Mr. John UobertMa Report. 



11 



quarry man. Eh'ven years apjo he emigrated. On his way I»o caught 

 a severe cold, which developed into inflamoiation of tlie lungs. As 

 soon as he landed he had to take to his bed, which he did not quit 

 tor three and a half years ! Y^y that time he had spent all the money 

 he had saved in thi; Old Country. However, he got better, and home- 

 steaded a farm of 160 acres, starting with only one cow. The fifth 

 year he thought that he was well off, for he had harvested 15 acres 

 of v.heat. He took it over 16 miles to sell, with a pair of oxen ; but 



▲ lARM-UOUSE, SOUTHERN MAMTOBl. 



another disappointment waited him. The dealers would not buy, 

 because his wheat bad been frost-bitten. He now owns 320 acres of 

 land, has as good a house and farm buildings as any I saw in the 

 neighbourhood, and is, as he justifiably exclaimed, "as independent as 

 any man." His wife is a good butter-maker, and always gets a good 

 price for that article. She has made up her mind not to sell under 

 25 cents (Is.) per lb., and if she does not get that, she keeps the 

 butter until the winter. The last two vears he has rented another 

 farm of 320 acres, which adjoins his own. He has a family of five, 

 all of whom are sharp, intelligent children. It is his intention, he 

 informed us, to go in more for dairying, as the present price of -^orn 

 is unprofitable. From Souris we, on the 16th, started to try and find 

 another Welshman ; but, after considerable trouble, we were informed 

 that he had let his farm and gone elsewhere. 



Some miles before reaching Brandon we saw some very 

 Brandon, fair land, and market gardening was carried on under, 



apparently, favourable conditions. Beaching jSrandon on 

 the Saturday afternoon, we visited several of the stores, and found 

 them much superior to the shops generally found in towns of similar 

 size in the Old Country. The town also boasted a livery stable 

 with 1 00 horses. Twelve years ago, our guide — Mr. E. P. Leacock — • 

 built the first shanty in this place. Now it has a population of 5,400, 

 and the largest grain market in Manitoba. It has five grain elevators, 

 a flour mill, and a saw-mill. Near the town, on elevated ground, stood 

 the lunatic asylum. The town also contained several hotels, a skating 



