CONTENTdm
Canadian Pacific Railway
Canadian Pacific Railway Company
Irrigation
Agriculture
Wallace B. Chung and Madeline H. Chung Collection
Canadian Pacific Railway Company. Department of Natural Resources
Pamphlet describing the benefits of irrigation to farming, and conditions in Alberta.
application/pdf
Get Your Farm Home FROM THE CANADIAN PACIFIC A HANDBOOK OF INFORMATION REGARDING IRRIGATION FARMING IN SUNNY ALBERTA THE KINGDOM OF MIXED FARMING Presented by THE CANADIAN PACIFIC RAILWAY Department of Natural Resources CALGARY, ALBERTA CANADA 1915 FOREWORD SOUTHERN ALBERTA is one of the finest agricultural districts now available for settlement on the North American continent. Its virgin soil, its low priced lands, its ideal weather conditions, its nearness to home and foreign markets because of its splendid transportation facilities, have combined to bring it prominently before the attention of the entire world as the "Last Best West." Whether for grain raising, mixed farming, or stock raising, it is unequalled. To it every year are flocking an increasing number of settlers from all parts of America and Europe. For the Canadian West has emerged from the experimental stage. More than a quarter of a century has passed since the pioneer farmers and ranchers braved the hardships of isolation and the financial risks incidental to all new and untried ventures; and today Southern Alberta is furnishing happy and prosperous homes for thousands of those who are flying from the competition and crush of more thickly populated districts. The Canadian Pacific Railway has for some years past been engaged in completing a gigantic irrigation scheme by means of which irrigation farming can be made possible in a large area in the heart of this region. It should be emphasized, at the start, that this undertaking, involving as it does a very heavy capital expenditure, has not been necessitated by the same adverse climatic or soil conditions that have caused the creation of irrigated tracts in other parts. Southern Alberta is neither arid nor desert; it produces without irrigation some of the finest crops that can be grown on this continent; and, unlike some sub-humid countries, it is free from cactus, grease- wood and sagebrush. However, in the course of a speech to farmers at Strathmore, Alta., Professor Campbell, the apostle of scientific soil culture, said, with regard to his attitude to irrigation and dry-farming:— Va-C 2 "Let me say that when the average farmer asks me what land it is advisable to settle on in either the American or Canadian Wests, I invariably recommend irrigated land if it can be obtained at a reasonable outlay. Now, my reason for this lies in the fact that irrigation is the simplest and safest agricultural practice extant, and means maximum crops and maximum crop areas. Without mentioning the cereals, let me say that in the production east of Calgary of potatoes and sugar beets, timothy, alfalfa and other fodder crops, it is absolutely essential in order to attain the best results, that irrigation be practiced that your soil may produce the wonderful crops of which we know it to be capable. And, as the agricultural success of any country lies in its meadows and what they signify, namely, intensive farming, it, therefore, would appear that the destiny of irrigated tracts, by reason of the fact that their meadows are at all times productive, must be to reach the highest point of agricultural development in the shortest possible time. Apart from this it is a foregone conclusion that the cultivation of irrigated land is less expensive than the cultivation of land where it is necessary to introduce a soil culture system calculated to conserve all the natural rainfall. "A competent irrigationist who also understands the value of rational soil culture never abandons his water right in favor of even a copious natural rainfall, which cannot be regulated to meet the needs of individual crops. For your spring crops I advocate irrigating the land in the fall, putting on sufficient water to moisten it to a depth of five feet or six feet. Then plow your land, follow with the packer and harrows. If you find it impossible to irrigate and plow in the fall, then by all means irrigate in the fall and plow in the spring. Incidentally I may remark that you have here the most ideal soil for irrigating I have ever seen, the water penetrates to a great depth, and is retained, as there is no lateral distribution. You will observe that one of my main theories is the packing of the soil, so as to permit of a solid seed bed. 3 And let me here remark that there is no mechanical device that will pack the soil so satisfactorily as irrigation, especially when followed with the proper cultivation." The Canadian Pacific Railway, in addition to being the biggest transportation system in the world, is also, by virtue of a grant of land from the Canadian Government, in consideration of the building of its transcontinental line, one of the largest individual land-owners in the world. In Western Canada alone it has yet for sale over six million acres of desirable farm lands; and its method of promoting their settlement is conceded as being without a parallel in the history of colonization. The creation of the Irrigation Block was undertaken as part of a great progressive colonization policy, The Canadian Pacific Railway entertained no desire of making any immediate profit out of the sale of irrigable lands, nor out of the business of selling water; the undertaking was entered into purely and simply as a great development scheme, with the expectation that the Irrigation Block would contribute more traffic per acre than any other area tributary to the company's lines. Thus the interests of the company and the water consumers are practically identical. If, for any reason, the occupant of irrigable lands fails to produce a satisfactory tonnage per acre, the Canadian Pacific Railway, as well as himself, feels the loss. This, then, will account for the presence of an irrigation project in a region where irrigation is not rendered imperative. The Irrigation Block comprises only a fraction of the total area of lands which the Canadian Pacific Railway has for sale; and, logically enough, the Canadian Pacific Railway could not, as it does, attempt to dispose of irrigable and non-irrigable lands at the same time if the latter were unfit for settlement. But irrigation has met with so great a measure of success in other parts of the American continent that nothing needs to be said of its introduction into Western Canada, where, broadly speaking, intensive methods of agriculture have not hitherto been practised. To make two blades of grass grow, by artificial means, where only one grew before by natural means, is after all the greatest triumph of modern science. Therefore, this pamphlet is addressed to all farmers, those who have previous acquaintance with irrigation and those who have not—to the former, to set forth the special claims which the Canadian Pacific Irrigation Block in Southern Alberta has upon their attention; to the latter, to indicate the results which can be obtained from irrigation farming. It is the company's desire to see the Irrigation Block the home of the most closely settled and prosperous mixed farming, stock raising and dairying community in Western Canada, and unless this result is actually brought about, the company's aim will not have been fulfilled. CANADIAN PACIFIC IRRIGATION BLOCK The Canadian Pacific Railway Company's Irrigation Block is the largest individual project of its kind on the American continent. It contains altogether three million acres and stretches east and west from Range 11, West of the Fourth Meridian, to the Fifth Meridian, and north and south from Township 14 to Township 28. The Bow River bounds it for a considerable distance on the south, and the Red Deer River for a considerable distance on the north. The important city of Calgary lies immediately west of the block, and the city of Medicine Hat about thirty miles to the east of the eastern boundary, while towns and villages are scattered throughout it. The area of the tract is larger than the total irrigated area in either Colorado or California, nearly double that of Montana, nearly treble that of Wyoming, and greater than one-fifth the total irrigated areas of the United States. It is traversed through its entire length by the main line of the Canadian Pacific Railway, which has also numerous branches in various directions; while other railway companies have lines operating through the Block. The Block is an open prairie plateau, with a general elevation at its western boundary of 3400 feet above sea level, which slopes rapidly towards the east until an elevation of 2300 feet is reached at the eastern boundary. The surface throughout is more or less rolling down to the eastern section, and then large areas of almost level plains are found. The Block contains irrigable and non-irrigable areas, and offers to the purchaser an opportunity to engage in mixed farming under almost ideal conditions. Here can be secured side by side in the same quarter section, land lying above the canal system for the grazing of live stock, and irrigable land for crops such as alfalfa, - barley, vegetables, etc., requiring abundant moisture. All crops give greater returns under irrigation, but the increase is most marked in the case of alfalfa, all forage crops, vegetables and small fruits. For farm uses there is a never-failing supply of water, which ensures crops when the seed is placed in the ground, while the problem of a constant water supply in every pasture for the use of stock is also solved. Combination farms in the Block may be regarded as one of the best agricultural propositions on the continent. For convenience in development, the Block is divided into three sections, designated respectively: Western, Central and Eastern. WESTERN SECTION The Western Section contains 1,039,620 acres, of which about 370,000 have been brought under ditch. Construction was commenced in 1903 and completed in 1910, and water was first used in 1907. Water for this section is diverted from the Bow River at a point just inside the 5 ,4«-"-<Va -/ easterly limits of the city of Calgary. Sixteen hundred miles of main and secondary canals and distributing ditches have been constructed, in addition to several hundreds of miles of farm laterals constructed by the farmers. EASTERN SECTION The Eastern Section contains 1,156,220 acres, of which 440,000 are irrigable. Most of the land is of a gentle rolling character and susceptible to good drainage. Water is obtained from the Bow River by means of a gigantic dam which has just been completed at Bassano, Alta. A large portion of the irrigable lands in this section are now open to settlement. The estimated mileage of canals and ditches necessary to serve it is 2500. The Eastern Section system has been designed with a view of rotation in supply being adopted, which will result in each individual farmer obtaining a satisfactory head, a fair division of water, and the simplification of operating problems.' This is a matter which cannot be worked out in detail until the lands are settled, and the system is being planned on the basis of giving parcels of between 80 and 160 acres a supply ft two second feet for a period of 96 hours, and parcels smaller than 80 acres a similar flow for 48 hours. .. ■■■■■. ** M« *» rctt iO£ 0&4 < I / still w/, ,f gSfmrrl ■Jik \ Bassano Dam, Looking Bast SOIL The soil of the Irrigation Block is, generally speaking, a chocolate loam containing a percentage of sand sufficient to render it easily worked. One part of the Block may differ somewhat from another, yet very rarely do we find the heavy clay soils that are so hard to work and that may be found in other parts of Canada. All who have had any experience know that the lighter chocolate or 6 dark colored loam that has a slight admixture of sand makes the best soil for all classes of agricultural work. Such soils are what are termed "fast" growing soils; that is, crops make very rapid growth during the warm months of summer. These sandy loam soils very rarely "bake," and in fact three horses on this soil will do the cultivation as easily as four on the heavier clay soils. This fast growing soil of the Irrigation Block, coupled with the long growing days that are experienced in Alberta,, make a wonderful combination for the farmer who is looking for a home where farming becomes a pleasure. The unbroken portions of the Block are covered with a dense growth of prairie grass, which, in days gone by, furnished pasture for the thousands of cattle that were finished for market on the open range. This dense and luxuriant growth of grass is indicative of the strength of the soil. LETHBRIDGE SECTION In the spring of 1912 the Canadian Pacific Railway acquired the irrigation system then owned by the Alberta Railway and Irrigation Company, and is now administering it under the name of the "Lethbridge Section." This, the pioneer irrigation undertaking on a large scale in