The weekly register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, Va. [W. Va.]) 1862-1909, 1906-10-03
THE DEVELO OPMENI
Of Western Canada

Some information and facts we
gathered about Canada while on
our recent trip with the National
Editorial Association.
The development of Western.
Canada began with the compile
tion of the Canadian Pacific Rail
road-it connected the east with
the west and opened up to the
world the vast interior. 1t was
1900 before the people of the
United States began to appreciate
the agricultural possibilities of
Western Canada, and then the
rush began. For five years it has
continued with ever increasing
volume, until this influx has be-.
come known in the Americas.
press as the sTwentieth Century
Invasion of Canada" For, north
of the 10Th parallel will, doubt
less, within the next forty years
be builded a nation that will rival
the United States-a nation that
will be able to furnish the world
with bread with the same certainty
with which for two hundred
years its vast territory furnished
the world with fur.
Canada is large country. The
Dominion covers 3,614,000 square
miles-one-tw twelfth of the land
surface of the earth-an area
greater than that of the United
States and within a few thousand
miles as great as continental
Europe 1t is safe to estimate
that one-fourth of this area is pos
sible of cultivation, another one
fourth is rich in timber and min
eral resources, while the remain
der is still the great game and
fur store house of the world.
1t is, however, only of the ag-
ricultural region of Western Can
ada-that inland empire embrac-
ing the provinces of Minitoba,
Saskatchewan, Alberta and incin-
dentally New Ontario that this
article will treat.
These provinces covering in
round numbers 100000 square
miles embrace within their COM
bined limits the available agri-
cultural regions of western Cana
da. In area they about equal the
states of the Mississippi Valley
are three times the size of the
German Empire and five times
larger than Great Britain and
Ireland.
One-half of this area, or about
200,000,0OO acres are fit for culti-
vatlon, and nearly all will pro-
duce wheat.
Wrong impressions frequently
prevail regarding the climate and
physical features of Western Can
ada. A glance at any map hav-
ing climatic lines will show that
Edmonton has as high an aver
age annual temperature as st.
Paul; that northern Michigan and
Manitoba have similar tempera-
ture; that as we go northwest the
climate is modified by the infu-
ence of the winds from the Paci-
fic. The mean temperature for
July in Winnipeg is &c, which is
higher than in any part of Eng
land. The average diurnal range
is also much greater than that in
England, being from a maximum
of 78 degrees to a minium of 53
degrees. This high daily tenn
perature during the growing
months, with the long hours of
sanshine natures the crops quick
ly. The climate of Western Cana
da is such that even greater va
riety of vegetables are grown in
the open than can be produced
under the same conditions and
method of culture in England.
For instance, tomatoes, cucum-
bers, pumpkins, marrows, melons
and Indian corn are sown and
ripened in the open ground.
Every kind of table vegetable
such as asparagus, artichokes,
beets, beans, caulifowers, etc.,
ripen in profusion, and the culti-
vation of all varities of small
fruits is extremely profitable.