The Miller press. [volume] (Miller, S.D.) 190?-current, 1907-07-25
CROP CONDITIONS IN
WESTERN CANADA
Lateness 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 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
erner imbued as they usually are
with a spirit Of ~buoyancy and hope,
there commenced to glimmer a fear
that perhaps this year their ~sanguine
expectations 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
tarried so 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.
ries.
BY the Goth of May $50 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 SOW.
ing finished on May 80 and by Juns
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
tons commenced and from the time
weather conditions permitted the COM
mencement 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 excess Of
past records, the farmers deeming IL
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 as compared
with 1906 will show an increase Of 1919
in oats, 1870 in barley and 1870 In
fax.
Around Akotoks, High River, Nan.
ton, Claresholm and other winter
wheat centers, If the present weather
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,
and now with en- abundance of moist.
ure and warm weather the growth is
All danger of injury
from droughts is practically over as
the green crop covers the ground re.
the moisture required for it's
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
wheat now from ID to IS inches :
above the ground, a full average crop
Is confidently expected.
In addition to the cheering pros
poets Of this years yield the farmers
are to be congratulated on the fact
hat they still have in their possession
million bushels of wheat from last
years crop which they are now dis.
of at high prices.
The splendid yield OF 90, 700, 900
bushels Of wheat raised In 1906 in =
he three provinces of Manitoba, Sas-
and Alberta, together with
he almost certain assurance that this
rear will see a considerable increase,
s, as in the past, calling the atten-
ion Of the world of the Last Best
and thousands from the United
States and the agricultural districts
II Europe are each month securing d.
rec grant lands or purchasing farms -.
n the land which has proved itself
among the grain growing
countries of the world.
Fault finders are never out OF a job.