Western Canada, was started in the year 1900 and completed some years ago. This extensive irrigation system, which was constructed at an expenditure of over $1,000,- 000, draws from an inexhaustible water supply in the lakes fed by the melted snows and glaciers of the Rocky Mountains, from which flows the St. Mary River, where the head gates are located. The total length of the canal is 115 miles. The system skirts the famous Milk River ridge on the north, which is one of the most celebrated grazing areas in Western Canada. The area under irrigation is about 130,000 acres. The Lethbridge Section is admirably served with transportation facilities. One railway line connects Lethbridge with the international boundary, and other lines traverse the centre of the district and serve the most westerly portion thereof. WHAT IRRIGATION MEANS Irrigation is not a mere expedient for flooding the ground because it will not rain. Irrigation farming is a movement in advance on farming by rainfall. The farmer in a rainy country suffers fully as much because it rains too copiously at the wrong time, as he does because it does not rain when his crops need moisture. Rarely does the farmer want all his ground watered at the same time. Some crops thrive only when moist and some are destroyed by moisture. It is a Well-known fact that there are not in the whole range of economic plants produced on the farms of America any two that would require exactly the same quantity of moisture at exactly the same stage of growth, and it is equally clear that where farm- 7 Go ing is carried on depending upon natural rainfall only, which does not differentiate, all plants are perforce treated alike, no matter how varied their moisture requirements may be. In an irrigated country the farmer can generally apply the exact degree of moisture to suit any crop. The very color and texture of fruits and vegetables can be regulated by irrigation. The irrigation farmer can keep his crops growing until they have attained their maximum development, and then shut off the water and ripen them quickly. The onion raiser keeps his bulbs growing until time to ripen, then dries them off, retaining the most perfect keeping qualities. By always keeping potatoes evenly moist, they are made smooth and free from knobs and second growths. With the above facts clearly established, it will be seen that irrigation farming is the only agricultural system that ordinarily permits of the most intelligent treatment, at a very insignificant cost, of each individual crop on the farm. IRRIGATION ESSENTIAL TO GET FULL EFFICIENCY "I irrigated this year 30 acres of wheat, five acres of alfalfa, and three acres of potatoes. The wheat did not come up very well in the spring, but all the same it was plain to see that irrigation increased the yield. I should not, in fact, have got anything if I had not irrigated. Some of the wheat I did not irrigate I did not cut. The potatoes yielded about 200 bushels to the acre, of the early Ohio variety. The alfalfa, which was seeded two years ago, gave two cuttings of about two tons to the acre, the first cutting being bad owing to the hail. I think that irrigation is very good, and prefer to see the water stay with the land—I am willing to pay for the water four years and use it the fifth. I came here from Colorado in 1911, and if I hadn't thought I could raise alfalfa here I should not have come." (Sgd.) P. A. MERTGEN. Namaka, Alberta, November 15th, 1914. RESULTS FROM IRRIGATION To ascertain just what benefits were to be derived from irrigation in Southern Alberta, a series of experiments was undertaken by the Dominion Government Experimental" Farm at Lethbridge. This farm is divided into a "dry" and "irrigated" section, and as it is the business of the manager to produce the best results possible on each section, the conclusion arrived at may be accepted as absolutely unbiased. With this fact in mind the figures from the Farm Report furnish interesting and convincing reading. Comparing the results secured under natural rainfall conditions with results secured under irrigation, the following crops' show, as the result of adopting the latter, the percentage of increase set opposite each:— 8 Potatoes 260% Mangolds 102% Turnips 200% Field Peas 73% Sugar Beets 184% Barley (two-rowed) 69% Carrots 141% Barley (six-rowed) 45% Corn ;... 128% Spring Wheat 33% The highest yielding wheat under irrigation, covering two years, went A3l/2 bushels per acre. The same wheat without irrigation yielded 33 bushels per acre during the same period. In six-rowed barley the figures were 61 z/2 and 48J4 bushels respectively. Two-rowed barley under irrigation yielded 65, and without irrigation 49J4 bushels per acre. Potatoes made a remarkable showing under irrigation. The figures were 646y2 bushels per acre as compared with 149J4 without irrigation. Sugar beets yielded 24J4 tons per acre under irrigation, and 6% without. Mangolds, 25 tons per acre and 13% without. Turnips about the same. Carrots, 15 tons under water and 6y2 tons under dry land culture. Fodder corn yielded 15J4 tons under irrigation as compared with 6% tons without. Concrete urop, Secondary Canal «C" Western Sectloa mtitWE The Farmer's Wife Finds Pin Money The following table shows the average yield under irrigation and non-irrigation for six years up to and including 1914: Irrigated 6-year Non-irrigated average 6-year average Wheat 46 bushels 26 bushels Oats 101 " 59 Barley (Claude) 73 " 34 Potatoes 492 " 233 These figures show that for the period of seven years, wheat under irrigation, yielded an average of 20 bushels per acre more than under dry farming; oats yielded 42 bushels more, barley 39 bushels more and potatoes 259 bushels more. It should also be noted that under irrigation very successful crops of alfalfa were grown which not only were very profitable in themselves, but maintained and increased the fertility of the soil. Another feature of much importance is the fact that, although the irrigated area of Southern Alberta is naturally treeless, the introduction of water makes possible the growth of a number of varieties of trees which thrive wonderfully under irrigation conditions. Belts of these 0 trees are of great value, not only for the beauty which they add to the landscape, but for affording shelter and providing places where small fruits can be grown to the best advantage. The farmer who has a portion of his land under irrigation may in a few years be the possessor of a very beautiful home, surrounded by trees, and producing the finest fruits and vegetables both for his own use and for sale. At Strathmore, in the Western Section of the Canadian Pacific Irrigation Block, the Dominion Government, in the season of 1914 conducted experiments to ascertain what benefits might be derived from irrigation in that district. The land used had been summer-fallowed the previous year, which made it favorable to showing good results from dry farming, but the yields demonstrated overwhelmingly the advantage of irrrigation. The best yield of Red Fife wheat obtained without irrigation was 16 bushels per acre, while with irrigation 42.8 bushels per acre were secured. The result with Marquis wheat was even more striking. Without irrigation it yielded 16.8 bushels per acre, and with irrigation the yield was 50.1 bushels per acre—an advantage in favor of irrigation of 33.3 bushels per acre. One variety of peas yielded 12.5 bushels per acre more with irrigation than on dry-farmed summer- fallowed land, and another variety showed an increase under irrigation of 13.3 bushels per acre. No comparison of the benefits of irrigation on oats and barley were secured during this, the first year of the Government's experiments at Strathmore. The above figures demonstrate very clearly the benefits of irrigation for grain and vegetable crops in Southern Alberta, and for fodders such as alfalfa and timothy, its value is even greater. The fact is that irrigation assures the farmer of a maximum crop every season. It also does away with the necessity of summer-fallow, which must be employed under "dry farming" practice. Thus irrigated land may cost more than non-irrigated land, and still be really cheaper, as it is not necessary to leave part of the irrigated land lying fallow each year. The irrigation farmer is able to crop every acre of his land every year, and, by rotating grain crops with alfalfa and roots, can not only maintain but increase the fertility of his soil. WHEAT RAISING UNDER IRRIGATION Wheat in Southern Alberta is an essentially non-Jrri- gated crop. Nevertheless, while we are anxious that no misapprehension should exist in the mind of the prospective colonist in regard to the fact that the non-irrigable acres of Southern Alberta are undoubtedly the most productive and cheapest wheat lands on the continent of America today, we do not by any means desire to go on record as maintaining that the production of wheat under irrigation is not also a paying proposition. Having water available for distribution on the land, 10 possibilities arise in wheat culture that cannot be realized on non-irrigable lands in Southern Alberta or elsewhere. In common with all countries, Southern Alberta during occasional seasons receives a rainfall insufficient in its total volume or so irregular in its distribution, as to preclude the possibility of producing a first-class crop. This is the fate of all agricultural countries almost without exception, where irrigation is not available. Again, every good farmer aims at perfection, and while in most years he will harvest an excellent crop of wheat, it is seldom that an additional yield of a few bushels per acre could not be added by the judicious application of water just at the critical time when the farmer feels that a good soaking rain would mean hundreds of dollars to him, and the much desired shower does not come. On-the irrigated farm he has rain "on tap." Some years irrigation of wheat would not be of any advantage at all. Most years one application of water would be a profitable practice, and when the drought demon makes his appearance, sooner or later, the application of water saves the situation, and would simply transform an indifferent crop into one giving perhaps the highest yield per acre on record. When the rainfall is slight the weather as a rule is warm, and it will be readily understood that with extremely hot. weather and an unlimited supply of water the conditions for a record yield of wheat would be about perfect. CROP INSURANCE We do not, however, wish the reader to misunderstand the situation. The irrigation of wheat is practised purely and simply as a crop insurance, not as a necessity. Wheat under irrigation introduces the element of insurance at a small cost, and the highest returns can, therefore, be confidently expected every year, no matter whether the rainfall be over or under the normal volume. For it should be emphasized that the Bow River, from which the Canadian Pacific Irrigation Block derives its water supply, and the St. Mary River, which serves the Lethbridge Section, are both glacier rivers, and are fed by the melting of the snow and ice which takes place every year, with the regularity of clockwork and with little variation, on the Rocky ' Mountains. While irrigation water is from snow fed streams, measurements of temperature of the water delivered through the canals shows that during its passage through the canals and reservoirs, it becomes warm to a temperature of from 10 to 20 degrees above that of rain water. TWICE THE YIELD WITH IRRIGATION "I have been farming in this district for four years. Thirty acres of my land can be irrigated, and having been asked the question whether irrigation is' beneficial in raising crops, and what is the gain of land properly irrigated over land that is dry-farmed, I consider that I can, taking 31 one season with another, prove that I can raise more than twice as much with irrigation. "Twenty acres I have at present in timothy and alfalfa. When I first put the alfalfa in, I used seed that I had brought in from the States, and as it was rather old, I did not get a very good catch; but it is now growing as fine as any alfalfa I have ever seen, and I come from Idaho, which is a famous alfalfa country. Last season I got twenty big loads the first cutting, and ten loads the second cutting, off this nineteen acres; this year I got thirty loads the first cutting and eleven the second off the same. "I have another ten acres that can be irrigated which I put into alfalfa this past spring, prior to which I raised three crops of oats on it. The only first class practical wheat which I had this year was where land was irrigated in 1913- It stood breast high, whereas wheat on land right THE COST OF WHEAT IRRIGATION An objection often raised is that the cost of water per acre and the application thereof would be prohibitive in the case of wheat. This is erroneous. While the irrigation of cereal crops is not expected to be a feature of the irrigated areas of Southern Alberta, for the reason that the irrigated fields can be made to produce crops that will give much larger returns per acre than wheat, oats or barley, no reason exists why cereals cannot be successfully produced under artificial watering at a lower cost per bushel than on non-irrigated lands. The difference in cost per acre, between conserving moisture by means of the summer-fallow and providing it ..