The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1880-06-25
MANITOBA.
Viewed AS a Promising Field For
British EMigraRts.

br1ttSn EMtSraHtSs
A correspondent writes to the London
Times of June 9th: "Mr. James Caire,
In recent letter on agricultural pros
poets, writes in commendatory terms of
Manitoba, another fertile belt of North
western Canada, as promising field for
British emigration. He dilates on the
extent of this region, its capability for
the growth of wheat, and the cAeapness
of production. These advantages are,
however, marred by certain conditions
which intending emigrants would do we'll
seriously to consider. The winter is
long and severe; the thermometer fire.
quently falls to 400.
"Some Belfast and Hertfordshire agri-
cultural friends who sailed from Eng
land in March, and went to Manitoba to
prospect and, if satisfied, to settle, write
that so recently as April 18th they
crossed the Red River on the ice; that
throughout Manitoba plowing and wheat
planting was then impossible on account
of the frost; no grass was available for
live stock, which were still expensively
confined to the yards. Even the sheep
have to be housed from November until
April. These conditions heavily handi-
cap the farmer in Manitoba competing
with his brethren in less winterly regions
''The railway and water communica-
tion throughout these great Northwest
ern Provinces is still very insufficient,
and many years must elapse before the
country can be thoroughly opened up
with sufficient railway communication.
Even in the settled portions of the Red
River and the Assiniboine, the expenses
of transport are heavy, add enormously
to the cost of all that is imported, and
reduce the profits on the farm produce
sold. Last autumn, in Manitoba and
the Red River settlements, l repeatedly
met teams laboriously dragging wheat
fifty miles to the nearest market or rail
road depot, and even when delivered at
such points the price is much lower than
where there is active railway competi-
ton. This is illustrated by the prices
quoted in an American market paper for
the bushel of wheat at various points Oh
the 1st of January: At Emerson and
Portage la Parle, in Manitoba, 70 cents:
at Winnipeg, SS cents; Duluth, Oh Lake
Superior, 81 IS; St. Paul, the capital of
Minnesota, 81 81; Chicago, 81 81; New
York, 81 Sc.
"But farmers, whether in England OF
in the northwestern. Provinces of Can
ada, can not wisely depend upon wheat
alone. Untoward seasons produce poor
crops; a generally bountiful yield en-
tails unremunerative prices, which
wheat-growers are likely soon to expe-
rience. The United States produced in
1878 $4,000, 900 quarters of wheat; last
year she had 100000 quarters; this
next harvest, over the greatly extended
area, is likely to produce 100000
quarters, and of this great bulk she can
spare for expectation more than one
third. With tolerable crops throughout
all Europe and other parts of the world,
wheat must obviously be abundant, and
probably cheaper than it was in 1850,
1851 and 1852, or again in 1864, in
which year it fell below 40s quarter.
"Sueh a low range Of value must
seriously affect farmersin Manitoba and
other regions where wheat is the staple
production. Alike abroad and at home
agriculturists must fortify themselves
with diversity of resources, must fix
their location near good accessible mar
kets, and in America and the colonies
must make settlement where there is
good prospects of steady appreciation
In the value of land.
"After spending several weeks at Win
nipeg and making excursions in various
directions into the country, my cores
pondents travelled south, investigated the
resources of various districts, and esti-
mating present farming profits and pro-
spective advances in the value of prop
erty, have brought several sections of
land in southwestern Minnesota, within
five miles Of railroad, at So an acre."