per acre, this ought to make a farmer's heart glad. Mr. Sandison is one who studies his labour question. He Wages of farm engages men for all the year round, paying at present in his section of country $35 per month (£7) in summer, for say, five months, and $20 per month (£4) in winter, with board and lodging as well in all cases. (This applies only to single men ; in the case of married people, farmers do not yet supply houses in these parts.) This secures a constant supply of good men; but, unfortunately, those farmers holding only 160 acres each, say they are unable to pay wages during winter months; consequently, they find it difficult in harvest to obtain any labourers at even higher wages, because men cannot be got to go long distances for a few weeks during harvest. This labour difficulty is, gradually of course, working itself out. Many farmers in the Province of Ontario now build houses for the best men ; those homesteaders on 160 acres who have sons growing up have enough labour at harvest for themselves, and help their neighbours in turn; still it must be many years before demand for harvesters can be satisfied, and it would be a vast help to the country, if in some seasons, the Dominion Government could institute a system of free passes per ship and rail from distant parts, arranging for annual hirings to take place in the district requiring labour. There are similar systems at work throughout Great hands. ' Mr. Robert Pitt's Report. Britain of very old standing, when the railways carry harvesters at very low rates ; though in Canada's case, the distances would be too great without some State help—or it might emanate from the province, forming a tax upon the inhabitants, which would be for the general benefit of the whole community. The migration of male and female servants is now systematically and admirably looked after by several societies in England. The British Women's Emigration Society, under the guidance of the Hon. Mrs. Joyce, of Winchester, sends out personally conducted parties of females annually, providing situations, and also homes for them should they at any time be out of situation, but such an event need not often happen, as the demand is constant. There is a considerable amount of friction on the part of employers of servants, who complain of the independence of those in their service; but this matter appears to resolve itself into a study of human nature and the management of that commodity. Mr. Sandison's was only one of a series of successful farms found Available all round Brandon, Portage la Prairie, Elkhorn and Indian Head ; the jjjjjj^j?*set" homesteads are nearly all taken up, but plenty of land is to be bought from $4 to $10 per acre (16s. to £2), with buildings on. As far north from Brandon as Rapid City, farms and corn are to be seen almost without intermission. This latter place, disappointed of its railway (the Canadian Pacific Railway) about eight years ago, has been standing still, but now, with two railroads at its door, it is all the more ready to spread itself into a busy town. It has water power available, flour mill, woollen mill, brickyard, lime-kiln, all in working order. Brandon has the Manitoba branch of the Dominion Experimental. Farms, close by, which showed its produce of this year's Indian corn for green fodder, wheat, barleys, native grasses, and wonderful vegetables of every variety known in England, and twice the size, and some useful kinds strange to Britain. Conversation with various authorities who buy wheat in this Grades of district proves that it is sought after for its hard qualities, experience Mamt. a\ showing that the more northerly the country the harder the grain; mand. and Ontario millers seek it for mixing with that of their southerly province; also, the United States buy up large quantities. The Prices, grades for fineness are determined every year, and prices range accordingly. For No. 1 hard (or very best) about 80 cents per bushel has been about the price this year; for No. 2 hard (or best) about 70 cents, -■saw paid, which was what most of this year's crop, would probably fetch. Then comes grade No. 1 Northern, and No. 2 Northern, which about includes all classification, the prices ranging down to 65 cents per bushel. There being 100 cents to a dollar (4s. 2d. nominal), these prices in English money represent from 3s. 4d. to 2s. ld. as the range known during eight or ten years past, with probably an average of 75 cents, or 3s. l^d. English money, not counting in discount upon exchange which will only affect the pocket of the settler if he should send money to England. Wheat being the staple crop, and the above being the price obtainable, it is required to show what has to be done for it. First, the farmer must have his land once ploughed, and in breaking up prairie it requires backsetting also—i.e., turning up a little subsoil by a second ploughing ; this must be finished before the frost comes, in the fall of the year. Then his seed must be ready and paid for -in spring, when the land does not require ploughing again, but sowing is done at once, and every nerve must be strained to finish as soon as possible after the frost is out of the surface of the ground—about the middle to end 106 The Agricultural and other Resources of Canada. vest. Profits of wheat raising, of April; then, this once over, and the land clean, there is nothing more to do to it till harvesting commences—from the middle of August to the begining of September, so quickly do things grow. A peculiar feature of the country is that seed-time is not delayed till all the frost is out of the ground, but sowing is commenced immediately the soil is in condition for about 2 to 3 inches from the surface ; then the fact of the remainder of the frost gradually rising upwards supplies moisture to the plants. Improving the Between seed-time and harvest is when the good farmer hurries interval be- up t0 plough a fallow, or break a new piece of prairie for next year. time and har- I met settlers who had broken 40 acres with one pair of horses this year during this period. Many minor expenses vary with each individual farmer; but, after many inquiries, I estimate that every payment for seed, ploughing, reaping, threshing, bagging and hauling to nearest station, will probably take 40 cents per bushel. These are all the processes the farmer has to do with, all dressing of grain being done by the merchant after buying from the farmer, who receives his money according to bargain as each load is delivered at the elevator alongside his nearest station. No doubt the grower actually pays for cleaning and dressing the grain ; but this is much better done by the merchant in this country, he having elevators and power machinery to do it with. It is an established custom also to pay for all grain upon delivery : the advantage to the farmer of this system need not be dilated upon. Now the cost price being 40 cents, and sale price 75 cents, the profit is 35 cents, but this is not yet quite all net. There has to be taken away still two uncertain quantities—the fallowing of the land every third year, and costs of ploughing that year. If one-third of the above average receipts is deducted, it will probably suffice for these, and leave the net result of corn-growing at 23 cents per bushel to go towards living and savings. In some instances, men have started with too little capital, and had to mortgage for payment of plant, etc.; but this is a reprehensible practice, as the danger of getting behind in a bad season is too- great. Obtaining a mortgage, and engaging to pay off in five years, with interest at 6 per cent., is all very well, when once three or four years of success have been met with ; but it must be remembered that in every country there are dry and wet years, also years of blight or frost. Now, considering the amount in money to be made off a 160-acre homestead farm in the North-West, giving a man three years to get 130 acres under crop, and an average of only 20 bushels to the acre (which, as mentioned in other places, is no doubt considerably exceeded), this will make £119 as average profit from the wheat crop alone, besides which something will be coming in from about 28 acres remaining of the 160. It should be mentioned, these figures are, if anything, under the mark, it not being desirable to overstate the possibilities of the country. Beyond this, there is at present a sure increase for a homesteader or purchaser in the value of land ; as it appears that some settlers have sold land which they acquired only a year or two ago and actually obtained three times the price they gave for it, or an increase of 300 per cent, per acre. It must be a recommendation to a country, for a settler to know he has a prospect such as this in case he should wish, from any cause, to sell and buy in another part of the country. Of courpe, no one is allowed to homestead a second time, and moving, no doubt, means a less comfortable home for a family for a time, but does not give much more labour, as there is no clearing of the land to be done on these prairies. Another manner for a homesteader to increase his wealth is, in the event of his having sons, to choose for them Mr. Robert Pitt's Report. homesteads near his own, which they are entitled to on attaining the age of 18, and in this case the sons become established for life, and at the same time can help their parent in the matter of labour. The manner of starting to work on a homestead, a settler will find out as soon as he has been in the country for a little while. The first thing done during the month of April, upon entry on the land, 107 PLOUGHING. generally, is to build a house (if a boarded one, this is run up in a few days, but some prefer to lodge in a tent until they can build a log one, if such timber is procurable), then plough, and get in some crop, after which ploughing is continued, and after harvest the time is occupied with ploughing and fencing. The money actually in pocket upon entry on a homestead must be at least £120, and more if possible. Taking the case of a labourer going \,o settle on a homestead, if he has not saved the above amount in two years' work upon a farm, he had better work another year, or agree with a landlord to work his farm, as some do, upon half profits. . The manner of taking up an homestead, which is a free gift from Free home- the Government, is as follows :—A man proposing to settle chooses a steaas> now locality for himself, and any of the inhabitants near will at all times be glad to show him the lands that are vacant; but it is imperative on himself to make final choice. After making his entry in the land office, for which a small fee is charged, he can immediately commence to build his house without further formality. The settler's right to the homestead is now assured, free for ever, without any payment, except the Purchase of light local taxation, subject only to his dwelling on it part of three Goverment consecutive years; and the next step is to buy his adjoining quarter- section, should he feel able to cultivate it eventually. This bought land, if taken from the Crown, has to be paid for at the current Government rate, which is now $2.50 per acre (10s.); but as this need only be paid in several annual instalments, the yearly sum is not heavy, and the taxes on it will only amount to about £2 more. Everyone should strive to become the landlord of 320 acres. Thus a man becomes a landlord and a citizen in this new country, and may soon take his share in the management of parochial or governmental matters. This is one way; but if a person proposing to settle has enough money, he can buy his land either from Government or private persons, thus freeing himself from obligation to homestead, which means the three years' residence. Underlying this, there is the advantage of a man 108 Tlie Agricultural and other Resources of Canada. Local taxation. The country for a British labourer. Soil and situa tion. Cattle and sheep raising being able to pay up the whole price at once ; otherwise, there has to be added to the price, interest on the remaining unpaid balance each year for the remaining years of whatever term he chooses to pay the whole in. In Manitoba, or any other country, ownership of land means taxes and other obligations ; but here they are not great at present, the only direct taxation on a 160-acre claim being about $10 per year (£2). Then there is the obligation of each settler to give in five days labour per year, or the equivalent, to making and maintenance of roads ; and that is all. Every owner of land has the right, on payment of a small license, to cut a liberal allowance of firewood for household purposes in the nearest adjoining forest district, which is always within hauling distance in Manitoba. When a arm or claim has any quantity of forest or bush on it there is generally a present value in it, and one • that will increase annually. Hay may always be collected, by obt ain- ing a " permit" at a small fee, off adjacent marsh or prairie. I have endeavoured to describe the state of things in Manitoba and the North-West, which is undoubtedly the country for an English labourer to go to. If he has but eight or nine pounds he can pay his passage, and, by arriving out there at seed or harvest time, he can be assured of work from that moment at a figure which will vary according to his competency ; and if he will only keep himself to himself, and keep his eyes about him, he is safe to be a landlord in three years, and ah established man for life. The provinces of Assiniboia and Alberta have not yet received the same amount of incoming tide of population, as Manitoba, and the same remark applies to parts of Saskatchewan and Athabasca. They are, however, being rapidly opened up by branch railways from the line of the great highway formed by the Canadian Pacific railroad. British Columbia, with its vasts mineral riches, as well as agricultural prospects,, offers some inducements for certain settlers, but at present is far removed from large markets. Manitoba is fast becoming well supplied with railways, mostly diverging from Winnipeg, and although in some few spots homesteading is a thing of the past, there are plenty of free tracts still left. In saw-mills it is well supplied, and some few other industries are started, in the shape of breweries, woollen mills, lime and stone quarries, and one or two creameries. Speaking generally of its capabilities, there are vast tracts of good land, mostly rich loam top soil with clay subsoil. It is not by any means one vast flat of prairie, but has many highlands and good rivers ; and, above all, water is found of good quality almost over the entire province at such a shallow depth that the anxiety of disposing of this question before settling on any section of land need hardly be thought of. As a country for cattle and sheep, it is believed it will soon be fruitful, in spite of a long winter feeding. As soon as more mixed farming can be introduced, cattle and sheep will be required to consume roots, etc. ; and there appears no reason why this should not become a large calf-rearing district, cows being made to calve down during winter, when there is time to attend to them. In this case the calves or young stock would form a supply for those grazing districts of southerly provinces. Sheep also may be kept on the Scotch crofter plan of herding the flocks of several owners who are neighbours, together, putting one or two boys, with a dog, to mind them. At present there are few- sheep in the whole province, the excuses given for their absence being that they cannot be kept within fences; and this may indirectly mean that the winters are cold and long, and being animals of fastidious appetite, they get tired of the dry food. These difficulties will probably be overcome by mixed crop growing, and at Mr. Robert Pitt's Report. 109 the same time breeding a hardy race of sheep. Disease, at any rate, will never be a drawback in the North-West. In Ontario every kind of beast thrives; foot-rot is hardly known, and pleuro never heard of. Domestic Fowls appear to tell a different tale: they require artificial fowls, warmth to make them do well ; but the fact has its advantages, as eggs and chickens sell well. Pig-keeping naturally follows dairying, and will here extend with it without difficulty ; although it may very well, to a certain extent, precede it, as a few pigs may easily be kept without cows—food being supplied in shape of Indian corn, grown as a green crop, small potatoes, cabbages, etc.—the selling price for good young pork being high enough to make it worth while doing. Some progress is made with planting trees for shade, lumber and fruit purposes; and they cannot be placed in the ground soon enough, as they are badly wanted, or thick enough, as trees make finer, straighter stems when planted close, and it destroys the symmetry so much to have irregularity in height some years hence. It is much easier to plant a few extra, placing 5 feet apart, instead of 10 feet, and thinning out when required, than to persuade larger transplanted ones to grow eventually. The fine and favourite maple .grows here more freely from seed than from nursery plants, and therefore can be within reach of everyone, costing, as it does, next to nothing. Province of Ontario. Getting into the Province of Ontario again, we see what has been done by colonization in from 100 years down to as short a period as 35 years. Space will not admit detailed statement of the work being done, the style of farming, etc., according to the age of each district of the country; it is only right, perhaps, to speak of the best parts of the country as it is found to-day. The different state of things existing here and in the North-West provinces at the commencement of colonization in each is very remarkable, and should not be lost sight of. In Ontario it was all vast forest—immense cedar, hardwood, or pine forest—which had all to be cleared before an acre could be cultivated; and there is plenty yet left to be cleared and to be cultivated. In Manitoba and the North-West there is no need for this long, tedious labour: it is all prairie, which takes the plough straight away, some people having started ploughing before building a house. The work done in some parts of Ontario which were primeval forest 40 years ago only is very wondeful. Now there is a railway to every part, bright- looking farms every were, with brick, stone or wood houses; barns and buildings dotted about amongst bits of original belts of forest, or planted copse; roads and fences, the latter quite good enough, but which might be kept tidier in places. All this spells success, carved out of dense and dark forest by a generation of men now nearly passed away. In the situation of the farm buildings, and the celebrated "Canadian barn" seen everywhere, the country is most happy. In England it is commonly noticed all the hauling has to be done up hill, and if there is water power available for chaff-cuting, grinding, &c.,it is not utilized. .Herein scarcity of labour has been a blessing for Canada, as farm buildings have been well placed, and especially the all-important barn. This universal sight throughout the country gives a pleasing, solid, fascinating look to the scene. Its construction—varied in size according to the acreage of holding—is generally of stone foundation and wood above. In order to make the erection cheap, anyone about to build, prepares all the frame and heavy timber, then makes a requisition on his neighbours, who, by custom, all come to help him for a day with 110 The Agricultural and other Resources of Canada. Classification of farming in Ontario. Fruit growing districts and their fruits. erection of sides and roof; and thus, each helping the other in turn,. time and expense are saved. On good farms the barn holds all the cattle and horses in winter in the basement.—and being built as often aspossibleonahill-sidetheone or two upper stories are entered by waggons on the level, and made to hold all the food for winter. Where the natural facilities do not exist, an inclined way is thrown up, of timber or soil, to allow of a waggon driving in. Water is also laid on, so that every provision is made for a whole winter. Of farming or market gardening close to the large towns, much need not be said. In these spots under-draining is now completely carried out, and throughout the SA J s O country a large amount is done. There are three distinct divisions in Ontario farming—(1st) There is mixed fanning, practised more or less all over the province; (2nd) fruit-farming in certain districts; and {3rd) Indian corn growing in others. Taking a district typical of the country, round Toronto and Guelph, are fair mixed farms. From Guelph, round places called Breslau, Berlin, Hamburg, to Stratford, some very tidy farming is to be seen. Then a large dairying district extends round the neighbourhood of London, Exter, Tavistock, Ingersoll. and Woodstock : also round Brockville and Belleville, to the east of Toronto. The particular fruit-growing districts may be said to be round Grimsby and Niagara, although there is more or less of it in several other parts. Some good stock farms are also to be found around Exeter and Seaforth. The Indian corn growing country, extending through the counties of Kent and Essex, in the extreme south-west of the province, is a very fine district—the only one of Canada in which the Indian corn ripens to perfection, and the grain of this eminently useful cereal is available for export. The soil is all a deep alluvium throughout these very flat counties, which have to be drained by dykes; and trees planted along these makes the appearance somewhat like Holland, without a hill to be seen. Yet, as in Holland, this flat, chess-board-like country is very attractive. Indian corn is a wonderful crop, that takes little out of the land—that is, does not exhaust the soil to anything like the degree others do. It is supposed that, as it is grown in other parts of Ontario, where it only makes a green, but very valuable fodder crop, the amount taken out of the land is quite inappreciable, although growing to 12 and 16 feet high. In these southern counties it serves the double purpose, the grain being taken off the stalk in October, and the stalk still coming in for food from December to end of March, which is the full extent of winter in this southern district. Rotation of crops here is varied considerably from general rule; wheat, in small quantities, or oats, \ beans, or roots, following two or three successive crops of Indian corn sometimes. Opinion gains favour with some that this is the best fanning district of Ontario, the growing season being the longest, and the winters shorter and milder. Considerable dairying is already done, and a fine fruit district lies along the shore of Lake Erie on the south border. I found, generally speaking, that in the fruit-growing districts^ fields and fences were not kept so tidy as in other districts, in many cases tufts of grass being allowed to grow high round each tree stem ; a look of unkemptness being about the whole farm. The more easily earned money fruit-growing brings appears to beget this state. Canada is undoubtedly the country for this industry. Three essential conditions exist for perfict apple-raising—late spring, hot summer and short autumn, wherein the sap stops rising very soon after the fruit is ripe. Dryness of climate also favours apples : in that it is so dry the fruit is benefited by remaining on the ground several days to " sweat" before being packed for sending to market; and after putting Mr. Robert Pitt's Report. Ill into barrels, just as seen commonly in England, they are often left weeks lying about the orchards, until it suits to sell or carry to market. England is the great receiver for Canada's apples, and it is undoubtedly a paying produce. The best fruit farms, as in England, have the land planted wide apart, with apple, pear, peach, cherry or plum, and cultivated in between with the plough, most of the usual crops being raised except wheat. Spade cultivation is said to be much too expensive, and hence the Worcestershire method of orchard planting, with alternate rows of large fruit (apple, pear, &c), and small fruit trees (gooseberry, currant, &c), cannot be resorted to, as it would be difficult to plough between small fruit bushes. There is an advantage in the Worcester- shire method, in England, which gives the trees more light and air ; but in this very dry climate they are wonderfully healthy, and do not appear to suffer ; and the gooseberry, for some reason, does not prosper. Wild raspberry, blackberry (American variety), huckleberry, blueberry, cranberry, &c, are all so common that they are hardly cultivated for profit. Summer pears are widely grown for domestic consumption, very large, fine fruits being quite cheap ; but of course these soft fruits cannot be exported, except to the States, and growing is probably overdone. The varieties of fruit grown are so numerous, that detailed description of each would be beyond the limits of this work, and already something has been said about grapes. These are, however, so important a branch of the industry, that a few more lines must be craved for them. They are, perhaps, not a safe staple industry for a man of very small means to rely upon, but grape growing is like other adjuncts of the farm,, which " go to swell the total." Little care and attention seem to be bestowed on them here, compared with that given in other parts of the world : not much manure is used ; nearly the entire crop is grown out of doors ; and so dry and healthy is the atmosphere that blight is little known. The best districts are no doubt along the shores of Lake Erie and Lake Ontario. Mixed farming, with dairying in all branches, is carried on in most Extent of land parts of Ontario, and more particularly in the districts named above. ° gs' The holdings are generally 100 acres in extent, with a good sprinkling of larger ones. Describing a 100-acre farm in good order : it will have a wood, brick or stone house, placed near the road, so that there is little private road to run up expense in repairs ; the barn will be close by, and generally one or two outbuildings, such as piggery and chicken-house; a clump of trees often seen round the whole, or an apple orchard on one side. Trees are now commonly planted along the line of the fences, four or five of which enclose the farm in a ring, many being still the old cedar snake-fence, made from the wood cut out of the original forest that covered the land ; but where new fences have to be made, they are of wood posts and wire. The land is ploughed for the most part, wheat and oats being taken off some portions every year, with timothy and clover following ; barley, or, in some parts, a little flax, Indian corn for green fodder, beets, white carrot, turnip, mangolds, potatoes, &c. Of permanent grass there is hardly any in the country, except in the orchards ; and there it ought not to be, as it is better for the fruit to keep the ground moved. A strict rotation of cropping is not adhered to, but timothy generally is down with winter wheat, and clover is broadcasted over it in spring ; then, after the corn crop is off, it is fed in autumn, and cut for hay the following year, after which it is fed, and ploughed again the third year. This absence of permanent pasture is detrimental to the look of the country, and must be a distinct loss, as good old pasture cannot be had, as in England, and the want of it for grazing is no doubt felt. 1/ 112 The Agricultural and other Resources of Canada. D ames. Manufacture of cheese. The stock on a typical farm will be about twelve head of dairy cows (this should, of course, be increased), two or three head of grazing stock, calves, pigs, poultry, &c, a few sheep perhaps, a pair of horses, and a brood mare. Now, taking a larger farm—a typical one that I examined in the neighbourhood of London : 425 acres of really well-farmed land of heavy top soil for this country, with clay subsoil, nearly all underdrained. All this under plough, except 40 acres of pasture, on which a very large dairy of 115 cows is run from May to November, being, of course, soil-fed "—i.e., receiving dry food as well —which is the common practice in the country. This dairy, composed of nearly all "Shorthorn grades," is kept up by drafts of home-bred heifers, 19 such being reared on cheese-factory whey this year. Milk is principally sent to a cheese factory close by, but also sold in the town; the wholesale price for it is 4 cents per quart (2d.), and retail 6 cents per quart (3d.). The cows in this dairy are partly fed through the summer on sweet grains, fetched daily from a brewery, and it is asserted that this does not affect the quality of the cheese goods. With such a large dairy, of course, numbers of pigs are kept: a very good herd of " Oxford," " Berkshire," and "Poland China" being seen. These are all fed on whey from the factory, and grains, and fatted off with pea-meal and oats. The rotation for crops here is nearly a four-course one—wheat first, with timothy and clover sown through it for second year, which makes a hay crop; third year, roots, for which crop only manure is used, at the rate of about 30 loads per acre; fourth year, oats or Indian corn, no fallow being allowed. The " Mammoth Sweet Southern," which is the largest variety of Indian corn, has reached an average height of 12 feet here, and produces a large quantity of green fodder per acre. There is a smaller variety, which with some farmers is the most popular, it being more succulent. The gentleman owning this farm does well in providing as many as six housed for workpeople, keeping 10 men on all the year round, and choosing tenants for his houses from those who have wives and families who can milk. Another good farm of 200 acres was seen near Stratford. This may be described as one in course of improvement, having lately been bought by present owner. A new house and fine barn, &c, have already been built, and some very promising crops were on the land, which is nearly all under-drained. A field of "Canadian Velvet Chaff" winter wheat, already sown and up, looked in splendid order, even from ah English point of view. Winter wheat is allowed to get very proud ('English term), as the frost and snow keep it back sufficiently. Other crops seen were—Indian corn, clover root, mangolds, turnips, beets and potatoes. The essential feature of this farm is home-bred and imported prize stock, of which a large number is kept very successfully, besides a fair-sized dairy of fine-looking cows. Here, as elsewhere, I found fault with the roughness of young grass pastures, as they appear to want nothing but frequent rolling and bush harrowing; but the excuse is that frost damages the surface so much, and the season is so short, time cannot be devoted to this work. Cheese-making is, amongst manufactures, the largest in Canada, next to lumber; and as it is an industry due to the development of the country, it is more important than that of lumbering which only accrues from its natural resources. I visited several cheese factories in Ontario, and found them to be admirable institutions in all parts, which must give satisfactory results to farmers. The industry has no doubt been established and fathered by Mr. Thomas Ballantyne, who started the first factory about 23 years ago at Black Creek, near Stratford, and now lives to see a large and thriving manufacture, I Mr. Robert Pitt's Report. na having a ready sale on the English and other markets. Some factories are now run by private individuals; others are mutual co-operative concerns. All make upon the same formula, with a view to producing an article like English cbeddar; and although, of course, all do not succeed in making the same quality, most turn out a cheese selling at from 8 cents to 10 cents per lb. at the factory (4d. to 5d.) The essence of the success of these factories is that each of them draws its milk from a large enough district, all the farmers within a radius of four.miles from the centre at which the factory is situated supplying their produce. Good management is ensured by paying an efficient man from 60 cents to 70 cents per 100 lbs. of cheese made (2s. 6d. to 2s. lid.), he finding all cloth and rennet required- The general result of this system of management evidently gives good satisfaction, probably because the work is in the hands of one man, who is trusted by those supplying milk, and because a dividend is not paid upon the capital required to establish the factory, the farmers receiving the net amount of money the cheese brings, which commonly averages 74 cents to 8 cents (3|d. to 4d.) per gallon of milk they supply through the year. On the whole country I believe some receive more than this figure, and others less. It must be remembered, in considering the price obtained for milk, that in this country everyone lives on his own land, having no rent to pay, and therefore the price of 4d. per gallon of 10 lbs. weight should be considered very good. Contrasting it with that obtained throughout England, it is probably only ld. less. Is not this a satisfactory result in a country only perhaps 50 years settled fmany districts have only been cleared 35 or 40 years), and where the trade has only been started since 1867, by various settlers, many of whom were no farmers, but tradesmen, before coming here ? In addition, there is the value arising from pig- feeding, which at most factories are bought in and fattened off in Local prices, of cheese. batches throughout the season. This adds something to Cost of milk and how supplied to the factories. the return per gallon of milk ; but the result from this adjunct being a variable one, it is not reliable to put this into figures. The routine at all factories is much the same : one man, a milk supplier or otherwise, agrees to pick up the milk of so many farms each morning along his line of road, charging about half a cent per gallon of 10 lbs. The milk is weighed as taken in at the factory, and run along shoots into the various tubs, which are always the oblong shape here. Night's milk is mixed with the morning's when delivered; no collection being made on Sunday mornings. The curd is precipitated as soon as possible in the tubs, the milk being stirred by power-driven paddles, reducing hand labour as much as possible. It is put away the same evening, pressed, and handed on to the cheese-curing room, which is always in another building. The ripening under the particular formula adopted is accomplished in six, eight, or ten weeks, when the cheese is turned over to the merchant. All factory buildings in the country are still of wood, even the floors, which, notwithstanding, I found scrupulously clean. Much expense is thus saved as compared with factory buildings in England ; but climatic conditions are not equal. The appearance of the cheese in the curing-rooms visited was certainly excellent, perfect regularity in size, pressing and shape being now attained, thus affording a large bulk of even-looking sample, which is so important an item for making a good market. The quality throughout the make at each factory visited was also very even, showing good care and judgment. The cheese season extends to about seven months, the rest of the milking period being taken up with abitof butter-making by the farmers at home. Factory build* ines. 114 The Agricultural and other Resources of Canada. The cheese market. "Creameries for butter making. •Breeds of milch cows Superior educational facilities, free schools to all. An expression here upon the present position of the Canadian cheese market may not be out of place. My visits to the various factories left little doubt that all Canadian cheese is perfectly pure and unadulterated, and a large bulk is no doubt of a superior eating quality, which, if placed upon the retail market solely as " Canadian," would no doubt realize a better price still. An example of such a policy is now to be seen in England, where the "Danish Butter Co." has succeeded in making such a good market for their particular commodity. The feeding of cows supplying milk to the factories receives careful attention on the part of factory managers. As noticed elsewhere, there is little old, permanent pasture in the country; therefore herds are partly what is called " soil-fed;" consequently, certain tastes arising from the food have to be watched for, and it is to the credit of the farmers that they act upon letters of caution issued to them. Also, that very important point of giving cows daily access to salt and clean water is habitually observed, the water being all obtained from pumps and not from ditches, there being very few of the latter in the country. Of butter factories, or creameries, there are a fair number distributed over the province, but of butter-making little in praise can be said. The old theory that the addition of a large quantity of salt makes butter keep, is still adhered to ; whereas it is now well established that if sufficient care is taken in drying by machinery and hand, without- damaging the grain, it keeps just as long, and retains a fine flavour, consequently a higher value. The custom at present at factories is to make in the summer and sell in the fall, to secure a higher price, the dryness of the climate no doubt favouring the procedure ; but this fact should all the more induce the making of fine fresh butter, especially in a country where ice is so cheap and cold stores easily arranged for. In those creameries visited, I did not observe any good modern machinery, the butter-workers being particularly antiquated. From what could be gleaned of butter-making and its prospects, especially in the south-west corner of Ontario, there are good opportunities for success and development. The breed of cows in the country is of no mean quality, those commonly met with being various grades of Shorthorn; the best milkers now being native animals, crossed with imported stock of that breed. Other breeds are Holstein, Ayrshire and Polled Angus, but these cannot be such good milkers. A good many well-bred Jerseys are kept, some in herds, others scattered in twos and threes amongst the dairies, standing the climate quite well. The variety and quality of food now raised in this province is little short of that in England; besides which, Indian corn stalk, or straw, makes such a sweet, succulent and abundant fodder. The hay raised is much coarser in appearance that we are accustomed to at home, but is evidently very succulent. The quality of milk produced, taken from various tests obtained all over the Province of Ontario, makes it appear to contain 3*75 per cent of butter fat. The adequate provision of schools, placed near enough together in contry districts, and providing efficient teaching, is one of the all- important items in the consideration of a country. Throughout the Dominion of Canada, the system is practically the same, each province having the management within its own boundaries. Education is entirely free, unsectarian and common to the whole community, being maintained by Government grants and local taxes. In Manitoba and the North-West necessary funds are provided by the reservation of sections of land, known as " school sections," throughout every township (six square miles constituting a township), as well as by a tax upon all other lands, whether cultivated or not, but this amounts to a sum so "Mr. Robert Pitt's Report. 115 small that it is no hardship on anyone. School-houses are placed so that no pupils have to walk more than two miles. There are high schools provided in towns for those who prefer them, but these are not entirely free. After the age of 13, school attendance is voluntary, and up to now it has not been the custom to enforce attendance under that age, reliance upon the good sense of parents and the honour of pupils being sufficient. In towns, the children can be looked up by the masters and mistresses, and the average attendance is apparently about 50 per cent, of those on the roll; but in farming districts this is not kept up, owing to the great temptation to keep children at home in harvest and seed time, <fec, and in a country where labour is so dear, this tendency is the harder to withstand. To obviate this, a measure is likely to be adopted appointing school attendance inspectors. In a country where there is little or no want, one was glad to see school pupils very clean, tidy, and well dressed, which appeared general through all the provinces. The following points stood out conspicuously, as compared with Canadian English board sehools :—The sexes are more mixed, and this enforces *°koohi and better behaviour on the pupils through respect for themselves, thus schools con- lightening vastly the duties of teachers ; and further, neither masters trasted. nor pupils are allowed to address each other in a tone above that of ordinary conversation, even in as large a class as 35 pupils, which appears to work admirable results in two ways—good behaviour and strict attention on the part of pupils, as otherwise what is going on in class would be entirely missed. The system known as " payment by results" has long been given up as most pernicious. Pupils are examined constantly by masters of other classes, and by inspectors at the term end, when they have to pass their respective standards, of which there are eight; and general opinion holds that the pupils and the country are more benefited by this means. Teachers are not tempted to cram themselves or pupils ; favouring advanced children is discouraged ; and to all appearance teachers work to keep their class evenly advancing, encouraging pupils to think before giving answers as viva vdce. A feature in all the schools is the orderly way of filling and clearing the class-rooms in marching order, boys and girls being filed off with great precision. This is admirable training in discipline, and a preventive of panic in case of fire. PROVINCE OF NOVA SCOTIA. Making my return journey through Nova Scotia, I had little time to examine the state of agriculture, but ascertained from authentic sources that the Annapolis valley, whence so large an apple supply comes, is a very fine but limited district—the whole province not being anything like so large as most of the other provinces of the Dominion. The chief occupations here are lumbering and mining, and essentially mixed farming in the cleared districts Government lands, at a nominal price, are still to be had, on timber-covered land, but of course the prairies offer better opportunities to the European settler. Farms are to be bought here from $10 per acre and upwards, according to position, number of acres cleared, and quality of buildings erected, and upon the same terms as before mentioned. There appear to be many essential conditions for agriculture and industries. Peaches, and fruit generally, grow luxuriously and of excellent quality; cheese-making is firmly established at many factories spread over the province; and other industries may soon develop and go hand in hand ahead with the all-important farming. 116 The Agricultural and other Resources of Canada. The geographical position of this and the other so-called " Maritime Provinces"—which are New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island—could not be better for the large markets of England and the United States, being mostly surrounded by water and good harbours. The progress here of late years has, however, not been rapid. The scenery of the country is enticing, being hilly and undulating, with plenty of timber; large, fine rivers watering most districts, and making the appearance of the country more like England than many other parts of Canada. There is at the present time, a tendency on the part of middle-aged farmers here, who have brought up families on their farms, and seen them out in the world, to sell their farms at very reasonable rates in order to retire, or go to the newer provinces of the North-West with their families, and hence there should be a good living for those with families going from Britain, who have a little money, and can buy to advantage a farm already in cultivation in a populated neighbourhood, where the reasonable comforts of life are more readily obtained than in newer districts. These remarks apply with equal force to Ontario. If that part of Canada called the North-West is, so to speak, a good " settling ground " for farm or other labourers, or for those with little ready money to start with, the older, more thickly populated, and more socially advanced parts in Ontario and the Maritime Provinces are just the places for young, well-educated farmers, possessed of some means. Do not, though, let anyone make a grievous mistake by buying a farm for seven or eight hundred pounds as soon as he arrives because it appears cheap; he will never regret a year's work on someone else's farm, and then when he is comfortably settled on a well- chosen and much-thought-over place of his own, he will look back on that year of work, with good wages, with pride for the rest of his life, and may be able at middle-age to hand on the farm with complacency to a son. For those dairymen, or dairy-farmers, as the term applies in different parts of Britain, there appears to be abundant opportunity in Canada. Hard-working people such as these, placed near a good dairy factory in a favourable part of the country, should attain a competence in a few years. Whilst carrying away many pleasant memories of Canada, obtained during an extended, but still all too short a visit, I wish to convey, through the best agency possible, my high appreciation of the kindnesses received at the hands of many friends met with, who gave me much information without which the trip would have been comparatively futile. f— THE REPORT OF MR. WILLIAM SCOTSON, Rose Lane, Mossley Hill, Liverpool. Having had the honour to be invited by Sir Charles Tupper, High Commissioner for Canada, to proceed thith.er for the purpose of inspecting the agricultural resources of the Dominion, and report thereon, I shall now endeavour to state concisely what I saw, what I heard, and what are the conclusions that I draw from my visit. I left Liverpool on the 4th of September last in the Allan line royal mail steamer " Sardinian." She proved herself a magnificent seaboat, and we never had occasion to waver in the sense of full security, which all on board seemed to entertain, when she began to cleave her way through the ocean. The following day, the 5th, the steamer called at Moville, Ireland, to take on board passengers and mails, and we greatly enjoyed our view of the lovely scenery. In the foreground stood the ruins of Green Castle, boldly prominent on the shore, whilst white, one-storied houses, surrounded by fields whose brilliant verdure bore out fully the reputation of the Green Isle, and by others whose rich freight of ripening grain spoke of comfortable husbandry, stretched far and wide along the shores of the lough. When mails and passengers were safe on board we sailed away into a choppy sea, and after a quiet voyage, rather devoid of incident, the shores of Newfoundland were neared. Here we encountered a fleet oi icebergs—first one, then another, and then quite a flotilla hove in sight, their varied dimensions and fantastic shapes, together with the brilliant rainbow hues in which they reflected the brilliant sunlight, making up a picture not easily forgotten. Then came the cry "Land Oh! Belle Isle." A rocket was fired from our vessel, and answered by another from the lighthouse. "■&-1 PROVINCE OF QUEBEC. Having passed this wild and lonely station, we came in succession to Anticosti and to Rimouski. At the latter place a steamer came alongside to take off mails and passengers. We proceeded on through mist and rain to Quebec, arriving on the morning of Sunday, the 17th of September. Mr. Stafford, the resident Government immigration agent at Quebec, met our party at the steamer and drove us out to Vermont, just as the church-going people were on their way to the several places of worship. All were well dressed, and appeared to be content and happy. The people here are mostly French, or of French extraction. The settlements, or allotments, are chiefly what are called 30-acre lots, with 3-acre frontages, and running 10 acres deep. They appeared to be generally well cultivated, and were bearing good crops of potatoes, onions, buckwheat, timothy grass, which is mostly made into hay for workhorses; clovers, which are given to cows in milk; and Indian corn, which is grown and used as a vegetable, whilst the stalks areusefnl as fodder. Vermont is seven miles from Quebec, and seems to be afa vourite resort of visitors from that city. The church-goers often drive considerable distances; the horses are tied to a long rail fixed on posts, without troubling to take them out of the shafts, and there they remain during the service. Those who drive much, usually take a weight in their 9 118 The Agricultural and other Resources of Canada. City of Quebec. City of Montreal. conveyances, to which they tether their animals when they want to leave them. • The horses are quite used to this style of "putting-up" ; no policeman interferes, and the animals stand perfectly quiet until their owners are ready to drive away. I was much struck by the clean, orderly, Christian-like appearance, inside and out, of an Indian church at Vermont. The falls of Montmorenci, which are close by this village, would be considered a big thing in England, though on this continent of many waters they are are of no great account. I was, nevertheless, much charmed with them. Returning to Quebec, which is a fine city of 75,000 inhabitants, and the parent city of the Dominion, I was much pleased with its general appearance. Its capture from the French by the heroic General Wolfe, in 1759, is one of the familiar stories in English history. At that time the whole population of Canada, exclusive of Indians, was no larger than the present population of the city. From the lofty eminence on which the upper part is built a magnificent view is obtained. In this upper part are churches, convents, schools, hotels, and high-class residences. The lower portion of the city is distinctly old- world, with irregular streets and odd architecture, such as are to be seen but in few places on the western continent. The docks are commodious, admitting the largest vessels. The lumber trade seems to be the chief industry, the vast numbers of enormous logs floating about everywhere, being quite a feature of the river scenery. It gives employment to a great number of people. Those who are familiar with the timber docks at Liverpool can in some degree realize the scene. We left Quebec by the Canadian Pacific Railway on our long journey westward. The line skirts the magnificent river St. Lawrence, and the land upon the side of the track, as I was informed, is settled upon the 90-acre system—i.e., 3 acres frontage and 30 acres back. They are, it must be remembered, old settlements, wholly unlike those which awaited us in Manitoba and the great North-West. As I have stated, the French element is very prominent in the Quebec province, but it was easily to be observed that all the inhabitants, French or not, were comfortable, and apparently contented with their lot. I regret that I was not able to see more of this province. As we journeyed towards Montreal, which is 172 miles from Quebec, I observed that the land is generally flat, with split wood fences dividing the farms, and that the system of culture pursued is much the same as that I observed round Vermont. The wooden and painted houses and highly ornamented churches give the villages a novel and interesting appearance, to strangers. The town of Three Rives, at the confluence of the St. Lawrence and the St. Maurice, which we passed in the evening, is a fair sample of these Anglo-French villages. We anived at Montreal about 9 p.m., and secured comfortable quarters at the Windsor Hotel. The electric lights gave this fine place a somewhat weird appearance. Montreal is a city of 220,000 inhabitants, and the chief commercial centre of the Dominion. The large ocean-going steamers of the Allan line make this their terminus; and many others also here receive and distribute their passengers and cargoes. There is direct access by railway to all parts of the Dominion, to New York, Chicago, St. Paul and other centres in the United States; and, indeed, Montreal may be regarded as one of the most important cities on the North American continent. Its streets are wide, long,' and straight, planted with trees. At the time of our visit these trees had not cast a leaf, and their effect, added to the well-kept lawns in the better parts of the city, gave it a very attractive appearance. Like Quebec, Montreal has a " mountain," and from its summit an excellent Mr. William Scotson's Report. 