Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 36, Number 75, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 13 May 1904 — An Illinois Farmer in Western Canada. [ARTICLE]

An Illinois Farmer in Western Canada.

A recent issue of the Shelbyville, Illinois, Democrat contains a long and interesting letter from Mr. Elias Kost, formerly a prosperous farmer of that State, who recently emigrated to Western Canada, taking up a claim for himself and sos each of his three sons. From Mr. Kost’s letter, which was written Feb. 3, 1904, we publish the following, believing it will prove of great interest to those who have contemplated settling in the Canadian Northwest: “I had in August, 1902, secured a claim for myself, and filed on three quarter sections for my sons. My claim Is one-half mile south of the. Edmonton and Lake St. Anne trail. “Coming so late in the season, we hjid little opportunity to break and to prepare ground for a first year's crop, still we raised over 100 bushels of very fine potatoes, and sowed a few acres of barley, but the season was too far advanced for the barley. However, wo secured good feed from it, and on rented ground 18 miles east of us, raised a fine crop of oats, so that we will havo plenty of feed for horses. We cut about GO tuns of hay and thus will have an abundance. We have, all-told, about 240 acres of hay meadow, which would yield the past year over three tons to the acre, and in an ordinary season the meadow would furnish GOO tons of hay. The grass is very nutritious, and cattle on the ranges become very fat without being fed a pound of grain.

“On the grass grows from eight to ten'inches tall. This is called range grass, and is suitable for stock at any time, even in the winter when the ground is not covered too deep with snow. Horses subsist on it alone, at all times, provided they are native stock. The grass in the hay meadows here is called red-top, and grows from five to six feet in length, and when cut» at the proper time yields an abundant Ci op of nutritious hay. “Our- cattle have not cost ug a cent since we came on our homestead, only The small outlay for salt and labor in putting up hay and shelter. All cattle have been doing welKthis winter, and feeding up to the first of January was unnecessary, as there was good range up to that time. “All the snows up to that date were followed by winds from the Northwest that melt it very rapidly; these winds are called Chinook winds, and are always warm. In one night a Chinook wind may take away three or four inches of snow. “IVe have built on our claim a comfortable house of hewn logs, 20x29 feet, one and one-half stories in height, with a good cellar. During the latter part of June we rafted logs down the Sturgeon to a sawmill, about eight -miles away, and thus secured 5,000 feet of good lumber which was needed for tb.e house. Later in the season a shingle mill located six miles away. To this we hauled logs and had shingles cut for the roof. “We hud an abundance of wild fruit the past season, consisting of gooseberries, strawberries, raspberries, eyeberries, blueberries, cherries and saskatoons. The latter are a fine looking berry, red, and quite pleasant to the taste, but not much to be desired in cookery. The strawberries are the same as those that grow wild in Illinois. Raspberries are red in color, large and equal to any of the tame varieties, and so are the gooseberries. The cranberries consist of the high and trailing varieties. The latter are most sought and contiguous to the swamps. The ground is literally covered with them as with a red carpet, but the best and most sought is the blheberry, so called by the Indians. This is thefamous ’huckleberry’ (whortleberry) of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Pennsylvania, and cannot be excelled for excellence by any fruit cultivated. It is found here both on the prairie and in the timber in immense quantities. “Game is very plentiful so far as prairie chickens, pheasants, ducks of all kinds and geese are concerned. We have taken nearly 500 chickens and pheasants, also a great many ducks. “An occasional deer is seen, but are not plentiful, only one having been* taken during the season in this settlement. “Fish are very plentiful at all seasons of the year. Fish wagons and sleds are passing almost daily along, the trail with heavy loads of fish, des-, tlned for St. Albert and Edmonton. From the latter point they are' shipped south on the Calgary an<J Edmonton Railroad to points along the line, and also to Assinlboia, oii the Canadian Pacific Railroad.” . 1 For further Information apply to nny authorized Canadian Government Agent whose address appears elsewhere. •