ALBERTA PROVINCE 137 



There appears to have been no diminution in the 

 yields of crops from the time of the earliest settlers. 

 The soil is clay, covered with i8 inches of rich loam, 

 constituting an excellent bed for seed, and producing 

 No. I hard wheat, for which Western Canada is 

 famous. 



Regina is a rapidly growing city and has a 

 population of about 32,000 people. 



Moose Jaw is 40 miles beyond the Saskatchewan 

 capital. The origin of the name is associated with 

 a legend of an enterprising wagoner who mended 

 his cart with a moose jaw-bone. It is rich in store- 

 houses and stock-yards connected with the grain- 

 growing area. The growth of the population and 

 the prosperity of trade in this part of the province 

 has resulted in the laying down of a branch line 

 which takes a north-westerly course to meet the 

 requirements of agriculture. The extension of this 

 line to Lacombe in Alberta is already projected. 

 As an example of rapid growth, Mountain Lake 

 district in the vicinity may be cited. In 1901 its popu- 

 lation was 256; in 1906 it grew to 23,553. 



Alberta is one of the two provinces that sprang 

 out of the great plain lying between the Rockies and 

 the great lakes. In extent it is greater than Germany 

 or France, and Texas is the only one of the United 

 States which exceeds it in size. It lies in the same 

 zone as northern and central Europe, and its climate is 

 similar to that of the countries within those latitudes. 