119 bird's-eye view of the pretty, busy and varied scene may be obtained, with the mighty St. Lawrence rolling along at its base. Montreal shares with Quebec the advantages of the great lumber trade, but is less dependent upon it. I visited the market, where I saw large waggon loads of tomatoes, thrown loose in waggons, for sale; and also fine samples of fruit of all kinds, and potatoes. I was struck with the healthiness and freshness of the foliage in and around Montreal; it seemed as though no gales or early ffosts had disturbed their placid growth, no faded or damaged leaves being visible. PROVINCE OF ONTARIO. Still continuing our journey by the Canadian Pacific line, we in due time arrived at Ottawa, on the Ottawa river. This city is the capital of the Dominion and the seat of government, and has a population of 40,000. Its situation is elevated, and commands a wide expanse of the Ottawa river and surrounding district. At the Department of Agriculture, adjacent to the Parliament buildings which are a fine display of architecture, the delegates were courteously and kindly' received by the Honourable John Carling, Minister of Agriculture, an able and business-like man, who congratulated us on our safe arrival, and gave us a sketch of the arrangements made for our journey across the prairies, the Rocky Mountains, and still further west to British Columbia, on the Pacific coast. The first item in the programme was a drive out to the Government farm near Ottawa. This farm is under the management of Professor Saunders, a very able man, and fully qualified for the onerous post he fills. He is assisted by able professors of botany, chemistry, &c, and by a staff of trained workmen in all branches of farm and nursery work. Here are tested and tried, practically, in the open, selected grains of all kinds, and when approved, the seed is sent out free in 3-lb. parcels to all farmers who apply for them. Fruit trees of approved kinds are also grown and distributed, from vines down to currants and gooseberries. Of these there is a great variety. All farmers in the Dominion can obtain stock from this valuable institution. Indian corn is also grown in variety, with the object of ascertaining the best kinds for the various districts in the Dominion; grasses also are treated in like manner, as are forest trees for planting purposes. Cattle-feeding and poultry-rearing are also experimentally practised. The raising of new kinds of potatoes from seeds is another important part of the experimental work done here, as new varieties, of approved merit, are necessary to replace the older and worn-out kinds as they contract disease or deteriorate in quality. This latter work is most important, for there is not a province that I visited in the whole Dominion in which this kind of vegetable is not grown to a large extent; but, to my surprise, the growth consists chiefly of only two kinds—the Early Rose and the Beauty of Hebron. We scarcely had a meal during our visit at which potatoes in some form were not served. From the Ottawa experimental farm, we returned to Russell House hotel, where we dined, and where Mr. G. H. Campbell, of Winnipeg, joined the delegates as guide in their travels. From Ottawa we made all haste to be in time for the great agricultural exhibition at Toronto. On Tuesday, the 19th, we visited this show, held in the exhibition grounds. We found some excellent purebred Shorthorn cattle and Herefords, some excellent Polled Angus or Aberdeen cattle, fit for any show in the world; Shire horses, some of superior merit, and Clydesdales in greater numbers, these forming a contrast to the native light horses we had observed doing the work City of Ottawa. Minister of Agriculture. Government Central experimental farm and the work it does. Agricultural exhibition of products and implements. 120 The Agricultural and other Resources of Canada. both on and off the land. There were some good driving horses, also a competition for high jumping, one particular animal doing something extraordinary in this way. On Wednesday, we again visited the show and were introduced to some prominent citizens and farmers whom we afterwards again met. There was an excellent collection of self-binding, mowing and reaping machines; some string binders cutting as- for dealing much as 7 feet wide — in fact, the whole machinery with hay and grain was very commendable for utility, lightness and strength. The Canadian or " Oliver " plough is made up in all forms, as a kind of swing, single and twin, sulky or riding plough. - One particular implement I noticed was a revolving spade roller, which acts on ploughed land like an improved Acme harrow. This appeared to me as likely to prove a very useful implement for English agriculture. It is a new invention in Canada. The exhibition of fruit, especially grapes and peaches grown in the open, was something that the Canadians might well be proud of, for in quantity, quality and variety it formed a sight not to be easily forgotten. The vegetables and roots were alike a grand collection, not easily to be matched anywhere. Altogether this exhibition was a show the Canadians may claim every feature that I particularly observed was the orderly . the crowds departed, without a sign of intemperance. credit for. A way in which This commendable fact, coupled with the absence of beggars, "v thing throughout our journey amongst all Canadian City of Toronto and Province of Ontario. most noticeable crowds. Toronto is a fine city, with wide streets and good buildings, and has a population of 172,000. It is the largest city in the Province of Ontario, and situated on Lake Ontario, and possesses many important manufactories. The Province of Ontario is a fine agricultural province, having an area of 182,000 square miles, and contains a population of about 2,000,000. This province grows almost every variety of grain,. TOEONTO. vegetables and fruit in the greatest perfection. The soil was originally: all covered with timber, the early settlers having had to clear their farms out of the forest, or, in other words, rid out the timber, stumps Mr. William Scotson's Report. and all, to clear the land. This province attracted the early settlers and, consequently, there are more large cities here than in any other of the provinces, including such as Ottawa, Hamilton, London, Kingston, Brantford and Guelph, all of which contain manufactories of various kinds, especially agricultural implements. We visited the Osborne manufactory at Brantford, where some thousands of mowers and self- binders are turned out annually, to all parts—in fact, I may say that the manufacturing towns in Ontario are the great workshops for the Dominion. I may, later on, again refer to the agricultural features of Ontario; but for the present the cry is, " westward." We left- Toronto on Wednesday, 17th September, on the Grand Trunk Railway for North Bay; then, transferring to the Canadian Pacific, we proceeded for some hundreds of miles through the primeval forest of timber and some scrubs, mixed with tall, charred tree stumps, showing the remnants of forest fires which sometimes sweep all before them. These natural forests are interspersed along this railway with, creeks, rivers and lakes containing fish in abundance. Rivers and creeks are bridged over with wooden-built bridges. All went well with our train until we arrived at the head of Lake Superior, where the recent rains had caused a slip of limestone to fall across the railroad track, which brought our train to a standstill for a short time. A breakdown gang soon arrived and cleared the track, and all went well. We halted at a station where 150 cattle were being fed and watered in yards. These cattle, I was informed, were on their way to Montreal for the British market, and were similar to those I had sometimes seen in the Stanley cattle market, Liverpool. Our next Port Arthur, arrival was at Port Arthur, which, situated on an arm of Lake Superior, has docks, and is a point whence steamers ply to various points on the great lakes. It has a population of some 5,000 people, grain elevators, hotels, &c, &c, and is assured of a large and increasing trade in grain, coal and other commodities. We next passed some fine scenery ; one particular huge mountain of basaltic rock, called the Sleeping Giant, strikes the beholder with its grandeur and immensity. On we travelled Silver mines. to Fort William, a Hudson Bay Company's settlement of 100 years old. Near this spot are said to be some of the richest silver mines in the world, one of which, the Shuncahweachu, is largely owned by people residing in Liverpool. From Fort William to Winnipeg the scenery is wild, and broken with rapid rivers and lakes. A few miles from the former place are the Kakabeka falls, said to be higher than Niagara. Westward the train proceeded until the Lake of the Woods was -passed, with its saw mills and lumber trade, and still on and on through wild scenery until at last, when nearing Winnipeg, the clear open prairie—a treeless plain—revealed itself to the eye. A wide river was crossed, and our train slowed into the Canadian Pacific Railway station, Winnipeg, the capital of Manitoba. PROVINCE OF MANITOBA. Winnipeg is 700 feet above the sea level, has a population of 28,000 The City of people (twenty years ago the population was only some 215), and is a Manitoba ^ fine city, situated at the junction of the Red and the Assiniboine rivers, both of which are navigable, has imposing buildings, wide streets, which appear to stretch miles, electric-lighted, and good railway accommodation to every point. Already ten lines of railway centre in Winnipeg, and these lines are fast throwing out branches. The lines west of Winnipeg, and tributary to it, aggregate 2,800 miles, where only ten years ago there was not a single mile in operation. Winnipeg 122 £.apid progress. Experimental Farm and private farms. The Agricultural and other Resources of Canada. appears destined to become one of the greatest commercial centres on the American continent. I am convinced of this fact when I try to realize the future of Manitoba and the great north-western territories. This great plain of prairie land stretches from Winnipeg to Calgary, or near to the far-famed Rocky Mountains, a distance well on to 1,000 miles, through which the Canadian Pacific Railway track runs. All along this line of railway are agricultural towns and stations springing up. At many of these, such as Brandon, Regina, Calgary, &c, there are grain elevators to receive the grain as soon at it is threshed from the fields or stacks; also stores of every kind, and hotels and boarding houses, mostly built of wood. My readers will please remember 1,000 miles is a long way, and I have only mentioned three towns as illustrating quite a number of others, such as Portage la Prairie, a town of 3,000 inhabitants, and situated on the Assiniboine River, with grain elevators, flour mills, stores, <fcc. From Regina a branch railway runs north-west for 180 miles towards Prince Albert. Amongst the other towns are Rapid City, Minnedosa, Medicine Hat, Wolseley, Indian Head, <fcc., all on lines of railway. At Indian Head is situated another Government experimental farm, which is presided over by Mr. McCoy, a thoroughly practical man, well fitted for his post. In the same neighbourhood are the great Bell farm and the Lord Brassy farm, with their studs of horses and thousands of acres of land. All these places I visited: and when I tell my readers that ten years ago the sites of nearly all of them were unbroken, wild, prairie land, without a sign of civilization, they may begin to form some idea of the thousands upon thousands of acres of this same kind of prairie land still untouched in Manitoba and the North-West Territories, and yet these regions are now beginning to export grain to the markets of the globe. Therefore, I feel that I am doing scant justice to this great plain, stretching from Winnipeg to Calgary, when I say that it is now only beginning to be realized that here will be the great wheat-growing district, the granary of Canada. But it is not only grain that is grown here; I was driven over fully a thousand miles in light conveyances, diverging from some of the towns mentioned, and in my travels found potatoes, everywhere, grown by all classes of settlers, from the large farms like Sir Donald Smith's, near Winnipeg, and those of Sir John Lyster Kaye, which are ten in number, of about 10,000 acres each, to the 160-acre homstead of the ordinary settler. The Lyster Kaye farms I may remark, are now controlled by an English company, whose head manager is Mr. Thomas Stone, late a Lancashire farmer, well known here in the north. On Sunday, 21st September, when at Winnipeg, we went to the Protestant church, which was just like being in England. I could scarcely realize that I was so far from home. On Monday, the 22nd, we visited the industrial schools. All over the Dominion education is more or less free, with a system of teachers and teaching as perfect as can be devised. The equality and independence of character observable in the average Canadian, appears to have its beginning in these free schools. The scholars all looked clean and healthy, and full of promise for making good men and women. This same day, in company with others, I was presented to Lieutenant-Governor Schultz and Mrs. Schultz, who expressed a desire to see Canada peopled by the English-speaking races. In the afternoon we drove out west from Winnipeg. Here vegetables of all kinds—celery, parsnips, beets, onions, cauliflowers, potatoes—all looked fine, including some tall Indian corn, which appeared as if touched with frost. One gentleman told me he did not use manure, as it made weeds grow, In the evening I was an invited guest to a banquet given in h< nour of the Minister of Public Mr. William Scotson's Report. Works of the Dominion, and was gratified with the enthusiastic harmony of all; the proceedings, as on all public occasions in Canada, terminated with " God Save the Queen" and "Auld Lang Syne." On Wednesday I visited the district of Glenborough, going by Harvesting rail. There I saw wheat growing, and harvesting operations going on operations, in all directions and in all stages, from cutting with self-binders to the steam threshing machine. Wheat! wheat! stacks ! stacks ! Everyone busy at this work; and no preparations for rain, no stack sheets and no thatching being required, as there was. no rain or sign of rain, but bright, clear weather right along. Wheat succeeding wheat is grown for years together, with one ploughing to grow each crop. I went to visit some Scotch crofters, and all said they were glad they had come to WHEAT STACKS, MANITOBA. Manitoba. They were on quarter-sections of 160 acres each ; now, or soon, would be owners of their own land and out of debt—and their stock, consisting of working bullocks, cattle, pigs, poultry, <kc, tended to verify what they said. There were about thirty families settled in the locality, having been, as I was led to believe, assisted by the British Government some two years ago to come out. From Glenborough to Wawanesa we proceeded through a wheat-growing country, and again we saw stacks of wheat in great profusion, and threshing machines doing 1,500 bushels and upwards per day. Most of the land -is here taken up, all owning their farms, and being very happy in their wooden-built homes. A farmer complained that one firm only put up all the corn elevators, and consequently had mostly their own price in taking the wheat from the farmers. There are farmers about this district who leave their land in fallow one year out of four or five. On Friday, 26th September, we visited Mr. Sandison's great farm near Brandon. He had some 40 horses and 60 men at work in gathering his 1,500 odd acres of wheat and 500 acres of oats ; carting, threshing, and taking grain to the elevators ; ploughing for next year's crop, all in full swing, and Mr. Sandison superintending in his " buggy." He has twelve self- binders to cut his harvest. All this big operation in wheat-growing 124 The Agricultural and Other Resources of Canada. Various places of interest. General prosperity. Binscarth stock farm. has been got together by this one man in less than seven years. I saw a good many acres of this wheat. I was driven over the stubble between the shocks, and found the whole, all a good crop, although it was the sixth on the same land in succession, without either rest or manure. Mr. Sandison owns his land and manages it himself. His crop this year will leave him a good profit which he well deserves. The Government have an experimental farm at Brandon, with an able man at its head, Mr. Bedford, here doing much the same kind of efficient work as is done at Ottawa. It was a pleasure to see the good work in progress to benefit the agriculture of this province, particularly in grasses, native and artificial; also corn, wheat, barley, and oats, all of which are here tried in great variety and accurately reported upon. Altogether, the driving in " rigs " around Brandon and Glenborough revealed a sight in wheat-growing not easy for British agriculturists to realize, and once seen never to be forgotten. From Brandon to Rapid City we found more wheat districts of like character. I could count from the horse carriage 100 wheat stacks at a time, put up in sets of four, for convenience of threshing. Straw is burnt to clear the land for next year's crop of wheat. As we neared Rapid City, which is on the Little Saskatchewan River, there was more scrub or small timber. This is mostly the case on and about the courses of rivers. There is at Rapid City a corn elevator, a flour mill, and a woollen mill supplied with native wool. The Red Fife wheat grown here is quite as good as that known in the British markets as the best Duluth. I left this place for Minnedosa by rail. Minnedosa is a pretty city at the head of a valley of the above-mentioned river, and I found the settlers there happy and contented on their land On 28th September I left by rail for Saltcoats. On arriving there I drove out to a Mr. Moore, who came from Northumberland, England, and had been there a farm bailiff. He has his place in nice order, including his stacks, buildings, garden, house, &c, and is quite content with his lot, the farm being his own. I then visited the Messrs. Kensington's place. They have acquired 15 sections, or 10,000 acres, at about $3.50 per acre, and are busy putting up large buildings, house, cow houses, stables, &c. —all wood—at a cost of about £1,000 sterling, intending to make this estate into a large cattle ranche. I saw some very useful Shorthorn cattle as a commencement of this ranching farm. Next I visited a Mr. Knott, a small settler from Norfolk, England, who came out two years ago, and has now 27 acres of fair grain. His family consists of four children, the eldest about 12 years, and he is without help. He has cut all his prairie hay (25 tons), and cut and stacked all his 27 acres of grain. He was a gardener, has some nice vegetables, and after his two years' toil is quite content, and looking forward to a prosperous future. At Saltcoats a creamery and butter factory has been established. The farmers who take their cream to this factory are all shareholders, and are supplied with registered cans which show the quantity of cream in inches, and they are paid according to this registered standard. We visited a Mr. Ferguson, who is a good sample of a settler in this neighbourhood. He is quite content with his lot. His potatoes are a thick, good crop, as also are his swedes. On 29th September we visited Binscarth pedigee stock farm which was commenced in 1882. It is 4,000 acres in extent. We saw some very nice pedigree Shorthorn cattle, in fine, fresh condition, living on nothing but prairie grass, including some very pretty yearlings, both heifers and bulls, all good, two exceptionally so. Altogether we saw about 80 pure-bred pedigree Shorthorns intended for sale.. Tbe introduction of such animals must be an enormous benefit to this r Mr. William Scotson's Report. region. There is a large wooden barn built against the slope of the hill, used as a cow-house underneath and as a barn overhead. Altogether it is a good homesteading. From Binscarth, we the next day visited the Birtle agricultural show with the Mayor (an old settler). In this neighbourhood there are a large number of British settlers. The exhibition of grade or native cattle, horses and sheep, also roots, particulaly potatoes, and needle and fancy work, were interesting examples of what 10 years of pioneer life can do in Canada From this show we drove to Major Wilkinson's farm of 2,000 acres, which is situated on the edge of a pretty creek or valley. There are 220 acres of crop, and 2\ years ago there were only 50. A good crop of wheat was in progress of carting to the thresher. We afterwards attended a conversazione at the town hall of Birtle, presided over by the Mayor, a straight and kind-hearted Canadian, who, with great ability, drew from the farmers present some interesting facts as to how well they had succeeded since their settling in the neighbourhood. This interesting ceremony terminated with singing " God Save the Queen " in a very hearty and loyal manner. THE NORTH-WEST TERRITORIES. October 1st brought us to the district of Neepawa, a good grain- growing region. The land is a little more rolling, with some scrub in the uncleared portions. The settlers here all seemed content. One farmer told me he came here to please his sons, and was quite satisfied. He did not think the district about Neepawa suffered from summer frosts, like some of the wheat-growing districts in Manitoba. I learned there, that one farmer had had his stacks destroyed by fire during the operation of threshing with a steam thresher. I was informed he was not insured against loss. I thought this a good district as I was being driven through. On 2nd October, at Portage la Prairie, I was driven by Mr. Sorby, some 17 miles through a wheat-growing level plain to his farm, called | The Hermitage." This farm of two sections, or 1,280 •acres, had 870 acres of grain, some threshed, and all stacked. Mr. Sorby called himself a " wheat manufacturer," and said he had only two busy months out of twelve—one to sow his land, as soon as the breaking up of the winter frost allowed him to begin grain sowing, the other to cut his harvest and thresh, and then plough for next year's crop. Mr. Sorby has six string-binders, which were in good repair, and neatly stowed away in a wooden shed ready for next year's use. He pushes ahead to get all his land ploughed in the autumn for next year's crop, with the help of hired teams. He says he has no difficulty in getting all ploughed before the winter sets in, when no ploughing can be done, the land being usually frozen to a depth of from 2 to 3 feet, and •covered with fine snow, like frozen dew, dry and hard. When this period is reached the Manitobans begin to use sleighsj instead of wheeled vehicles. This continues until spring, when the snow is evaporated and absorbed, and as soon as the surface of the land is free from frost 2 or 3 inches deep, the farmers begin to sow their wheat. All with them is high pressure until this is completed. Having little or no autumn-sown wheat, this spring-sown grain is their staple crop. Then follows the sowing of what little is grown of barley, oats, pease, potatoes, roots, &c. Only little breadth of artificial grasses is sown. These farmers get their hay from prairie grass, which .grows on low, damp places, called sloughs or slews. This hay harvest is done mostly before the grain is ready ; then all is hurry until the grain is gathered. I feel I must here say that the average Britisher V 126 The Agricultural and other Resources of Canada. Prince Albert. Regina. or Englishman does not understand the Canadian winters. The thermometer frequently going below zero gives him a little terror, as this very seldom takes place in England, even in the most severe winters. The atmosphere in Canada is, however, so clear and dry that I was told over and over again by settlers from England, they did not feel the cold any more than in England. One lady from Devonshire, England, told me she had lately spent one winter in her old home and there felt the cold more than in Canada, the air was so damp. No doubt there are times, for a few days, when care is required not to be "scientifically frozen" (as I have heard it described), but this is very- rare, and happens only to careless and benighted people. The Canadians do not fear their winter; I should not do so, nor do I see very much for others to fear. Of course, I did see one or two cases of persons damaged by being frost bitten, but these instances were extreme ones, through unavoidable exposure. It is usually bright and clear weather, June being their rainy month. As we travelled on by rail from Regina, we observed one curious reminder of the life that used to throng these vast plains. Along the sides of the railway are piles of buffalo bones, gathered by the Indians, the last remnants of the mighty herds of bison which, not so very many years ago, grazed over these long stretches of country. Our next halting place was Prince Albert, where we arrived on Sunday, 5th October. At this place the delegates were welcomed by the Mayor, and carriages were provided for their use to see the city and its surroundings. Prince Albert is some 200 miles north-west of Regina, and well situated on the Saskatchewan River, which is still navigable. We saw several timber rafts and saw-mills on the river banks. A railway is projected running west from this point to Edmonton. The town has a good appearance, as it is built on rolling land, sloping gradually to the river. We called upon several farmers in this neighbourhood; they were very pleased, especially a Mr. Flaxton, to show us their farms, and all had good grain and vegetables They all appeared thoroughly happy arid content. On my remarking that the land, where not under cultivation, was uneven and scrubby, I was told that further back from the river there is fine prairie land in great quantity ready for settlers. I was sorry that I had not time to see more of this town and district, for there was much that was new and interesting, with everything, as the Americans say, apparently on the up-grade. I understand that the Hudson's Bay Company have lands, in the district, which are, no doubt, for sale. Returning to Regina, our train stopped at Duck Lake. At Mr. Mitchell's cattle ranche we were driven some miles out to see the land and stock. We found plenty of water and prairie grass, which is- stronger grown than about Regina. There are at Duck Lake wooden houses erected, and others in course of construction, forming a considerable settlement. Here also a company, I was informed, hold an- extensive portion of land for sale, and have a resident agent. We were shown some samples of grain, which was of good quality, grown a few miles from this location. At Saskatoon we were again interviewed, and shown grain and vegetables grown near this place, where the railway crosses the Saskatchewan River, the products being all very good. All is now open prairie land until Regina, the capital of Assiniboia, is again reached. It might well be called the city of the plains, the surroundings being so bare and open. The city has a population of some 3,000, is a distributing point, has good railway accommodation, • and the Executive Council of the North-West Territories meet there. The North-West Mounted Police, numbering 1,000 men, have their head- Mr. illiam WScotson's Report. 127 quarters at Regina. They look over the Indians and keep order in the country between Manitoba and the Rocky Mountains. Regina sends a member to the Dominion Parliament, and has a mayor and corporation, wide streets, schools, churches, and hotels, most of which are built of wood. On Tuesday, 7th of October, we visited the Regina agricultural show of roots, grain, &c, with needlework, all of which were nice exhibits. I was sorry we could not remain to see the stock on the next day, as, no doubt, mixed farming stock will increase. Here we had rain, which interfered with our seeing more of this district. After we left Regina the train next stopped at Medicine Hat, on Medicine Hat. the Saskatchewan River. Here we visited a show of roots and grain, the potatoes being extra good and very large. I may mention that I have for years noticed that a climate with a soil that will grow roots, particularly potatoes and wheat, well, is always a fruitful and healthy place for man. Here we found a well-appointed hospital, a mounted police station, coal mines not far away, a railway depot with workshops, and several churches, all of which show its progress. At Medicine Hat we were joined by Mr. Thomas Stone, whom I have before mentioned as manager of Sir John Lyster Kaye's farms. It was a pleasure, as we passed through these farms by rail, to hear from Mr. Stone how he has now arranged the 10 farms of about 10,000 acres to each farm, with a bailiff over each, growing grain and fodder to enable each farm to meet its own wants. The farms are chiefly intended for the breeding of horses, cattle and sheep. A number of breeding mares and their foals, mostly to Clydesdale sires, were rounded up for us to see these i young horses, which well evidence the stamp of their imported sires. Mr. Stone's arrangement of these farms, as told to me, appeared very business-like. He has his self-binders and other implements cleaned and repaired at the close of harvest, and put away in readiness for the next year, an example which should be copied by all who aim at expeditious and economical working. This is a big business, and it is not easy to reckon up as to profit or loss (on my return journey there had been a fire at one of these farms). On 9th October we arrived at the charming agricultural and ran- Calgary and ching centre, Calgary, situated on the Bow River, overlooked in the *ts s"^wealth distance by the far-famed white-peaked Rocky Mountains. This city is the capital of Alberta, has coal and mining industries near, a large timber trade, is a centre for the mounted police, also for the Hudson Bay Company, and is in the middle of the great ranching prairie land east of the Rocky Mountains, where there are thousands of cattle, besides horses. We had a drive over some of this land from Calgary to Mr. Hull's farm, called Government farm. He has a large business as a cattle dealer, butcher, and farmer, growing gain and roots for his stock on the low-lying lands of this farm. A large horse machine was at work threshing a fair lot of oats, but they had been a little heated in the stack; 120 head of cattle were rounded up by Mr. Hull on horseback for our party to see. They proved a nice bunch of oxen on clear prairie land, miles in extent. Next day, Friday, 10th of October, we drove with the police team, Mr, Alexander and Mr. Stone joining our party, through the ranching country south of Calgary, through Pine Creek, on to McPherson's, a large horse-breeding ranche. I understood that the foals run with their dams all through the winter and are not weaned. In the stackyard was a large quantity of prairie hay, mostly used for saddle horses and stallions during the winter months, but some is given in severe weather, to the breeding and young horses out on the open prairie. We were unfortunate in not finding Mr. McPherson at home. However, we made the best of it, and remained all night, our 128 Banff and its hot springs. The Agricultural and other Resources of Canada. good driver and team taking us back the next morning through another ranching country, where we saw some well-bred stallions which had been in use on the ranche. Here, we were again unfortunate, the manager having been taken ill, and sent this day to the hospital, where he died. From this " ranche home," with its good loose boxes and yards, we went on through prairie land, some fenced, but more not, with an occasional settler's home. We then reached Calgary, having driven some 100 miles in the two days. All along this drive, we came across cattle of various breeds belonging to big ranching companies who own some thousands of cattle, horses and sheep in this district. Calgary citizens are proud of their city, and have great hopes for its future. On Sunday, 12th October, at 2*30 a.m., we left Calgary, arriving at Banff for breakfast. The Canadian Pacific Railway Hotel at Banff is situated amid charming scenery, on the valley of the Bow River, with cascades, pine trees and mountains vieing .with each other in height and vastness. There are natural hot sulphur water springs here, which are utilized as the best natural warm baths I ever used or saw. Banff, for charming scenery is a place not to be forgotten, with its delightful winding valley and hillside drives through its National Park and ever-varied scenery. We again joined our train, proceeding on through the far-famed, mighty, overawing Rocky Mountains, whose grand range of scenery, and the effect produced on the beholder, I will not attempt to describe. On and on we passed over marvellous wooden bridges, and at last along a winding gorge, through which the Fraser River threads its course westward. After leaving Banff we passed along this marvellous engineering feat, the Canadian Pacific Railway, for a distance of 500 miles,, along mountain sides, over ravines and rushing waters, one endless panorama of wild and glorious scenery, until we arrived at Hope, the head of navigation on the Fraser River, which runs into the Pacific. The climate and vegetation here savours of home. Still on the Canadian Pacific Railway, we skirted the valley of the Fraser River, until once more along a tidal stream the journey to New Westminster was accomplished, and we entered one of the most flourishing seaports of BRITISH COLUMBIA. New Westminster has a population of 5,000, is well situated on the north side of the Fraser River, and is one of the foremost towns in this province. Here we found street-making and building actively going on. There are numerous canneries for preserving salmon, several of which we visited, and all were doing an enormous trade in the season. There are many fine buildings, including the agricultural hall, in Queen's Park. Large saw-mills are a distinct feature. In these mills big logs are picked up from rafts in the river, passed through perfect machinery, and, like well-regulated straws, are cut into the required dimensions for home and export trade to China, Australia, &c. Regular steamers from this port also ply south to Victoria. On Wednesday, 15th October, we visited the agricultural lands bordering on the Fraser River, some of which are called delta lands, at Ladner's Landing. Here the soil is of rich quality, growing very fine mangolds, and particularly fine white oats, weighing 44 lbs. to the bushel, rye, and fruit. Here we had rain, and it seemed very much like being in the marshy lands of Britain, with dykes to take the water into the river. On Mr. Hutchinson's fruit farm, we saw young apple and other fruit trees nicely planted in a rich soil, with good mangolds and potatoes growing between the rows of trees, all looking healthy and like proving a success. On Thursday we drove through a grand avenue cut out of the primeval forest, which is in all stages of decay and vigorous life, with Mr. William Scotson's Report. pines and cedars of immense size. It seemed to us woeful to see this fine timber being cut for fuel. On we went for miles througL this evergreen forest, until we arrived at V ancouver city, which is a seaport and the terminus of the railway, and certainly one of the greatest marvels of growth in the civilized world. Here are some 15,000 people where in 1886 was a forest. It is finely situated on Burrard Inlet, has fine scenery of mountain and forest. Stanley Park (named after Lord Stanley, the present Governor General of Canada, and presumptive heir of Knowsley), is a notable instance, with its big pine and cedar trees. It is 1,000 acres in extent, and belongs to the city. There are extensive wharves, warehouses, churches, hotels, lumber mills, fish-can- ing establishments and electric-lighted streets. There is a regular service of steamships to China, Japan, Victoria, San Francisco, Alaska and Puget Sound ports. There is an Indian village close by. The little agricultural land here, as in most parts of British Columbia, is of good quality, and appears well suited for small farmers and gardeners, who can manage spade work, and go'in for fruit, dairy and poultry farming. There are not many stretches of prairie land like Manitoba suitable for grain farmers, though roots and grain both grow well in this climate and soil, as well as fruits. I did hear of some prairie land in what is called the Okanagon valley, where there had been sent and used some 20 tons of string this year to tie up the the grain grown in this said valley. I hear that new railway lines are to be built, or are in course of construction, to connect the valley with the existing system. No doubt there are yet more such fertile belts of land, not much known, in this south-west portion of British Columbia, with its English climate. We visited Lulu Island, where good fruit and vegetables grow well in a rich soil. The whole island is flat and not much above sea level. On Friday, 17th October, we left Vancouver, on board the SS. Coal mil " Cutch " to visit some collieries at Nanaimo. On our passage, three rtj^j miles off Nanaimo, about 6 p.m., when it was dark and raining, a steam tug, called the " Mogul," came into collision with the " Cutch," damaging her bulwarks, and causing a little alarm on board. She soon, however, proceeded on to Nanaimo, and we had the satisfaction of seeing how fast an engine of 150 horse power wound up coals, the production of 120 men, in a mine 600 feet deep. The coals were brought up regularly and fast (all machinery going nicely). Chinamen, with torchlights attached to their hats, were doing efficiently all the handling at the top of the shaft. The next morning, Saturday, we left Nanaimo by rail, through hills, valleys and mountains, mostly covered with timber, until we neared Victoria, where farms and farm lands appear on sites which evidently, like Ontario, had been cleared of timber. Victoria, the capital of British Columbia, is situated on the south point of Vancouver Island, has a population of 15,000, is the most English city on the Pacific seaboard, and were it not for its straight, wide streets, electric-lighted, electric cars running into the suburbs, and China-town, with its Chinese Joss House, theatres, shops and Chinamen with their opium, we might well have imagined that we were at some naval port at home, climate and all included. I was driven about the suburbs, and our party were presented to Lieutenant-Governor Nelson. We visited the museum and other places of interest with the Mayor and other kind citizens. On Sunday I was driven a good many miles into the country. Her are forests with uncleared stumps in plenty, some cleared farm land, with fruit in abundance, and grain all harvested, leaving a clean stubble observable on this land. Mr. Bryant, a farmer, showed our party samples of his threshed wheat and barley, both of which appeared like good English grain. We saw more fruit, 130 The Agricultural and other Resources of Canada. m and some grapes outside, with a few hops, which appeared to me, as in other parts of this province, well fitted for growing by small farmers like peasant proprietors. Here is good soil, healthy climate, and good wages, with room for capital and labour. On Monday we were to have sailed to Vancouver city, but the steamer did not start this day, and we enjoyed a sample of a straight downpour of rain, which continued till 4 a.m. On Tuesday, the steamer departed for Vancouver, and landed / us safely. We then commenced our return journey, by the Canadian Pacific Railway, in our sleeper. Arrived at New Wesminster, we got on board the " Delaware," and sailed up to Mission on the Fraser River, where a bridge is in course of construction to form a connection with Washington territory in the United States. We landed near Chiliwack, where the Mayor provided " rigs," and drove us through Sumas valley. Here were farms with abundance of fine apple trees ; the higher plots being marshy, prairie land, suitable for cattle grazing.. [he grass was not making the grade kind of stock very fat. On Thursday, Mayor Kitchen again took us to see some grain, fruit, etc., which had been exhibited at the agricultural grounds, all of which were good. The roadsides in this district were carpeted with wild white clover (natural). We drove on through forests and farms, arriving at an Indian village called Popcum, where there is a tributary to the Fraser, which is utilized for working the machinery of large lumber mills. Here we were paddled by Indians in their canoes across the down stream of the Fraser, landing about two miles from the Government farm at Agassiz, where Mr. Sharp, the manager, was busy having some big trees split up by dynamite, to clear the way to carry out the work of experimenting in agriculture for the Province of British Columbia. Here fruit and forest trees were planted on the cleared portions. The soil was clean and rich. Two miles from this place we passed a nice farm, which showed good roots, clover, and some good young cattle. There was and educated Englishman spreading manure out of a farm waggon. He smiled and looked content. At Agassiz, we again joined our sleeping car, and once more passed over the never-to-be-forgotten Rockies. The glaciers and snow-topped mountains towered above us, whilst the innumerable rivulets were bidding us a bright adieu as they tumbled into the gorges below. So ended Friday, in a sleeping car on the Canadian Pacific Railway. On Saturday we passed through Calgary eastward. We halted a little at Medicine Hat, and then eastward still to Wolseley. Here our sleeper being detached, Senator Perley soon procured rigs to convey us to see some farming lands. We called upon Mr. Finlay, who had been ten years in a wholesale house in London. He came here seven years ago, has some grain which was damaged by hailstorm, 10 milk cows, 14 young cattle, and 1 yoke oxen. This free life pleases him, and he would not go back, though frost had damaged his grain to some extent. We also called upon Mr. Gibson, who left Ayrshire seven years ago. He has a homested, having built his own house and buildings, is quite satisfied with the place, and is expecting to get homesteads for his two sons. At Moffat, near here, we called on Mr. Kinder, who was at church, but Mrs. Kinder said they liked the place well enough, only there was a scarcity of female help. I was informed that crops here had suffered from frost, with hailstorms. On Monday we arrived at Moosomin, and, during*a long drive with Mr. Neff, called upon about seven different farmers—wheat-growers—who were generally satisfied. One, who came from Staffordshire seven years ago, and was helping his neighbour to thresh, said he was quite satisfied with his seven years' experience, although frost had done damage to his wheat occa- Mr. William Scotson's Report. 