Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1904-08-01
ALL REPORTS POINT TO A RECORD
HARVEST.
ABUNDANT RAINS FALL
Wheat and Oats Acreage Greatly In
creased-FIax Alone Shows a Con-
siderable Falling of-Mixed Farm
ing Coming Along RapidIy-A Grow
ing Country.

northwest will leave all previous crop
records far behind this year." said a
Winnipeg grain man, just arrived from
the west on a business trip. Before
left Winnipeg, had made a thorough
tour of the wheat country, from Win
nipeg to Regina. and found the cOndi-
tons everywhere all that one could de-
sire. A week or two ago we were
feeling rather anxious in the west, be-
cause of the lack of rain in a good
many districts. but since then abund-
ant rains have fallen where they were
most needed. in western Manitoba,
Assinibcia, Alberta and Saskatchewan
in fact pretty well all through the
western wheat belt. In Regina, which
is always dryer than Manitoba, there
was at one time serious danger of in
jury from drought, but the day after
| left there they had eighteen hours
glorious rain and everything is bright
and smiling. The Regina farmers can
do without any further rain until har-
vest if necessary-so that a big crop in
that district may be counted now as
practically certain.
''In the Red river valley the pros
poets are if anything even more promis-
ing than farther west. There has been
an abundance of rain throughout June,
and with the exception of some very
small areas where the rain has been
somewhat too heavy. the grain is al
ready well headed out. The heads are
long. many exceeding five inches. and
give every indication of a heavy
yield. If the present favorable
weather continues for another three or
four weeks. we will have in western
Canada the heaviest crop on record,
and of the finest quality too. These
conditions apply of course not only to
wheat. but to cats and barley also"
The crop reports of the Dominion
and Manitoba governments, as well as
those issued from week to week by the
two great railways that handle the
western Canadian crOps-the Can
adam Pacific and Canadian northern
are equally encouraging. 1t is signif-
cant as indicating the firm belief of
handling this year of an exceptionally
large crop of grain, that they are
unusual efforts to be prepared
for every eventuality. Ample rolling
stock will be distributed throughout
the west by the time that the grain is
ready to be moved east. The elevator
is equal to any emergency, |
these facilities having more than kept |
pace with the expansion in wheat pro- |
duction during the past few years. Ele-
vators of all sizes are now available
everywhere throughout the grain belt
of western Canada. and including the
big terminal elevators at Fort William
and Port Arthur at the head of navi-
cation on Lake Superior, have a total
of Al, 900. 900 bushels, which is |
more than will be needed. even under
conditions of crop de-
for several years to come.
While the increase in the area under |
crop is not so large as Manitoba grain
men expected, still it Is sufficient to
make a considerable difference in the
total crop apart from other conditions. |
The total acreage under cultivation
this year in Manitoba and the north |
west territories is 5.O65, 4S0, an in
crease over 1908 of 394.71O acres. or
about 9 per cent. There are 3.42O.41 |
acres under wheat. as against 1928
663 last year. an increase of 91s per
cent: 1905. 900 acres under oats, as
gainst 1 .101, 1888 in 1908. an increase of
91b per cent: 392.569 acres under bar
ley. as against 3S1, 1875 last year, an in
crease Of 8 per cent; and 46,54O under
fax. as against 64,639 last year a de-
crease of 2S per cent. The decrease
in flax is owing to the disappointing re-
suits in the northwest last year,
where the crop was practically a fail
ure. There is nothing. however, to
indicate that fax cannot under reason
ably favorable conditions be profitably
grown i'm the northwest, and probably
the results this year will be such as TO
lead to a large increase in the area in
1905.
In Manitoba alone the acreage under
wheat is 2.366,2OO a slight increase
over last year; under oats, 551 BIZ |
acres; under barley, O,59O; and under
fax. 25.6O2. In the territories there
are /. 054.211 acres under wheat; 654,- !,
649 under oats, and 111,979 under bar
ley. The acreage under fax decreased
IL .493 since last year. 1t is evident
that the greater part, of the decrease is
in the territories. In wheat. on the /
other hand. the territories show q
much greater increase than Manitoba, /
both relatively and actually, which is |
only to be expected, as Manitoba is
well settled, while the
available area in the territories has
barely been touched as yet, and it is |
20 the territories that the great number
of new settlers are fiOcking, both from /
the western states and Europe.