Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1909-06-29

isfied with the trip, and that 1t is well
worth the time and many times the
cost to any person who can do so, TO
make this trip and observe the rapid
development Of this great grain and
stock country.
You go west from ST. Paul across
Minnesota and North Dakota and
cross the line into Canada at Portal.
N. D. Then 600 miles north and
west through the Saskatchewan prov
ince and into Alberta, which is no
doubt soon to be the very greatest
small grain country in the world. That
is for wheat, rye, barley, oats, spelts,
flax and alfalfa. These together with
wild hay cut from the virgin sod are
among the chief products and re-
sources of this very remarkable coun-
try which is being settled up In such
rapid manner that 1t cannot
be understood or appreciated without
actually going there and looking over
the whole situation, and by the way
potatoes are very important crop.
feature also, the yield being as high
as 450 bushels to the acre, on irrigated
land. Besides these you raise practic-
ally all the ordinary garden vegetables
except field corn-you cannot sue
cessfully raise corn on account of the
cool nights. Just as corn is king In
this country so Is wheat and oats king
and queen Of the Alberta grain belt in
Canada. was shown one field from
which the premium wheat Of Alberta
for 1908 was cut, from which the farm
er actually harvested mo"a than forty
bushels to the acre, on an 80 acre
held. Twenty-seven farmers got an
average of forty-three bushels and 1t
is not an uncommon thing for oats to
go 70 to 80 bushels on sod--and one
man makes affidavit that he got one
hundred and three bushels to the acre.
or course this was irrigated land.
The chief city of the province of
Alberta is Calgary, situated 60 miles
east of the Rocky mountains in south.
western Alberta. on the line of the
Canadian Pacific railroad between
Winnipeg and Seattle 1t is claimed
there that the population Of Calgary
five years ago was scant 5000, and to-
day it is $4,000 and growing by leaps
and bounds. 1t is the great money
center for the wheat and grain inter-
ests of Alberta and the clearing
house for all southwest Canada.
Prices in Calgary, living expenses,
board, clothing, ETC., are about 10 per
cent higher than here-and rent Is
just about double what it is here, and
still you get just as good a meal there
for 25c as You get here, and the $500,
$3.50 and $500 per day hotels are
fully as good as here.
Wages are also higher, l. e., day
laborers, $500 to $3.50; carpenters
$3.50; brick and stone masons and
plasterers from $500 to $500 per day.
There is not much doing so far in Cal
gary In the way of manufacturing
The business men seem to be more
interested in money, banks and real
estate, and wholesale and jobbing
houses. The retail stores are kept
largely by men from the United
States, and are all neat and artistic
well stocked and up to date. The
styles and fashions being quite SINH
lar to those prevailing in the states.
| Now this is enough about Calgary,
except that from this point the coun-
try slopes gradually downward to-
ward the east away from the noun
tains) and at Calgary the Canadian
Pacific railroad company taps the
Bow river and here is the beginning
of the great irrigation canal running
off toward the east watering thousands
of sections Of fine prairie land that
yields the biggest crops of small grain
known to any countrv. The Canadian
Pacific railroad has already expended
more than $7,000,000 On this irrigation
proposition and have just begun. The
water Is carried along on the highest
land following the slope and fall Of
the country, through the main canal
and secondary ,canals-and then dis
tributed over the country by means
OF laterals-ditches, locks, food-gates.
ETC., just when and where and in uuan.
tity as needed. 1t is difficult to under.
stand the system unless you go and
make personal inspection of 1t, and
talk with the farmers who are there.
men from Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Mis-
souri,, Nebraska, Kansas and the Da.
kotas. saw them and talked with
them-saw men who had been there
1ASAiiS ySoio hllu idu DullC SOOQ homes.
saw men who had been there only a
short time and were building and
blowing, etc; saw men there just I'M
loading their machinery and household
goods and / saw trainloads Of men,
women and children going into the
country to stay and live there.
This land Is being sold, according
to the land office report, at the enor-
nous rate of 100000 acres per month.
1t Is of two (and only two) classes.
irrigated land at $25 per acre and nom
irrigated at SIS per acre. These prices
are fixed by the G. P. R. R. Co, and
no one can add one dollar to that
lprice-nor take anything from it. You
can buy for cash or on /, 8, 5 or 10
10 years time and six per cent inter-
est by making a small payment down,
and for the small farmer or renter
who has his machinery and some
horses and a few hundred dollars, who
is willing to go and work and attend
to his business he can own quarter
or a half section with good house
and D1anty IF stock in from, fhroa !.