131 sionally, and it was pretty cold in winter. Mr. Neff, M.P.P., is himself a large farmer, growing wheat on his two or three sections of land, most of which I saw. There were indications of frost having done some damage about Moosomin, which is a gowing agricultural centre, with a population of 2,000 inhabitants, and has a mayor, schools, hotels, and also stores of various kinds. We arrived at Winnipeg on Tuesday afternoon; on Wednesday, we went on a branch railway to Stonewall, where large limestone quarries are being worked. We visited Mr. Jackson, who kindly took us over his farm in all its stages, from clearing the scrub or small timber to the land from which several crops of wheat had been taken. His Red Fife wheat in stacks was of good quality. He had cleared his land, got his own house built thereon, and is a smart man of business, and looked happy. I will here mention that when at Russell, I paid a hurried visit to one of Dr. Barnardo's homes and farm. The vegetables were very fine, the buildings good, and a large dairy of cows is here kept, inmates, gathered from the ranks of the London street arabs doing the work. A Dane manages the dairy, where a steam engine is being used and good butter made. The wards in the home for inmates were clean and comfortable, and all the officials were attentive and ready to give all information asked by the delegates, during the short visit to this institution. I was led to understand that farmers, under a written agreement of some kind, get the inmates of these homes to become hired servants. Forms of this agreement can be had on application at the home. From Winnipeg we went south into the States, visiting the big flour mills on the Mississippi at Minneapolis, which are said to be the largest in the world. Here I was told their best wheat came from Manitoba. Wheat arrives loose on the railway cars, from which it is elevated into the mills, coming out flour—the foreman said " To feed the English." The machinery of this mill is mostly driven by water from the river Mississippi. From here we visited the pretty city of St. Paul's, with its 14-story buildings and the Mississippi valley and waters at its feet. On. Tuesday, 4th November, we left this city for Niagara. Who Return to can describe these grand waterfalls, or write the music of their rolling,. Ontario, tumbling, dashing waters—once seen and heard, never to be forgotten ? We then left the United States of America at Niagara Falls, and re-entered Canada by rail, bound for Hamilton, which is a manufacturing city in the Province of Ontario. We arrived in time to visit the Britannia silver works the same afternoon. Our next visit was to Brantford. We were introduced to the mayor, etc., and attended a meeting of the Board of Trade, to discuss the question of increasing the boundary of the city of Brantford. The discussion was a good one, the several speakers showing much ability. On Wednesday morning, accompanied by Mr. Blue, Deputy Official cdvili- Minister of Agriculture for Ontario, and others, we drove out to Bow ies' Park, a farm of about 1,000 acres, and managed by Mr. John Hope (well known in English agricultural circles) for Messrs. Nelson, of Edinburgh. There is here an excellent herd of Shorthorns in fine condition, with bone and hair showing vitality, a treat to see. This is a nice farm, about three miles from Brantford, and bounded by the Grand River on one side. The stock and crops on the farm showed good management. At Brantford, we went through the factory of Harris <fc Co., makers of the " Osborne " reapers and mowers, where some thousands are turned out annually. Professor Bell gives distinction to this city as the inventor of the telephone. We left Brantford 132 The Agricultural and other Resources of Canada. Agricultur college and practical work. .1 its Abundance free homesteads. by the Grand Trunk Railway, passing through the counties of Oxford and Elgin, observing all along the route good mixed farming, and stock in the fields in good condition. At St. Thomas, we were accompanied by Alderman Martin, and were driven to Yarmouth, overlooking what is known as the Quaker's valley. Here is a good country, well farmed; indeed, the whole valley is like a series of prize farms lying side by side. This drive of many miles revealed some of the best farming we had seen in Canada. The next item in our programme was a return to Windsor, Ontario, and thence by train along the valley of the Thames River to London, the county town of Middlesex. On Saturday, 8th November, we arrived at Guelph. It was market day. We examined some barley in sacks on a farmer's waggon for sale. A brewer who bought this barley said he preferred the native four or six- rowed to the two-rowed; Mr. Hobson, from Mosboro', Ontario, said much the same thing. I saw good two-rowed barley grown near Prince Albert, North-West Territory, and also samples from British Columbia, near Victoria, Brandon and Alberta, all of which for malting I should have preferred to any of the four or six-rowed barley shown to me in Ontario. I was well pleased with the arrangements, and the practical good being done, at the Guelph agricultural college. President Mills, with Professor Shaw, showed the delegates all the working at this college and experimental farm. Students are taught in the college the spirit of agriculture, and on the farm they work out the practice, in the management of the land, sowing and harvesting the crops, in breeding cattle, sheep and pigs, in veterinary science, and in experiments with different rations as to feeding the different classes of animals to make the most profitable return on the produce consumed, the weighing machine being regularly used, and accurate reports taken of all proceedings. I must say I was instructed as well as interested in this work shown us by the genial President and staff. I feel that I must specially thank the Minister of Agriculture, Ontario, for arranging for Mr. Blue, the Deputy Minister, to show Mr. Wood and myself some of the farms, stock and agricultural lands of Ontario. I think, further, that I am justified in saying that Ontario has sown the seeds of most of the farming now practised in the Dominion west of Ontario, and that she may still be called the premier province for stock and mixed agriculture. We journeyed on through Ottawa and Montreal to Quebec, accompanied by the courteous secretary to the Department of Agriculture (Mr. H. B. Small), and Mr. Campbell, of Winnipeg, to both of whom my best thanks are due for their kindness and assistance, as indeed they are due to all Government agents and Canadians generally. We joined the Allan royal mail steamer "Parisian" on 13th November, and, after a safe passage with pleasant company, arrived in Liverpool on the 22nd. I exceedingly regret that, owing to the limited time at my disposal, I could not visit the Maritime Provinces; but from what I ascertained from Senator Prowse, of Prince Edward Island, from gentlemen I met in various parts of Canada, and from those of the delegates who were more fortunate than myself, I believe that these provinces are in many ways similar to Ontario, and that they offer very good openings to farmers and others with capital, of In conclusion, I have to say, after travelling through the heart of Canada, from Quebec to Victoria, a distance of some thousands of miles, that I saw in Manitoba and the great North-West thousands of square miles of good prairie land yet untouched, and waiting for men and money to develop its worth and to win for themselves competence and Mr. William Scotson's Report. 133 independence. In travelling through this vast country I conversed with many hundreds of settlers of different nationalities, and all seemed satisfied with their lot. I met many men who a few years ago had Happy homes gone out to Canada with nothing but their hands and brains, who are now in good positions on fair farms, and glad that Canada is their present and future home. These men are mostly located on their own lands, and feel a freedom hitherto unknown; whilst they find the Canadians quite as English as themselves. It is hard to realize that this is the case so many thousand miles from England, yet it is undoubtedly the fact, and the farther west you get from Quebec, the more English in character you find the people. After careful investigations in all directions, ample opportunities Canada the for which were'afforded me, and after thoroughly testing all statements country for made to me by the light of my own hard pratical experience of nearly ous- half a century, during which period I have become familiar with nearly every agricultural district in Great Britain, and the methods of farming adopted therein, I can safely say that, in my opinion, there are homes and independence in these vast regions for thousands in at least three conditions of persons, viz., the young of both sexes, who can get employment at good wages, provided they are willing to make themselves useful as labourers and servants, with an excellent chance of winning homes and homesteads for themselves; and, secondly, for the small farmer with a little capital, who can here use his strength, intelligence and small means to greater advantage than perhaps any where else in the world, both to himself and to the country of his adoption. In the case of his richer brethren, though they may not need to win a livelihood for themselves, the openings for settling sons and daughters advantageously are not to be despised. I may add that, in order to assist and advise intending settlers, and prevent them being imposed upon, the Canadian Government have appointed agents in all the larger towns and cities in Canada, and also in England, from whom all information that they can desire is to be obtained. The Canadian railway companies, the Hudson's Bay Company, and several large land companies, which have lands for sale in various parts of the Dominion, also have local and European agents, by whom information will be readily given. 10 GOVERNMENT BUILDINGS, OTTAWA (EAST BLOCK). THE REPORT OF MR. HENRY SIMMONS, Bearwood Farm, Wokingham. Having accepted the appointment under Sir Charles Tupper as one of the English delegates to visit and report on the Dominion of Canada, I 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 emigrants some very commonly entertained prejudices. Let me, then, first start with my experience of the sea voyage To oross the Atlantic does, I know, appear to many a terrible undertaking, 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. With an excellent bill of fare served at 8.30 a.m., 1 and 6 p.m., and supper or tea from 9 to 10 p.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 pleasent interchange of ideas, one with another, the day sped on, and we found ourselves ready to turn into our comfortable cabins for the night, when 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, <fcc. 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. I had heard 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 Bell Isle, then some two or three days up the Gulf of and the River St. Lawrence, 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 subject of the ocean passage, I 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 Mr. Henry Simmons's Report. 135 said it was his 150th voyage, and he had never experienced any disaster at sea, beyond 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, Arrival at we now started together. Our instructions being to present ourselves Quebec, 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 allotments 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 v§ry orderly and well dressed, it being Sunday; but, as regards farming, without much push and enterprise. Of course, we 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, Montreal and remaining the night at the Windsor Hotel—said to be one of the lts Slg 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 Royal, a most imposing sight, with the St. Lawrence river, Victoria bridge, and rapids in the distance. PROVINCE OF ONTARIO. We left for Ottawa after breakfast, reaching the capital about one Ottawa, o'clock. The railway passes through a poor agricultural district, and the crops struck us as if they would have repaid more careful farming. On reaching Ottawa, the seat of the Dominion Government, and containing the houses of Parliament and departmental buildings (which are very fine 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 Government central experi- A pleasant mental farm, about two miles from the city, the leading one of five vlslt- established—here, and in the Maritime Provinces, Manitoba, the North-West Territories, and British Columbia. We were most Experimental courteously received by Professor- Saunders, the managing director, farm work- and conducted over the whole establishment. 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 farm work about which reliable and positive information is most needed, including the best kinds of seed corn, both as regards yield, quality, and, what is of the utmost importance, early maturity, to meet the drawback of the shortness of the season and autumn frost; the growing and testing 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 various plots, 136 The Agricultural and other Resources of Canada. and rye grass, lucerne, and sainfoin looked promising. The latter would be a most useful plant in the country if once acclimatized. 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 threshed out. The mangels, swedes, and various Grape culture, 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 glutenous inside; but the taste once acquired, you become very fond of them, and one commendable feature throughout Canada is, that the first thing placed before you on the breakfast table is a dish of grapes and other fruits, and again after dinner. Many acres are planted with fruit trees, and a large belt of forest and ornamental trees and shrubs, obtained from all countries and climes, have been planted around the farm boundaries, serving the double purpose of shelter from cold winds, and also that of testing their growth and adaptation to the different provinces of the Dominion. The houses for the respective managers are excellent, also the buildings generally. The actual farm buildings are the most spacious, conveniently planned, and economically built erections of the kindil have seen in any country. The stock consisted of 12 good working horses and 5 distinct herds of cattle, of about 10 animals in each herd—namely, Shorthons, Polled Angus, Holstein, Ayrshire and Alderney—-all selected chiefly from the Dominion, at a very moderate outlay, and, as I considered, with good judgment, many very good specimens of the breeds mentioned being secured. All the milk and butter produced is sold in Ottawa. Sheep and pigs are to be added; but, at present, the arrangements in these departments are incomplete. The poultry yard is in itself a great institution, embracing all the best known breeds, and thoroughly understood and cared for by the very intelligent manager of that department. One very commendable practice is that of sending out to hundreds of farmers throughout the Dominion, small samples of different grain for them to sow and test for themselves, also the receiving of any samples sent in by farmers for analysis or opinion thereon. Altogether, the whole management and anangement, not forgetting the chemical department, struck us as good, and well calculated to disseminate most useful and valuable knowledge throughout the Dominion, at a comparatively small cost to the Government. We left Ottawa by the night mail for Toronto, reaching there early next morning. Having taken up our quarters at the Queen's hotel, we at once started for the great Toronto show and fair then being held, about two miles by rail out of the city, returning at night by one of the boats continually running down Lake Ontario to and from the show. Toronto is the seat of the Provincial Government, with a population of over 200,000 inhabitants, and with its important manufactories and fine buildings, is a city of which any country might be proud. The agricultural shows here differ from those in England, as they combine pleasure with business; in fact, on seeing included a Buffalo Bill entertainment in all its entirety—swings, roundabouts, <fec, &c, and stalls of all kinds—it reminded one of our old English fairs; at the same time, the show of stock, fruit, roots and cereals, and more particularly agricultural implements, was hardly second to anything to be seen at our leading English exhibitions. This flan Toronto city and an agricultural lair. Mr. Henry Simmons's Report. 1o>7 37 evidently pleases the masses, as the show lasts nearly a fortnight, and is crowded by visitors daily, consequently the gate money must be very large. One very noticeable feature is the absence, notwithstanding the crowd, of all noise or drunkenness, no intoxicating liquor being allowed to be sold inside the showyard, but every convenience is afforded for refreshments of all kinds and non-intoxicating drinks. Throughout Canada, tea and coffee are served with every nieal, which, no doubt, accounts in a great measure for the general sobriety of the' people. The show is held in permanent buildings erected for the purpose, and they are extensive and very convenient, and the open ground affords abundant room for the pleasure-seekers, horses, cattle, trotting, and other rings necessary for showing the exhibits. The cattle included Shorthorns, Polled Angus, and other breeds that would have been no disgrace to an English " Royal" showyard; and the horses included some very useful Shire and good Clydesdale specimens. The trotting horse is everything in Canada. These showed in great force, and the pace is good, also high jumping—the champion jumper cleared a rail fence 7 ft. 1 in. high. The show of implements was better, and certainly more extensive, than any I have seen in England; every convenience is brought out to reduce labour, and all made light and fairly cheap. The fruit of all kinds was most extensive and of good quality, more particularly grapes, pears, apples and plums; also a fine assortment of roses and other flowers, roots, cereals, and grasses of all kinds, equal to those grown in England, were to be seen in great abundance; the different provinces and Government experimental farms vieing with each other to excel—altogether forming a vast and most interesting exhibition. Dogs are numerous and fine in Canada, and a very 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 farmers and others, from whom we obtained useful information; but not to waste time, it was arranged for the delegates, who had now all arrived at Toronto, to start on the evening of the second day for Winnipeg, from which point we hoped to start on our actual North-West tour. Accordingly, we all left on Wednesday evening, in a most comfortable saloon and Pullman sleeping car provided for our special use by the Grand Trunk and Canadian Pacific Railway Companies, on the rather long and tedious journey by Port Arthur to Winnipeg, a distance of some 1,200 miles, reaching Winnipeg on Saturday evening about five o'clock. This journey, for the most part, was through a picturesque country of forests and lakes, but entirely out of court for any purposes of agriculture. Minerals are now being worked on some parts of the line, and should more be found, as in all probability will be the case, a scattered population may spring up; but at present the long ride through apparently deserted forests, all more or less destroyed from time to time by fire, without seeing so much as a bird of any kind, makes one glad when, as you near Winnipeg, passing Rat Portage, and one or two other apparently more thriving and pretty places, you begin to feel once more in the civilized world. It was on this journey, as we wound our way round the margin of Lake Superior, at a spot rather ominously called the " Jaws of Death," that the accident occurred to our engine and tender, from running into a large mass of stone that had fallen on to the track from the heights above. It fortunately resulted in nothing more serious than giving us all a good shaking as we sat at breakfast, and sending the engine and two cars off the line; the line itself being also torn up, causing a delay 138 The Agricultural and other Resources of Ccmada. of some hours before a start could be again made. Had the accident happened a few ^yards farther on, the whole train might have gone down a precipice ; in that case I am afraid the delegates' 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 dinner cars are attached at different stations to the trains, and run on till all the passengers are served, then leave at the next station. City of Winnipeg. Public education. PROVINCE OF MANITOBA. On reaching Winnipeg, we were very cordially received by 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 situation, as regards railway and water communication, must go on increasing, although just now suffering from over-speculation at the time the Canadian Pacific Railway was first opened. It contains many very fine public buildings, churches, schools and private houses; 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 and well-conducted establishment, and invited on Monday evening to take part in a dinner given to Sir Hector Langevin, the Minister of Public Works of Canada. The health of the delegates 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, some six miles, crossing the Red 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 the 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 18 miles distant, is open to immigrants. On Monday morning, we went over several large 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 being all good alike,-and churches aud chapels in every district. No one contemplating emigration need have any misgivings on either of these matters, as they will find the arrangements good and in their own hands. In the afternoon we drove out in an opposite direction to that taken on Sunday, to "Silver Heights," about six miles, a very nice Mr. Henry Simmons's Report. 139 residence and farm belonging to Sir Donald Smith, and were received by the steward, Sir Donald being away. They had about 300 acres of arable land, and planted 240 acres of it with wheat each year. He was 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 the delegates a good deal when, finding fault with the farmers for burning the straw, as is so much done throughput Manitoba, we were met with this answer, and have not been able to convince 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 Herefords, all running together without much attempt at management, making 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 had only 90 acres of poor-looking prairie pasture, and it was not nearly enough 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 Points of in- used for garden purposes, well cultivated, and very productive. We eres seen" walked into gardens and talked with occupiers, who evidently used dung when they could get it, and highly valued it, the result being fine vegetables and potatoes of good quality and quantity. Some very nice private residences on the banks of the Assiniboine River 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 the leaving tne prison. On leaving, he was allowed to give them a *_>» suit of clothes and £2 in money, and generally heard of their doing well by letters from the convicts themselves. He told me that, although he hoped to retire in a few years, he should end his days in Canada, as he loved the country and people. On Tuesday morning we took leave of Winnipeg, accompanied by Mr. Scarth, the member for Winnipeg, and journeyed on through a large 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 threshing, and we saw several lots of cattle in the distance as we passed. Our first stop was at Carman, quite a new settlement, in consequence of a branch line being made to it from the junction, the old town of Carman being a short distance away. Already, an inn, several stores of various kinds, and an elevator to receive the corn which was being sent in constantly by the neighbouring farmers, are built, and the place looks thriving. A man had just shot a large white crane, rather larger than our common heron, hundreds of which he said infested the cornfields during harvest time. They are good eating. After a stay of 40 minutes, we resumed our journey back to the junction, and so on to Glenboro', passing through a useful prairie country with some good corn at intervals, and plenty of wood and water—a great consideration to settlers. At the various stations on our road, hearing of our coming, the farmers brought specimens of grain, roots, &c, for our inspection, and one enthusiastic man brought a Shorthorn calf of his own breeding, said to be only eight months old, and weighing 940 lbs. live weight. It was really a very well bred calf, of good shape, colour, and quality. We remained 140 The Agricultural and other Resources of Canada, Progress of the Highland crofter settlements, undoubted success- Rich agricultural lands. Prosperous settlers. at Glenboro' for the night, making an early start next morning in conveyances, dividing up our party, some going to the crofters by Pelican Lake, some to the Icelandic settlement, and one to the French settlement, all to return to Glenboro' at night. I joined the crofter party, and we found ourselves passing through the best country for settlement we had yet seen, most of it, for some miles out, taken up and well farmed, although some) as usual, being held by speculators, was unbroken. The first settlers only started here eight years back, and many of them only two years; all have built themselves fairly good houses and stables, and those who came first have broken all their land up, excepting that required for pasture for their cattle. Our first stop was among some crofters, formerly fishermen. This was only their first harvest, and we found them busy stacking wheat. As the crofter question will be dealt with specially by our Scotch delegates, I will not dwell on this subject, merely saying we found them fairly well satisfied with the country and climate, not minding the long winter. All had made a good start breaking up their ground, having from 20 to 30 acres in wheat this season, and as much and in some cases more ready for next year's cropping. They have each a team, some two, of working oxen, 10 to 20 head of cattle, pigs, and poultry; and looked well and fit for work, including the wives and children. My own opinion is, considering their former habits and occupation from childhood as fishermen, they are making a fair start, and will in time become masters of their work, and get a fairly good position in the country. We heard from them the same story told us so often since, that the first year is a most trying one, especially to the wives, but that after that is past you become accustomed to the life, and Canadian in your ideas, and have no wish to return to the old home. It was pleasing to hear the crofters speak with gratitude of the great attention, kindness,' and encouragement they had one and all received from Mr. and Mrs. Scarth, of Winnipeg, who had both visited them in their homes several times. Mr. Scarth undertook on behalf of the Government to carry out the arrangements made for settling these crofters, I believe. We passed on through a very useful, open country by Barnett Lake, and so on to Pelican Lake, gettir>^ a fine view of the beautiful scenery all round as far as the eye could reach, and had a long talk with a young farmer, busy stackingwheat. His former occupation was in a Liverpool merchant's office. He is married, and his two sisters, who came out to Canada with him, have both since married well to neighbouring settlers. A young man, an English clergyman's son, was helping him on the stack. All 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 passed, and driving through some good hay country down to Belmont, a station on the Canadian Pacific Railway. 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 chicken, 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 The first man we spoke to was very busy, like the in England Mr. Henry Simmons's Report. 141 rest, stacking wheat, but quite ready to tell us his experiences. He was formerly a gamekeeper in Lincolnshire; he farmed 160 acres —120 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 30 bushels. It was quite refreshing to see the way this man's work was set out and done; he was 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 paying 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 river 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 of wheat 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 office exists. Plum Creek is a very pretty place on the Souris river, 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 which they now ask from eight to ten dollars an acre. We left by train, arriving at Brandon for 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 corn-raising point of view, the most businesslike we have seen in Canada. From his own statement, verified by others, about seven years ago he began this farm with borrowed capital. He is to-day undoubtedly a man of very considerable means, say from seven to ten thousand pounds. The system is one of continuous cropping, and this year, after six previous eorn crops, he complains he grows too much straw, all of which he burns out of his way immediately after harvest. He has 1,550 acres of Fife wheat (the most favourite wheat produced in Canada), which he expects will yield from 35 to 40 bushels, of 60 lbs. the bushel, per acre ; and from the way it came down the spouts of two threshing machines then at work in the fields, being at the rate of 3 bushels every minute each machine, and the appearance of the crop, all being then in shock, it will probably, at any rate, reach the 35 bushels per acre, and most of it of good quality, ana 14: The Agricultural and other Resources of Canada. no complaint of damage by frost. Of oats he has 550 acres, all after six years' previous corn crops, and he estimates the yield at from eight to ten quarters, of 34 lbs. the bushel,-per acre. The black Tartars are really a very fine crop. He took an adjoining section of 640 acres last year for three years, at a rental of half a dollar per acre per annum. It is all ready for planting with wheat next season, well cleared, and* will only require breaking down with the harrows in the spring of 1891, to produce, after drilling, a fine crop of wheat. The only stock on the farm is 18 pairs of horses, working sulky ploughs on which the ploughmen ride; and we noticed twelve binders standing in the homestead awaiting winter quarters. Wild geese, ducks, and other game are plentiful 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 here as at Ottawa, and the buildings and management are- on the same commendable principle, and under good painstaking: managers. sold is good. agam In the afternoon we drove over the country on the %ast side of Brandon, calling on our way through the city to see a stud of Shire and thorough-bred horses, imported from England. We thought them only second rate, and fear the English sellers take quite enough money, without, at the same time, taking care that the article We had a drive of some ten miles out, taking a circle home through a great country of land available for immigrants, and a good deal of it already taken up, at from $5 to $12 an acre. This country is said to be subject to drought, but as a whole, we think it well worthy the attention of intending settlers. A considerable quantity of land for many miles 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 in the neighbourhood. A supper and smoking concert was given in our honour, to which we were invited in the evening. Milling indus- On Saturday morning, after seeing the very complete mills owned: y* by the mayor of the city, sawmills, corn elevator, &c, we started in five rigs for Rapid City, distant about 21 miles.' The first part of our way led us again by Mr. Sandison's farm, and through for some six or seven miles a very fine farming district. The country was literally covered with wheat and other corn stacks as far as the eye could reach, but as- we approached Rapid City, the country was more wooded and of inferior quality, but much of it was taken up and settled, and some very good houses built. Rapid City hardly carries out its name, as it appears to have stood still in the race of late, owing to the main line of railway not having passed through it as was expected; however, with the increased railway communication it has recently acquired, it is thought more attention will be directed to that district. We looked over a woollen manufactory, and gathered that a considerable quantity of sheep are kept in the neighbourhood, and we noticed some herds of cattle on the hills around. Complaints of frosted wheat were made, but the yield was said to be about 25 bushels per acre and fairly satisfactory. We took the train for Minnedosa, where I left our party in order to spend two or three days with a gentleman formerly a pupil of mine at Bearwood, England, the rest of our delegates going on, meanwhile, to Saltcoats to see the crofters, then to Russell, over Dr. Barnardo's home and farm for boys, afterwards to Binscarth, over some cattle ranches, and on to Birtle—all of which, no doubt, will be fully described Mr. Henry Simmons's Report. in their respective reports—and on the following Wednesday morning, we all again met at Minnedosa. On reaching Minnedosa on Saturday evening, I at once engaged a rig to drive me out to Clanwilliam, to my friend's house, about 10 miles distant. I arrived there—after an interesting drive, the latter part being through a rather wooded country, and seeing a skunk, wolf, &c, Cross our trail—about nine o'clock at night, and found my friend still busy finishing a wheat stack, the letter I had written some days before, telling him of my coming, reaching him about ten minutes after my arrival. This gentleman, the son of a clergyman in Dorsetshire, England, when with me as pupil, led quite an easy life, riding round the farms, and merely careying out my orders to the respective foremen under him. Here I found him with his farm of 320 acres, at a cost of $5 an acre, nearly all cropped, a good house and buildings well placed, but no soul in the house to cook or do any kind of housework save himself and a single man-servant. The first thing was to run about a mile to get extra bread to carry us over Sunday, when we cooked our supper, and to bed on the floor. My object in recording this is simply to show that, in spite of all these apparent drawbacks, Canada has charms. Here you have a man, in every respect by education at Oxford, a gentleman, ploughing his own land, cooking his own food, washing up, making beds, &c, with the help of one man-servant, 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 the smoking of a short pipe, as we talked well-nigh into Sunday morning. In order to save time, I 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 cablegram for him to come at once to Clanwilliam. He is now there, and from letters received since, delighted with the country and his new life, 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 oh his harvest work in his stead, time being valuable just at this season. We visited first his sister, who has lately left England, from leading a lady's life, hunting in the season, to marry a former acquaintance, a young man, son of a clergyman, also in Dorsetshire, who has 320 acres of land near. I found him, having but a small quantity of land broken 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 rearranged in haste for a temporary house, and a better dinner, better cooked, or in more comfortable quarters, I do not desire than this lady, without any notice, got ready for us. On the following day we visited another friend, also fanning 320 acres, who 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 poor place indeed. My earnest advice to a settler is, " Get at once a good wife, and you will have then little to desire." 144 The Agricultural and other Resources of Canada. A fertile district. 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 farming not being thoroughly appreciated ; but I am glad to say that I was afterwards told that on threshing the damage was less than anticipated. The old tale was told from former bankers' clerks, sailors, and gentlemen alike—" We have to rough it, and meet with many reverses, but prefer farming here with it all, to our original occupations." You wonder sometimes, thinking can they really mean what they say, but as you become better acquainted with the country you understand and believe. To prove that this kind of life in no way tends to lower a man's natural tastes and instincts, my friend said to me in the midst of a dense forest, where we had lost our trail, and had just managed 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 years' successive cropping 25 to 32 bushels of wheat per acre which can be purchased at from $5 to $7 an acre. My friend left me at Minnedosa on Tuesday night, where I again joined the other delegates on Wednesday morning, going on to Neepawa, our next stop. Neepawa—an Indian word meaning plenty—is well named, as this is one of the most productive districts we have struck. In 1882 only three houses existed; now it is rather a pretty town of some 600 inhabitants. The land for the most part is a deep, rich loam, and bears wheat from 25 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 offered for his wheat in the autumn $1.15, and sold in the spring for 95 cents only. This district leads away to the Riding Mountains, where a big fire was raging. Much good hay land is hereabouts, and altogether it is a good country and the people are prosperous. At night we joined our car, and awoke next morning at Portage la Prairie, an old settlement of some 3,000 people, and a grand tract of corn-producing land, reaching away for many miles on all sides of the town. Here our party divided, taking different sections of the country. Four large corn elevators and extensive mills are here, and it is quite a sight to witness the constant flow of waggons bringing in wheat, and returning with all speed to the various threshing 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. We 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 mixed farming must be followed if the crops are to keep up their former yields. Mr. Sorby emigrated from Ontario, bought two sections (1,280 acres,) of unbroken prairie, and half a section of hay land, at a cost of about 20 dollars per acre. This is his second crop only. He had 830 acres of wheat, 23 bushels per acre, allowing for shed corn, owing to not being able to cut in time, and some frosted wheat; and 50 acres of oats, 56 bushels per acre. He intends growing 1,200 acres of wheat and 80 of oats next year, and increasing his Mr. Henry Simmons's Report. reaping machines to ten, in order to cut all in about one week. He has two. good houses, good buildings, and what we had hardly seen 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 horses on the farm, being able to hire any quantity of both in the busy time; only during the winter having a foreman and one other man to pay. He only visits his farm once a fortnight, except during the busy seasons of spring planting, haymaking, harvesting, and autumn ploughing—this lasting about six months from the middle of April. He said he had let 640 acres to a man to plough for $1.75 (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 horse-shoeing 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 1 This the present owner cares little about, leaving those who follow him to find it out. My opinion is that 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 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 8 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 management 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 The. Bell consisting of 53,000 acres, but not proving a success, the land was sold,farm- some 13,000 acres being purchased by the then manager, Major Bell, and the remainder by a colonization society under Lord Brassey. A very heavy storm of rain and hail coming on, we 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 was so heavy that we turned back, and did not see his finer and better wheats, 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 house, which with the buildings was remarkably good, some good samples of the corn grown this season. The Colonization Society's farm comprises 60 sections of 640 acres each, but as it was only started in May 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 to emigrate, work on the farm for a year, and then settle according to ability on portions of the land unbroken, payments being extended in easy instalments over several years. It will be interesting to see how this experiment answers. We saw some good English Shire horses, and noticed 500 Shorthorn cattle in one field. This neighbourhood is not equal to that we had just left, and as we rejoined our car at three o'clock in the 146 The Agricultural and other Resources of Canada. afternoon and travelled towards Regina, 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 the delivery into the elevator is estimated throughout Manitoba at from 28s. to 30s.. an acre. tHE NORTH-WEST TERRITORIES. From Regina to Prince Albert. We reached Regina, but made no stay there this time, going on a 250 miles journey by train to Prince Albert, arriving there on Sunday morning after a somewhat uninteresting travel through a flat 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 the fire by what are called fire guards. [his is about six or eight furrows ploughed along each side of the rail and around the houses, which prevents the fire crossing. The effect of the fire gives a very desolate, bleak, barren appearance 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 England, are to be seen, and the Indians themselves, with horses and quaint shaped carts, camping very like the old English gipsy a short 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, that has passed up this newly-laid line), completed the picture. Prince Albert contains about 900 inhabitants, .and is very pleasantly situated on the river Saskatchewan, the surrounding scenery being very beautiful, and there are some very good houses on the high ground, with the polide barracks and nunnery on the hilltop. We were taken in carriages for a circuitous drive through the country of 35 miles, calling at various farms and inspecting the grain. Some of the wheat was frosted, probably owing to late sowing, but the barley was of 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 open, 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 wait 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 was at Saskatoon, to see some very fine samples of corn and specimens of roots. Oats were particularly fine, and here it was that a radish was given us, weighing 9 lbs., of good quality and flavour. We then continued our way, reaching Regina on Tuesday morning in a downfall of rain. Regina, 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 flat, 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 the city. Unfortunately the cattle did not arrive »through Mr. Henry Simmons's Report. 'Until after we left, but we saw quite a display of excellent corn, grasses, and roots from the Indian Head experimental farm, and also others grown by farmers in the neighbourhood, including butter, cheese, wines, pickles, bread, harness, and many other useful things ; also needlework, fancy articles, writing, maps, and work done by children. A special exhibition of the productions from the Indian reserve, in- eluding 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 Berkshireman 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. We 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 powers 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 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 Sir John Lister Kaye, and sold by him to the Canadian -Coal, Agricultural and Colonization 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 prairie, sometimes without any hay being given them. He also had 23,000 merino ewes, crossed with Cheviot, Shropshire 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 wool, which sold at 7^d. per lb. unwashed. Foot- rot is unknown. The sheep have 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 profitable sheep-farming. 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 winelmills. 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 with his son'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 148 The Agricultural and other Resources of Canada. about 5,000 people, situate at the junction of the Bow and Elbow rivers, commanding grand views of the Rocky 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 satisfactory, being about 56 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 saw good rugs and blankets produced from the wool grown in the district. The following morning it was arranged to divide our party, some staying to do the agricultural show being held in Calgary, while six of us left at eight o'clock in a four-horse rig for a two days' tour through the fine ranching district stretching out towards the foot of the Rockies. 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. Without doubt, opened up as it now is by the Canadian Pacific Railway 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, together with an abundance of timber, coal and valuable minerals, this will fast become one of the great centres of Canadian trade and prosperity. We left for Banff during the night, arriving there on Sunday morning, where we spent a quiet day, getting our fill of this our first actual view of the Rockies and visiting the sulphur spring baths. The scenery is simply magnificent, and as we journeyed on at day break on Monday morning for our next stopping-place, New Westminster, the views that met our eyes on every side and at every point filled us with awe and admiration. To attempt a description of the ride through the Rockies would fill a volume, and must be made to be thoroughly understood. I can only say we occupied a place in the observation car the greater part of the time, and, although the whole journey strikes you as possessing more than the ordinary elements of danger, you become entranced with the nobleness of the everlasting hills, and almost regret finding yourself once more in the open country beyond. PROVINCE OF BRITISH COLUMBIA. We reached New Westminster on Tuesday afternoon. It is situated very prettily on the Fraser river, contains about 7,000 people, and from the building and improvements now going on, is evidently thriving, and every effort is being made to increase the trade and add to the growing importance of the town. The lumber mills here are extensive, and well repaid us for a visit; also the various salmon canneries on the Fraser. This has become an enormous industry, Messrs. Ewing's establishment alone working 400 hands in the factory and an equal number fishing, and turned out this season 25,000 cases of forty-eight 1-lb. tins of salmon in each case. The season lasts from about the 10th of July to the end of August. The Fraser river abounds in salmon; but throughout British Columbia, salmon will not rise to a fly; they are all Mr. Henry Simmons's Report. netted. We took a steamboat to Ladner's Landing, some few miles down the Fraser, and had a short drive into the rich delta district. This is an immense tract of land said a few years since to be worth only a dollar an acre, and is now, by drainage, selling at $50 an acre. It is said to produce 3 tons of timothy grass, 6 to 7 quarters of wheat, and from 10 to 15 quarters of oats per acre, and the samples we saw were of very fine quality. Fruit trees, vegetables, and roots of all kinds simply revel in the rich alluvial soil. The following Thursday morning we started by road for Vancouver, a distance of 12 miles, through a forest of timber passing belief for multitude and size, many of the Douglas pines being 250 feet high and measuring from 25 to 50 feet in circumference. Fire here, as everywhere else, had ravaged much of it, the whole being in a primeval state, and apparently of little value, as it costs more to clear the land than the timber is worth. This is splendid land cleared of timber, but the labour is appalling. Vancouver is and must become a very important city, from its situation commanding the Pacific trade and commerce. It is only of four years' growth, and already contains 15,000 people. Some very fine hotels, churches, houses, and large shops are in course of erection, but even here the speculator has gone in advance of the demand, and finds he has to wait awhile to realize the large prices paid for the land around. Lulu Island, distant about ten miles, was visited by us in the afternoon. This ride was through forest as before described, and from its nearness to Vancouver, clearing is going on. Lulu Island is another tract of rich land of some 25,000 to 30,000 acres in extent. Like the delta, after drainage, it is rich and most productive, and sells for good prices according to situation. The country struck us as somewhat uninviting, and requiring better railways and other means of access before it can be fully developed. The climate throughout British Columbia is a good deal like that of England, only not so changeable. We left 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, 16s. 