Daily Yellowstone journal., 1891-09-26
MEDICINE HATS GARDEN.
n Blossoms Like the Flowers of Spring
in Cauada's Ranch Country.

II Blossoms Like the Flowers of Spring
Ia Cauada's Ranch Country.
At nearly all the stations on the
Canadian Pacific railroad through Man
itoba there are large glass jars over the
station entrance containing fine speci
mems Of the various cereals raised in
the countrv One can see nowhere
plumper wheat or finer rye or oats than
the specimens he is able to inspect as
he jumps from the train to take a TURF
on the station platforms.
Further west another sort of exhibi
ton il given at the stations. 1t is EO
necessary through Manitoba to have
gardens alongside the railroad track To
convince the traveller of the remarkable
productiveness of the soil. The great
fields Of grain along the road are sufi
cient evidence that he is in "A country
Of Astounding harvests. But when b.
reaches the western AssinibOin OF Al
berta. where the country is dryer. there
are very few wheat fields to gaze a.
through the window, and the Canadian
Pacific road has started u number Of
gardens at the various stations. The
garden at Medicine Hat is a particular
ly fine example. and has been laid out
and attended with especial care, be
cause all passenger trains stop at Medi-
cine Hat a half hour, and passengers
have plenty of time TO wander through
the grounds just across the track from
the station.
Medicine Hat contains, perhaps, 400
people. II has a weekly newspaper, a
neat little church, several good stores
and public buildings, and an important
station of the mounted police. Ii lies
on the right bank Of the South Sas
katchewau. Many travellers climb the
little knoll covered with graves behind
the town to get a view of the surround
ing country The graves are covered
with stones TO prevent wild animals
from digging out the bodies. Wooden
head boards. on which are painted the
names Of the dead. stand over the
graves. most of which are surrounded
by picket fences
Below the knoll extends the little vii
lage. with the swift river beyond. which
is navigable for nearly 500 miles from
this point almost to Lake Winnipeg
Far away on every side -tretch the
plains, but toward the NJ thwest are a
line of buttes, perhaps 400 feet high,
which vary the monotony Of the land
scape with their grim. bare and per
pendicular fronts Beyond the river
are farms where some grain is raised.
but the chief industry of this country
is stock raising An ocean of grass
covers the prairies, and cattle ranches
are multiplying
The company desires TO prove that
by neal of irrigation good crops may
be raised It's garden at the station,
therefore. is carefully watered. and il
is a, fine a garden as can be seen any
where. except on the Pacific coast il
self. Cabbages, potatoes, Indian corn,
flowers in great ~profusion. and small
trees are seen in a very hourishing con-
dition A number of apple trees are
growing very well.
The garden is a most pleasing spec
tacle TO tourists. wearied perhaps by
the u%nending prairie through which
the train has been passing. 1t is not at
all unlikely that some day considerable
land in this region will be irrigated by
means of the streams that flow through
it. and the success of the Medicine Hat
garden seems TO show that nothing but
water is needed to produce abundant
crops.- New York Sun.