>-*i*'v- {■■■■ lillS'laRs 1 I' ■ ■ ■ ^ m >..,-- :^&ft£,': ,,:.;;••£. ^H'tiM^' SSL «,- V,.^*- ~dH „ ' " .- "'.■■■■ ■'■mbrtfmmam H^i-^^&^ Vegetable and Field Crops on Irrigation Land, Southern Alberta adjoining was so light that it could not be cut with a binder. I irrigate twice or three times every year, according to season. "On less than three-quarters of an acre of land which was irrigated I raised some champion potatoes this year, of immense size and splendid texture, being confident that there were over 400 bushels altogether. "When I started irrigating, some of the farmers in this vicinity came to see me, and advised me to quit irrigating. They claimed that I would kill the crop, but I kept on all the same. The consequence was that I raised the above stated big crops. Altogether, I think I would trade two acres of my best dry land for one acre of irrigable land." (Sgd.) A. G. EDWARDS. Cluny, Alberta, November 19th, 1914. 12 by irrigation, is largely in favor of the latter. The cost of proper surface culture of fallow lands would not be less than $2.00 per acre for the season. The cost of water is from 50c. to $1.25 per acre, and of its application not more than another half dollar. IRRIGATION I A FIRM BELIEVER IN "After five years of actual experience, I am a firm believer in irrigation in Southern Alberta. In the fall of 1913 I irrigated some land that was to be sown to wheat the following year, and without any irrigation water during the season of 1914 this land has produced 27 bushels of No. One wheat to the acre, and was cut in the fore part of August. Our alfalfa land has given us better than 13 three tons to the acre, and we are getting $8.00 a ton for this in the stack. The same land yielded us 110 bushels of oats before being put into alfalfa. "I wish to say that I am familiar with alfalfa raising in California, Colorado, and the Arkansas Valley of Arkansas, and in no place can they raise better feeding alfalfa and raise it easier than they can here. I believe this district destined to be one of the greatest stock feeding countries in the North-West. One thing our farmers must provide, and it is easily done, is an ample supply of water for winter feeding. This can be done by means of reservoirs made in the face of Mother Earth at a very nominal cost. One of the best known sheep men in the North-West was recently over my section of land, and advised me that if the same was all in grass, with sufficient water for winter feeding he would be willing to contract my feed for a number of years, assuring me of gross returns on the land up to ten thousand dollars. "I have been a successful raiser of hogs, and have produced 200 lb. pork at eight months at an average cost of 3y2 cents a pound. There is no such thing as the overproduction of alfalfa, for as we increase our acreage and therefore our tonnage, raising it in sufficient quantities, the stock will come to us to be fed." (Sgd.) OTHO T. LATHROP. Lethbridge, Alberta, November 25th, 1914. FODDER PRODUCTION In no other direction is irrigation attended by such beneficial results as in the production of fodder crops; and there are few crops indeed which are so responsive to the influence of irrigation. The foundation of any irrigation enterprise is not the production of either fruits, cereals, garden truck or other expensive crops, but the feeding and finishing of live stock and the development of dairying in all its branches. This has been the history of irrigation expansion in every State in the Union. Animal husbandry in all its branches vastly overshadows any other line of agricultural production on the irrigated farm. The evidence in support of this fact is even more conclusive when it is taken into consideration that the bulk of the cereal crops harvested on the irrigated farms are fed to live stock. The raising of fodder crops is therefore of paramount importance, and in few cases can it be carried on so successfully as in Southern Alberta, under irrigation. ALFALFA THAT WON FIRST PRIZE AND $150 AT INTERNATIONAL IRRIGATION CONGRESS, CALGARY, 1914 "I irrigated a patch of six acres intended for flax, broke it up, disced it several times, and' after that watered it thoroughly, disced it again and leveled it, and put in my flax by the 30th of May to 1st June, rather late. I had the flax up five days after seeding, and the growth was very regular and heavy, and the maturing was very even. It was out of frost danger by 1st September, while the flax on dry land is still green. The expectation of yield is hard to give yet, but I am expecting a record yield of irrigated 14 flax, while the dry is rather a failure. Irrigating the flax has been the difference between success and failure. "Alfalfa—The old field appeared to do better at the start than the young patch, the roots are further down and get the benefit of more moisture and started growing earlier. I watered the field by the end of May for the first time and was able to cut the first patch by the 22nd June. The young field was cut the first time on the 9-10-11 July. I watered the field by the end of May for the first time, the second time on the 28th July. I cut it on the 3rd day of August and had a yield on it of both cuttings of nearly four tons for the two cuttings. We got the first cutting on the young patch of two tons to the acre and expect about 2% tons to the acre on the second cutting which we are doing now. I am expecting a third crop on the old patch of about a ton to the acre. The old patch is a little over four acres in size and was put in in 1912, the young patch, a little over ten acres, and was put in in 1913. I put in seven acres more this year. "We made a very conclusive test on spring wheat put in on stubble. We cut a 36-acre patch in two, of which one-half was not watered at all, and of the other half we had about six acres cut out, not being properly fit for irrigation. By threshing yesterday we found out that the non-irrigated field yielded 204 bushels, while the partly irrigated yielded 312. Considering that the first four acres of land had been irrigated only very lightly and yielded 15 bushels to the acre, and that on the balance of the field about six acres had been cut out, this proves to compare very favorably with the next field which did notget any water. On one patch of 2r/2 acres where we irrigated very properly we got a yield of 22 bushels to the acre." (Sgd.) J. A. CAMMAERT. Strathmore, September 17th, 1914. Mr. Cammaert's alfalfa was later entered in the competition for "Display of Alfalfa Grown with Irrigation Class" at the 21st International Irrigation Congress Exhibition held at Calgary, October 5th to 9th, and was successful in carrying off the first prize and $150 cash. Entries to the various classes at the exhibition were numerous and came from all parts of Western Canada and the United States. A WORD TO THE "CORN BELT" FARMER A large number of new settlers in Western Canada come from what is popularly known as the "corn belt" of the United States. That is where the densest agricultural population and the greatest amount of agricultural wealth in America are concentrated. The "corn belt" farmer is generally an experienced feeder, or has, at least, a very intimate knowledge of the business and art of feeding and finishing live stock. He also entertains, and very properly so, a very high regard for "King Corn." Seeing that he has been brought up under an agricultural system where corn is the backbone and foundation of animal husbandry, it is, perhaps, natural that he should often go to extremes, and conclude that animal husbandry cannot be a paying proposition where corn is not available as a food. 15 LAST TWO GRAND CHAMPIONS NEVER TASTED CORN Such, however, is not the fact. The pet prejudice of a generation of stockmen was upset in a most striking manner at the 1912 International Live Stock Show at Chicago, and then altogether swept away at the 1913 show. In both years, the grand championship in the steer class—the blue ribbon event of the American continent for fat cattle—was awarded for a Western Canadian steer—Glencarnock Victor in 1912 and Glencarnock Victor II. in 1913. Neither had ever tasted corn. The first named ran on the prairie grass, supplemented by a ration of crushed oats and barley. The last three months before exhibition it was stabled, and a little ground linseed with turnips and native hay and oat sheaves added to the allowance. On this diet, it was able to stand the journey to Chicago and defeat in open competition the choicest corn-fed steers of the United States. But as though this were not sufficiently The Breeding of Pure-bred Horses is the Basis of a Prosperous Irrigation Community conclusive evidence of the superiority of a diet in which corn did not figure at all, in 1913 Glencarnock Victor II., raised by the same owner, went down to Chicago and repeated the performance, again capturing the grand championship for the best beef steer from all the corn-fed animals. OATS AND BARLEY VS. CORN Both oats and barley give greater yields per acre than corn. The average yield of corn in Kansas, the greatest corn producing State, for the four years 1909-1912 inclusive, was 18.75 bushels, or 1050 lbs. The average for oats for the whole of the Province of Alberta, taking in both irrigated and non-irrigated lands, for the same four years, was 42.12 bushels, or 1,432.08 lbs.; of barley, 28.55 bushels, or 1,370.40 lbs. Pound for pound there is equally as much if not more—as the above-mentioned victories serve to prove—feeding value in oats or barley as in corn. 18 Feed is no scarcer or dearer in Southern Alberta than in the United States and there is every reason why the industry of feeding and finishing cattle should become the main feature of agriculture in the Irrigation Block. THE NATIVE GRASSES OF SOUTHERN ALBERTA The pride of Southern Alberta is its wild grasses, and nowhere can better quality in greater quantity be found. They are not only good as to kind but more nourishing because of the excellence of the soil upon which they are grown. The abundance of sunshine also tends to make grasses more nutritious. Nearly a hundred species of true "grasses and many sedges and rushes are native, being found intermixed throughout prairie and slough, from a few inches to six feet and over in height. All these go to the making of the ranges justly so celebrated for the production of beef and mutton. There are also found a few dozen species of leguminous plants, the pea vines, vetches, etc. THE IRRIGATED GRASS MEADOW The fundamental crop is grass. It covers the land as with a blanket, prepares the soil for other crops, and affords sustenance for farm animals. Grass is one of the important crops in rotation; and a rotation is essential to general husbandry, if productiveness of the land is to be maintained. Next to alfalfa, timothy is the favorite grass for the irrigated meadow. Southern Alberta soil has proved itself particularly adaptable to the growth of timothy, and returns exceedingly large yields in this crop. It forms a splendid head and stalk, and grows to a great height. Three tons to the acre is no unusual crop, and it finds a ready market at from $12.00 to $18.00 per ton. AVERAGES 25 TO 40 PER CENT. MORE UNDER IRRIGATION "I have farmed five seasons and have used water every season, and but for the fact that I could not get my renters to use it more fully I would have irrigated all my irrigable lands, which would mean about 300 acres in my half section. "From my judgment, one will on the average get from 25 to 40 per cent, more under irrigation than from ordinary dry farming. This year I got better than 80 per cent more on lands I irrigated last fall than on lands not irrigated. Same cultivation and seed on each. "I have 35 acres of alfalfa. I wish I had 300 acres of alfalfa. I consider it the best crop we can raise here. It could not be grown successfully without plenty of water, and this cannot be supplied except by irrigation. I do not grow but two crops a year and I expect about 3% to 4 tons a year as a fair yield. What I have seen not irrigated is not worth cutting." (Signed) F. W. CRANDALL, S. E. & N.'W. 27-22-23-4. Gleichen, Alberta, September 12th, 1914. 17 ALFALFA The growing of alfalfa in Southern Alberta has long passed the experimental stage; it has proven one of the surest and most profitable crops in the province. According to Superintendent Fairfield of the Lethbridge Demonstration Farm (and Mr. Fairfield, it should be added, was previously in charge of the Wyoming Experimental Station at Laramie, Wyo., and is recognized as one of the foremost authorities on alfalfa), there is a great future for alfalfa growing in Southern Alberta, and the crop will in time become the leading one on the irrigated lands of the Province. It is the "Staff of Life" in the barnyard. Horses work on it without grain. Fed to dairy cows, they give their richest milk. Cattle and sheep fatten on it with only a small grain ration; even pigs eat the dry hay readily and can be pastured all summer on the alfalfa field. For chickens, finely ground alfalfa meal is sold at high prices in the east as an egg compelling nostrum. Chemical nHraf. zm emm«mmiixm/-fgtiii st, mi: ;iii>«(#«w jPr^n.ftfMift&r ■«tP ,-A* .' ^§fg|?