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 was given in our honour and a most 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 pears, struck us as very wonderful; the trees were literally broken down with the weight of fruit, and little or no - demand for it, hardly worth the expense of gathering. Frost had spoilt some of the backward grapes and plums. On Monday, being unable to leave the island owing to an accident to the boat, we rode out about four miles by the electric cars to Esquimalt, and saw the large dry docks and other places of interst there. This island seems more adapted for small occupations; vegetables and poultry, with milk and butter, are always wanted, and command good prices. Butter is 2s. a pound, eggs 2d. each, milk 5d. a gallon, and fowls 4s. each just now. The land is rich, but much of it heavily timbered. Victoria contains about 25,000 people, and the houses and buildings are good; the appearance of the whole city denotes being the capital. 11 wealth and comfort, altogether worthy of 150 The Agricultural and other Resources of Canada. Observations on the return journey. Return to Ontario. Remarks on its towns and industries. We left Monday evening for Vancouver, and, rejoining our railway car, commenced our homeward journey, visiting by boat from New Westminster down the Fraser, the Sumas valley, a large district of some 20,000 acres of land available for grazing and corn-growing ; the lower lands are alluvial* deposits of many feet in depth, and of great richness. Here we saw an extraordinary crop of apples in all quarters/ and the land was being cleared of the timber on the higher lands and settlements made. We saw here some very good farm buildings, and good Shorthorn cattle and some well-bred young horses in the pastures. We remained the night at Chilliwack, and then drove through more of the low lands, crossing the river near the Government experimental farm at Agassiz; this had not long been started, and the day being wet, after witnessing the system employed to remove the roots of trees, &c, in clearing, we took our railway car, and bid adieu to British Columbia. We could not for want of time visit the Okanagon and Similkameen valleys, a district not yet opened up by railway, but said to be 300,000 acres of the finest land for mixed farming in Canada. Much of it is already settled, but large quantities are still owned by speculators waiting for their time. We were told that last season 120 tons of twine, for the machines to bind the corn with, was used in this district alone. Our next stay was for one hour at Medicine Hat, to see the North-Western Territories hospital, erected by Mr. Niblock, a fine building well arranged, and the comfort and cleanliness of the immates, 17 in number, cared for in every way. Two wards were furnished by the Duke and Duchess of Connaught, and are named after them respectively. On Sunday morning we reached Wolseley, a small town of about 200 people, and, under the guidance of Mr. Senator Perley, we drove in different directions through the surrounding country, visiting the settlers as we passed. The good wives of Wolseley were much disturbed by our taking their husbands out on the Sunday morning, but we made a compromise, and all went to church in the evening. There is a very large tract of land here awaiting settlement, and can be bought cheap. The land is much of it of good quality, but lies exposed and more fit for ranching. Others of our party reported more favourably of the district they saw, and thought it favourable for mixed farming. The Qu'Appelle valley, formerLy the bed of the river, is very pretty and productive. About 50 German settlers, with their families, had just reached here from Dunmore, near Medicine Hat, where the season had proved too dry for them, and they had exchanged for land near Wolseley. From here we went on to Moosomin, a town of about eight years' standing and 800 people, and one that will continue to increase and improve. I should recommend, from all we saw in a long drive through it, this district to the notice of settlers for mixed farming; the land is of good quality, easily cleared, with plenty of wood and water, and to be had in large or small quantities, at a reasonable cost. We saw some good crops of wheat, but little damage done by frost, and the yield was reported good. We went over the schools, and in the evening were entertained by the mayor and corporation and other friends at a dinner. We left the following morning, making our way to Winnipeg, and thence by a short run into the States by the St. Paul, Minneapolis^ and Manitoba .Railway, returning by Niagara, into the Province of Ontario, being taken in hand at Hamilton (45,000 inhabitants) by Mr. Blue, Deputy Minister of Agriculture, and a Mr. Hobson, of j Masborough. Niagara, like the Rockies, must be seen to be thoroughly Mr. Henry Simmons's Report. appreciated. I will only now say, after four hours' careful viewing, I was charmed with the whole scene, and on leaving regretted that possibly it was for ever. After visiting an electro-plate manufactory and other places of note, we took train for Brantford, where we remained the night. During the evening we attended a meeting of the Board of Trade, and were introduced to many of the leading men, afterwards going home with the president for a short interview and light refreshment. Starting early the next morning, we went out about three miles to see the Bow Park farm, occupied by Messrs. Nelson, consisting of 1,000 acres of very productive land, well and highly farmed on the mixed system of husbandry. Here, owing to the milder climate, autumn-sown wheat is practised and was looking very proud, and a better plant of young grass seeds I have seldom seen in any country. The buildings are ample and very extensive, and the herd of Shorthorns is second to none in Canada; in fact, they would compete favourably with many of our best English herds. Unfortunately the manger, Mr. Howe, was from home, acting as judge at the Chicago horse show, where we had previously met him. A particularly good lot of young heifers, now being served by a young bull of ■prime quality bred on the farm, look like maintaining the prestige of the herd. The autumn-sown wheat this year yielded 32 bushels per acre. On our return journey we visited the Mohawk church, where Captain Joseph Brant was buried, and afterwards saw a very handsome monument erected to his memory in Brantford. He was an Indian chief, very loyal to the English Crown at the time of the American Rebellion. He died in 1807. After seeing several agricultural and other manufactories in Brantford and visiting the house of refuge and an asylum for the blind a few 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 the many parts of England, good houses and homesteads, and land fenced in, fairly well farmed. We were told much of it could be bought at from £10 to £15 an acre n* AN ONTARIO PABM. 152 The Agricultural and other Resources of Canada. Twenty-five bushels of wheat per acre was about the average yield this season. We called on one or two fanners, and all gave a favourable report of the district. 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 since at $55 an acre, he now would sell with all improvements at $75 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 Shropshire sheep, a few good Shire-bred 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, and a good flock of Shropshire 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 18 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 A vncv nr london, Ontario. (Richmond Street, looking south.) gardens and trees planted around, giving them a home-like and English appearance. Some of the land looked light and sandy, but the wheat all showed what we should call at this season, gay. Mr. Gibson's is a well-built, good-looking house, approached through well-planted and kept grounds, with good buildings, and about 300 acres of productive r \ Mr. Henry Simmons's Report. *53 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 Lincolnshire man, 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 with 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, passing through a useful 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 establisment, 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 lamts 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 which payment is made according to ability; and it is possible for hard-working young 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. We now made our way back to Toronto, from thence to Ottawa, Hospitalities where we were entertained at a dinner given by Mr. Carling, the afc Ottawa. Minister of Agriculture, the mayor and corporation, and on the morrow took our leave and journeyed on to Montreal, 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 summary 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 impress on emigrants, is, that unless they are Advice and prepared to work, and for a time, at any rate, forget the luxuries of life intending im- in England, they had far better remain at home. This at first may migrants to seem hard and discouraging, but against this stands the fact that Canada, 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 see friends. The 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 who had gone home after a short stay disgusted, but finding' no place in the old coun- 154 The Agricultural and other Resources of Canada. try had returned and were doing well. Very little complaint was made to us about the climate; no one denies its being cold in the winter, but the atmosphere is clear, dry and bracing, and so different to our variable, moist English climate, that most people prefer it. The seasons, both summer and winter, can be 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 from the time the crops are put in until they are harvested; then follows winter, during which 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,- which can easily be got in summer, and to look around before deciding as to their future. I say it 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 word 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. The man with only £100 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 soon make him happy and independent. It may be that many a good man will say, " I should not mind a rough life myself, but could not subject my wife and children to it." To such a one I 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 nearest town till some of the rough work is done." I found men doing this at 10 and 15 miles distance from the town with success. But after all, the rough life, as it is called, has its own peculiar charm, and I saw mothers and daughters who had lived in the greatest luxury in England, perfectly contented in their log hut, while a better house was building, with no domestic help whatever beyond their own family. Another plan, and to many emigrants with capital at command I would 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 (instantly 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 selling 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 taking place in this respect, laborious manual field labour has been regarded as a degradation; in Canada it is really a passport to society. Wheresoever we went, the hard-working 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 percentages can be obtained on good security. The only men not wanted Mr. Henry Simmons's Report. 155 in Canada are the dissolute and idle; any such on getting there will be grievously disappointed. I never saw a beggar or was solicited for alms throughout the country. Another objectionable class is that of sons of gentlemen with any amount of money at command, • who neglect their occupations, loaf about town, lose their capital, and so get the country a bad name. Of course, there are many exceptions, and educated 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 civility, hospitality, and kindness than I did throughout Canada at every point and from every class of her people, to all of whom I shall 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. Carling and the various deputies under him, not forgetting our friend and courier, Mr. Campbell, for attentions and considerations throughout our long and somewhat eventful journey that time can never efface. I left Canada with regret, although naturally glad to make for home after a three months' absence ; and as it appears likely that some of my family will settle there, I cannot altogether help cherishing the idea that at some future time I may make a second visit. May the visit of the 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 share of our surplus population will go out, to find in that vast, but thinly populated country, happiness and prosperity. ^1 THE REPORT OF MR. JOHN SPEIR, Newton Farm, Newton, Glasgow. Line of travel followed in Canada. I had the honour of bsing appointed to represent the south of Scotland as one of the farmer delegates invited by the Canadian Government to visit the Dominion to report on its agricultural resources, and, leaving Glasgow on 20th August, I sailed from Liverpool the following day in one of the Allan line steamers. After a rather rough passage I landed at Quebec, and, having had a look round it, proceeded to Ottawa to see the Minister of Agriculture (Hon. John Carling). Here I found I was the first to arrive, and while I waited on the others, I twice visited the Government experimental farm there, the different industries carried on at Ottawa and Montreal, and the country around these cities and Toronto. At the latter city I visited Canada's great industrial exhibition, and made excursions into the districts around Niagara, Hamilton and Guelph, where I visited the Onta- io Government experimental farm. The last of the delegates having turned up at Toronto, a special sleeping car was hired, and we all proceeded by the Grand Trunk Railway to North Bay, and thence by the Canadian Pacific Railway to Winnipeg. From Winnipeg excursions were made both north and south along the Red River; then the South Western Railway was followed to Carman, which is a branch terminus, aid to Glenboro', where the railway just now ends. Frorii there a drive was made to the Scotch crofter settlement around Pelican Lake, 'and from thence north to Brandon. A day was spent driving round the farms about Brandon, and visiting the Dominion Government Experimental Farm there, after which we went on to Rapid City, and from it by rail to Minnedosa, then up the Manitoba and North Western Railway to Saltcoats, the present terminus. Around Saltcoats we had two days' driving, one south and the other north, and on the latter day we visited the most of the families composing the crofter settlement there. Leaving Saltcoats we went down the railway to Binscarth, then north on a branch line to Russell, which is the present terminus. Here we visited Dr. Barnardo's home for boys, retraced our steps to Binscarth, visited the stock-breeding farm of the Scottish Ontario Land Company there, then passed on to Birtle, saw the agricultural show being held that day, had a drive round the district, and then passed on to Neepawa. Here another day was passed seeing the farms and interviewing the farmers, after which we moved on to Portage la Prairie, where another day was spent seeing the district and people. Here we again joined the Canadian Pacific Railway, which was followed to Indian Head, where we examined the Dominion Government experimental farm, the Bell farm and the Brassey farm. Leaving Indian Head, we went on to Regina, where a short stay was made, and thence by a new branch line just finished we passed on to Prince Albert. Having had a day's driving round Prince Albert, we again returned t© Regina, where an exhibition of root?, vegetables, &c, was being held, and which we visited. The day following a move was made westward to Medicine Hat, where a short stop was made to visit a show of roots, grains, &c, which was being held there. Still going westward, another short stop was made at Crane Lake, to view a large breeding stud of horses belonging to the Canadian Agricultural Company ; after which a halt was not made till Calgary was reached. Mr. John Speir's Report. 157 Around Calgary three days were spent visiting cattle, horse, and sheep ranches, mixed farms, and an exhibition of cattle, horses, sheep, grain, &c. Leaving Calgary, a stop was made for a day at Banff, where there are hot sulphur springs, after which we went on to New Westminster, which is the end of a short branch line, 18 miles from the terminus of the railway on the Pacific coast. From here a short sail was taken up the Fraser river, then down to Ladner's Landing, during which several of the salmon canneries were visited. From the landing I drove over to Boundary bay, visiting one fruit and vegetable farm, one stock farm, and several mixed farms on the way. Returning from Boundary bay, I crossed the Fraser river in one of the large and handsome passenger and freight steamers, to Stevenson, from which I drove across Lulu island to Vancouver, where I joined the rest of the company. After having had a look round Vancouver and its vicinity, we took steamer for Nanaimo, on Vancouver island. Here I visited and descended one of the pits of the Vancouver Coal Company, and then took rail to Victoria. Two days and a-half were spent in and around the district north of Victoria, after which we returned per steamer to Vancouver, and from thence per rail to New Westminster. Here we joined the regular up-river steamer, which conveyed us to Sumass, from which we drove through the Chilliwack valley to Popcum, where we entered Indian canoes, and sailed three miles down the river to opposite Agassiz railway station, where we landed, and after hurriedly visiting the Dominion Government experimental farm there, again joined the eastward-bound train. On the way back to Winnipeg, some of the party dropped off at Oalgary, Regina and Brandon, and I went off and passed a day around Wolseley, and another at Moosomin, where I visited a number of the Lady Cathcart crofters; after which I went on to Winnipeg! From there I returned round the south side of the lakes, vid St. Paul, Minneapolis and Chicago, to Port Huron, entering Ontario at the south-west corner. From this I went to London, thence north, vid Clinton, Blythe and Wingham, to Kincardine. North of Kincardine I spent a portion of one day, and then drove south about 12 miles, and from there on to Wingham, Palmerston, Guelph and Toronto, where 1 again joined the other delegates. The following day was spent driving through the country about 12 or 15 miles north of Toronto, where, among others, we visited Mr. Russell's excellent stock of Shorthorns and Clydesdales. From Toronto we went to Ottawa, and then on to Montreal, from which I drove out to see the very good stocks of Ayrshires belonging to Messrs. Brown and Drummond. The following day we went by rail to Quebec, where we joined the Allan line steamer " Parisian," and, after a fairly good passage of nine days, arrived at Liverpool on 22nd November, and I got home rather late that night. *■& PROVINCE OF QUEBEC. Much of the land of the Province of Quebec is rather disappoint- Soil and gen- ing, a large extent of it being thin and poor, and, where deep enough, ance- in many cases it is very damp, the whqje province evidently being much in need of under-draining. Round Ottawa and Montreal there are many good farms, but the bulk of the land even there is shallow, the rock in many cases lying quite close to the surface. Market- gardening and fruit cultivation are carried on to a considerable extent a few miles outside of Montreal, the bulk of which is done by the French Canadians, and, although as a rule the farming of the province is not up to the standard of British ideas, still that around Montreal 158 The Agricultural and oilier Resources of Canada. does credit to those engaged in it. Of the flat or good land of Quebec, little is now carrying timber, but recently cleared fields, with the blackened stumps still standing, are occasionally met with. These show very vividly the labour which the first settlers must have spent in clearing their farms. VIEW OF QUEBEC CITT. PROVINCE OF ONTARIO. Unless in the north, the greater bulk of the Province of Ontario is all first-class land, and much of it really of a very superior quality. In a general way, it may be said that the land along the lakes is all good, as is also that north and north-east of Toronto, while a little west of that city it is rather indifferent. At and near Guelph, the land becomes fairly good again, and from there south by Hamilton, Niagara, east by London, and north through county Huron, the soil is all that can be desired, and the farming generally very good. The farm dwelling houses are usually built of wood (but several here and there are of brick and stone), as are also the farm buildings, most of which have a neat and clean appearance. The bulk of the farms are 100 acres in extent, but a few are to be found 200 and 300 acres, and even more. The fields usually contain about 10 acres, the principal fence being the rail one. PROVINCE OF MANITOBA. The fertility of the soil of the prairie province, as it is called, can scarcely be surpassed by that of any other country. The whole region, from the Red river to the Rocky Mountains, appears to have been at comparatively recent times the bed of an immense lake. The greater part of this vast area, which must be travelled over to be realized, is underlain by deep beds of a greyish-white clay, on the top of which are from 9 to 24 inches of black vegetable mould. The greater portion of this mould is the remains of former generations of plants, a considerable portion of the richness of which is undoubtedly due to the ashes left by the repeated and long-continued burning of the prairie grass. These prairies have for generations been annually devastated by fire, and from the continued accumulation of ash, no one need be surprised at the richness of the soil, more particularly when it is combined with such a large quantity of vegetable matter as this soil contains. In the southern and middle districts of this province are to be found millions of acres of the finest farming land to be met with anywhere, and these same plains produce a quality of wheat which sells in Britain higher than that of any other country. Unless in the north, the land as a rule is generally flat, with very few interruptions in the way of water-courses or hills, so that plough Mr. John Speir's Report. 159 furrows may often be run for mile after mile without any interruption. To an old country farmer this seems incredible, and he cannot understand how the rain and melted snow are carried off without rivers. In Manitoba the rainfall is very light, and the air is so dry that the greater portion of it is sucked up by the soil and air, and very little of it indeed passes off by the few rivers which the country contains. Northern Manitoba is more rolling or hillocky, and is better watered and timbered than the middle or southern portions of the province. In many districts the land is equally as good, but, lying farther north and at a considerably higher altitude, the summer is not so long, and autumn frosts are said to be more frequent. THE NORTH-WEST TERRITORIES. This territory extends from near Moosomin to the junction of the Assiniboia. Bow and South Saskatchewan rivers, and goes about as far north of the Canadian Pacific Railway as the United States boundary is south of it. West of Indian Head the depth of black soil becomes less, until about Regina it is only from 4 to 6 inches thick, with a rich clay soil under. Northward from Regina the black mould increases, until it is about the same depth as in Manitoba, before the northern limits of the territory is reached. Westward from Regina for some distance the land is much the same as it is around the capital; but as the western boundary is approached it is not so good, and wheat-growing on an extensive scale becomes more risky. This territory is the one north of Assiniboia. It is the same Saskatche- width as the latter, and extends as far north as settlement has yet wan* gone. The Saskatchewan river runs across it from west to east, and forms an excellent waterway for several months of the year from Lake Winnipeg westwards, and on which ply several steamers of considerable size. From the south of the territory to Prince Albert there are vast stretches of excellent land, generally well watered, and most of it with sufficient timber for fuel und fencing. In the immediate vicinity of the capital the land is very rolling, but a few miles south it becomes more level and better suited for cultivation. The soil is deep and black, and being generally well watered and sheltered, appears more suited by nature for mixed farming than grain-growing. North of Prince Albert little has been done in the way of settlement, but all along the banks of the river from Prince Albert to Edmonton, in Alberta, a considerable area of land has been taken up. All the country between Assiniboia and Saskatchewan on the one Alberta, side and the Rocky Mountains on the other is called Alberta. It is the great ranching territory of the Dominion, the bulk of the land being as yet more given up to grazing than cropping. As a rule, the surface is not so flat as either Assiniboia or Manitoba, but, like the former, a great extent of it is underlain by immense beds of clay, through which the rivers have cut deep and wide tracks. Calgary, the capital, lies in one of these valleys, 150 to 200 feet or more below the level of the surrounding country. The soil of Alberta is not so rich as Manitoba, but it has equally as good a summer climate, and certainly a very much better winter one, and judging from these, and my own observations, I see no reason why Alberta should not be as good a general farming country as any of the others, and probably better than some of them. PROVINCE OF BRITISH COLUMBIA. All the land between the Rocky Mountains on the east, and the Pacific ocean on the west, and north of the United States boundarv. 160 The Agricultural and other Resources of Canada. Quebec and Ontario. Rainfall. I Manitoba and the North- West Territories. is comprised in the Province of British Columbia. Very much of it is mountainous, but along the river valleys and at the mouth of the Fraser river, and between the vast mountain chains, there are immense tracts of excellent land, suitable for any purpose to which a farmer may wish to put it. Some of the large valleys in the mountains appear to belong to the same formation as the prairie lands of Manitoba, while others seem to be even of a later date. Along the. river sides and at the mouths of the Fraser river, all the land is alluvial. The delta lands at the mouth of the Fraser are about 30 or 40 miles wide, and triangular in shape. The level of the land is only a very little above that of the sea, and up to quite a recent date it was turned to little account other than to graze cattle on or to cut hay from. Now, however, these lands are being dyked and drained, similarly to the reclaimed lands of Holland, and they are likely soon to be, if they are not already, the most valuable agricultural lands in the Dominion. Over all the province, trees appear to grow with astonishing luxuriance, and everywhere immense specimens are to be found, while others of more moderate proportions clothe the mountains from the sea level to near the snow line. Climate. As far as climate is concerned, both provinces may be, practically speaking, considered as one. Of the two, Quebec has the heaviest rainfall, while the winters are also both a little longer and more severe. In both provinces tomatoes do well in the open air, and in the south of Ontario vines and peaches are extensively cultivated outside. The average rainfall for over 20 years is about 25 inches, varying from slightly under 20 to over 40 inches; and while the minimum winter temperature is seldom below 12° F. below zero, the maximum summer temperature is seldom over 93° F. Frost usually sets in about the middle or end of November, and continues on till the beginning or middle of April. The average number of wet days per annum in Ontario is 82*2, and in Quebec is 95*5. In the main, the climate of all the North-West may be considered as alike, although, in minor particulars, some districts often differ much from each other. In Manitoba and the North-West Territories, elevation above the sea and distance north does not always indicate a lower summer temperature, or a more severe winter, as is commonly supposed; for at Winnipeg, which is 733 feet above sea level, and 135 feet above Lake Superior, the winter cold is, if anything, more intense than further west, near the Rock Mountains, where the land is from 3,000 feet to 4,000 above sea level. In the wheat belt of Manitoba, with a difference of elevation of about 1,000 feet from the one side to the other, the winter minimum temperature is about —30° to —35° F., while in Assiniboia, which is from 1,000 to 2,000 feet higher, the minimum winter temperature appears to run from —25° to —30° F., and in Alberta, which is about another 1,000 feet higher, the minimum winter temperature runs from —20° to —23° F. The minimum temperatures recorded during winter at Calgary and Banff are thus often 10° F. warmer than at Winnipeg, although the former is 3,388 feet and the latter 4,500 feet above sea level, while Winnipeg is only 733 above sea level. Even at Edmonton, which is nearly 200 miles due north of Calgary, the minimum of winter is much less than at Winnipeg; so that strangers unacquainted with the country, its elevation or meteorology, should not fancy that because any district lies farther north or at a higher elevation, it of necessity must be colder, for in these territories such is not the case. r~ Mr. John Speir's Report. 161 Contrary to popular belief as are the facts with regard to the winter temperature, they are no better in summer. Although the greater part of Manitoba is 350 miles farther north than Ontario, it is generally hotter there during June and July than in Ontario; but people who know both provinces well, say that, owing to the dryer air of Manitoba, they feel the heat there, while working, less oppressive than in Ontario. During summer the thermometer in Manitoba often goes over 100° F.; in Alberta, only occasionally; while in Ontario— a long distance farther south—it very seldom gets over 93° F. The average maximum temperature during the past four years, beginning with 1887, for the months of May, June, July and August, for several towns in the same latitude, is as follows :— ,, . , Maximum, Alberta 83'6 F. mean'and Assiniboia 88*7° F. minimumtem- Manitoba 88-9° F. perature at The mean temperatures for the same months, towns, and vears is as different follows:- P°ints- Alberta 55-4° F. Assiniboia 60*8° F. Manitoba 57-9° F. The minimum temperatures for the same towns and years for the months of December, January, February and March, are as follows :— Alberta — 210°F. Assiniboia — 29-1° F. Manitoba — 33.5° F. The mean temperatures for the same towns, months, and years are as follows:— Alberta 15'5°F. Assiniboia 10 -0° F. Manitoba 2-4° F. The rainfall—which is such an important factor in the welfare of every country—in Assiniboia is too light to admit of the country producing the crops it might do if it was a little more. The rainfall of the whole of the North-West is rather peculiar, and deserves special attention, as in average years from one-fourth to one-fifth of the total falls in June. May and July are also usually heavy, and combined, often equal June. May, June and July, being the principal growing months, it follows that if the crops are well supplied with moisture, then their well-being is secured, as they require little at any time else. If 3 inches of rain or over fall in June, the crops are almost sure to be good; if 2 inches or less, they generally suffer from drought. Were the country better wooded, the probability is the rainfall would be greater, for past experience in other countries appears to show that the presence or absence of timber will materially increase or decrease the rainfall of a3 country, all other things remaining the same. Whether or not cultivation will have the same effect no one knows, and as the opportunity is now afforded of finding exactly what the climatic . conditions are, I am inclined to believe that it would be for the best interests of the country, if the number of meteorological stations were doubled or trebled, as a few years hence the information may be desired, and it may then be impossible to get it. The whole instruments necessary would be a self-registering minimum and maximum thermometer and rain-gauge, and the keeping of the register of which might easily be done by any person of ordinary intelligence. This duty might well be entrusted to the police or railway agents in each district, both being persons likely always to be on duty. The rainfall of Manitoba for an average of 15 years is about 16 inches, and the average number of wet days 57 per annum. The range of the thermometer between the summer and winter climate of temperature is much less in British Columbia than in any other portion British Columbia. U 162 The Agricultural and oilier Resources of Canada. Canada a healthy country. Government experimental farms. Prices of land in Ontario. of Canada, it being neither so hot in summer nor so cold in winter as the other provinces. The rainfall, although fairly constant for those places where a record has been kept, varies very much in one place from another, as is usually the case in any country where there are low plains and high mountains. At Victoria, the capital, the average rainfall for eight years has been fully 27 inches, which has fallen on an average on 84 days, principally during the autumn, winter and spring months. At New Westminster, the average rainfall for 12 years is 58*5 inches, with an average of about 150 wet days. The thermometer rarely falls below zero, the winters being comparatively mild and short, while the maximum summer temperature scarcely ever exceeds 90° F In the matter of health, few countries compare so favourably as Canada, the death-rate being very low. It is not subject to fever and ague, or any of the other diseases peculiar to most warm countries. The variation between the summer and winter temperature, and dry atmosphere, appear to alternately convey new life and vigour to the inhabitants. In. Canada, the deaths during childhood are very few compared to Britain, and the young are everywhere numerous and healthy. Land and agriculture are the mainstays of Canada, and her Government very wisely instituted a Department of Agriculture, with a Minister to look after its affairs, long before our Government had anything of the kind. In connection with the Department of Agriculture, the Dominion Government have experimental farms at Ottawa, Nappan, Brandon, Indian Head and Agassiz, while the Provincial Government of Ontario maintain one themselves at Guelph. The Guelph farm is also an agricultural school of the highest class, managed by the best teachers, and furnished with the best apparatus the country can produce. What is more, there is always a good supply of pupils, and the teaching imparted at this school cannot but have a very good effect on the future farmers of Canada. At the Dominion experimental farms, new plants are tested and propagated, methods of cultivation are tried, breeds of animals for milk, meat, or wool are continually having their good or bad points demonstrated, while fruits, vegetables, grasses, &c, are subjected to every test that can be thought of. Animal and plant diseases also receive attention. Besides a general superintendent, there are specialists in Chemistry, botany, entomology, horticulture and poultry, so that if the farmers of Canada do not prosper, they at least cannot blame the Government for not looking after their interest. The work of each season at the different stations is published arid forwarded to all who desire copies. In Ontario, farms in ordinary cultivation and full working order can always be purchased in any district at almost any time, for Canadians are ever ready' to sell, at a moment's notice, to any suitable purchaser. The price, of course, varies with the land, buildings, fences, location, ifec, and any figures given must be looked on as only approximative. In the agricultural statistics published by the Government, the average for Ontario for six years is as follows:— Land and buildings. Implements, &c. Stock £ s. d. 7 18 0 per acre. 0 9 6" 10 0" Total £9 7 6 Mr. John Speir's Report. 163 Within 10 to 15 miles of Toronto I found land changing hands at from £7 to £20 per acre; around Guelph £8 would be about the average ; in counties Middlesex, Huron, &c, from £8 to £12 was asked; whilst in the fruit districts around Hamilton and Niagara the figures were very much higher. The leased land of Ontario averages 13 per cent of the whole; the present average rent for cleared land being from lis. to 12s. per acre. During the last twelve years ordinary agricultural land in Ontario has receded in value from 15 to 25 per cent owing, among other causes, to the movement of the farmers and their sons to the new lands of the North-West, where each member of the family could start farming with much less capital than in Ontario. It is, however, difficult to say whether or not the lowest point has yet been reached. In Manitoba, unimproved land can be bought within a radius of 20 miles from Winnipeg at from £1 to £3 per acre, but near the city it runs up to £50 per acre. All through Manitoba, within a few miles of the railways, unimproved land can be bought at from £1 10s. to £3 per acre. As one goes farther west through Assiniboia, Saskatchewan and Alberta, plenty of land can be purchased at from 5s. to 25s. per acre, according to quality and location; and in the most of cases I would advise settlers who have the means, to purchase lands near a railway rather than go farther back, in order to get it free. In British Columbia, timber land may be bought at 5s. per acre, Lands in but the cost of clearing is so heavy, and the value of the wood so little British Cosmetically speaking, nothing), that it is often said that it costs more Manitoba, to clear land than the same land will sell for after being cleared. Heavy as must have been the clearing of the land of Ontario, that of British Columbia is worse; but, fortunately, there are vast stretches of good land which require no clearing. The delta lands at the mouths of the Fraser are among this class, as are also the alluvial lands along its banks. They, however, generally require dyking, ditching and draining before being suitable for cultivation, all of which add materially to the first cost of the land. Lulu Island and the district lying between Ladner's Landing and the United States boundary belong to this class; and recently farms have been changing hands in these localities at from £12 to £15 per acre, which, in some cases, included very few improvements. Near Victoria, farms partially cleared can be readily bought at from £6 to £10 per acre, but for good land, all cleared and near the city, £20 per acre will have to be paid. In Manitoba, the North-West Territories, and in British Columbia, a small percentage of land is leased. On the east side of the Rockies, more particularly in the wheat districts, the usual custom is to do so on shares, in which case the owner of the land pays all taxes and provides half the seed, getting as his share one-half or any agreed on portion of the crop, the tenant doing all the labour. This manner of renting land does well enough where the produce is all grain, and where the amount can be accurately ascertained, but is quite unsuited, at least without great modification, for any of the systems of farming generally practised. On the Fraser river I found a mixed farm with some fruit rented at 30s. per acre, but such rents are very uncommon. Dwelling-houses and other farm buildings all over Canada, from Domestic the Atlantic to the Pacific, are as a rule, built of wood, there being a buildmss- few here and there of brick and stone. In Ontario, the dwelling- houses are generally very artistically built and neatly painted; they are very comfortable, and usually are larger in proportion to the size of the farm than the same class of houses in Britain. All are heated by stoves or hot-water pipes, wood being the fuel in general use, many 164 The Agricultural and other Resources of Canada. Fences. Drainage of farm lands. farms still having as much wood on them as keep the farm in fencing and fuel. On the ordinary farm the usual outhouses are comprised in an immense barn, with cow and horse stables under, extra buildings for other purposes being rather scarce. The barn is now generally built of stone to the level of the barn floor, and, if the ground permits of it, the building is half sunk as a protection against cold. The barn proper is constructed of wood, is usually a very high building, and in it is stored the whole season's crop of grain and hay. From the level of the ground a roadway is built to the barn entrance, so as to permit of driving the loaded waggons right into the barn. If turnips or mangolds are grown, a root-house or cellar must be provided for them, as, owing to the severity of the winter, they cannot be stored outside, as is done in Britain. In Manitoba or the North-West Territories it is very rare that a barn is seen, the bulk of the farm buildings there consisting of a horse stable, occasionally a granary, and on the mixed farms a cow byre. These are built in many different ways ; if boards are plentiful, they are of sawn timber; if large trees are easily got, they are built of logs, and if only small ones can be had, they are set up on end, quite close to each other, so as to form a wall, outside of which are placed a wall of turfs, 3 feet or so in thickness, the whole being roofed in the usual way. Horse stables are either floored with planks or blocks of wood set on end, or it may be left without any artificial floor at all, as stone is as yet seldom used for that purpose. It is only on rare occasions that any building is put up for implements, waggons or machines, the usual custom being to let these lie about exposed to the weather. Farm dwelling-houses are occasionally now being built of stone, but as yet their number is very small. In Ontario, the principal fence is still the snake-rail one, although in many instances these are being re-made and put up straight. In occasional instances there are seen walls built of stones gathered from the fields. Wire fencing is not yet very common, while barb wire is only occasionally seen. Live fences are almost unknown, as none of the fencing plants of Britain can stand the Ontario winters. A suitable plant would be a great boon to the country, and it is to be hoped that such will be introduced soon. In Manitoba and the North-West Territories, stob and rails of young poplar trees are in most general use, while some put plain and others barb wire on the stobs and a rail on the top. Much of the West is, however, as yet quite unfenced, but this class of work is progressing rapidly. Most of the land of Quebec, and some of Ontario, is much in need of under-draining, as very little of such has yet been done, owing to the cost of labour and want of money. In the dry climate of Ontario such thorough draining as is common in Britain is not necessary, and it is even very questionable if it would pay if done in anything like a thorough manner ; still, I think drains should be put in all along the lower and damper places of each field. In Manitoba and the North-West Territories, no under-draining, unless in exceptional cases, is ever likely to be done, the rainfall there feeing so small. A great deal remains, however, to be done around Winnipeg and other centres in the way of providing open drains or eanals to carry off the surface water. Within a radius of 30 miles of Winnipeg, there are several vast stretches of what appears to be excellent land if only drained, but which is rendered comparatively useless through the presence of surface water, and yet there is ample fall from it to either the Assiniboine or Red river. What appears to ■^T\ Mr. John Speir's Report. 165 he wanting there just now is the formation of the whole country into a drainage board, in order that open canals, as deep as the levels will permit of, may be dug along one or both sides of the road concessions, and that each owner should pay in proportion to the area drained. This work can never be done privately, and the district will never make much progress until it is done; the Government should therefore inquire into the matter, in order to see how the present state of affairs can be easiest remedied. In British Columbia, the districts of Ladner's Landing, Lulu Island, and several smaller areas along the Fraser, the best lands are being protected from the rise of the river and the tide, by having embankments about four feet high thrown up along the river and seaside. This work has made that land much more valuable, and open canals with sluices at their outlets are now being made along the road allowances, which is thoroughly completing the work. In many cases under- draining was necessary to finish this work, and in some cases it is being carried out also. It seems strange to me that the mole plough has never been brought into service here, as the land being flat and entirely composed of silt, it is a situation where it would work to perfection, and at a tithe of the cost of ordinary tile-draining. Where the bottom is not firm enough to warrant the use of the mole system alone, round tiles can quite' easily be laid in the track at the same time as it is being cut. This, however, in many cases I think would be unnecessary, as I found the principal method of draining was to leave a shoulder or projection on each side of the drain, about six inches from the bottom, and on this to lay pieces of board, so that if the sides of such a drain stand quite satisfactorily, much more should the sides of a mole drain. Unless within or very near the large towns, very few of the roads Public high- of Canada are gravelled. Everywhere road allowances run north and ways, south, east and west, one mile apart, but even in Ontario little is done for them over the greater part of the province, unless a little levelling and rounding of the road, and what bridge-making is necessary. In Quebec and Ontario, as a rule, they are fenced in, but in Manitoba and the North-West Territories such is only done in the thoroughly settled localities. Owing to the dry summers and frosty winters of the whole of Canada, I can quite easily believe that for ten months of the year the roads will be amply sufficient, but for one month in spring, and another in autumn, they are often excessively bad. In the newer provinces this state of matters can quite well enough be excused, but in Quebec and Ontario such is not so easily done. There stone in the shape of rock, land boulders, and gravel, are fairly plentiful in many districts, and if farmers were only paid a small sum for gathering these boulders and small stones where rock does not abound, the supply might considerably be increased. If the main roads were once thoroughly bottomed, by laying the foundation of hand-packed stones of the largest size, then another layer of medium ones on the top, the whole being finished by a layer of gravel, they would last for years without much attention other than a little mending and rounding now and again. The way in which the roads are managed is also much behind the age, each farmer at present sending every year a certain number of men and teams for so many days, according to the size of his farm. The consequence is, each man does as little instead of as much work as he can, everything is done unsatisfactorily, every operation takes more •time than it should do, and in the end no one is pleased. Each farmer has the option of doing his statute labour by himself or his servants, or by paying a sum in lieu thereof, as he thinks best ; most fanners, 12 166 The Agricultural and other Resources of Canada. Wheat farming. however, prefer to do their number of days' work. The remedy is to form district road boards, levy an assessment for the maintenance of the roads, appoint a head roadman, and put and keep a certain number of men on each length of road according to its importance, and the probability is that the roads will be better and cheaper kept than at present. On inquiring into this matter as to the number of days of a man, each farmer owning 100 acres had to furnish, and calculating such at the current rate of wage, I found in the neighbourhood of the large towns that the indirect sum the Canadian farmer pays towards the maintenance of his roads is not so very far behind what the British farmer does, and yet he has few worthy of the name of roads after all, in the worst seasons of the year. In several of the low-lying districts of British Columbia, where, rock is quite wanting, and where the soil is always soft, I found many of the roads bottomed with planks or trees laid across the roads, a good bed of gravel being afterwards spread on the top. In all the instances which came under my notice, an excellent road for any moderately heavy traffic was formed by this method. In many districts of British Columbia, where the rainfall was very heavy, I was surprised to find that in making new roads soil was used in preference to rock, which was lying alongside, and only required to be blasted and broken. Unless in Manitoba, this system of farming is not practised to any extent in any other part of the Dominion; and where the land is good, climate suitable, and means of transport sufficient, more money can in all probability be taken out of the land in a short time by it, than by any other system. This class of farming has also other recommendations, in being one which requires less capital in proportion to the receipts than where mixed farming is pursued, while at the same time it gives very quick returns. Its drawbacks are, that the land is quickly exhausted, that the success of the farmer entirely depends on the suitability of the season and markets for this one crop, and that sufficient labour is not provided for the farm hands all the year round. On these farms .no happy medium appears ever to be struck; work is either in excess of labour, or labour in excess of work. Autumn ploughing has to be pushed on with all speed in order to get it through before frost sets in, after which there is little or nothing to do till spring, particularly if the crop has been threshed and hauled to market previously. If such has not been done, it affords a little labour during the long winter, but it is nothing like enough to keep the whole staff going. The consequence is, many have to be turned off. As soon as frost breaks up, a hard push has to be made to get all the crops in as soon as possible, for in the dry climate of Manitoba late seeding never succeeds, for various reasons. If farm hands cannot be kept on the whole winter through, and if they find it difficult to get employment during winter, they must be paid a much larger wage during the active part of the year, in order to bring up their earnings to an equivalent to what can be received at other employments. The autumns of Manitoba are so dry that shed grain very often does not germinate until spring. This shed grain often comes quite thick enough to form a fairly good crop, under which circumstances it is occasionally allowed to stand, so that a crop is here produced without any direct seed or labour. I do not infer that such is the best way of producing a profitable crop of wheat, because by ploughing and seeding in the usual manner a more profitable one might have been reaped. These crops are called volunteer crops. The growth of grain shed the year previous is one of the principal reasons why Manitoba wheat often contains a considerable proportion of oats or barley. In Mr. John Speir's Report. 