190 EXPERIMENTAL FARMS 



7-8 EDWARD VII., A. 1908 



small fruits abundantly. At Briscoe we were entertained by Messrs. Mitchell Bros., 

 who have made considerable progress. Their ranch is beautifully situated and it is 

 being managed with intelligence. The soil here is a rather heavy clay. Cattle and 

 sheep apparently do well on the native grasses. Mr. Henry Aitcheson's place was 

 also visited. Small fruits and vegetables flourished with him and, from the prices 

 mentioned, I should say paid well. Poultry also proved lucrative, as excellent prices 

 for eggs could apparently be obtained at all seasons of the year. Hay was being baled 

 here, showing that the cultivation of this crop on the large areas of the lower flats of 

 the valley could be prosecuted. The growth of clover was very good, so there should 

 be little difficulty in keeping up the fertility of the land economically. 



From Briscoe we continued the drive to Windermere, about 40 miles, calling by 

 the way at several ranches, making inspection of the soils and conversing with the 

 farmers as to their crops, prospects, &g. Shortly after leaving Briscoe the character ■ 

 of the country begins to change — it is less wooded and the characteristic sage brush 

 of the semi-arid belt appears and the soil is lighter. Irrigation becomes necessary, 

 owing to inadequate rainfall, as we approached "Windermere, but there are many 

 streams from the Eocky mountains that can be utilized for this purpose. It was 

 noticed that several of these were highly charged with carbonate of lime, giving, rise on 

 evaporation to deposits of this material. The purity of this carbonate suggests that on 

 burning a good quality of lime could be produced. 



Windermere is very pleasantly situated on rising ground overlooking the beautiful 

 lake of that name. A young orchard just beginning to bear belonging to Mr. Kirap- 

 ton, planted in a well protected valley about 2 miles from the village, was visited. 

 This orchard gave great promise, the soil was excellent, there was plenty of water for 

 irrigation and the trees had been well cared for. I was very pleased to see this ranch, 

 for it served to demonstrate that successful, profitable orcharding could be carried on 

 in this valley if only intelligence and industry were exercised — and provided water 

 can be put on the land without too great an expense. Mr. Kimpton's homestead is in 

 the village and here his garden betokens again the suitability of the country for 

 vegetablfs and small fruits and his skill in raising them. To quote from Mr. Kimp- 

 ton's record ; ' Three pounds of Uncle Sam potatoes had produced 211 lbs. ; 3 lbs. 

 Carman No. 3, 237 lbs., and 3 lbs. Superior No. 7, 253 lbs.' Mr. Kimpton has gone 

 extensively into poultry raising, which he finds pays well and he has also a large flock 

 of turkeys which has proved particularly profitable. Several orchards are being plant- 

 ed in the vicinity, one belonging to Mr. K. R. Bruce looked very promising. The evil 

 effect of excessive irrigation unaccompanied by drainage was well illustrated in a low- 

 lying piece of ground. Alkali had appeared and no crop was possible where a few 

 years ago excellent yields had been obtained. 



From Windermere we paid a very interesting visit to the ranch of Mr. C. D. 

 Ellis, across the lake. This is situated in a valley, the lower end of which is shut off 

 by a dyke some 20 feet in height. The lower end of this valley is evidently the bed of 

 an extinct lake. Mr. Ellis and his partner are about to cut a tunnel through this 

 natural dam for the purpose of drainage and to prevent possible flooding at any future 

 time. Much of the soil was of a mucky character and reqiiiring drainage and mineral 

 fertilizers, but the higher lands are of fair quality and gave evidence of considerable 

 fertility. 



A well attended meeting was held at Windermere, at which there was a good dis- 

 cussion of local problems. 



Wilmer and Athelmer. — In company with Mr. R. R. Bruce we went to Wilmer 

 and Athelmer on the wast side of the lake, and drove over a large extent of the country 

 and some eight miles southward as far as Mr. Kinnee's ranch, which lies in a valley 

 and where some very fine crops were seen. There is a considerable area of plateau or 

 bench land overlooking Lalie Windermere on the west side awaiting the application of 

 water. Irrigation, will have to be undertaken on an extensive scale. For this there are 



