Homesteading 



were still very far from being dry, we were 

 unable to put up large loads. It may, however, 

 be noted that it is a common practice on the Cana- 

 dian prairie to cut the grain before it is ripe, as it 

 usually is when cut in Britain, owing to the short- 

 ness of the season making the danger of frost 

 imminent, *and also from the shortage of the 

 labour supply. 



Another fall of snow put a stop to our opera- 

 tions before the stacking was quite finished, and 

 Jones concluded to do no more, so he gave us 

 some of our wages on account, and promised 

 to pay us the rest after threshing ; and as we had 

 confidence in him we were satisfied with this 

 arrangement, and Tom's boss having done the 

 same, we now started for jobs on a thresh- 

 ing gang. 



Passing No. 9, we just called in to see how our 

 friends there were getting on, and were very sorry 

 to find that the sixty acres which formed the 

 best part of their whole crop had proved useless, 

 and they had tried to get rid of it by burning, 

 to have the land ready for the spring seeding. 



It would not burn in the evening, and during 

 the day, if there was a breeze, it was not safe. 

 Some they had cut with a mowing-machine and 

 succeeded in burning safely; some they had cut 

 and stacked and would feed to their stock; 



