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I ? 73 .-i.
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I
THE IMMIGRANT
—IN—
O !«■ T -A. miO_!
THE PREMIER PROVINCE
—OF —
Ci^^N_A^DA^
Rrf 6t/ Authority of the Gouernment of Ontario.
P\l9Sll.ETS AND FURTHER PARTIOUL .RS MAY BE
OBTAINED ON APPLICATION TO
r ll?t>\ JAMES YOUNG
, « Treasuri'v of the Province and
1 1 * ,
•i c minissioner of Im..dgrat,on,
1' or onto.
DAVID SPENCB,
Secretary of Immigration,
Toronto,
OB TO
TETER BTRNE,
6 South Castle Street, Liverpool.
BRANTFORD, ONTARIO :
PRINTED BY WATT & SHENSTON. OOLBORNE STREET,
1883.
W"^
I
PAM]
HON. J
2
PEIN'
THE IMMIGRANT
-IN —
OTX'TJ^lBtlO !
THE PREMIER PROVINCE
— OF —
Ci^ INT A. DA.
issued by Authority of the Government of Ontariu.
PAMPHLETS AND FURTHER PARTICULARS MAY BE
OBTAINED ON APPLICATION TO
HON. JAMES YOUNG
Treasurer of the Province and
Commissioner of Immigration^
Toronto.
DAVID SPENCB,
Seeretary of Immigration,
Toronto,
OB TO
PETER BYRNE,
6 South Cattle Street, Liverpool,
n
BRANTFORD, ONTARIO t
PRINTED BY WATT k SHENSTON, OOLBORNE STREET,
1883.
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CANADA.
Ontario the Premier Trovince
OF THB
DOMINION,
The Dominion of Canada is the most important, the
most populous, the wealthiest, and the most flourishing
of all the British self-governing colonies. It is as large a
country as the whole of Europe, or the United States,
embracing as it does nearly four millions of square miles
of territory. From East to West it extends from the
Atlantic to the Pacific, a distance of three thousand six
hundred miles, or as far as from London to Calcutta.
From parallel 42 it stretches twenty-seven hundred miles
away to the north. In the grandeur of its physical fea-
tures Canada is surpassed by no country on the face of the
globe. Immense mountain ranges, vast forests cov-
ering millions of square miles and furnishing a prac-
tically exhaustless supply of wealth, fertile prairies large
enough in themselves to form a mighty empire, great
rivers, several of them larger than the Danube, and count-
less lakes, some as large as European kingdoms, — all
these are imposing characteristics of Canada, the greater
portion of whose territory is yet awaiting settlement.
OT^TA.RIO.
The Premier Province of Canada.
ITS PHYSICAL FEATURES.
Of the great Dominion, Ontario is the Premier Province. It is at
once the leading agricultural, commercial, manufacturing, and by far
the most populous member of the Canadian Confederation. It extends
from south to north over a distance of seven hundred miles, or from the
parallel of forty-two degrees — that of Rame — to the parallel of fifty-two
degrees on James Bay, a latitude still south of that of Birmingham.
From east to west, it measures a length of nearly eleven hundred miles.
The area embraced within its boundaries is about 200,000 square miles —
a territory 80,000 square miles larger than the United Kingdom, 1,700
square miles larger than France, and only 12,000 square miles smaller
than the whole German Empire. The southern extremity leaves in a
more northern latitude nearly the whole of New York, Michigan, and
the New England States. The parallel which cuts the extreme south
of the Province passes through the north of Portugal and Spain and the
centre of Italy and Turkey, leaving Greece the only country in Europe
entirely in a more southern latitude than Ontario. Along the extensive
southern and western border of the Province, tempering both the sum-
mer and winter seasons, lie those vast inland seas, Lakes Ontario, Erie,
Huron and Superior, the last alone larger than the whole of Scotland.
These lakes, with the rivers and canals connected with them, form a
system of inland navigation unsurpassed in the world. The Laurentian
mountains divide the Province into two sections — the southern and
larger one embracing an immense extent of fertile land, on which are
cultivated all the grains of the temperate rone and several products of
6
THE IMMIOIIANT IN ONTARIO, CANADA.
the tropica. The more northorn di.striots ahound in vnlual.'lo pine
forests, and dopoRJts of golfi. silvor, iron, copper and other \aIiial)Io
minerals, which contribute largely to the wealth of the country.
THE CLi:,rATE OF ONTARIO.
according to latitude, elevation or position with refeience to thr
great lake?, but is everywhere adapted in a very high degree to grain
and fruit-growing and to the deveiopmont of physical well-being. In the
warmer parts spring begins sometimes in March; sometimes not till the
beginning of April. In the colder districts ir. bursts forth suddenly in
the beginning of the latter month. Vegetation everywhere commences
immediately, and progresses with a vigor surprising to people from
Britain and west.^rn Europe. The beginning or middle of Mriy ushers
in the summer, which is scarcely surpassed by that of any land. The
regular storm rains cease almost entirely from May till September, leav-
ing vegetation to be refreshed by brief but copious showeis. The skies
are Italian in their beauty. Sometimes day after day passes of unin-
terrupted serenity and unclouded azure. The sun set- with a magnifi.
cence rarely approached even m Italy. The nights are rarely uncom-
fortably warm. Tornadoes, so fi ightf ully destructive of life and property
in the Western States, are very uncommon, and scarcely ever attended
by fatal result.
THE SUMMER SEA80W
usually lasts from the middle of May till the end of September.
Under the genial and steady warmth, vegetation advances apace.
Wheat harvest commences in the most southern parts in the beginning
of July. All the grain crops follow each other in quick succession,
and over most of the Province, harvest is fully completed by the third
week of August. Along the lake shores, a lake breeze by day
and a land breeze by night temper the warmth of the season.
Autumn is scarcely less beautiful than summer. In October the
days are ' a genial warmth, and the nights cool and refreshing
The trees assume a brillinn y .->f coior unknown in Europe, and over the
-^
THE IMMIGRANT IN ONTARIO, CANADA.
alualtlo pine
lior \aIiiiil)Io
ntry.
nee to tlif
■ee to grain
ing. In t!ie
not till tlie
suddenly in
commences
eople from
Mcxy ushers
land. The
smber, leav-
The skies
ses of unin-
i a niagnifi-
•ely un(!om-
id property
ar attended
September,
ices apace.
3 beginning
succession,
7 the third
ze by day
he season,
ctober, the
refreshing,
id over the
4
•i!
\
landscape, flushing in crimson, yellow, pink, green and gold, th« Kun
shines with a mellow radiance; through the faint, purple mist which tills
the atmosphere, and imparts to the outlines of every distant object a
softness in striking contrast with tlie distinctnfbs generally noticeable
i'.i fine weather during most of the year. The leaves fall, and as
Novt ber passes, vegetation ginks into its winter's re^t. The first
flakes of snow are seldom seen till November, and open and ^ine warm
weather, in south-icestern Ontario in particular, frequently iasts well
into December.
THE DURATION OF WINTER IN ONTARIO
is about fonr months. Everywhere, however, the season is bright,
bracing and pleasant. Sometimes th? sky is cloudless for days or weeks
together. The occasional extremely cold periods rarely last more than
three days, ani are almost invariably dry, bright and calm. The
cold is not felt to nearly the extent that people in moister climate
would imagine, and a walk of half a mile bare-handed, even with
the mercury below zero, causes no unpleasant feeling of cold. In
fact, that temperature seems no colder than twenty degrees above
zero generally does in Britain. The explanation is found in the Iry-
ness of the atmosphere not abstracting from the body the heat which
would be absorbed by a more humid air. The cemmenceMent of sleigh-
ing is hailed with delight ; business revives ; grain is readily marketed,
and every operation requiring ;rood winter roads is greatly facilitated.
The winters differ in different years. Sometimes ice and snow are
absent in the counties fringing Lakes Erie and Ontario; ploughing
has been carried on in December and January, and in the warmest
parts flowers have bloomed at mid-winter in the open air, and but-
terflies, snakes and frogs have made their appearance. The coldest
year on record in Ontario closed with a day on which a temperature
of seventy one degrees in the s!.ade was reached. The winter
everywhere is biight, pleasant and comparatively dry Owing to the
southern latitude of the Province - almost the entire population living
further south than Lyons in France— ihe winter days are much
longer than in Britain, a fact which contrib»tes to the cheorfulneM
of the season.
THE IMMIGRANT IN ONTARIO, CANADA.
SEMI TROPICAL AND OTHKK PRODUCTS OF ONTARIO.
That Ontario possesses a genial climate and a rich productive soil,
is proven by the vast annual yield of fall and spring wheat, barley,
oats, Indian corn (maize), rye and peas. Finer wheat is not produced
anywhere, and statistics, to be given hereafter, show that the yield is
greater per acre than tliat of any of the wheat growing States in the
neighboring Union. Ontario barley always commands the highest
prices in the American markets, where it is almost without a rival.
The peas, oats, and corn are also excellent. The apple, peach, pear and
cherry orchards in the Province are prolific, and produce as fine fruit as
is grown in the world. The demand for the best varieties of Canadian
apples is rapidly increasing both in Europe and tlie United States,
the top prices are paid for them. Roots and vegetables of the best
quality are grown evei-yv/hi r •, and include potatoes, beets, mangold
"wurtzles, p.iranips, carrots, cabbages, cauliflowers, b3ans and, in short,
all the varieties that are produced either in England or in the States.
