Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1907-07-25
CROP CONDITIONS IN
WESTERN CANADA.
Lateness Of Spring Overcome by En-
celIent 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 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 forebodings,
and among even the optimistic West
erners imbued as they usually are
with a spirit Of buoyancy and hope
there commenced to glimmer fear
that perhaps this year their sanguine
expectations were not to be realized.
On May day when 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
and the hurry and hustle of spring
work commenced on the western prai.
ries.
BY the goth of May $3.50 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
NV I,,n
| 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 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 heavier proper.
ton of the coarser grains, From the
most reliable reports to hand it ap.
| pears that the acreage as compared
Y
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
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 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 droughts is practically over as
the green crop covers the ground re.
tanning 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
, spring wheat now from IA to IS inches
above the ground, a f.sH average crop
is confidently expected.
In addition to the cheering pros.
t poets of this years yield the farmers
? are to be congratulated on the fact
that they still have in their possession
five million bushels of wheat from last
+ years crop which they are now dis.
3 posing of at high prices.
The splendid yield of 10000, 600
3 bushels of wheat raised in 1906 in
=; the three provinces of Manitoba, Sas
!, katchewan and Alberta, together with
5 the almost certain assurance that this
3 year will see considerable increase
3 is, as in the past, calling the atten
/ ton of the world Of the Last Best
l West" and thousands from the United
e States and the agricultural districts
: Of Europe are each month securing
t free grant lands or purchasing farms
s III the land which has proved itsel1
o peerless among the grain growing
r countries of the world
4 Fault finders are never out Of a job