Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1907-07-25
CROP CONDITIONS IN WESTERN
CANADA

Latenexs of Spring Overcome by Ex-
ceIIent Growing Summer Season.
Once more the farmers of Western
Canada rest at ease and grow rich
while they slumber. Their season Of
anxiety is over. For a time it looked
as though the backward season was for
once going to prevent the western coun-
try from maintaining its pre-eminent
position as leader Of the grain growing
countries Of the world. The unusual
lateness of the spring, coupled with the
rapid dvance in the price of food
stuffs, gave the pessimists some reason
for their gloomy foreDodings and
among even the optimistic WeSterners
imbued, as they usually are, with a
spirit of buoyancy and hope, there
commenced TO glimmer a fear that per-
haps this year their sanguine expec-
tations were not to be realized. On
May day. when a large proportion of
wheat has usually been sown, there
was this year very little seeding done
Finally, however, winter, which had
tarried 50 late in the lap of spring in
all parts of the Continent vanished be
fore the vertical rays Of the sun, and
the hurry and hustle Of spring work
commenced on the western prairies.
BY the Goth of May IS per cent Of
the spring wheat was sown and the fall
wheat in the districts devoted to its
cultivation was covering the fields with
a mantle of green. Wheat sowing fin
ished on May Both, and by June 10th,
the coarser grains were also in the
ground. The heavy snowfall during
the winter left the ground in excellent
shape when once seeding operations
commenced, and from the time weather
conditions permitted the commence
ment of work until planting was com
pleted, the farmers were a busy class.
The area in wheat is not much larger
than last year but oats, barley and fax
are much in excess of past records, the
farmers deeming it wiser on account
of the lateness of the season to put in
a heavier proportion of the coarser
grains. From the most reliable reports
to hand it appears that the acreage as
compared with 1906 will show an in
crease of - per cent in oats, 10 per
cent in barley and 13 per cent in fax.
Around Okotoks, High River, Nan
ton, Claresholm and other winter
wheat centcrs, if 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 a firm root in the ground
AID now, with an abundance of moiS-
ture and warm weather, the growth is
remarkable All danger of injury from
droughts is practically over, as the green
crop covers the ground, retaining the
moisture required for its growth, and
preventing the too rapid evaporation
which might otherwise take place.
Crops in Western Canada mature in
one hundred days of good weather, and
as the weather conditions have been
ideal since seeding, and with spring
wheat now from II to IS inches above
the ground, a full average crop is con-
fidently expected.
In addition to the cheering prospects
of this years yield the farmers are to
be congratulated on the fact that they
still have in their possession five mil
lion bushels of wheat from last years
crop which they are now disposing of
at high prices.
The splendid yield of 9O.000,0O0 bush
els of wheat raised in 1906 in the three
provinces of Manitoba, Saskatchewan
and Alberta. together with the almost
certain assurance that this year will
see a considerable increase, is, as in
the past, calling the attention of the
world to the Last Best West" and
thousands from United States and the
agricultural districts of Europe are
each month securing free grant lands
or purchasing farms in the land which
has proved itself peerless among grain
growing countries of the world.