Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1909-05-07
DOLLAR WHEAT HAS COME TO
STAY.
In Less. Than Five Years Central
Canada VIII BE Called Upon 60
supply the United States.

A couple of years age when the an
nouncement was made in these col
umnS that dollar wheat had come to
stay, and tina the time was not far
distant when the central provinces of
CONGRATULATIONS, Saskatchewan and
Alberta-would be called upon to sup
ply a large part of the wheat consump-
ton IN the United States, there were
many who laughed at the predictions
and ridiculed the idea of wheat reach
ing the dollar point and staying there.
Both Of these predictions have come to
pass. Dollar wheat is here-and it is
not only here. but is here to stay and
at the same time, whatever unpleasant
sensations it may arouse in the super
sensitive American, Central Canada is
already being called upon to help keei
up our bread supply, and within the
next five years will. as James j. Hill
says, literally "become the bread-bas
kct Of u increasing Millions
There are few men in the United
States better acquainted with the
wheat situation than Mr.. Hill, and
there are few men. if any. who are in
clined to be more conservative in their
expressed views. Yet it was this great
est of the worlds railroad men who
said a few days ago that 1.-The price Of
wheat will never be substantially lower
than it is to-day"-and when it j.
taken into consideration that at that
time wheat had scared to $1.2O, well
above the dollar mark, the statement is
- n-,,1; 4, IL, r;rr;G,, rE own ,lnrih1u siu-
rificnnt is the fact that In this conn.
Try the population is increasing at the
ratio Of 80 per cent, while the yield CT
wheat and other products is increasing
at the rate of only % per cent. For
several years past the cCst OF living
has been steadily increasing in the
United States, and this wide difference
in production and consumption is the
pason.
This difference must be supplied by
the vast and fertile grain regions Of
Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta
There is now absolutely no doubt o!
this. Even the press of he country
comedies the fact. Results have shown
thai no other country in the world can
ever hope to equal these provinces as
wheat producers, and that no other
country can produce as hard or as good
wheat. Said a great grain man re
Gently, "If United States wheat main
tains the dollar mark, Canada whea;
will be well above a dollar a bushei,
for in every way it is superior to our
homegrown grain"
With these facts steadily impinglnS
their truth upon u rapidly growing
population, it is Interesting to note just
what possibilities as q "wheat grow
.r" our northern neighbor possesses.
While the United States will never
surrender her prestige in any manu-
featuring or commercial line, she must
very soon acknowledge. and with as
much grace AS she can. that she Is
bound to be beaten as a grain produc-
ct. It must be conceded that a great
deal OF the actual truth o the rich
ness Of Canada's grain producing areas
has been "kept out of sight, as Mr.,
Hill says. by the strenuous efforts of
our and magazines to stem
the exodus of our best American farm
ers into those regions. 1t is a fact
that UP to the present time. although
Canada has already achieved the front
rank in the worlds grain producers.
the fertile prairies Of Manitoba. Sas,
.katchewan and Alberta have as yet
scarcely been scratched. Millions Of
acres. free for the taking. still await
our American farmers n when these
millions are zone there are other mil
lions in regions not yet opened up to
immigration. A few years ago the
writer. who had beer through those
wheat provinces several times. laughed
with others Of our people at the broad
statement that Canada was bound to
become John Bulls bread-bas':et."
Now after a last trip (and though he
Is a staunch Amcrican) he frankly lie.
iieves that not only will Canada be-
John Bulls bread basket. bu. II
will within IN" p decade at leasr
BECOME THE BREAD BASKET OF
THE UNITED STATES. Perhaps this
nav be a hard truth for Americans to
but It is a truth nevertheless
And it is Mt least n partial Compensa.
ton to know that hundreds OF thou
sands of our farmers are nrocting by
the fact by becoming proiUccvs T.. thi,
country.