St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-07-03
A Correspondent Punctures Some Ride
ulous Statements Regarding North
west Territory Crops.
The Truth Utterly Disregarded and Many
Happy Families Ruthlessly Lured
to Ruin.
Mr.. Donald A. Smiths Unique Farm.
Near Winnipeg, on Which He
Grows Crops for Exhibit.
Startling Work Done by Pamphlet
eers-Uow the Boomers Belittle
Dakota and Minnesota.
To Attract Immigration.

hO w CCiSUidClOn VI tHO
niversary of the confederation OF the Cana
dian provinces is part of the plan arranged
by the government, the Canadian Pacihc
Railway company and the merchants OF
Winnipeg to attract immigration. The
monster exhibit made by Manitoba at the
colonial exhibition i'll London. England. is
another feature Of the scheme, and the
perambulating exhibit car of the Canadian
Pacific railroad is also part of the program.
The exodus from Manitoba of settlers who
are leaving the province for the more con-
genial climate of the neighbOring territory
Of Dakota may well dismay the spectators
who were stranded by the breakers OF the
boom of 1882, and who have since lived on
the vain hope of a returning tide of immi-
gration-a visionary dream of an imaginary
future that will never be realized. The
merchants, too. whose last stakes are set
and going to decay. and others who can
not get away without leaving their all be-
hind them, are naturally anxious to rift the
dark shadow of
FINANCIAL DEPRESSION
that has overshadowed the provinces, with
never glimpse of sunshine since the hal
cyon days of the Manitoba bubble. Now
while legitimate effort to obtain relief
from their difficulties would be commenda-
BILE, it is cruel and dishonest to attempt it
by enticIng the tOilerS of other countries to
break up perhaps comfortable homes under
the mistaken impression that they can i'm
prove their condition by emigratng to the
Canadian Northwest, whose arid plains
have already swallowed up fair fortune,
and ruined many happy family. The
crop record of Manitoba for five years and
the experience of old settlers prove the inn
practicablity of successfully growing
wheat as far north as Manitoba. The char
acter of the land is diversified, and any sea-
son in exceptional localities small samples
of good wheat can be picked out, yet it is
now conceded that the heavy land is too
CLAMMY AND COLD,
and the light land cannot sustain grain dur
ing the long dry seasons that rule in Mani
toba. In 1881, the crop was damaged by
summer frosts. In 1882 the season was
more favorable; but late sown grain was
frozen in September. and in some localities
wheat that had been five months in the
ground failed to ripen. owing to cold
weather in July and August. In 1888, the
crop was frozen to an alarming extent
| throughout the entire province. No local
market could be found for much of it at
any price, and the farmers formed clubs
and realized small amount on some of it
by consigning it East, via the American
railroads, and that season an immense
quantity Of wheat was left unthrashed.
Much of it stood in shock all winter and
was burned the following spring, and large
areas were never even harvested. In 1884,
with the exception of portion in Southern
Manitoba, the crop was seriously damaged
by frost III the month of September. There
were thousands of acres CT standing
GRAIN GIVEN TO THE FLAMES
in the fall, to enable farmers to begin
early blowing, many settlers being re-
solved to give the country last trial, and
to get the seed into the ground as early as
possible the following spring. During the
winter of that year the farmers were be-
coming destitute, many Of them having
realized little or nothing on their crops fol
several years, and 1t became imperative fol
the Canadian Pacific Railway company
which had just arranged loan of $40, 000,-
600 with the Canadian government, as the
security of its assets in the Northwest, tt
sustain its credit by coming to the relief Of
the settlers, who were beginning to com
plain loudly that they had been deceived
regarding the country, to climate and re
sources. The principal shareholders &C
cordinglY organized company and bough
the wheat from the farmers, at prices
much above it's market value. by which thu
company suffered the loss of a considerabl,
sum, but relieved the farmers, and lessene(
the strain of financial depression.
ANOTHER COLD SUMMER.
In 1855 the spring opened auspiciously
and the crop was sown early in April ant
everything looked prosperous, but the coli
summer prevented the grain ripening and
terrible frost in the middle of August one
more blasted the hopes of the long sufferin,
farmers, seven-eighths of the whole cro]
being badly frozen, not single locality il
the province OF Canadian Northwest hav
ing entirely escaped the scourge. This sea
son (1SS6) an early spring again temple,
many farmers to lemain who had previousl
resolved to leave behind them the loyalt
which had magnetzed them to travel owe
. the fruitful fields of Dakota and Minnesot
in search of homes in the inhospitabl
Northland, Ibut the last remnant of thei
faith is shattered and rent. for old Borea
is again on time, and his frgid breath ha
Dlighted every green thing ill the
GREAT LONE LAND.
After the usual long summer drouth,
5 hard frost in the first week of June, fol
lowed week later by another frost G
; greater severity, destroyed vegetables G
every description, including potato vines
turnips. cabbages, carrots and garden PFC
, ducts, and materially damaged all graf
a crops. producing a withered and stunte
appearance. So I leave the readers
Judge of the faint prospect of even a Inc
dunn wheat crop this season in the muc
J advertised colony. The foregoing fac
: indicate that the northern border of tn
great wheat belt of this continent, whel
wheat can be successfully grown, lie
e south of the boundary line between MAJ
n itoba and the United States, and to be moi
q explicit, ! find from observation and il
e quiry, that a crop
CANNOT BE DEPENDED UPON
to entirely escape the frost fifty miles sout
of that boundary. At that distance Il
frozen grain has heretofore been offered fc
e sale by the farmers; fair test to go by
: We could look over the record of OF
q northern neighbors' agricultural history fl
o longer period, and give further proof til
o inadaptibility of Manitoba for wheat farm
e ing. and also point out the poor indueemen
). it offers for stock raising (Which l ma
q however, take up i'll a subsequent paper
a but the foregoing will suffice for the pre-
q ent. For years the government and ra
way company's pamphleteers have floode
Europe with glowing accounts of the Can
dian Northwest. One of their pamphle
which was strewn over the British islan
THICK AS LEAVES OF vALLAMBRosA
L contains the precious information that Mi
5 nesota averaged seventeen bushels of whe
g to the acre. whereas Manitoba average
IS thirty-seven bushels. and the same pampl
l. let gives Manitoba sixty bushels of oats d.
|, acre; but will only allow Minnesota thirt,
seven bushels per acre. Another reads
| follows:
1t Many estimates have been made of the DR.
n ductive capacity of the province of Manitot
10 but the following is probably not overstati
y, near future results 200,0U0 farmers ea
- cultivating fifty acres. each producing TWEEN
bushels to the acre, 200, 00O,O00 bushels.
Let US see how far these glowing anti
pations have been realized by actual resul
| 70 tho ,arnca,,c finin Tho o1,,,nrfn az nh