irrigable, lying south-west of the town of Mac- 

 leod and west of the Belly and Waterton Rivers, 

 gives the Government of Alberta power to 

 guarantee the bonds of this district up to $2,050,- 

 000, provided it is satisfied that satisfactory 

 arrangements are made as to the settlement of the 

 surplus lands in the district. 



Estimate of Construction Cost 



In his report of the South Macleod Irrigation 

 District which was tabled in the house during 

 the session, D. W. Hays, the consulting engineer 

 to the Alberta Government, estimates that the 

 cost of construction of the works of the South 

 Macleod Irrigation District will amount to 

 $1,778,657, or $29.81 per acre on the basis of 

 60,000 acres of irrigable land in the District. 

 Allowing for the discount of the sale of the bonds 

 and their capitalization for a period of two years 

 during the construction of the scheme, Mr. Hays 

 estimates that a total of $2,042,279 will be 

 required. 



The bill giving the trustees of the irrigation 

 districts power to accept listings for the sale of 

 the surplus lands in these districts is a practical 

 indication that the matter of securing settlers 

 for the irrigated areas is being attended to. 



The report of the Survey Board for Southern 

 Alberta the Royal Commission that was ap- 

 pointed by the Government of Alberta for the 

 purpose of inquiring into the conditions in that 

 part of the province resulting from a succession 

 of years of drought came in for considerable 

 discussion in the earlier part of the session and 

 was frequently referred to throughout the sitting. 

 In this report irrigation is considered to be the 

 main solution of the problems of Southern 

 Alberta. Another report dealing with irrigation 

 that was tabled during the session was the first 

 annual report of the Irrigation Council. 



Some Dairy Records 



No sooner does Canada turn her hand to some new 

 phase of agricultural endeavor than she achieves unquali- 

 fied success in the departure and proceeds to create records. 

 This has been repeatedly illustrated in her brief history 

 and now the Dominion, in agricultural phases previously 

 considered impossible to her soil and climate, has surpassed 

 older countries where agriculture has been an established 

 industry for generations. It is not long since Canada 

 commenced her departure from the tremendous cattle 

 herds and huge wheat fields which formed the general 

 conception of successful agriculture and by diversifying 

 with dairy cattle made a bid for dairying fame, but already 

 she has accomplished phenomenal things in this direction, 

 exporting dairy products where previously she imported, 

 and meeting on what has come to be an equal footing of 

 quality the old established dairy countries of the world. 



With the interest awakened in dairying, Canadian 

 farmers, as is typical of all their activities, were satisfied 

 with nothing but the best, and set about producing the 

 best dairy cows possible, in which laudable work they 

 received the active co-operation of the governments. They 

 have now developed herds which are considered second to 

 none on the globe, and each year Canadian animals are 

 purchased by other countries to build up their own herds. 



Every year sees Canadian pure-bred dairy stock purchased 

 by farmers in the United States. They have gone to 

 Australia, Japan, Peru and the West Indies. Holstem stock, 

 first imported from England, has had its projeny brought 

 back to improve British herds. For a country of such recent 

 dairy development this is a very creditable showing. 



Alberta Cow Sets Pace 



Though from the outset Canadian dairy production 

 records compared very favorably with those of all dairy 

 countries there was nothing signal about them until 

 "Rosalind of Old Basing." a Jersey of Red Deer, Alberta, 

 won for herself the distinction of being the champion milch 

 cow of the British Empire, when the Dominion experienced 

 the gratification of true accomplishment and felt justifiably 

 proud. On a test conducted over three consecutive 

 years her highest milk yield for one day was 52 Ibs, for one 

 month 1,471}^ Ibs, and for one year 15,700 Ibs. The 

 average test for butter fat was 5.16 per cent and she pro- 

 duced in one year 1,031.89. The actual returns for cream 

 and skim milk from this queen of cows in the three years 

 was $1,007.50, which it must be remembered, was in a 

 time when butter prices were very much lower than they 

 are now and a thousand dollars had greater representative 

 value. 



Thie achievment stimulated Canadian dairymen to 

 emulation and pointed the way to yet greater things. 

 Later Bella Pontiac, a Holstein-Freisan, owned by T. A. 

 Barren, of Brantford, Ontario left the Alberta cow behind 

 and made a world milk production record under the official 

 test of the Holstein-Freisan Association. In twelve 

 months she produced a total of 27,017 pounds of butter; 

 1,259 pounds of fat; and 1,573.75 pounds of butter. This 

 was far in excess of; any world's milk record previously set, 

 though since surpassed, and entitled Bella Pontiac, for 

 some time, to the title of the world's record cow. 



Now another Canadian cow has risen to fame setting a 

 new Canadian record for combined milk and butter 

 production which also, from the standpoint of strictly 

 official tests, is a world record. This cow is De Kel Plus 

 Segis Dixie, of Vaudreuil, near Montreal, Quebec, which 

 in 1921 produced 32,632 pounds of milk and 1,439 pounds 

 of butter. The test was conducted under the supervision 

 of chief inspector C. S. Wood and R. S. Hamer, Dominion 

 live stock commissioner, Neither in milk alone or butter 

 alone is Dixie's record a Canadian one, but for combined 

 production she is the first in Canada. Only one cow has 

 surpassed this record in the world, Segis Pieterje Prospect, 

 of the Carnation Farms, and this was effected under 

 merely semi-official tests and not under the eye of a govern- 

 ment official so that the Quebec cow might with justifi- 

 cation claim the world's combined butter and milk pro- 

 duction record. 



An Unquestioned World Record 



Since the Vaudreuil cow's fine achievment a world 

 record in another class has been made by a heifer "Echo 

 Sylvia Laura" owned by W. D. Wright of Brockville, Ont. 

 which holds the world's championship for butter and milk 

 production for a heifer with first calf. This young animal, 

 born in April, 1919, in seven days produced 505.5 pounds 

 of milk and 36.64 pounds of butter, and in thirty days 

 2230.5 pounds of milk and 141.10 pounds of butter. 



A new four-year old Canadian milk production rec rd 

 has been set by the Ayrshire "Buttercup of Glenholm" 

 ( wned by Prof. J. D. Clark, superintendent of the Expe- 

 rimental Station here, which under a 365-day test produced 

 16,444 pounds of milk and 662 pounds of fat, the milk 

 production being 400 pounds in excess of any previ ,us 

 record. 



Canada is not particularly concerned in the matter of 

 claiming the world's record being fully conscious that she 

 is realizing what she set out to accomplish in establishing 

 a thriving dairy industry. Production is increasing 

 rapidly, especially in the Western provinces, and the 

 Canadian products have found great favor, in the face of 



84 



