Iowa state bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1894-1916, 1908-09-04
THE LAND OF GRAIN
by
JAMES OLIVER CURwOOD

by
JAMES OLIVER CURWOOD
Author Of American Farmers Build
Ing . New Nation In the North
"canada-The Land Of Greater
Hope"-"The Invasion Of Canada BY
American Farmers'-"A Thousand
Miles on Horseback Across the Do
minior Provinces" Etc., Etc.
Not SO very many years ago the major.
ity of people in the United States
laughed at the prediction that the day
was coming when Western Canada
would far outstrip this country In
the raising OF grain-when, in other
words, It would become the great
bread-basket Of the world. During the
past three or four years the enormous
production of grain In the Dominion
West has thinned the ranks Of those
who doubted the destiny Of Canada's
vast grain growing regions; the crops
Of this year will dispel the doubts OF the
remaining few. From Winnipeg
westward to the foothills Of Alberta,
over country nearly q thousand
miles in width, the grain production
this year will be something to almost
stagger the belief Of those hundreds
of thousands of American farmers
whose average yield is not more than
from ten to fifteen bushels of wheat
to the acre, and who are finding that
their product is also outclassed in
quality by that Of their northern
neighbors.
The enormous grain crop or this
year in the Canadian West may truth
fully be said to be the production of
"a few pioneers" Only small per-
centage Of the unnumbered millions
of acres of grain land are under culti-
walton, Notwithstanding the fact that
tens Of thousands Of homesteads were
taken up last year. And yet, when
all the figures are in, it will be found
that the settlers of the western prai-
ries have raised this year more than
125,0OO,O00 bushels Of wheat, 100000
600 bushels of oats and 25,000,000
bushels of barley. 1t has been "for-
tune making year" for thousands of
American farmers who two or three
years ago owned hardly more than the
clothes upon their backs, and whose
bumper crops from their homesteads
will yield them this season anywhere
from 81 800 to 81, 500 each, more money
than many of them have seen at one
time in all their lives.
Very recently I passed through the
western provinces from Winnipeg to
Calgary, and in the words of a fellow
passenger, who was astonished by
what he saw from the car windows in
Manitoba, we were, metaphorically
speaking, in a land of milk and
honey" The country was one great
sweep Of ripening grain. In fact, SO
enormous was the crop, that at the
time there were grave doubts as to
the possibility of GETTING ENOUGH
BINDER TWINE TO SUPPLY THE
DEMAND. A situation like this has
never before been" known in the agri-
cultural history Of any country.
Before I made my first trip through
the Dominion west doubted very
much the stories that had heard Of
this so-called grain wonderland"
across the border l, believed, as un.
numbered thousands OF others be.
lieved, that the stories were circulated
mostly to induce immigration. I quick
ly found that I was wrong. AS one
Alberta farmer said to. me a few
weeks ago, IF the whole ruth were
told about this country l don't sup.
pose you could find one American in
ten who would believe it."
This year the prospects n the
wheat crop of Saskatchewan, Iani-
tota and Alberta are an average of
over TWENTY-FIVE BUSHELS TO
THE ACRE, and that this grain is
far superior to that raised in the
states is proved by our own govern
ment statistics, which show that
American millers are importing mil
lions of bushels of B"Canadian hard"
to mix with the home product in order
that THIS HOME PRODUCT MAY
BE RAISED TO THE REQUIRED
STANDARD. 1t is a peculiar fact that
while the Dominion Government is
anxious for it's western provinces to
fill up with the very best Of immi-
grants, there has been no blatant or
sensational advertising of those lands.
For this reason it is probable that not
one American farmer out of fifty
knows that Canada wheat now holds
the worlds record of value-that, in
other words, it is the best wheat on
earth, and that more of it is grown
to the acre than anywhere else in the
world. ~
A brief study of climatic conditions,
and those things which 60 to make
a climate, will show that the farther
enc travels northward from the Mon.
tana border the milder the climate be-
comes-up to a certain point. In
other words, the climate at Edmonton,
Alberta, is far better than that of
Denver, $500 miles south; and while
thousands of cattle and sheep are dy-
ing because of the severity Of the
winters in Wyoming, Montana and
other western states. the cattle, sheep
and horses Of Alberta CRAZE ON
THE RANGES ALL WINTER WITH
ABSOLUTELY NO SHELTER. This
is all largely because sea-currents and
air.currents have to do with the ma
king Of the climate Of temperate re-
gions. For instance, why is it that
California possesses such a beautiful
climate, with no winter at all, while
the New ENGLAND states on a narallel