All the products of Ihs temperate zone flourish, and some semi-tiopical
fruits are brought to perfection. The apricot, nectarine and quince
are easily cultivated over an area of several thousand square miles. At
Niagara, xhich, however, is exceptionally favored, the almond grows
out of doors, and the fig is cultivated as a standard with scarcely any
protection in winter, and ripens two crops in the year. The almond
and fig will probably never be grown for profit, but th-? fact of their
cultivation out of doors is a striking evidencce of the mildness of the
winter climate of the Southern Counties. Sorgl u n, or the Chinese
sugar cine, will succeed over very many counties, and in Southern On-
tario hundreds of acres are planted with this crop. As a further illus-
tration of the extraordinary capabilities of the Province, reference may
be made to the County of Essex, the southernmost of the Lake Eric
group of Ontario Counties, which, surrounded as it is on three sdes by
water, offers the very best facilities on the continent of North America
for grape-growing and vine-producing. An eminent writer upon these
subjects visited the County last October, during
THE GRAPE IIAUVESTING SEASON,
and afterward published a series of Ittbers, from which the following
extract is taken :
•' My first acquaintance with Essex vineyards was made on one of
'the deliciously balmy, dreamily la'-.y, glorious October days we have
1
THE IMMIGRANT IN ONTARIO, CANADA.
d
[IIO.
roductive soil,
vheat, barley,
not produced
it the yield is
States in the
s the highest
hout a rival,
ach, pear and
as fine fruit as
s of Canadian
Jnited States,
5 of the best
sets, mangold
and, in short,
n the States.
semi-tiopical
! and quince
ire miles. At
ilmond grows
scarcely any
The almond
fact of their
Idness of the
the Chinese
southern On-
further illus-
eference may
le Lake Erie
liree sdes by
)rth America
3r upon these
the following
ide on one of
iiys we have
II
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had recently-tlie verv kind of weather to throw a glamour over the
long wine-avenues bathed in the mellowest of sunshine and flecked by
the shadows of the sinuous vines and abundant foliage which, rismg
on either side far above one's head, concealed the innumerable clusters
of dark purple fruit burdening the trellises with their juicy wealth.
The first vineyard at which we called was owned by p Mr. Girardot,
a native of the French Comte, now one of the School Inspectors for
the County, who is an enthusiast in vine-culture, and was brought up
in the very heart of the best wine district of Eastern France. _ He
believes that Essex is superior to his own country in its capabilities
for not only producing large quantities of grapes, but also
FINE QUALITIES OF WINE.
" Mr Girardot said to me : 'We have a more certain climate here and
« 'no frost until late in October. There they often have it in September.
" 'The French vintage fails one year in three, and a really good harvest
« 'is gathered only once in that time. Here there has not even been a
« 'partial failure. The yield here is at least four or five tons to the
« 'acre • there, not more than two. The wines made here are equal to
" 'any in Eastern France. From 20 acres the yield of wine has averaged
" 'about 6,000 gallons, and is very - -munerative, a profit of |800 (£160)
" 'per acre being frequently obtained." '
The correspond it proceeds to say :
" The fragrant bloom-covered grapes hang thickly in large clusters,
" the berries measuring three-quarters of an inch in diameter, and esti-
" mated to yield five tons to the acre. The varieties of grapes grown
" to perfection in Essex, Pelee Island, the Niagara District, and in the
" vicinitv of Toronto, as well as elsewhere in the eastern and central
" parts of Ontario, are the Concord, the Clinton, Delaware, Rodgers'
" Hybrids, Hartford, Isabella, Creveling, Martha, Muscot and Catawba.
« Indian Corn (maize) is perhaps the leading crop of the County of
" Essex, and yields thirty-five to seventy bushels of shelled gram per
" acre, with an average of nearly fifty bushels, or much more than in
« Missouri or Iowa, in the latter of which State a recent oflicial return
"showed only fifteen bushels per acre. Fall wheat stands next m
«' acreage to Indian corn. A leading farmer has grown wheat eight
" years in succeosion on the same land without any diminution of yield,
" a fact which may be well credited, for the black mould is not unfre-
" quently three feet in depth, and averages from twelve to eighteen
" inches, while underneath is the best of clay subsoil.
SUGAR CANE.
«« Every farm, too, has its patch of sugar-cane, varying from one
« acre to three or four acres in extent. Sorghum has long been a staple
1
10
THE IMMIGRANT IN ONTARIO, CANADA.
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of Essex, and several varieties — black, red, short and tall, are grown.
The variety known as Early Amber is now the most popular, and is
said to yield as much as 300 gallons of syrup per acre. A gentleman
who has managed a Cuban plantation for several years is at present
making arrangements to start a large plantation and mill near Essex
Centre, and the best machinery is to be used in making muscovada
sugar. Every farm, even in the newest settlements, has its apph^
pear and peach trees, and grape vines. Stock raising is largely fol-
lowed. Even in midwmter the pastures occasionally become clothed
in green, and ten days or so at a time elapse without even a hoar frost
at night. Tobacco at one time was very excensively cultivated, mil-
lions of pounds being annually produced about thirty years since.
Essex is still the chief tobacco-raising county of the Province.
"Fishing Point, in Lake Erie, as the g )uthern extremity of
PELEE ISLAND
(in the County of Essex) is called, lies in latitude 41° 36' north. Middle
Island, Canada'f southernmost soil, is in latitude 41° 35'. Misled by the
rigour of Canadian winters, most Canadians imagine that even South-
em Ontario is comparatively a northern region. It may be interest-
ing, therefore, to note that a line r mning east and west through Pelee
l8la,nd yasses through Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Nevada and
California on this continent, and in Europe through Northern Portugal
and Southern Turkey. One-third of Spain, three-fourths of Italy, and
almost the entire Adriatic Sea lie north of Pelee. The southernmost
verge of France, reposing amidst its olives and orange groves, is nearly
fifty miles farther north than Fishing Point. The marshes of the
Roman Campagna are twenty milos farther from the equator than the
great marsh of Pelee. Due east of Canada's southernmost vineyards
lie the vineyards of old C -Jtile and of the Apulian valleys in Southern
Italy, the famous old cities of Saragossa and Valladolid, and the orange
groves^ of Barcelona. Only fifty miles farther to the south old
Vesuvius flings a mantle of smoke over the blue waters of the Bay of
Naples, and among the minarets of Constantinople the Sublime Porte
sips a port which the vineyards of Pelee are capable of equalling.
PELEE ISLAND COTTON.
"So warm a climat«". must be ftivorable to many vegetable products
"usually associated wt'i sub-tropical regions. The Catawba grape
"flourishes in full perfection, and rarely suffers from mildew, and never
" from frost. Maize and the Chinese sugar cane grow luxuriantly;, the
" peanut thrives well ; water melons obtain a weight of fifty pounds ;
" the sweet potato grows to as great a size and is as finely flavored as
" m the Southern States, The pawpaw, white mulberry, peach, apricot,
" nectarine and quince are common trees; the fig and almond, slightly
" protected in winter with brush, will bear abundantly. A still batter
((
st.
world, which
caste or social
onal honors,
targes for any
5w, and if he
voluntary con-
ards' rule, but
e expenditure
b British law
iMERS AND
ty-two town>
1 for location
Other town-
! constructed,
wait for, the
J of the Act
le Orders in
n Council is
p pine timber
be made for
eighteen, or
sment duties
ildren under
knd, and any
100 acres I!
IT
iroo (,rant Districts. Any locatee under tl,e Act, Loin-,, the rnal. hPud
of a taiuily as aforesaid, is allowed to purcliase an additional 100 acres
at (ifty cents per acre cash, at the time of such location, sul.jeet to the
■aniM ivuTvatious and conditions, and the p.-rfonuance of the same set
thMuent duties, as are provided in respuct of Free Grunt locations by
the Act, except that actual residence aud buildinc. on land purchased
will not b. required. Tlie settlement duties are :-To havo fifteen
acros on eu..>, grant cleared and under crop, of svliic-h at least two acres
are to be .l,.ared and cultivated annually for five years; to build a
habitablo house, at least 10x:30 icot in size; and to reside on the land
at least six months in each year.
In order to make a successful settlement upon a free grant lot the
.ett er should have at least i'GO to i'lOO ($300 to |r,00) after reaching
his location. But immigrants on their arrival in the country are ad"
vised to go out first for a year or more as agricultural laborers on farms
m the older and settled parts of the Province. T'.e experience thus
•cquired will far more than compensate for the time thus spent.
The settlers iu the Free Grant Districts are always willim/to heln
tew comers. A house, such as is required by the Act, can be erected
by contract for from ^8 to £10 (.$40 to $50) ; but with the assistance
which the settler is certain to receive from his neighbors, it can be
erected for even less. The best season of the year to go on to a free
gi-ant lot IS the month of Septen.ber, after harvest work in the old
settlemonts is over. There is time to put up a house and get comfort-
ably settled before the winter set.s in ; and during the winter the work
of cnoppuig and clearing can go on. In this way a crop can be got in
the first spring. The operation of putting in the first crop is a very
smiple one. Flouring is almost unnecessary. Theland is light and rich
A 1 It sometimes needs is a little snatching on the surface to cover thci
seed This IS done with a drag or harrow, which may either be a very
tough, primitive miplement-a natural crotch with a few teeth in iti
or It may be carefully n.ade and well finished. A good auf ' "tv on
such matters says : «>The course for a man with a very small capitaHs
as follows : He goes on the land in September or Oc'tober and binder
brushes as mucOi as he intends to clear the next snrW Pr .1 I'
up hishouseand prepares for the •.. inter? rvufngis famil ''lit
m the late autumn or the winter, accord n.. to the state nfff' i "^
••During the winter he c'.ps whai he has %:2^:^^^^:^^
13
TUE glll^RANT IS ONTARIO, CANADA.
"hut not often, a little more, usually ^owe^er, ^^^^ J,^ ,,^ . if
"I.Rb made a fortunate sulecticn, and got 8°°^' /7'/ ^^,1° "spring, l>e
"he is also fortunate enough to have a 8«o^','^;,„.,ed,tinie enough
•' ,r.anag."8 to get his chopping bvmicd oS •^"'^ P^^ ^ '°f Sy ^ ^.nall patch
" to set in a few potatoes, some Indian corn, and P*^^«' J ...mtner. By
■' of spring wheat! All tins helps his fannly f^^^^^^^v^^r: wheat,
•'aboit September he will have ^ot a good patch ready toi
■' which is theu sown and afterwards fenced.
TENANT FARMERS.
Improved favms, with dwelling. "")«">". ^'""'""f'' 'J„ '^ l^o
„;,a..a in the older a- a settled pa.t, of On.av.o at ho^ £-J^ *
s,eHi.g per a™, or for the amount required to '-7: off' s a better
■„ Great Britain. There i. no elass to »h,ch 0»'"'° fj; \^ ^„
field than to the tenant farmers of Great Br, «n -"i ';»"''' J™, „t
anxious to ehange their condition of lease-holders to tl»t of o»ne s
the soil. Canada is comparatively so close to England (L'"n^°- '°
Q„.teo being the shortest sea passage to Amenca : -™= ™ /^^^
L a half,, and the .eans of ^-r— -'a .on ar ^^o^^ ^
expcditious,that withm a very tew years .t is no
expect that Ontario wiU supply the home "arkot « th fa™ pro
as readily as Ireland did twenty years ago and w.th fa. more proM to
the producer.