*/ ., ** V ^^r<*P&i < ■ - - f ' mm % ':,":': 1 •' |i:f§|fe^ :HSL . ■ ■■■■■■ ■ ■ . :■ ,_ Concrete Drops at Gleichen analysis shows alfalfa to contain almost exactly twice the digestible elements that a ton of the best timothy hay contains. Alfalfa is so rich that it cannot be cured except in a dry climate. ALFALFA AND SOIL TEXTURE Alfalfa is extremely valuable as a fertilizer. In Bulletin 44 of the Wyoming Experimental Station, Professor B. C. Buffum states that as a result of the first year's cropping on alfalfa sod, 48% greater yield of oats and 60% more wheat was obtained from alfalfa land than from the check plots which had not grown alfalfa. The wheat on the alfalfa lands yielded 30 bushels to the acre, and the oats 78 bushels. 18 Alfalfa also improves the tilth or physical condition of the soil. The roots grow to a large size and penetrate to unusual depths in the subsoil. Samples of roots taken at the Kansas Experimental Station were found to reach a depth of over 9 feet. At the Colorado Experiment Station, Dr. W. P. Headden traced the roots of alfalfa to a depth of twelve and a half feet. When the land is plowed to destroy alfalfa, these roots decay, forming humus, which aids in loosening the soil and gives it a greater capacity for holding moisture, and the openings in the soil left by the roots form a system of channels for the penetration of air and water in the hard subsoil of heavy clay lands. The physical effect which alfalfa has on the soil accounts for the wheat growing ranker on old alfalfa fields for years after breaking the alfalfa sod. Drawing its water and mineral plant food from the deeper subsoil and receiving its nitrogen from the air, it actually increases the supply of this valuable plant food in the subsoil, and by the dropping of its leaves and by the decay of its tubercles and roots it adds vastly to the humus contents of the top soil. Meanwhile several large and profitable crops of the most nutritious hay are harvested each year. The consensus of opinion amongst experts is that alfalfa will do more for western agriculture in the next? fifty years than all the other crops which the farmers may grow in that region. The soil of Southern Alberta is enormously rich in the mineral elements of plant food, but may in time be lacking in humus, particularly where the land has been farmed continuously to wheat or other grains for a number of years. By growing alfalfa it will be possible to increase the supply of humus in the soil and to give it a larger capacity to absorb and hold water. In the Lethbridge district the growing of alfalfa under irrigation has been on a commercial basis for several years and there are at present some 10,000 acres seeded down to this crop. This is undoubtedly the greatest alfalfa-growing district of Western Canada at the present time and no question can arise as to its success here where irrigation is available. This success is due principally to the efforts of Mr. W. H. Fairfield, Superintendent of the Dominion Experimental Farm at Lethbridge, who has constantly advocated the growth of this plant since his arrival in the country, and who has proven beyond a doubt the value of it to the irrigated farm. The crop here yields from four to six tons per acre, and is cut two or three times per season. The new fields are inoculated by earth from old fields, and the crop is irrigated after each cutting, fall irrigation having been found most advantageous. Between 800 and a thousand acres are under crop in the Western Section of the Irrigation Block although alfalfa growing was only introduced there a few years ago. "In this short time, however, enough has been done," accord- 19 I ing to the Government's Bulletin No. 6 of the Irrigation iSeries of pamphlets, "to demonstrate beyond doubt that it lean be grown successfully." SPLENDID CROPS OF ALFALFA Robert Biggar, who farms near Namaka, writes:— 'This is the seventh year I have farmed in the district, ut I have only used water to any extent for three. I am just now learning how beneficial it is. I have 20 acres in alfalfa, 10 of which were put in this year, and irrigated the whole patch twice. The yield was from three to three and a half tons per acre." H. W. Lee, of Gleichen, writes:—"I had a very good yield of alfalfa taking 44 loads, about 40 tons, off less than 11 acres. Irrigation leaves the land in very fine shape for the spring. If the water contract goes, whoever takes it away might as well take the land, which would be useless without it." W. H. Pawson, Jr., of Coaldale, says:—"My older alfalfa meadows are all yielding from three to five tons per acre and are getting stronger every year." In older sections of the States it has long been taken as an agricultural axiom that the success of any section that can produce alfalfa is assured; how much more profitable should it prove where prices from $13.00 to $20.00 per ton are realized? to Mr. Stevens, is equal to .100 tons of lime per acre in the first foot of soil, or sufficient available alfalfa food to last 100 years. "You have in Central and Eastern sections, probably the largest body of strong lime lands in America—natural alfalfa lands. "My investigations in this district show the subsoil, at a depth of eight or ten feet, is as highly impregnated with lime as the soil nearer the surface. Having made a number of tests in the Bassano district, all of which showed a strong content of lime in the soils, I made tests as far north as Township 25, Range 18, invariably finding the same result. "Mr. Joseph Wing, of Mechanicsburg, Ohio, one of the world's greatest authorities on alfalfa and author: of 'Alfalfa in America,' declares that 'Any land that will grow alfalfa successfully is worth $300 per acre.' The truth of this statement is apparent when one fully appreciates the wonderful feeding value of the plant and the enormous yields secured, particularly on irrigated soil highly impregnated with lime, accompanied by perfect climatic conditions—long hours of sunshine, bright days during which the product can be harvested, 'pea green,' the color under which it commands the highest price. "I find the average yield in this district to be four to five tons per acre, secured in three cuttings. The market price quoted in the Calgary papers at this writing, is $15 per ton. Mr. Wing's statement as to the actual value of alfalfa land is thus further substantiated. For it requires no argument to convince one that land producing crops worth $60.00 to $80.00 per acre, annually, is cheap at that figure, with prices of the product fluctuating from $15.00 to $20.00 per ton." (Signed) A. C WEAVER. Bassano, Alberta, November, 1914. OUR NATURAL LIME ALFALFA LANDS "Within the past three years there has developed in the United States quite a movement of settlers to the 'Black Belt' alfalfa lands of Alabama and Mississippi. This movement has been augmented by the efforts of the United States Department of Agriculture, which in 1911 issued a bulletin (Report No. 96) dealing with the growth of alfalfa on these soils designated as 'Houston Clay.' "These lands, comprising about 1,000,000 acres, are at present considered the largest body of natural alfalfa lands in America, their great adaptibility to its growth being due to the high percentage of lime they contain, this chemical being a first requisite to the successful propagation of this legume. "Last winter I was sent by a syndicate to Alabama to inspect a number of tracts within this belt, being accompanied by Mr. F. D. Stevens, an expert of the Bureau of Plant Industry of the Department of Agriculture. We inspected and tested the soils of some twenty to thirty . plantations. "On my return to Bassano this fall I was surprised to find growing on Mr. Pattin's farm as fine alfalfa as the best produced in the 'Black Belt.' Its dense growth and deep healthful color led me to suspect the soil to be highly impregnated with lime. I secured a number of soil samples, made hydrochloric tests, and was astonished to find the soil to contain as high a percentage of lime as the best alfalfa lands of the Black Belt. I consider the result of these tests to be of tremendous importance to prospective settlers and to the future of alfalfa production in the Central and Eastern sections. They show the subsoil of this district to contain not less than 6% lime, which, according 20 ALFALFA FOR THE DAIRY COW Alfalfa unquestionably holds first place among the feeds for the dairy cow. It is a happy combination of richness and succulence. It has been predicted that the cow fed on alfalfa will, in the near future, set the price of butter for the world. Alfalfa has the two paramount qualities to enable it to do this: low cost of production in localities adapted to it and the superior quality of butter produced while feeding it. Prime alfalfa hay is very palatable and being easily digested and of a very cooling and laxative tendency, has an effect on the butter fat similar to green pasture. With it the June conditions, which are most favorable to the production of the finest quality and largest quantity, can more nearly be maintained all summer at less cost than with any other single food. When used, the problem of the "balanced ration," which is such a mystery to many dairymen, is solved. Professor D. H. Otis, of the Kansas Agricultural College, says:— "Alfalfa can be used in place of bran for dairy cows and is the only single feed that will make a balanced ration with corn or Kaffir-corn. While feeding the hay to dairy cows at this station, we have produced butter fat at 11.9 cents per pound. When we did not have alfalfa, we were 21 obliged to balance up the ration with high-priced concentrates, and the butter fat cost us from 15 to 17 cents. Green alfalfa makes an excellent feed for soiling cows, or for supplementing short or dry pastures." ALFALFA FOR OTHER LIVE STOCK Alfalfa contains 8 to 12 per cent, of protein, one of the most valuable and expensive foods the stockman requires to maintain his herd in a thrifty growing condition. The United States Department of Agriculture says:— "Alfalfa in money value is worth 45 per cent, more than other clovers and 60 per cent, more than timothy. Ten milch cows can be fed on less than two acres by soiling. One acre will pasture 20 hogs for six months. Three pounds per day makes a full feed for fattening lambs. Four to five pounds make full feed for fattening aged sheep. Thirty-five pounds make full feed for fattening steers. Lambs wintered on alfalfa will produce one to two pounds more of wool than when on the ranch. Alfalfa is a fine poultry food when cut fine." WOULD HAVE HAD NOTHING WITHOUT IRRIGATION "I irrigated about twenty acres of oats about the middle of June. I had an average yield over the whole field, consisting of seventy acres, of about thirty-five bushels to the acre, but it was very easy to tell every spot where it had been irrigated, as the growth was much finer there. We _ should have been a lot better off if we had irrigated earlier. I never used water before this year, except in 1910, when I used it on some potatoes. We should have had nothing at all that year without irrigation. I believe it is irrigated land which is going to build up this country, and I would not have come here to have a farm that was not irrigated." THOMAS CRAWFORD. Strathmore, Alberta, November 11th, 1914. THE FIELD PEA The field pea of Southern Alberta is different from the field pea as it grows anywhere else in the world. It might almost be a different plant. The reason lies in the difference in the climate. Southern Alberta is high and has a temperate climate. It has warm sunshine and almost no cloudy weather at all, and the air is very dry. The field pea is very hardy, standing quite severe frosts without injury. Field peas in Southern Alberta are drilled in, or sometimes sown broadcast and plowed under early in the spring. The peas sprout quickly and grow rapidly. The crop receives no cultivation, but is irrigated by flooding just like other grain, until the vines cover the ground, and then the farmer is through working his peas. ROOTS AND VEGETABLES All varieties of roots and vegetables usually grown in temperate climates are profitable under irrigation in Southern Alberta; and owing to the great increase in population during the last generation, caused by the influx of immigration, there is a large and constantly expanding market for all varieties of garden produce—a market sc] large, indeed, that supplies have to be called in from out/ side to meet the demand. Irrigation is especially suited to the intensive methods of agriculture necessary with garden truck. Writing of his 1914 crop a settler says:— IRRIGATION PRODUCES A WELL FILLED CELLAR OF VEGETABLES "I have been farming four years in this district, but 1914 was my first experience with irrigation, which has proven very satisfactory this dry year. I found then that grain ripened earlier with irrigation than on dry land, being cut about the 20th August and giving a yield of about 30 bushels of number one wheat to the acre, while other fields, not irrigated, made a yield of about fifteen bushels per acre of number two grade. "Being my first year of irrigation, it was also my first An Irrigation Settler's Home experience with alfalfa. I seeded on June 18th, 1914, and got the first cutting on August 19th, a very heavy growth of hay, and rooted from sixteen to twenty inches deep. I used water twice on this. "I used water also on my garden and potatoes. The results are a well-filled cellar of potatoes, parsnips, carrots, cabbage, beets, turnips and salsify,_ all kinds of summer vegetables and flowers, a regular picture. "My experience with irrigation has been very satisfactory so far." C. E. SCHAFER, Tudor, Alberta, October 27th, 1914. SUGAR BEETS Hitherto the raising of sugar beets has not been very general in Western Canada. However, developments took place in the year 1914 along this line through the action of a number of beet-sugar raisers from the State of Colorado who moved to Alberta and located near Bassano, in the eastern section of the Canadian Pacific Irrigation Block. 