104 DOMINION EXPERIMENTAL FARMS 



necessity for more diversified farming, including the keeping of 

 live stock, if the fertiUty of the soil were to be maintained, had 

 not yet been considered. 



Most of the settlers were men of very limited capital. For 

 live stock, expensive buildings and equipment were required. 

 There was also the question of the marketing of the product. 

 The local demand was, as yet, very small, and the limited trans- 

 portation facilities of the earlier days made the shipment of 

 stock and dairy products to a distant market difficult, if not 

 impossible. 



Conditions in all these respects have changed and are every 

 day rapidly improving. Capital is more easily obtained. 

 Railway facilities are available in the greater part of the province 

 and new lines are constantly being opened up. The importance 

 of ''mixed" farming, in order to preserve the fertility of the soil 

 is also becoming apparent, so that the raising of both beef and 

 dairy cattle is likely to assume much greater prominence in the 

 near future than it has held in the past. 



Since the establishment of the Farm, a herd of beef cattle 

 has been kept, and very satisfactory results obtained. The 

 Shorthorn is the breed kept at present, the herd consisting of 

 both pure-bred and grade animals. 



Experimental feeding of steers is carried on each year, the 

 Farm-bred steers available for this purpose being supplemented 

 by enough purchased animals to use up much of the roughage 

 produced. An accurate account of receipts and expenditures in 

 each experiment is kept and the possibility of the profitable 

 fattening of cattle has been demonstrated. 



Two breeds of swine are at present kept, Yorkshires and 

 Berkshires. Animals suitable for breeding purposes are sold to 

 farmers throughout the Province for the improvement of their 

 stock and the remainder are used for experimental feeding. 



Experimental work with sheep has been recently started 

 with a view to demonstrating the possibility of profits in this 

 industry, which has been but little followed in the Northwest. 

 Experimental feeding of lambs is carried on, with different 

 rations and under varying conditions as to shelter. Work is also 

 being carried on to ascertain what can be done towards improv- 

 ing a flock of grade ewes, such as most farmers in the district 

 would be hkely to start with, by the use of a pure-bred ram. 



No experimental work has been carried on so far with 

 horses, those at the Farm being used as work animals exclu- 

 sively. 



Two breeds of poultry are kept, the Barred Plymouth Rock 

 and the Black Minorca. Young stock and eggs for hatching are 

 sold. Interest in the poultry industry in Saskatchewan has been 

 lessened in the past by the demands for the solution of other 