FARM LABORERS IN ONTARIO.
The British farmer may be reluctant to break np his home and
sever himself from old associations, but scarcely an, hes.tat.onw.il
Tu r^ind of the farm laborer. U..happily, bis " W'^ »^
5ew enough ; his capital is easiW transferred ; «'"°»' *! j'^ j^"'*;^"^
•o. him need be, " How can I : the means to em.gra.e t In Great
B iti h can ;ever earn the so., he tills; in Ontario he cannot a.l.f
,nly industrious and thrifty, to become, if he pleases, the owner of land,
n L"at Britain his boys and giris will, with few except.on^ be nott.-
,; tat what their fathers and mothers were before them. In Ontano
it is all but certain that they will in a few years be .n a pos.t.on as .n-
Leptdent a, those they serve at home. In G-'.^f- ' ^ *
onsLt struggle o£ the agricultural class to get sufficct food ^.d *e
r«ssary comforts of life. In Ontario no farm laborer need go short
THE EU:anANT IN ONTARIO, CANADA.
tl
of three meuls a day. 'n Great Britain lie feels at every step Ihedifer.
ence in caste or rank between himself and the other people he rubs
elbows with. In Ontario, whilb a civil bearing and a courteous de-
meanor will always be appreciated, servility is despised and a self-respec-
ting sense of equality is always honored. In Great Britain the ratepay-
ing class look upon the laborer as a contingent burden , in Ontario they
look upon him as a probable neighbor and brolier yeoman. No agri-
cultural laborer need fear any diliiculty in securing work in Ontario at
reuumerative wages. The practice of boarding farm laborers in the
house has naturally secured a preference for single men. But there are
many farmers now in Ontario who appreciate the steady habits and
tendency to remain in one place that usually characterize the married
farm laborer. The agents at the immigration depots are always able to
lispose immediately and satisfactori'y of as many agricultural laborers
AS present themselves, married or single. The supply has never yet
been equal to the demand, A man used to farm work in the old country,
with a wife who is willing and able to do a day's household work n©w
and then, and half-a dozen, more or less, boys and girls coming on to be
useful, is a welcome s-^ttler in any part of the rural districts, and sure
to get on.
FARM laborers' WAGES IN ONTARIO.
ilie money wages for a single man the year round, with board anc
lodging, average from $13 (£2 12s.) to $16.50) .£3 6s.) a month. For
the eight months from April to November inclusive, the average wages
are from $18 (£3 12) to $20 (£4), and for the three harvest months,
$30 (£6) per month, with board and lodging, and last year even $40
(£8) were paid. For a married man, the wages average from $225 (£45)
to $250 (£50) per annum, with free house, free fuel, and a plot of ground
(say an aci'e) for a garden, and grass for a cow. Canadian farmers are as
a rule, very kindly and liberal, and the laborer is regarded more as a
friend than a ser\aiit, if he only acts honorably and does his duty.
The farm laborer believes when he emigrates that he is taking the
(irst step towards being his own master. He has only to be sober, to
save whatever he can, but always to save a little, and keep his eyes aiid
ears open, and his time will come. All his movements will be more or
less regulated by his family surroundings, the ages of his children,
80 TBE IMMIGRANT IN ONTARIO, CANADA.
^ I H IBI ■ ■ WiM^^^IM I I W I ■ ■ ■■■ 'I ' ' I i II II ■■■'
vh-ther boys or girls, or a few of both. Tho instances in which men
ivlio lamleJ in Canada with nothing, or next to nothing but tho clothes
on their back^ and acliieved indupendonco in this way, may be reck-
oned, not by hundreds nicroly, but by thousands.
DOMESTIC SERVANTS.
Female domestic servants are wanted in every city, town and vil-
lage in Ontai-io, and at good -yages. On their arrival at Point Levis
(Quebec), if during the immigration s<'ason, they should rcpdrt them-
selves at the Ontario Immigration Office on the wharf. The ag.mt
will glvj to approved domestic servants free railway tickets to any rail-
way station in Ontario. Immigrants of this class, on their arrival m
ToYonto, will bj provided by the Oovernimnt of Ontario with free board
and lodging, and situations will be found for them.
RATE OF WAGES IN TORONTO,
Laandrymaias, with boaid, $8 to $10 por month ; cqu*! lo £1. ISs. ancl ^2. U. etg.
General ServanlB, " 7 to 10 1- 9- .. J \'
Cooks-plain. ' 8 to 10 " 1- !?• „ f//;
120 (£24) per annum. This
position was occupied for three years, during which Mr Colley learnt
t^.e milling business. He then rented Mr. Bolton's mill at a yearly
rental of $200, and kept it for five yenrs While engaged in the mill-
iig business, Mr Colley purchased SO acres of bush land. This land
WAS bought on credit for the sum of 8300. Labor was at once enrloyed
to clear this land and fit it for cultivation, "Slv. Colley himself remaining
a' his mill. He next bought, on credit also, 100 acres adjoining lis
premises, for th.- sum of .«;400, and built his first house. He at present
owns 300 acres, his homestead consisting of 200. Mr. Colley raises
thorough-bred stock, hoises, cattle, sh^ep and p'g^. On his 200 acre
farm he -^ener-aMy keep-; about 12 hordes, 15 cattle, 70 sheep, and IG
pigs. His property— laud, stock and implements— is worth ^20,000
(£4,000.)
THE IMMIOFvANT IN ONTAUIO, CAXADA.
25
]\[r. Patrick Gaorty oinigratod to Canada from County Monalian,
Ireland, and settled in the township of Calcdon, County of Peel, wLeie
he purchased a faim, and to pay for it worked ai a farm servant, lie
is now proprietor of a well-stocked farm of 350 acres of the value of
$25,000 (',£5,000 sterling).
John Evans, farmer, township of Esquesing, County of Halton,
from the County Antrim, Ireland, had about £2 on his arrival in New
York. He has now a good farm of 200 acres of cleared hind, with brick
dwelling and good outbuildings. He is worth $8,000 (£1,000 stg.)
William Cliaplin, farmer, from Forfarshire, Scotland, had about
81,200 on his arrival in Esquesing, Halton, but is now worth about
$6,000 (£1,200.)
Thomas Boak, farmer, township of Trafalgar, Halton, emigrated
from Cumberland, England, as a farm laborer, with his wife and family.
When he landed in Hamilton, Ontario, he was $45 (£9) in debt, but
worked as laborer until he got enough saved to start farming. He is
worth $5,000 (£1,000) and has a wide-s-pread reputation as a breeder of
pure bred Durham cattle.
Mr. John Copoland, now Registrar of the County of Stormont, is
a native of Kircudbriglitshire, Scotland. He came out to Ontario, and
engaged in farming, beginning with no capital, but good health and a
determination to acquire a farm and house of his own. Besides a com-
fortable income from his official position, he has a farm of 150 acres,
worth at least $45 (£9 stg.) per acre, a house and lot in the town of
Cornwall, worWi $3,000 (£000 stg.) and another house and building lot,
worth $2,500 (£500.)
Mr. James Ogle, a native of Fermanagh, Ireland, arrived in the
County of Stormont, with a very small ca^^ital. He engaged in farm-
ing, and now has a capital of $7,000 (£1,400) sterling.) Mr. Ogle says :
" I like the country well, the land ib good, and the climate healthy.
The yearly average of crops is good, and farmers are well paid for their
labor. Any person of an indu.strious and careful disposition, possessed
of good health, must inevitably succeed in acquiring property and makin"
himself a comfortable home in this country."
Mr. Joseph McEwen is a native of Antrim, Ireland. He had little
or no capital at commencing, but has acquired 500 acres of very valuable
m 1
2d
THE IMMIGRANT IN ONTAUIO, CANADA.
land, and l,a, four .ons settled on the same very comfortably, and all
free from debt. , ^ i.„ „*
Mr. Thomas Lee, of the to.n.hlp »; J-^^,^; "/^h^C n1
Norfolk, came to Ontario from near Lmlx, -n \°' '=*'"; ^j,
n>eans, and nothing to depend on hut !)
2-l,281,4U7l
50,097,997
3,549,898
10,9-i3,355
13,420,981
409,910
.971
1.019
.G38
.42
.G23
.72G
.50
1.55
143,G27.752l
30,348,801
9,849,G.5.3
15, 4 9.3, 4 •''2
21,041,159
2,211,580
7,944,870
6,710,492
G35,3G0
l894,2:-;:),;!79
This gives an average of .$49 per head for the whole population ot
Ontario as the value of the leading grain crops of 1882. The Winter
A\ heat of Ontario, exhibited at tho Paris World's Exhibition in 1878'
took the J^irst Prize. Ontario excels in barley, nearly six-sevenths of
Unitedif. T r. •' P""'"^^ '"• "^^^'''" P-'P-- - the
United States where, a high duty notwithstanding, it is preferred to the
hoi^e-grown article. For peas, coarse grains, roots, and grasses of all
kinds there 1. no better soil in tlie world than is to be fouTul in Ontario.
A really bad harvest is very uncommon. The warm dry atn.osphero is
so favorable that the housing of the crops is a question of lab r only.
The "stock" or '0 miles up the River St. Lawrence, a chain of <^our lakes
begins, which, running west, north and west, forms a frontage of 1,200
miles to thi.= Province, but Ontario proper for our present purpose is
limited by Lakes Ontario and Erie, having a shore of over 500 miles,
irrespective of outs and ins. The mean heiLfat of these lakes above sea
level is 300 feet. The land backing northwards rises gradually to a
water shed six hundred feet above bhem, and distant seventy miles on
an average. This belt of 15,000,000 acres is the garden of Ontario.
The'physical features of this district are, at tirst sight, very uni-
form, yet the diversity is remarkable on intimate acquaintance. There
is much undulating land, hill and dale, plain, large rivers, and numerous
streamlets and lakes of many sizes, shelving rock and precipice, with
every character of soil, exposure and timber-growth common to the
continent of America.