23 Their leader, A. L. Fryberger, said in a newspaper interview before the colony moved up:— "It was with the idea of making a report to my friends I in Colorado that I had experimented with beets to test the isuitability of this country for their growth on a commer- Scial scale. My experiment has been entirely satisfactory. This is going to be a great beet-raising country. My crop averaged between 16% and 18% sugar, which is a very high rate. Irrigation is essential to successful cultivation. Situated as we are in the eastern section of the irrigation system, we have not yet had the water turned on in the ditches; but, with the closing of the big Bassano dam we shall have an abundant supply. The fact that my experiment has been successful without irrigation should be satisfactory evidence of what can be done with irrigation. "Beets are an extremely profitable crop. With proper cultivation, from ten to twelve tons per acre can be grown easily; indeed, some of the boys who will come up as the justify the erection of a sugar factory, either in the locality or in some near city. Since Mr. Fryberger gave out the foregoing newspaper interview, the proposed Bassano Colony of Colorado settlers has become a fact as will be seen from the following newspaper item published at the time of their arrival in March. "History was made in the colonization of Western Canada this week when a solid train of settlers and effects from Colorado arrived at Bassano, Alberta. Parties and carloads of settlers have, of course, been coming to Western Canada for many years, but this is the first instance in Some Products of Irrigation in Alberta result of my recommendation conservatively estimate their crops at from twelve to fifteen tons per acre. Beets add fertility to the soil, too, instead of robbing it, and the tops of the plant have in many parts a commercial value as feed." The ultimate intention of the colony of Colorado men, it should be added, is to produce enough beets yearly to 24 which a solid train load has been brought from an outside community to settle in a location in Western Canada. They arrived at Bassano on Wednesday, having completed a rail trip of 2,300 miles with all their effects in less than eight days, and although there were 79 people, 175 horses, 2,000 chickens and turkeys, and other live stock, all arrived 25 in perfect health. The Board of Trade at Bassano tendered the newcomers a banquet that evening, and the citizens of the town, along with representatives of the Canadian Pacific Railway, used every effort to assist the newcomers in unloading their effects and conveying them < to the ready-made farm colony where they have bought their farms." An example of the opportunities before them is found in the fact that at the present time potatoes which grew splendidly in the Bassano district are being sold by farmers there for $1.25 per bushel; eggs realize 50c; butter 40c per pound and other farm produce in proportion." SUGAR BEETS DO WELL UNDER IRRIGATION Mr. Fryberger also sends us the following letter:— "We moved to Alberta in March, 1913, from Colorado, and located in the Eastern section of the C. P. R. Irrigation Block, in the Bassano Colony. The first year, the system not being completed, we had no irrigation water, but had fairly good crops. In 1914, the system being complete, the Company turned the water in on the 15th day of May, and where we used the water we had good crops, there being nothing raised except where we irrigated (it being an unusually dry year). We sowed alfalfa, timothy, speltz, oats, wheat, and barley, all of which did well with irrigation. Sugar beets, swede turnips and potatoes do exceedingly Well. We have all the natural elements for stock raising such as grass, water, plenty of sunshine both winter and summer, mild winters, and can raise plenty of grain for fattening stock. We have enjoyed the best of health and believe that anyone coming here who is not afraid of work will win. (Sgd.) A. L. FRYBERGER. Gem, Alberta, November 14th, 1914. TO FARM SUCCESSFULLY MUST IRRIGATE Robert W. Comer, another settler from Colorado, adds his testimony to that of Mr. Fryberger. "In writing this letter it is my wish to make a plain and exact statement of just what I have been able to accomplish during my first season in this district. "I moved from Greeley, Colorado, bringing with me four head of horses, 28 hens, implements and household effects, landing here March 22nd, 1914. By the latter part of May I had succeeded in getting 95 acres in wheat, oats, barley and potatoes. , "When I bought this farm the understanding with the Company was that they would be unable to deliver water to us until this fall, but the spring was exceptionally dry and it appeared very plain that no one could secure any crop without water. By exceptional efforts they succeeded in getting water to me the last of May. All crops were then irrigated up, but as I had not expected to use water this year my ground had not been put in shape to get the water all over it properly, with the result that my fields of grain were not uniform. Parts of my wheat went 35 to 40 bushels to the acre. Oats and barley, where they were well watered, made good yields, but in all grain fields the spots I did not get the water on made practically nothing. This has positively convinced me that to farm successfully in this district we must irrigate, and that all crops respond very quickly to the application of water. Not only that, but I have positively demonstrated that by 26 properly applying water one can greatly hasten the maturing of grain. This was shown by unwatered spots being still very green at the time the irrigated portions were perfectly ripe. "Coming from a famous potato country, I was very curious to know what success we could make with this crop here. I prepared a little less than 4 acres which I finished planting on June 2nd. Taking into consideration the fact that I had to irrigate them up, which is not a good practice, and that they were on new land which had never been fertilized, I feel that the 700 bushels secured is a wonderful showing, and I am convinced that when this ground is gotten into proper shape, the results secured will be as good, if not much better, than in any of the great potato districts in the States. "The hens I brought with me have paid for my groceries, and I have raised 70 chickens. My neighbors have all done as well with their hens and have had exceptional success with turkeys. "My pigs have done exceptionally well, costing practically nothing to raise to good-sized shoats. Hog diseases are almost unknown and as soon as we have our alfalfa fields well started, there will be lots of money in this line. "Stock of all kinds do well, especially milch cows. So far as I have been able to discover, prices for both butter and cream have always been good. The number of cows in the district is rapidly increasing. "I have found the climate much better than it was represented to me or than I expected. The general impression Colorado people seem to have as to the climate in Alberta is entirely wrong. No doubt the fact that I did not stop plowing until November 12th will greatly surprise people who have understood that we have short seasons here. "To sum up, my season's work, my grain and potatoes from the 95 acres have made me, at present market prices, in the neighborhood of $2,400.00. Profits from hogs, calves, colts and chickens raised amount to easily $300.00. "Taking into consideration the fact that this was my first year in the country, and that I was not familiar with local conditions, and that my land was new, I can only say that the results far surpassed my expectations, and I believe I am correct in saying that this colony will undoubtedly develop into one of the best irrigated districts on the continent, and I want to say further, with all earnestness, that I do not believe it is possible to find another new country with equal opportunities for the farmer with limited capital." (Sgd.) ROBERT W. COMER. Gem, Alberta, November 14th, 1914. LIVE STOCK HUSBANDRY Those who are unacquainted with irrigation development are apt to misunderstand the principal object the Canadian Pacific Railway had in view when embarking upon the gigantic irrigation enterprise it operates. As many settlers who purchase lands in the Irrigation Block come from places where irrigation is not practised, it is very important that the matter should be placed intelligently before them. . To the man who is interested in stock, its breeding, feeding and raising, there are many questions which confront him, the greatest of which is, doubtless, that of fodder and grain. With the possession of stock naturally comes the question of feed, and with its solution come 87 profit and wealth. Given stock and its food, man may count upon his increases with less perplexing thought of the future. Such conditions are found in the Canadian Pacific Irrigation Block, which is destined to serve the same purpose in regard to the highest development of the live stock industry, as do the corn-growing States. The time is close at hand when most of the live stock produced in Alberta and now marketed in a more or less unfinished condition, will be sent to the rich alfalfa growing lands east of Calgary, there to be put into prime shape before being exported or slaughtered. A home market at highly remunerative prices will thus be made available for all the fodder that can be produced on our irrigated lands, and with the additional advantage of having the feed consumed on the irrigated farm and ultimately returned to the soil that grew it. Section of Two-mile Aqueduct at Brooks HORSES In breeding horses, Alberta occupies a somewhat similar position to Canada that Kentucky does to the United States. Owing to the high altitude, dry and invigorating atmosphere, short and mild winters, its nutritious grasses and inexhaustible supply of clear, cold water, Alberta is pre-eminently known for her horses, which have become famous for their endurance, lung power, clean bone, and perfect freedom from hereditary and other diseases. There are, in Alberta, several grades of horses varying in point of quality from the hardy Indian pony (cayuse) to the beautiful, wejl-formed thoroughbred. Heavy draft horses are now finding a ready sale at highly paying prices. Teams weighing 3,000 lbs, and upwards, are worth $500 and more. Between 2,500 lbs. and 3,000 lbs., the average price would be $400, and the value of teams weighing between 2,000 lbs. and 2,400 lbs. is $250 and upwards, according to quality. 