The heavy snow-storm of last week destroyed all the grass and
flowers; they were so high when we left that a mule could hardly
have been seen whilst grazing, and now they are laid quite flat
with not a vestige of their beauty left. The wind was very high as
we went up the canyon, so we had to hurry past the patches of
aspens growing on the rocks and having very little hold for their
roots, which were being blown over unpleasantly near us.
This will be the last letter you will receive, as when once
started we shall go as fast as the stage-coach, rail, and steam-
boat can take us to England, I having had a telegram which hurries
us home.
Good-bye, we look forward immensely to seeing you all again; but
we have had such a pleasant trip throughout, without a single
_contretemps_, that we can but be delighted we came, and shall
always look back with immense gratification on our six months'
sojourn in the Western hemisphere.
* * * * *
LONDON, December, 1882.
Since arriving in England I have received the following letter
from my brother in Manitoba, and as I want this book to be a sort
of guide to colonists I think it well to add it: -
C - - FARM, November 14th.
I am writing now to send you a kind of statement of our farm
accounts; though it cannot be quite correct, this year's crop of
oats not having been thrashed out, so that the calculation can
only be approximate.
1st. _The Land_. - The cost of the land is taken as the first
purchase-money and the amount it has cost to bring 410 acres under
cultivation.
2nd. _The Buildings_. - They consist of two dwelling-houses and two
stables; one of the houses, being for the men, is also used as a
warehouse and granary.
The contract price was very low, and also the price of timber; now
both gone up, but put down at the original cost.
3rd. _The Horses_. - Valued, I think, rather low at 250 dollars a team;
500 dollars for the stallion. The 4,326 dollars include their cost;
the amount of oats and hay they have eaten.
_The Cows_. - Include their original cost, hay and percentage of keep.
The price of cattle now is high; we sold two cows this summer at an
average price of 75 dollars.
_Implements_ have been reduced about 35 per cent for their two years'
wear.
_Carriages_ being new, we have taken nothing off them.
_Pigs_ have the cost of their feeding added; the young ones taken at
an average of ten dollars.