Two thirds of this garden is under cultivation, the remainder con-
sists of woodland, swamp, pasture and water. Comparatively few tree-
stumps remain to mark the progress of clearing during the last half
century, for this short period prxctically limits tho history of the plough
in Ontario, neither can we count many lo^ huts, though primitive rail
fences are plentiful. Dwelling houses of stone and brick, equal and
superior to many of your own, are very common.
Men from England, Scotland, Ireland and Germany have done all
this. Wealthy landed proprietors here were formerly Yoi-kshire oattlti-
men. Highland shepherds, or Paisley weavers, Ulster ditchers and Ger-
man laborers. Many of them are still alive, drivijig their own reaper,
or representing their own county in the Parliament at Ottawa, or the
Legislature at Toronto. * * , i r \i •
I trust your curiosity is now so far excited as to ask the foilowuig
questions :
1. What are the agricultural capabilities of this district 1 _
2. What are its markets 1
3. What is the price of land and cost of working it 1
A fair enumeration of the agricultural capabilities of Ontario's
agricultural fertile belt would make u goodly look. So tins attempt
I.
40
THE IMMIGRANT m ONTARIO, CANADA.
I
must be sketchy only. As all plant life is regulated more by climate
than by soil, and as 500 miles by 70, almost surrounded by water, in
the middle of this continent, and with the mean degree of temperature
formerly mentioned, there is room for much good and much poor farm-
ing. Nature has done so much here, that taking advantage or letting*
alone, easily makes the distinction. *
The wheat of Ontario is, at present, from about equal surfaces of
winter and spring sowing, and with a tendency to an increase in the
latter, producing 2b and 15 bushels respectively with poor farming, and
seldom under 40 and 25 by good management. Straw and head are not
so heavy as with yourselves, because growth is pushed too much, but
quality is superior by reason of the same cause. 'The over-clearance of
forest has made wheat-growing more precarious by the want of imme-
diate shelter— snow not lying on the exposed parts. But replanting
and a second natural growth of timber are in progress. We hav(! never
had what may be called a general failure in the wheat crops, even with
all our carelessness, so you may judge what skill and cauital' should do.
I have, in my own experience, proved that what is called exhausted
land can be thoroughly recuperated in four years by liberal treatment
and a systematic management at actually no cost on an average of
seasons, for the simple reason that much of this poor condition has been
brought about by one class of crops, and not a variety in any form • land
Bick of wheat is not necessarily exhausted, we have but to deal properly
with present unavailable fertility, to bring out large productive powers.
Barley is invariably a sure crop, and is always a valuable one
whether for malting or animal food. From 30 to 40 bushels per acre
is common.
Oats, in quality of meal, are equal to your own, but li<»hter per
bushel, being thicker-skinned, as the result of rapid growth ;''40 or 50
bushels per acre. As a rule the straw of the cereals is got at the rate
of 3,000 lbs. per acre.
Corn (maize) is not generally a common crop for production of
grain, though very plentiful and valuable for green fodder, as elsewhere
noted.
Peas and beans are important farm crops, the grain and straw of
the former being first-class food for sheep; the yield is usually 25
bushels per acre. ^
i
In the improved system of breeding and fattening stock, green
fodders are now taking an important place ; the climate is particularly
suitable for successive rushes of vegetation during one season. Under
liberal treatment, they can be so arranged as to afford a continur
gupply from middle of April to 1st of November, thus :
5.
6.
7.
8.
THE IMMIGIIANT 1\ ONTAniO, CANADA.
41
1. Lucerne, four cuttings 20 tons per acre.
2. Winter rye, two cuttings 4 " "
3. Red clover, two cuttings G " "
4. Tares and oats, one cutting .... .3 " "
5. Millet, two cuttings 4 '• "
6. Maize, one cutting 30 " "
7. Rape, one cutting 7 " "
8. The thousand-headod kule, and prickiy comfiuy have just been
introduced with success.
In the cultivation of roots, Ontario has already mad<^ herself a name
m the world, even under the difficulties of more heat and tlu; shortness
of her autumn, in comparison with Britain. We are gradually realizing
the facts, that for a thorough cleaning and manuring, along with a crop
unequalled for a winter supply of health and feeding to all animals,
turnips, mangolds and carrots are now indispensable. For hv/.v and
quality they are almost equal to your own growing. Potatoes may be
included in this character, in which we are superiorj both in quantity
and quality. Swedes, 18 tons ; mangold.s, 22 tons; carrots. 15 tons;
and potatoes, 8 tons per acre on an average.
We liave difficulty in establishing a variety of grasses, either for
rotation or permanent pasture ; but persistent trials are gradually
adding to the nu.nber of those able to withstand the winters. Cultiva-
ted pastures invariably tax our best distribution of animals to overtake
the luxuriance of growth, and though the same stamp of beef as yours
is not always to be had from grass, we always find our stock in improved
flesh as autumn comes.
Hay is a standard of large value, as it is often a cause of misman-
agement, by reason of its prolificness, in inducing an over continuance
of the crop in the hands of the lazy and incautious, not realizing, as
they should do, that grasses proper are about as exhaustive as the other
grasses called wheat, oats and barley. From 3,000 to 5,000 lbs. of hay
per acre is common. The clovers separately, and in association with
hay, are most luxuriant and valuable, both as a cropper, a restorative
of exhausted soils, and an improver of poor ones. We look to root and
clover cultivation as the means of making good the past mismanagement
in excessive wheat growing.
The thorough management of these and other crops of minor im-
portance, in a climate such as ours, implies the possession of a good
head, consideraVjle means, and willing hands. Anything like leaving
things to others will never do, whatever may lie tiie weight of your
purse. Your own daily physical exertions are absolutely essential to
success ; the hired man will never do it. Kor Avill the uneducated man
take the same place as he of practical and scientific experience. The
practical alone is safer than the scientific alone ; the possession of both
is our present want here, as it is with yourselves. If, then, you are
42
THE IMMIGBANT IN ONTAniO, CANADA.
not prepared to work witli your own hands, do not come hrro ; or for
that matter, to any other new country. It is an old country idea that a
farm of 200 acres, arable, is employment enough for the head ot one
ordinary man. without ha^•ing to put his hand to the plough.
Canada is as peculiarly adapted to the healtli of the live stock of
the farm as to that of man himself. The tariff records show this. 1
need not enlarge on this important sul.ject, simply challenging any
country in the world to exhibit a more satisfactory bill of health. You
are not unacquainted with the fact that Ontario possesses thorough-bred
herds and flocks, inferior only in numbers to yours ; with, perhaps one
exception— we can count over .')00 short horns at one farm ; lUO Here-
fords at another, and most of all the other principal breeds of cattle and
sheep proportionately throughout the Province. We surpass the Ame-
ricans in keeping up the sample of wool, and its quantity per head, as
nuch by climatic help as good management; for nature is too propitious
here to all farm work, for the early cultivation of economy. It is not
alone the climate that enables us to successfully compete with youi-selves
and the United States in the tnnintenance of live stock excellence, but
the variety of food produced serves as an unfailing medicine chest for
this purpose. While as' yet we have not succeeded in establishing the
same number of pasture grasses as you, our regularly cultivated crops
are more numerous, and as nutritive. Our ] ndian corn, e.specially, gives
so much bulk of green fodder and fair amount of grain per acre, that,
were it possible, to uphold animal life on one field product alone, Canada
and the United States would easily cap the world in feeding your mib
lions with beef, mutton and pork. The want as yet of the number of
beeves and wethers from us to you is owing simply to the want of time,
and not realizing the significance of the market thus opened ; certainly
not for the want of food. I am certain the area of root and fodder
cultivation within the last three years would stand over 200 per cent,
more than any former period, as well as the use of ten pure-bred bulls
in place of one. But these are not enough.
We can grow first-class beef and mutton with the products of our
own soil, as fast and for less than you can do. We can take a Durham
or Hereford cross bred steer from its milk when six months old, put it
upon green and dry fodders, according to the season of the year, with
bran and pea meal or corn meal, and Avithin 24 months, place it on our
sea-board at an average live weight of 1400 lbs., and a cost not exceed-
ing £14. In this and all its connections there necessarily results a
large profit.
You have heard of the woodlands of this country, and the difficulty
in many cases of clearing and getting rid of the stumps and roots.
This is true to those new to the axe, and as true that our hard woodedj
lands give more choice of site and soil than prairies, and certainly are
more reliable for alternate farming and more valuable as an investment.
1. <
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
THE IMMIGRANT IN ONTARIO, CANADA.
43
iriving
* * * Few Goveninients ai-e so liberal as o>:ih in
encouragement to a^mcult^n■.! and arts. Our Ton-nship, Coui.ty, and
Provin.'ial Exhilntions ari; a most important and inlereating feature
in connection with the progress of agricultural industry.
We have also to olUn- you variations in your profeasion that now
command the attention of our most ent.>rprisuig capitalist?- I refer to
fruit-"rowiu" and dairying. Cheese and butter makuig is conducted
liere on a s a!e and by mctliods unknown to the average British tanner
—a blanch of our rural economy characterized by immediate returns on
moderate capital. It appears ahiiost unnecessary to note that the ex
cellence in bulk and variety of our fruits take no second place in the
World's competition. The farmer's orchard here means one-sixth ot
the family keep •= * * Our flour is well known in your own
markets as of superior quality. The United States grade our No. 2
barley as equal to their No. 1 (cause, soil and climate), and take all we
can artbrd to send them. The herds and Hocks of Ontario are now *ooked
up to by all on this continent as fountain-heads of excellence, purity
and healthfulness. We are at the present moment unable to Kupply
the demand for Cotswold sheep and Hereford cattle, and thus all over
we are desirous of adding to our wealth and skilful management by the
accession to our ranks of those who have the pluck to endure a few
years' personal labor with the certainty of success in the end.
