Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1879-12-11

ture to the seats of maximum product
| ion, in less than one-third of the states
of the union, within climatic belt
having an estimated gross area of only
$50, 900 square miles, from which nine
tenths of the American supply Of bread,
and large and constantly increasing
amount of foreign food must be drawn.
"2 That, within this zone the same
climatic and other causes tend to con-
centrate the growth of wheat in the
upper belt of the northwestern states
always preferriug the best wheat dis
tricts.
"3. That Minnesota and the country
northwest of these wheat districts, hay
ing the largest areas, yield the most
certain crops and the best and health
lest grains"
1t should not be overlooked, That the
mission of the imperial commissioners,
Reade and Pell, to this continent was to
ascertain the probabilities and incidents
Of the food supply, especially bread
stuffs, for the demands of the United
Kingdom: and from this standpoint the
Winnipeg Free Press suggests a negative
definition Of the wheat zone, and pro-
poses to exclude every province or state
whose aggregate product is less than the
demand of the resident population.
Such limitation would exclude the
New England and southern states, New
York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania
perhaps Michigan; would transfer Ohio,
Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, and Nebraska to
the corn belt, and would leave Wiscon-
SIN, Minnesota, and Dakota certainly
north of the 44th parallell as the area
of the United States, east of the Rocky
Mountains, from which there would be
a reliable certainty OF surplus above
local consumption. Of course, consid-
cradle districts of California and Oregon
must be included, but it is doubtful
whether their product for export will
exceed the shipments from the Province
of Ontario.
Will the great interior Of the CONT
nent contribute to our expectation of
wheat and its flour? 1 refer to the ter
ritorial organizations Of Montana, Ida
ho, Wyoming, Colorado, Utah and Ne
vada. Let us take the most favored of
all, Montana. Grand as are its resour-
ces, am constrained to believe that
only one-thirtieth of its surface is with
in reach Of the unavoidable condition
of irrigation, and that the mountains
with their mineral wealth, and the up
lands as grazing grounds for cattle and
sheep, will be tie chief theatres O. in
dustrial activity. After careful inquiry
in 1868, as United States commissioner
of mining statistics, committed myself
to the following statement: "The area
of the territory (Montana) is 146, 689-
$500 square miles, equal to 93,601. 164
acres-nearly the same as California,
three times the area of New York, two
and half that of New England: and
yet no greater proportion is claimed by
local authorities as susceptible of Guilt
walton than one acre in thirty, or q to-
tai of 1916, 400 acres. Of course a far
greater surface will afford sustenance to
domestic animals. The limit to agri-
culture, as in Colorado and New Mexi-
co, is the possibility Of irrigation" In
a recent report Of the national geologi-
cal commission, observe that Major
]. W. Powell estimates the amount of
land in Utah with 81, 476 square miles)
that can be redeemed by the utilization
of streams, but without the construction
Of reservoirs, as about ], 250, 900 acres.
How far east this necessity Of irrigation
exists, I am not competent to deter
mine. 1t was formerly fixed at longi-
tude SO degrees, by Prof. Henry, of the
Smithsonian Institute, but 101 degrees,
or three degrees further west, especially
west of Manitoba, is probably more &C
curate. Upon the limited area availa-
BILE for agriculture, the crops are very
remarkable, but their volume, of course
commanding the highest prices, will be
absorbed by miners and herdsmen, in
addition TO the demands Of towns and
cities. In this connection | should not
omit to add that the localities of central
Canada on the line 1000 miles north
west from St. Paul-Battleford Prince
Albert, Fort McMurray, Fort Vermil-
lion, including the better known Fort
Edmonton, are all west of longitude 1O5
degrees, and are in direct range with
Denver City, Great Salt Lake, and even
Virginia City, yet at none of the more
northern positions is there any neces-
slty of irrigation. 1t is the browning
| feature of the "fertile belt" which
| broadens with reduced altitude and con-
slant air currents from the Pacific coast,
that the imm tense trapezOid, whose apex
is bounded on the Mckenzie, has a SUI
fcient quantity of summer rains for all
the purposes of agriculture as organized
In the Atlantic and Mississippi states.
J. w. TAYLOR.