167 one flour mill I visited, I found these oats being taken almost entirely out by a very cleverly constructed machine, the oats so recovered in the course of a year amounting to a very large quantity. Reasoning from the success of these volunteer crops, I would be inclined to suggest that in districts where early ripening is desirable, a portion of the seed should be sown in autumn just before frost is expected to set in. The soil would then work well, and if the land was frozen before germination had gone too far, no loss of seed would be likely to occur. This is a system of cultivation which the experimental farms at Brandon and Indian Head might do well to try on a small scale, as the land being left undisturbed in spring might retain its stock of moisture better than where spring cultivation has to be done. On these wheat farms, until the last few years, there was very little work to do between seed-time and harvest, unless where new land had to be broken up. To meet the difficulty of a press of work at certain seasons of the year, and in order to raise the fertility of exhausted land, a system of summer ploughing, called fallowing, has been introduced, which at least provides sufficient employment between seed-time and harvest for the farm-hands when they are not engaged in hay-making. It has been found that in the most of cases 200 acres •of land under wheat, which has been summer-fallowed one year out of three, will produce as much grain as 300 acres kept continually under crop, while at the same time there is a saving of 100 acres of seed, besides the labour of seeding and harvesting. This land is ploughed during the growing season, and in the generality of cases nothing else is done to it till the seed is sown the following spring. If the soil ■contains a large amount of seed weeds, and more particularly if the ploughing is done very early in the summer, these weeds may mature enough to seed about harvest time, in which case it will be necessary to give the land a second ploughing before harvest begins. If, however, the weeds do not get strong enough to seed, they do little or no harm, as the frost kills them all off during winter. The opening up of the prairies for the growth of wheat is reducing the area of both fall and spring wheat, not only in Britain, but in Ontario, while oats appear to be on the increase, and also pease. 12 91 ¥ PLOUGHING AT SANDISON'S FARM, BRANDON. 168 Ploughing. Seeding. The Agricultural and other Resources of Canada. In the older provinces ploughing is conducted in much the same manner as in Britain, and Scotch ploughs are very common at the ploughing matches in Ontario, although, as with us, these ploughs are being less used for everyday work. On the prairies and wheat belts double or single sulkies (or riding ploughs) are in very common use, but for superior work I find the best men prefer the single walking plough. The breaking up of the prairie is done early in June, when the plants are soft and succulent, and before the soil becomes too dry. A special plough is generally used, which turns over a broad thin furrow about 2 inches or 2\ inches thick. When ploughed so thin the hot sun very soon kills all the vegetation, whereas if done thicker, such is not the case. Any time during the autumn this land is re-ploughed,, the furrows running the same way as before, as, although the vegetation is now dead, the sod is so tough that the coulter cannot cut it. This work is called backsetting, and should be done an inch or an inch and a-half deeper than the first ploughing. Nothing more is now done to it till spring, when it is sown and harrowed in the usual way- After harvest ploughing of every kind is pushed forward with all speed, because frost soon sets in, and there is such a hurry in spring- that little can be done then. In all the North-West ploughing is done very shallow, seldom over 6 inches deep, and in the present state of the fertility of these lands, it has been found to be the best plan. If the land were deeper ploughed, it is generally conceded that the crops would suffer less from drought; but it has been found that grain on new land deeply ploughed, generally grows so much to straw that it does not ripen well, and that about as much is lost through late and irregular ripening and occasional deterioration by frost, as is gained by conservation of the moisture. Like many other farming operations, no fixed rule can be laid down, as the depth, moisture, fertility, and likely date of ripening must be so considered as to give each its due share, otherwise disappointment is sure to follow. Some emigration agents and enthusiasts have been in the habit of proclaiming that on these prairies the soil only required to be scratched, and in some cases tickled, in order to produce a full crop. Not to use a stronger expression, such statements are gross exaggerations, for although ploughing, can be, and is, done more' carelessly than in Britain, still good ploughing everywhere gives a better return than where indifferently done. In several of the wheat-growing districts farmers are to be met with who have large farms and no stock other than a driving-horse. These men let the ploughing, seeding, and harvesting, at so much per acre for each and all, to their smaller neighbours around, and, judging; from reports received, they appear to be making the system pay; it,. however, is one which cannot be recommended, and which is not likely, to be very long continued. Sowing is generally done by a drill, or seeder, as they call it; the- best I came across being one with wheels having a 2-inch face, running- behind each coulter, and along the top of each row of seed. The-; machine is called a,press seeder, and, besides doing the ordinary seeding, it does the rolling in a much superior way to the roller. In the- dry climate of the North-West it is very desirable that the soil be- pressed firmly around the seed, otherwise a considerable proportion of it may fail to germinate. Many of the richest soils of the North- West are so fine when dried in spring and crushed by the roller that if a high wind comes on soon after they are apt to drift and leave one- portion of the seed uncovered and another too deeply buried. This take place after Wrm-wina 1 drifting or Diowmg does not P harrowing, because then* I Mr. John Speir's Report. 169 Harvesting. the soil is all in little lumps, and with the press seeder the good effects of regular seeding with rolling are secured, without any of the disadvantages of the latter. Some farmers of undoubted success whom I came across strongly advocate broadcast sowing in preference to drilling, where a large breadth has to be done in a limited time, as is the case on all large wheat farms. By sowing broadcast more seed must be used, but they say what little is lost in seed is gained at the end of the season in extra quantity and quality, as the whole crop if sown broadcast can easily be seeded in good time, whereas if drilled a considerable area may be so late that the loss on it by autumn frosts and lessened produce may exceed any saving which can be effected in the seed. It may here be mentioned that in the North-West there is no loss of seed left on the surface, through the depredations of birds, as is the case in Ontario and Britain, as birds are very few in these regions. Of all the seed grain left on the surface I do not expect over 30 or 40 per cent will germinate and grow, so that, supposing that estimate to be correct, the actual loss in seed will only be about one-third of what is left on the surface, which, after all, is not very much, if it is to save a crop from a night's frost in August. With a broadcast sower attached to a waggon, and scattering over 50 feet or so, many farmers say they can sow up to 100 acres per day; the story looks pretty big, but I am told on fairly creditable authority that such is done. All reaping, as a rule, is done by going round about the field, the dry summer and shorter and stiffer-strawed crops allowing the self- binding reaper to work to perfection. The stubble is usually left from nine inches to a foot high, unless where the crop is so short that they are compelled to cut it low in order to get it tied. The great unoccupied area of new land usually gets the credit of being the cause of the lowering of the value of farm produce generally, and of the land of Britain and the eastern provinces particularly; but I am inclined to believe that the self-binding harvester has been as important a factor as any. Without the land it certainly could not have been done, but even with the land and the railways, but without the self-binder, I question if very much wheat could be grown in the North-West at a profit, if wages were to remain, much less get any higher than they presently are there. Reaping begins when the crop is comparatively green, I might almost say quite green, because the hot sun ripens it so quickly and causes it to shed so easily, that if it is not cut before the dead ripe stage is reached, more may be lost by shedding than by early cutting. Owing to the hot sun quite shrivelling up the straw very shortly after reaping, the grain must consequently be unable to draw any nutriment -from, the straw after cutting, whereas in Britain it is always considered that grain ripens a good deal in the sheaf, therefore such green-cut wheat straw should be much more valuable as fodder than ours. The reaping machines are generally fitted with sheaf carriers, so as to drop as many sheaves at one place as make a stook or shock, thereby very much lessening the labour of setting up. As showing the rough-and- ready way in which farming is often done in the North-West, and the good climate with which they are favoured, it may be mentioned that in good seasons large areas are never stooked at all, the sheaves being simply allowed to lie on the ground till they are ready to stack. They had a regular Scottish harvest this year, that is, as far as weather is concerned, so that I saw none of that way of doing work myself. In Ontario the grain is all housed in large barns, which are built Stacking, over the byres, stacks beinjj scarcely even. used. In the North-West 170 The Agricultural and other Resources of Canada. Threshing. Straw-burning. The average crop of grain, all over. and in British Columbia, the grain is usually stacked in the field. If cattle are kept, it is hauled to near the house, so that it may be used by them both for fodder and litter. The usual pattern of stack is circular, with a low body or shank, and a long sloping roof. As rain seldom falls in autumn, and the snow is so dry that it never wets anything, thatching appears never to be thought of, and is never done. Two, three, or four of these stacks are usually built together, so as to cause as few removals as possible of the engine and threshing machine. Many farmers thresh their whole crop from the stook, the grain being hard enough at that date to store in elevators any number of feet deep. The threshing machines in many respects are very like our own, but their drums, instead of having corrugated beaters like ours, have short pegs an inch and a-half to two inches long. The drum appears to be run at much about the same speed as ours, but, instead of putting in the sheaves sideways or at an angle, as we do, they put them in ears first, in the same way as the slow-speed peg drums of Scotland are fed; but, unlike the latter, the Canadian pattern has no feeding rollers. Each machine very often weighs and records the number of bushels threshed—a sack of grain being two bushels, instead of four or six, as with us. The sacks in common use are very much the same as clover-seed is distributed in throughout Britain. The feeder is supplied with sheaves from both sides, two waggons being emptied at once. When threshing from the field, six waggons, each with a pair of horses, are generally used. These machines usually put through from 1,200 bushels to 2,000 bushels per day, and I am told that 2,500 bushels is occasionally done. That is three to five times as much as can be done with our' crop, and were it not for their very short sheaves (almost a sheaf of ears) and the brittle nature of their straw, it would be impossible for them to do so. All the threshing is done by the bushel, and from the way in which every operation is performed, one can easily see that every person is on piecework. After the straw comes through the threshing machine, it is very much broken, but to the wheat farmer that is a matter of no consequence. As the straw comes from the thresher it is hauled 20 or 30 yards away by a pair of horses, each yoked to the end of a ten-foot pole, much the same as hay is occasionally coDected in the fields with us. On the large wheat farms, the only fuel I saw used for the engines was straw, and with it steam appeared to be very easily kept up. Straw, when fed in small but continous quantities, appears to give a very fierce heat, and to my mind the quantity used was very small indeed. After the grain and machinery have all left the field, the whole is set fire to, and if the field is alongside any unbroken land, a few plough furrows are usually run round each field, so as to confine the fire to what it is intended to burn, as anyone setting fire to the prairie is not only liable to be heavily fined, but runs a risk of having an action brought against him for any damage which may be caused by his carelessness. Where a long stubble is left and afterwards burned, the land is often sown the following spring without ever being ploughed. In such cases, the land is simply well harrowed with a pair of heavy harrows, but oftener with the disc harrow, the seed being afterwards put in with the drill. The average amount of grain which an acre of land will yield under continuous wheat-growing is very various, according j to the land, locality, climate, and farming, for there are good and bad farmers in Canada as well as elsewhere. I have carefully gone over the col- 11 Mr. John Speir's Repwt. 171 lected crop returns of the Province of Ontario during the past ten years, and, estimating the present crop at 24*6 bushels per acre, the average production of that period will be 20 bushels per acre; whereas the average of England is generally set down at 28 bushels, although this is considered by many to be too high. From the estimates made by me of the yields of the various crops in Manitoba, I would be inclined to place the wheat average at about 20 or 22 bushels per acre. This year many crops were very much more, some almost double; but then, dry years come every now and again, when the yield is very much less. Since coming home, I have received the actual yields of several farms in ordinary cultivation, the farmers having sent me such themselves, without any previous arrangement, and these run from 30 to 32 bushels for wheat. On the other hand, when the averages of Ontario or Manitoba are compared with the published averages of several of the wheat-growing States of the United States, it will be found that they compare very favourably, for these States are generally from 2 to 4 bushels an acre less than even Ontario. The averages of all the provinces are very much less than they might be, owing to the very indifferent way in which the bulk of the land is cultivated. The wheat of British Columbia has quite a different appearance from that of Manitoba, the latter being a very albuminous wheat, while the former is more starchy, resembling, in fact, very much the best white wheats of England. In Ontario the average for oats runs about 36 bushels, but where good fanning is practised, it of course goes very much over it. The weight per bushel of Canadian oats has always been very much against their sale in Britain as oats, the usual weight being from 34 to 35 lbs. per bushel. The Government have, however, for several years been testing samples of oats at the different experimental farms, from everywhere throughout the world, and it is hoped that several varieties more suitable for the British market than those now grown, and capable of being cultivated by the Canadian farmer, will shortly be introduced. Good headway has already been made, and the future looks prosperous. In British Columbia oats do extraordinarily well, and several very large crops came under my notice. Contrary to the experience of the rest of the country, the weight of oats per bushel in British Columbia is very good. I having there measured and weighed them myself at 44| lbs. per imperial bushel. In no grain has greater strides been made than in barley, the introduction and cultivation of the British varieties of which the Government have done very much to encourage of late. Previous to the last two or three years, the four and six-rowed barleys were the only varieties grown, the bulk of which went to the United States for brewing purposes. Four years ago, however, the Government, through Professor Saunders, of the Ottawa experimental farm, commenced to make some tests with British varieties, with a view to getting a better malting barley than was then in general use. Since then every spring small parcels of seed have been largely distributed at cost price among the farmers all over the country, and next spring it is anticipated there will almost be as much barley in the country as should meet its requirements for seed. Hundreds of farmers have tried the British varieties with more or less success, and samples of Canadian barley, grown from English seed, sent to the late Brewery Exhibition in London, were very favourably reported on. 172 The Agricultural and other Resources of Canada. Mixed farming. Dairy farming. Pease are very largely grown in all the older provinces, and everywhere appear to do well, the average for Ontario being about '20 bushels per acre. In no country and on no soil .can the continuous growth of one plant without manure be carried on without the crop becoming lessened and the land deteriorated. In order to return as much as possible to the land, and to be able to turn the straw to some account as fodder and litter, mixed farming is the general system practised in every country, and in my travels through Canada the bulk of the most successful farmers I came across were certainly persons who had adopted mixed farming, and who had decided not to put all their eggs in one basket. Mixed farming has several other advantages : it permits of the farm work going steadily on from one end of the year to the other ; a comparatively small supply of labour is necessary, yet that supply is always capable of putting in and getting off the crops in due time without risk of frost, or requiring to pay extravagant wages for outside labour. Mixed farming requires buildings and fences, which wheat farming does not, so that, until prairie farms are put in order, it is not just so easy to adopt mixed farming in a new country, as many would at first suppose. In the north of Manitoba, and west of it, on to the Pacific, mixed farming is being more and more adopted every day, as many of the large wheat farms of these districts are not turning out the paying concerns many at one time supposed them to be. Throughout Canada very few farms are devoted entirely to dairy purposes, yet the majority of the farmers of the older provinces and in the North-West do more or less at it and general mixed farming, each of which may be considered as forming an important part, the one of the other. A very considerable portion of butter is made in the farm-houses, but I did not come on any very great quantity of cheese being made in that way. Besides the butter which is made in the farm-houses, there is a good deal made at creameries, of which there are between forty and fifty in Ontario alone. Their number is, however, decreasing in Ontario, cheese factories appearing to be more in favour than they are. In Ontario, each creamery on an average is supplied by about 450 cows, and continues in operation from about the middle of May to about the middle of October. In Manitoba, however, it seems likely that creameries will continue to increase for many years to come, because where houses are considerable distances apart, the cream from a number of cows can be easily enough gathered at very little expense ; whereas, were the whole milk collected over a sparsely- peopled district, the extra cost of hauling it would run away with all the profit. In Manitoba, I found that most of the smaller farmers raised their cream on the deep-setting principle by immersing their narrow cans in cold water. Some few had ice-houses, in which case the cans were kept in water cooled with ice ; but where such a provision was not made, the cans in most cases were lowered into the well, where, during the hottest time of the year, the cream kept quite sweet till the creamery cart came round. In Ontario, for a number of years, there has been an average of about 750 cheese factories, a large number of which are co-operative concerns. About fifty or sixty farmers send their milk to each factory, the buildings and dairy utensils of which belong to themselves. They usually engage an expert cheese-maker, and pay him on an average about one halfpenny per pound for making the cheese, the farmers delivering the milk, supplying all requisite utensils, and carting away Mr. John Speir's Report. 173 the cheese, while the maker provides all necessary labour, rennet, colouring, &c. Each farmer has a stage fixed at the end of the road leading to his farm, the top of which is level with the bottom of a waggon, and on which he leaves his full cans of milk. The farmers in rotation do the hauling to the factory—two, three, or four, according to the size of their herd, combining to send their milk in one waggon. One of the farmers is appointed president of the association, and on him devolves the duty of selling the cheese, which, as a rule, he does in such quantities and at such times as he thinks fit, without consulting the other members. The farmers themselves do the hauling •of the cheese to the nearest railway station in such quantities and at such times as sales are made, the total proceeds, after deducting expenses, being divided among them in proportion to the milk supplied by each. The cheese factories very often begin about the same time as the butter ones, but they usually continue open about a month or so longer. The climate of Ontario appears to be very well suited for the making of cheese, and Canadians as a rule are very well up in its manufacture, and consequently turn out a very superior article. Ganadian cheeses, like Canadians themselves, are very little known in Britain, and usually all go by the name of Americans. Canadians would therefore do well to see that their own make of cheese was all branded " Canadian," as the cost would be infinitesimal and the gain might be great. The land lying along the St. Lawrence, the southern and western Fruit farming, counties of Ontario, and most of the land of British Columbia is admirably adapted for the growth of fruit. In the Hamilton and Niagara districts vines, peaches, and tomatoes do well outside, and are cultivated over vast areas. The vines are usually trained to trellises, the peaches as standard trees, while the tomatoes are grown very much as we do potatoes. Cherries, plums, pears, and apples do well over all Ontario, while in British Columbia their growth is simply marvellous. There the plum and cherry, and more particularly the apple, do remark-. ably well, occasional samples of the latter being grown up to 1^ lbs., and pears up to 2 lbs. in weight. The weight of fruit which these trees carry is beyond the comprehension of the average Britisher, and requires to be seen to be believed; in fact, the trees in many instances appeared so covered with fruit that you could scarcely see the tree for the fruit. In British Columbia large areas of land are being annually planted with fruit trees, and in the near future it appears that the preserving of apples by evaporating or otherwise, and the canning of cherries and plums, might even be a greater industry than the salmon-canning of that province. Presently, the local demand equals the production of the province ; but, unless the population increases at a phenomenal rate ■owing to mining or something else, the supply will very soon exceed the ■demand, and then drying or preserving will have to be resorted to. At the present time timber up to 3 feet or more in diameter is being cut or burned down in the easiest way in which it can, the logs being cut, then split by dynamite, and burned where they lie, because they are of no value to haul away. In some cases the tree roots are dug out, in others blown out by dynamite, or by both, while in many they are left to rot, fruit trees being at once planted between them. Tree roots take on an average about 8s. each to take them out in British Columbia, the roots being generally large and the wages high. Hops also do very well in British Columbia, and in the near future it seems probable that a profitable trade may be begun in these, as they are found to do and pay well in the neighbouring State of Washington, where they have been grown for a good many year's. The costly carriage 174 Tlie Agricultural and other Resources of Canada. Cattle ranching. to the British market need be no difficulty in the way of cultivating hops, as their value per pound is so much greater than ordinary farm produce, that if they can be grown successfully they are almost sure to be grown to profit. Alberta more than any of the other territories is given up to cattle ranching. That part of the province south of Calgary is principally devoted to cattle and horses, McLeod being the centre of the ranching industry. Although the greater part of Alberta may be said to be devoted to ranching, still, ranching is not all confined to Alberta, as odd ones are scattered over all the country from Manitoba westwards. Less snow is said to fall in Alberta than in any of the North-West Territories, and while the summer temperature is lower than farther east the winter temperature is higher. The land is generally leased from the Government at a rental of one penny per acre, the Government compelling the owners to keep at least 10 head of cattle on every 200 acres, while they reserve the right of breaking the lease at any time by giving two years, notice to quit. In some cases the ranches are very large, several containing 100,000 acres. Owing to the rough way in which the stock are handled, and the entire absence of any provision being, made for providing them with food or shelter during winter, the losses are often excessively severe, and among the ranche-men it is said that little dependence need be placed on the reported death-rate of any ranche, as nearly all are much higher than they are generally said or admitted to be. The cattle receive very little attention in the way of herding, being simply allowed to roam over the prairies at their own sweet will. Twice a year, spring and autumn, the whole herd is gathered together for branding purposes, all strayed animals being at these times returned to their owners. At McLeod, Henderson's Cattle Mark Register is kept, and in this book is entered the mark or brand of each ranche. People are beginning to advocate better provision being made for wintering the cattle, but on the large ranches little has as yet been done. From enquiries made it appears quite evident that the- cattle can get on fairly well in an average winter without any provision being made for them, but every few years one comes on more severe than the rest, when the losses through cold and starvation are very severe. If suitable lands all over the ranches where the grass grows long were set aside for making into hay, it might be preserved and stacked near at hand several years in succession, there to stand until a severe enough winter came demanding its use. A similar plan is adopted on the Scottish Highland sheep farms, and I see no reason why one somewhat the same should not be adopted on these ranches, as, according to all accounts, a single severe winter causes losses equal to the cost of storing- hay for many winters. It may be noted here, as the experience of many persons in the ranching business, that hornless cattle, such as Galloways or Angus, are preferable to horn ones for standing the cold. Several of these men told me that they had seen hornless cattle quietly eating their fodder or chewing the cud, on an exceessively cold day, when horned ones were shaking their heads, and turning them to the side with pain hvthe horns, owing to their being wholly or partially frozen. It is also said that their horns occasionally drop down or altogether off" owing to having been frozen, which is at least one good plea for the introduction of these breeds. As both have a distinctive black colour, and are wellknown to be very impressive as sires, the introduction of a few bulls would very soori grade up the whole herd. If proper precautions were adopted for sheltering and feeding the stock in winter, the business bids fair to continue to be a very Mr. John Speir's Report. l'& profitable one. At present the working expenses of a ranche are very light, the taxes are only a trifle, the rent is little more, the only item of importance being the interest on capital. Bullocks two and a-half years old sell presently at from £5 to £6 at the ranches ; the rail and ocean freight, food charges, insurances, &c, to Britain, are about another £5 or £6. At these rates two-and-a-half-year-olds may be delivered in Britain at from £10 10s. to £11, while three-year-olds could probably be delivered at from £12 to £13; at which prices, if the winter losses on the ranches and the autumn ones on the ocean could be reduced to within more moderate limits, the business might be made a very profitable one. Up to the present, the bulk of the cattle which have been exported to Britain have come from Quebec and Ontario; still in the near future a very much larger proportion will likely come from the ranches. The cattle trade appears to be one which is likely to go on and increase, for in eighteen years it has grown from nothing to 120,654 head during the past eleven months. During that time there have been a few ups and downs, but, all the same, the figures have gone on always increasing. The export of cows from Canada to Scotland appears to me to be Cows. a trade in which a large and profitable business could at the present time be done. Good cows, showing some breeding, and apparently of a fair milking type, could be bought readily in Ontario during the autumn months at from £6 to £9 ; rail and ocean freight, insurance, &c, to Glasgow, if put at £5, would bring the price in Scotland to, say, £12 to £14; whereas these same cows would presently sell here at from £15 to £20, leaving a good margin for profit. Cows near the calving, to come with safety, would require more space on board ship than bullocks, but I think I have allowed enough margin for that, when the present ocean rate is about £3 for bullocks, whereas I have allowed £5 for cows. As in bullocks so in cows, only the best should be sent, because the freight and other charges may amount to about one-half of the total value, and they will be the same whether or not a valuable animal is sent. Cows to calve from November to February might also be sent over for grazing purposes any time during the summer months. On the horse ranches the stock are treated very much in the same Horse ranch- manner as the cattle are on the cattle ranches. The mares and young m°" stock are allowed to run out all the year, and little, if anything, appears to be done to provide them with either food or shelter in a severe winter. Many of the ranchers and farmers have supplied themselves with pure-bred stock of the different favourite breeds, but as a rule the bulk of the mares are of the usual Canadian stamp. Clydesdale and Shires of moderate quality and medium size appear to be most in favour, but, in spite of all the importations which have arrived, comparatively little impression has been made on the general stock of the country. The Canadian horse as presently bred appears to be well suited to the wants of the country, and as long as breeding is carried on simply to supply the wants of Canada, little or no increase of size or weight is necessary; but the day appears to be near at hand when horses might be exported on a scale'almost similar to what cattle presently are, and if such is to be done, they must be bred of a size and quality likely to please the purchasers. These purchasers are likely to be the British ; so that the sooner Canadians get at least a portion of their stock graded up to the requirements of the British purchasers the better it will be for themselves. Owing to the light weight of the average Canadian mare, the heaviest class of Clydesdale and Shire stallions are not wanted, and will 176 The Agricultural and other Resources of Canada. not pay to import, unless in very exceptional cases. The service fees which can be obtained in Canada are so much less than in Britain, that a good horse of any of these breeds will do better at home than abroad. All the North-West Territories appear to be admirably adapted for the rearing of horses of every kind, and I think a good market already exists in Britain for the heaviest class of draught and carriage geldings. A small trade in the latter class is presently being done, and it might very materially be increased with benefit to both countries, were there a sufficient supply of the proper class of horses, which, however, there is not. The breeding of heavy carriage horses appears to be the class easiest and quickest arrived at, if the existing Canadian mare is to be worked on, as by using the heaviest obtainable class of thoroughbred or Cleveland bay stallions, and carefully selecting the mares, the desired article might at once be produced. Such a horse would suit the wants of Canadians and Canadian agriculture, and it could be worked and trained at home until it was of mature age, after which it could be exported at a price double or treble that of the ordinary stamp, while, at the same time, it would only have cost a mere trifle more to produce it. This class of horse has been in great demand in Britain for years, and in Canada it is likely to be produced as quickly, of as good a quality, and as cheaply as anywhere else on the globe. For the immediate production of the heaviest class of draught horses, imported stock of both males and females must be used, otherwise it will take many years and considerable selection to get up the weight. The short, rich herbage of the prairies, the clear bracing air, and firm, dry land appear to be admirably suited to produce horses sound in wind and limb, if only reasonable care is exercised in the original selection. The attention absolutely required during the year appears to be even less than is usually given to cattle, although, like them, a little more care given to shelter and feeding during severe weather would be doubly repaid. It is also worthy of note here, that imported stock of all kinds are not at first anything like so well able to support themselves as those which have been on the prairies for a few years. Valuable imported animals in no case should be turned out on to the prairies, and no further attention paid to them, in the belief that they will be as able to forage for themselves as the native animals, for if such is done, loss and disappointment will be sure to follow, as has already happened in a good many cases. There has been no increase in the export of horses from Canada for ten years, a fact which deserves the serious attention of all those interested. This, to a certain extent, is probably accounted for by a very great number of the extra horses being required during that time to stock the new lands being opened up in the North-West, so that matters may not be so bad as at first sight they actually appear. Sheep ranch- A great part of western Assiniboia, northern Alberta and Sas katchewan appear to be well suited fo'r the raising of sheep. The short, dry grasses point to sheep as the stock fitted by nature to consume them. The class of sheep apparently doing best there just now is the Merino ewe crossed with the Cheviot or Shropshire, ram. The ewes cost on the ground from 15s. to 18s. each, and are easily obtained. The rams are generally imported from Britain or brought from Ontario, and in either case they are very costly. On these plains, sheep require much more attention than either cattle or horses, which, owing to the scarcity of labour, is one of the reasons so few people have entered into the business. Wolves and foxes are still comparatively plentiful, so that a shepherd must always be in attendance on the flock, otherwise heavy loss might occur at any wg Mr. John Speir's Report. 177 moment. One man can easily attend to from 1,500 to 2,000 sheep, and for his use he generally has a pony and one or more dogs. The deerhound has been found particularly useful for killing prairie wolves, and besides the usual collie, many flock-masters are now providing their shepherds with a deerhound. The collie is of very little use for catching the wolves, although when caught it readily manages to kill them; so that to attend a flock properly both dogs are almost necessary.* During the day the shepherd keeps slowly moving his flock towards the best pieces of pasture, never omitting to provide them with water at every suitable opportunity. If such cannot be procured naturally from spring, streams or lakes, then wells must be sunk. In summer time the shepherd carries a tent and supply of food with him, and at night he gathers the flock around his tent, where they lie down and rest. The dogs being always about, the wolves and foxes appear to detect their presence, either by smell or otherwise, and very seldom make an attack, and if they do, they are almost sure to be killed. In winter the sheep are kept during the night in specially constructed houses and, unless during very severe weather, they are turned out every day on to a portion of land near the sheep house, which has purposely been lef trough for winter use. The grass of these regions is much more valuable as food during winter than similar grass with us, because in the North- West the blades of grass are, practically speaking, killed by drought in early autumn, just when they are at their best. The consequence is, that these blades contain their full proportion of nutriment, through being stopped in their growth just before reaching maturity; and as little rain falls during autumn, the soluble food ingredients are not washed out of this naturally made hay, as would be the case in Britain. In fact, if the reports of those resident in these districts are to be believed—and, judging from the many sources from which I heard them, I am inclined to do so—it appears that these prairie grasses are almost as valuable for feeding in winter as in summer. In these districts the snow is so dry that it does not deteriorate the grass under it to any appreciable extent. The sheep houses are built with turf sides, and of a size corresponding to the flock kept. The roof is composed of poles laid flat on main beams supported by uprights, the whole being covered with a deep layer of straw or hay. Owing to the absence of rain in winter and the dry nature of the snow, no wet ever comes through the flat roof. The height of the roof should only be enough to permit of easily cleaning out the house, and the more effectually to do this, a roadway should be made through the middle of it. During severe weather the flock is kept in the house all day, and hay, which should be stored near at hand, is supplied to them as required. In the North-West there is no trouble with the ordinary sheep diseases of the old country, maggot, foot-rot, scab, &c, being quite unknown. There are some districts, however, where many persons assert that sheep will not live at all, owing to a sharp, wiry grass called spear-grass, the blades of which penetrate through the wool and into the flesh, ultimately killing the animal. From inquiries made regarding this matter at many of the largest and most intelligent flock-masters', it appears to me that the losses from this cause have been grossly exaggerated. As far as my inquiries went, the greatest complaints *The most useful dog for killing the wolves is a cross between the deerhound dog and greyhound bitch, and the great value of these animals can readily be estimated when I state that I have heard of single, dogs killing eight wolves in one day, and nearly 100 in one year. 178 The Agricultural and other Resources of Canada. Hay-making. Silage. Markets for grain. were made against it, and those appeared to know most about its bad effects, who neither now nor at any past time had ever kept any sheep, while flock-masters generally had very little to say about it. The sharp-pointed blades of this grass appear to enter the body oftenest at or near the brisket or other uncovered part of the body coming in contact with the ground in lying down. After the hard, sharp points have pierced the flesh they get broken short off at or inside the skin, and, like the point of a needle inside the body of a human being, the spear-grass may travel anywhere after having fairly entered the flesh and been broken off. Flock-masters everywhere, however, say that even where spear-grass is fairly plentiful the losses are very few indeed—so few, some of them said, that it caused them much less trouble than foot-rot, scab, or any of the other ordinary sheep diseases cause the average sheep farmer in Britain. In Quebec, Ontario and British Columbia hay-making is conducted very much as in Britain, only, owing to the brighter sunshine and more steady weather, it is more easily and better done. In these provinces the principal hay crop is clover and timothy, and both do remarkably well. The timothy keeps good for several years, but the clover rarely produces much after the second year. In the North-West all hay is cut from the sloughs (damp places) on the prairie, and a portion of such land is a valuable addition to any farm, even a wheat one. In many emigration pamphlets it is asserted that the farmer has only to go to the prairie to get as much hay as he requires. Such, however, is not the case, as in many localities hay lands are the scarcest of any, and often farmers, even in sparsely-settled districts, told me that they had cut their hay five and seven miles away. During the hay-making season it is a common practice for the farmer and his men to take a tent with them and remain away all the week. During the drying little handling is required other than the gathering and hauling to the stack. The stacks are never thatched, and the bulk of the crop is stacked where cut, and hauled home on sleighs during winter. Owing to the cost of labour and the hot summer temperature turnips are never likely to succeed so well in Canada as here. It has been found in Ontario, however, that more food can be grown on an acre of land seeded with Indian corn and cut green than by turnips, arid the introduction of the silo bids fair to put green maize in much the same position in Canada as the turnip is in Britain. In Ontario maize grows well, it is easy of cultivation, keeps the weeds in check in a way no other crop does, and produces a weight per acre of green food that is not excelled in quantity or quality by any other plant for stock-feeding. This, when cut green and chopped into short lengths of from half to three-quarters of an inch, and put into the silo, is easily preserved for consumption during the winter, and in the future should add greatly to the milk and meat-producing power of the country. In the older provinces the facilities for disposing of farm produce are ample and sufficient, while in the newer territories they are keeping pace with the requirements of the country. Wherever grain is produced in anything like large quantities, soine one is always ready to erect an elevator for the storage of grain at the nearest railway station. Wheat is graded into four qualities—Manitoba Nos. 1 and 2 hard, and Northern Nos. 1 and 2—and commands a fixed price for each quality at every elevator, the prices being that current at the ship side, minus the cost of transit thither. When a farmer has grain to sell, he has the option of three methods of disposing of it. He may sell it direct to the nearest elevator owner or miller, he may store it in the elevator, or he may send it by rail to some distant elevator owner or miller. On Mr. John Spevfs Report. 179 arriving at the elevator, his sacks are emptied into a large hopper fixed on a balance, and when full the whole is weighed, after which a sluice in the bottom of the hopper is opened, and the grain runs out into a set of elevating belts, which convey it to the bin to which the particular wheat belongs, or, if dirty, to the cleaning machinery. The weighing hoppers may be any size, but they are generally made to hold about 70 bushels. If the grain is to be stored, or is sold to the elevator owner, and is so dirty that it requires cleaning, a small percentage—generally. 