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REPORT OF MR. ANGUS MACKAY 511 



SESSIONAL PAPER No. 16 



In February, in company with Mr. J. H. Grisdale, Agriculturist of the Central 

 Experimental Farm, Ottawa, and Mr. George Lang, of Indian Head, a most interest- 

 ing trip was taken in Southern Alberta, when Lethbridge, Magrath, Cardston, Moun- 

 tain View, Fishburn and Pincher Creek were visited. 



At Lethbridge, small-pox had unfortunately broken out and a public meeting 

 could not be held, but a number of leading citizens met in the Town Hall and the mat- 

 ter of tree-planting was fully discussed. From the fact that irrigation had lately be- 

 come available at Lethbridge, tree-planting was a vary live question and was gone into 

 in all its details. 



At Magrath, a new Mormon settlement between Cardston and Lethbridge, on 

 the line of the Irrigation canal, two very large and interesting meetings were held. 

 As all the settlers in this neighbourhood had lately arrived from Utah, U.S.A., and 

 were unacquainted with the methods of farming in the Canadian North-west, very 

 close attention was paid to all that was said at both meetings. Fall wheat had been 

 sown the previous fall on new breaking, and at the time of our visit was not discern- 

 able above ground ; although the return proved highly satisfactory, the yields are said 

 to have varied from 40 to 50 bushels per acre. 



At Cardston two meetings were held ; the one in the afternoon being very large 

 and interesting. In the evening however, a Mormon wedding in the town proved too 

 strong a counter attraction. 



The meetings at Mountain View, Fishburn and Pincher Creek, all of which are 

 in the foot-hills of the Rocky Mountains, were well attended. 



At all the meetings Mr. Grisdale spoke on Live Stock, Mr. Lang on Tree Culture, 

 while I paid particular attention to the cultivation of the soil for grain and hay. 



On returning from Alberta, a series of meetings was attended in company with 

 Mr. George Harcourt of the Nor'-west Farmer, Winnipeg, in South-eastern and East- 

 ern Assiniboia, the following towns being visited :— Weyburn, a new settlement on the 

 Soo line of railway ; Gainsboro, Elmore, Carnduff, Carlyle, Cannington Manor, Glen 

 Adelaide, Fleming and Moosomin. At the two latter places Mr. D. Anderson, an 

 Institute worker from the province of Ontario, joined us and addressed the meetings. 

 All the meetings were well attended, especially good gatherings being present at Wey^ 

 burn, Elmore and Carnduff. Mr. Harcourt spoke on Live Stock, and I spoke on Grain, 

 Grasses and Tree Culture. 



During July I accompanied Dr. Jas. Fletcher, Entomologist and Botanist of the 

 Experimental Farms, at a series of meetings in Northern Alberta, and with us at dif- 

 ferent places were Mr. Maerker, Superintendent, of Dairies for Alberta ; Mr. W. N, 

 Willing, Territorial Weed Inspector, and Mr. Blakely of the Nor'-West Farmer 

 Winnipeg. 



Olds, Innisfail, Red Deer, Strathcona, Clover Bar, Fort Saskatchewan, Leduc • 

 Wetaskiwin, Ponoka and Lacombe were visited and meetings held. At that time the 

 weather and roads were very bad, the latter in some places being almost impassable, 

 so that the attendance on the whole was not large. As these meetings were called for 

 the purpose of discussing weeds and their eradication, Dr. Fletcher was the chief 

 speaker and went into the matter most thoroughly. 



DISTRIBUTION OF SAMPLES. 



During the months of March, April and May, the following distribution of sam- 

 ples was made to applicants throughout the Territories of Assiniboia, Alberta and 

 Saskatchewan. 



The number of applicants was, as usual, largely in excess of the supply of mater- 

 ial available for this purpose ; and the stock of seedling trees and shrubs, cuttings of 

 fruit bushes, rhubarb roots and tree seeds grown for this purpose did not begin to fill 

 all the requests received. 