If now you say— "So far, good ; but what about the prices of land
and cost of working if?" . , « 'n
As intelligent men of business, and practical farmers, you will
readily conclude that the price of laud in Ontario is regulated by vari-
ous considerations ;
1. Character of soil, shelter, and timbe- supply.
2. Condition of management.
3. Character of fences, buildings and water supply.
4. Situation as regards markets.
5. Similar good neighborhood.
6. Demand^ depending on outside and local causes.
7. Monopoly, by individual or corporate wealth.
Such is the extent of our field and its variety that almost any
fancy can find its reality. As a case in point, partly ^«[ ^^f Pf^^J^y
against, interesting at least, if not of much practical value take the
following memoranda made by myself before leaving Scotland in 1871,
and afterwards the actual realization :
1. Total cost of purchase, stocking, &c., limited to £2,000.
2. Good soil, neither light nor heavy, and naturally dry.
3. To have been previously well managed.
4. One-fifth to be under good hardwood bush.
THE IMMICKAVT W ON'TARIO, CVXADA
12.
1:5.
14.
5. To have an obundant watrr supply,
6. To bo ploasiu.tly and healthily .situated.
7. To he well sheltered and to have a good exposuf§.
8. To be Avithiu two hours' drive of a good market. .
9. Houses, good, sullifient and well arranged.
10. To possess a good garden and orchard.
11. Fences to bo sul)stantial and sullicient.
lloadrt to be in keeping with prog'-eys of country.
The title and Ixuindaries to be indisputable.
The estate to be susceptible* of such increase ])y improvements
and the natural progress of the country, thai it will
double itself in value within fifteen years.
I purchased 220 acres for .Sr)280 ( C4 18s. Gd. per acre), beautifuVy
situated on the shores of a navigable lake within live miles of a town,
which is the centre of a rising district of a midland county of Ontario,
that soon became the junction of two i-ailways. Roil, a rich clay loam,
naturally dry, except ten acres, and about fifteen ^ery stony; has been
pooi'ly cultivated, is well sheltered (lake, south and east, excepted) by
one-third of the area which is nnd30 00
F< ed and fodder to start with JHK) 00
Household keep HO «'0
fe'j.llO 00
orX'1,900
Cost of Entuv.
i' 8.
Sum to out-Roing tenant,
extra value on houses
and fences 5" "
Manure from him (com-
pulsory) "^"-^
Crops (compulsory) 490
Sheep (compulsory) ii'-'O
Other live stock l)ou<;ht. 401
Horses and hiiruess iiOO
Implements ^'^'0 ^
House furnishinj^s '-iJ30
i'2,0C0
d.
Pj RMANENr Improvements Executed
£ s. d.
See previous notes 252
Annual Maintenance of Farm.
S e.
Labour GOO 00
Repairs and incidentals 250 00
Keep of stock 750 00
Seed. - 110 W
«1,710 00
Nil
Permanent Improvements,
M s. d.
or £352 G
Annval Maintenance of Farm
£ s.
Carpenter work 10
Blackymitli ^
Yeteriuiiry surj^eon 4
Saddler ^
Two plouizhmen and one
lad 180
J oint shepherd and cattle-
man G5
Keei) of live stock 2&0
Artiticial manures 75
Seed 90
1727 4
Household Expensis.
$ c.
Butcher HO 00
■Buker GO 00
Clothin-g 285 00
Grocer 230 00
Church 25 00
Medical 1'^ 00
Fuel and light 30 00
Servant ^''> 00
Miscellaneous -^0 00
S950 00
or £199
Household Expenses.
£ 8. d.
Butcher 47
Baker 1/^
Clothing rS n n
Grocer ^^f
Medical y
Fuel and light 20
Servant 1?
Schooling ?n n
Miscellaneous 10 " "
£265
fm
46
THE IMMIORANT IN ONTARIO, CANADA;
Ghoss Annual Hkckipts.
(Averuf'o lioiu G years.)
8 c.
"Wheat mr, vo
Oats ;{00 (10
Barley '/70 (il)
Peas 2\:] U>
Forage crops (» CO
Potatoes 100 00
Hay 4.")0 (d
*Sale3 of hvo block 400 (JO
»3,088 00
or i'GBj
Giiosrt Annual Rkckipts.
(Aveiu<^o from 11 yearn )
£
Wheat 40
Oats 210
Barley 170
liny 72
Tnriiij)s 88
PotutofM (30
Cattle sales 2h0
Shi'oi) '^"*l wool 276
SuiuH 32
Poultry 8
Dairy pioducts.. 73
i! 1,308
a.
d.
COMPAKATIVI': AJiSTHACT.
Ontario Proprietorship.
Sum invested....
Taxes
Annual maintenance of farm...
Household expenses. ]'Jl)
Gross annual returns (];;">
Surplus revenue duriuf/ 5 years 303
Rpalization nftfr o ypfi' B 2..')r)0
Scotch Tenantship.
Sum invested...
Rent and taxes.
•••••••••
£
2.152
12
3;'2 I Annual maiutc-nance of farm.
Houselio'd expenses
Gr.ss annual returns
Surplus revenue durin}» 5 years
Rf'aliZiition after 5 years
£
2,600
255
724
265
1,808
305
2,400
* These r.)ceipts from live stock sales allow for any increase in value
of young animals retained.
It appears, tlion, tliat a capital of £2(500 invested in British farm-
ing takes fully one tliird of itself for annual support, of which
one-fourth is houselio'd ; and that there is an annual gross revenue
equal to half the invested sum, which sum does not always increase in
value, but may be considerably lessened uiider certain conditions.
It also apuears that £2,152 invested in the purchase of land and
the farming o+" it, in Ontario, re(iuires one-fourth of itself for annual
maintenance, of which nearly one-half ir household ; and that there is
a gross annual revenue equal to nearly cne-third of the invested sum,
which sum increases 22 per cent, in value during five years under special
conditions
The return per acre is much larger in Britain ; living is not so dif-
ferent for your class as may be supposed, and the great difference of
annual maintenance is largely in rent and labor.
I could say much more that should be of interest to old country-
men and colonists, but a letter having to be a letter only, I must defer
until a better opportunity for details.
I tn
ent condi
fact of la
Guelpli,
TH
K iMMUiRAST IX ON'l'AUlU, CANADA.
If
I trust v,.ry many of vo:i will at o.iou tuico ac varjtage of the pres-
ent coSon of tlun.I.. that ,. '1) your own chth. ulties, and (2) the
^Ict of laud hero being 25 per cent, lower m pr.co ti.au tour years ayo.
1 have th« honor to bo, dear Sir,
Your jbedicnt servant,
WM. BRCAVN.
Guelph, 15th October, 1879.
I
British Testimony to Ontario as an
Agricultural Country.
niOFKSSOK SllKLDON,
an eminont authority on agricultural questions, paid a visit to Canada
last year, and has given the results of his ol)ser\;i.tions in a small pani-
phKi, just published hy otlieiai authoiity. Speaking of tlie Province of
Ontario, Professor Sheldon says :
" Of the southern part of this Province I cannot speak in terms
other than of warm praise. Generally speaking, this favored portion of
the Province has a rolling, and, in some parts, almost a hilly surface ;
in certaui localities, as that of Hamilton, for instance, the surface is
much broken and almost precii)itous liere and tliere, but as a rule the
great bulk of the land in this jjurt of the Province, with the exception
of rocky or swampy districts, is easily cultivated when it is cleared of
timber and the roots arc; pulled out. Thirty or forty years ago Ontario
must have been a very heavily-wooded district, and the labor of clearing
the hundreds and thousands of beautiful farms must have been prodi-
gious ; in the district to which thes(* remarks inore specially refer, the
work of clearing is for the most part done, but there are still many ex-
tensive tracts of timber-land here and there, and most of the farms have
a smaller or greater proportion of uncleared land on them. This land is
kept tb grow wood for fencing and for fuel.
" This portion of Ontario may be regarded as the garden of the
Dominion — literally as well as figuratively the garden— for it is there
that apples, pears, grapes, peaches, melons, and the like, grow in the
greatoot profusion, and with the least trouble on the part of the farmer.
Every farm has its orchard, and it is purely the farmer's fault if the
orchard is not an excellent one, for the climate and the soil are clearly
all that can be desired, and the trees will do their share of their work
provided the right sorts are nl anted. It is usual to plant out peach
and apple trees alternately and in rows in a new orchard, and the applo
trees are at the distance apart which will be right when they ai'e full
grown ; this is done because the peach trees come to maturity first and
THK JMMIORAXT TV ONTAniO, CANADA.
49'
have (lone bcarinf? Vtoforo tho nppln trcfs r<>quirp all the inoin ; the j.i-ftih
trcrs are then cut down and the iipi)!*' trees occupy all the .noiii. These
trees an) pluntwl in rows at rif^ht aiijilcH, so that there is a cleiir passaj;o
between them whichever way we look, and the land sts were cut away, or they are dry atlhe time when they
are .nost wanted. But the IJelleville district, in Eastern Ontario, where
there is indeed a great deal of most excellent land, and the Ing(^rsol
and Stratford distri(;ts, in the western portion of the Pro\ nice, with
many others hc-re and there, are producing excellent cheese in the
factories. It would app.'ar, in fact, that wherever water for stock is
aivaiiabhs dairy-farndng in Ontario may he made protltahle "'siness.
The lack of water on some of the farms could, without mnch dilliculty,
1 should say, he mad<« up l.y providing it in artiticial meres and ponds,
a practice which is common in many parts of England. Tlie ( anadian
farmers, as a rule, are alert on cjuestions which alli'ct tluir interest,
though less so tha)ii the Americans are, and that this water question,
all-injportant as it is to dairy-farming and stock-raising, will in due
time receive the attention it demands, is, I think, a point which may
safely be predicted.
"Tlie Canadian dairy farmer has several important advantages
over liis English contemporary, nut the smallest of which is this : he
can rn-ow, at a very moderate cost, xery large crops of forage fnv Nwnter
use -clovers and timothy flourish well on most soils in Ontario, and 1
should say that ry<^-grasses would also, though I did not find they were
much employed, if at all, in the growth of forage. [ think they might
1)6 used to advantage. It is also clear, from what I saw in many
places, that he can raise abundant crops of sw.-des and mangolds, and
very good ones of carrots, parsnips, and the like, llete, then, after the
question of water, are the first recpiisitcs of successtu dai.y tarrmng^
A rotation of crops m Jii^t the system to remvigorate the older soils ot
Ontario, which hare be-n over-cropped with wheat, and rotations work
well in dairy-farming. It is true that good natural pastures are scarce
in th© Proviuce, if indeec' there are any at all which deserve tho nam©.
