The Canadian West; A Geography of Manitoba and the North-West Territories (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1904 edition. Excerpt: ...to be harrowed and placed in readiness for the wheat-sowing of the next spring. How different is the work of the homesteader on the prairies from that of the eastern settler on his heavy bush farm It is true, no doubt, FlG 68--Breakillg the prairie. that there are in the West many fine farms that once were well covered with trees, but the labor necessary to remove these cannot be compared to the toil of clearing the homesteads in the eastern portion of Canada. What a world of hard work would have to be done in felling the trees, cutting the trunks into lengths more easily handled, piling the logs into heaps, burning the brush and the log-heaps, picking up all the smaller sticks and pulling farm and the 11, . i i Prairie (arm out the tough stumps, all before a binder could be allowed to venture in with safety. It would require Division of work years to get such a farm into the same condition as the prairie when first the settler landed upon his homestead. Indeed, if he were only in time, he could have brought his binder on the same wagon that carried his plough. Boys living on prairie farms should sometimes think of what clearing an eastern bush farm means. While the man is thus busily engaged in breaking and afterwards in backsetting, his wife is equally industrious. Even in the simplest form of life a division of labor has to be followed, and the care of the children, garden, cow, dog, and chickens all depends upon the faithfulness of the settler's wife. As it is no easy matter to go over the long prairie trails to the station for everything that is needed, it is necessary for every family to depend as much as possible on itself. Hence, every farmer becomes an independent manufacturer. He builds his own house and makes the most of his own...