2 to 5 per cent—is deducted from the gross weight. The elevator owners are always ready to pay cash for wheat, but if the farmer desires to store it, the elevator owner does so, and cleans it, at a charge of five-eighths of a penny per bushel for the first fifteen days, and one farthing per bushel for every fifteen days thereafter, until 2d. per bushel is reached, after which nothing more is charged until May. Anyone storing wheat in an elevator does not get his own wheat out again, but an equal quantity of the same grade as he put in. The elevators generally have an elevating and cleaning capacity of 1,000 bushels per hour, but they are seldom worked over 500 or 600 bushels per hour. In Canada the influences which dictate the construction of rail- Railwayfacili- ways are quite the reverse of what they are in Britain. In the latter, • they are only constructed after a payable amount of traffic is supposed to exist, whereas, in the former, they are made first in order to increase the value of the land and create traffic. The rates charged for passengers and freight are fairly moderate, the passenger cars being eminently suited for easily and conveniently travelling long distances. Most of the railways are single lines, but all are well laid, and supplied with heavy engines and two classes of carriages. In new districts, where the small articles of the farm are sold to General barter the nearest store, it is the common practice for the farmer to take and prices, groceries in return, and as many of these store-keepers act as collectors of eggs and butter, on which they say they can make little profit, they refuse to buy unless an equivalent is taken in what they have to sell; the consequence is that most farmers receive little actual money for these articles, the balance only being paid, by either person, at each yearly or half-yearly settlement. The price of wheat in Britain may be said to regulate the price of wheat all over Canada, as its value there is just its price here, minus cost of freight and commissions. This year the best wheat was realizing about 3s. per bushel all over Manitoba. In Winnipeg, butter has been selling at lOd. to lid. per lb., and eggs at from 3|d. to 7d. per dozen. . Cabbages cost from l|d. to 4d., according to size and season; and other vegetables are all also equally dear, a hand-bunch of green onions often costing from 4d. to 5d. Farther back in Manitoba, I found butter selling at from 5d. to 6d. per lb. in summer, and 7d. in winter. In Victoria and Vancouver, both butter and eggs are always dear, butter ranging from Is. 8d. to 2s. per lb., and a dozen of eggs about the same price. A small butter factory at Saltcoats I found sending all their make to Vancouver, a distance of about 1,500 miles, while a farmer in the Okanagon valley, up in the Rocky Mountains, told me he sent all his butter and eggs to the same place, a distance of about 400 miles. Mutton is everywhere proportionately dearer than beef, and so is pork. Good cows generally sell all over the Dominion at from £5 to £9 ; and two-and-a-half-year-old bullocks at from £5 to £6; and ordinary horses at £10 to £20. For the service of a mare with a stallion of moderate worth, the cost is from £2 to £3, the whole being paid at foaling time and none at service. Apples being scarce this 180 The Agricultural and other Resources of Canada. Wages. Money loans and terms. year in many districts of Ontario, prices were, in consequence, much higher than usual, the average price running from 10s. to 15s. per barrel, according to variety ana season. Clothing is slightly dearer than in Britain, but, as far as I could judge, not over 20 or 25 per cent more than here. Wages vary very much according to the district, occupation and season. In Ontario, unmarried farm servants, boarded in the farmhouse, get from £32 to £40 per annum, and if engaged for the winter months only, the wage is about £2 10s. per month; while during hay and harvest time the usual wage is £5 per month. Married men receive about £20 to £25 extra per annum. Special men, having a knowledge of horses, cattle, or sheep, get extra wages. General labourers get about 30s. per week, while some classes of tradesmen get £3 per week. In Ontario the average workingman spends much more on house rent than is done by the same class in Britain. In the old country it is generally estimated that most men spend about one-tenth of their total earnings in house rent, but in Ontario it is calculated that between one-fifth and one-sixth is so spent. In Manitoba and the North-West Territories the ordinary labourer's Wage varies according to locality and season even more than in Ontario. It may, however, be said to run from 6s. to 10s. per day ; and as showing how scarce labour is there during the busy season, I may mention I found a farmer in Brandon, which is not far west, offering 21s. per day to all who would work for him during the stacking period. Ordinary farm servants told me in this district they could keep themselves and small families and save from £30 to £35 a year besides. At railway work all over Manitoba the companies were paying from 7s. to 10s. per day; while on the new portion of the Manitoba and North-Western Railway that company were paying this. autumn 9s. 6d. to 10s. 6d. per day to the Highland crofters after they had got their harvest in. In British Columbia wages are fully higher than anywhere else in Canada, and masons at the time of my visit were getting as high as 21s. per day. Miners at Lethbridge, in Assiniboia, were getting 8s. to 12s. per day; while at Nanaimo, on Vancouver Island, they were getting 10s. to 13s. per day. Female domestic servants are in great damand everywhere. In Ontario the average wage may be said to run from 25s. to 50s. per month, according to ability and trustworthiness. In the North-West they are very much higher, £3 to £4 per month being not uncommon wages for experienced housemaids and cooks. In Vancouver and Victoria domestic servants are particularly scarce, and if experienced and trustworthy can command almost their own terms. It may also be mentioned that west of Winnipeg no smaller coin than the 5-cent piece (2|d.) is used, and at quite a recent date the smallest in circulation was the 10-cent piece (5d.); and at the introduction of the 5-cent piece there was considerable dissatisfaction among a section of the population. Extra facilities are given all over Canada for effecting loans, not on land, but on stock and implements, so that where these are judiciously used they can often be turned to great advantage by the steady and industrious man who has little capital. All mortgages have to be registered, and for a small sum anyone loaning money can find whether or not any other mortgages are on the property. Ordinary debts, or even promissory notes, have n© claim against a farmer's homestead, and no matter what is seized for debt, a plough, harrow, seeder, binder, mower, and team of horses, with their harness, must be left. The ordinary legal interest over a great part of the North-West A Mr. John Speir's Report. 181 is eight per cent, but ten per cent and over is quite common for ordinary loans. The facilities given for mortgaging all kinds of property in Canada are so great, that I question very much if they have not done more harm than good ; at any rate, it is an undoubted fact, that Canadian farmers of all classes contract debt very readily, and there, as elsewhere, debts are always more easily incurred than got rid of. My idea is that the Government should dicourage mortgages, rather than encourage them, if a happy and contented rural population is to be maintained. Over all Quebec and Ontario, water in wells, springs or rivers is Water supply, quite plentiful, but it has been asserted that, owing to the limited rain and snowfall of Manitoba and the North-West, there, water was very difficult to get. Undoubtedly very little water runs off the land by streams or rivers, the soil and the air absorbing the greater portion of it; but although springs are anything but plentiful, and the water in many of the lakes is unsuitable for dietetic purposes, still it is very exceptional to find a district (if such at all exists) where water cannot be found by well-sinking, at a moderate depth. All over the prairies it is usually found between 15 and 50 feet deep, but there are odd cases where double that distance has had to be sunk before water was obtained. Owing to the subsoil of the greater part of the prairie lands being deep clay, it is not to be wondered at that water is sometimes difficult to find, but through the clay are scattered thin beds of gravel at different depths, and where it so happens that a well is sunk without coming in contact with one of these, little or no water is ever found. 1 have known a farmer to sink three wells, all forty feet deep, around his house, and still find no water, yet, in the fourth one at no great distance, he found a plentiful supply at 15 feet deep. In another instance, a farmer sank 70 feet without finding any water, after which he put down a 7 inch bore to 127 feet, when the water rose and filled the well to within 5 feet of the surface. In both these cases no water was got until beds of sand or gravel were struck, and although there may be isolated instances in which slight difficulty has been experienced in getting water, still such appear to be comparatively rare, as far as my observations went, and I made special inquiry at almost every farmer on whom I called, with reference to this matter. In every district of British Columbia to which my inquiries extended, water was everywhere plentiful and good. Victoria and Vancouver are both supplied with a never-failing supply from small lakes quite close at hand, and at a considerable elevation above both cities. In the older provinces of Canada, both coal and wood are fairly Fuel supply, plentiful and moderate in price, the St. Lawrence and lakes allowing of water carriage at a very low rate. In the North-West, however, wood is very scarce in some districts, and, of course, is more costly. For instance, in Portage la Prairie, which may be taken as a fair instance of the other districts, a cord of wood was selling during the past year at 33s. for poplar, and 46s. to 50s. for oak. A cord of wood is a quantity 8 feet long, 4 feet deep, and 4 feet thick. The trees are cut into 4-feet lengths, and, if necessary, split into pieces from 4 to 6 inches in diameter. In measuring the cord, two stakes are driven into the ground 2 feet apart, and 4 feet high, then the other two are driven in 8 feet from the first ones, and the wood as split is piled in between the first and second pair of stakes, until the space between them is filled up to the top. Along most of the river banks and elsewhere, enough wood to supply present demands is to be found, but as the country 13 182 The Agricultural and other Resources of Canada, The public school system, Church support. Local taxes. Origins of the people. settles up it will become scarcer. Happily, however, coal mines are being opened in the south of Manitoba which will supply the whole of that province at a moderate charge. In the south-east of Alberta, the Lethbridge mines, belonging to the Alberta Coal and Railway Company, are in full working order, and are connected with the main Canadian Pacific Railway by a branch line. This coal is of excellent quality, and will be quite sufficient for the supply of the whole North- West for many years to come. Near the base of the Rockies several good beeds of coal crop out in the various places, some of which are already being worked in a small way, while others are in contemplation. In British Columbia there is sufficient wood to serve for fuel for generations, and at Nanaimo there are eight or nine shafts worked by three companies, where several thousand tons of excellent coal are put out daily. This coal is sold at 12s. 6d. to 13s. per ton at the pits, and is used principally for ocean steamers, the Canadian Pacific Railway, and the San Francisco market. In the prairie districts, in each township there are two sections, Nos. 11 and 29, which are called school sections. These are sold as soon as the district becomes fairly settled up, and the proceeds go to a general fund for educational purposes. In some districts where the population is very thin, and the up-keep of the schools is proportionately heavy, a small extra charge has to be made for their maintenance, but in most localities education is to all intents and purposes free. Wherever 8 or 10 children of school age can be found, a school is erected, and from visits made to several of these prairie schools, and also various ones in the cities, I can testify to the sufficiency of the accommodation and excellence of the education which was being imparted, in even very remote districts. In Canada there are no tithes and no State church, unless in the Province of Quebec, where the Roman Catholics alone pay tithes, all others being exempted, yet churches are very plentiful and well attended, each worshipping according to the dictates of his or her own conscience. In even the sparsely-peopled districts of the North-West several churches are found in every small town, Ontario alone last year sending to their assistance £10,000. Presbyterians and Methodists appear to be in greatest numbers, Episcopalians and Roman Catholics coming next. The direct taxes of Canada are very light, enough being derived largely from the duty levied on imported goods, to keep up the Government, the cost of which is comparatively light, seeing no standing army and navy have to be provided for. Each township appoints its own road managers and levies its own road rate, so that if the roads are not in good condition, the public have themselves to blame. The total direct taxation of Canada during the past ten years has averaged 23s. per head of the population. The Province of Quebec is peopled principally by French Canadians, three-fourths, if not more, of the whole population being of French extraction, speaking the French language, and belonging to the Roman Catholic church. The remainder is principally composed of British. In Ontario the bulk of the people are of British extraction, the other nationalities being very small indeed, while a very great number of the names of men and places are familiar old country ones. In Manitoba and the North-West, several of the newer settlements have drawn almost half of their population from Ontario, the remainder being made up of English, Scotch, Irish, Scandinavians, French Canadians, <fcc. Around Winnipeg, on the east side of the Red River, the Mr. John Speir's Report. 183 French Canadians have a very large colony, and in other parts of the province there are thriving settlements almost entirely composed of them. . The British and Canadians are, of course, so much in the majority that they can scarcely be said to form colonies, unless in the case of the Highland crofters, who are all settled in bodies by themselves, and many of whom cannot yet speak any English. The Scandinavians, who make very good settlers, are often in districts by themselves also, but in my opinion it is a decided mistake to give facilities for any nationality to crowd into one locality. At first it may be a little more pleasant for the immigrants, but in the end it will ultimately be for their own and for the State's benefit that all be mixed up as much as possible, and all other nationalities submerged under that of Canada. Defects of the Country. Owing to the more abundant rainfall of Quebec, Ontario, and Rainfall. British Columbia, these provinces rarely suffer from drought; and while in Manitoba the rainfall is fairly copious and regular, in Assiniboia the want of rain is probably the greatest drawback the country has. Drying winds also occasionally come on in June, which sometimes scorch crops badly, and to such an extent as occasionally to kill them back to the ground level. When the winds cease and rain comes on they again grow, and in the autumn may be cut green for feed, but as a rule are no use for grain. Whether or not the climate will improve in this respect as settlement proceeds and trees are planted remains to be seen; a general impression appears, however, to pervade the people that it will, but whether or not such is well founded is very difficult to say. For 15 years the- rainfall of Manitoba has averaged about 16 inches, and below are given the rainfalls of Regina, Medicine Hat, and Calgary for the following years :— Rerina. Medicine Hat. Calgary. 1887 19-20 .. 9-89 .. 19-32 1888 16-23 .. 11-40 .. 17-51 1889 4-15 . .. 8-64 .. 11-09 1890 9-60 12-12 17*04 The rainfall of all three places, in 1890, is calculated from the returns of the first seven months only, and as the harvest and autumn of the past year was much wetter than usual, the figures given are sure to be much under what actually fell. Isolated districts here and there are every now and again Hail, visited by summer hail-storms, which sometimes quite ruin the crops in the districts visited by cutting them down to the ground. Fortunately, however, these storms move in very narrow tracks, and the damage done is usually confined to a very small percentage of the area of the whole country. About the time the grain of the wheat is- in the milky stage, Occasional it is very susceptible to frost, and as such occasionally comesau mn c on then, it often materially deteriorates it. I have found great difficulty in arriving at the exact | facts with regard to these frosts, and although I found many crops damaged by them, none were destroyed. Farmers who had been in the country for twenty- eight years, told me they had only once or twice had any frozen wheat, while others who had only been there a few years said they had some every two or three seasons. Prosecuting my inquiries further, and comparing the opinions of all after I had.*, heard everyone's story, it ■Bi 184 The Agricultural and other Resources of Canada. appeared to me that those whom I had noted as being the best farmers had little dread of, or had never lost much by August frosts, while the inexperienced and slovenly farmers were losing .every now and again. The safeguards to adopt, appear to be early ploughing and seeding, the use -of early ripening varieties of grain—more particularly for the last sowings—and more mixed farming, so as to decrease the area sown, and increase the amount of labour available for it. The farming population is composed of such an immense number of persons inexperienced in the business of farming, that it is not to be wondered at that they commit frequent mistakes ; for farming, to be profitable, must be learned in the North-West as well as anywhere else, although it is usually said anyone can be a farmer there. Smudge fires (smoke fires), made by setting damp straw on fire, have also been successfully used by many farmers, and one of the most extensive and oldest settlers in Manitoba said to me he would have no fear in keeping frost off plots one mile square, if not more, by simply emptying cartloads of straw on the north and east sides along the road allowances, and setting fire to such when frost seemed likely to come on. Most settlers say they know quite well when the crops are about to be hurt, as on these nights any little wind which blows, comes from the north or east, and is usually attended with more or less fog. Those who have been successful in keeping off frost by this means, say that the smoke is gradually driven by the little wind which prevails over the crop, where the bulk of it lies during the night, effectually preventing any damage. As a rule, it appears to be only one night in a season, or in several seasons, that any damage is done, and if such an area of crop as a square mile or less, can be saved from damage by so simple an expedient, and at so little expense, it is a great pity it is not oftener adopted. In the wheat-growing districts straw is of so little value that it is always burned ; it might, therefore, at threshing time or other convenient seasons, be hauled where necessary, and let lie there till such times as it was wanted, as the rainfall is so little that it does not rot. From information derived from several millers of undoubted experience and respectability, I am informed that wheat damaged by frost is generally sold under its intrinsic value for flour-making, dealers often making such a reason for buying it at a low price. In 1886, in order to test the value of the practice of farmers using frozen wheat as seed, the manager of the Ontario experimental farm had 12 samples pf frozen grain forwarded to him from Manitoba, which he tested in the germinator and in the field, with the following results :— No. 1, at the end of eight days, showed 48 per cent growth. 2 a c t a 58 u cc .i ii t i it 72 cc cc 4 a i i tt 30 cc ct 5 ti i t it 50 cc cc 6 a i t a 72 cc cc 7 a t t tt 58 tt tt s a c t t i 66 it cc 9 a i t a 52 ti cc 10 a i i i t 42 cc cc 11 a t t a 52 u c c 12 it t i tt 60 cc a Average " " " 55 The following note is also appended :— Frozen wheat is not reliable for seed, even though germinating a fair per cent, as its growth in the field is of a more or less weakly nature. Mr. John Speir's Report. 185 The bare and naked appearance of the open prairies of Manitoba Absence of and the North-West Territories is dreary in the extreme, and very JjJpSj.°n depressing on the spirits of any one accustomed to, and knowing the value of timber belts. There is not the least doubt that were the country planted with narrow belts of timber, running across the course of the prevailing winds, in short lengths, and at first at wide distances apart along the main lines of railway, many would be taken up with it who now turn away disappointed. There are difficulties, even very great difficulties, in the way, against carrying out such a proposal, but opportunities are now offered for doing such systematically, which may never be obtained after the country becomes more thoroughly settled. The gains from such would likely be a greatly improved appearance, a milder climate, and increased rainfall, fuel, fencing supply, and larger immigration. More particularly for the first plantations and for the outsides, very great care would require to be exercised in the selection of suitable trees to stand the climate, for which the experience gained \ at the Dominion Government experimental farms at Brandon and at Indian Head would be very valuable. Occasionally very slight damage is done by locusts, but it is now Locusts of no so small as to be scarcely worth taking notice of. In all insect attacks account, the knowledge of the life history of the pest is almost equivalent to half the cure, and as the life of the locust is fairly well understood, •and as settlement progresses, it is confidently hoped that they will be unlikely to again cause any material damage. Mosquitoes cannot be got rid of so easily, and although they Mosquitoes, do not cause much direct loss, still they give very considerable annoyance. On newcomers they are said to be particularly severe, yet none of the people I came into contact with had any very serious ■complaints to make regarding them. To cattle they are also very troublesome, more particularly on farms in the vicinity of ponds or marshes, as it is in such places that the mosquitoes breed. In these localities it is customary to have a railed-in enclosure, with a fenced-in smudge fire in the centre, into which the cattle are driven, particularly the cows in milk. This fire is fed with any damp material, which will burn slowly and cause smoke, which is very distasteful to the mosquitoes, and into which the cattle rush to get clear of their tormentors. The long winters of Canada are certainly an objection to it by Winters, people who have been used to a short one; but it is wonderful how soon anyone can accommodate himself to the changed circumstances. As the country also gets better settled up, people will drift into ways of life and occupations which are likely to fully occupy their time. Every country has some drawback; one, like Scotland, is too wet, another is too dry, a third too hot, and so on, so that were it not for these little defects, the climate of Canada would be perfection. In winter all the work of preparing fuel and fencing is done. Over all the North-West prairie, wolves and foxes are yet fairly Wild animals, plentiful, but unless for their attacks on sheep, these animals cause settlers no trouble, as the wolves never attack human beings. In the grain-growing districts not a little loss is often caused by gophers destroying the crops, but, as a rule, they do not do much •damage, and are not difficult to get rid of. The gopher is a small animal, very much resembling the squirrel, and which inhabits the whole of the prairies of the North-West. It burrows in the ground, its ohannels very much resembling rat-holes. They feed principally on grain when they can get it; and where plentiful—and they sometimes ■are very plentiful—they cause considerable destruction. The badgers •are their natural enemies; and on the open prairies they keep them down 186 The Agricultural and other Resources of Canada. to their normal level, but in the grain fields they sometimes increase, when they should be thinned by traps and poison. As yet there are no rats in Manitoba and the North-West; they are, however, always creeping further and further westward. Who Should go to Canada. The class of persons principally wanted in Canada are farmers of all classes, farm servants, domestic servants, and a few artizans; all others are for the present unlikely to be any more successful there than here. Farmers who are up in years should not go for their own benefit, but it is desirable that they should do so for that of their families, if they have any. If they are possessed of fair means and are unwilling to face the hardships of starting a farm on the prairies, they may purchase farms in full going order in any part of Ontario or the Maritime Provinces, and at once begin business. If they have some money and would prefer Manitoba or any of the country west, they may either purchase improved farms, buy unbroken lands, or go further back and take up a free homestead, according to their inclinations and means. The men likely to be most successful are those who have been in occupation of the smaller class of farms at home, and who, between themselves and their families, can do a good proportion of their own work, for labour is so costly that if much of it has to be hired a considerable part of the profit is run away with. Farmers with a few hundred pounds can make a very easy start as owners in any part of the North-West, on a farm four or five times the size of what they would be able to find capital for as tenants in the old country, and at the end of a few years they may have it in good working order and free of debt. Farm servants with a few pounds by them —more than will take themselves and their families out and keep them for from six months to a year—can also do very well, and all such, by frugality and perseverance, may very soon immensely improve their position. All who are able to pay for good lands near a railway, I would advise to do so, rather than go farther back and get it free. The farmer with a considerable sum of money at his disposal may enter into a large wheat-growing or mixed farm in Manitoba or the Territories, or go into cattle, horse, or sheep breeding in Alberta, if that is more to his tastes; or, if he prefers a milder winter, he may go on to British Columbia, where he may engage in general fanning, stock-raising, dairying, or fruit culture, as suits his tastes and experience. Canada is so large and so varied in character, that there is almost no one in the farming way who is desirous of emigrating but will find some place suited to his tastes and experience. Conclusion. My examination of Canada forces me to the conclusion that very many of our farmers, more particularly the smaller class of them who are used to cattle, would do very much better in the North-West than at home ; and to all who are not getting on here to their entire satisfaction I have no hesitation in saying that, if they mean shifting, they should try Canada. If they are quite contented and satisfied, I would say, " Stay where you are ;" but in all other circumstances try Canada. When you go, do so in early spring, and go prepared to work or travel about for at least one year, until you see the country and get accustomed to its way. Such a course will in the end be much more profitable and pleasant than coming out and buying or taking free land, and beginning farming right off. The latter can be done, but it is neither judicious nor advisable to do so. THE REPORT OF MAJOR STEVENSON, Knockbrack, Goshaden, Londonderry. I have the honour to report that, having been appointed representative for the northern half of Ireland on the commission empowered to investigate and report on the resources of the Dominion of Canada, I sailed on the 5th September from Belfast Lough, on the Royal mail steamship "Sarnia," of the Dominion line. Captain Gibson accorded me every facility in his power that I might make myself conversant with the system pursued, in every detail, on board the vessels of the company. I, from time to time on the passage out, went the round with the captain, or other officers of the ship, visiting the intermediate and steerage quarters. I am glad to be able to bear testimony to the uniform courtesy and attention shown to all on board, without distinction of class, by the officials of the company. The intermediate and steerage quarters were commodious, well ventilated, and scrupulously clean; the food of excellent quality, varied and well-cooked ; neatness and order were conspicuous throughout. We had on board 58 saloon, 54 intermediate, and 143 steerage passengers. The majority of our intermediate and steerage passengers, and a few of our saloon passengers, were for Manitoba and the far west. I did not hear a single complaint from anyone on board, and I frequently asked among the steerage passengers if they had any complaints. I was invariably told that everything was done for their comfort that could possibly be done, and those who suffered from sea-sickness spoke of the exceeding kindness of the doctor and chief steward in providing little delicacies for them. With vessels such as now traverse the great Atlantic, and with the facilities and comforts accorded, no one need hesitate to cross to Canada on account of the sea voyage. I landed at Quebec on the 15th of September, having had a most Paternal care enjoyable passage out. The majority of our passengers went on to ?xtel?ded to . xo ziniiufirr&piitR. Montreal. After landing, the immigrant will find his interests carefully looked after by the officials of the Dominion Government. Necessary arrangements are made for the comfort and protection of female immigrants ; and these remarks apply not only to the port of arrival, but to all places of any importance throughout the Dominion. Wherever the immigrant may direct his, or her, course throughout the broad Dominion, they will find the eye of the 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. THE DOMINION OF CANADA. 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, with the exception of Alaska, Newfoundland and part of Labrador. On the north this immense territory is bounded by the Arctic ocean; on the east by Baffin's bay, Davis strait, Labrador and the North Atlantic 188 The Agricultural and other Resources of Canada. Geographical position and extent of Canada. Governmen t, social .conditions and public progress. ocean; on the south by the United States; and on the west by Alaska and the North Pacific ocean. The Dominion has an area of almost 3,500,000 square miles, with a population of about 5,000,000. There is no 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 in 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 educational system leaves]nothing to be desired. There is a large number of 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 Railway, one of the largest undertakings of its kind; a well-managed corporation and the greatest civilizer of the age. In addition to the Canadian Pacific Railway there are several other extensive railway systems—notably the Grand Trunk of Canada, the Intercolonial, 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 Ottawa, and thence to Toronto, that I might visit the exhibition before proceeding west. I will merely deal with the agricultural exhibition held at Toronto, which contained exhibits from all parts of the Dominion, in this place, as I will refer to the city of Toronto later on, when speaking of the Province of Ontario. As far as possible throughout this report, I 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. 18Q Major Stevenson's Report. l v 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 inore time to bestow upon it, and feeling that perhaps, after all, the Dominion of Canada was not far behind us in matters pertaining to material development and the comfort of the human race. PROVINCE OF MANITOBA, formerly the Red River settlement, was formed into a distinct province Area, popula- in 1870, and admited into the Confederation in the same year. It is j?01?an.^ Pu°" 110 inst lull* situated in the centre of the continent, is bounded on the south tions. 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 Province of Manitoba as a rule is flat, or gently undulating, with groves of small timber in many places. Water is readily obtained by sinking wells. The soil of Manitoba is a rich vegetable loam, black in colour and full of organic matter; in some places it is of great depth, and its 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 honour 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 fine, 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 is 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 Pacfiic Railway 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 Rocky Mountains. Sectional maps, pamphlets, and all information respecting these lands can be had from any of the company's agents, free of cost, at all points along the line. 1 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 ©f Winnipeg is exceedingly' rich, and bears heavy crops of grain and roots. On Monday I visited one of the principal public schools 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. iiM) The Agricultural and other Resources of Canada. Observations on farms personally inspected. Jk At the Dominion land offices I sawv 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 markets 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 prices 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, I 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 Roman Catholic Archbishop of the Province of Manitoba, and had a long conversation with him. He spoke warmly in favour of the province as a field for Irish emigration, and referred to the rapid progress that is being made; and instanced that when he first visited Winnipeg it took him 43 days to travel from Quebec, while it can 'now be done in three days. I visited the nunnery and was taken through the schools, which are 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 I 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 two 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 farm, situated 15 miles south of Winnipeg, on the west bank of the Red River. 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 $4 to $6 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 which 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 ploughin or 5> Major Stevenson's Report. 191 he stated, did as well as autumn ploughing. A part of the crop sown last spring had been threshed when I was there. It graded No. 1 hard, sold for 85 cents per bushel, 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 Indian industrial school at St. Paul's. Here I was pleased with all I 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 acres attached to the school. The boys are educated and receive technical training in agriculture, gardening, and various trades; the girls are similarly trained to suitable avocations. The land in this district is also of excellent quality, and I was informed by a lady whose farm I visited that she had recently been offered $50 per acre. This farm contains about 100 acres and has excellent housing on it; it is about five miles from Winnipeg. On Friday, 23rd September, I left Winnipeg for Glenboro', stop- Immigrant ping for a short time at the interesting little village of Carman ; this °f r'y? line of rail has only recently been laid down, and the village and dis- ai^ islands of trict is as yet very infantile. Here I saw the formation of a new Scotland, 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 stations 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 grass and wheat district. The town has already made considerable progress 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. Near Hilton station, on the Northern Pacific Railway, I found some crofters 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 Lake. Donald MeKenzie, a good, hardy specimen of a Harris crofter, stated ;—Each family began with one yoke of oxen and one cow with calf. Each head of a family received 160 acres of land. The first summer they succeeded in making ready about 8 acres for wheat the 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 the Government for what had been done for them. They expected to have 70 acres 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 the 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. Roderick McKay states 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 head of cattle, including his oxen, two pigs, and a lot of poultry. Donald 19* City of Brandon and its surrounding lands. The Agricultural and other Resources of Canada. Stewart, from Harris, near Fort Augustus, stated he was in the service of Lord Dunmore. He came out in 1888. 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 wheat- fields 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 the future are good. They have this season more than 70 acres under wheat, some 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 $1.50 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 a^ 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 finer. These cases are typical of the crofters as I found them. I visited a large number, and everywhere heard the same story—prosperity, peace, content. This I consider very satisfactory, as the crofters, by early training and lack of agricultural experience, are by no means the best calculated to make good settlers on prairie farms. Leaving the crofter settlement, I drove across the prairie to Burnett's lake. Here we halted. The natural grass here is very nutritious ; cattle and horses do remarkably well and are most prolific, bearing young at a very early age, cattle as young as 1-^, horses 2^. In general the water supply is from wells, the water good, and obtained at a depth of from 20 to 50 feet. On the shores of the Pelican lake I visited the farm of a young Englishman named Houghton, from near Birkenhead, Lancashire. He told me he had been for a time in Parr's bank, Warrington, but did not care for office life; he came here five years ago, and owns three quarter- sections, or 480 acres. He recently bought a farm of two quarter-sections for his brother, and is well pleased with the country, although he had some bad luck, his first crop being destroyed by a prairie fire, together with his.house, barn, and some of his stock; he married about 16 months since, and of course would not change places with anyone. Leaving Glenboro', 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; in other places it was in stack. Everywhere, however, it gives proofs of the exceeding fertility of the soil, and the prosperity of the settler. We drove to Souris by way of Wawanesa; the country throughout is well adapted for settlement, and a few years hence I have no doubt this district will be found 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 beautifully situated on high ground, and although only six years old has well laid-down streets, and very substantial buildings. There are fine grain elevators, a flour mill, and a powerful saw mill. I was surprised at the superiority of the machinery in use, and noted with pleasure u Major Stevenson's Report. 193 that most of the machinery was Canadian-made. Brandon, from its geographical situation, must become a place of very considerable importance in a few years. I visited the farm of Mr. Sandison, situated near Brandon; he farms about 1,900 acres, of which he has 1,600 under crop. He goes in for grain-growing exclusively; he expects to market this season about 45,000 bushels of wheat and 60,000 bushels of oats; he has been in this neighbourhood since 1887, and has been in Canada altogether six years. He came from Scotland, and had no capital. I saw 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 4 cents per bushel. I was informed that he had been offered 70 cents per bushel for his entire wheat crop delivered in THRESHING AT SANDISON'S FARM, BRANDON. 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 Dominion farm has only been in existence for two years, and under the able Govem- management of Mr. Bedford it is surprising what has already been perimental accomplished. The progress reflects the greatest credit on the farm. 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 connection with these farms must prove 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. Amongst other places I visited was the farm of the Rev. G. Boddie; this was one of the first settlements in the district, and dates back ten years. Mr. Boddie came from Nova 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, all 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 me in conversation that while six years ago on coming to Canada he was not worth 5 cents, he would not now take $50,000 for his farm, stock, &c, and that 194 The Agricultural and other Resources of Canada. Rapid City. he might say he was free from debt. I saw a very nice herd of cattle, about 200, on their way from the North-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 £11 to _G15 each. From Brandon I proceeded to Rapid City. The district between Brandon and Rapid 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 was glad to learn from them that they liked the country, 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 yarns 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 federated 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 Railway. I priced a large number of articles at the store, and consider that the prices compare favourably 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. Saltcoats 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 benefit to the settlers in the neiarhburhood. I visited a large number of families in this district, but a few examples must suffice :— Wilson and his wife and family state they have been in the country for two years; his start, he said, was poor enough. He landed with -md'condition. 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 say, yield upwards of 30 bushels. He has 20 head of cattle, and is taking 8 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 family 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 vegetables in great perfection. He has four sons, and he and his sons each received 160 acres, making What settlers say of their progress Major Stevenson's Report. 195 an 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 thresher—an excellent machine—for which he pays $1,800 ; he has four years allowed him in which to pay for the machine. Knott, 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 says 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 cam be for those who have little or no money, but who are willing to work. Micheal 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 Railway Company, and had to be supported for the first year. 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 very nice Shorthorn bull, for which they paid $60 last year, a good native pony in foal, two yokes of oxen, for one of which they paid $120 and for the other $130. 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 healthy, and 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 Duilding 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 eldest 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, change it for life under the old eonditions. On returning to Saltcoats I met two Scotch crofters settled in this district; they both expressed themselves as highly satisfied with the •country, and told me that they could not be dragged out of their homesteads with ropes. They never knew what comfort was before; their wives and families were well satisfied, and there was a glorious field for their children as they grew up. When I asked them what they thought of the action of some of the crofters who had thrown up their homesteads (of whom there were in all about 18 families), they stated that they believed they had made a mistake they would regret all their lives, that they had been misled, 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, with the exception of one, were prosperous, and very well-to-do. The one exception, on the authority of his neighbours, had but himself to blame for his want of success. This district is rich in 196 The Agricultural and other Resources of Canada. 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 Russell 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 railway company, and part purchased. It has been the means of doing much good, and should only one-half of the immates be reclaimed to a good and useful life, Dr. Barnardo is deserving 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 ^s a nice herd of sheep; both cattle and sheep do well. The boys are carefully looked after, and seemed bright and intelligent. The are educated, instructed in agriculture, and fitted to make their own way in the world. After remaining a sufficient time at the home to become acquainted with methods of husbandry and acquire habits of industry, the boys are hired out to local farmers. From Russell 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 Shropshire sheep on this farm. Leaving Binscarth, I proceeded to Birtle. This is a growing township ; new flour mills have just begun work ; these I visited ; they are very complete, 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 Birtle there are a number of good stores [ went for a drive through the surrounding and two comfortable hotels. country. The land is good, but not by any means so strong as at Brandon or Gleriboro', and mixed farming is more the rule. I next visited Neepawa. Here I was shown over new flour mills being erected by a company, of which my informant was the principal shareholder and manager. He gave me his experiences of the country, stating that when he came to the district ten years ago he had just $26 in the world; that there were then but few settlers; that he worked for a time in a small flour mill until he made sufficient 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 he 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 $30,000 for what he is worth. I drove out for some 12 miles through the country, visiting a number of settlers; the 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 me on the 2nd October. It is an interesting town, situated on the Assiniboine river, 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 the richest in the world. I drove with Mr. Baby, a French- 197 Major Stevenson's Report. Canadian settler from one of the older provinces, to his place, 11 pniles from town; this is almost entirely a wheat-growing country and well settled; all the people are prosperous and contented. Mr. Baby farms extensively, and is making considerable improvements on his farm. Mr. Sanbry, who lives in the town, goes in for wheat-raising extensively; he has 1,280 acres about 12 miles from Portage, and had this season 800 acres under crop ; he calculates on an average yield of 25 bushels per acre, and estimates that he will clear, after paying all expenses, 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 seed for $1.75 per acre (7s.), and back-set and left ready for from $2.75 to $3.50 per acre (lis. to 14s<y); he considers this cheaper than maintaining an additional number of horses; he stated that he had been offered 93 cents per bushel for all the wheat he had grown this season, at the elevators. The great features of Manitoba are excellent lands, free for home- steading, 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 homestead, 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 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 "wretchedly " cold, but rather "pleasant and bracing." The winter is enjoyed by all the young people; I had an. experience of 35° below zero (it is only rarely that such a temperature is recorded), but it caused me no inconvenience. THE NORTH-WEST TERRITORIES. Beyond the Province of Manitoba, nearer the setting sun, extends Civil divi- the region known as the North-West Territories. Much that I have sions- 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 provincial 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 School and by me in the Territories—I inspected the schools. The children farm, 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 county Cork, Ireland, in 1883 ; he homesteaded and pre-empted. He has had the experience of six years' crops, and 14 The Agricultural and other Resources of Canada. Acreage production of crops. 