Valentine Democrat., 1907-07-25
CROP CONDITIONS IN wESTERD
CANADA.

Lateness OF Spring Overcome by Tx
ceiIent Growing Summer Season.
Once more the farmers of Western
Canada rest at ease and grow rich
while they sumber 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 advance IN the price of food
stuffs, gave the pesSimlsts some reason
for their gloomy forebodings and
among even the optimistic Westerners
lmbued, as they usually are, with
spirit Of buoyancy and hope, there
commenced to glimmer 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 so 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 50 per cent 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 sowing fin
tshed on May 30th, 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 q 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 1t appears that the acreage as
compared with 1906 will show an in
crease Of II per cent in oats, 10 per
cent in barley and 13 per cent In flax
Around OkOtOks, High River, Nam
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 a firm root in the ground
and now, with an abundance of mOis-
ture and warm weather, the growth is
All danger of injury from
Iroughts is practically over, as the green
crop covers the ground, retaining the
moisture required for its growth, and
the too rapid evaporation
which might otherwise take place
Crops in Western Canada mature in
me hundred days of good weather, and
IS the weather conditions have been
deal since seeding, and with spring
wheat now from II to IS inches above
he ground, a full average crop is con-
identity expected.
In addition to the cheering prospects
# this years yield the farmers are to
e congratulated on the fact that they
till have in their possession five mil
on bushels of wheat from last years
rop which they are now disposfng of
t high prices
The splendid yield of 9OOOO,OOO BUSH
Is Of wheat raised in 1906 in the three
rOvinces of Manitoba, Saskatchewan
nd Alberta, together with the almost
ertain assurance that this year will
ae considerable increase, is, as in
le past, calling the attention Of the
Orld to the Last Best West" and
lOusands from United States and the
gricultural districts of Europe are
ach month securing free grant lands
? purchasing farms in the land which
as proved itself peerless among grain
rowing countries of the world.