KING AS RANCHER

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22353, 26 February 1936, Page 10

KING AS RANCHER

CANADIAN PEOPEETY BREEDING OF BLOODSTOCK VISITS TO NEIGHBOURS ALL FORMALITY DISCARDED [from our own correspondent] ' VANCOUVER. Jan. 29. An impulse born as he rode through the foothills of the Rockies when he was Prince of Wales, made King Edward VIII a Canadian rancher in his own right. It was the occasion of his first visit to Canada in 1919. He met Professor Carlyle, who was then manager of Bar IT ranch. As they rode into a pleasant valley, the Prince said: " 1 wish I were a rancher here." " Nothing could so please the people of Canada," Professor Carlyle replied. "You could dispose of much of your surplus breeding stock in this coun* try." The Prince continued his journey to .Vancouver. Returning, he announced at Winnipeg his intention of buying a ranch. The one he purchased was Bedingfield, which he was visiting with Professor Carjyle. He paid 25 dollars 8n acre for 1600 acres, and leased a further 2400 acres from the Dominion. The name of the new property henceforth became " E. P. Ranch." Discarding all formality when he stayed at his ranch in 1922 and 1923, the Prince held informal meetings with neighbouring ranchers, many of whom he called bv their christian names, notably the Hon. Duncan Marshall, later Minister of Agriculture, and Guy "Weadick, manager of the famous Calgary Stampede, which produces each year the colourful life of the early The Prince was a familiar figure with his " ten-gallon " hat, lariat, and chaps. A Kindly Host Each summer brought many thousands of visitors from both sides of the border to see the Royal owner's property. With characteristic generosity he threw the grounds open, and invited them to picnic thereon and to make themselves at home. The buildings were modernised. The bunkhouse for the men has been taken as a model for the big ranches throughout Western Canada. Among the Prince's hands are some famous „ cow-punchers and stampede riders. A noted breeder of cattle, horses and sheep, the Prince won many prizes at Canadian and "United States exhibitions. " His directions were to set up a practical stock farm," said Professor Carlyle. The object is to furnish purebred stock to Western Canada for breeding purposes. On the ranch just now are ' - 115 sheep, 150 head of cattle and 60 horses. Unlike its larger neighbours, the " E.P. " does not produce beet cattle for the commercial market. The Dartmoor ponies, imported from the Prince's farms in Cornwall and_ Devon, are a boon to children in the A\est who live a long distance from school. Log-built Homestead The homestead, a log-built house, is & typical bachelor establishment set beside a glen of cottonwood and poplar trees and facing verdant valleys in the foothills, where silvery streams, well stocked with trout, ripple down the mountain side; where partridge, duck and prairie chicken are plentiful, and where fleet-footed deer may be seen grazing peacefully. The only hint of Royalty, is seen in the dining-room —photographs of King George and the Queen and his brothers and sister, a few small bookshelves, easy chairs, bright rugs and a wireless set. One of King Edward's nearest neighbours is a Sioux Indian chief, Bear Paw, a survivor of the Custer Massacre. Over the "E.P." ranch country in an earlier day roamed the hunting bands of the Cree, Stonev and Blackfeet Indians, in search of black bear, buffalo, deer and antelope, and very frequently of white men or opposing tribes of Indians. One day a tap came at the Indian's door. "Come in," he cried; "the door is always open." "I'm your new neighbour," said the Prince, who was alone. "I thought, perhaps, you could find me a cup of tea." Half an hour later a couple of aides, alarmed at the absence of the Prince, galloped up to the cabin to find their Prince in Indian garb, his face covered with war paint and beating lustily on a tom-tom, while Bear Paw did the war dance of his tribe. 4e A Farmer Myself" The best story told about the new King as rancher concerns his second visit to his property. Worn out after a number of . receptions and public ban?tuets in Eastern Canada, he was peaceully travelling across the prairie when he halted his train at a rural siding, and, clad in rough homespun and heavy boots and cap, went for a walk with his equerry. Two fanners thinking they were immigrants seeking work intercepted them and offered them jobs. "I can get more than you offer in Minnesota," said the taller of the two men. "What do we get to eat?" asked his companion. "You'll eat what we get and be glad of it," said the irate farmer. They were still gesticulating as the two young men returned and joined a group of the train crew at a game of baseball. "I wonder what the old country is coming to," said one of the farmers. "There they are now playing baseball." "Yes," said an official, "the one batting is the Prince of Wales, and the pitcher is.Lord Claud Hamilton." When the Prince finished play he invited the two farmers into his car, regaled them with a cigar, and said: "I appreciate your difficulty, gentlemen. I'm a farmer myself."