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 effect 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 October, and it is hoped that the system will greatly benefit the farmer. Referring 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 standpoint ; at recent shows "several prizes fell to the active and industrious fingers 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 doubt but that cultivated flax from Riga, 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 unreasonable, but they retard progress, and are at the present time cumberers of the ground. The lands in the vicinity of Moosomin are good and well adapted for mixed farming. Wolseley is a neat 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 obtainable. In this neighbourhood there is a considerable quantity of land for homesteading. 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, producing 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 is 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 hoped to have 11. Cattle 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 Major Stevenson's Report. 19» representative of those I saw. All were contented. At Indian Head, I visited the experimental farm, and was shown every attention by Mr. Mackay. This farm will prove of great benefit to the agriculturists of the North-West Territories; the principal 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 wheat-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 colonization 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 immigrants. I arrived at Prince Albert on Sunday, 5th October. The town is situated on the bank of the Saskatchewan (or Swift-running river); it is a place of some importance, and, considering that until recently it was 260 miles from the nearest rail communication, it is surprising 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 Rapids, near its mouth. The country is undulating, bearing excellent grass, well wooded, and admirably adapted for mixed farming and cattle raising. I have been given to understand that coal and iron exist in abundance in the immediate vicinity of Prince Albert; the town contains several saw mills, a good flour mill, and, now that it has rail communication, 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 around this centre is 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 communication, it will fill up rapidly. Regina, the capital of the North-West Territories, contains a Regina. population of 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. The district is well deserving of the favourable consideration of intending emigrants from Ireland. I visited the agricultural exhibition ; the exhibits were uniformly good, particularly the exhibit of school children's work, maps, writing, <fce. ; 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 Regina and Calgary, much of the land through which the line runs is of a poor nature, containing alkali; and much of the water is, I am informed, saline. At Medicine Hat I An agricultu- was taken charge of by a North of Ireland man, and visited the agri- ral sllow* cultural 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 popu- 14i 200 The Agricultural and other Resources of Canada. lation of 3,500 ; it is the most important town between Brandon and Vancouver. It is charmingly situated on a hill-girt plateau, overlooked by the Rockies. 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 toFort algary air' I ?r0ve out on the McLeod trail, and from the table-lands I got McLeod. a magnificent view,—Calgary in the foreground, and the snow-clad peaks of the Rockies 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 Fish 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 some very creditable samples of the goods produced. I visited what is known as High River horse ranche, situated some 42 miles south of Calgary. On this ranche they have about 900 horses; 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 adapted for the raising of horses ; no shelter or hay as a rule is used, and the foals run on mares until self-weaned. No cattle are raised on this ranche. About 800 tons of hay are stored in case of emergency. When here, I learned from Sir Lister Kaye's manager, that flax is grown on the Manaka farm, about 40 miles east of Calgary, for fibre; it grows about 2 ft. 6 in. long, and is moderately fine. I visited what is known as the Quorn ranche; on this ranche both cattle and horses are raised, and I was very much pleased with the quality and condition of both. I saw some very fine Shorthorn and Polled cattle; they keep 12 stud horses, 4 of which are imported English thorough-breds, the remainder ^ood coaching horses. This ranche is well watered, and there is very fair stabling and housing on it. Physical aspects. The lumber trade. THE PROVINCE OF BRITISH COLUMBIA is that portion of the Dominion which looks out on the Pacific Ocean, and is the only British territory on the western or Pacific Ocean side of the North American continent. Area, 341,805 square miles; population about 90,000. This province is rich in minerals; probably there is no country on the world's surface of similar extent containing greater variety of, and equal mineral wealth. Nor are the agricultural resources of the province by any means so limited as many would suppose. There is a great extent of rich valley and river deposit land capable of producing almost anything. The climate of British Columbia is genial, and corresponds closely with that of the best portions of the British Isles. Passing through the canons in the Rockies, a glorious scene unfolds before one : nature is discovered in all her grandeur, and one experiences a sense of awe and a feeling of man's insignificance. New Westminster was the .first town of any importance in the province visited by me ; it is beautifully situated on the Fraser river, and has a population of some 6,000. The town has many handsome buildings, and is the headquarters of the salmon canning industry. It has also large saw mills. The city is situated some 17 miles from the Gulf of Georgia, and vessels of the largest size can He at the quays. I visited a large lumber mill, and there measured a log 74 inches across the face, and 30 feet in length. Here, as elsewhere, the machinery is all Canadian-made, and logs are frequently handled squaring 36 inches 60 feet long. One log was turned out for a special purpose 115 feet long and 54 inches square. Their chief market for timber is Australia, Major Stevenson's Report. 201 India, and the east coast of South America. The home market is rapidly increasing, and is the best market they possess. I visited the exhibition buildings, which are nicely situated, and the buildings very commodious. Above the town I saw a portion of the forest in course of being cleared off; it is certainly hard work, and one could not but feel sorry to see such magnificent timber removed. I visited one of Fisheries, the several large salmon and fruit canneries ; the output is enormous, and a large amount of employment is afforded by this important industry. I visited the salmon hatcheries, where about 7,000,000 young salmon are annually produced. The roe is deposited about the second week in October, and the young fishes are released before the end of April, The importance of the fishery industry in this one department will be gathered from the following figures, dealing merely with the canneries on the Fraser river. Mr. Ewan, the proprietor of the cannery visited, informed me that he alone during the fishing season employs from 600 to 700 hands; the season extends from April to October, the busy part being from the middle of July to the end of August. There are seventeen canneries on the river, and the output last year was 325,000 cases, containing 48 tins each. Chinamen earn from $30 to $45 per month, white labour from $40 to $100. There are woollen mills which were established some three years ago ; since then they have doubled their output, and they are now about to double again. The promotion of the company was aided by a subsidy from the Provincial Government, of $1,000, and a like amount was provided by the city and corporation. They make some twenty varieties of tweeds, and four or five 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 saw traces of great forest fires, and Vancouver the weird and blackened skeletons of giant trees stood naked and OTowth"8, grand amid fresh young verdure. Vancouver, the terminus of the •Canadian Pacific Railway, 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 picturesque- ness, 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. Regular steamship services ply to and from China and Japan, San Francisco, Yokohama, and Hong Kong, and many other import- .ant places. Vancouver holds the point of vantage on the route to the East vid 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 produce. 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 utilized, will make it one of the finest pleasure grounds in the world. Vancouver is lighted with electric light, and J 202 The Agricultural and other Resources of Canada. Coal mining. Vancouver Island. possesses an electric street car system. There is a large demand for male and female labour at a very high rate of remuneration. At present almost all unskilled labour and domestic work is performed by Chinamen. I proceeded from Vancouver to Nanaimo. This is a mining town,, wearing a prosperous air. I visited the mines and descended a shaft 630 feet deep. The output of coal from the three mines worked by the company is from 1,500 to 2,000 tons per day. The condition of the- miners is good; white miners earn from $70 to $150 per month, and Chinamen $1.25 per day. Not many Chinamen are employed in the mines. The majority of the miners own their own houses. 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 Government 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 Francisco, where connections are made for the Sandwich Islands, Australia, southern California, and other places. The city is well-built, well-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 Chilliwack, on the Fraser river. Here I was surprised at the extent of available land for agriculture. These lands, as well as all the low level lands- on either bank of the Fraser, are of excellent quality, and will produce crops of almost any description. At this place I saw an admirable exhibit of fruit, especially apples and peaches. I drove from there to Popcum, a distance of 14 miles, chiefly through a low-lying, flat, marshy district; the land is wet but rich, and when drained will become most valuable. From Popcum I crossed to Agassiz, where I visited the Government experimental farm. This- farm was established some three years ago; it is situated at the foot of high hills, by which it is almost surrounded; the soil is varied, and it is well adapted to fulfil the objects for which designed. The Province of British Columbia offers many advantages to those- desirous to seek a new country. The capitalist can find ample scope for safe and remunerative investment, yielding a large return, and the manufacturer an ample field for his ability, and a local market. And the labourer will readily find employment at wages which, if he lives- prudently, will, in a few years, ensure independence. Unless possessed of considerable capital, it is not the place for the agriculturist, as lands- are relatively dear; a farm might, however, be rented at a reasonable- rate, or worked on the share system. THE PROVINCE OF ONTARIO. Extent and has an area of about 182,000 square miles, and a population exceeding population. 2,000,000. This province is rich in agricultural lands, of excellent quality, has an abundant supply of timber, and vast mineral resources- Major Stevenson's Report. ^o In the southern districts, near Lake Huron, are the famous oil springs, from which petroleum is obtained in immense quantities. Its rivers and lakes are well supplied with fish, and its forests with game. Toronto, the seat of the provincial Government, has a population of 180,000. It is a city that any country might well be proud of. It is growing very rapidly, both in wealth and manufactures. It is beautifully situated on Lake Ontario, which affords it water communication with the other great lakes westward, and with the St. Lawrence river eastward. The city has an unusual number of imposing public and private buildings. Its people are nearly all British, of English, Irish or Scotch descent. I visited numerous agricultural centres in the province, all of which I found prosperous and interesting. Good agricultural lands, Cost of agri- in most places, may be purchased at from $40 to $70 per acre; those cultural lands, in exceptionally favoured districts command as high a price as $80 to $100; and stocked fruit lands are very valuable. These 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 England, Ireland and Scotland, would find things much easier in Ontario; but capital is needed. I visited the agricultural college at Guelph. The buildings are Agricultural excellent, and well adapted to the requirements of the establishment; ege- the young agriculturist is taught practical and 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; several are from other provinces of the Dominion, and some 13 from the old country. The establishment is maintained by the provincial Government; $20 are charged each student from Ontarion for fees, and a moderate sum for board; $100 for those from other provinces or the old country. Agricultural land in the neighbourhood of Guelph sells for from $50 to $80 per acre, and can be rented for from $2 to $5, this of course including houses and buildings. The country in the vicinity of Guelph is picturesque, undulating, and well wooded. There is a large number of Irish settlers in the Guelph district, and all spoke in the highest terms of the locality. I visited Brantford and drove through the district, going round by Cookstown and thence to Guilford. This is a beautiful district, and well adapted for old country people possessed of capital; land, with good houses and stables, sells for from $50 to $100 per acre. I visited Grimsby, which is a fruit-growing centre; grapes, apples, Cultivation of peaches, pears, plums and small fruit are grown. Strawberries are Shapesi and 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 3 to 6 tons per 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 production of wine has recently been promoted here. I was informed by one of the shareholders that in one day, within a radius of five miles, 300 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, and it can be sold at from 80 cents to $1 per gallon, wholesale. Ottawa, the capital of the Dominion, is most picturesquely situated The capital of at the junction of the Rideau and the Ottawa rivers. The Chaudiere the Dominion, f alls, which interrupt the navigation of the Ottawa river, afford water J 204 The Agricultural and other Resources of Canada. Government experimental farm. Manufactories. power for a number of saw mills and other manufactories. The city stands on high ground, overlooking a wide valley, and contains the stately Government buildings, and many other fine bufldings, both public and private. Ottawa has a population of about 40,000. I visited the works of Messrs. Eddy & Co., which, while situated in Hull, on the Quebec side of the Ottawa river, may be said to be in the suburbs of Ottawa. They are lumber merchants, match manufacturers, pulp makers, and manufacturers of sashes, tubs, buckets, &c. Their works are most extensive, and during the summer months give employment to upwards of 4,000 hands. I visited the experimental farm; there I met Professor Saunders, and was greatly interested in all he told me about the farm and the system pursued there. This farm was purchased in 1886 by the Government, and 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 under cultivation. The farm is well adapted for experimental purposes, containing as it does a variety of soils. The buildings are excellent, and the experimental plots are well arranged. The system of sending farmers 3-lb. samples of selected grain for seed puposes is admirable, and must be attended by the best possible results. The experiments in connection with forestry are most interesting, and every effort is being made to collect reliable information. Respecting the better classes of fruits, I noticed with great interest the system followed to test the germinating properties of grain; and farmers in localities where the grain may have been injured by frost, or rain during harvest, are asked by the Government to submit samples to be tested before being sown. There is a small stock of very nice cattle, and an excellent collection of poultry. The experiments tried in connection with the several varieties of grasses is very interesting, and will prove of great benefit in securing the grasses best adapted to the varied climate and soils of the Dominion. Men to work and develop the agricultural and mineral resources are the kind of immigrants wanted in Ontario. Agriculturists, from the fact that agriculture is the leading industry, stand in the first place. But as well as wanting men to clear the forest and reclaim the soil, there are always openings for really good mechanics and skilled artizans. Ontario is a manufacturing country : the leading industries are implement manufactories, cotton factories, woollen factories, and, indeed, every branch of industry that goes to make a country self-reliant. 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 PROVINCE OF QUEBEC Extent, popu- has an area of 189,000 square miles, and a population of about 1,500,- lation and qqq^ The inhabitants of the British islands and France will both tries. find themselves at home there, both languages being spoken. The 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, (fee.—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 Lievre river 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 large and profitable field for both capital and labour. ""1 Major Stevenson's Report. 205 Montreal, the chief city of Canada, is situated on an island formed 9jty ,of by the St. Lawrence and Ottawa rivers, and on the site of an ancient Indian village called Hochelaga. The city has a far-reaching trade and great manufacturing establishments, has fine wharves, warehouses and grain elevators, public buidings, handsome residences, and good hotels. I visited the Canadian Rubber Company's works; there I found upwards of 800 hands employed, earning weekly from $5,000 to $6,000, with a daily output of from 8,000 to 9,000 rubber shoes ; in addition to their shoe trade, belting, hose, 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 factories, flour milling, sugar refining, silk manufactory, ready-made clothing, &c, &c, and found that all were in a satisfactory state. There is a good demand for labour at fair wages. I cannot pass from Montreal without saying a word respecting 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 given, the horses were hitched up, the engine, fire-escape, and waggons in the streets 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 the stock-yards of this company for export during the past SHEEBEOOKE, EASTERN TOWNSHIPS. season, I was informed by Mr. Acer, 134,000 cattle and 60,000 sheep. Ten years ago this trade was almost unknown. During the past year there also passed through the stables of the company upwards of 10,000 horses. I had an interesting conversation with Mr. Hart, who is engaged in the export of apples. He informed me that his people usually ship from 30,000 to 50,000 barrels of apples to the United Kingdom. He spoke of the Merchandise Marks Act (English) as being highly approved of by both growers and shippers in Canada. I visited Sherbrooke, and was much pleased with the country between it and Montreal, as well as in the neighbourhood of Sherbrooke. This town possesses great water-power, which is utilized to drive numerous factories. I cannot pass without referring to one—a woollen manu- .06 The Agricultural and other Resources of Canada. Woollen factory. A remarkable city. factory—the Paton Manufacturing 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 600 hands. Their output is valued at from $600,000 to $700,000 per annum, and the wages paid amount to $130,000 to $140,000 a year. This company also owns the Quebec Worsted Company's works, and there employs 200 hands. I visited several farms in the vicinity of Sherbrooke; the land is good and well cultivated, 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 well-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 $30 per acre, with buildings. This applies to the whole of the Eastern Townships. I drove from Cookshire 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 pedigree cattle have a reputation extending far beyond the limits of Canada. There are 100 Polled Angus, 65 Herefords and 60 horses. Certainly a visit to Canada would be incomplete without seeing this farm. Mr. Cochrane justly deserves the title of the " Pioneer stockraiser of the Dominion." I visited the farm of Mr. Vernon; he has exceedingly nice buildings and very good stock, and although a young hand at cattle-raising, he has succeeded in getting as much as $5,000 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. As 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, convents, schools, business blocks and hotels. The transatlantic steamers of the Allan and Dominion lines call here in summer, and local steamers 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 200 hands employed, and the weekly wages amounted to $1,200. The pig iron used in these works is Canadian, chiefly Nova Scotian, and is of excellent quality. I 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 I found some 300 hands employed, THE PROVINCE OF NEW BRUNSWICK Physical as- jjas an area 0f 27,174 square miles, and a population of about 340,000. province and It is possessed of an excellent climate, different from that of Great industrial pur- Britain in two respects—the one is much drier, and the range of the DeoDle. thermometer much greater. There is considerable difference between the climate on the coast of the Bay of Fundy and that of 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;: Major Stevenson's Report. ™* 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 con- stanly being added to, and increasing as the field for their products becomes wider. St. 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 establishment. Here a fully equipped railway train, including locomotive and snow plough, can be turned out. There are 300 hands employed in the rolling mills, foundries, car and other workshops of this company. 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, county Donegal. The Irish settler who may go to New Brunswick will find himself surrounded by old country associations. Fredericton, the capital of the province, sometimes called | the Celestial City," has a population of about 10,000 ; it is situated on the St. John river, 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 the 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, the Normal schools, and the Government stock farm. A great deal of attention 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 favourably with those of any country. I cannot, however, say the same with regard to the horned cattle of the province, in which there is room for improvement. From Fredericton I proceeded to Woodstock. The land along the railway and on the banks of the St. John river 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 population of about 4,000, 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. 208 The Agricultural and other Resources of Canada. A good field for immigrants. Geographical situation and leading productions. W Forest lands and shipping tonnage. Agriculture. From Woodstock I proceeded to Kent, on the St. John river, a prosperous and exceedingly picturesque village—the country rolling, wooded, and intersected by the Chickatyhock river, 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, Roman Catholic, and was settled by a Catholic father. The settlements date from about the same time, and about the same number or families settled in each. Johnville 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 forward. THE PROVINCE OF 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 Straits. It contains 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 the different 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 exeinpt from fog. The soil in many of the agricultural districts is very rich, and the fruit produced 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 shows that attention has been bestowed on this important 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 wealthiest portions of the world. The resources in connection with manufactures are very great : unlimited water-power, inexhaustible supplies of coal and iron, 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, <fcc. This province is a sportsman'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 I visited was Amherst. This town has a population of some 7,000, and possesses several industries. A boot and shoe factory gives employment to some 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 in the neighbourhood, and a great quantity of hay is grown on what are Major Stevenson's Report. 209 called the marsh lands. These lands are not what would be understood as marsh lands with us ; they are lands of very superior quality—deep river, deposit land—almost inexhaustible in plant-food producing properties, and resembling our best slob or fen lands. I visited the new ship railway, and was taken over it by Mr. Ketchum, the engineer. The works are well forward, and it is calculated that the line will be opened before the autumn of 1891. The agricultural experimental farm at Nappan contains 300 acres, 200 of which are arable, the remainder under timber. The farm was purchased by the Government 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 I believe this farm will prove of great benefit to the inhabitants of this province. Halifax, the capital and seat of Government, is situated on a bay. Education The city is beautifully laid out, the streets running at right angles. The and com" 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 interesting places and industries. The dried and pickled fish trade has developed to great dimensions. I visited Wolfville, and was there entertained by the King's County Agricultural Society, established more than 100 years ago. I had the 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, arid judging from the dwelling houses and farm steadings, the people are well off. Truro has a population of about 5,500, and has some 13 or 14 industries, conspicuous among which are a milk-condensing establishment and a hat manufactory. I visited the Normal schools at Truro, and inspected the system of training pursued. I drove out to the agricultural school, which is being promoted by the provincial h HALIFAX. -210 Improved lands for sale. The Agricultural and other Resources of Canada. Government, 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. In Nova Scotia there is a large field for immigration. There are always large numbers of desirable farms 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 labour, and poverty does not exist THE PROVINCE OF PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND Area, popula- js ^he smallest and the most densely peopled of the provinces of •«ral aspects.' the Dominion, with an area of 2,133 square miles. It has a population of about 112,000. As seen from the water the appearance of the islands is exceedingly prepossessing; on approaching the coast, the country affords a charming picture of welljCultivated 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 the 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 brightness and beauty as to amply compensate for the winter. Charlottetown, the seat of Government, is pleasantly situated upon a point of rising ground, and contains about 13,000 inhabitants. It is well laid out in wide and well-built streets. The harbour is large, deep, and convenient. Agriculture and fishing may be said to be the staple industries of the island. Mixed farming is pursued. The farm buildings are good, and 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 Shorthorn, four years old, fully sixteen hands high, and weighing 2,200 lbs. I also visited the Government stock farm, where great care is bestowed upon the improvement of horned stock by the authorities. 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 immigrant, 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 tried as briefly and as concisely as possible to place my views with all candour before those whom they mostly concern, 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 Major Stevenson's Report. fair Dominion of Canada," drawn more closely together in commercial 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 exceeding great kindness shown to me, and for the facilities accorded me in prosecuting my inquiries as to the resources of the country. I 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 Heaven sweetly smile; God bless Old Scotland ever more, And Erin'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 fur ever." 211 L THE REPORT OF MR. JOHN T. WOOD The Court, Halewood, near Liverpool. At a meeting of the-Liverpool Farmer's Club, on 31st January, 1891, Mr. Richard Webster in the chair, Mr. John T. Wood read the following paper:— In response to a letter in the public press from Sir Charles Tupper, the High Commissioner for the Dominion in England, inviting applications from gentlemen willing to proceed to Canada to report on the agricultural resources of the Dominion, my services were tendered at the request of influential farmers in this district, and accepted, and I left my home on the 4th September last to join the Allan line steamship " Sardinian," on which I met three colleagues who had received similar appointments. We cleared from the Alexandra dock, Liverpool, directly after midday, and were soon speeding on our way to Moville, there to await the arrival of the mails. At the outset, I may say that it is almost impossible in a brief report, such as this is intended to be, to sufficiently condense the information, that the public who are interested in Canadian emigration may obtain a succinct account of a tour which has been to me at once both delightful and instructive. I trust, therefore, I shall be pardoned by the general reader, if I touch lightly on the pleasurable portions of the trip, about which volumes could be written, in order that the time and space at my disposal may be more usefully employed in spreading a knowledge of the present condition and probable future of one of our colonial possessions, of which Englishmen may be proud, and concerning which there is such a lamentable display of ignorance and misconception. It will, therefore, be sufficient for me to say that passengers of all grades by the Allan line, receive every care and attention at the hands of the ship's officers, whose endeavours are successfully employed to render the voyage a period of enjoyment to all concerned. Games on deck, reading, music (vocal and instrumental), including two concerts (one arranged by the cabin, and the other by the intermediate passengers, and given in aid of the Liverpool Seaman's Orphanage), together with the interchange of ideas with my fellow-travellers, all tended to render the passage across the Atlantic interesting and agreeable. We sighted Belle Isle on the llth, and proceeding, enjoyed the unique spectacle, on a warm, bright, sunny day, of sixty icebergs in sight at one time—some of immense size and beauty, and the majority of which appeared to have grounded on the coasts and banks, after floating from the more northerly regions. The " Sardinian " discharged passengers and mails at Rimouski, and proceeding, arrived at Quebec at midnight on the 13th September. A wall, before breakfast past the citadel to the Plains of Abraham (where Wolfe fell), and a subsequent drive to Indian Lorette, were all that our limited time would permit of. The lands passed through, especially in and near the Indian village, were of good quality and productive, but dirty, being indifferently and roughly cultivated. The natives' ar Huron Indians (civilized) and French Canadians ; the latter a fine race of happy people, who grow sufficient to keep themselves and their families, but who do not appear to attempt farming as a businesslike and profitable operation. In this district we were informed that Mr. J. T. Wood's Report. 213 at least five-sixths of the inhabitants are Roman Catholics. There are no tenants; each farmer owns his own lot. French Canadians do better here than English and Scotch settlers, and my advice to the latter would be, go further west. Travelling by rail from Quebec to Montreal, we passed through immense tracts of land, which, viewed from the railway car, is certainly not inviting; though, after passing Three Rivers, the plains were more fertile. Montreal, possessing 220,000 inhabitants, was reached at 8p.m.; and an inspectionof the town showed how rapidly cities in Canada can increase in population and importance. The buildings are solid and handsome, the streets well laid out and lined with maples, which grow luxuriantly ; pavements of wood, compressed asphalt, and macadam, are the rule. Thoroughfares and buildings are lighted by the electric light; and on all sides are evidences. of progress and success. It is important to the farmers in the neighbourhood to have such a population in their midst. As the time at our disposal did not permit our seeing much of the Province of Quebec, and absolutely nothing of the maritime provinces, I purpose dealing first with Ontario, and then with Manitoba, the great North-West Territories, and British Columbia, in the order named; and I trust I shall be excused if I make, a digression, and attempt to give such information as I was able to gather respecting the mining and manufacturing industries of Alberta and British Columbia, with which, in my opinion, to a very great extent, the agricultural prosperity of each is inseparably bound. THE PROVINCE OF ONTARIO. Ontario has a superficial area of 181,800 square miles, and possesses, a population of over two millions. The principal city in this province is Toronto, which contains very nearly 200,000 people. Here is the seat of the provincial Government, and also of very considerable manufacturing industries. Indeed, it may be described as a city of wealth and success. In the years 1881 to 1888 an increase from 86,415 to 172,000 inhabitants is recorded. Ottawa, the seat of the Dominion Government, contains about The capital of 50,000 inhabitants. The Houses of Parliament constitute a group of Canada and exceedingly fine buildings, and convenient. The lumber (timber) trade of cities, the Province of Ontario is located here, whilst the various manufacturing industries carried on in Ottawa, and in the adjacent town of Hull on the opposite bank of the river, combine in making this an important centre of trade and commerce. Other cities I visited in Ontario were Hamilton, a manufacturing town of 45,000 inhabitants, London with 30,000, Brantford with 15,000, and Guelph with 11,000, each possessing distinct evidences of growth, which are not surprising when their improving manufactures and the quality of the agricultural lands in their vicinities, coupled with the excellent railway facilities, are borne in mind. At Ottawa, we had the opportunity of inspecting the central The Dominion experimental farm, of enquiring fully into its management and aims, central ex- and of examining the wprk being accomplished under Professor ?armwork. Saunders's scientific and practical guidance. Words are incapable of expressing my appreciation of the extreme importance to the agriculturist and the Dominion generally, of the experiments and trials in every branch of husbandry there in progress, and of the exceeding carefulness with which all records are kept, to render the information published annually by the Department of Agriculture, thoroughly 15 214 The Agricultural and other Resources of Canada. A Government that cares for settlers. Branch experimental farms. Benefit of experimental tests. I reliable. To no other country in the world can an Englishman emigrate and find the same deep interest taken by the Government in the welfare of settlers; indeed, it is difficult to conceive that anything more could be done to render them greater assistance. The establishment of the remaining Government farms, and the selection of the sites at Brandon for Manitoba, Indian Head for the North-West Territories, and at Agassiz for British Columbia, each of which I visited, reflect the highest credit on all concerned; whilst the intelligent support Professor Saunders receives in the seconding of his endeavours by the respective managers of those farms, leaves nothing to be desired. I much regret I had not an opportunity of visiting the farm at Nappan, Nova Scotia, established for the maritime provinces. That in Canada, and especially in some districts, there are serious drawbacks—chiefly climatic—to be combatted, no one can deny. It is then of the utmost importance that an exact knowledge of the varieties of grains, fruits, fodder, plants, vegetables and trees suitable for each locality should be gained, and this and other information relative to stock, &c, is what is sought to be obtained and disseminated from these establishments. Not the least agreeable feature connected with my visit to the central farm was the entire absence of red-tape and officialism. To mention all the branches working advantageously in the farmers' interest would occupy too much space. It may, however, be well to enumerate a few. Grain and seeds of all kinds are tested free of cost to the sender (and post free also), for germination and vitality. Experiments are made with all varieties of wheats and other cereals, and with grasses and fruits, to test their relative productive qualities and period of early ripening. Seed and plant distribution is largely made, when it has once been established beyond doubt that any variety of grain or fruit is certain to prove useful to the recipients ; and as an instance of what is being accomplished, I was informed that 12,000 samples, chiefly wheat, oats and barley, had been distributed gratis during the past season. Tests of over 70 varieties of spring wheat, 100 of fall wheat, 80 of oats, 20 of rye, 50 of barley, as well as 50 of Indian corn, for productiveness and earliness of ripening, have been made in one year; whilst the experiments with fertilizers and in hybridizing grains (especially wheat), must result in a permanent benefit to the Dominion which is incalculable. The growth of sugar- beets, and all kinds of roots and vegetables, claim a share of the professor's attention. In 1889, 251 varieties of potatoes alone were grown side by side under similar conditions, whilst 237 new varieties were raised from hybridized seeds. Orchards containing 300 kinds of hardy apples, pears, plums, cherries, &c, are being tried; the vineyard contains 127 varieties of outdoor grapes; and small fruits, such as strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, currants, gooseberries, &c, are receiving careful and intelligent study. The planting of the wide prairies, especially around the farm steadings, with shelter belts of forest and other trees, is a matter of first consideration, and, therefore, it is a satisfaction to the settler to know that he will, in the near future, be able to obtain from the Agricultural Department all the information he requires in this important branch. Poultry are kept in pure breeds and first crosses for ascertaining their relative hardiness and their merits as egg producers, and as table fowls ; and the whole of the Dominion to which civilization has extended being admirably adapted to this industry, renders this a work of great utility. The immense interest to the stock-raiser# in every part of the colony, attaching to the satisfactory laying down of grass lands, and to the growth of fodder plants, is fully recognized ; and the experimental Mr. J. T. Woods Report. 215 plots of native and foreign grasses under trial will, in another year, enable satisfactory advice to be given to the public. I may state that Indian corn grown for ensilage has been more successful; a crop of 30 tons per acre was being cut and chaffed during the period of my visit, forming an excellent winter food for stock. The experiments in cattle feeding, and in the relative milk-producing properties of the respective breeds, are carefully noted, and each year's experience is published in the reports of Professor Saunders, and by the respective heads of departments. The foregoing must be taken as representing a portion only of the scientific and useful work here accomplished. The Chemical Department is admirably conducted by Mr. F. T. Shutt, M.A., F.C.S., and the Botanical and Entomological sections by Mr. James Fletcher, F.R.S.C, F.L.S.; whilst Professor Robertson is engaged visiting all parts of the Dominion, spreading broadcast information by lectures relative to the best known methods of butter and cheese-making, a branch of agriculture for which Canada is well adapted, and one which must soon become very much more important than is at present realized. The Canadian World's Fair at Toronto being open at this time, The great an- that city was the next visited; and two very interesting days were ir^™^ a spent in an examination of the exhibits of horses, cattle, implements, fruits, vegetables, farm produce, &c, a very pleasing feature of the exhibition being the friendly rivalry displayed by the inhabitants of Manitoba, Assiniboia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, British Columbia, and other provinces, in placing before the visitors a collection of the products of their respective districts. The exhibits were well arranged, and in charge of trustworthy officials—usually farmers—who were at all times ready to give information and answer enquiries. Pleasing mottoes across the front of each provincial display, such as "We love Alberta, the home of our adoption," prepared me in some measure, when afterwards visiting them, for the general contentment of the people, and for their enthusiasm when insisting that their own particular locality was the best in the whole of Canada. It would be an almost impossible task to attempt to do justice to the exhibition. I should, however, like to place on record my impressions regarding the marvellous variety and perfection of the excellently- grown fruits, roots and vegetables. Allowing for the fact that none but the very best specimens find their way to an exhibition of this description, many of the entries were of exceptional merit, and showed clearly what can be accomplished with a Canadian soil and climate, by men well versed in the practice of the various branches of horticulture and farming. The innumerable varieties and extent of the show of out-door grapes, mostly grown in southern Ontario, was a great surprise, all being well ripened and fine fruits. Apples, pears, plums, peaches (out-door), damsons and cherries were alike excellent, whilst smaller fruits, such as red, white and black currants, raspberries and strawberries, shown in preserve and acid, testified to their vigorous growths. The display of roots and vegetables was equally praiseworthy. Long red, globe, and tankard mangolds, swedes, cabbages, cauliflowers, potatoes, carrots, parsnips, sugar-beets, capsicums and tomatoes, forming a collection which would have done credit to a first-class show in England. The exhibit of honey would have delighted the heart of a British bee-keeper in its quantity and excellence. The agricultural implement and machinery department was a very extensive one, and an examination in detail showed clearly how far ahead of ours in perfection and cheapness these necessary appliances are. The samples il 216 The Agricultural and other Resources of Canada. grain were root 1, field - pease being in every instance of marvellous A model stocl farm. Comfortable farms. A rich vine district. of ^ size, quality and colour. It is my intention to deal subsequently with cattle and horse- raising as practised in Canada, and therefore I conclude with the remark, that such is the great interest taken by the whole community in agriculture and all appertaining thereto, that the secretary for the show was able to report that during the week 300,000 persons had passed the turnstiles, paying $69,000, or approximately £14,000 for admission. After an inspection of the land in the neighbourhood of Hamilton, and paying a hurried visit to the silver-plate works in operation there, we proceeded to Brantford, and drove to the celebrated Bow Park farm of 1,000 acres. Here were evidences of good management in the tilling of the excellent land; the clover roots were probably the best it was my privilege to inspect during the tour, and an examination of the magnificent herd of Shorthorns showed at a glance the suitability of soil and climate to a cattle-raising and dairy industry. The lot of 35 pedigree heifers—two years of age—in one field I shall long remember, and the bulls and older cows were a grand lot. The whole of the district visited around Brantford is suitable for mixed farming, lending itself to dairy work, in addition to the productions of corn, by reason of the comparatively easy cultivation of succulent grasses for pasture. Counties Brant, Oxford, and Elgin were travelled through by the Grand Trunk Railway, a halt being made at St. Thomas, whence a drive of 18 miles in a southerly direction brought us to the township of Yarmouth, in which the Quaker valley is situated; we returned by Union village to St. Thomas. The land passed during this long drive was of all qualities, and managed by good and indifferent farmers. Wherever efficient management prevailed the crops were full and the land clean; indeed, a very considerable quantity of the area was farmed on English lines, and stood out in great contrast to the adjoining lands of similar quality, on which a lesser amount of energy and care had been bestowed. The neighbourhood of Ridgetown, next visited, has been settled since about 1802. The farms here vary, some being evidently very productive, and others—especially west of Morpeth, on our way to Blenheim—show a want of expenditure in draining, whilst many of the houses and buildings had been allowed to run to decay : in fact, there were evidences of poverty extending over a considerable area. Undoubtedly, the best farming and farm management it was my lot to see in the Province of Ontario was south and west of Blenheim. Excellent farmhouses and buildings have long been erected, the land is exceedingly fertile and the cultivation good, and the farmers are well-to-do and contented. The orchards of apples and peaches, with here and there a vineyard, were in healthy bearing condition; and field after field of fall wheat was better than any I ever remember seeing over a similar extent of ground, and added very much to the pleasure of a drive of 52 miles. The French beans, which are grown very extensively here as field crop, had been well harvested and profitable. Windsor was our next stopping place, and we drove thence to Sandwich, a vine-growing district. After visiting the first vineyard planted in the township by Mr. Tournier, in 1872, we passed on to those of Mayor Girardot and his son. In this locality there are 600 acres, principally " Concords," for wine-making; and the industry and pluck of the natives may be gauged, when it is borne in mind that •almost the whole of these are on land which 10 to 12 years ago was a dense forest; whilst the fruitfulness of the vines may be imagined by the fact that the growers can realize a good profit after selling their 1. Mr. J. T. Wood's Report. 