Homesteading 



closed stable or barn should be very carefully 

 secured, for if one gets loose serious trouble may 

 easily ensue, and end in the loss of one or more 

 valuable animals. 



Then in the short afternoon there was wood 

 to be sawn and split, and it is well during the 

 winter to provide a good supply to last through 

 the busy summer months. 



Felling timber and hauling it of course varied 

 the programme, but the above was the usual 

 way in which the winter days passed. Some 

 settlers leave the prairie in the winter and seek 

 a job in the woods or in the towns, and for a 

 competent woodsman, or one who can drop on 

 a suitable job in town, it may be profitable to do 

 so. Tom had some inclination to try his for- 

 tune, but it would involve expense at first, and 

 after discussing the matter we decided to sit 

 tight together, as this was our first season. 



Some, on the other hand, come to the prairie 

 during their winter off-season to fulfil their resi- 

 dence duties, paying another to do the necessary 

 cultivation and cropping while they are working 

 and earning money elsewhere. 



Some readers may ask, " Are there no bear, 

 deer, caribou, or moose' to be shot to help out 

 the food supply ? " There are some to be found 

 further north, among the thicker timber, but 



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