, 1873-03-31
Wheat. Culture in tho VhlleY OF the
Saskatchewan.

Snsikntcheyvnn.
As an article Of food, wheat stands ut tho head
OF all our coroals. As Buch, Its importance to
tho higher physical and intellectual development
OF mankind has long beon understood and ap-
preciatod. Hence, as civilized nations incroaso
In population, the sources from which por1na-
mont supply Of wheat can DO secured become
objeeta Of careful inquiry. Experience has
provod that soila constantly aown to wheat soon
loHo tho clements that favor it's successful cul-
turo, and their ability to produce good crops of
it must bo kept up by careful manurlng, lotting
tho ground lio fallow, and othor troatment well
known to tho educated farmor. Virgin aoils, II
rich and favored with proper climatic influences
almost always produce good cropB Of wheat.
In tie carly settlement Of tho country, the rich
"1ats" along tho Connecticut, Hudson, Della
waro, susquehanna, aud thoir tributasieB, pro-
ducod IN abundance Of tho finest whoat; but, in
q few ycars, constant groupings woro out the
soil; population puahod westward, tho now dis
trictB yielded their golden hnrycHts, and it was
found mora profitable to cultivate tho lauds near
the soaboard to other cropB and leave tho market
for wheat to be supplied from tho moro produce
two lnnda Of the Wost. Western New York and
Western ponnsylvania first supplied tho incroaa"
ing wants Of tho eoaboard cities then Ohio nd
dcd hor surplus then Michigan and Indians;
thon 1llinoia and Wisconsin; and now Iowa,
Minnesota, Nebraska, aud Kansas arc addinB
largely to the statistics Of wheat production,
The tabloB for Boriea OF yoars show that tho
limo Of supply is stoadi1y moving westward. Ac-
cording to the report Of tho Agricultural Depart
ment at Washington. the wheat crop Of 1865 in
tho ton States OF Ohio, Indiana, illinois, Michi-
gan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, 1owa, Missouri,
Kansas, and Nebraska, amounted to IA, ,007, ,856
bushels, and, in.1S72, to 144,35o, 16o. While, in
tue eight years included In this poriod, those
States grew In population, production, aud
everything olgo immensely, the incroaso OF tho
wheat crop was only about $50, 900 bushels. Tho
older states foil of relatively whio tho nower
largely increasea thsir cropa Of wheat. Tho in-
crease in Minnesota wae from about 100000 to
to 5000 900; in Iowa from 10, roc, 900 to 90 G00
600; in Kansas from about zoo, 600 to 1000, 900,
| and IN Nebraska, 1861 600 to 1900, 600.
As this limo Of tho surplus production Of wheat
is STEADILY moving westward, 1t is interesting to
| noto what now districts nro available, aud
whether thoro is any immediate necessity for the
| country to commence q systematic restoration to
our soils of those elements which will render
tho cultivation Of wheat permanent SUCCESS
And first we notice all that section Of Colorado
1
rIgation. No 1nor wheat can 10 grown in AM
| country than in this aootfon Of Colorado. Should
| tho experiment OF artosian wells prove Il succest
gouorally Us 1t has in q fow cases along the linz
Of tho Union Pacific Railway, the cntiro GOO or 70(
miles between tho Missouri River md the Rocky
| Mountans-ouco called in all our school geogra.
| plies tho " Grcat American Desert"-may In tile
next 1plf century become one vast whoat-1oll
! Tho immo 1igo increase In tho wheat crop Of Min.
/ neBota laB como mainly from the southern soc.
ton Of tho State, lying south OF tho Minncsotf
River. We llnyo before us ocular demonstration
that Northern Minnesota and tho central Bec
tionB along tho line of tho Northorn Pacid'
Railway will produce tho finest whoat in abun
dance. There arc eeven specimens from stu
tionH along tho line OF that road, oil Of which
except one, woIgh Ga It's to the bushof, and ths
| yield, with only imperfect culture, was AZ to d
busl1ola por aero. Ono specimen, Treadwol
white winter, saisod at Alexandria, GO Tbs to th'
buel,ol, aud 10 bushels to tho acre is superb
Thrqo epocimons, from Manitoba, raised only
few miles south OF Luke Winnipeg, aro all good
willie tho Fults winter, raisod a
st. Donifacc, opposite Fort Curry, sowe
Oct. 20, 1871, harvested Aug. 20, 1879. yieldinI
eovonty-two buslo1h per aero, would create tll
most lively compotition On our Board Of Trad
wore 1000 bushels offored to the highest biddor
But tho most intorosting specimen Is from til
great Saskatchewan Valley. OF it's culture there
tho Hon. James ". Taylor, Unitod 6tatca Consu
ut Fort Garry, aays:
| UNITED States CoNsu1A1E,
| WlANIrEu, u. n L., Nov. y, 1879.
| / send you small sample Of Saskatchewan whcal
grown at Prince Abort Mission trosbyterlsn t
Junction Of the north und south branches Of The saa
katehewan 1yes, 70 longtuda 1os degrees, attsud l
t1x degrees sou mlta In An alr-uo northwest Of For
Garry, or 5Ub mllsA BY the cirouous trail Of tls 1ld
son lily Company. With thc grain, you will reeeiy
somo uf tho unthroshed hoads, allowing rensarkabl
.izs md fnlIns:g. Tho Mission farm farm Il" ns
I'm indebted to Its Superintendent, 1ssV
James Nosb!tt,. for tho following particulars
In 1867, five buslea, Of apring wheat wore aown o.
o na%y brokon .od roarn5g q hus!es in u 5sas 's
aero 1902 being yoar OF tlroush, the yos nef acI
only Is husleia In 1870. Gully 20 h,!1iIcls g, p
account OF Injury from hurricane, while f1r Tue ~
Two the aver.ge has e1cetdsa 10 busa' T. IN IN
poriod for sowing Ia from 17h to 2tth ApIli OK har
| vest from middle OF August to 10Th Of sopemoes
Thero bus bacn no injury from summer frost.
Tho Saskatchewan Valley alone sxtends iron
| TaLn Wjnnineu to TIM n,nkv MOllutRIuH. Ruu