Kingsbury County independent. (DeSmet, Kingsbury County, S.D.) 1894-1929, 1910-02-11


few days the thermometer has been
down TO 20 below zero. That Was In
November and December. Ten below
zero IN Dakota sssIas as bad as 10
here for when we have really cold
weather it is nearly always free from
wind.
We have not had good sleighing
since we came to Canada, which is
three winters now. Our winds cone
from the west and southwest, what
are known as the Chinook winds, and
the Thermometer goes up 30 between
80 and so above. 1t Was hard for me
TO believe that the winters along the
Rockies were better than in South
Dakota but ii is so.
] also thought that southern Alber-
ia Was more or less subject TO drought
but il is not so either, as We q cas-
lily get along with half the amount Of
rain needed in South Dakota, and we
always seem 10 have enough rain II
the growing season, 1T is true that the
falls are somewhat dry but a wet har
vest means frosty grain for Canada,
especially along the foot hills.
A few yields may satisfy you that
grain can grow here. These yields
that ] have seen myself and harvest
cd some for myself also. Wheat yields
from 20 TO As bushels and I have seen
Sc bushels per acre Of red winter
wheat, Oats yield from 35 TO IS
bushels. Barley is not a standard
crop here but this year ] threshed
836 bushels, machine measure, from
nine sacks OF seed. Corn viii never
be d crop along the foot hills. This
year was not as good as il might
have been on 0uT farm as We had a
bad hail storm on the 4th of July,
chopping some Of the grain so that
] had to pIow fifty acres under, but
wa sat left yielded about % bush
els and oats yielded As bushels. The
barley was also struck by hail.
The nights are always cold in sum
mer. That is why grain fills out
SO good. There may not be more
straw here in . As bushel crop than
in % bushels in South Dakota.
In regard to ourselves we are as
well satisfied here as in South Dako
IA. There are, Of course, things here
and there both, such as fruit, that
have TO be imported from the other
side Of the Rockies.
We have a good little home, $40
acres broken On the section. Also.
have a school located on our land 10
Gated about 100 rods from the house
and lire only FIVE miles from a town
Of 1000 inhabitants.
This country was all prairie s or Z
years ago. Today there is as much
pIowing as there was prairie then.
The shipping and elevator facilities
have been a hard matter here until
the last year. There was more grain
shipped from Clsresholm in 1908 than
any other town in western Canada,
but DOW we have, in a distance of Is
miles, IL elevators of better than
10000 capacity each. New railroads
are coming in all over. In fact / have
never seen towns grow up as quick
as they do up here. Eighteen years
ago thre were three houses where the
city of Calgery now stands. Today
ii has a population of 10000. Also
Edmundton has a population of
10000 to 10000. Several other towns
Of from 1000 to 5000 inhabitants are
along this line.
/ enclose the government estimate
of Alberta crops for 1909, and also
the temperature from the 7th to the
18th of January. Would like to
hare had the temperature for the next
IA days, as there are but a few nights
LA. .sss. has 5eeE zSSe- freeing
Vita the best wishes aud regards
to the Independent and all old friends
in Kingsbury county, / will close for
this time.
Theo. C.. Larson.
D- AA&