Charlevoix county herald. (East Jordan, Mich.) 189?-1953, 1904-06-04
AN ILLINOIS FARMER IN WEST
ERN CANADA.


state who recently emigrated TO West
arm Canada. taking up claim for
himself and for each OF his three SONS
From Mr.. Kost's letter. which was
written Feb. 3, 1904, we publish the
following. believing 1t will prove OF
great interest to those who have con-
templated settling in the CanadiaJA
| Northwest:
81 had in August, 1902, secured
claim for myself, and filed on three
quarter sections for my sons. MY
claim is one-half mile south or the
Edmonton and Lake st. Anne tran.
Coming so late in the season we
had little opportunity to break ana 10
prepare ground for first year crop,
still we raised over 100 busheis oi
very fine potatoes, and sowed rev
! acres of barley, but the season was
too far advanced for the barley. How
ever we secured good feed from IL,
and on rented ground IS miles east OF
us raised a fine crop of oats, so that
we will have plenty of feed for horses.
We cut about 60 tons of>hay and thus
| will have an abundance we nave, aii
told. about 240 acres of hay meadow
which would yield the past year ovA
three tons to the acre, and in an or
binary season the meadow would r'ir-
nish coo tons of hay. The grass Is
very nutritious, and cattle on the
ranges become very fat without pe-
ing fed a pound of grain.
con the upland the grass grows
from eight TO ten inches tall. This is
called range grass, and is suitable Tor
stock at any time, even in the winter
when the ground is not covered 100
deep with snow. Horses subslst on IL
alone. at ell times, provided they are
native stock. The grass in the nay
meadows here is called red-top, ana
grows from FIVE to six feet in length,
and when cut at the proper time
yields an abundant crop OF nutritious
hay
Our cattle have not cost us cent
since we came on our homestead, only
the small outlay for salt and labor In
nutting I'D hay and shelter All cattle
have been doing well this winter, and
feeding I'D to the first of January was
unnecessary, as there was good rsfge
up to that time.
"All the SHOWS up to that date were
followed by winds from the north
west that melts it very rapidly; these
winds are called Chinook winds, and
are always warm. In one night
Chinook wind may take away three
or four inches of snow.
, I'VE have built on our claim a COM
Portable house of hewn logs, 20x26
; feet one and one-half stories In
height. with a good cellar. During the
latter part of June we RATED logs
down the Sturgeon to sawmill, about
eight miles away, and thus secured
5000 feet of good lumber which was
needed for the house. Later in the
season q shingle mill located six
miles away. To this we hauled logs
and had shingles cut for the roof.
Eve had an abundance of wild fruit
!, the past season, consisting OF goose
: berries, strawberries, raspberrles, eye
4 berries blueberries. cherries andAsas-
. katoons. The latter are a fine looking
Il berry. red. and quite pleasant to the
taste. but not much to be desired In
cookery. The strawberries are the
same as those that grow wild in ILL
:. nois. Raspberries are red In color,
large and equal to any OF the tame
= varieties. and so are the gooseberrles.
,. The cranberries consist OF the high
u and trailing varieties. The latter are
i most sought and contiguous to the
L swamps. The ground is literally Gov
cred with them as with red carpet
e hut the best and most sought Is the
: BURBERRY, so called by the Indians
This is the famous 'huckleberry
e (whortleberry) of the Blue Ridge
II Mountains in Pennsylvania, and can
not be excelled for excellence by any
fruit cultivated. It is found here both
on the prairie and in the timber in i'm
. mense quantities.
Game is very plentiful so far as
prairie chickens, pheasants, ducks OF
= all kinds, and geese are concerned
;, We have taken nearly 500 chickens
- and pheasants, also great many
q ducks.
. "An occasional deer Is seen, but are
. not plentiful, onlykene having beer
taken during the season in this settle
ment.
Fish are very plentiful at all sea
sons of the year. Fish wagons ant
sleds are passing almost daily alont
'" the trail with heavy loads Of fish, des
tined for st. Albert and Edmonton
y From the latter point they are shipped
"a south on the Calgary and Edmonton
&c railroad to points along the line, ant
IA also to Assiniboia, on the Canadian
IL Pacific railroad"
le For further information apply t.
lie any authorized Canadian Government
Agent whose address appears else
20 where in this paper.
id