The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1903-04-24
NEVER SAW SUCH LABoRYlELDs.
The Climate Is Healthy-The Winters

-eH H4EE
The Climate Is Healthy-The Winters
Are ~Pleasant-in Western Canada.
Writing from Stirling, Alberta, to
one of the agents representing the Ca
madam Government Free Homestead
Lands, Mr.. NJ. Pickrell, formerly of
Beechwood, Ky, says of Western
Canada:
in the first place we will say that
the summer season is just lovely In
deed. AS to the winter, well, we never
experienced finer weather than we are
now enjoying. We have just returned
from Northern Alberta and will say
that we found the weather to be very
mild, the air dry, fresh and invigora-
ting. Considering everything we can
say that the winters here are most
pleasant, healthy and enjoyable to
gets cold and continues so till spring
there are no disagreeable winds. In
South Alberta it Is some warmer-tWo
to four inches of snow may fall and
in a few hours a Chinook wind come
along, evaporating the entire snow,
leaving terra irma perfectly dry, in
fact, we did not believe this part until
we came and saw for ourselves and we
now know what we herein write to be
just as we write it. There has not
been n day this winter that l could not
work outdoors. Farmers here are cal
culating on starting the plough the
first of March.
LAS to farm wages, we would not
advise a man to come here with the
expectation of living by his days
work, but all who do want a home I
advise to have nerve enough to get up
and come, for there never has been,
and may never be again, such a grand
opportunity for a man to get a home
almost free.
to the crops. l have been in the
fields before harvest, saw the grass put
up and the grain harvested, and | new
er saw such large yields. saw oats
near Edmonton over six feet tall that
yielded 80 bushels per acre, and I
talked to a farmer near st. Albert who
had a field year before last that aver
aged no bushels per acre, and weighed
43 pounds to the bushel. All other
crops would run in proportion-as to
potatoes and vegetables, the turnout
was enormous. l have such reports as
the above from all sections that have
visited, and that has been every com.
munity between the Edmonton district
and Raymond in the Lethbridge dis
trict.
"As to stock raising, I would advise
a mar to locate in this place, or any
place, in South Alberta, but for mixed
farming, l would say &c up farther
north, say near Lacombe, Wetaskiwinor
Edmonton, where it Is not quite SO dry
and where there Is some timber to be
had. l will say that nowhere have I
ever seen a better opportunity for a
man, whether he has money or not,
to obtain a home. Nowhere can be
found q more productive soil, better
water and a better governed country
than Western Canada affords. Induce
ments to the homeseeker are ,unex-
celled. l met two men near Ponoka
on the G. & %. r. r., who borrowed
the money to pay for their homestead
and In four years those two men sold
their farms-one for $1,000, the other
for $4,000. / met a man near Wetas-
klwin who landed here with % cents
six years ago. He is now worth 49,
900. The advantages for ranching are
excellent, in fact, l do not believe this
section car be beat. Markets are
good; as to living, a family can live
as cheap here as they can in the
States. The average yield Of oats in
this neighborhood, last year, was 70
bushels per acre; wheat averaged 35,
barley 40, and the beet crop was good,
In consequence of the successful cult.
walton Of the beet, a large beet sugar
factory is being erected at Raymond
seven miles from here.
In conclusion I will say that N. w
T., from Manitoba to a long distance
north Of Edmonton, produces most
wonderful crops. Lakes and rivers
abound with fish, and game Is .plenti
full. And that this is unquestionably
the country for a man to come to II
he desires to better his condition il
life. I would advise the prospective
settler to look over the Lethbridge, La
combe, Wetaskiwin and Edmonton
districts before locating-aw bsosJ II !,
Il will locate in the EdmDnRon. dis
trict next fall and several familie!
from the States will locate WITH ii1ne
In the meantime, ! will receive N,
mail here and will be pleased to Civ,
the interested all the information de
sired"
For information as to railway rates
etc, apply to any agent of ttes1Caha
dian Government, whose names appea
elsewhere in this d