[letterhead:]

Rev. Calvin McQuesten,
Dear Cal,

I have been looking into the statute governing homesteads and I have come across a clause being section 142 which provides that every assignment or agreement to assign any homestead before the issue of the Patent, shall be null and void and the person guilty of doing this shall forfeit his homestead. I do not know whether you know of this provision or not. Of course, this would cover an agreement to give a mortgage. I understand that you have to make a declaration setting out that you have not done this.

Would there by any difficulty about your declaration if your proposition is carried out?¹ I should not think there need be any difficulty, as any money which may be sent you, could very well be given you as an advance on your share of the estate.

There is a fellow here named Horning who is a practical farmer and who once owned a homestead. I was discussing the whole situation with him.

He thought the scheme a good one. The only difficulty about it was, in his opinion, the difficulty of receiving your share and disposing of it after the harvest.

Had you thought of this? He suggested that you either build a small granary or pay someone wages to sell your grain. Probably you could make an arrangement with the farmer who is going to look after the cultivating.

Your aff'te brother,

T. B. McQuesten

¹ Calvin's "proposition" involved developing a farm on his homestead in Saskatchewan. For links concerning Calvin's farmland, see W8239.