50
THE IMMIGRANT IN OirTARIO, CANADA.
from an Englishman's point of view (the he3t grass land I saw in On-
tario was in the neighborhood of London, and on the way to Hamilton).;
but, as I have said, clovers, etc., grow well, and they will aaiswer cap-
itally for pastures for a year or two, a regular succession of them being
rl! ovided and it is a simple matter to produce a large supply of green
corn— that is, maize before it comes to maturity— for soUing in summer
when the pastures run ont. The rotations maybe as follows: (1)
Wheat or oats ; (2) Roots and green crops for soiling ; (3) Oats or
barley, seeded down with artificial grasses ; (4, 5, and, if advisable, b)
Grass for forage and pastures. These rotations admit of endlessvaria-
tion and in a country where no fossilized restrictions as to cropping
exist, as they do in England, the farmer can always grow the crops that
suits his purpose best. The practice at Bow Park is to sow Western
corn, which is a luxuriant cropper, thickly, in drills of eighteen or
twentv inches wide ; in this way the space between the drills is easily
horse-ho-d, until the corn is a foot or rcore high. The corn grows rap-
idlv ana effectually smothers the weeds and wild grasses, which grow
vieoro"sly in so forcing a climate. In Canada, as in England, the axiom
is true'that nothing cleans the soil of weeds so eflFectually as a heavy
cultivated crop of some kind or other. If all Iho \yestern corn is not
wanted for soiling, the balance is cut and stocked while the leaf is still
green, and the grain in the milk, and it is left out in the helds, and
fetched in as it is wanted in winter ; in this way it makes very good
fora-e and the stalks, leaves and ears are all passed through the chatt-
cutter, and all consumed by the stock. A similar system may be fol-
R)wed with almost any other kiiA of soiling crop— that is, making into
fora<-e for winter that portion ot it which is not wanted for soilm-.
• *
«'Tae dairy cattle in some parts of Ontario will compare not un-
favortbly with those of many parts of England. Shortho n grades
prevail, anl it may be said that, wherever a better class of cattle are
found, the improvement is due, as a rule, to the Shorihorn element.
In the ma-niticent herd of pedigree Shorthorns at Bow Park I fouud a
collection of animals which, for number and quality, cannot m all pro-
bability be equalled elsewhere. It is clear that the climate and soil of
Canada are well suited to maintain the purity and vigor of these ani-
mals, and there is every indication that they have not deteriorated m
any respect, but the contrary, in their new home in the far west
There are some 30Q animals on the farm, forming a herd that i^^well
woHh crossing the Atlantic to see. I spent three days at Low Part^
rioyin' thetcompany of my worthy friend, Mr. Clay, and 1 should
have liked to'%end as many weeks or e^en months, m order to become
familiar with the many beautiful Shorthorns I saw there. Ontario has
in her midst, then, the largest herd of pure-bre 1 Shorthorns to be found,
And she ought to make m extensive use of it to improve the bovine
THE IMMIGRANT IN ONTARIO, fJANADAj
51
stock of the country, with the view of developing the new fat stock
trade which has sprung up in England. But Mr. Clay complains, and
not without reason, that the Americans are ahead of the Canndians ia
appreciation of good stock, and that the greater portion of his young
bulls have to find a market in the States. This ought not to be £0, and
it is no feather in Canada's cap that such a complaint should b3 made.
^t « * *
*' Among educational institutions the Guelph Agricultural College
ocoupies an honorable podtion. The College was unfortnnately not in
session when I was there, and the President and Professor of Agricul-
ture we;e both wavs at the Hamilton show, so that I saw the College
and farm under unfavorable conditions. The Professor of Chemistry
did all that lay in his power, iiowever, to give me faeilities for s. emg
the educational machinery of the CoUege, aswell as the farm buildings,
the farm, and the stock. The following day I had the ph-asure of meet-
in^r ]Mr. Mills, tiie President, and Mr. Brown, the Professor of Agricul-
ture, at Hamilton. It ^s satisfactory t . know that the College is being
more appreciated and amployt^d year by year by those for whose benetit
il was established. Iu:yeiiacU accommodation is now being provided,
and there is a prosprc'. cf the College even becoming self siistaming in
time. Already it is a flourishing, though quite a young Mstitution, and
its uifluence is being felt o.i the agriculture of tie Province. The stu-
dents receive an a ;Tieultui'al educaf.on, in which science is happily
blended with piactice, and theory is borne out by demonstation. The
farm consists of some ".50 acres, on which a variety of expc'rmiental
and practical crops are grown, and several kinds of purel)red Lnghsh
sheep and cattle are kept, which, in their turn, will have an important
effect on the country's future.
" Tlie taxation in Oatirio is light, as it is everywhere else in the
Dominion that I ha^v been. At first sight it would seem 1 1 bo heavier
ttian in some of the other Provinces, >et it is not really so. It is as-
sessed on the ba£is of valuation of property, and in this sense dillers
but sli-ditly from the other Pr )vinces. I-and, and real property gen-
erally leaving' out of consideration such cities as Montreal and Quebec,
is more valuable in Ontario than elsewhere, yet the total taxation,^ in-
cluding school rates, does not often go beyond twenty-five to thirty
cents an acre, while it fre(iuently fall.? below those sums. Some dis-
tricts ha -e public property which i.early provides all the public money
>'hat is need, d, and othens an; the more heavily rated for the present m
order to wine otf sums of mon(7 winch were given as bonuses to new
railways passing through them. But nowhere did I meet with an in-
stance in which taxation may be regarded as really burdensome, y 3t it
will be exP-'dient for ncnvcomers to make inquiry into these matters
before purchasing farms. The farming in many parts of Ontari . is ot a
higher order than I had b en led to exp.ct. W est ot Toronto, as weU
.. ■••A ■.
52
TIIK IMMir.RANT IN ONTARIO, CANADA.
as nojtli of it, I saw many farms in a condition which would be no
discredit to any country wliatever, but a great credit to most."
THE HON. DAVIL> A. WELLS,
an eminent American statesman, in an article which appeared in the
NortJi American Review for September, 1877, thus speaks of Ontario,
and the capabilities of its soil and climate :
'North of Likes Eri(> and Ontario and the Eiver St. Lawrence,
east of LaU(! Hurtn, south of the 4r)th jaiallel, and included mainly
within the present Dominion Pi'ovinee of Ontario, there is as fair a
country as exists on the Noi'th American continent, nearly as large in
area as New York, Pennsylvania, and Chio combined, and ecpial, if not
sujie'rior, to these States in its agricuituial ca})acity. It is the natural
habitat on this continent of th(i combing wool sheep, without a full,
cheap, and reliab!(> supply of the wool of which species the great worsted
n^anufacturing interest of the countiy cannot prosper, or we*ohould
rather .say. exist. It is the land where grows the iinest barley, which
the brewing interest of the United States must have if it ever expects
to rival Great Britain in its present annual export of over ij^li, 000,000
of malt products. It raises and grazes the finest of cattle, Avith quali-
tif S especially desirable to make good the deterioration of stock in other
sections, and its climatic conditions, ci'( ' d by an almost encirclement
of the Or,)at Lakes, specially tit to grow men. Such a country is one
of the greatest gifts of Providence to the human race, better than bon-
anzas of silver and rivers whose sands contain gold."
Among the representatives of the farming interest in Great Britain
who have lately visited Ontario, was
MK, THOMAS IRVING,
one of th :: most prominent Cumberland agriculturists, and residing at
Bowness on Solway. Mr. Irving has given some particulars of his trip,
and his impressions of the country, to the Carlisle Patriot^ a-nd as such
independent testimony is valuable and important, some extracts from
his statement are given b^ow. Speaking of the two Provinces of
Ontario and Quebec, he says :
'• It is a splendid country for farmers, and I ha^e no hesitation in
saying that a Cumberkind farmer can go there and buy a. farm and
stock it reasonably for the same'" expenditure of ea^al that he would
require to stock a farm here and pay one year's rent.' He describes
thf! land as in various grades of improyement — some Iat*'ly cleared of
the bush, some well cleared, and some badly cleared, but rU capable of
TlIK I.M.".!l(;l!ANT IN ONTA I! 1(>, CANADA.
producing excellent crops. Lt, is a sandy loam or clay loam— just the
sort for raising green crop or corn. Haive.t was over by the rime he
arrived. He saw some fine wheat in the Huron (Ontario) district.
*'To "ive you an exam])!e of tin- good quality of the soil there," Mr.
Irving says, " 1 may tell you I saw one lield of 100 acres whicli had had
four crops of wheat. J saw tiie tiftli crop, and the yield is 40 hushels
ptr acre. Without any niiinure, too 1 You may thhik that is an over-
drawn picture, hut it is a fact. In some parts of Western Ontario the
land is of the tinest quality."
After nientioning that land can beohtained at from £') to £20 per
acre, he says :
" As a rule, farm houses are better than in England. Farming as
a whole, in Canada, is not ui> to the mark : there is a want of system
apparent in almost every din>ction. lUit,'' he added, '• what can you
♦ xfsct'; As you go along you can easily distinguish a good farmer
from the appearance of the turnips, and the tine-conclitioned cattle
movinu about. JNIany of the fai-mers commenced with very little know-
ledge of crop-raising ; log huts were built, then out-houses were added,
but^tliese have in many instances l)een supers.'ded by large and conve-
nient farm-houses of brick and stone. No better evidence of the pros-
perity of many of the farmers can be had than seeing a good stone or
brick house, with a dilapidated log house near. Some of the farms are
now as well cultivated as any in England. The farm buildings are
generally of wood, occasionally the l>arns and stables are of stone, and
fn almost every case are in rear of the farm house. Holders or owners
of farms sell their land whenever they can get an ofl'er to their advan-
tage. Thev think no more of selling their land than selling a cow or
honse. Thus plenty of good farms, large and small, are always in the
market. Tiiere is no diihculty in transferring land in Canada, and the
expense is triflinir. Plenty of homesteads can be i)urchased in the
Province of Ontario, in tlie western portion of which is as good land as
any farmer could desire." In the county of Oxford, Province of Onta-
rio, Mr. Irving met with a farmer owning GOO acres, who clanned Dals-
toil near Carlisle, as his native ground. This gentleman went out sev-
eral years ago. and is now in a prosperous condition. *' He had very
little when he went out, but he was industrious." Farmers in Canada
liave every facility now for disposing of their farm produce. Railways
are opened out in nearly every direction ; seaports are numerous. :Mr.
