The Newark journal., 1909-01-29
EVERYTHING WAS FAVORABLE
SORRY HE DIDN'T MOVE TO WEST
 ERN CANADA BEFORE.

Mir. Austin was man who had never had any previous experience in farming, but Western Canada had al. lurements, and he profited He got 2 low-rate certificate from a Canadian Government agent, and then moved What he says is interesting:
 "Ranfurly, Alberta, May 10t0S
 "J. N. Grieve, Esqr., Spokane, Wash. ington.-Dear Sir: After dozen q, more years of unsuccessful effort in the mercantile business in Western Washington, in August, 1903, decided to come to Alberta with a gentleman who was shipping two cars live stock to Edmonton. I assisted this man with the stock over one hundred miles out in the Birch Lake Country East of Edmonton. Indeed, how sur. prised. how favorably everything com. pared with my dream of what l want. ed to see in a new country.
 Had never had any experience in farming, but 1 was immediately con. verted into a farmer. And from that moment I have prospered Selecting a homestead near Birch Lake. l re. turned for wife and three small chil. dren and freighted out from Edmonton in March following year we shoyeed a spot clear of snow and pitched our tent and commenced operations. al that time we had no neighbors. Four years have passed, the locality is well settled, two miles from railway sta tion, with churches and schools. tele phone and good road accommodations
 We are enjoying the privileges granted to any rural district in Washington. The Birch Lake Coun. try is no exception, this great trans. formation is rapidly going on in every district in Western Canada
 T estimate that every quarter sec. tion in every direction is capable of producing a comfortable living for family of ten forever. After paying for two. horses and COW. had just 5000 10 go on. Did my first plough. ing in my life. I was very awkward in my work, but nature was glad and was abundantly paid for my efforts Our cattle has increased to about fifty head, which was very profitable on ac. count of the abundance of forage. To farm was compelled to buy about four hundred dollars worth of farm ma chinery on time, and the payments fell due last fall, and you may wonder how I expected to pay for them when We had such a bad year. Twas little bad for Western Canada or for Mis- sourian But is not 35 or 40 bushels oats a pretty good yield per acre in many States? Then the price of grain went out of sight, so wheHl had sold my crop l found I was able 10 make my payments nicely. besides We ! had lots of feed. No one has any busi. ness raising cattle without growing grain, or vice versa. As to the winters, l did not feed my cattle, excepting the calves, a fork of hay until in March. l Have found the winters much more i pleasant than we did in Western Wash ! ington This is strange and hard to 1 explain, but 'tis true, nevertheless, at l 40 degrees below zero We have more i comfort than you would at 20 degrees 1 dDOACf SO DUH DkA1hJ i sunny days. My wife says that the only regret she has is that we did not come here ten years ago, as We would now certainly have been in a position to retire from hard work. Most wom- en soon become satisfied as neigh bors begin to come round them. Have 9S acres in crop this year, besides two acres potatoes, which have always brought me fair price. We find a ready market for everything we produce. To the Poor Man Here is chance to establish yourself To the Rich Man-Here IS chance to buy land fo- s1000 to sl5.OO per acre which will produce more crops than a half dozen acres of your S9o.oo to $7500 per acre land And II not very much mistaken, this year VIII prove an eye opener to those who are little sceptical. The trouble Wilh me is that I have so much to say 50 favorable to Alberta 'tis hard 10 pe brief Respectfully,
 (signeO .'p. s. AUSTIN"