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REPORT OF THE DIRECTOR 35 



SESSIONAL PAPER No. 16 



Airdrie the flret shrubs appear, mostly small bunches of willows. A few fioHs of cats, 

 barley and brome grass were seen in this district. Crossficld is growing rapidly. 

 The land seems to be of good quality in this vicinity. About Crossfield and north 

 the shrubby growth of willows is more plentiful and covers some of the fields in the 

 neighbourhood quite thickly. 



Crossfield to Carstairs, 10 miles. Fields of oats plentiful in this area, also some 

 fields of winter wheat. In some parts quantities of hay were cut and stacked, the 

 growth of grasses was quite heavy here. The town of Carstairs is growing very fast. 

 The first poplar trees seen in this district were north of Carstairs. Willows were 

 abundant there. 



Carstairs to Didsbury, 8 miles. Saw crops of spring wheat nearly ripe and 

 numerous fields of oats, many of them in stook; also, several large fields of winter 

 wheat well up and quite green. Dids;bury is a good-sized town and growing fast. Saw 

 some large fields of wheat north of Didsbury, also some large areas in summer fallow. 



Didsbury to Olds, Country well settled, saw many large fields of good spring 

 grain, some cut, some still standing. Some fields of winter wheat; a fine stretch of 

 country with many good farms. ITaying was in progress all along the route. Country 

 partly covered with trees and scrubby undergrowth, especially beyond Olds. 



From Olds to Innisfail, 19 miles, the district is well settled. Many fields of 

 spring wheat and oats were seen and much of the grain was ripe. Innisfail is a good 

 dairy centre and a thriving town. One of the largest creameries in the Northwest is 

 well sustained here. 



From Innisfail to Penhold, 5 miles, is a very pretty country with an extended 

 view, some fine farm lands lying on a nice slope near Innisfail with a pretty lake in 

 the background. 



From Penhold to Red Deer, 10 miles, some of the land along the railway is good ; 

 other sfctions are rather low and some apparently wet. This district yields large 

 crops of hay. Red Deer is a thriving place and quite a business centre, with some 

 very good country around it. 



From Rod Deer to Blackfalds, 12 miles, there is much good hay land most of 

 which is probably too low for successful grain growing. There are, however, many 

 fields of grain on the higher lands. The land in this vicinity varies much in quality, 

 some of it being very good while other sections are light and gravelly. Some good 

 winter wheat has been grown in this locality. 



Blackfalds to Lacombe, Y miles. Land generally good and well settled, the higher 

 lands are devoted to grain growing while the lower portions produce excellent hay. 



A NEW EXPERIMENTAL FARM AT LACOMBE. 



Lacombe is a busy town which has good railway facilities. Besides being on the 

 Calgary and Edmonton line, it has a branch line extending 51 miles east to Stettler. 

 On examining this district a very good and suitable site was found for a branch ex- 

 perimental farm for Northern Alberta. This is the southeast quarter of section 24 — 

 40 — 27. This quarter section adjoins the town; the railway runs across the lower 

 corner of it cutting off from 15 to 20 acres. The Hudson Bay trail to Edmonton, one 

 of the principal roads for travel in this part of the country, also passes through this 

 land. This leaves about 150 acres available for cultivation, a large proportion of which 

 has already been brought under crop. The soil is a dark loam, rich and fertile, partly 

 clay and partly sand, much nf it with a clay subsoil. This quarter-section lies on a 

 beautiful slope facing the railway, and nearly all of it can be seen from the passing 

 trains. It is also within easy walking distance from the station, about a mile. This 

 farm has water of exonllr>nt quality. This land has been secured and the establish- 

 ment of an experimental farm for Northern Alberta on this site is now in progress. 



Lacombe to ^Nforningside, 6 miles. Beyond Lacombe the country continues much 

 the same to Morningside. Many fields of grain were seen, although the larger part of 



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