Catoctin clarion., 1917-12-27
THURSDAY, DECEMBER Fl, 1917.
Letter From The Great
Saskatchewan Country
Where Nights Are Now Long,
Weather Cold. Wheat Raising
Profitable and Automobile
Are INDISPENSABLE.


Are indispensable.
THE CLARION comes to US regularly
each week, q very welcome visitor from
home. We read it eagerly as soon as 1t
arrives. 1t helps us to keep in touch
with the good, old friends in Maryland.
We seem to be living in quite different
world up here. Even as l write you are
probably enjoying balmy temperature
of about 80 above zero, while here biz
zard is raging, with snow piling up every
where and the mercury in the tube 30
below. Cheer up, the worst is still to
come. Last winter the lowest tempera-
ture here was 60 below. Our first snow
came about the middle of October, and
from now on there will be no thaw until
about the middle of next April. Ice men
are harvesting their crop Of l8 inch ice.
A few weeks more and it will be too
thick to cut. When the spring thaw
comes, the dry, powdery snow les Ns in
a rush, and the first flowers appear be-
fore the last of the snow is gone.
Dundurn is situated on the rolling,
treeless prairie, over 1900 feet above sea
level. Because of this elevation the air
is very dry and invigorating, and you
don't mind the cold so much.
The soil is free from stones, and of a
light, ashy nature, containing so much
alkali that the water is unfit for drink
ing purposes. However, 2 miles to the
west of town billowy hills of pure, fine
sand covered with scrub timber stretch
for miles beyond. From these hills pure,
fresh water is hauled in tanks and dis
tributed to the townspeople at the rate
of two bucketsful for cents. Only the
air is free here.
We have some very nice stores here,
but prices of all manufactured articles
are at least one-third higher than in the
States. Pennies are not used. The
smallest coin in circulation is the silver
cent piece, or an occasional U. S. mic
kel."
The climate is too severe for anything
but the small fruits, and these are scarce.
Our fruit supply comes in crates from
British Columbia and Ontario.
The soil here is probably the most fer
tile in the world. In spite of short
season and a scant rainfall cabbages,
caulihowers, potatoes, parsnips, carrots
and other vegetables grow to marvellous
size and with amazing rapidity. But
the chief product of the soil is wheat.
There is practically no mixed farming.
As soon as the snow leaves in the spring
plowing begins. There is no need to
wait until the frost is all out of the ground.
When depth of inches free from
frost, the ground can be plowed and the
grain sowed. 1t is ready for harvest by
September and is threshed and marketed
in October and November. A fair crop
was raised last year in spite of the fact
that the rainfall from seed-time to har-
vest was less than inches. In winter
the frost penetrates the soil to depth
of 10 feet or more and during the dry
summer this frost gradually comes up
and supplies the needed moisture to ma
ture No. Northern wheat. There are
millions of acres in wheat each year and
the golden fields stretch as far as the
eye can see. Food for the Nations in
their hour of need. The most extensive
grain grower has 8 square miles under
cultivation. With wheat at the present
high figure this is very profitable busi-
nes, and the old homesteaders' shacks
are fast giving place to the most modern
homes; electrically lighted, steam heat
ed, with running water and every avail
able modern improvement, even down
to the electric iron, electric vacuum clean
ing system, power washer, churn, etc.
Owing to the great distances between
farms and towns, the telephone and
automobile are absolute necessities and
everybody has one even the preacher.
Automobiles can be run for little more
than mouths of the year. During the
severe winter weather the tough little
broncho has to take their place. There
is sleighing all winter, and the high
winds pile the snow on the trails until
it is from 3 to s feet deep. Travelling
is hard then.
The Thurmont Nimrods would be in
Paradise here. The many ponds and