Alberta

a province of Canada. It lies between Saskatchewan and British Columbia. The province extends from the 49th to the 60th parallel of north latitude, and from the 110th to the 120th meridian. The southern boundary and the northern boundary, followed eastward, pass near Paris and St. Petersburg respectively. Were it not that the southwestern corner is cut off by the Rocky Mountains, and thrown into British Columbia, the boundaries would be mathematical. Owing to the convergence of meridians, the width diminishes with regularity to the northward. The total area of land and water is 253,540 square miles, greater than that of North Dakota and Montana combined.

SURFACE. The southwest border follows the Rocky Mountains and includes the scenic region of Banff. The country about Banff has mountain streams, sulphur springs, glaciers, and stupendous mountains. It is an attractive region to tourists. The Reindeer or Caribou Hills cross the northern part of the province. The greater part of the province is a vast rolling prairie, not unlike the Great Plains of the United States, of which it is a geological continuation. The province is drained chiefly by the headwaters of the Mackenzie and the Saskatchewan rivers. The area tributary to Hudson Bay is less than that within the basin of the Mackenzie. The valley of the Milk River is tributary to the Missouri. The western side of the district is mountainous, containing, however, many valleys which broaden out into a prairie region in the east. The foothills, lakes, and streams are well wooded. The prairies are covered with characteristic grasses.

CLIMATE AND RAINFALL. The temperature of so vast a region cannot be described in a word. The climate of the southern border is like that which prevails in Montana. The very northern portion approaches within six degrees of the Arctic Circle. Settlers claim that the climate of the southern half of Alberta is modified by chinook winds, and that it is less severe than is the case in Montana, North Dakota, and Minnesota. The lowest and highest temperature at Calgary, which is located centrally, are reported for 1908 by W. T. Finlay, minister of agriculture. The readings are in degrees Fahrenheit.

Scientists classify the entire area as semi-arid.

Figures from the same source, and running through a series of years show that Calgary, a typical locality, has an annual precipitation of about twenty inches. There may or may not be sufficient snow at times for winter sleighing. The spring time and the harvest season are dry. The greater part of the moisture falls in the growing season of June and July. It is safe to leave sacks of grain unsheltered in the autumn.

SUNSHINE. The day is long. Summer daylight appears at three in the morning, thus giving a prolonged day for growing. The great amount of dry, clear weather has led the settlers to adopt the term "Sunny" Alberta.

SOIL. Alberta is an agricultural province. It is claimed that there are 100,000,000 acres suitable for farming. In a general way it may be said that the sub-soil is clay overlaid with a black or chocolate loam, remarkably free from stones. Steam plows turn over incredible acreages without obstruction.

PRODUCTIVENESS. Both soil and climate are admirably adapted to the production of grain and vegetables. A winter wheat now known as Alberta Red was introduced from the upland district of Kansas and has proved productive. The average yield for the five years, 1903-8, ran from 20 to 29.9 bushels. The yield of spring wheat is quite as heavy. The official report for 1908 places the yield per acre of spring wheat at 22.6 bushels; oats, 43.9 bushels; barley, 25 bushels; flax, 12.5 bushels.

STOCK RAISING. Large portions of Alberta are covered with a native growth of grasses that afford excellent summer pasturage, and cure on the stalk for winter feed. Prudent ranchers cut hay and provide winter shelter, but the snows are neither deep nor lasting. Alberta is noted for improved strains of horses. Mr. Lane of Calgary won sixteen first prizes at the Seattle Exposition for heavy draft horses. Dairying is a growing industry. The cry has been raised already that the province must avoid raising wheat exclusively.

MINERALS. The mineral resources are undeveloped. There are numerous exposures of coal in the deep river valleys. There is a belief that extensive areas are underlaid by soft coal measures. The statement is made that Alberta has more coal than Pennsylvania ever had. Coal may now be had at from $1.00 to $1.75 per ton at the mines. There are extensive beds of rock salt in the north. Oil fields have been located. The town of Medicine Hat is lighted by natural gas. The gas is so cheap that the attendant reduces the pressure and lets it burn all day rather than be at the expense of relighting. Tar sands have been located on the Athabasca River. There is "asphalt enough to pave the streets of the world." Gold and platinum are found in the sands of the streams flowing from the Rocky Mountains.

IRRIGATION. Considerable sections of Alberta have all the rainfall that is desirable, especially as it comes just when needed. Other sections resort to dry farming. Mormons from the state of Utah have developed irrigation works along the St. Mary River above Lethbridge. The "largest irrigation scheme on the continent" has been undertaken by the Canadian Pacific Irrigation and Colonization Company of Calgary. Water is taken from the Bow River. Three million acres are involved. A third irrigation project has been undertaken west of Medicine Hat.

HISTORY. Alberta was originally part of the domain of the Hudson Bay Company. Early fur traders reached the country by dog train and canoe. The Red River cart, steamboat, and prairie schooner carried in the baggage and families of various settlers. Alberta was reached by the Canadian Pacific in 1883. The railway managers began a campaign of education, with the result that a tremendous immigration from Great Britain, eastern Canada, and the United States set in. The population was 73,000 in 1901; 185,000 in 1906, and 250,000 in 1907. Calgary, Edmonton, Lethbridge, Medicine Hat, and Strathcona are towns of note.

The region was given the name of Alberta in 1882 in honor of the visit of Princess Louise Alberta, daughter of Queen Victoria, and wife of Marquis of Lorne. Alberta, with its present boundaries, was made a province of the Canadian Dominion in 1905. It is represented duly in the Canadian Parliament. Provincial affairs are managed by a lieutenant-governor appointed by the governor-general of the Dominion, and by a local legislative assembly of twenty-five members. Edmonton is the capital. A system of public schools has been established. A provincial university has been decided upon.

The province is now served by three great lines of railway: the Canadian Pacific, the Canadian Northern, and the Grand Trunk Pacific. Every inducement is offered the prospective settler. Emigrant rates are made for settlers and their effects. Animals, if intended to stock a farm, are admitted free of duty up to the extent of practically a carload. Lands are surveyed in townships six miles square, and are subdivided into thirty-six sections. Section lines are official roadways four rods wide. Settlers may take up a quarter section of public land under a Dominion homestead act. Lands are for sale by the railway companies, by private parties, and by the Hudson Bay Company.

STATISTICS. The following statistics are the latest to be had from trustworthy sources:

See Canada; Saskatchewan; Canadian National Park