A Western Problem. 19 



In the western part of the district, bordering on the foot- 

 hills, which was at one time considered useless for agriculture 

 without irrigation, winter wheat is now being grown success- 

 fully, yielding forty and more bushels to the acre. In the plains 

 several large irrigation projects have been undertaken, such 

 as that of the Canadian Pacific Railway Company, who are 

 constructing works for the irrigation of a tract of three million 

 acres from the Bow River; the Southern Alberta Companv, who 

 propose to irrigate between three and four hundred thousand 

 acres from the same stream; and the Alberta Railway and 

 Irrigation Company, who hold about a million acres, a con- 

 siderable proportion of which they wnll irrigate from the St. Mary's 

 River. 



The flow of the streams is of a somewhat irregular character. 

 The usual course is an increased flow in the spring from the 

 melting of the snow on the lower levels, ciilminating with the 

 highest flow in June when the mountain drifts and glaciers add 

 their contribution to the runoff. From this time the flow 

 gradually diminishes until in September and October it reaches 

 a minimum. Sudden floods occur unexpectedly owing to heavy 

 rains in the mountains or to a succession of hot days greatly 

 increasing the flow from the glaciers. Such a flood occurred 

 on the Waterton, St. Mary's and Oldman Rivers during the 

 spring of 1908, owing to heavy rains, and immense damage 

 was done along their course. Bridges were carried away, other 

 property destroyed and human life was endangered. The con- 

 ditions of the flow of these streams, while thus definitely stated, 

 are not a matter of accurate knowledge and patient investiga- 

 tion is required before they can be stated with clearness and 

 certainty. 



The streams flowing from the Cypress Hills are of the 

 usual character of those starting in the foothills. They are none 

 of them large streams, and, after a short period of high water 

 in the spring, the flow is small, and in a dry season may finally, 

 in some streams, disappear altogether. The precipitation on 

 these hills is greater than on the plains below, as attested by 

 the growth of timber and hay. During the past season when 

 the hay crop was a failure on the plains below there was a good 

 supply on the hills that proved of the greatest assistance to 

 many a rancher. The district watered from the Cypress Hills, 

 though it may in years grow crops, cannot be considered as an 

 agricultural district. The development of that district will 

 be in the direction of establishing small grazing ranches, the 

 stock being rtm on the natural grazing grounds in the summer, 

 while, with the assistance of irrigation, feed for the winter is 

 grown on a small area. The store of wood, hay and water from 



