32 REPORT OF THE SCOTTISH COMMISSION 



was started twenty-one years ago. One thing at least the farm has 

 demonstrated, and that is, that trees can be grown here as well as 

 on other parts of the prairie. We drove round the farm through 

 avenues of well -grown Manitoba maple, cotton tree, and willow. 

 We could also see in the fading light that large crops of wheat and 

 oats were being grown. From the experimental farm we were driven 

 to the Forestry Station, the first, we believe, in the Dominion. 

 From the Forestry Station we went to a hotel in town and met quite 

 a number of farmers with whom we discussed agricultural affairs. 

 At nine o'clock we were entertained to dinner. An address was pre- 

 sented to us by the Town Clerk, and the Mayor, in the name of the 

 town, gave us a welcome to the province. Mr Mackay, the super- 

 intendent of the experimental farm, explained the work he was 

 doing. He told us that at one time the difficulty with farming was 

 the want of moisture. The rainfall is 17 or 18 inches. He recom- 

 mended the farmers to grow wheat for two years and then fallow, 

 leaving' the stubble the first autumn 1 or 2 feet long, so that it might 

 retain the snow and thus conserve moisture. He advised them to 

 burn the stubble the following spring, and without ploughing, but 

 after discing or harrowing, to sow wheat again, devoting the third 

 year to summer fallow to get rid of the weeds. This scheme has 

 been very successful, with the result that large crops, averaging 

 27 bushels of wheat to the acre, are grown. The superintendent 

 of the Forestry Station also spoke, explaining the object of the 

 station, which was created to prove that trees could be grown — 

 trees for shelter, for fuel, and for beauty. 



By Wednesday morning, 9th September, we had reached Regina, 

 the capital of Saskatchewan, where we were entertained to breakfast. 

 Then we motored out into the country. The land is black loam 

 as usual, and somewhat heavy. It is typical prairie land. There 

 are practically no trees and the levelness is only broken by the 

 settlers' homesteads, some of which were of the smallest and most 

 meagre description. One farm we visited contained 1000 acres. 

 It was owned and occupied by a settler from Ottawa. He paid 

 thirty dollars per acre for his first 600 acres, which is about the 

 price of land both in this district and in the Indianhead district. 

 He expected to make this year £2000 of profit. We do not know 

 whether or not his expectations were realised. He was at any rate 

 satisfied he could do far better on the prairie than in the eastern 

 provinces. 



It was about twelve o'clock when we got back to the cars. At 1.30 

 we reached Moose Jaw, where the party was divided. Most of the 

 Commissioners stopped at Moose Jaw. They were met by leading 

 citizens and driven in different directions to see the country in the 

 vicinity of the city. Subsequently they examined an elevator 

 adjoining Moose Jaw station. These buildings are unsightly to 

 look at but very serviceable. The cart goes into the elevator loaded 

 with grain. The planks on which the wheel rests are lowered towards 

 the back end of the cart and the grain runs out and down through a 

 hatchway. By an elevator, which is really an endless revolving chain, 

 with buckets on it, the grain is carried up to the cleaner. It is weighed 