28 One proof of Alberta's superiority in horse-breeding was recorded at the Alaska-Yukon Pacific Exposition, when George Lane, one of our pioneer horsemen, competing in a class open to the world, secured practically all the prizes in the Percheron class with a string from his ranch. Among the prizes secured by him at that exposition was 16 firsts, including first with six-horse team, first reserve champion and grand champion mares, and 1st, reserve and grand champion stallions. CATTLE The cattle industry of Southern Alberta has developed in three different directions: ranching, beef feeding and dairying. The earliest form was ranching, which, where conditions were favorable, gradually grew from a doubts ful experiment into a substantial, evenly-balanced industry. Cattle ranching is still one of the leading industries of Southern Alberta and will, in many sections, continue to be so for many years to come. The other development, which, in a measure, grew out .of the first, was the production of finished beef and cattle under mixed farming conditions. Feeding steers were purchased from large ranchers and fed for export. Most feeders also had small breeding bunches of •■ their own which, where settlement encroached and farms were fenced, became confined entirely to the owner's property. The feeding and finishing of beef cattle is, comparatively speaking, of recent development, but promises to be one of the leading industries of Southern Alberta within a very short period. Southern Alberta has long been the recognized home of beef cattle of exceptional quality. The peculiar nutrition of the prairie and foothill grasses, the pure water and moderate climate, combine to favor the live stock industry. Of recent years, however, the converting of the large ranges into grain farms and the very rapid increase in population have had the effect of creating a comparative scarcity of beef stock, and prices have reached a figure which gives a very generous return to the rancher or farmer engaged in stock raising. It is an interesting fact that the city of Calgary is the home of the largest individual pure-bred cattle.auction in the world. This takes place in the month of April each year, and on that occasion stockmen gather from far and near to purchase their bulls and to transact other business. Shorthorns, Herefords, Polled Angus, and Galloways are the chief beef breeds, while Holsteins and Ayrshires are produced for dairy purposes. WINTER FEEDING Within the last year or two, a new industry has manifested itself in the production of beef for the market. This is the winter feeding and finishing of steers. The almost 29 universal shipping of cattle in the late summer and fall has had the result of depleting the supply and of lowering prices; and consequently progressive farmers are now feeding a number of steers during the fall and winter, placing them on the market the following spring. This is, of course, something new in Southern Alberta—the painstaking finishing of a young steer—and many of those who follow this business are men who came to Southern Alberta from the "corn belt." But they are making money; and the word they send back to the Mississippi Valley has had the effect of bringing out every year more of their neighbors eager to take advantage of these golden opportunities. DAIRYING It has been said that an agricultural country never reaches the maximum of development until its farmers engage extensively in dairying. Certainly if the agricultural possibilities of the Irrigation Block may be estimated by its adaptability to dairy farming, even the most skeptical observer must acknowledge that it is beyond doubt one of the grandest agricultural countries in the world. It may be said that there is no portion of Southern Alberta where dairying cannot be profitably prosecuted. Important advantages are the absence, in most years, of the fly and mosquito pests, and uniformly cool nights, the splendid water and the great and increasing market for dairy products. An abundance of succulent feed can be produced at a minimum of cost and with the greatest possible certainty of result. Irrigated fodder crops seldom fail. The irrigated farm, with abundant water in every pasture, grasses succulent long after the prairie herbage has dried up, coupled with the favorable climate of Southern Alberta for dairying and the unequalled markets, will surely appeal to those who are now following dairy farming in the densely populated portions of America and paying out most of their profits in purchasing feed in addition to what they are able to produce on their expensive lands. HERE IS OUR DAIRYING COMBINATION C. P. Marker, Provincial Dairy Commissioner, has this to say regarding the dairy industry in Alberta: "The natural resources, climatic conditions and markets of Alberta are most favorable to successful dairying. The land is fertile, generally well watered and produces luxuriant crops. The weather is not exceedingly hot in summer, and the nights are invariably cool and pleasant. "Here is our dairying combination: A never-ceasing abundance of the best food for cows; nutritious native grasses, supplemented by alfalfa and peas; an abundance of fresh, pure water; and absence of mosquitoes and flies; and our provincial creameries taking charge of the cream, 30 manufacturing it into butter and seeking the best market, all at cost price; a cheque to the farmer the first of the month; and a home market already greatly in excess of the production, and constantly and rapidly enlarging. "The farmers living in the vicinity of the growing cities and towns of the province have in these centres of population a good local market for their dairy produce at all times. Besides, there are in the province a number of cheese factories and creameries vieing with each other in giving the best possible service and returns to the farmers who patronize them. "The great bulk of the butter made in the creameries is disposed of in the British Columbia markets, and in the Yukon (the latter took approximately two-thirds of the butter marketed by the government in 1913), where Alberta creamery butter enjoys a splendid reputation for its uniformly fine keeping qualities. Having due regard to quality, there is no doubt we shall find a market in the West for our surplus butter and cheese production for years to come. The dairy markets are being developed as rapidly as possible upon strictly quality lines this year, and a number of our creameries are furthering this development by paying a premium to the patrons who supply the best cream." GOVERNMENT AID Only second in importance to the ease with which large crops of fodder can be raised in Alberta, is the provincial government's policy for the encouragement of dairying in Alberta. Competent authorities state that no province or State on the continent has a system that surpasses that of this province. Under the supervision of the Dairy Commissioner, cooperative groups of farmers have the establishment of creameries in their own hands; the government advances, on long-time terms and upon very reasonable conditions, $1,500 towards the erection of each creamery, and markets the butter. The system in vogue is briefly as follows: All cream delivered is graded, the farmer supplying the highest quality receiving a higher price. At the end of the month each farmer receives a cheque for 90 per cent, of the estimated selling value of the butter made from his cream. The government takes charge of the butter, grading it and placing it in storage until prices are favorable, each creamery's butter being marked. When market conditions are right, the butter is marketed, and the creamery paid; in turn, the farmer receives a cheque for the balance due him. The government deducts sufficient to cover the cost of freight, storage, marketing and supplies furnished. The average price received at the creameries during the past season was 26y2c. per pound. The services of the government are extended to all creameries that grade their cream, whether under government supervision or not. 31 SWINE The hog, the most generally profitable of all live stock animals, can nowhere be raised so successfully and so profitably as in the Canadian Pacific Irrigation Block. The abundance of cheap feed and the presence of good water account for this; while the market is practically unlimited, and is expanding every year with the increase in western population. taining two or three farrowing pens, 8x8 feet each, built of boards with the cracks battened, and a roof that does not leak, will answer the purpose admirably, especially if they are built on skids and can be drawn around to different pastures, wherever needed. GRAIN FATTENED HOGS It has been pointed out already that Western Canada's grain will produce hogs of a superior quality to those Hogs and Hay are Money-makers for the Irrigation Farmer It is the boast of the Bow River Valley that the climatic conditions are such that expensive outbuildings on the farm may be safely dispensed with. It is a great mistake for the newcomer to think that to start in the hog business it is necessary to have anything elaborate in the way of accommodation. A few small frame buildings con- 32 fattened on corn. Investigation by Professor Henry, the Wisconsin expert, shows that it takes from 300 to 500 pounds of corn, which he proves (by experiment) has no 'better hog-feeding value, pound for pound, than wheat, and produces a much inferior quality of pork, to produce 100 pounds of gain, or an average of 420 pounds of wheat 33 (7 bushels) for 100 pounds of gain. Wheat converted into pork at $4.25 per cwt, live weight, would realize 60c. per bushel; at $5.00 per cwt., 71c. per bushel; at $6.00 per cwt., 86c. per bushel, and at $7.00 per cwt, $1.00 per bushel. Supplementing the wheat with alfalfa or rape pasture in summer, and roots in winter, the number of pounds of grain required to produce 100 pounds of pork can be- greatly reduced, and the value per bushel realized correspondingly increased. The hog-raiser from further south soon forgets his faith in corn as a feed when he has gained experience with barley, which gives large crops, has excellent fattening qualities, and produces an exceptionally sweet pork. All varieties of swine thrive and do well on the Alberta farm. Settlers from Eastern Canada generally prefer the improved Yorkshire, the Tamworth or a cross between one of these breeds and the Berkshire. Those from the United States are more inclined to favor the Chester White, the Poland China, the Duroc Jersey or the Hampshire. •»»**^ An Irrigated Alfalfa Field $1,200 FROM $13.00 IN TWO YEARS "I irrigated barley in 1912, and it gave me 20 bushels more to the acre, and was ripe two weeks sooner than barley that was not irrigated. For the year 1913 I irrigated 30 acres of barley, and the result is good. It will yield between 50 and 60 bushels to the acre, and it was cut sooner than barley around that was not irrigated. I irrigated my land last fall for wheat and the result is just about double. The wheat where the land was irrigated will give 35 bushels; where the wheat was not irrigated on the same field will not yield over twenty. "I want to mention about the water for my pigs. I have always got fresh water running through my pasture, and I think I save at least 50 cents per day_ for pumping alone, which is the lowest I can give, taking into consideration the gasoline, and it takes a man to attend to it. I order the water when it starts in May and use it until the 34 first of October for pigs. Count at 50 cents a day would mean $75. Then all my cows and horses benefit by the fresh water. I would not be without it, for mixed farming calls for it. I intend next spring to put in alfalfa, and I see by the results through the irrigation block that I will benefit a great deal by doing so. "I invested in one sow $13.00 in the year 1911; in June I have sold $1,200 worth of hogs. I have got two carloads that will be ready to ship in November, and will have plenty of sows left for breeding purposes to keep the regular amount of stock up. This is all from $13.00. I keep the household in meat besides, which means quite a little item, having the extra men around building besides my two hired men. I keep one man all the year round and another during the summer months. "I am raising all my grain for my stock; I am not buying any. I have got a four-horse engine. I do all my chopping. I have been milking from 12 to 18 cows, and mostly all heifers. My average cream check for the month is $110.00, and I have my skim milk for my calves and pigs. I have eight horses, and besides my own work they have made me $900 this summer. "Finishing my letter, I can say that the water being so handy around me it has helped me to get along, so well. (My extra labor arid expense starts when the water is turned off in October. I planted a lot of trees last spring and they are all doing well, being able to irrigate them," Yours truly, (Signed) L. H. LAVRIDSEN. Standard, Alta, September 6, 1913. To which Mr. Lavridsen adds, under date of September 16, 1914: "On land which was irrigated last year and sown to barley I seeded oats this year in the stubble, and disced it twice and harrowed and packed it. The returns were 97 bushels to the acre. I had oats on dry land'and I do not think they went over twenty bushels. I am irrigating 80 acres of stubble land this fall to put into oats next year. I milk from ten to twelve cows, averaging 50 lbs. of butter per week, getting 30 cents a pound the year round. I shall have 100 hogs ready for the market by the last week of October. Last year I had twenty bushels of barley more on irrigated land than on dry land. See last year's letter for particulars. People were telling me when I first came here that we couldn't grow trees, and I didn't plant'-ahy the first three years. I planted small trees in 1913, in May, and they are from 8 to 14 feet high, and am going to plant more next year. Canada is a good country for the man who wants to work." (Signed) L. 11. LAVRIDSEN. SHEEP Sheep