West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1885-02-13


irg on the plains i'm January and Feb
ruary. But the region thus affected is
small, and We have no other modifying
influences in our climate.
The absence OF great bodies OF
water is in my opinion, the chief cause
of the intense cold in our Canadian
Northwest. One Of the best proofs |
can give YOU of the severity of the eli
mate is found in the fact that YOU may
travel for hundreds Of miles on the
plains without seeing a bowldcr or a
stone The frost pulvcrzes them. They
burst asunder as though blown apart
with gunpowder, and solid materials
have thus been converted into soil. The
worst OF II is that the cold comes SO
early and stays so late. We can ra Sc
neither apples, pears, nor peaches up
there. Nor can We raise Indian corn,
and for that reason our Canad an
Northwest can never be a great pork
country. Small fruits. cherries, rasp-
berries, currants and straw bcrrics how
ever, viii ripen, but we can not hope TO
make fruit abundant. The cold is too
severe to enable us to raise anything
but the hardest kinds Of fruit and corn
those which ripcn early.
I'VE who live in the cities do Tot
suffer from the cold half a much as the
farmers. Wood i, scarce all over the
country and the farmer is oblgc To
economic his fuel. This is one of his
greatest hard~hips. Along the line of
railway he can get coal. which is now
found in great abundance on the
Saskatchewan. but when the farmer has
to depend ON wood for fuel he has "A
hard time of it in winter He some
times makes fuel out of his manure
heap in the autumn, after the manner
OF the Memories, by mixing il with
straw AMI working it into the consist
cnce OF peat This burns well, but i'm
the end it will be found expensive. He
must let his fire 90 out every night and
light 1t next morning when the thor
NOM ter may be twenty, thirty, or forty
degrees below zero His dog generally
sleeps ut the foot of his bed. Every
thing in the house freezes. If he hap
pens to put his lips to any iron sub
stance before he lights the fire his lip,
stick to 1t and the skin pccls oil before
he can release them. II his cellar is
not good he will find everything he has.
IN the way of catablcs. frozen. He
never wear, boots. III he did his feet
would freeze. He puts on three or four
pms VI NA'NNlAlZN anu 10 PAN Ol lllOtt1-
sins. III he wants TO visit a neighbOr.
who probably lives miles away. he
must travel on snOwshocs The air * so
rareiied that his coming can be heard a
mile away. As ne beats down the snow
in walking the noise VIII make a dog
bark at the distance OF half n mile
The stiffness is depressing lie never
sees bird all through the winter, and
the sight OF a coyote is always welcome.
The cav, cav of n crow 10 him is
messenger of Joy, for it precludcs the
spring. That cav, cav is the North
west Canadian farmers opera, and no
lover OF music ever listened to the queen
OF the operate stage with more pleasure
than he doe, TO the crow As it gives out
IFS cav over the bleak plains of Man
itoba, Alberta, or Asnaboid He has,
indeed, the aurora TO look at i'm winter,
and he does not tire of il soon either
The great streamcrs of tremulOus light
are his only outside attractions. Ihave
seen, more than once. these streamers
90 up from every point OF the compass
and meet ut the zenith, where a meteor
of great brilliancy was formed. This
occurred at Prince Albert, which, with
Edmonton, is the most northerly settle
ment in the Canadian northwest.
The Northwestern Canadian is not
a visiting man. He spends all his time
in winter between his house and his out
offices, if he has any. He looks for
ward TO splendid fields of wheat and
oats TO compensate HIM for the hard
ships he eudures. But he must be care
full. These large yields per acre will
become less every year unless the farm
ers manure their lands. In Minnesota
and Iowa thirty-live bushels of wheat 10
the acre were not uncommon when the
lands in those States were first broken.
and now ] suppose that they do not ay-
crage more than sixteen The Amer
lean farmers neglect to farm scientific
ally, and worked the land for all il was
worth. 1t is just the same with US.
The summers are short and hot Ii is
hotter I'm Winnipeg than il is in New
\ Ork. But here, too, we arc ahead of
YOU people i'm some things As we
dress for the winter in furs. we dress
for the summer i'm a becoming way.
Down here man is supposed to SILVER
in tall black hat and Kid gloves i'm
winter with a pair Of carlaps making
him hidcou~, while In summer he +, az
pccted TO change the color Of the hat
only while he rIasts under an ovcrcOat
.
ferent with u.s. I'm summer we wear
thick helmets with good ventilation.
and we keep the sun oil our heads
while we have plenty Of air We all
wear light clothes, suited 90 the season.
and flannel shirt. with flannel collars
attached are general even among On.
wealthy. When these are white thcy
arc becoming. and nothing else 4, so
cool Then we wear white canvas shoes.
and If wc dress for comfort Ne also
dress with taste But we are worried
with flies They como Boo millions.
There are black flies mosquitoes bull
dogs and sand lies or 'b.ts. and can see
en-, o. 'he indians call them
CAS- for the Indians. they never bother
u.s. But do not fancy that the Indian.
iu the Canadian Northwest are quiat
because OF the patcrnal policy of tine
Canadian Government That IS pgp-
uIar drlu-.on THE Indians are qiIfef.
or have ugcu because tbe Hudson Bav
Company which had judicial and com
mcrcIai control of tlc country for near
IF two centuries. treated them well 10
was tD .He interest OF the Hudson Bag
Company tJ Doc ON good terms with The
indiana and t.a fact that Boo their IDug