20 THE DIRECTOR, EXPERIMEXTAL FARMS 



WEST SIDE OF SOUTHERN ALBERTA, ITS IXHABITANTS THE GALT IRRIGATION CANAL. 



Diiring my journc-3' of inspection west last year, I visited that part of Southern 

 Alberta, bordering on Montana. A large portion of this district consists of flat or 

 slightly rolling plains covered with prairie grasses. In the past the greater part 

 of this area has been too dry to admit of successful agriculture, although the grazing 

 for cattle is good. Lethbridge may be regarded as the centre of this district, and that 

 town lies on the line of railway which runs from Medicine Hat through the Crow's 

 Nest Pass. On arrival at Lethbridge a trip was made over a branch railway which 

 runs south from this point to Spring Coulee. This line runs through the districts 

 reached by the large irrigation canal recently constructed by the Canadian Xorth-west 

 Irrigation Company, which is known as the Gait Irrigation Canal. This canal is 

 supplied with water from lakes fed by the melted snow of the Eocky Mountains and 

 the overflow from these lakes forms the St. Mary's river. The intake for the canal 

 is on this river about five miles from the Montana boundary. From this point the 

 main canal runs 61 miles, after which the water is carried in two branch canal*, one 

 of which runs to Lethbridge 33 miles distant, and the other to the town of Stirling a 

 distance of 22 miles. The entire length of this canal system is thus 115 miles and it 

 brings from the mountains water sufiicient, it is said, for the irrigation of 200,000 

 acres of land. This great engineering work is likely to transform this section of 

 country, and by furnishing the land with needed moisture to convert it into an area 

 of great fertility. Through the kindness of Mr. A. T. Gait and the manager of tlie 

 irrigation works, Mr. C. Magrath, facilities were afforded me for seeing portions of 

 this extensive work. Xine years ago I drove across a part of this country under the 

 guidance of one of the mounted police. It was then almost uninhabited. There were 

 bands of cattle here and there, timber, wolves and coyotes were occasionally seen but 

 no settlers worth mentioning. After a drive of about 60 miles, we reached Cardston, a 

 Mormon settlement, lying at the base of the foothills of the mountains, with a popula- 

 tion then of about 400. Since that time, settlement has been going on rapidly over 

 a large part of this district and the population has increased to fully 4,0o0. 



By Mr. Davis : 



Q. What do they raise principally there, I have never been up in that part of the 

 country. 



A. They raise a good deal of fall wheat. A considerable quantity of oats and 

 have large bands of cattle and horses. 



Q. Has fall wheat been a success up there ? 



A. Yes. 



A MORMON SETTLEMENT. 



In the neighbourhood of Lethbridge the settlement is a mixture of nationalities, 

 but that part lying south-cast of what are known as the rolling hills and extending to 

 the Montana boundary, has a population almost entirely composed of Mormons. In 

 addition to the thriving town of Cardston, which now has a population of 1,200 there 

 are two other rapidly growing towns, Magrath and Stirling, both of which were started 

 in 1899. The first is now the larger place and has about COO people, Stirling having 

 about 550. At each of these two new settlements about 2,000 acres were under crop 

 this year. At each place eight sections of land, containing in all 5,120 acres are -in- 

 closed with a common fence, and within this all the crops of the community are pro- 

 tected from the inroads of stock. The houses of the settlers are in the towns, they 

 are well built and most of them are neat and comfortable with pleasant surroundings. 



By Mr. Wilson : 



Q. How much land did you say is inclosed ? 



