Homesteading 



tions we saw had so much scrub willow and small 

 bluff upon them that it was difficult to find 

 room for a decent field between, and though 

 this can, of course, be cleared, it is often more 

 troublesome than stones, and if not properly 

 done, the roots grow again. The settler does 

 not want to begin by having to remove this stuff, 

 as it is useless mostly, the larger trees having 

 often been already cut by homesteaders for build- 

 ing shacks and stables and for firewood. 



One quarter we looked at, fairly good in other 

 respects, lay so much in a hollow that we feared 

 it would be liable to those early frosts which 

 may come in August, just as grain is ripening, 

 and are apt to be terribly destructive. The 

 early settler has to contend with many evils, 

 but perhaps none more disheartening. 



At length we came to a quarter section of 

 which half was low-lying and bounded by hills 

 to the south, and with a gradual slope to the 

 north ; quite half lay along a hillside sloping west- 

 ward, and was very free from stones and scrub. 

 It was by no means ideal for grain growing, but 

 as we had thoughts of stock, we determined to 

 investigate and consider it further. 



Now began a hunt for the corners. It should 

 be understood that when the country is surveyed 

 and marked out by the Government surveyors, 



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