Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1904-05-12
An ILLINOIS FARMER ~ WEST
ERN CANADA.


interesting letter from Mr. Elias Kost.
| formerly a prosperous farmer OF that
state who recently emigrated TO West
ern Canada, taking up a claim fe
himself and for each OF his three sons.
From Mr. Kost's letter, which vas
written Feb. 3, 1904, we publish the
| following, believing IL will prove OF
f, great interest to tho:e who have son-
templated settling in the CanadsaA
| Northwest:
Il had in August, 1902, secured
claim for myself, and filed on three
| quarter sections for my sons. Ny
claim is one-half mile south OF ne
Edmonton and ! AXE st. Anne trail
Coming 80 late in the season we
had little opportunity TO break and 20
| prepare ground for first years crop.
| still we raised over 100 bushels et
| very fine potatoes, and sowed few
acres of barley, but the season was
| too far advanced for the barley. How.
! ever, we secured good feed from 70,
! and on rented ground 1S miles east or
! US, raised fire crop of oats, 30 that
we will have plenty of feed for horses.
| We cut about GO tons OF hay and thus
will have an abundance. We have, all
| told. about 2tE acres Of hay meadow.
which would yield the past year over
| three tons to the acre. and In an or
binary season the meadow would fur.
n'sh COO tons OF hay. The grass ts
very nutritious, end cattle on the
J rar ges become very fat without he
| ing fed pound OF grain.
ION the upland the grass grows
| from eight to ten inches tall. Tfss rs
| called range grass, and Is suitable Dor
| stock at any time, even in the winter
when the ground Is not covered toe
deep with snow Horses subsist on u
alone, at all times, provided they are
native stock. The grass in the hay
meadows here is called red-top, and
grows from five to six feet in length.
ard when cut at the proper rme
/ yields an abundant crop OF nutritious
! hay
Our cattle have not cost as CENT
eSlce we came on our homestead, only
the small outlay for salt and labor In
! putting up hay and shelter. All cattle
have been doing we'll this winter, and
feeding up 10 the first OF January was
unnecessary, as there was good range
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
| 40 th
or four inches of snow.
1--WE have built on our claim cotn'
Portable house of hewn logs, 20x26
feet. one and ore-half stories Ia
| height, with good cellar. During ehe
latter part Of June we RATED logs
down the Sturgeon 10 a sawmill. about
eight miles away. and thus secured
5000 feet Of good lumber which was
needed for the house. Later In the
season a shingle mill located six
miles away. To this we hauled logs
and had shingles cut for the roof.
I'VE had an abur dance Of wild frstt
the past season, consisting OF goose
! berries, Strawberries, raspberries. eye
berries, blueberries, cherries and sas-
katoons. The latter are a fire looking
berry. red, and quite pleasant to che
taste, but not much TO be desired in
cookery. The strawberries are che
same as those that grow wild In lfit
nois. Raspberries are red IN eesor.
large and equal to any Of the tame
varieties, and so are the gooseberrtes-
The cranberries consist of the high
and trailing varieties. The latter are
most sought and contiguous To the
swamps. The ground Is literally GOV.
cred with them as with red carpet,
but the best and most sought Is che
BURBERRY, so called by the Indians
! This is the famous 'huckleberry'
(whortleberry) OF the Blue Ridge
Mountains in Pennsylvania. and CEN.
| not be excelred for excellence by any
fruit cultivated II is found here both
on the prairie and in the timber In Ina.
mense quantities.
Game is very plentiful 20 far as
! prairie chickens, pheasants, ducks OF
all kinds, and geese are concerned.
We have taken nearly 500 chickens
and pheasants, also a great maay
ducks.
IAN occasional deer Is seen. but are
not plentiful, only one having been
taken during the season In this settle
ment
Fish are very plentiful at all sea
sons Of the year. Fish wagons and
sleds are passing almost daily along
the trail with heavy loads of fish. des-
tined for St. Albert and Edmonton.
From the latter point they are shipped
south on the Calgary and Edmonton
railroad to points along the line, and
also to Assiniboia, on the Canadian
Pacific railroad"
For further information apply 70
any authorized Canadian Government
Agent whose. address appears else
whore In this paper.
Home rule questions keep diyerce
! judges busy.
4