The Agricultural RetourceM of Canada, 



also the experience of my fellow-dolegates. Wiiinipeg is sitrdted at 

 the conlluence of the Asainiboine and Bed Biver??. In 1871 

 the population was 400 ; now it is 30,000. It is the capital of 

 Manitoba, and the seat of the Provincial Government. The principal 

 street is a very long one, with four tramway lines running side by side. 



1 could not say that the streets were in good condition — rather the 

 reverse — pools of stagnant water being the rule, and not the exception. 



We visited the new pork-packing house, which has a capacity for 

 dealing with 200 hogs a day. It is owned by Messrs. J. T. Griffin & 

 Co., and is u brick building 100 feet by 60 feet, three stories high. 

 The upper story is for cold storage. The pigs are driven up a gangway 

 to the building ; then each hog enters a pen, where a man fastens a 

 " catch " on the hind leg. Piggy is then hauled up till he reaches th«^ 

 overheau railway, where a man stands, and in a few seconds the fatal 

 stab is inflicted. When the bleeding is over the " catch " is released, 

 and the pig is let down to a vat of scalding water. From there he goes 

 along an iron rail, where four men are in waiting, and by them all the 

 hair is taken off. He takes another journey by rail, and three men 

 pounce upon him, and with knives and cold water give poor Mr. Pig 

 ins finishing touches, ten minutes after he was ascending the fatal 

 gangway, in full possession of his squealing voice. The pork is left in 

 the cold storage before being cut up and salted. It is then despatched 

 away, among other places, to England, where it figures on many a 

 table as "home-cured bacon." It would take too much space to 

 describe how all the parts are utilised. A house of this kind is 

 invaluable in a district like this, which is mostly a wheat-growing 

 district. By its means fanners can turn all their refuse corn into 

 money. The price paid for pigs while we were there was 5 cents, or 

 2|d., per lb., live weight. 



On the nth we drove from Winnipeg along a large 

 Stonewall. tract of flat land (which at one time was the bottom of a 



lake) to Stonewall. Near the former place we met large 

 herds of cattle, which were called " town herds.'* Nearly every house- 

 holder in Winnipeg has a cow, which is sent to graze on the prairie 

 each morning with the herd, and is returned to its owner in the 

 evening. The soil is mostly black loam, and, being near the town, is 

 held by speculators for high prices. On our way we passed several 

 farms, and some very good crops of wheat and oats. It was at Stonewall 

 we for the first time saw a number of native Indians. They live in 

 tents, and are now very docile and harmless. They live principally by 

 shooting and hunting. Whilst here we visited the farm of the Hon. 

 S. J. Jackson, the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly. Basing our 

 expectations upon British ideas, we erroneously expected to find a fine 

 gentleman, in broadcloth and kid gloves. We found nothing of the 

 sort:. We came across Mr. Jackson in hi? wheat-field, helping to fix 

 the thresher ready for the morning. We could hardly recognise him 

 from the other workmen, nor tell whether he was a white or a red man, 

 m covered he was with dirt and dust. We found that Mr. Speaker 

 was an energetic farmer, who disdained not to toil with his own hands. 

 He had himself cut, with his own self-binder, 150 acres of grain. He 