217 produce at equal to |d. per lb. The vines are usually planted 6 feet apart, centre to centre, and trained on wire trellises to obtain a maximum of sun and air. The land is £30 per acre, and an -additional £30 per acre if well stocked. I have now to mention an establishment maintained by the pro- Ontario col- vincial Government of Ontario for the education and training of ^u°fea|n" fanners' sons and others in agriculture. The college is situated at valuable insti- Guelph, and is an excellent institution. Almost all kinds of pure bred tution. cattle are kept, to which the pupils in turn attend, and they keep accurate records of feeding, milking, and other information; they do the ploughing, carting, and ordinary work of the farm, and receive instruction in practical carpentry, whilst a moiety of their time is spent in the laboratories and lecture-rooms, in theoretical and scientific study. The college is conducted by an able staff of professors; and successful students leaving this institution cannot fail to have a beneficial influence on their fellow-agriculturists, in whatever part of the Dominion they may settle. The fees are exceptionally light, and are graduated in favour of the sons of farmers in the province; strangers being permitted to enjoy its privileges on higher, but still very reasonable, terms. This institution has been productive of great good, in sending out, by their annual auction sales, surplus thoroughbred stock raised on the premises. Here a silo was open, and the animals were being fed on ensilage composed of Indian corn, which had been chaffed, at the time of harvesting, into lengths of about one inch. This was a very excellent fodder, and free from waste, and is a good illustration of what can be accomplished on a small area of land in a favourable climate in providing winter food. X o As several of my colleagues will give their views on other portions Climate. of the Province of Ontario, it will suffice for me to say, that, in the districts I visited, the climate must be one of the best and most healthful in the Dominion, influenced, as it undoubtedly is to a very considerable extent, by Lakes Ontario and Erie. The dryness of the atmosphere renders the hot days in summer and the cold days in winter enjoyable, without being irksome; and the frequent and copious summer showers in the lower lake areas induce a rapidity of growth which enables the resident to raise almost any variety of plant or fruit which flourishes in a temperate zone, as instanced by the magnificent peaches and grapes produced annually out of doors. There has been for some years a great movement of the younger farmers and farmers' sons- from Ontario to Manitoba and the North- West, resulting in a considerable depreciation in the value of farming land in this older province. I have no doubt they will do better in their new homes from a monetary point of view, as they are usually intelligent, shrewd, hardworking men, who make good settlers, and who start out with the intention to succeed. It is very easy, however, to conceive that there are very many Englishmen, who can no longer be described as young men, who have enjoyed considerable comforts at home, contemplating emigration, who should weigh well the advantages Ontario offers in its climate, in the present reasonable terms on which good lands can be acquired, and in the similarity of farming operations generally, with those they have been accustomed to at home. I look upon the present prices of land in this province as tempting; and I shall be much surprised, indeed, if there is not an appreciation in the value of most of the best farms, which now range from £25 or £30 per. statute acre for good lands, well situated, and possessing a desirable comfortable house and fair buildings, down to £2 per acre for those having few improvements, and only a portion of the area of which has been brought under cultivation. 218 Eree lands. Minerals. Population. Wheat grow- Areas under cereals. The Agricultural and other Resources of Canada. The free grant lands of Ontario are in the northern portions of the province, and are mostly in wooded districts, and such as I should advise Englishmen to leave to the future youth of Canada to clear. It may be stated, that at Sudbury and other places on the north side of Lake Superior, valuable mines of nickel, copper, and other minerals have' been discovered, and are now being successfully worked. THE PROVINCE OF MANITOBA—60,520 SQUARE MILES. In giving my views of the present and probable future in Mani" toba, it is essential that Winnipeg, which is now, and probably will ever be, the principal city of the great North-West, should claim a few remarks. It has a resident population of about 27,000 people, and can claim a rapidity of growth which is astounding, as 20 years ago the then village contained only 215 persons. The city charter was secured in 1874, with a population of 3,000; in 1876 there were 6,500; in 1880, 8,000; whilst 1889 saw 25,000 persons resident within the town limits. If an examination is made of the causes of this phenomenal extension, it will be found that there are numerous reasons why Winnipeg has so prospered. Situated as it is at the junction of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, and almost in the middle of the continent, it is within easy reach of the most extensive wheat-growing area in the Dominion, the timber district of Lake of the Woods, and the mineral deposits of the province. It is already a great railway centre, through which all the passenger and goods traffic from the east and west passes. The spirit of the inhabitants is exhibited in the perfection of their public works, buildings, and manufactories, on which a large amount of capital has been, and is being expended; and it may truly be called a city of great enterprise, where tradesmen, and workmen who are not afraid to handle their tools, may prosper, and bring up and educate their children in surroundings which cannot fail to have a beneficial effect on their after lives. Energy and capital are both required here, if the new settler intends to reap a maximum and immediate benefit; though tradesmen and labourers who have started with only their health, constitution, and stout hearts, have readily earned and saved money, which has enabled them to purchase and stock land, or take up homesteads, where they indulge in the freest and most independent life it is possible to conceive; and many of whom, whilst engaged in agriculture, manage in the season between seed-time and harvest to secure work at excellent wages in the cities and towns, and so easily obtain a position and competence very few could hope to acquire in this country. Manitoba is at present a wheat-growing—indeed, I had almost said a wheat-manufacturing—province, as the large majority of its farmers depend for their profits almost exclusively on this grain, for the growth of which the rich black loam of its prairies is admirably adapted. Wheat can be cultivated with a minimum of labour, a matter of great importance when the scarcity of farm-hands in almost every district is considered, and it is a product easily saleable and readily transported. It is estimated that there were in the province about 800,000 acres of wheat under crop in 1890, 250,000 acres of oats, and 70,000 acres of barley. So far, therefore, as present profit is concerned, the exclusive growth of cereals may be considered satisfactory. If an owner of land, however, looks to the future for a successful career in Manitoba or elsewhere in the west as an agriculturist, the time must come—indeed, in some districts the signs are not now wanting—when the exclusive Mr. J. T. Wood's Report. 219. cultivation of grain without manure will so impoverish even the richest lands, that a system of mixed farming must of necessity be pursued. It is, then, very satisfactory for me to be able to record that the comparatively few of the large farmers, who, in their wisdom have adopted mixed husbandry, claim that, whilst they are maintaining their freeholds in an excellent state of cultivation, their balance sheets will compare favourably with those practising the more exclusive methods. It must be admitted that there are in many places, serious obstacles to be overcome, before mixed husbandry can be conducted in Manitoba with certainty and ease, and the most serious of these is the laying down of the ploughed lands in grasses for the purposes of hay, pasture, and rest. I have, however, already indicated what is being done by the Government to ascertain for the guidance of the farmers the best possible knowledge on this important subject. The grass plots at the experimental farm at Brandon, in which I took considerable interest, indicate clearly that the difficulty is not insuperable, and that cultivated and imported varieties, as well as some which are indigenous to the soil, may be counted upon to supply a want at present felt. It is not my intention to attempt to describe in detail the lands Soil, passed through by rail, or in our drives of hundreds of miles in Manitoba; suffice it for me to say that almost the whole of the soil is of fine staple and easy to cultivate, and that strong and energetic young men with a knowledge of agriculture can scarcely go wrong in making for Winnipeg, whence they can readily reach such excellent centres as Brandon, Neepawa, Glenboro', Minnedosa, and Portage la Prairie, in the neighbourhoods of which good lands are procurable at a reasonable cost, and where there is plenty of work at goocT wages to be had. Emigrants with a good knowledge of kitchen gardening desirous of settling in Manitoba would find the soil around Winnipeg everything they can desire, and capable of producing fine roots and vegetables of all descriptions for consumption in the city. It should be stated, that the area of Manitoba is nearly equal to Comparative the whole of England, Scotland, and Ireland. It is not surprising, extent- therefore, that a portion only of the Government free grant lands have been taken up, and that there will be ample room for many years, for those who are desirous of reaping the benefits derivable from the breaking up of the virgin prairie, and who are not afraid of the small amount of hardship entailed in this pioneer work. The Hudson's Bay Company, the Canadian Pacific, and the Manitoba and North Western Railway companies, and the several colonization and land companies, are owners of most extensive and desirable properties, and are only too willing to give information to intending settlers, and to accept reasonable prices, and, if necessary, deferred payments. A great deal has been from time to time written respecting the Climate, climate of Manitoba, and I certainly should prefer to have had a winter's experience, that I might with greater confidence give expression to my views. I did, however, at each point touched, endeavour to procure the best information from English and Scotch residents; and I am perfectly convinced that there is not a more invigorating and healthful climate in any country. There was an universal testimony to the extreme degree of cold as registered by the thermometer, but over and over again was it pointed out, that the extreme dryness and clearness of the atmosphere rendered the sharp bracing winter weather endurable, 220 The Agricultural and other Resources of Canada a. Individual ex amples of sue cessf ul settlers. and even enjoyable. Residents protect themselves from the cold by warm clothing—especially for driving—and plenty of fuel, so that women and children pass the winters without discomfort. Greater drawbacks, to my mind, from an agricultural standpoint, are the occasional storms, blizzards, and summer frosts, which are sometimes of a character sufficiently severe to injure vegetation, especially in those districts where there is a minimum of shelter. As civilization extends, and the planting of belts of maple and other trees on the wide prairie becomes universal, there must be very considerable diminution of the inconvenience now felt from these causes. It is impossible to imagine a people more sanguine of their success, and the future of their country, than are the Manitobans. All interviewed, of whatever nationalty, were unanimous in declaring their preference for Manitoba over Quebec, Ontario, England, Ireland Scotland, Germany, or whatever country they happened to hail from, and were equally emphatic in their disinclination to return, except to visit friends and relatives; whilst they are robust, independent, and happy. It would be easy to give many instances of exceptional individual success achieved; it will be less misleading, however, if I give a few taken at random from my note-book, which may be accepted as representative of the general body. Visiting the crofter settlement south of Glenboro' and near the Pelican Lake, Donald Stewart was interviewed. Stewart was one of the crofters sent out under Government auspices in 1888. He has worked steadily and well, increasing the area of prairie broken each year, until, at the time of our visit he had 60 acres under crop, from 50 of which he expected a yield of 2,000 bushels of wheat. His oats (10 acres) were good; he had 20 head of horned stock (including two teams of working oxen, and eight in-calf cows), besides pigs and poultry. His potatoes were fine. He possessed a self-binding reaper, a waggon, plough, harrows, and other necessary implements, and being the owner of his 160 acres, has every reason, as Mrs. Stewart remarked, to " bless the day we came out." After visiting Roderick McKay, another crofter who had also been successful, but in a lesser degree, I halted on the borders of Pelican Lake to interview the son of a Liverpool merchant, who was educated and intended for a commercial career, but who elected four years ago to try his chances in agriculture. He has married and settled, and expressed himself as more than satisfied he did not go into an office or bank, as was originally intended, and where he could not have led the free and independent life he is now doing on his own farm of 320 acres in a beautiful locality. His crops, which he was busy harvesting, were very good; and he informed me that his brother was farming the adjoining 320 acres, and that two sisters who had come out on a visit to him had married Scotch farmers on the north side of Glenboro', who were also prospering. A most interesting half- hour was spent with Mr. John Barnet Watson, of Kindar House, Stockton, Glenboro', a native of Northallerton, Yorkshire, who, prior to leaving England four years since, was a gamekeeper in that county. Mr. Watson says, that, on arriving out, he had five cents (2|d.) in his pocket, but, being willing to work, was soon able to save money, and ultimately purchased his present holding of 160 acres for £50. At that time, 80 acres had been broken but had run to weeds ; now, out of the total, there are 130 acres in wheat and 10 in oats, all very full crops ; he has 17 head of horned stock, a pair of large working oxen, and a comfortable home and good living. Mr. Watson states " the winters are not so bad, and the dry climate suits me; there are about three or four days each year when you can't go about during high winds or Wj \ Mr. J. T. Wood's Report. 221 blizzards, but I work out getting poles, rails, &c, during the full winter.' I should add, that he suffered very much in England from a weak chest, but as this does not now trouble him, and as he is evidently pleased with his success as a farmer, he expresses regret that he " did not come earlier." Mr. Watson estimates his yield of wheat at 40 bushels per acre on the newly-broken ground, and 30 bushels on that previously cultivated, and the value of his freehold has advanced to three times the price he so recently paid for it. ' One of the best managed farms in the neighbourhood of Brandon Extensive is that of Mr. Sandison; and, although his success must be taken as °' being much above the average, it, nevertheless, shows what is possible in a good district when the farmer is thoroughly master of his work, and understands the management of his soil. It is Mr. Sandison's pride to relate how, in 1884, he, as a farm labourer, entered the North- West, hiring himself as a servant at Carberry, and saving money until he was in a position to gradually and quietly acquire land; how, in 1886, he commenced farming on a half section (320 acres), and being fortunate with each succeeding crop, has added annually to his area, until in 1890, he had 2,000 acres under cultivation, the purchase price of which had nearly all been paid; he has 70 men who are housed and fed on the premises, and, during the harvest season just completed, had 40 horses and 14 self-binding reapers. Mr. Sandison's crop of wheat, oats and barley (pricipally wheat), aggregated 60,000 bushels, and he estimates the value of his present property at £10,000, giving quite as much credit to the wonderful soil and climate as to his own pluck and clear head. Mr. Sandison maintains that Manitoba compares more than favourably with Dakota, and that its superior advantages will soon be universally recognized. At Binscarth, on the Manitoba and North-Western Railway, I met with the son of a well-known Liverpool steamship owner who has been out six years, and who, prior to going to Canada, had no experience of agriculture, and, indeed, still admits he has much to learn. He claims, however, to have been successful, and is loud in his praise of the life, preferring the climate and the freedom obtaining everywhere to his prospects in Liverpool. At Moosomin, in the extreme west of the province, I called on a farmer's wife, who, a few years ago, left Runcorn with a lady then going to Canada. After being there some time, she married a native of Ontario who had gone west, and she was also most enthusiastic in describing the life; she considered the climate a good one, and said she would like to visit England to fetch her mother, but that she preferred Manitoba to live in. Countless instances of such contentment could be quoted. It will be observed, that so far I have not dealt with the growth Growth of of roots and vegetables; we had, however, many opportunities of ex- roots an(* amining these in the fields and gardens, and also on the show bench vege a es" at Birtle; and there can only be one opinion on the suitability of the soil and climate for the production of potatoes, swedes, cabbages, cauliflowers, celery, and other field and garden produce of like nature. In conjunction with my colleague, Mr. Edwards, I measured, at the Barnardo home at Russell, in the north-western part of Manitoba, some of the best growing specimens, and the measurements are as follow :—One cauliflower, 2 ft. 10 in., and another 3 ft. 1 in. in circumference of flower; a drumhead cabbage, 3 ft. 7 in. round the solid heart; turnip radishes (quite solid), 13| in., 14| in., and 16 in. in circumference; long radishes, 2 ft. 2 in., and 1 ft. 8| in. in length, and 4J in. and 7 in. in circumference respectively; whilst the parsnips, potatoes, &c, were equally fine. 222 Loans to aid settlers to make a start. The Agricultural and other Resoutces of Canada. The pedigree Shorthorns at the Model Farm, at Binscarth, also in the north-western portion of the province, deserve especial mention, and are evidences of what can be done in the successful raising of cattle of fine quality, where skill and capital are each utilized. THE NORTH-WEST TERRITORIES. Provisional Districts. Assiniboia about 95,000 square miles. Saskatchewan " 114,000 " Alberta •< 100,000 " Athabasca " 122,000 " Total 431,000 square miles. Many of the examples I have already given would apply to those portions of the Territories which are contiguous to the Manitoban western boundary, and notably to the district abutting on the Manitoba and North-Western Railway lying between Binscarth and Yorkton. Two days spent in visiting crofters and farmers resident in holdings of 160 acres each, in the vicinity of Saltcoats, proved that once again we were amongst a people who considered they were farming some of the best lands in Canada. Certainly there appeared to be no lack of assistance forthcoming to give these men a start in the world. The crofters had, like those near Pelican Lake, in Manitoba, been settled by the English Government; whilst many of the farmers in the neighbourhood had availed themselves of the advances which the railway company are willing to make to Englishmen or others of good character, to enable them to start comfortably on these free grant lands. The company's advances vary from £40 to £100, they charging interest on the amount obtained, and taking as security a lien or mortgage on the property. The loans are not made in cash, but the settler is allowed to purchase his outfit subject to their approval, when they then pay for the articles so purchased. The above arrangement applies to any of the company's free grant lands, whether in Manitoba or Assiniboia. Whilst we were at Saltcoats, an agent, acting on behalf of a number of Mennonites farming in Dakota, took up 30 quarter-sections of land (160 acres each), in readiness for their removal during the ensuing spring; the gentleman in question having travelled over a very large extent of country, and finally settled on that district as the one best suited to their requirements. This is one of many evidences of emigration from the United States to Canada. To describe in detail the remainder of the huge territories of Assiniboia and Saskatchewan would occupy too much space. I may say, however, that I hold the opinion, that Englishmen may settle and succeed in many districts, and notably in the vicinity of the Saskatchewan and other rivers which flow through this portion of the Dominion. Prince Albert, for instance, is a rising town at the confluence of the north and south branches of the Saskatchewan river, where the prairie land is undulating, well sheltered, and watered, and the climate good, and where mixed fanning may be successfully conducted. On Mr. McNiven's farm at Kirkpatrick, near Prince Albert, I examined probably the best sample of two-rowed barley I saw in Canada; whilst his " Prize Prolific Oats " were also heavy and good. The feed of both these grains had originally been sent from the experimental farm at Ottawa. Roots and vegetables also grow to perfection here. Mr. J. T. Wood's Report. 223 . On the return journey from Prince Albert to Regina, we had a Agricultural few minutes to examine samples of roots and grain grown in the neighbourhood, and brought down for inspection to Saskatoon station. Here again the best samples of grain were grown from Ottawa seed, the Danish Chevalier barley and prize cluster oats being bright and well-matured. The inspection of a very creditable exhibition of agricultural produce at the annual show at Regina next engaged our attention. Butter, roots, cereals, and the special exhibit of grasses and grain from the Indian Head farm, were all pleasing. A similar examination was made of the exhibits at the show at Medicine Hat, where a fine display of potatoes was especially worthy of note, whilst the cabbages, mangolds, turnips, red and white carrots and parsnips, all bore testimony to the special adaptability of the soil to produce them. I have now to deal with Alberta. Here Calgary became our Alberta, headquarters whilst the surrounding country was explored. This district varies in many respects from all other portions of the Dominion already dealt with. The Rocky Mountains extend along its western boundary, and lend special features to this area of natural wealth. The country abutting on the foothills of the far-famed range possesses scenery of the most magnificent* description, whilst the numerous streams and rivulets descending from the sides of the mountains provide water in abundance for man and beast. Agriculturally, Alberta is distinctly a stock-raising district, where horses and cattle thrive remarkably. The inhabitants claim that it is also suitable for grain growing ; and -no doubt a certain quantity of corn and roots can be produced in favoured localities. Ranching and dairying, however, are the pursuits to be adopted by those who desire to make headway. The climate of Alberta is probably much more Climate, liable to changes of temperature in the winter time than any other part of Canada. During the prevalence of a north wind, a degree of cold is experienced as great as anywhere in the North-West. The prevailing winds, however, blow from the Pacific, and during its continuance milder weather is experienced, which clears away the snow, enabling horses to obtain their own feed and live in the open air all the year round. In considering and estimating the future of Alberta, General pro- it should be borne in mind that it is the district nearest to British uc s* Columbia, and that, as the latter province develops and extends its industrial operations, a very considerably increased quantity of butter, bacon, poultry, eggs and beef will be required, and these are commodities Alberta is fully capable of supplying. I was informed that British Columbia now imports 75 per cent of its beef, 50 per cent of its bacon, 60 per cent of its flour, and 40 per cent of its dairy produce, besides poultry and eggs; and there is the probability that its increasing mercantile, mining, manufacturing, and other industries will more than keep pace with the development of its agricultural resources. Alberta already possesses on its ranches an enormous number of Ranching, cattle and horses. The former are low grades of Shorthorns, large framed, vigorous, and healthy, but devoid of quality, and of the characteristics of feeding and early maturity so highly appreciated by butchers and consumers. In looking through the large herds, one could not help wishing that a ship load of hardy Polled Angus bulls, which have proved such a success in the west wherever used, could be imported. Were this done, the present prices obtained for stock exported would be considerably augmented, and an all-round benefit • conferred. The Polled Angus cattle at the Toronto show were remarkably good specimens, exhibiting a quality to fully satisfy any 224 The Agricultural and other Resources of Canada. Horse breeding, a special* ty. lover of this most useful breed. As I have intimated, horse- ranching is carried on extensively, and it would appear that a horse can realize a good profit when sold at four years old for £22 or £23. Here there is scope for the capitalist farmer in breeding high-class animals—say roadsters and shires—for the Dominion, United States, and English markets. If this were attempted, after allowing for interest on capital and all expenses; a very handsome profit might be realized, in comparison with what is now obtained from the breeding of the hard but weedy animals usually found, which are produced from a second or third-rate thoroughbred stallion and a nondescript mare. In the whole of the Dominion there is no district equal to Alberta for horse breeding. Great as are its possibilities in ranching, however, there are still greater in mining. Immense deposits of iron ore have been found to lie in the Bow river and other valleys, and few countries possess such an extensive coal field, with qualities ranging from high-class lignite to semi-bituminous, semi-anthracite, and anthracite proper; whilst in the foot hills an excellent gas and coking coal has been found, which yields as high as 60 per cent of coke. Coal mining is at present carried on at Lethbridge, the output being 1,000 tons per day and gradually increasing. It is extremely probable that • this coal will soon be used at the great smelting centres of Montana, as a railway connection has been established. Two deposits, similar to the Lethbridge coal, crop out at Grassy island, in the Bow river, and on the Rosebud river, north of the Bow. Recent geological explorations have discovered deposits of anthracite, extending probably 50 mile along the north branch of the Saskatchewan river; and at Can- more, where most of the exploration has been carried on, no less than 14 seams varying from 2 feet 6 inches to 14 feet in thickness, and in quality from bituminous to anthracite. I have it on the authority of Mr. Pierce, the inspector of mines, that the adjacent immense beds of iron ore are equal to producing the highest grade of steel. It is said that the greatest undeveloped fields of petroleum are those of the Athabasca and Peace" rivers and their tributaries, a basin covering thousands of miles square; and arrangements are now being perfected, to have thorough tests made. Alberta is rich in sandstone and limestone, and clay for building and fire-bricks, whilst its proximity to British Columbia enables a good supply of timber to be obtained at an eeasy cost. Climate. BRITISH COLUMBIA. Area about SJf.1,805 square miles—Population about 100,000. British Columbia is that portion of Canada abutting on the Pacific Ocean, and includes Vancouver and other islands along the coast. Its principal towns are the capital city of Victoria, and the coal-mining town of Nanaimo on Vancouver Island, and the cities of Vancouver and New Westminster on the mainland. The province may be described as generally densely wooded, and to a very great extent, unexplored : yet it is known to possess immense mineral wealth, and probably the finest coniferous timber in the world. Compared with the rest of Canada, the available area of agricultural land (other than the uncleared forest) is small; much of it is, however, very productive, and capable of growing the very finest fruits and cereals. The climate of Vancouver Island and the coast districts of the mainland already populated is equable and good, and much resembling that in the more favoured districts in the south of England, though c^ Mr. J. T. Wood's Report. with a heavy rainfall; the combination produces a luxuriance of growth. Snow is seldom known to lie. The climate of the interior of the province varies considerably, the extensive valleys lying between the mountain ranges being subject to warm days and cold nights. Vancouver Island is well wooded, yet a considerable portion of arable land may be obtained, and this will, in all probability, be utilized in the production of butter, poultry, eggs, fruit and vegetables for the supply of the populated districts. The Chinese population in Victoria are excellent market gardeners, and compete with the Canadians in producing saleable vegetables; there are, however, many openings for emigrants who understand, garden and dairy work, and a good living is obtainable from a small farm, the shortness of production maintaing excellent prices. 225 CITY OP VICTOBIA. The city of Victoria is beautifully situated on a lovely harbour on the south-east coast of the island, and here the value of real estate would appear to be a decidedly improving one. There is an electric .tramway running to Esquimalt, and the city is lighted by electricity. The buildings are substantial, and the people thoroughly English in style and feeling. A railway connects Victoria with Naniamo, which is at present the seat of the coal-minirig industry of the province. Here and at Wellington about 2,500 men find employment, the output being approximately 550,000 tons per annum, of which 500,000 is raised for export. This has been proved to be the best coal obtainable on the Pacific coast. All kinds of hardy and half-hardy fruits flourish, such as pears, plums, peaches, nectarines, grapes, quinces, and apricots ; and I shall long remember the enormous crop of beautiful apples, the weight of the fruit in innumerable instances bringing the branches of the trees to the ground. The city of Vancouver is the terminus of the Canadian Pacific City of Railway, and is built on the shore of a splendid harbour. Its popula- ^ tion in 1886 was 600; in 1888, 6,000 ; and in 1890, 15,000; it is therefore not surprising, when the extraordinary extension of the city is considered, that the value of building lands has increased by leaps and bounds. Electric lighting, electrical trams, gas and water works, are established; and when the overland traffic to China and Japan is fully developed, Vancouver must become a great shipping port couver. 22 -.6 The Agricultural and other Resources of Canada. The magnificent growths of fir trees and cedars in the vicinity of the town render farming practically impossible; the day is near, however, when these giants of the forest will be turned to account, and a lumber industry of an extensive character further developed. As instances of the grandeur of the specimens of conifers to be found, I may state that trees of remarkable straightness and quality were measured 54 feet, 35 feet, 36 feet, and 39 feet in circumference at 4 feet above the ground level. New Westminster. Rich valleys. VANCOUVEB. New Westminster is a rising town of probably 8,000 inhabitants, and owing to its situation on the bank of the Fraser river (about 16 miles from its mouth), it is within easy communication by steamboat and road with the best agricultural lands in the coast districts of the province. I may at once say that in my judgment I have never seen better land for all-round farming and gardening purposes than the rich black soils of Lulu Island and other delta lands of the Fraser. There are probably 50,000 acres of these strong and rich alluvial deposits which, five or six years ago, could have been purchased for 4s. or 5s. an acre. Such, however, is the opinion of the present owners, that £15 to £20 an acre now is asked; and, when its comparative proximity to the rapidly increasing cities is considered, in conjunction with its capability to produce the heaviest crops obtainable in any country, its present price must still be reasonable. There is nothing this land and climate will not produce which now goes to make up the £250,000 worth of farm and garden produce annually imported into British Columbia. The lands of the Chilliwack district are also very fertile, but further removed from the town populations; they are, however, desirable localities for fruit and dairy industries. The Okanagan and other valleys possess 300,000 acres of land suitable for arable farming, and probably 1,500,000 acres more or less suitable for grazing. I was not able to visit this neighbourhood, but from the products exhibited, and the information obtainable, it is clear that this is a productive country. I have beside me while I write several well-grown and well-ripened ears of Indian corn raised there; r Mr. J. T. Wood's Report. 227 and the cultivation of wheat and other cereals is proceeding so satisfactorily that, in 1890, 20 tons of binding-twine was sent into Okana- gon valley, which is now being opened up by a branch railway from Sicamous, on the Canadian Pacific Railway. The town of New Westminster is destined to become the manufacturing city of the mainland of British Columbia. Already energy and capital are developing the valuable resources of the district. Extensive lumber mills are in operation; the salmon-canning industry is very largely conducted, giving employment during the season to 5,000 workmen; woollen and cigar factories are started, and machine shops and foundries at work. A branch of the Canadian Pacific Railway runs into the town, and the Northern Pacific Railway has a terminus also; so that by sea and rail it may be said to be in touch with almost every part of the globe. Good labourers are paid high wages here. The mineral resources of British Columbia constitute its greatest wealth, and the gold, coal, silver, copper, iron, and other minerals are widely distributed. Generally. Having now completed my attempt to condense the vast amount The journey, of knowledge of the country, gained in a tour which extended from the Atlantic to the Pacific oceans, and from the boundary of the United States in the south to Prince Albert on the Saskatchewan river in the north, and which comprised 17,000 miles of travel by steamer, rail, and road—the latter necessitating a distance of over 1,100 miles, in order to thoroughly examine lands situated, in many instances, long distances from the railway—it is necessary that I should state the object the Canadian Government had in view, in issuing the invitations ; and also that I should give my opinions, recommendations, and words of warning to those who, being interested in emigration, may read my report. First, let me say, then, that the Dominion Government have for" some time felt, that, considering the great advantages the country possesses for settlement, they were not obtaining a proper share of the emigrants from the United Kingdom; and conceiving, that, notwithstanding the general accuracy of the information relative to the various provinces which has been published from time to time with their sanction, it might possibly be that the public viewed this official emigration literature with an amount of suspicion; hence the determination to invite representative agriculturists from England, Scotland, Ireland, and Wales, to investigate the present condition and probable future of their vast territory, and whose reports, being voluntary, might spread information which is sorely needed. In all my investigations I have ever felt the great responsibility of the task I had undertaken, not alone to the Government of Canada, but equally to the people of England, and my own county in particular; and it is therefore with sincere pleasure that I record the fact that a perfectly free hand was accorded me to visit those districts I thought most desirable, and to obtain information I required in my own way. It will be conceded that it is the policy of the United States to decry Canada as an agricultural country, and in my opinion a large amount of the prejudice existing, and of the general belief in the great hardships to be borne by settlers in the more northern country, is the result of misleading, if not absolutely incorrect, information supplied by those whose anxiety it is to secure the constant flow of the tide of emigration to the land of the Stars and Stripes. 228 The Agricultural and other Resources of Canada. Misrepresentations corrected. Patriotic Government. Public education for the young. Taxes. An even distribution of domestic comfort. Kindred peoples under the British flag". For a considerable period the Americans have been able, with a modicum of truth, to point to the fact that Canadians had given'up their homes and crossed the border. It should be remembered, however, that when this emigration occurred Canada had no lands to offer to her sons, except uncleared forests, as Manitoba and the North-West Territories had not been acquired, whilst the prairie lands of the western States were available and in process of being opened up for settlement. Again, the excellence of education in Canada for a long time has been such that her people have received a superior training to that obtainable in America; it is not surprising, therefore, thai- Canadians were at a premium. This movement has now been stopped: indeed, many of those who left and adopted agricultural pursuits are returning sadder but wiser men ; and we at many points met American farmers, acting on behalf of their fellows in the States, examining into the agricultural capabilities of Canada, in view of their settlement in the colony, and that this tide, which has already commenced to flow— especially from Dakota—will continue, I have no reason to doubt. Amongst the many advantages Canada offers to the emigrant, the following may be enumerated :— The Dominion Government is composed of men of the highest integrity and honour, whose sole aim and work are exercised for the good of the community at large, and who are keenly alive to anything which will tend in the smallest degree to improve the proud position the colony at present occupies. The provincial Governments, and even those of the municipalities, are equally free from suspicion, and would compare most favourably with similar institutions at home ; and this is the more pleasing when it is remembered that frequently, and especially in the recently settled districts, the class of men obtainable are not always of the social status we in England are accustomed to elect. The educational system of the Dominion is exceedingly good, enabling children to obtain a grounding which is not excelled in any older country, and at quite a minimum of inconvenience to the children, and cost to the parents. The school teachers are capable, and the school districts so arranged, even in the sparsely populated areas, that no habitation is more than three miles from the school-house. The taxes are very light, and those raised are spent entirely in the municipality producing them, on necessary road and works, and for educational and other purposes. There is an absolute safety of life and property, and crime generally is quite, you may say, unknown, as instanced by the absence of even a single prisoner, at the time of our visit, in the district gaol at Brandon, in Manitoba. There is no class distinction as in England, and especially is this so in Manitoba and the Territories, whilst political and religious freedom are universal. There are no paupers or beggars, and consequently an expensive poor-law system is not required. The invigorating climate, the educational advantages, which are highly valued, and the intelligent interest taken by all classes in everything appertaining to Federal and Local Government, combine to produce the vigorous spirit of independence and contentment met with throughout the length and breadth of the land. Finally, it may be pointed out as worthy of the intending emigrant's consideration, that, if he finally selects Canada for his future home, he will be welcomed there by a people of kindred sympathies, who live under the protection of the British flag, and enjoy the right to acquire and hold real estate without being called upon, as in many parts of the United States, to renounce his birthright, and swear allegiance to the President, and his willingness to take up arms especially against Her Mr. J. T. Wood's Report. 229 Majesty the Queen, which also means, in the majority of instances, ajgainst those who are most dear to him in his old home. Now for a few words of warning to those, who being from any Words of cause dissatisfied with their lot here, are contemplating a new start in warmnS- life, abroad. First, let me say that there is no royal road to making money and be successful, without labour, in Canada ; there is, however, ample scope for those, who, understanding agricultural operations, whether as farmers or labourers, are not afraid in the early part of their residence in the country to undergo a certain amount of hard work. To such men, Canada offers a fine field and successful future; but to those who have been accustomed to a life of comfort and refinement, and who do not care to devote their entire energies to the pursuit of their occupations, I would say by all means stay at home. Intending emigrants would do well to obtain all the information Vast extent of i • • • O A possible respecting the various parts of the Dominion, for when it is ^anacla- remembered that Canada is nearly as large as the whole of Europe, and is 600,000 square miles larger than the United States, leaving out Alaska, it will be seen how easy it is for a man who would make a most certain success in one province, to make an utter failure in another. In the selection of the district to which he immigrates, regard should be had to his training, and his capacity to engage in any one of . the multifarious branches of the work of the garden or farm ; and to those who have the opportunity before leaving England, I would say, make yourselves thoroughly conversant with the best known methods of butter and cheese-making, for assuredly there is a great future in many parts of the Dominion for a dairy industry, and it is almost unnecessary for me to point to the advantages gained by those who, producing the best articles, command the highest prices and the readiest sale. In my judgment, it is undesirable that either a farmer or labourer How to begin, should emigrate and immediately purchase or take up land. The prominent and successful men in Canada are those who have not been impatient, and many of whom, whilst earning good wages as labourers, - acquired a local knowledge of the greatest import, and at the same time saved money to purchase their subsequent holdings. With regard to carpenters, joiners, bricklayers,masons, blacksmiths, and other tradesmen emigrating, I should advise in every instance that they obtain from the nearest agent of the Canadian Government, information as to the precise points to which they should proceed, the rate of wages at the time being paid, and the cost of the necessaries of life; there are many openings for skilful men, but by following this advice disappointment may very frequently be avoided. There is room in Canada, and good wages, for domestic servants of all kinds; but ladies who obtain their living by teaching music, languages, or other accomplishments, should not go out unless they have previously obtained appointments. This applies also to clerks, male and female, whose past lives have been spent in offices. There are very few openings for professional men. Capital is required almost everywhere, and many openings are thus Room for available for the employment of money, which at the present time secure invest- brings such a poor return in England. Excellent freehold securities, n ' * and 7 per cent and 8 per cent interest, are obtainable in Manitoba, and 6 per cent and 7 per cent for similar securities in British Columbia ; and a still better return can be ensured by those who assist in extending the numerous manufacturing industries. I look on Vancouver island and the mainland west of the Rocky Mountains as the portion of the Dominion having the greatest manufacturing 16 J 230 The Agricultural and other Resources of Canada. The Indians in Canada. future, by reason of its geographical position and great wealth of minerals; and where the manufactories centre, there will the best prices for agricultural produce be obtained. British Columbia is, undoubtedly, a province with a grand destiny. I have been frequently questioned since my return on the subject of the Indians resident in the Dominion, and it may therefore be useful information to intending emigrants to know that the wise policy of the Government in originally settling the Indians on some of the best land— and through the Indian department and its agents, clothing, and, where necessary, providing them with food, teaching them in schools, and instructing them in the cultivation of their reserves, and generally in pursuing an honest policy of civilization, as opposed to a policy of extermination-—has borne good fruit, and I do not fear in the future any such risings as those we hear of at the present time in the United States. Indians in Canada are now frequently employed as farm labourers, fishermen, and in other branches of work, and are contented. The wild animals of the Dominion, too, are sometimes alarmingly spoken of, but extermination has been carried on to such an extent that residents who are fond of sport regret that the gradual settling of the country has deprived them of their pleasure. There are still, however, deer and moose in some districts, and prairie chickens, ducks, geese, and other wild fowls in abundance. Emigrants have therefore nothing to fear; indeed, it will surprise me much if there is not a very considerable exodus from the United States to Canada, where, as I have intimated, security of life and property is equal to that prevailing in England. The last week in March is the best time for arriving in the country. In conclusion, I desire to bear testimony to the kindly consideration I received from Canadians generally in the course of my investigations, without which it would have been difficult to have accomplished my task. I also desire to thank the officials of the Canadian Pacific, Grand Trunk, and the Manitoba and North-Western Railway companies, for their generous assistance at all times rendered ; and especially are my thanks due to the Hon. John Carling, Minister of Agriculture, and also to the Senators, Members of Parliament, and other Official gentlemen, through whose districts I travelled, and who at all times were ready to supply me with necessary introductions, and generally to assist in making my visit profitable and instructive. *g
Different edition than that listed in Lowther & Laing (1968). Other Copies: http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/19557491
Narratives
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Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library
Ottawa : S. E. Dawson
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Original Format: University of British Columbia. Library. Rare Books and Special Collections. spam14419
Canada. Agriculture Canada
Canada--Description and travel
Tenant-farmer delegates' visit to Canada in 1890 and their reports upon the agricultural resources of the provinces of Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba, the North-west Territories, and British Columbia
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