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'a wip Ra Canadian Contacts Fleeting Glimpses of Prairie and Mountain. ' (continued from last week) This item from a recent number of "The New Outlook" de- scribes dust storms: "Thosé who have been long in the West say that this year the winds have blown with a frequency and a velocity shattering all known records. They have been the bane of the farmer, blowing the soil from the land and piling it in high drifts against the fences, in some cases completely burying them. During the past winter this district had very little snow and as there was no rain in the spring the land is as dry as gunpowder and the least wind raises the dust. And this year have come the dust storms; and such dust storms as it is almost impossible to describe. Some- times they last for an hour, sometimes for two whole days. So severe are they that they blot out the sun and the day becomes as night. Automobiles on the road have to proceed slowly like ships in a dense fog, with sounding siren to avoid collision. Lights have to be turned on in the stores and houses, sometimes even at noonday. The wind drives the dust into nooks and crannies; everything in the house is covered with it. We know of one school where they gathered up seven pails of dust weighing two hundred and ten pounds after a dust storm that lasted thirty-six hours. Housewives become frantic at the frequency with which the houses have to be cleaned. No sooner is it done after one storm than another comes and spoils the work. This spring one family said: "We are not going to house-clean until the winds stop." Now summer is here, the winds are still blowing, the dust is still flying and the house is still waiting for its annual cleaning." Of course all the prairies are not barren. Irrigation has worked wonders in some districts, particularly on the C. P. R. lands in the district surrounding Medicine Hat and Brooks. There you may drill for a thousand feet and not find water; but the railway has co-operated with the settler, and has spent millions of dollars in irrigation. In connection with irrigation, the following extract from "The Romance of the C. P. R." will be of interest: "Colonel J. S. Dennis, civil engineer and surveyor, studied the whole situation. There had been some limited areas around Lethbridge irrigated by the old Galt Company, and Colonel Dennis advised the Canadian Pacific to go into the business on a large scale. It took a bold man to give that advice and a determined man to carry it through, at a cost to the Company up to 1924 of the huge sum of sixty millions of dollars. Dennis knew that the Bow River, fed by the eternal glaciers of the Rockies, was an in- exhaustible source of water supply if it could be properly har- nessed for the task of giving sufficient moisture to the dry spaces of the plain. And this was what Colonel Dennis and his assistants proceeded to bring about by turning the waters of the Bow River in directions where it would do most good in making the wilder- ness rejoice. It is the biggest .irrigation movement on the con- tinent, and for pure romantic interest dwarfs the ancient tale of Hercules into insignificance. ' The perfection of the engineering arrangements ensure the settler against interruption of the water service and so against worry in regard to his crops. He is sure of the sunshine and in the irrigation area he is sure of the moisture. The western sec- tion of this area has its centre at Calgary, where, through con- crete headgates, the water is admitted from the Bow River as desired. A dam is also provided for very dry seasons and at any time water can be sent seventeen miles into an immense reservoir three miles long and one-half mile wide. Out of this reservoir are three secondary canals having a total length of 246 miles. These canals supply water to 1,113 miles of distributing ditches, | and when the Company brings the water to the highest point on the boundary of a man's farm, he can then have it run through his ground as he desires. y + To irrigate the Eastern section was a greater problem, but near the town of Bassano the immense dam was built which raised the water of the Bow River about forty feet above 'its usual level. : This Bassano dam is a costly structure with sluice gates operated by electricity. Then there are canals and reservoirs, including the famous artificial Lake Newell, about twenty-five square miles in extent and containing water enough to cover 185,000 acres of land one foot deep. There is in this same locality, near the town of Brooks: the great concrete aqueduct over a depression of the prairie. fifty feet above the ground." ~ Courage, industry and optimism, are characteristic of the West. If ever a people deserve to succeed, those people are the Western farmers. : The. prairie cities are hard hit, too, and it is going to be dif- : (Continued on third column) EE -- PO This huge water carrier is two milés long and, at places, Pa Sir Hugo Hirst stitution of rical Westley Russell,. RRY, ONTARIO, THURSDAY, id a real tribute to a distin; ngineers a life-size paintin DR. BELL HONORED _ Canadians have the honor of being the world's largest users of the telephone. was it not a Scottish-Canadian, Alexander Graham Bell, who invented the telephone Bell's crude telephone which he used to make the first long distance c 10, 1876, has grown until there are now over one million four hundred tho instruments per hundred inhabitants. Left--The Russell portrait of Dr. Bell. Above--E. Thomas Brooks, builders of