ON AGRICULTURE TO CANADA 33 



immediately it leaves the farmer's waggon and again after being 

 cleaned. From the cleaner it is taken by an elevator to bins 

 above. From these bins, it is carried outside the elevator and 

 dropped into waggons on the railway line, which is always 

 alongside of the elevator. In the evening the Commission was 

 ertained to a " smoker." 



Alberta 



During the night of 9th September, the Commission left Moose 

 Jaw for Alberta, a province double the size of Great Britain and 

 Ireland, with only a population of about 200,000 and containing 

 great variation of soil and climate. The southern part through 

 which the Commission was to travel is called " Sunny Alberta," 

 and but for the fact that part of it is a semi-arid region, it 

 would be the best part of all the prairie provinces. Medicine 

 Hat was reached at 10 a.m. next day. The natural gas system, 

 belonging to the Canadian Pacific Railway Company, was 

 examined. The afternoon was spent at a horse-ranch, eight 

 miles from the city, owned by the Canadian Land and Ranching 

 Company Limited. The manager rounded up the stock and 

 gave the Commission every opportunity of obtaining information 

 in regard to the ranch. Lethbridge was reached early on Friday, 

 11th September. After a brief stay a detour was made to Raymond, 

 the centre of the beet industry, where irrigation, beet-growing and 

 sugar-manufacturing were the subjects of investigation. A little 

 farther on a halt was made at Magrath, and forty miles south-west 

 another halt at Cardston. Both towns are centres of fall wheat- 

 farming. The fall wheat is sown in August and the land is fallowed 

 every alternate year. As fall wheat ripens a fortnight earlier than 

 spring wheat it has much more chance to escape autumn frost. 

 Besides, the crop is heavier. One large field in the Cardston district, 

 which called for special attention, was estimated to 5deld from 45 to 

 50 bushels per acre. Returning to the cars about 5.30, the Com- 

 mission got back to Lethbridge at seven o'clock, where a pleasant 

 evening was spent at the club. The Macleod district was visited 

 on Saturday forenoon, and a start made for Calgary en route for 

 British Columbia. 



British Columbia 



British Columbia is composed of great mountain ranges and 

 lovely valleys. It is not, therefore, to the same degree as the other 

 provinces an agricultural country, but the climate, which is the 

 best in Canada, enables the farmer to make the most of the land that 

 is available. From Calgary the Rocky Mountains rise in the distance, 

 their lofty peaks covered with snow. They are properly designed 

 Rocky Mountains, being mountains of rock thrown up as if by 

 convulsions, with little timber on them. A short halt was made at 

 Banff, a summer resort in the mountains. The best of the scenery, 

 however, was to come. The Selkirk Mountains, while not so high 

 as the Rocky Mountains, are much more picturesque. They are 

 c 



