Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-10-13
A RECORD WHEAT CROP
Expectation of Western Can
ada This Year.
GOOD PRICES LIKELY
WEATHER CONDITIONS FAVOR
ABLE THROUGHOUT THE SEASON.
Labor Very Scarce in Spite Of Wages
of $3.50 Day Besides Board
Shipments to England.
BY WILLIAM f. CURTIS.
Special Correspondence of The Star and the Chicago
Record Herald.

BY WILLIAM T.. CURTIS.
Special Correspondence of The Star and the Chicago
Record Herald
WINNIPEG Canada. October ). 1905
Western Canada expects to make her rec
ord crop this year, in quantity and quality.
The experts of the Grain Growers Associa-
ton estimate the total at 05, 100000 bushels
OF wheat and eco bushels of oats; and
the greater part of the wheat. according to
their judgment, will grade No. 1 hard and
No. / northern. Other authorities, more
sangune, expect 100, eco, $50 bushels of
wheat, and some prophets are predicting
l1o.C3Op30 bushels of wheat and 60 coo 900
to to,OO0OC0 bushels of oats The prospects
Tor good prices were never better There is
no crop failure anywhere in Canada. Usual
~ there are bad spots, owing to local ccnd-
tlons-because of too much rain or too little
-Dut this year in an area of 1000 by 400
miles the yield seems to be even and per-
feet The weather conditions have been
continuously favorable, from seed time to
harvest, and few days longer will see the
entire crop in the elevators or on it's way to
market.
Labor is very scarce Field hands have
been receiving S2.50 day and their board
and Ii any wheat is lost it will be because
the harvesters were not able TO gather it.
May Supplant the United States.
Dr. William Saunders, director of expert
mental farms for the government, says that
he has been over the entire dominion. and
that the crops of this season exceed all ex-
pectations as well as presidents He be-
iieves that they will furnish the greatest adj
vertisement that the lands of Canada have
ever had, and will bring In twice as many
investors and homesteaders as came this
year DR.. Saunders believes that Canada
Will shortly be able to furnish Great Britain
with all the wheat and -four she needs. and
release the English people from their de-
pendence upon the United States in meats
as wei as in breadstuffs, He saws:
Were one-fourth of the land said to he
suitable for cultivation in Manitoba and the
territories under crop with wheat annu-
that OF Manitoba for the past ten years
he total crop would be S120000O0 bushels
rms would be ample to supply the home
demand for thirty millions of Inhabitants
tsupposing the population of Canada should
by that time reach that figure), and meet
the present requirements of Great Britain
three times over. This estimate deals only
with portion of the west, and leaves the
large eastern provinces out of considera ton
altogether. From this it would seem pos
sible that Canada may be In a position,
supplying all home demands to furnish
Great Britain with all the wheat and -four
she requires and leave a surplus for other
countries"
Canada Ranks Tenth.
Canada ranks tenth in the list of wheat
growing nations. The United States stands
first, with an average of 650,000.000 bushels
| Russia second with 4500Go,03O bushels,
France third with 325.C00,GG0 bushels, then
| come India with 25o,e0o,G3o bushels, Hun
| gary with 175,0J0,090 bushels Italy with
| 100 100000 bushels. Germany with 1i0,
| Oo1,oO0 bushels, Argentine Republic with
! 125,Go30}9 bushels, Spain with 100000
gsSR -I,aIc aY,l hen ia arr g
| estimates, if they prove true, are likely to
| lift Canada from the tenth TO the eighth
notch in the list, and if DIR. Saunders pre-
dictions well-founded the present gem
Grafton may see bigger wheat crop har-
| vested in Canada than in the United States.
| The tendency south of the border is TO
break up the wheat fields and adopt d!Versl-
| fled farming. because II Is more certain and
pays better profits; but wheat VIII be KING
of Canada for hall century.
The extent of the Canadian capacity for
the production of freadStunS is a faVoTlte
topic of d:scussiOn-almcst as common as
the prices of land While II may not sur
pass that of the United states, 1t certainly
exceeds that of any other nation Mani
toba Alberta and Saskatchewan-the three
great grain-grOwing provinces-have total
area of nearly 2J1,00D,0O0 acres; about ten
times the area of the state of ONO. 1t is
not al suitable TO agriculture. Or. Saun-
ders estimates that at least 10000, 0OoNacres
will produce breadstuffs with profit, leaving
o.00e 600 acres for pasturage. If only 49,
coo coo acres are planted to wheat the crop
average will be about S0o,000,o0o bushels
which is more than the largest ever har-
vested in the United States. DIR. Saunders
and other authorities are confident that the
present wheat crop will be doubled in 1910,
and even predict 0,009, eco bushels annually
by that data prophecy whichg sesms jus
titled by tie enormous immigration and the
extensive railway building that is now go
ing on.
Increase in Wheat Acreage.
This year the area planted to wheat is
| about 100000 acres, which is gain of 800
per cent In ten years. In 1894 only 1900 acres
| were planted to wheat. The acreage should
be very much higher during the next ten
| years than now, because the immigration
| of sturdy farmers from the United States
| did not actually commence until 1901. 1t
| must be taken into consideration, also. that
| Canada is the last country to offer free
| wheat lands to the farmers. 1t is, there
| fore. inevitable that the immigration will
| continue in the future on an even larger
| scale than In the past, and that the pro-
| gram of railroad building now being carried
| out will make accessible to settlers the en-
| tire northwest territory between the north
| ern boundary of the United States and he
| Arctic circle and between Hudson's bay
| and the Pacific.
| When the wheat of the United
| States being developed the cultivated
acreage increased at the rate of one hun
| dred million acres a year. For several
| reasons the increase will not be so great
| in Canada. but If it should be not more
| than 100000 acres a year there will be
| seven million acres planted to wheat by the
| year 1918, and an average crop OF 100000.
| coo bushels.
The Yield of Manitoba.
The province of Manitoba has kept care
fully complied crop reports for more than
twenty years. and the average annual yield
of wheat during that period has been with
| in few pounds OF twenty bushels to the
| acre. That average has been kept up in
western Canada as long as the records have
! been kept. Three years ago the average
chaI m ka rbat