the first telephone line in Canada. McIntyre, Dr. Bell and guished Canadian when he presented 1ecently to the British In- g of Dr. Alexander Graham Bell by the famous artist, Walter This is as it should be; for at Brantford in 18747 all from Brantford to Paris, August usand telephones in Foot dai Ip 8 PRINCE ALBERT Mrs. Howden and Philadelphia, are guests mother, Mrs. Jas. McBrien. Mrs. Jas. Warren and Mrs. Buit of Orhawa and Mrs. Jno. Warren of this village attended the funeral of their cousin Mr. Hugh Gregg of Uxbridge, last wek. of her Miss Sprague spent Sunday and Mor day with her mother in Aurora. Mr. Walter Bond and daughter of Toronto are visiting Mrs, R. Bond. Miss Mabel Mason of Chicago, was the guest for a few days of her cougin Mrs. W. Martyn. We extend congratulations to Miss Gertrude Martyn on her success in passing her junior piano examination with honours. Miss Martyn was a pupil of Miss Leask. Miss Hattie Shunk of Scugog is visiting her aunt, Mrs. Albert Shunk and Miss Mary Smith, Toronto spent last week holidaying at her grand- father's, Mr. Josiah Smith. Rev. J. 8. I. Wilson of Oshawa took the Church service on Sunday. He represented the Prohibition Union. a special collection was taken up in ald of temperance work. Mr. G. K. Robertson, who was struck on the forehead while working with his sons unloading hay and was so badly cut that four stitches were required to close the wound, is re- covering rapidly. The July meeting of the Women's Association was held at Mrs. Martyn's on Wednesday. Mrs, Martyn and Miss Hiscox suppliéd - the lunch. There was a good attendance. Mr. John Campbell, Mr. and Mrs. Morley Campbell, and Mr. and Mrs. Fred Campbell, all of Toronto, were calling on Mrs. Greaves and Dr. Campbell, on Saturday. BLACKSTOCK The following list of prize winners at the Marlow picnic was crowded out last week. their wives and daughters' conventio some of Children under 5, 1 Jim* Marlow, 2 Arnold Taylor; Boys under 8, 1st children of Murray Marlow; Girls under 8, 1st Gwenyth Marlow, 2 Evelyn Philp; Boys under 10, 1st Harold Crawford, 2 Ross Bailey; Girls under 10, 1st Kathleen Taylor, 2 Gwenyth Marlow; Three-legged race, 1 Gilbert Marlow | and Billy Marlow; Girls under 14, 1; Madeline Marlow, 2 Marie Marlow; Boys under 14, 1 Anson Taylor, al solo by Miss Florence Fair, reading by Mrs. A. Rahm, and a reading by Mrs. Carter. The chapter of the Study Book was prepared by Miss Mabel Argue and read by Mrs. Thos. Smith and a reading from the Living Message was given by Mrs. W. Craw- ford. After a vote of thanks tendered Mr. and Mrs. Carter for their hospi- tality, the meeting closed with the serving of lunch. As August is a Harold Crawford; Rolling Pin Con-! holiday month the next regular meet- test, 1 Mrs. W. Malcolm, 2 Clara Porteous, 3 Mrs. A. Bailey; Mother and Daughter race, 1 Mrs. Roy Taylor | and Kathleen, 2 Mrs. Wallace Marlow and Gwenyth; Women's race over 160) Ibs, Mrs. Ted Marlow; Married Ladies' race, Mrs. Naysmith Henry; | Grandmothers' race, 1 Mrs. Neil, 2, Mrs. S. McLaughlin; Grandfathers' Mr. R. Philp, Mr. F. Bailey; Coat | race, 1 Harold Porteous and Doris Marlow, 2 Fred Philp and Mrs. W.| Marlow; Stone throwing contest, 1 Frank Whitfield, 2 Harold Philp: Hop race by 11 girls and boys, won by the boys. Horseshoe contest, 1 Anson Taylor, 2 Bob Smith. Oldest member on the ground was Mr. Fair- bairn from Lakefield. Misses Grace Mountjoy, Susie and Olive VanCamp, Messrs. Norton Van- Camp and Arnold Johnston, have re- turned from Oak Lake near Stirling, where they were attending the Sum- mer School. The July meeting of the Women's Auxiliary of St. John's Chure¢h was held at the home of Mrs. John Carter with an attendance of 45 members and visitors. The meeting was open- ed by the president with devotional exercises after which a short business session followed during which at was decided to hold the Sunday School! picnic as usual, also the W. A. mem- bers voted to help the A.Y.P.A. with their baking which is being sold at the Lake regularly during this sum-| mer. The meeting was then favored with the program which was in charge of Mrs. Carter and which con-' sisted of Community singing, piano the world's ing will" he held in September. The regular monthly meeting of the Anglican Young Peoples' Asso- ciation was held at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Ira Argue on Wednesday evening of last week with a attend- ance of sixty members and visitors. The meeting opened with devotional exercises by the president and prayer by the rector. After the business the following program _ in charge of Miss Marion Argue and Mr. Cecil Hyde was rendered: Several very much appreciated selection by the orchestra, a piano solo by Miss Florence Fair, and two educational, as well as interesting contests won by Miss Agnes Whittaker and Robert Smith, Miss Florence McLaughlin and Mr. Percy Hamilton respectively. After a vote of thanks was given to Mr. and Mrs. Argue for the use of their home, lunch was served and the meeting closed in the usual way with the A.Y.P.A. motto and Auld Lang Syne. session A boys' game of softball was played at Caesarea on Monday night between the Campers and the Blackstock team. The score was 8-2 in favor of the Campers. The annual Decoration Day Ser- vices were held in the armouries and at the Soldiers' Memorial Monument on Sunday last and were conducted by Rev. Mr. Walker of Janetville and Rev. Mr. Newell and Dr. C. ExWhit- taker, of Blackstock. Special music was furnished by the Nestleton choir. The Port Perry