SMALL HOLDINGS IN CANADA.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLVII, Issue 14566, 31 December 1910, Page 5

SMALL HOLDINGS IN CANADA.

. THE "READY-MADE''' F^MS.' iV |J In April last an agricultural -holdings scheme formulated by; Sir Tnomaa Shaughnessy,' chairman of the Canadian Pacific { Railway, whereby "ready-made" farms* : •were provided for British Emigrants, waa-t inaugurated on a tract of land east-of Calgary, Alberta, The general outline- of the ' schema wag . that the .railway' ccmpany. . offered farms to suitable men, on each of. which 50 acre;; were broken up, fenced, and' Bown, and a house and stable were built, .. so that when the emigrant arrived he found;, a crop ready to be harvested. The cost • was about £800, find the repayments'/were ■ spread overdo years. Mr. Hal Garleton, . who was one of the first to join the scheme,,, is now in England, and recently gave % description of the progress which has been» ; made.

Mr. Carleton said the first colony of ready-m;wie farms had been established .at* a place about 11 miles from' Strathmoire, which has received the name of : Nightingale, in commemoration of the famous Englishwoman who died a few months age. The emigrants numbered 25, and were of all classes. They included a Cambridge tutor, a veterinary surgeon, an ex-Indiaa: Civil servant, a poultry farmer, and only? three of the number had been fanners in this country. They went out with their; wives and families, took up their farms, varying in area from 80 to 160 acres, and as the result of their first season's experience are thoroughly satisfied with the scheme: ...

Mr. Carle ton believes that four average > seasons' crops "will enable each of the emigrants to pay off the whole of his in-, stalinents, and thus obtain the freehold of - - his farm. The season has been the driest.' one for 14 years, and the crops accordingly, suffered, the more so as the Canadian Pacific . Railway had- to postpone till this, autumn tho irrigation works which they.) intended to have completed before the' - emigrants' arrival. In consideration of, this fact the company have postponed - thai beginning of the repayments for a rear. CO-OPERATIVE FARMING. A council of all the farmers met weekly,, and the principle of co-operation which "it at once introduced contributed so much to

the small colony's prosperity that, this feature will probably be imitated wherever*, Sir Thomas Shaughnessy's scheme extends. The council bought a gasolene traction en- ? gine, together with ploughs, a corn mill, and a threshing machine for it to work; cattle, seeds, and various stores were ob-. tained in wholesale quantities for the whole community and the produce of the farms, 4 instead of being marketed by each inclivi- . dual farmer, wis collected and token to market by each farmer in turn. All 6tores . were bought collectively, and the councildevised an ingenious scheme for '- inter- ; • changing men, horses, and . agriculturalimplements. A man's service? for a day viae valued at $2.25, a team of horses afcy $2.25, a binder at $1.50, a Mowing machine) v at 50c., and in tho same way the use of; V • any piece of farm machinery could he ob-v • tained at a fixed tariff. The .rosult wasthat machines were hot duplicated, and,; • four farmers."ware able to work witii ooe£,i:; r complete set of, at,a.,foartlfcdlE :'> .: 4;heir cost, ' ~ ' L "v - " -