398 » EXPERIMENTAL FARMS 



5-6 EDWARD VII., A. 1905 



boia and Manitoba. The crops along the new railway lines from R^egina, by way 

 of Areola to Brandon, and from Kirkella to Lipton, were especially interesting to 

 me, as it was my first visit through these new and fast-growing settlements. 



Needless to say, grain looked fine everywhere, and in some districts, harvesting 

 was under way. 



TRIP THROUGH ALBERTA DURING HARVEST TIME. 



It was my great privilege during the latter part of August, and early in Septem- 

 ber, to take an extended trip through the newly formed province of Alberta, with your- 

 self, and to see with much pleasure the large crops of grain being harvested, and in 

 some cases threshed. 



At High River and Claresholm (on the Canadian Pacific Railv/ay from Calgary 

 to Macleod) extended trips were made through the districts, and on all sides fall wheat 

 was either in stook or being threshed. Spring wheat and oats were being cut, and 

 everywhere the grain was very fine indeed. At Leavings and Macleod the crops were 

 also very fine. 



On j-eacliing Lethbridge, .a special train was placed at our disposal to see the grain 

 fields as far as Cardston, through the kindness of Mr. A. T. Gait, president of the Gait 

 Coal Mines, and of Mr. Magrath, the latter accompanying us over the line. On ac- 

 count of dry weather the crops did not appear so heavy south of Lethbridge as further 

 north, but everywhere evidence was seen of large fields being sown with winter wheat; 

 one field alone contained 2,000 acres. 



At Raymond, the large sugar factory was being put in order for its harvest. On 

 all sides sugar beets were observed', and those fields examined were certainly extra good. 



As soon as possible after the new province was born, Edmonton was reached, and a 

 few days spent among the grain fields surrounding the future capital. Everywhere 

 the crops were fine, very many were in stook. Winter wheat was not grown so exten- 

 sively in the north as in the south the past season, but considerable had been sown in 

 all the districts visited. 



The districts of Lacombe, Red Deer and Innisfail were in turn visited, and as in 

 all others the grain was partially in stook, threshed and standing, but everywhere it 

 was good, with a few -exceptions where hail had unfortunately some time before visited 

 strips of the country we passed through. 



An afternoon was spent visiting the Canadian Pacific Railway irrigation canal at 

 Calgary, where most extensive work was being carried on, and which will in future 

 prove of vast benefit to a very large section of country. 



After returning home, and spending two days, a start was made for Battleford. 

 It gave me great pleasure to visit for the first time the ancient capital of the Terri- 

 tories. 



North Battleford, which came into existence three months before, wrs all bustle, 

 from the many land seekers making it their headquarters while looking up home- 

 steads, and from the erection of the many new buildings. 



The crops from Regina north to and about Saskatoon were very fine, nearly all 

 were in stook, with considerable threshing done at several of tho stations, especially 

 about Dundurn and Saskatoon. Along the Canadian Northern Railway from the 

 Junction to Battleford, the country is being newly settled, but many towns have sprung 

 up along the line, and in a year or two the whole country will no doubt be fully 

 settled. 



EXCURSION TO THE EXPERIMENTAL FARM. 



The Department of Agriculture at Regina ran excursion trains from Fleming on 

 the east and Caron on the west, and from Prince Albert in the north, a distance of 



