PREPARING LAND FOR FIRST CROP 145 



The best grasses for the central part of the park belt 

 are "Western Rye and Brome, In the western and the 

 eastern ends of this area Timothy is used to a consider- 

 able extent. Where pasture is desired and Brome grass 

 is not popular Kentucky Blue grass is frequently used. 



Red Clover is coming into use in a small way in the 

 park belt areas where Timothy is recommended, while 

 Sweet Clover is likely to prove more satisfactory in the 

 drier parts. 



Roots and potatoes find a very favorable environ- 

 ment in the park belt, particularly, in those parts having 

 more than fifteen inches precipitation. 



118. The Best System of Farming. — The best system of 

 farming in the park belt is coarse grains and stock, or 

 mixed farming. Except for some local areas like the 

 Dauphin district of Manitoba, the park belt district is not 

 as well suited to wheat growing as the open prairie, and 

 it is far superior to the latter for the growing of oats, bar- 

 ley and forage crops. It is also better protected from the 

 winds of winter and better watered, thus making it more 

 favorable for stock growing than the open plains. 



It seems clear that this region is eventually destined to 

 be among the safest farming districts of the West. In 

 the early days of settlement the returns are slower in 

 coming than on a prairie farm, but once a park belt 

 farm is improved and a good system of farming es- 

 tablished, it immediately becomes a safer business pro- 

 position than the average farm of the open plains. 



