--- title: Improvement Era description: Monthly periodical of the Mormon church, 1897 onward. This library holds the issues of November 1897 to December 1930. authors: - Skouson, Z. N. collections: - periodicals tags: - magazine - improvement-era periodical: Improvement Era volume: 22 number: 2 published: 1918-12 publisher: Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations publisher_place: Salt Lake City language: en type: magazine reference: 'Skouson, Z. N., "Subduing the Alberta Prairie," *Improvement Era* 22, no. 2 (December 1918): 145–147.' source: url: https://archive.org/details/improvementera2202unse transcription: Transcribed from the Internet Archive scan of each issue (the item for each issue is named in the issue's own source); unnumbered advertising leaves are omitted, printed page numbers are kept as page markers. identifier: improvementera2202unse start_page: 145 end_page: 147 rights: status: public-domain basis: US publication 1930 or earlier (published 1918-12) source: https://archive.org/details/improvementera2202unse publication_year: 1918 note: The Internet Archive item metadata carries a blanket "© Copyright by Intellectual Reserve, Inc." notice. The library owner judged it inapplicable because this issue was published in 1918, before 1931; a scan-level notice does not restore copyright. --- # Subduing the Alberta Prairie Subduing the Alberta Prairie By Z. N. Skoumn Unlike the valleys of Utah, the great Alberta prairie is one vast stretch of land, somewhat undulated, and comprising about 253,000 square miles in area, much of which is now in a high state of cultivation. When one stops to consider that the prairie is larger than Great Britain and Ireland combined,- or than France, Germany, Austria-Hungary, or the combined New Eng- land States, an idea can be formed as to the enormous area occupied. Generally speaking, the prairie roads are excellent, and one can motor hundreds of miles and seldom strike a stone, while it is quite frequent that in a journey of a hundred and fifty miles the trip will take you through an almost unbroken suc- of wheat fields, occasionally interspersed with other cession varieties of cereals and with vegetables. When the "Mormon" people first settled in Southern Al- prairie land, and was gen- berta, it was a huge stretch of crude considered unfit for anything except the buffalo, the Ked erally was, however, left for the man and for grazing purposes. It demonstrate that the soil contained wonder- "Mormon" colony to ful values that would produce abundantly of nearly every variety of vegetation known to general husbandry. While under the Canadian Pacific System there are thou- 146 IMPROVEMENT ERA sands of acres irrigated annually, still the very largest portion of the prairie is dry-farmed, from which millions of bushels of grain are produced annually. In the section where the "Mor- mon" people are located, the wheat yield frequently passes the fifty-five bushel mark to the acre, and occasionally goes to sev- enty-three bushels, while the average is about twenty-five bushels. In truck garden produce the yield is very heavy. From Ray- mond alone they expect to ship, this year, over two hundred carloads of cabbages and potatoes, and although this is far from being a farming year, we will ship 800,000 to 900,000 bushels of No. 1 wheat, 95 percent grown on dry-farms. The accompanying photographs are of Uncle Hyrum Kim- ball, (in the centre of the groups) in his very remarkable five- acre dry-farm garden at Raymond. Uncle Hyrum will clear up Kimball Five-acre Farm, Alberta, Canada more money than many an other farmer will from a farm of from 80 to 160 acres of land equally as good. Uncle Hyrum is a son of Heber C. Kimball, and since his arrival in Canada, several years ago, has established a reputation for producing excellent yields of sugar beets and truck garden produce on the dry-farm. It is read- ily admitted that he raises asmuch to the acre without water as most farmers do who irrigate. The garden shown in the cuts, was a sod patch last fall, and the spring of 1918 opened up with practically no reserve moisture; besides, the precipitation of the first seven months of the year has been less than for many years. In the face of these adverse conditions, Uncle Hyrum has a garden that would be a credit to any gardener, in One-half Acre of Beans Man to left: O. F. Ursenbach; center, Uncle Hyrum Kimball which can be found nearly all varieties from the tomato down to the hardier plants. It is under these climatic conditions and soil values that the "Mormon" people in Canada have increased until there are now two large stakes, (Alberta and Taylor) comprising over ten thousand souls. The people, as a rule, are strong spiritually, well-to-do financially, and contented with their lot. They are one with the commercial and agricultural classes in build- ing a commonwealth that has gained a wide recognition. Here farming is done on a large scale, as a quarter section is con- sidered a small farm indeed. With work done on the whole- sale plan, the broad prairie offering such unlimited induce- — ments for big things a broad field of thought and soul-expan- sion is promoted which is manifest in the magnificent results of their endeavor. Raymond, Alberta, Canada The Kiss A shy little miss, mighty easy to kiss, Met Jim at the foot of the mountain; But I scorn to advance what I saw at a glance, Through the silvery spray of the fountain! But I saw that she saw that he saw that I saw, And he saw that she saw that I saw it; So I know that she knows that he knows that I know, And he knows that she knows that I know it. Theodore E. Curtis.