The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1904-05-13
AN ILLINOIS FARMER IN
WESTERN CANADA.

A recent issue OIL the SuelDy vile, lIll-
| nois, Democrat contains a long and in
| teresting letter from Mr.. Elias KOst,
| formerly prosperous farmer of that
state, who recently emigrated to West
| ern Canada, taking up claim for HIM
| self and for each of his three sons.
From Mr.. Kost's letter, which was
written Feb. 3, 1904, we publish the
| following, believing it will prove of great
interest to those who have contemplated
| settling in the Canadian Northwest:
Il had in August, 1902, secured claim
for myself, and filed on three quarter
sections for my sons. My claim is one
half mile south of the Edmonton and
Lake St. Anne trail.
Coming so late in the season we had
little opportunity to break and to pre-
pare ground for first years crop,
still we raised over 100 bushels of very
fine potatoes, and sowed a few acres
of barley, but the season was too far
! advanced for the barley. However, we
secured good feed from it, and on rented
| ground Is miles east Of us, raised 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 have, all told, about 240 acres of hay
! meadow, which would yield the past
year over three tons to the acre, and in
an ordinary season the meadow would
furnish 600 tons of hay. The grass is
very nutritious, and cattle on the ranges
become very fat without being fed a
pound of grain.
''On the upland the grass grows from
eight to ten inches tall This is called
range grass, and is suitable for stock
at any time, even in the winter when
the ground is not covered teo deep with
snow Horses subsist on it 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, 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
putting up hay and shelter. All cattle
have been doing we'll this winter, and
feeding up to the first of January was
unnecessary, as there was good range
up to that time.
Cali the SHOWS up to that date were
. followed by winds from the northwest
that melts it very rapidly; these winds
are called Chinook winds, and are al
ways warm. In one night Chinook
wind may take away three or four inches
of snow.
I'VE have built on our claim 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 a sawmill, about eight miles away
and thus secured 5000 feet of good lum-
+ Der which was needed for the house.
Later in the season a single mill To-
Gated six miles away. To this we
hauled logs and had shingles cut fol
the roof
1--WE had an abundance of wild fruit
the past season, consisting of gooseber-
, ries, strawberries, raspberries, eyeber-
!, ries, blueberries, cherries and saska.
o toons. The latter are a fine looking Der.
. ry, 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 Illinois. Raspberrie:
are red in color, large and equal to any
> of the tame varieties, and so are thu
gooseberries. The cranberries consis
:, of the high and trailing varieties The
= latter are most sought and contiguou:
;, to the swamps. The ground is LITERAL!
| &ha,, sod Of
but the best and most sought is the blue
berry, so called by the Indians. Thii
. is the famous 'huckleberry' (whortle
= berry, of the Blue Ridge Mountains il
Pennsylvania, and cannot be excellet
y for excellence by any fruit cultivated
1t is found here both on the prairie ant
:, in the timber in immense quantities.
: . Game is very plentiful so far as prai
: RE chickens, pheasants, ducks Of al
. kinds, and geese are concerned. We hav'
taken nearly 500 chickens and pleas
o ants, also a great many ducks.
"An occasional deer is seen, but ar
not plentiful, only one having beef
taken during the season in this settle
Il ment
e "Fish are very plentiful at all seasons
n of the year. Fish wagons and sled
= are passing almost daily along the trai
9 with heavy loads of fish, destined TO
st. Albert and Edmonton. From tn
" latter point they are shipped south OF
!, the Calgary and Edmonton railroad t.
g points along the line, and also to Assini
- boia. on the Canadian Pacific railroad.
For further information apply to an,
:. authorized Canadian Government Agen
whose address appears elsewhere.