Morgan County republican. (Versailles, Mo.) 1906-1914, 1907-07-25
CROP CONDITIONS IN
WESTERN CANADA
Lateness Of Spring Overcome by Elk.
celIsnt Growing Summer Season.

Once more the farmers Of Western
Canada rest at ease and grow rich
while they slumbcr. Their season Of
anxiety is For a time 1t looked
az though a backward season was for
once going to prevent the western
country from maintaining Its preemi.
nent position as leader OF the grain
growing countries Of the world. The
unusual lateness of the spring coupled
with the rapid advance in the price Of
food .stuffs gave the pessimists some
reason for their gloomy f~orebodings.
and among even the optimistic West
crners imbued as they usually are
with a spirit OF buoyancy and hope,
there commenced to gllmmer a fear
that perhaps this year their %sanguine
cxpectations were not to be realized.
On May day when a large proportion
of wheat had usually been sown there
was this year very little seeding done.
Finally, however, winter which had
tarricd 30 late in the lap Of spring in
all parts of the Continent vanished
before the vertical rays Of the sun,
and the hurry and hustle of spring
work commenced on the western prai.
rles.
by the goth OF May $50 Of the
spring wheat was sown and the fall
wheat in the districts devoted to It's
cultivation was covering the fields
with a mantle OF green. Wheat SOW.
ing finished on May 80 and by Juno
10 the coarser grains were also in
the ground. The heavy snowfall dur
ing the winter left the ground in excel.
lent shape when once seeding opera
lions commenced and from the time
weather conditions permitted the com.
menccmcnt of work until planting was
completed, the farmers were a busy
class. The area in wheat is not
much larger than last year, but oats,
barley and flax are much In cxces Of
past records, the farmers dceming 1t
wiser on account of the %lateness Of
the season to put in a heavier proper.
ton Of the coarser grains. From the
most reliable reports to hand 1t ap.
pears that the acreage az compared
with 1906 will show an increase of 1870
in oats, 1870 in barley and 1870 In
fax.
Around AkotOks, High River, Nan
ton, ClareshOlm and other winter
wheat centers, II the present weather
conditions continue, the winter wheat
will be in head by the middle of July,
The backward weather in the early
part of May allowed the newly sown
grain to get q firm root in the ground
and now with an abundance of moist
ure and warm weather the growth Is
remarkable. All danger Of injury
from droushts Is practically over as
the green crop " the ground re
tanning the moisture required for Its
growth and preventing the too rapid
evaporation which might otherwise
take place.
Crops in Western Canada mature ir
one hundred days Of good weather
and as the weather conditions have
been ideal since seeding, and will
spring wheat now from II to IS inches
above the ground, a full average croI
Is confidently expected.
In addition to the cheering pros
poets of this years yield the farmer!
are to be congratulated on the fac
that they still have in their possession
five million bushels Of wheat from las
years crop which they are now dis
posing Of at high prices.
The splendid yield of '90,0 600, 00O
bushels Of whca. raised in 1906 II
the three provinces Of Manitoba. Sas
katchewan and Alberta, together will
the almost certain assurance that thi
year will see a considerable increase
is. as in the past, calling the atten
ton of the world OF the Last Bes
West" and thousands from the Unite,
States and the agricultural district
OF Europe are each month securing
free grant lands or purchasing farm
in the land which has proved itsel
peerless among the grain growini
Countries 0f the world.