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Show NEVER SAW SUCH LARGE YIELDS. The Climate Is Healthy The Winters Are Pieasant in Western Canada. Writing from Stirling, Alberta, to oue of the agents representing the Canadian Government free homestead lands, Mr. M. Pickrell, formerly of Beechwood, Ky., says of Western Canada: Can-ada: "In the first place we will say that the summer season is just lovely indeed. in-deed. As to the winter, well, we never experienced finer weather than we are now enjoying. We have just returned from Northern Alberta, and will say that, we found the weather to be very mild, the air dry, fresh and invigorating. invigorat-ing. Considering everything we can say that the winters here are most pleasant, healthy and enjoyable to what they are in the States. Here it gets cold and continues so till spring there are no disagreeable winds. In South Alberta it is some warmer two to four inches of snow may fall and In a few hours a Chinook wind comes along, evaporating the entire snow, leaving terra firma perfectly dry; in fact, we did not believe this part until we came and saw for ourselves and we cow know what we herein write to be just as we write it. There has not been a day this winter that I could not work out doors. Farmers here are calculating on-starting the plow the first of March. "As to farm wages, we would not advise a man to come here with the expectation of living by his day's work, but all who do want a home I advise to have nerve enough to get up and come, for there never has been, and may never be again, such a grand opportunity for a man to get a home almost free. "As to the crops, I have been in the fields before harvest, saw the grass put up and the grain harvested, and I never saw such large yields. I saw oats near Edmonton over six feet tall that yielded 80 bushels per acre, and I talked to a farmer near St. Albert who had a field year before last that averaged aver-aged 110 bushels per acre and weighed 43 pounds to the bushel. All other crops would run in proportion as to potatoes and vegetables, the turnout was enormous. I have such reports as the above from all sections that I have visited, and that has been every community between the Edmonton district dis-trict and Raymond, in the Lethbrldge district. "As to stock raising, I would advise ad-vise a man to locate in this place, or any place, in South Alberta, but for mixed farming I would say go up farther north, say near Lacombe, We-taskiwin We-taskiwin or Edmonton, where it is not quite so dry and There there is some timber to be had. I will say that nowhere no-where have I ever seen a better opportunity oppor-tunity for a man, whether he has money or not, to obtain a home. Nowhere No-where can be found a more productive -Siiil, better water , and a better governed gov-erned country than Western Canada affords. Inducements to the home-seeker home-seeker are unexcelled. I met two men near Ponoka on the C. & E. R. R., who borrowed the money to pay for their homestead, and In four years those two men sold their farms one for $2,500, the other for $3,000. I met a man near Wetaskiwin who landed here with 25 cents six years ago. He is now, worth $8,000. The advantages for ranching are excellent. In fact, I do not believe this section can be beat. Markets are good; as to living, a family can live as cheap here as they can in the States. The average yield of oats in this neighborhood last year was 70 bushels per acre; wheat averaged 35, barley 40, and the beet crop was good. In consequence of the successful cultivation of the beet a large beet sugar factory is being erected at Raymond, seven miles from here. "In conclusion I will say that N. W. T. from Manitoba to a long distance north of Edmonton produces most wonderful won-derful crops. Lakes and rivers abound with fish, and game is plentiful. And that this is unquestionably the country coun-try for a man to come to if he desires to better his condition in life. I would advise the prospective settler to look over the Lethbrldge, Lacombe, Wetaskiwin Wetas-kiwin and Edmonton districts before locating. "I will locate in the Edmonton district dis-trict next fall and several families from the States will locate with me. In the meantime I will receive my mail here and will be pleased to give the interested all the information desired." de-sired." For information as to railway rates, etc., apply to any agent of the Canadian Cana-dian Government, whose name appeals elsewhere in this paper. |