The Brandon news. (Brandon, Miss.) 1892-1961, 1907-11-07
WOMEN AS FARMERS.
Success of Some Who Have Taken.
Claims in the Northwest.


Claims in the Northwest.
In the great Canadian Northwest,
where the erstwhile wilderness Is
waving with golden grain and towns
are springing UP overnight, not few
women have gone to seek their fort
unes alone. A homestead grant of
160 acres is free, and any head Of a
family man or woman, may secure it
upon application to the Canadian gov
eminent. Usually, of course, the APP
plicant is a man, but occasionally
woman essays to make her fortune on
the praries without masculine aid.
Miss Marie Gilroy, of Saskatchewan,
is one of the most famous woman SET
tiers Clf the west She put her last
shilling into a prairie farm and spent
seven years in hand-to-hand tuss1e
without fortune, sitting ON her own
binder, cutting her own grain, hand
ling the plough in the burroughs and
doing stable duty. In 1906 her hold
ing excited the admiration of young
Englishnlan and Miss Gilroy was in
duced to hand over lock, stock and
barrel to him for the round sum OF
$4,000. Today Miss Gilroy is touring
Europe on the proceeds of her original
$4,000.
Mrs. McGilvray, who came to the
Canadian West twenty years ago with
six small children, is another promi.
uent woman farmer of Saskatchewan.
Beginning almost penniless her 160
acres of homestead have now grown to
an eight hundred acre estate and her
children are settled round her in com.
fort and affluence.
Salome Wertman came with her nus.
band and little family from Russia and
soon she, too, was widow. She still
kept on trying to earn bread as she
says, and sixteen years after her alb
solutely penniless start she stands as
one of the successful land owners Of
Saskatchewan.
Mrs. Ferris is known as the woman
farmer" of the Portage Plains. Left
with a family Of young children, she
has managed her farm most success
fully since the death of her husband.
She comes from Belfast, Ireland, and
when she arrived in Western Canada
with her husband thirty-two years ago
they had no capital at ALL She now
has an estate of 760 acres and her two
sons settled near at hand, each the
owner of a section and half of land
about five-hundred acres.
Mrs. Grant has beautiful farm on
the banks cR the Canadian Killarney,
in Southern Manitoba Three years
ago she went there from Scotland,
with her son, young man just out
of college, and her daughter. A year
ago, just as they were preparing for
spring seeding, the son was stricken
down with appendicitis and in twenty
four hours was dead Filled with
hatred for the place, she decided to
leave it, but the morning after her
sons funeral, when she was packing
up, her daughter called to her, Moth
er, come her, quick!" She looked and
saw that men, teams and ploughs
quietly and without a word of explain
alton were beginning work on the
farm. The neighbors had decided ito
put in the seasons crop for the two
bereaved women. They actually
ploughed, narrowed, seeded and reap
ed the entire crop. After that Mrs.
Grant talked no more of going
home" Her farm by the shores of
the Canadian Killarney was home to
her
Many women teachers, too. are
found On the Canadian praries, but
they never remain long in the schools,
though they do not leave the prairies.
Ever been in Siberian" asked the
reporter.
"Er-yes,' answered the disting-
uished Russian refugee II took a
knouting there one summer. Chi.
cago Tribune.