The Northwest Provinces

(Revised to 1911)
Manitoba became a province in 1870, Saskatchewan
and Alberta in 1905.
Area.—(1912) Nearly 800,000 square miles.
Soil.—Black and rich, and being prairie is ready for
the plow; especially suitable for wheat, oats and bar-
ley of the largest yield and highest quality in the
world, and of which 227,021,000 dollar's worth were
harvested in 1910.
Land Survey.—The land is set off in blocks of
one mile square. Thirty-six of these sections form a
square called a township. A quarter section, 160
acres, comprises one homestead. A homestead may
be obtained by three year's residence, cultivation of a
certain portion and the payment of ten dollars. An
additional 160 acres may be preempted by complying
with certain conditions.
Settlement .—Settlement of the prairie, slow at
first, has come to be very rapid, 48,023 ordinary home-
steads being taken in 1910, 18,352 by preemption and
1,863 purchased. Nearly 15,000 former residents of
the United States took up land here in 1910.
Land Values.—The prices of new Agricultural
lands, though yet low, have increased from three to
four dollars per acre to ten to fifteen dollars per acre
since 1901.
Ready-made Farms.—In Alberta the plan is be-
ing tried of fencing, plowing, and erecting buildings
in advance. The settler then comes and pays the price
of the land plus the cost of these improvements in an-
nual installments covering a period of from six to ten
years. The demands for these farms is in excess of
the supply.
Population.—The 400,000 population of 1901 has
increased to about one and a quarter million.
Harvest Help.—From 20,000 to 30,000 extra hands
are required in the harvest fields of Central Canada
each year.
Banks.—During the last five years the number of
branches of chartered banks in Saskatchewan has in-
creased from 59 to 255; in Alberta, from 58 to 180, and
Manitoba now has 187 banks.
Fish.—-The lakes and rivers abound in fish. Re-
ports for the season of 1909-'10 give the value of fish
taken in Manitoba and Keewatin as #1,003,385; in
Saskatchewan, $173,5#0, and in Alberta, $8^,562. The
number of persons employed in this industry, 2,134.