Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 21, Number 40, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 16 February 1900 — WHAT A FORMER AMERICAN SAYS [ARTICLE]

WHAT A FORMER AMERICAN SAYS

Doubled Their Cultivated Lands and More than Doubled Their Stock. The following letter written by Mr. .John Cummings of Wetasklwin, Alberta, Canada, formerly of Washington, to a friend in the United States is only one of a hundred similar eases, and what was done by Mr. Cummings can more easily be done to-day by any good, sober and industrious farmer who chooses to make his home in the Dominion. Dear Sir—You want to know how 1 got along since I came into Northern Alberta. I am happy to inform you that I am not ashamed to tell. We located five miles northeast of Wetasklwin; left Farmington, Washington, on the 29th of May, driving all the way. We had time to build our log house the first fall and to make us comfortable for the family and stock. We then built four stables, 18x20 inside, so that we could put everything inside them when the cold got down to the -fifiles,-and worked.hardLj;ettlng up the stable, and got through dubbing on the Ist of December, but to our surprise we had no use for the stables, only for the milch cow and twq span of horses. The balance of the horses lived on the prairie all winter and took care of themselves. The doors of two stables were left open for them to go into in a cold time, but they would not do It, but stayed out on the prairie the coldest night we had and looked as spry as crickets. I can go ten rods back of my house and count ten residents. I know all of their circumstances. Every one of them have doubled their cultivated land and doubled their animals, and a great deal more. All of us are comparatively out of debt and an unusually big crop to thresh and prospects of a fair price, and I expect we are as well contented lot of people as there are from Florida to the Klondike. My son bought two pounds of twine to the acre, and when we started to bind some barley, we found that instead of taking two pounds to the acre, it was taking nearly five pounds. Then you ought to have seen him hitch up a team and make for town for 100 lbs. more. I cannot say bow it will thresh. All I can say is that it is well headed, and takes an enormous amount of twine.