Irvin" thinks there are few farms in the part of Canada he visited as
far from a market town as his farm at Bowness is from Carlisle. J'They
beat us in Enuland "he says, *'in corn growing ; the carriage of corn to
this country is now almost nothing ; the working expenses are much
cheaper— that is, for purely agricultural work— because the food requi-
red by the workers is almost solely produced on the farm, and wages
I
54
THE IMMIGRANT IN ONTARIO, CANAT/A.
are not much, if any, higlienthan at home. In my opinion Canada wiU
be the farming country of the world in the course of the next fifteen or
twenty years." ^They have no taxes to pay. I think the --h ,ol tax is
the only one worth mentioning, and that is not heavy, j t is yet in a
transition state, but we may look to the future with confidence." He
believes a sovereign has a purchasing power of double its value in Can-
ada, compared with that it has at homo, when spent in providing the
necessaries for subsistence. Yet money cannot be had on loan for less
than 8 per cent. "Any person with capital to spare can lay it out in
Canada at 8 per cent, on mortgage security." To persons thinking of
going out, this is the advice Mr. Irving gives : " I would not advise a
man that drinks to go to Canada. I don't think clerks or shopkeepers
are wanted. Any man able and willing to work is sure to do well. A
poor man can do better than in this country, because he can get work ;
and meal and tlour, and such like necessaries, are much cheaper. Tt is
the grandest country I have seen for a man and family, especially if he
has a little bit of money at his command ; and if a man goes tliere with
surticient capital to buy some land, and stock it to some extent, he has
a wonderful start in life, and need not look back.' Speaking of tho
price of farm stock, Mr. Irving says : " An ordinary working horse
costs from £10 to i'25, English money ; a fair good dairy cow from £5
to £6 ; ewes are about 20s ; lambs at this time of year about 10s. or
12s. each ; turkeys about ;5s. each ; geese from aiiout 2s. to 2s, Gd. each ;
and chickens from Gd. to Is. each. AH kinds of dairy produce are cheap.
There is very little game, such as we have in England, but there is
plenty of wild fovl Fishing is plentiful." ^Ir. Irving had an oppor-
tunity, while in Ottawa, of paying a visit to the Dominion Exhibition,
the royal show of Canada. lie witnessed a wonderful display of farm
prodi'.ce of all kinds. Among.st the cattle were Shorthorns, Galloways,
Herefords, Polled-Augus, Ayrshires, Devons, and perhaps other kinds,
much like our big shows at hon>e. Some grand specimens were to be
seen in almost every class. The S..v.."thori)s were the finest, however —
but some of the Shorthorn breeds in Canada are noted. In the sheep
class were to be seen Leicesters, South Downs, Hampshire Downs, and
other kinds. He was disappointed with the horse classes. There was
no sign of the heavy Clydesdale breed ; the farming and harness horses
seemed "too long drawn," resembling the Cleveland horses that used to
be known in the north of England. Yet the Caiadian horses have a
great deal of go in them, and are ma', uificent trotters. Kor are heavy
horses jarticularly required, the land being, as before mentioned, of a
sandy or clay loam ; and when spring arrives, after a hard winter, farm-
ers are anxious to niake the most of the first fine weather, so that light,
sharp, quick-going horses are in requisition in preference to others. A
great variety of farm implements were also to be seen. When in the
western portion of the Province of Ontario he visited a local show in
London, a town which had its river Thames near, and which had adop-
THE IMMIGRANT IN ONTARIO, CANADA.
55^
ted many other names from the metropohs At this show he found a
Tos^ admirable collection of stock. Speaking of the fruit grown m
Canada he says, " grapes are grown lu many places in the open air, the
peaches are nL; delicious, and' the apple«-some as big as turnips-are
of fine quality." " I sa.v," he added emphatically, ''one vineyard of
50 acrel, and I was told a tine crop had been got ; I saw orchards 40
acres in extent, and the peaches are like apricots." Mr. Irving has
formed a very h -h opinion of the capabilities of the country generally.
He i much pVa^ed with the towns, which are all open and healthylike,
^.d he declares the people to be " kind, hosp.tab e, and very oyal mucH
more so than we are at home. Tlu-y speak ot England as their home.
At a meeting of the Gala Water Farmer s Club, held at Stow, on
Fiiday the 19th December, 1879,
Mil. ELLIOTT,
one of the delegates recently returned from Canada, gave a very inter,
estin- account of his visit, of the places he had seen, and the opinions
he had formed of the Province of Ontario. This statement was in tho
form of a diary of each day's experiences, but his conclusions were
summed up in the following words :
« I have described the country through which I passed, as fairly as
I was able to judge. The roads in some counties are very ^ood, iii others
Lain inferior The 'gravel' roads are in generally good repair. J.he
Say communication is good and cheap, and they are alwavs bu.ding
more Regarding the climate, it is hotter m sunm.er and colder in
w'nter than at home. The autumn or fall is delightful, as 1 can testify
Trom experience. The atmosphere being clear and dry, one does not
feel the extremes so much. Winter (svhich is considei-ed suc-h a draw-
back to Canada) generally commences about the middle of December,
and goes in Maidi. Although little or no ploughing is done, farmers
have plenty of work preparing wood for next season's fuei, and other
odds and ends. I tind after due inquiry, that cattle are not noused
?ontr than in Scotland, and it is the universal test mony of the peop e
that their winters are most enjoyable. I consider that farming m the
Provinces of Ontario and Quebec is in a transition state.. Ihe growing
of wheat in Manitoba, and the north-west territories, which will increase
with rapid strides, must soon atFect the growers of wheat in these prov-
inces They are already alive to that fact, and for some time back have
ran increasing their stocks of cattle and sheep. Calves, instead of
Sa mostly killed, as formerly, are now all reared, which in a very
S tTmemit enormously increase the supply of cattle for exportation
to thisTountry. The Dominion of Canada, from the energetic na ure
its people and boundless re.-'irces of every kind, has a great future
.56
TlIK IMMIC;l!ANT IN OXTARIO, CANADA.
"before it. With regard to farmers emigrating to Ontario or the East-
ern Townships of Quebec, 1 have; not tlie sliglitest hesitation in recom-
mendinf^ them to do so ; as I am satisfied, from what 1 saw, that men
with moderate capital o^uld do lictter there than they can at home ; and
that for several reasor.s : — In the first place you can huy and stock a
farm for little more than it takes to stock one at home ; then there is
no rent to pay ; and taxes are very light — they do not exceed 4d. to
lOd. per acre, according to the value of the property. You can make
the most of the laud by growing; the most profitable crops, and those
best suited to your soil and climate. There you liavt no lawyer factor,
prescribing in a long anti(]uated lease, which almost no man can under-
stand, what crops you shall grow and what seed you shall sow, as if
you did not unclcrstand your business better than he is able to teach
you, and, generally speaking, binding you to protect the landlord's
hares to eat your own crops. ]n my own case, however, I have been
very l.berally dealt with, both as regards cropping clauses and game.
Again, a man going there with his family, can get a first-class education
free for his childr(>n, which at home costs a great deal of money. I
consider their educational system one of the best possible. In a new
country there are many more opportunities and openings turning up
than there are in an old countiy. that young men of in" elligeace and
enterprise can take advantage of."
Another delegate,
MR. JAMES BIG GAR,
of Dumfries, gives in the course of his report, the following practical
information gained during his visit to Ontario :
•'At Mr. McCrae's, Guelph, county of Wellington, ve saw good
turnips and a fine herd of Galloways, including some of the principal
prize winners at Ottawa. At Mr. Hobson's farm we saw some excel-
- lent short-horns. Mr. Hobson feeds a good many cattle, buving half-
fat cattle in December and January, and feeding till June, He allows
12 to 15 pounds of meal daily and CO pounds of roots. He also feeds
ofi 400 lambs on rape, buying them in August at 10s. to 12s. each and
making them'worth 22s, to 2.5s. by the middle of December. The rape
is.sown in drills and worked the same as turnips. On' this farm of 300
aeries, 240 cleared, four men are employed in summer and two in winter,
with somt! extra help at busy seasons. Mr. Hobson estimated the ne-
cessary capital for such a farm at .£3 per acre. Of cour.sc where pedi-
gree stock is kept it is much higher. We visited a farm of'»180 acres,
all good land except 20 acres, which was for sa'e at about iil8 per acre.
It was a nice place near a railway station. The house was new— had
-cost £800— and the buildings faiV. Another farm of 200 acres let at
12s. per acre was consfdered too dear. The soil was a fair sandy loam
on a clay si
very good c
75 acres ht
20 oats. 1
to eight da]
acres for sa
acres, farm
pay £200 i
seemed vei
to £13 per
trict settle
whom had
bein succ(
managed i
people are
has a gooc
flock of e\
— a deep
]Mr.
Canada :
"In
mers, tlu
average <
followed
is in ma
beginnir
stock-ra'
they are
told us ■
much as
Labor i
the fan
and aga
but tak
who wc
questio
answer
could 1
the del'
1879, £
indust;
THK IMMIGRANT IN ONTARIO, CANADA.
