WINNIPEG 123 



The wealth that lies in the rich soil of this vast 

 territory justifies the legend. Its output is seen in 

 prosperous cities and towns, rapidly spreading far 

 and wide. When Manitoba incorporated itself in the 

 Confederation in 1870, it had 17,000 inhabitants, and 

 now upwards of 400,000 English-speaking people 

 form its population. In 1870, its agricultural produce 

 was not even recorded. In 1881, an acreage of 

 51,300 yielded 1,000,000 bushels of wheat, and 

 1,270,268 bushels of oats. In 1905, these odd millions 

 jump up to over 55,000,000. 



Only 5,000,000 acres of land are at present under 

 cultivation, a patch compared with the actual pos- 

 sibilities, as Manitoba is larger than Scotland, Wales 

 and Ireland combined, and contains 74,000 square 

 miles of territory. Of this 30,000,000 acres are arable 

 land. 



Winnipeg is the seat of the Government, and 

 holds a foremost place amongst the cities of the great 

 continent. It is called The Gateway to the West. 

 Its growth has been extremely rapid, and it possesses 

 all the modern conveniences of a great centre. 

 London has nothing to compare with its spacious 

 streets, and New York can scarcely out-do it in sky- 

 scraping buildings. Electric cars run in every direc- 

 tion, and public parks and promenades are provided 

 for the pastime and enjoyment of its thriving citizens. 

 Its thoroughfares are daily crowded with busy 

 merchants, many of whom are the descendants of 



