The McCook tribune. (McCook, Neb.) 1886-1936, 1904-05-13
AN ILLINOIS FARMER I'm WESi !
ERN CANADA.

| Illinois Democrat contains d lOAS oNN
Interesting letter from Mr.. Elias host'
formerly a prosperous farmer OF that
state who recently emigrated to west
ern Canada. taking up a claim lor
himself and for each of his three sons
From Mr.. Kosts letter, which was
written Feb. 8, 1904, we publish tne
following, believing it will prove OF
great interest to those who have con-
templated settling in the CANADIAN
Northwest:
.I had in August, 1902, secured a
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 trail
Coming so late in the season we
had little opportunity to break and 10
prepare ground for first years crop,
still we raised over 100 bushels or
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 IT,
and on rented ground Is miles east OF
US. raised a fine crop of oats, so tnat
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 or
binary season the meadow would fur-
nish 600 tons of hay. The grass Is
very nutritious, and cattle on the
ranges become very fat without be-
ing fed 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 too
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 a cent
since we came on our homestead, only
the small outlay for salt and labor in
have been doing well 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 north
west that melts it very rapidly; these
winds are called Chinook winds, and
are always warm. In one night a
Chinook wind may take away three
or four inches of snow.
I'VE have built on our claim COM
Portable house of hewn logs, 2Ox26
feet, one and one-half stories in
height, with good cellar. During the
latter part of June we RATED logs
down the Sturgeon to a sawmill, about
eight miles away, and thus secured
5 1000 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 tie roof.
I'VE had an abundance CT wild fruit
he past season, consisting of goose
berries, Strawberries, raspberries, eye
berries, blueberries, cherries and sas-
1atOOns. The latter are a fine looking
)erry, red, and quite pleasant to the
aste, but not much to be desired in
cookery. The strawberries are the
anne as those that grow wild in Hi
lois. Raspberries are red in color,
arge and equal to any of the tame
and so are the gOoseberries.
he cranberTies consist OF the high
nd trailing varieties. The latter are
nOst sought and contiguous to the
wamps. The ground is literally COW
red with them as with 2 red CARPET.
ut the best and most sought is the
lueberry, so called by the Indians.
his is the famous 'huckleberry'
of the Clue Ridge
fountains in Pennsylvania, and can
OF be eXcelled for excellence by a2v
'uit cultivated, 1t is found here both
n the prairie and in the timber in I'M
tense quantities.
Game is very plentiful so far as
rairie chickens, pheasaEtS. ducks Of
Il kinds, and geese are concerned.
'e have taken nearly SEQ chickens
I'd pheasants, also q great many
Icks.
IAN occasional deer is seen, but are
't plentiful, only one having been
ken during the season in this settle.
ent.
Fish are very plentiful at all seq
ms OF the year. Fish wagons and
eds are passing almost daily along
e trail with heavy loads of fish des.
led for st. Albert and Edmonton
ON the latter point they are Skinned
nth on the Calgary and Edronto,
ilroad to points along the line and
so to Assiniboia, on the Canadian
.cific railroad
For further information apply to
y authorized Canadian Goyernmar+
'ent whose address appears elso-
lere in this paper.
The heart of the present is the homo
the future. A''P'
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