REPORT OF THE DIRECTOR 37 



SESSIONAL PAPER No. 16 



with ratLer a hard clay subsoiL A mile or two out from the town the soil changed 

 again to a deep friable black loam and fields of grain again appeared. 



Chipman to Mundare, l-i miles. The grain seen here was rather short in straw, 

 but would probably give a fair crop. Galician houses, one story high, neatly thatched 

 and more or less ornamented were frequently seen. In this part of the country there 

 are many Galicians settled, within a radius of 50 or 60 miles there are said to be from 

 twelve to fourteen thousand of them. They seem to till their land well and to aver- 

 age good crops. Mundare has made but very little growth. The almost exclusive 

 foreign element in the population does not seem favourable to the rapid growth of a 

 town. 



ITundare to Vegreville, 14 miles. A stop was made at this thriving town which 

 was about six months old and had a population of four to five hundred. A pleasant 

 and interesting drive was taken through this part of the country covering about 60 

 miles in all, visiting Beaver Lake and many parts of the numerous Galician settle- 

 ments. The progress made in the cultivation of their land seemed in many instances 

 to be slow, due doubtless partly to the fact that at first many of the settlers are obliged 

 to work out for other farmers or on the lines of railway to earn money with which 

 to buy implements, stock, &c., for their farms, also food supplies for their families. 

 Several homes were visited where the inmates had been three or four years on their 

 farms. These had accumulated some stock and had good-sized fields of grain, and 

 seemed contented. There is no doubt that after a time they will make good progress 

 as they are industrious and frugal. 



From Vegreville to Lloydminster, about 100 miles, the line was passed over in 

 the night and the following day spent in driving about among the Barr colonists. These 

 people who came over from England in a body some three or four years ago, have made 

 good progress. Most of them have completed their homestead duties and have taken out 

 the patents for their land and many of them now ^ave with the increase in the value 

 of their homesteads, property varying in value from $1,500 to $2,000 or more. They 

 seem to have adapted themselves to their conditions, are living in a fair degree of 

 comfort and are moving along towards comparative independence. A drive of 20 

 miles was taken through the district from Lloydminster to Lashburn and many of tlie 

 settlers called on. The land in this district seems very good and the crops realized 

 had been satisfactory. 



Lashburn to ^.laidstone, 14 miles. Passed through much the same sort of country 

 as in the drive from Lloydminster. "Wliile most of the land seen was very good, some 

 fields were passed where the soil was lighter, and occasionally sandy or gravelly soil was 

 noticed. From Maidstone to Paynton, 16 miles, the soil averages much lighter, much 

 of it being sandy; the land however, improves in quality near Paynton. 



Paynton to Delmas, 15 miles. Land variable in this district, part of it stony, 

 some sandy or gravelly and some portions of better soil. Delmas to North Battle- 

 ford. Leaving Delmas the land is at first of better quality then stony and gravelly 

 alternating with better land. This is a fine ox)en district ; as the Saskatchewan river 

 is reached, the grade takes the train grradually down and the crossing is made over a 

 high bridge. 



North Bflttleford was growing very rapidly and new houses were going up in every 

 direction. The land along the banlc of the Saskatchewan is for the most part a sandy 

 loam and is variable in character. Very little grain was seen on either side of North 

 Battleford. From that town to Denholm_, 17 miles, several fields of grain were seen. 

 The soil was quite variable, some of it good, but the larger part seen from the rail- 

 way was stony and gravelly. 



From Denholm to Ruddell, 9 miles, the country is fine and open and most of the 

 land very good wb.en one gets away from the river. At Ruddell there was some crop 

 on a hillside which looked very promising. 



Buddoll to Fielding, 17 miles. Much of the soil in this locality seems to be a 

 rather light sandy loam. The fields of wheat seen did not promise a heavy crop and 



