The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1883-11-15
NOT ALTOGETHER A LAND OF
FROST.

The Boston papers express the
greatest surprise at the exhibits made |
by the Canada Pacific railway of agri-
cultural products from Manitoba and |
the Saskatchewan region, in north
western Canada. AS remarked by a |
contemporary, the long list of articles |
shown as well as the phenome-
nally large growth of some of |
the products is absolutely wondrous.
Says one of the authorities from
which this information is gathered:
This region produces one hundred
kinds of grass; of these forty OF
fifty were on exhibition, also bale of
wild hay ds sweet as corn and as nu-
tricious as any to be found in any
market. In this connection it is stated
that cultivated grasses would uI-
doubleday grow in the country. The
abundance and excellence of the wild
grass renders it needless to cultivate
any. The wheat shown was of the
finest quality, and the average yield
is claimed to be twenty-five to thirty
bushels an acre, and the speci-
mems of oats, barley and flax
were equally good. Monster
vegetables of all the different kinds
were shown, squash raised near
Winnepeg weighing two hundred and
ninety-two pounds, thirty pound tur-
nips, eleven pound carrots, one and
quarter pound onions, twenty-four
pound beets, thirty pound cabbages,
different varieties of potatoes, the
finest in the exhibition being from the
country 400 or 500 miles west of Win
nepeg. Onions often produce2 70 BUSH
els to the acre and carrots 800 bushels;
grapes and other small fruits also
seem to flourish up in that far North
ern regiun, and peas will grow equal
to any of the kinds of small grain
named. The results are truly mar
velous, considering the shoftness of
the season, but it seems that the
soil in that region is equal in richness
to the best on the continent; the
winters are long and severely cold,
freezing the ground to depth of sew
eral feet; the warm weather seems to
come suddenly, and to stay when it
comes. The ground is quickly thawed
to depth OF four or five inches, and
the wheat and other spring crops OF
small grain are sowed. Vegetables
are planted while large amount OF
frost remains in the ground; the sum.
mer heat gradually draws this frost
out and by perfectly natural process
affords sufficient amount of moisture
to keep small grain and all kinds OF
vegetables growing at the most rapiC
rate possible; hence the phenomena
development shown in all the vege
tables exhibited at the American ex
position. The wheat belt proper il
that region is set down as being
800 miles in length by 400 in width
l and by the end of this year the Can
t ada Pacific road will have been com
f pleted through this entire wheat bel
and beyond it, so that rapid settle
ment and development is now to b.
. the order Of the day from this tim
forward in all that region. AS w
have stated, the winters are long ant
e severely cold, and this condition ha
L to be fully provided for by the inhab
e itants. Dwelling houses have to b
a constructed in such manner as t
: meet this condition-double window
e and double walls. But great poin
I. in favor of winter life in that countr
is the fact that there is an ineXhaust
q ible supply Of coal in Manitoba anC
g also in the Saskatchewan country
e and this coal can be mined and fu1
n nished SO cheaply that there need b.
e no suffering for lack of fuel.