24 EXPERIMENTAL FARMS 



4 GEORGE V., A. 1914 



miles in length, and from eight to ten miles wide. It is bounded by the Rocky Moun- 

 tains on the east and by the Selkirk range on the west. The town of Invermere is 

 situated on the western shore of lake Windermere, a beautiful sheet of water, and 

 close to the townsite the farm has been located. It is situated on the first bench, 

 about 150 feet above the level of the lake. 



TRANSPORTATION. 



In the past, transportation has been difficult. The three summer months, June, 

 July and August, is the only time river navigation can be depended upon. In the 

 warm weather, the ice and snow melt on the mountain ranges, causing the water to 

 rise in the river, but in the spring and fall the water gets so low that the stern- 

 wheeled, flat-bottomed steamers have the greatest difficulty in getting around the 

 short bends and over the many sandbars that impede navigation, especially towards 

 the upper end of the river. However, the Kootenay Central railway is being built 

 from both ends of the valley. It is expected that the steel will soon be laid to Spul- 

 machun, a distance of_ about forty miles from Golden on the Canadian Pacific rail- 

 way main line. But this season all passenger traffic has been handled either by 

 steamer or automobile, all summer freight coming by river. 



THE FARM. 



The farm consists of 53 acres, 35 of which forms a square block, and is adjacent 

 to the townsite of Invermere. The farm has a 66-foot road allowance on three sides. 

 On the east side, its boundary is a 100-foot boulevard. The land has a gentle slope 

 towards the north and east. Near the northwest corner there are several acres some- 

 what broken, with a number of small gravel ridges. When the land was cleared, a 

 couple of clumps of evergreen trees were preserved from the natural forest. Eighteen 

 acres is divided from the farm by a road; part of it lies on a steep hillside, with a 

 northern slope, and is covered with a growth of small evergreen timber. Several acres 

 are low bottom land covered with a dense growth of poplar underbrush. This low 

 land is only a few feet above the level of Toby creek. 



SOIL. 



The soil is a sandy loam, from 20 to 24 inches deep. It is an easily worked, 

 friable, warm soil. The subsoil is a porous, open, stony gravel. 



IRRIGATION. 



For the profitable production of crops in ordinary seasons, irrigation has to be 

 resorted to. A plentiful supply of irrigation water can be obtained from the numer- 

 ous mountain streams. The creek from which the water comes to irrigate the farm 

 is nearly two miles away. Some years ago a ditch was dug to convey water to what 

 is now the Invermere townsite. In some places, sediment has partly filled the ditch 

 in. It will all require to be cleaned out, in some places remade and nearly all the old 

 fluming renewed. However, there is an abundance of water and, as the farm lies 

 lower than the ditch, there should not be very much trouble in applying it to the 

 land. 



DOMESTIC WATER SUPPLY. 



The town waterworks system extends down the west side of the farm. An inch 

 pipe conveys the water from the corporation main to both house and stable. This 

 furnishes an adequate supply of pure water for both domestic and stable use. 