Band was in attend- (continued on back page) RT PERRY STA THE ADVERTISING MEDIUM OF PORT PERRY AND VICINITY Prompt payment of subscriptions will be much appreciated $1.50 per year in advance g pe is Ea co 4 3 ficult for those who have had almost limitless. money to adjust themselves to these new and poorer conditions. v Two stories may be told here which will illustrate fg conditions in the West and the attitude of mind produced fs conditions. The stories come from Calgary : An apparently well-to-do woman was talking with an ac- quaintance. She said: "I guess I'll sell my car." ; "What for? You've onlv had it a little over a year. How much can you get for it? "Seven hundred dollars." "But you paid eighteen hundred; and you're not really hard up are you?" "No, but you don't know what's going to happen; and I'd like to have that seven hundred dollars in the bank." If everyone were to act like that woman, she would not have her seven hundred dollars long for the banks would fail. Another angle of the problem was brought out in a conversa- tion with a Western farmer. It ran like this: "Well how are things going?" "Oh, just so-so." "Where are all your autos? I don't see many on the road." "They're in the barns. We've all got them but we're not using them because we can't afford to buy gasoline." It is said that the Imperial Oil Co. has $15,000,000 tied up in credit given to Saskatchewan farmers. The credit business has ceased, and farmers are using their horses, to the general betterment of farming conditions in the locality: A critic of the Western farmer said: "They must quit expect- ing twelve months' pay for five months" work." There was some foundation for that criticism, because many farms had no stock-- not even a chicken. When the crop was harvested the windows of the house were boarded up and the family spent the winter in California. i Farmers of this type had been making much money. They felt rich. They were rich. They bought everthing they needed. Simple home requirements--bread, butter, milk, meat, etec.--all these were bought. Three years drought have changed all this. Farmers had stored some grain. There was no market for it, so they took it to the nearest mill, and had it ground, A cow could be supported somehow, and the milk and butter therefrom helped out in the family budget. It begins to look as though the Western farmer will have to make a more thorough study of local conditions, utilizing what he finds close at hand, and living within his means. Of course, in this program, he will not be very different from the farmer in Ontario. One has to be careful as to what is said about introducing "mixed farming" into the West. Theoretically it is a fine idea. The only trouble is to secure enough moisture to carry on mixed farming. Water storage is well nigh impossible on account of the alkaline condition of the water. If you see a slough with a bit of water in it, you will likey notice that the dried edges are white with alkali. Water of this kind if stored long is very unhealthy for cattle. Under ordinary conditions irrigation should not be required until the end of June or the beginning of July; but for a year or two now they have had to start in May, and sometimes even in April. All this adds to the expense. It is interesting to watch the work of the Chinese gardeners in British Columbia and Alberta. Up in the mountains they are producing potatoes and tomatoes in little patches that are worked intensively. The water is carried in wooden conduits, that are provided with slides to allow the stream to be diverted into any of the channels that run down between the rows of vegetables. The main occupation of the Chinese children will be work and the making of mud pies. In some of the very dry areas around Regina and Moose Jaw, it is said thet the farmers have heen compelled to eat gophers. Frankly I should not enjoy this diet, because to me a gopher looks like a moth eaten rat. He is not an attractive creature except for his activity. Lincoln is reported to have said that the Lord must have loved the common people because he made so many of them. He must have loved the gopher, teco, for there are an innumerable army of them on the prairies. REGINA Regina was our Convention City and tribute is due to the authorities of both the City and the Province of Saskatchewan for the fine entertainment given to the Weekly Newspaper Editors of Canada. In spite of most depressing local conditions, they carried out their program of entertainment, which included 2 banquets-- one by the City and one by the Province--auto drives and a dance. Mayor Mitchell handed President Malcolm MacBeth the Key of the City, and the Province accorded us a royal welcome. As usual, Mr. Roy Sayles and the executive had worked out the details of the convention so that all the machinery ran with beautiful smoothness. The fine spirit of our Western hosts will not soon be forgot- ten. Their optimism and courage are wonderful. They knew and we knew that no crop will be harvested around Regina this year. They knew and we knew that there was no guarantee that wheat or any other crop would grow in that area next year. But they hered outside the Hotel Saskatchewan on the occasion of the Association's annual convention hole went special train over the Canadian Pacific to Banff where for three days they enjoyed the many ithe wi . and po romantic' scenery they played over the golf course, plunged into the swimming pools and 4 (continued on back page) et er AS A 3 si % TRAST ' Le n # 8 © % § 7 x i