yield and quality? It is right here in the midst of us; or would you sooner have a rich porous 10am which rapidly absorb the thunder shower or steady rain and holds it beneath the surface in store for the need of the plant through a spell of drought? We have it at your command.

Does your fancy conjure up a flock of sheep browsing on a dry sandy slope? It is here waiting for you.

Or would you try your hand on a herd of swine growing fat in a mass of rape with a wallow in the lower comer where they can indulge in a mud bath so necessary for their health and comfort? You need not go far for the realization of your dream.

In fact, each and every one of the above described farms may be selected within ten miles of Austin railway station.

Growth of the Village Depends on Development of the District

The growth of the village of Austin has been like that of many other country villages and for that matter similar to the growth of the larger towns also. The continued growth of them all and their prosperity depends on one of two things. Either the town becomes a manufacturing town or its growth is entirely dependent upon the development of the surrounding territory. This is a fact that has often times been overlooked by the speculators in town lots.

Austin village as it exists today can supply the requirements of the district in its present state of development but increase the number of agricultural families, cultivate the farms more carefully, and a demand for more places and lines of business is at once created in the village. It follows then that with the development of the territory contiguous to Austin and from which it draws its support that the village itself will at once feel the impetus caused by this development. In Other words, the "local market" will respond to the calls made upon it.

While averring that the rapid and solid development of this district depends on its agricultural resources and consequently appeals first and foremost to the agriculturist and stock raiser. This booklet would not be complete without pointing out the suitability of this district for factories such as a flour mill, which already exists, a sash and door factory, a carriage or piano factory, and similar works requiring a constant supply of pure water for steam plants. One branch of Squirrel Creek passes under the railway within 200 yards of the Austin station grounds, and while on the West side there is a large meadow flat over which the water can spread during the spring freshet, the East side has a bank about ten feet high offering a most desirable site for mill plants and is already supplied with a switch from the railroad. The stations of Exira on the main line of the Grand Trunk Pacific and Pine Creek on the branch line of the Canadian Pacific are similarly though not quite so conveniently supplied by another branch of Squirrel Creek and by Pine Creek respectively.

It is not the purpose of this pamphlet to bore the reader with statistics as to what yield per acre can be obtained. The soil is equal to that found anywhere in Canada, and given this the yield is largely dependent upon the individual ability of the farmer and the weather conditions. Its object rather is to point out that here in Manitoba, within one hundred miles of the largest city west of Toronto, the

713

opportunity is offered you to build a solid and remunerative agricultural business. The farmers are already bringing in to the three elevators in the town from 100,000 to 150,000 bushels of grain and, with increased population and increased holdings this amount may readily be doubled. Remember also that in this district you are offered an improved farm, one which contains good buildings, fenced fields, cultivated lands, good roads to town, near neighbors, ready markets, and the best of soil at actually less per acre than is being asked and obtained many hundred miles further West and where you have none of these advantages.

Why, oh why has such a district as this, first settled thirty years ago, been left in the hands of a few ever since? It is the same old story. People stopped when they got to the end of the track and looked around; the railway once built through it, the settlers of later dates had to rush forward to some unknown point further West.

Settlement and civilization are of course the enemies of wild game, and the moose, the elk and the bear no longer visit us, and the drainage of the land is each year making it less suitable for wild duck. We still have, however, two or three herds of jumping deer, while prairie chicken, partridge and rabbits abound.

The time was when Austin was an important shipping point for cordwood till the surplus forests were cleared away, but there is still plenty of wood left to supply local demands for fuel, and there is no reason why this should not be always so, provided settlers conserve what they have and replant from time to time.

A Synopsis of What This District Offers to the Farmer

Three transcontinental railways which give ample communication with both East and West; cheap freight rates to big markets and for grain to the head of the lakes; excellent soil - there is none better in the Dominion of Canada; improved farms which are really improved, having good substantial buildings and strong wire fences; present low values of land make it not only easy to acquire a farm, but make it a safe and sure investment; a well settled country served by a live village where all necessities can be obtained; an ample supply of excellent water easily obtainable at. a depth of a few feet; unexcelled facilities for mixed farming and great possibilities in the dairying industry; good opportunities for intensive farming and raising garden truck owing to closeness to large centres; social advantages, which include near neighbors, churches, good schools, rural telephones which link the farm houses together and bring them into close touch with the outside world.

The People

This district has been settled for some years, practically since the Canadian Pacific Railway Company built its first line over the prairie. There are many young farmers who were born in Manitoba and their parents, for the most part, still hale and hearty, are of Eastern stock with a good sprinkling of English and a few Swedish settlers who have been so long in the country that they are now just Canadians.