57
on a clay subsoil, intersected by a ^^ ^j:::::::^^!
very good crop. The divisions « .^^^P^, o tal V^^-'^^, 20 peas and
75^acres hay. GO acre, pasture 1. tu m , -^ JjtlMv h ^, .^ .^^1^^^^^.^.^^
20 oats. The taxes payable by ^l^e t "^1^^'^ J^';^ .^ „^. ^ ^,i,,u of 500
to eight days' statute road l^bor^ Ih^ ar ^asp ^^^^^ ^^^^^^^ ^^ ^^^
acre^for sale at £12 per acre^ ,,f/^^\, ^ ,^ Oerravd Mav.htield. Thc^y
acres, farmed by two sons of ^he ate ^M^- V^^ ^^.^,^1 r^^,^,^
pay £200 a year rent and ^^^'^^;Z^,.re for sale : price, £12
leeined very desirable, m ^^f ^^/^^^^^^^^ P.isloy Dlock, a dis^
to £13 per acre. ^V e P'^^^^^^J '^^^f ^.^emigvants fron> Paisley, few of
trict settled a good many >^^^^ /^'^ J They have in nearly all cases
^vhom had been brought up ^^^^^^^^^'f^^.^, a^iesidc.K.-s and tidy, well-
bg^n successful, and possess ^'^f^^l^^^^Xre alarge proportion of ths
„,anaged farms. We next visited ^^^l^ J l.llnifries-shire,
people are of Scotch descent M Cu-a ' ^j,^^^^^ ^Ve saw a tirst-rate
has agoodfarm of . ^^ -^ The land is mostly rolling
flock of ewes. He also i rn „
_a deep sandy loam and free trom stones.
c „c fo thp farmers prospects in
Mr. Biggar, in conclusion, says, as to the larn v i
^^"^^^^ ■ , f^v ,,lded on an average about 20 bushels
per acre; the market value of wheat in Toronto last September, Avas
4s. (Jd. per bushel. At this price an average crop of wheat would bo
worth £4 10s. per acre. Oats were generally a xcry poor sample, the
hot days of summer bringing them forward too rapidly ; thejr very sel-
dom weighed more than 34 lbs. per bushel, and yielded 50 bushels per
acre. In Toronto, last September, they sold for Is. 4d. per bushel, so
that an average crop would be worth £3 Gs. 8d. per acre Barley was
generally a good sample, although not so good as we could grow here,
the average yield being about 30 bushels per acre, and the price 2s. 4d.
per oushel. Turnips were not grown very extensively, although, ex-
cept in a very dry season, they grew pretty well, and there was no doubt
a more extensive culture would be beneficial to the farming interests of
Canada. One of the main hindrances to a more extensive eultivation
of turnips was the amount of manual lab^r they require. Potatoes
grew well, and so did peas, of which he saw some excellent samples.
He also saw a large number of Colorado beetles upon some potatoes, but
they did not seem to have done much harm, as the potatoes were an
excellent crop.''
Inf
Having dei
home, the iiitm
dian or Ontario
tlic passage to
sliouUl book th!
Mubarkation ii
should leave tl
steamship own
what outfit is
what time and
The sbeei
and drinking
one pillow, (ic
mug, 8d. ; on
Gd. ; two spo
Total, 9s. G.l,
in a few miu
for the voya<
EmigDii
for Canada,
trouble and
sentations n
infest the (
should appl
Emigration
^TE
WM.
CHAj
Information for Emigrants.
INSTllUCTIONS AND HINTS.
Hav.. ....::,.,. -;-^':!:;:::;;;f°r:/rr
home, tl,.. int-n.Ung """S'-"' r'"."*' !'' " " .. j/fo, i„,v,„„a.,io„ .s ...
tl„. p,«as.' to Canada. lu all »-^ ' .^.^,, ,j t,„ i,„,t of
,„„,„„.kat,.,„ mth., U " J^^" ^,;i„,. „„, p,„,e,.,l at ou«. to the
should Icavo tl„.n, a tl.e v. "1 ay ,_^^^^^_._ ,__,^„„,„
.t..a,„s„i,, ow,.,. s oih«. ana t not d y ^ .^_ ^,,^, ^,
what outfit IS rciuired tor the voyu« , r
;vhat time and place ho is to embark.
IOUTk'lT.
• „t 1,a, to provido his ONVn bedding, and ™t.ns
Tl,., steerage era.gmut has to , r ^^^__^^ ^^^ ^^^ .
a„ddnnWng„te>>siKwl.chc„n-s ng .alo^^ ^^^^ ^^ ^^^^^ ^^^^^_,^
one pillow, «d. i o,,e Wanl^et . d^, ^^^ ^^^.^ ,„;,^ ,„, ^ ,
-t-.;:r^::r.:--;::ro:^
i:ti^nit::;:;tr^=-^
for the voyag.e at much less cost. ,^ ^^^^^ ^^.^ ^^i^^.^^ly
Emigj..nts n^ust be c^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ they wU.be put to e.tra
for Canadf: as by going via the ui ^^ ^^ ^.^^.^e-
Tlio pnnoraii.t sftouiu iiun,-,!' _
trouble and expense, ilie emi„ istehested parties who
ON-TAKIO IMMIGRATION AGEN.S.
CHARLES FOY, 39 Victoria street, Belfast.
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62
THE IMMICJUANT IN ONTAUIO, CANADA.
Household articles, such as bedding and bed linen, carpets, curtain^
cutlery, and articles of ornament, when already possessed by the emi»
grant, should be brought out, as the freight on these will bi much less
than similar articles would cost in Ontario, if bought there ; and many
other little household necessaries, which if sold wnuld not bring much,
Init would add greatly to the comfort of the emigrant in his new home.
There should also be brought wearing apparel ; al o mechanics' tools
and implements of trade, if not too cumbersome in their nature, but
tools should not be brought for the express purpose of bringing them to
Canada, as those best suited to the work can be procured in any part of
the Province. Furniture of every kind should bo disposed of at home,
as furniture more suitable in Canada can be bought there more cheaply.
The emigrant should, when able, pack his luggage in common boxes,
with iron bands at the corners, ordinary trunks and portmanteaus being
lial)le to be broken on the journey. In these boxes should be placed
all the property of the emigrant, except what is necessary for use during
the voyage, The name and destination of the emigrant should be pain-
ted at Ifast 4 inches long, on the box, which should also be numb(;red
and lit" il:t-(l, whether wanted on the voyage or not. These boxes siiould
]int If more than 3 feet 6 inches long, 2 feet six inches in width, and
the same in depth. The following diagram for the address will
exemplify what is jneaut : —
Per S. S.
.via Quebec.
No. 1.
JOHN BROWN.
Passenger to Toronto,
Not wanted on
the voyage.
}
ONTARIO,
Canada.
By adopting the foregoing rules, emigrants will be able at once to
claim their baggage on arrival at Quebec. The personal effects of emi-
ovants are not liable to customs duties on arrival in Canada.
As soon
rules he is exj
parts of the si
about him cle
also to that o
he should wli
grievance oc(
Agent, who
are eapeciall;
told by intei
After c
at once sccv
it in one p
tic|jsly com
on their wc
gration Oil
steamer, ai
6'stance ; '
self at the
1 uiding
at once l
until the 1
Custom I
expense.
his lugga
not be re
runners
m^'nts ; i
tiling Jfc
Depot, I
change i
tlie Pro
if oblige
amount
consult
THE
IMMlonANT IN ONTARIO, CANADA.
63
ON BOARD snip.
about hi.n clean, as tins w,ll add to h^ °™ „f ,.ou,vla»'t,
a,„, to that of others. 1 he h» -=^ J^— ,„, „„„...»; a,ul i« tl,e
Ko should »l,ilo on l,oura "I-PlJ » "? X Uovonnnent Innmsrat.on
grievance occurs ater '•"''"'S'^'^J;*' «i,,,,, the case. E.nigrants
igeut, .ho will at once take steps to mvcsu.a ^^^^ ^^^^^
arl especially cautioned not to a"™^^" ' °J„ „,,„, ,„.ir arrival,
told 1.J intcn«tod parties, either on the voy „
ox iuniVAl. Ai' QUBBEC.
,..rdel,ar.ar,„natroi,..2Q^^^^^^^^^^^^
»t once secure hi, k.^^ng.' a, .t s l^ded t ^ ^_^^^_,,
it in one place. This -U ""''■'t;'' frilnt lid he ahlo to proceed
tio^sly coniplete .heir work, "f * ';"™;f:; *T,,e Oovcrmnont Innni-
on their westward journey ^^''^'>^' ^'^J^^Z^'^^A^ the arrival of every
.ration Oilicer tor the f ^'^ -t^necessary inforn,atien and as-
steamer, and is instructed to 8'™ ?;;Y ^^^^ ,„,di„g, report him-
.Utance ; the immigra.it should, »™f ''; f^ „^„f , „ear the steamship
.el. at the Ontario '"-'"'rnr^n and small articles of luggage, should
, ,„„„. The women and f 'Uren, and sma ^^^ ^^^^^.^
at one; he ''ken to the tomigra^ ^ »^^^^^
until the train is ready. .„'^,''' >"";'"' f /immigration Di^iet f ree of
Custom House officer, will he carted ^tiie I. =_^_^^ ^^^^^^ ^^
expense. Before leaving Point Lev^ *" the.ailway company wiU
his luggage is properly '^'■f''\^l''^;^^(,^i themselves accosted hy
not he responsible for it /■-'S;'';,' J'^1,1, offering cheap refresh-
runners for dilVerent hotels and puh 10 h ^^^^ ^^ ^^^^.
ments, they will do well not to ^ "J" • them in the Immigration
t;,ing requisite wiU be found P- t^t Jill also do well not to
Depot, at the lowest charges ^^^f^ ^^^ „„til their arrival m
Tnsult the following money table :
S4
THE IMMIGRANT IN GXTARIO, CANADA.
MONEY TABLE.
Sterling Money in Conadiaii Ourr4ncy.
Sterling Money.
Its equivalent- In
Canadian
Its equivalent in
dollars and cts.
Currency.
Sterling Money.
£ s. d.
Dols. Cts.
1
Dols. Cts.
— — — —— «
£ s. d.
1
02
01
0^
2
04
02
r
3
OG
03
1 u
4
08
05
0^,2^
5
0*10
10
5
G
12
15
7|
10
7
14
20
.00^!
16
25
1 OJ
V
20
50
2 1
5 11
22
1 00.
4 1
1
24
2 00
8 3
1 3
30
3 00
12 5
1 6
3G
4 00
16 5
1 9
43
5 00
1 6i
2
49
G 00
1 4 8^
2 G
Gl
10 00
2 i 1
.5
1 22
20 00
4 2 2i
10
2 43
25 00
5 2 9
1
4 S7
50 00
10 5 IGf
5
24 33
100 00
20 10 1^
For general purposes it will bo sufficient to remember that the Canadian cent
and the Eugli-^h half-penny are almost identical in value. ,— •.
The safest manner in which to bring or send out money to Ontario
in large sums, is by bill of exchange or letters of credit on any good
bank in m. Province. These can be obtained from banks in the
United Kingdom. The immigrants should not bring bank bills for
personal and immediate expenses— bring sovereigns, or, for small sums,
post-office money orders on offices in Ontario will be perfectly safes.
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