raising is carried on in Southern Alberta under two widely different methods. Where general agriculture is pursued, sheep raising is conducted in much the same way as elsewhere. Some farmers have small flocks, which are kept in closed pastures- during the summer season and are fed in more or less enclosed sheds during the winter. Sheep raising on a large scale is carried on entirely under the ranching system. No class of livestock thrives better, is more profitable, or gives quicker returns, in the Irrigation Block, than 35 sheep. The only reason that more small flocks are not kept is simply that settlers have not given sheep industry serious thought. Mutton commands a high price, 12c. to 14c. per pound, dressed, being no uncommon figure for mutton for local consumption, and South Alberta does not even begin to supply its own home market. Twenty-five thousand carcasses from Australia and as many live sheep from the United States are annually imported to meet the local demand. Every farmer in the Canadian Pacific Irrigation Block might keep a small flock of sheep with very little trouble and expense, and nothing he handles would give him a greater proportionate profit. Mutton is advancing in value, and while in 1904 $3.15 per cwt, with a 5 per cent, reduction for shrinkage was paid, in 1913 the price was from $5.00 to $6.00 per cwt. Poultry Raising a Profitable Industry THE RANCH FLOCK The Canadian Pacific Railway has for sale certain areas of grazing lands located contiguous to irrigated alfalfa lands, which will make almost ideal locations for sheep ranches. These lands may be sold en bloc at low prices and on very easy terms to those who purchase with a view to utilizing such properties. The natural herbage upon the non-irrigated grazing lands in the Bow Valley, being short and fine, is much relished by sheep and suitable for the production of mutton of excellent flavor. The wool clip of the range sheep industry is a very important one. In no part of Canada outside of the range area can fine wool be obtained in large quantities, and it is to the range country that many of the eastern tweed manufacturers are beginning to look for their supply of fine wool. A good average price for wool in Alberta is from ten to fifteen cents per pound. During the summer of 1913, a large ranch situated near Cluny, Alta., in the Irrigation Block, tried the experiment of shipping a con- 36 signment of 43 bales of wool to London, this being the first instance of any wool from Western Canada having been so exported. It met there with a very good reception and was described in the "Wool Record," the leading English trade publication, as showing excellent quality throughout the parcel. The prices realized in London for the scoured and graded wool ranged from 31c. to 42c. per pound. POULTRY Poultry rearing on the irrigated farm may either be prosecuted as a leading business or as a side issue. In the agricultural portions of the State of Colorado, thousands of small irrigated holdings are devoted exclusively to market gardening and poultry farming. There is a large and profitable field in Southern Alberta for the industrious and experienced poultry raiser. A few acres in the Bow Valley and a few hundred chickens will yield a good income. With eggs never lower than 25 cents, and generally ranging from 35 cents to 60 cents per dozen in the Calgary market, nothing further need be said regarding this valuable branch of the irrigated farm. A. W. Foley, Poultry Superintendent, Department of Agriculture, Provincial Government, says regarding poultry raising in Alberta:— "The climate offers exceptional inducements to engage in' poultry raising. There is abundance of sunshine throughout the year; in fact, there are few days, either in winter or summer, that the birds cannot take exercise out of doors at some time during the day. "During March, April and the greater part of May there is practically no rainfall, making conditions for rearing the very best for all kinds of poultry. As this is a hatching season, the poultry man has ample opportunity to get the young stock past the danger period before the wet weather, which is so injurious to the young stock. With dry weather and from 14 to 18 hours of daylight, the young stock has every chance to mature. Many have discarded the heated brooders and are rearing chicks most successfully in the cold brooders." MARKET FOR POULTRY PRODUCTS Mr. Foley continues:— "The markets for all kinds of poultry are exceptionally good. There is at present, and will be for years to come, a great demand for birds and eggs of pure bred varieties for breeding purposes. So great is the demand at present that those engaged in the business are only able to supply a small part of it. As a result of the educational work, the demand for pure bred birds of good type and egg laying qualities is yearly increasing." It should be added that the Alberta Provincial Government gives substantial encouragement to the poultry industry, and maintains poultry experts whose services are at all times at the disposal of the farmers. 37 MARKETS AND TRANSPORTATION The "private car line," which has been responsible for such enormous transportation charges on perishable agricultural products in the United States, is an unknown quantity in Canada. The Canadian Pacific Railway owns and operates its own refrigerator cars, and icing charges and other transportation charges in connection with such special cars are based absolutely on the cost of operation, with a reasonable percentage for profit added. Commodious stockyards are provided at all feeding and resting points along the main and branch lines of the Canadian Pacific Railway. A General Live Stock Agent pays particular attention to the movements of live stock trains, and every facility is given shippers to get their animals to the market in the shortest possible time and with the least possible amount of shrinkage. While the time is not, as yet, ripe for the concentration of the Western Canadian cattle business at one of two points, with daily markets, there can be no doubt that we are within measurable distance of that period in our development. Commodious stockyards are available at Calgary, where periodical sales of horses and cattle take place. The Calgary market will very soon develop into one of the most important live stock markets in Canada. In the United States the feeding fields generally lie remote from the ranching country, and feeders are shipped from Montana and other Western States to Chicago and then finished in the "Corn Belt." In Western Canada the greatest feeding field will, undoubtedly, be the Bow Valley, east of Calgary, and presently the unfinished cattle from every portion of Alberta will be shipped as feeders to Calgary, and then put through the finishing process on the alfalfa meadows of the Irrigation Block. WHAT THE CANADIAN PACIFIC RAILWAY WILL DO FOR YOU The Canadian Pacific Railway is so firm in its conviction that there are very few farmers, either in North America or Europe, who would not benefit financially and in every other way, by changing the field of their enterprise to Western Canada, that it wants to co-operate with you from the beginning, to the very fullest extent and on a scale never previously seen elsewhere. Firstly, it will give you twenty years to pay for your land. Secondly, it will make you a loan for farm implements to the value of $2,000, also repayable in twenty years. Thirdly, to settlers in certain specified areas who have been one year in occupation of their land, who have the necessary feed and shelter and can satisfy the Superintendent of Agriculture and Animal Industry that they are possessed of practical experience in the care and handling of live stock, cattle, and in some cases sheep, to a value 38 ' not exceeding one thousand dollars, may be advanced under easy terms. Ready Made Farms.—If you do not want to wait until you can complete your own buildings and cultivate your farm, you can select one of our Ready Made Farms-— developed by the C. P. R. agricultural experts—with buildings complete, land cultivated and in crop, and pay for it in 20 years. We give you the valuable assistance of our Demonstration Farms, free. Settlers Only Wanted.—The Canadian Pacific Railway has no land for sale to speculators. It wants only actual settlers, men who will reside upon and develop their lands and become active factors in the progress of the great West. CANADIAN PACIFIC RAILWAY AGRICULTURAL BRANCH Realizing that many people who purchase irrigable lands will be to some extent ignorant of irrigation farming practices, the company has thought it well to assist then by every means in its power by promoting the dissemination of valuable agricultural information bearing upon the theory and practice of irrigation and the production of the special crops that have made irrigation farming so profitable all over the American continent. Through many channels, but especially through its Agricultural and Animal Industry Branch, aid and advice is now being extended without charge to Western Canadian farmers. This branch has devoted special study to the more important agricultural problems presenting themselves, and is equipped to give the best information on all matters pertaining to the development of the irrigated farm. Farmers in the Irrigation Block are earnestly invited to utilize the services of the company's staff to the greatest possible extent. A large Demonstration Farm is maintained at Strathmore, Alta., and five "mixed farms" at other points in Alberta, the object of which is to serve as strategic centres of the company's campaign for the increase of mixed farming and to demonstrate what operations can be profitably carried on on a small farm. From time to time various competitions have been organized by this branch, including two competitions for the raising of alfalfa, and a steer-feeding competition for boys. Through its assistance, egg-circles have been established for marketing eggs on a co-operative basis; and farmers with good seed grain for sale have been placed in touch with purchasers, and have been enabled in most cases to secure better prices than they might otherwise have done. In order to encourage dairying and kindred operations, it has, at the Demonstration Farm mentioned above, established a creamery, which takes cream sent in by farmers in the tributary districts, paying therefor at the highest cash prices. In the fall of 1912, as a start to wider operations, cattle, sheep and hogs were supplied in certain districts to settlers lacking money for the pur- 39 chase of live stock; these were supplied at actual cost, and payment deferred until the succeeding year's harvest. Pure-bred bulls for service are also placed at various points, at a nominal charge. PRICES OF IRRIGABLE LAND Irrigable lands for sale are situated in the Eastern and Western Sections of the Irrigation Block and in the Coal- : ' v. ing unpaid, and are then entitled to a tlansfer of the lands. The company will be prepared, after a purchaser has entered into occupation of his lands and has submitted satisfactory evidence regarding occupation and improvement, and also of his ability to properly care for the stock, to supply him with cattle, sheep and hogs to an amount not exceeding $1,000, on reasonable terms of credit, with interest at the rate of 8 per tent. Applicants must either themselves or by authorized agents make a personal inspection of the land they propose to buy. Full and detailed particulars will be found in the com- Canadian Pacific Railway Demonstration and Supply Farm, Strathmore, Alberta dale district of the Lethbridge Section, comprising in all about 100,000 acres. The price of irrigable land is from $35.00 upward per acre, dependent upon location, but all lands offered are within reasonable distance of railway lines and market centres. TERMS OF SALE In buying irrigable land from the Canadian Pacific Railway, the farmer has the option of doing so under any one of three different systems, according to the method he prefers. In every case, however, only bona-fide settlers are dealt with, and settlement and occupation form the basis of the contract. Not more than one-half section (320 acres) will be sold to any one purchaser, nor less j than 80 acres, except where irrigable land is sold in village colonies or in conjunction with non-irrigable areas. The general period for the payment of land extends over 20 years, with interest at 6 per cent, per annum on the unpaid balance. Purchasers who have complied with all the terms of their contract may, after the expiration of five years, make payment of the whole or any part remain- 40 pany's application form, obtainable of any of the company's District Representatives; the following synopsis, however, will present the salient points: A.