The Monticellonian., 1905-07-13
WESTERN CANADA.
Agricultural Country in the World.

There are today millions of people in the countries of Europe and the United States of America who are liv- ing on small worn-out farms. and even farms that are productive and valu- able in so far as market prices are con cerned, and millions more without properties altogether. but who would use them to advantage if they had them, for whom the Canadian North west offers Inducements that can hard ly he reasonably estimated. That coun- try has in the aggregate an area of 385, 900 900 acres, and as not more than 100000 farmers are on it to the pres ent. unpreeedently rapid as has been the settlement. the homes that still await the settlers are up in the mil lions.
 As the entire country is inland who'll ly. without water communication with the outside world, the nearest point of connection being Port Arthur at the head of Lake Superior, 450 miles distant, it can be readily understood
 
 favorable it's climatic conditions for agriculture may be. settlement because of lack of ingress and egress. was out of the question until rail communica tion was fully established
 It was not until 1880 that a railway tapped the country; then with a popu- lation that could have been easily mum. ha q L. the change. a population of 750, 900. a city of 100000 people. and an annual production of over $50 .000 GOO worth of agricultural merchandise, and an ex- port of over $50.000 GOO These figures most eloquently show that the country has long since outgrown everything in the shape of prejudice against it. and Is a long distance on the road to un- limited advancement and uniform prosperity
 It was. of course. to have been ex- peeted that as Manitoba was created a province in 1870. and given full provincial autonomy, and had the only access to the outside world in the Red River to St. Paul, in the United States, 1t would have made the first advance ment in settlement, and have had it's lands taken up the earliest Still it Is estimated there are 1.500, 000 acres of free homesteading land in that prov ince, one-half of which at least is fit for cropping. and many millions more in the hands of the Hudson's Bay com pany, the railway companies and many other public and private corporations. It is, however. with the country further west We have to deal now
 Early Progress of the West.
 In 1882, the first year the railway touched. that country. it was divided into four territories, Assiniboia. Sas- katchewan, Alberta and Athabasca and given a primitive form sf government which prevailed until this year (1905) when the four territories were con- yerted into two provinces. Alberta and Saskatchewan. given full provincial autonomy and admitted as sisters into the Canadian Confederation The en- tire growth and development of the country are all the result of these 23 years. In 25 years no less than 5000
 
 miles of railway have been built in the west country. Two of the systems have transcontinental lines. the C. P. R. and the c. N. R. and the third the Grand Trunk Pacific is now under way. Each of these main lines has branches in many localities. The companies are vieing with one another to extend their systems to every point where there is settlement so that as matter of fact every settler of three or fours years residence has road within a reason able distance of his door
 What is of equal importance to the farmers is, there are buyers at every railway depot for everything they have to sell, which at the newer points is wheat only. At the close of last year