The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1900-09-05
6LIMpSES IN CANADA.
Impressions and Incidents of the
Minnesota Editors Trip.

earliest risers of our party had been
sizing up the country before the
train reached Guelph, and in a
general way pronounced it about as
good in an agricultural way as any
land outside of Minnesota could be
allowed to be. ''Put'' said it was
just like York State. Apple trees
loaded with fruit about most of the
farm houses, great barns large
enough to shelter all the products of
the farm, and fences! Such fences!
Seven rail stake and rider affairs,
varied occasionally by unsightly
stump fences, made of pine tree
roots that bristled in all directions,
suggesting line of military defense
rather than a peaceful boundary
line. The prospect across few
miles of cultivated fields at times
presented nightmare of fences
and nothing else. But the woods
there is where Canada shines. In
luxurance of timber and abundance
of water in both lakes and streams,
our critical Minnesota crowd had to
admit that our prairie country is
quite eclipsed by that of the Do
minion. AS to crops, the oat shocks
generally stood pretty thick in the
fields that were cut: there was con-
siderable standing that had not yet
been harvested, and we were told
afterwards that harvest had been
unusually late this season. Indeed,
in the eastern province of Quebec
we afterwards saw many fields of
oats still too green to be harvested.
Some winter wheat is grown in this
section, but not much I think.
Fields of turnips and other roots,
and dried peas punched together
much as our farmers cure hav, were
among the somewhat novel features
noted. About the only livestock
visible was sheep. Canada does,
not appear to be strong as beef
raising or dairying country. We
saw no creameries, and the butter
our party ran up against was
generally a long way below the
Minnesota standard. This town of
Guelph makes some pretensions to
manufacturing, as do most of the
Canadian cities. A big organ fac
tory stood near the depot, and a
crowd of it's employees were gather
ing together for picnic somewhere
in the vicinity. Aside from a big
red flag over the factory, and
large Catholic church and school
dominating the town from hill near
by, there was not much in either
town or people different from the
Michigan towns we had been
through the day before. The picnic
people were contented and prosper
Gus looking, and our observation
was that about the only difference
between them and an average Min
nesota popular gathering, was that
they appeared to take life a little
easier and showed less signs of
worry.
We breakfasted at a station at the
foot of Lake Simcoe, which is lake
large enough to make quite show
ing on the map. Barrie is beauti-
fully situated in the form of a
crescent, opposite to our breakfast
station at Allandale. It has popu-
lation of about 5, 900 people, and it is
easy to understand why hundreds
of summer visitors make this spot
their summer home during several
months Of the year. Pleasure
steamers ply the waters daily, and
fishing and hunting are said. to be
good. The air is fairly tonic in this
part of Canada. and I don t wonder
that people who wantrecreation and
escape from summers heat should
flock to this lake region of Canada
every summer. i
: From Barrie to Muskoka wharf
the Grand Trunk railway skirts the
lakes for the most part, through a
wild and attractive country. The
forest seems to be mostly maple,
beech and birch, with clumps Of
spruce and pine at intervals. Al
Muskoka we came into a lumber
camp. and the very first thing oul
steamer ran into boom Of float
ing pine logs. A boat-load of RATS
men, assisted by steam tug
] - - Al of Ia. 80