The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1910-07-27
CROP CONDITIONS
IN NORTH WEST
J.. p. Conner, Who Has Just Returned
From Canadian Trip, Tells Sof
Crop Conditions.
THE DROUGHT IS UNIVERSAL

y sUs.9s- SVOSSAstt Y. - fOsSsvs sessSsSet
indications Of Damage Done Through
Iowa, Minnesota, North Dakota
and on to Calgary.
At the suggestion OF the manage.
ment Of The Review that 1'write some
thing about my trip to the far North
west and Of crop conditions as 1
found them. i have decided to briefly
mention some things which came
within my observation and to give
an account Of the crops, both in the
United States and western Canada
as I saw them.
desire first to say chat am.
pleased to return home, for whatever
the charms which other countries may
offer, there is no place like the Unit
ed. States, and especially that part
of it labeled Denison, Iowa.
The time consumed on the trip was
SO short and the distance travelled so
great that most of my time was spent
upon the train, but it gave me an
opportunity to study the crop sitda-
tion and compare the damages in diff
ferent localities. III general way, 1t
may be said the drought is SO uni
versal that from here to Calgary not
stretch Of single mile can be
found where some damage has not
resulted from the drought. Northern
Iowa has suffered to some extent,
Minnesota considerably more and
North Dakota and Southern Canada
great deal more. While the effect
of the drought is universal through.
out the west, 1t may be said that the
greatest damage is to be found in q
strip Of country running from the
foot hills Of the Rock Mountains east
the center Of which would be the
boundary line between the United
StatesSand Canada. II any difference
can be pointed out think the injury
to the crops south of the Canadian
line is greater than north of 1t. The
damage to the crops north Of this line
Is largely confined to Southern Mani
toba, Saskatchewan and Alberta. The
northern part of these provinces has
had sufficient amount of rain to in
sure good crops and the people are
therefore delighted with the prospects.
Southeastern Alberta, extending as far
north as Olds, has suffered extensively.
and vet there will be. a. fair yield of
small grain In many localities, in
fact, through all this territory quite a
large per cent of the fields will yield
half crop or more. The unequal
yield does not depend so much upon
rain in one locality and the absence
Of it in others, during the summer, as
upon the method Of farming. 1t is
not an unusual thing to find farms
/ divided only by partition fence or
highway; with splendid crops on one
side and no prospect Of anything on the
other. No better reason can be as
signed for this difference than that
one farmer exercises greater intelli-
gence than the other in preparing his
ground for the crop and putting the
seed in the ground. It has come 10
be universally recognized that the
8 Campbell system of farming is the
only method which can be adopted
for insuring crop. Those who are
trying the experiment are rewarded
every year with good crops and those
who do not are generally doomed to
failure. The farmer who properly
plows his ground and cultivates it Sc
as to hold the moisture is ordinarily
as sure of crop in that country as
in one of the eastern states. The
system involves bringing moisture
from below rather than depending
upon the rainfall. or more properly
speaking, 1t is to hold and conserve
the moisture in the ground and tc
prevent its escape by evaporation
and this Is accomplished by pulver
fzing the top of the soil and packing
it to prevent the escape of the mois
ture. In the high river district in
Canada the rain fall for the last yeal
has. not exceeded five inches, and in
the Lethbridge district south of there
1t has not exceeded four inches, ant
( yet in this territory many fields lool
as green and the growth appears al
vigorous as il the rain fall had ex
ceeded five times that much. BIZ,
this condition exists only where the
Campbell system Of dry farming is ii
use. It means more work for the
farmer, the farming Of fewer acres
+ and the exercise of greater intelli
gence than is sometimes found among
the farmers Of the western country
but the results Justify thesapplicatiol