—SALE OF LAND FOR SETTLEMENT WITHOUT LOAN Settlers buying irrigable land without loan pay one- twentieth down and are charged no interest for the first year; they pay interest only at the end of the second year, and make second payment on principal at the end of the third year, the balance in seventeen equal annual instalments. The purchaser is required to enter into occupation within six months from date of purchase, and to occupy his lands the six summer months in the five years following date of contract—to undertake to build a house costing at least $350, and a barn costing at least $200, capable of accommodating four horses and four cows—to keep the buildings insured against loss from fire, to sink a suitable 41 well, fence the land, and break and crop a stated area in each quarter section, or, in lieu of such cultivation and cropping, to maintain a stated number of head of live stock which are his own unencumbered property, and to keep, during the entire period of his required occupancy, at least three milch cows. B.—SALE OF LAND FOR SETTLEMENT WITH LOAN FOR IMPROVEMENT Settlers buying irrigable land with loan pay one-tenth down with interest on the value of the loan only at the end of the first year; interest on principal is charged at the end of the second year, with second payment on principal at the end of the third, balance in seventeen annual instalments. The purchaser (who must be a married man with agricultural experience) must have sufficient capital to enable him to pay the first instalment of the purchase price of the land and the amount of the loan desired, together with the amount necessary to maintain his family for one year; as well as owning, free from encumbrance, or having the requisite means to purchase, sufficient live stock to enable him to go into occupation and proceed with the development of the land. After the acceptance of the purchaser's application, the company will expend a sum not exceeding $2,000 for improvements, namely and in the order stated: The erection of a house, and of a barn (both of which are to be selected from the company's standard plans), fencing, and the provision of a well and pump. The cost of these improvement will be paid by the company and charged against the advance; and the purchaser, with any stock or equipment he has, will, at the company's discretion, be employed in connection therewith and paid for same. The total amount of the advance will be added to the price of the land, and repayment of the same spread over twenty equal annual instalments, with interest at 6 per cent. The purchaser must enter into occupation within six months from the completion of the improvements, and must undertake to reside thereon continuously for five years, and to break, cultivate and crop certain stated areas in each quarter section, and to maintain during the required occupancy at least three milch cows for each quarter section, as well as keeping the buildings insured against fire. C—SALE OF IMPROVED OR "READY MADE"FARMS Settlers buying irrigable land with improved or ready made farm pay one-tenth down with interest on the value of the improvements only at the end of the first year; interest on principal alone is charged at the end of the second year, with second payment on principal at the end of the third, and the balance in seventeen annual instalments. Farms which have been selected by the company, and improved by the erection of farm buildings, fencing, the 42 provision of well and pump, and the breaking (and seeding if desired) of certain areas, are sold at the list price of the raw land plus the actual cost of improvements. The amount of capital required is as a rule rather higher than under "B," unless the purchaser brings in his own live stock and implements, and applicants must be married men prepared to enter into occupation within six months from date of purchase. til!*: :;/?/;" ~\:£ IIIIHHHH^HSHM^LK^SWHiBiBi 's*^*&(*JtM& '-' Bt;m;0pfi$l WSBmw^m^^^^SNm ISfe^S ■■ mmm all iVm Vii? .-'"Jip""'^ UmmM Ht-££i :"■■■ ';.?'&§■ JB jH 'v#K! '9 W Wr M THf * '*^&&&r 'ftyp ■<- ■■':viM *.'8*^Sifi& ':P'M.'.'.. •'j& ', .,- . k -^■dHminrrti^rt nr^'Vff iff"" A . ' ' m lui CANADIAN IRRIGATION LAWS It is of great importance that the laws under which irrigation is practiced should be so framed as to avoid any litigation that might possibly arise over water rights. In many of the States where irrigation is in vogue, more money has been spent in litigation over water rights than upon actual irrigation development. The Canadian irrigation laws and their administration are acknowledged by the leading irrigation experts of the continent to approach perfection as nearly as possible. The United States Department of Agriculture, in Bulletin 96, recommends the Canadian law to the consideration of those whose, duty it will be to prepare irrigation laws in the future for use in those States where irrigation is practiced or likely to be practiced. Under these laws, the waters of Alberta being recognized as the property of the Crown, the title given for a water right is equal to and as good as the title for the land. It is not necessary, it should be added, to be a citizen of Canada in order to own land there. TITLE When you purchase land from the Canadian Pacific Railway, you deal with a permanent corporation which has assets of hundreds of millions of dollars. Your contract is made direct with the company, and the deed to the land is made by them under authority of the "Land Titles Act, 1894." The title to the land is issued to you direct by the Crown, under what is known as the Torrens 43 system (everywhere recognized as being the simplest and most efficient in the world), whereby the validity and absolute previous clearness of the title is guaranteed by the Crown and cannot afterwards be questioned. WATER SUPPLY AND RENTAL Irrigable land in the Irrigation Block is sold from lists showing the area of irrigable land in each quarter section. Water is sold on the basis of the Legal Duty of Water now prevailing, which is one cubic foot per second for every 150 acres, flowing continuously during the irrigation season (1st May to 1st October). (a)—Western and Eastern Sections. The water rental in the Western and Eastern Sections is, respectively, 50 cents and $1.25 per annum per acre of the land classed as irrigable. Maps from which the land is sold show the location of distributing ditches to supply water for the irrigation of each quarter section. These distributing ditches are constructed by the company, but are required to be maintained and kept in gOod order by the occupant; and the company's liability in respect to the water supply is limited to the supplying of water in these ditches. (b)—Lethbridge Section. The water rental in the Lethbridge Section is $1.00 per annum per acre of the land classed as irrigable. All lands in this tract lying below the point of delivery of water will be classed as irrigable lands, and it is optional with the purchaser whether or not he enters into an agreement for the supply of water for them. Purchasers are required at the time of purchase to elect how much water they require, which in no case can be greater than the Legal Duty of Water, as defined above. The purchaser also provides the distributing ditches from the canal gates to his own lands at his own expense, but the services of the Engineering Department are available to advise upon the best means to be employed. The company's liability is confined to the construction and maintenance of its main and secondary canals, and to the delivery to the distributary gates of the canals. Purchasers of irrigable lands will have free use of water for one year from date of contract. Water rental will commence and first payment becomes due one year from date of contract. Water rental in the Irrigation Block is payable half yearly in advance, on January 1st and July 1st; in the Lethbridge Irrigation District it is payable yearly in advance on May 1st. OPERATION OF DITCHES, ETC. The operation of each section of the Irrigation Block is or will be conducted from local headquarters, under the direction of a Superintendent of Operation .and Maintenance. A Canal Superintendent is in charge of each secondary canal system, and under the Canal Superintendents are Watermasters in charge of certain districts. The Watermaster has direct charge of the distribution of water, and is assisted by ditch-riders and repair crews as 44 required. He may be consulted in regard to laying out the land and preparing it for irrigation, and as to the best method of using the water on the land; and where engineering work is required in order to lay out the farm ditches, the Canal Superintendent may be called upon. CO-OPERATION AMONG WATER USERS In few directions of agricultural endeavor is the principle of co-operation so successful as in irrigation, because the nature of irrigated communities is such that they lend themselves particularly well to co-operation by virtue of the denser settlement and the many common interests that exist. It is almost a commonplace that there is less likelihood of friction on irrigation systems where the farmers themselves enter actively into the business of the delivery and division of water and maintenance of the distributary systems than where such is wholly undertaken by a corporation. It is the policy of the Canadian Pacific Railway, therefore, to afford every facility for the formation and recognition of "Water Users' Associations," comprising consumers located on any distributary ditch system, leaving such bodies to arrange the proper rotation, and finally to transfer the delivery of water and the supervision of the maintenance of the distributary ditch system to representatives elected by these bodies. OTHER PUBLICATIONS There are many aspects of agricultural life in Western Canada upon which, because of lack of space, it has not been possible to touch in this pamphlet—such things, for instance, as taxation, weather conditions, voting privileges, agricultural organizations, educational and religious facilities, transportation and marketing, etc. All these will be found fully described in "The Western Provinces of Canada," a handsome 112-page pamphlet obtainable free upon application to the Department of Natural Resources, Canadian Pacific Railway, Calgary, Alta., of any C. P. R. ticket office or station, and of all C. P. R. agents in Canada, the United States, or Europe, or from any District Representative. The company has also prepared for the use of land- seekers a little pamphlet, "Information for Settlers," the purpose of which is to set forth the difficulties which confront new settlers coming into Canada and how they may be overcome. It contains detailed information regarding customs, bringing live stock into Canada, quarantine regulations, freight regulations, and rates on settlers' effects, baggage, excursion rates, etc. It can be obtained free from the Department of Natural Resources (as above), or from any District Representative. The following pamphlet has also been issued, and is obtainable upon request: Handbook of Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba: A handbook concerning these three great grain and stock provinces, giving information as to area, soil, climate, rainfall, temperature, average yields of principal crops over a 45 period of years, "Ready-made" farms, terms of sale to settlers, loans to settlers, market prices of products, cost of making a start, educational facilties, social conditions, etc. Well illustrated from photographs-—FREE. DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES OFFICES The Department of Natural Resources, Canadian Pacific Railway, maintains offices at the following points, frOm any of which further particulars regarding the price, location, etc., of irrigable land can be procured:— M. E. Thornton, Colonization Agent, Room 1012, 112 West Adams St., Chicago, 111. L. F. Mowrey, District Representative, Broadway and 30th St., New York, N. Y. C. W. Droegemeyer, District Representative, 205 Woodmen of the World Bldg., 14th and Farnum Sts., Omaha, Neb. H. H. Piel, District Representative, 176 East Third St., St. Paul, Minn. W. A. Smith, District Representative, 934 17th St., Denver, Colo. R. C. Bosworth, District Representative, 705 Sprague Ave., Spokane, Wash. L. P. Thornton, District Representative, Multnomah Hotel Bldg., 271 Pine St., Portland, Oregon. W. J. Gerow, Dept. of National Resources, C.P.R., Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. F. W. Russell, Dept. of Natural Resources, C.P.R., Winnipeg, Manitoba. A. E. Moore, Manager, Land Branch, 62-65 Charing Cross, London, S.W., England. Or inquiries may be addressed direct to DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES, CANADIAN PACIFIC RAILWAY, CALGARY, ALBERTA. ■■■■PHIM :aTO?-l«B» •r^S^^rf'S^i-^.^: >JSSjf*i% « 4"\ #$*>' S&apF* M' l ! : e. The Bassano Dam and Other Engineering Features of the Canadian Pacific Irrigation Block 46 47 tfOMf For Further Information Write Canadian Pacific Railway Department of Natural Resources March, 1915 POOLE BROS. CMll
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Get your farm home from the Canadian Pacific : a handbook of information regarding irrigation farming in sunny Alberta, the kingdom of mixed farming
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