The Yale expositor., 1909-09-17
Canadian Northwest Letter.
Asquith, Sask., Sept. 6, 90
j. \. MenZies,
Yale, Mich,

/
j. a. Menzies,
! Yale, Mich,
Friend Jim: will now try and
give you description of my trip ont
here and also of the country.
| left Sarnia on Monday morning,
Aug. %. came by way of Chicago,
Duluth, and Winnipeg to Saskatoon
and landed in Asquith Friday the 18th
at IL IN. After leaving Chicago we
came through some very rough country.
| All through Wisconsin and Minnesota
we dident see any tillable land until we
drew near Winnipeg, There the crops
looked fair but were badly damaged by
the rains. After leaving Winnipeg the
country was rather rough, not farmed
very extensively but when we got into
Saskatchewan we began to see some
fine country. Looking out of the coach
window you could see the golden grain
as far as the eye could resch, some in
shock and some lying in the fields hav
ing been cut. At stations all along the
railroad farmers would come to the
train inquiring for men to set up wheat
offering as high as $500 per day. Help
is very scarce.
Asquith is in the center OF a fine
farming country; three years ago there
was only one small frame building and
to-day the population numbers 400, it
is Incorporated as a town; there is one
hotel, Is # front by 100 IT. deep, three
stories high, capable of taking care of
100 guests or more The landlord told
me that in June he cleared $500, in
July and August $500 and expected to
do still better the latter part of the
year. There are three general stores,
four elevators, one barbOr shop, one
furniture and undertaking store, one
grist mill, two blacksmith shops, one
drug store, two hardware stores, one
harness shop, one bakery, jewelry store,
three liverys, one photograph parlor,
one bank, four churches, one agricul.
tural hall, two lumber yards. laundry,
one printing office and splendid fire
protection. 1t is a typical western
town. You can see men and women
coming into town riding bronchos.
The inhabitants are very hospitable,
Obliging and kindly disposed
Here is where they do harvesting.
One man cut 3l5 acres in - days. He
used four horses on an S-fOOt binder,
changed horses every four hours. Last
spring one man used gasoline engine
TO do his seeding. lie. had gang of
plows attached TO the engine, disc
harrow to the plows and drill to that.
One man tended the drill Gasoline
engines are used to break ground with
and will break as high as 81 acres per
day 1t is q sight to see them do their
threshing. A cooking van accom-
panies the outfit i'm which meals TOR
the men are prepared. The outfit con
sists of about twelve teams to haul
sheaves to the machine, two or three
men to help pitch into the separator,
three or four men in the field, two
water tanks, team to draw straw
from the stack to the engine to fire
with. About 1000 bushels are tbrcshed
per day They are at it i'm the morn
ing by 4 o'clock and do not quit until
midnight.
Pararie chickens, ducks, geese and
turkeys are very plentiful. have
been feasting on the chickens and
tell you they are certainly fine. The
birds are tame, coming up around the
buildings to pick up feed.
1t is very healthy out here and | am
feeling just fine.
| may>write you again later.
Respectfully yours
l. H. King