Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1902-07-24
Manitoba and the Northwest.

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as to warrant the writing of this article.
Leaving Hanna, North Dakota, the
end Of division of the Great North
ern, we drive across twenty-five miles
to Pilot Mound on the Canadian Pa
cific, passing the international bound
ry line. This line is the forty-ninth
parallel running clear across from
Lake of the Woods to the Pacific.
The only thing that marks the line to
the traveller is cast iron post set in
the ground every mile. On one side Of
this post are cast the words, "Uonven-
ton Of London" and on the other,
"Oct. 20, 1878" The country across
here is gently rolling and has SPLEEN
did soil and at this time of the year as
luxuriant crop ofiwheat as one ever
gszed upon.
From Pilot Mound to Winnipeg this
road runs through some very pretty
country, but when reaching the viciD-
ity of the Red river, comes into some
vast stretces of Hat land that as yet are
not cultivated. Winnipeg is q beau
tiful city of about 40, 900 people. It is
the principal distributing point for
this great region, the commercial cap
ital of vast and growing country.
Far to the west and northwest for Q
thousand miles reaches the commercial
network from Winnipeg. The city
reminds one in some respects Of Des
Moines, although not quite so large.
However, it is built ON ground mueh
nearer level 1t is only about twenty
years old. Its future promises much
West from Winnipeg the Canadian
Pacific passes through some of the
great wheat regions of Manitoba. The
neighborhoods around Portage La
Prairie and Brandon are great wheat
fields. The most desirable lands near
the railroad are already under Guilt
walton. About $50 miles west of
Winnipeg is Indian Head. II is situ-
ated in the east central part of Assini-
boia. the first province west Of Mani
toba. The Qu'Appelle river is few
miles north of here and the valley near
it is as far rs we know the best
wheat producing country in the world.
Indian Head is town Of about 1909
population. At its nine or ten big
grain elevators more wheat is marketed
than at any other town in the Dominion
of Canada and we presume of the
world. One and one half million bush
els of last years crop have already
been marketed there and il is now COM
ing in at the rate of about hundred
loads day. The grain men say there
that the wheat crop of last year
marketed there and yet to come in was
2,O0O,0 900 bushels. That is some
wheat.
The yields per acre in this district
are phenomenal. II almost causes
one to be credulous. But the records
at the government experiment farm al
Indian Head verify the statements OF
farmers and elevator men. The yield
per acre OF wheat often reaches &C
bushels, oats 1875 and barley 10. One
man near Indian Head last year raised
5000 bushels of wheat on 100 acres
They count 40 bushels as an ordin AIRY
wheat yield as We in Iowa count so
bushels of corn as an ordinary corr
crop. But this is the favorable side OF
the statement. Conditions have to be
the best for the big yields. They
have to summer fallow the land to get
it. To summer fallow the land must
rest year. This means the loss Of IT'D
use that year. 1t is plowed then about
July and narrowed. The next spring
the drill is put on as soon Is the frost
is out of the ground sufficient depth
Then il the rainfall and season is reas
onsbly good, which mostly happens
they get q bumper Of crop. The fol
lowing year they drill wheat in the
same ground without blowing and the
third year do the same, sometimes al
ternating with oats or barley, wher
they return the fourth year to summed
following. The second and third yea
after summer following they do no
get as big q yield as the first year.
1t would be misleading to say tina
all of this vast region is good farr
. land. Some is too fiat, some is ston,
and thin in soil, some is too sandy
Get too far west and some 10 too dr.
but much, however, is good, but
wants to be carefully selected. Tn
land business is booming there rs wei
as in Audubon county. Land seeker
seem omnipresent. They are some
times spectators and sometimes sci
tiers. We rode forty or fifty mile
south OF Indian Head into nice coun
try, but at that distance from the rail
road the settlement is scsnt. There |
occasionally settlement there how
ever. II is interesting to talk to sci
tiers there. II brings back to th
writer recollections of the time whe
as little boy with his parents in thi
state forty years ago families wer
meeting many Of the same hardship
and problems here that are being me
there now. They are trying for
J postoffice. They must have . schoo