The Ward County independent. [volume] (Minot, Ward County, N.D.) 1902-1965, 1911-06-01

on this subject; I live Id the city of
Minot, in the northwestern section Of
my state, with the Canadian line but
a short distance away. The 500 rail.
road, transcontinental line, passes
through that city on its way to the
! Canadian northwest. For ten years
| have seen it's passenger trains
crowded with American home-seekers
and their families, hurrying to the
| lree rich lands Of Alberta, Saskatch-
evan, and British Columbia. We are
sending 100000 annually to that coun-
tryy; scarcely a freight train passed
] through my home city that does not
have one to five traction engines on
1 board, and in two instances this year
, full trains with a traction engine on
every car. They are breaking up that
( rich soil at the rate of one million
| to one million five hundred thousand
acres per year, and they will keep 1t
up without end or cessation as long
as there is cheap land or free home
in that country. l doubt very much
/ if this committee have a realizing
sense of what the Canadian northwest
means, its marvellous ,posst Utilities,
and the serious danger dhat con-
frcnts us as a people when we talk
about Canada competing in this coun-
try on its farm products on an equal
basis. They have 200,00O,00O acres
of grain land, that is oats, barley,
fax. wheat and rye, and I want to
say right here that there is no place
on this continent of ours that will
compare with it taken as whole, in
excellence and fertility. They have
las, ooNo 900 acres of grazing and dairy
land. Take into consideration what
they produce per acre on this land
of wheat. they will produce within
tive years at the present rate Of in
crease of acreage per year 900, 000, 900
bushels That will enable them to
sell in this or some other country
not less than 4O0,o0O,0OO. Ten years
ago they raised no fax worth men.
tioning. They are now raising from
5,O0o, 900 to 100000 bushels, and will
increase this output a hundred per
cent within the next two years if this
agreement goes through. The passage
of this agreement means that the
time-honored bikes are to be removed,
and Canada's surplus permitted to
roll over. l want to say to you that
flax
Senator Williams: How much fax
does the United States import?
Mr.. Devine: Import, not any.
Senator Williams: How much does
she export?
Mr.. Devine: About 5,O0O,O0O; we
produce about 100000 bushels of
fax in the country as a whole.
Senator Williams: And that is
how much?
Mr.. Devine: | want to tell you
about flax. Flax is what We call out
west a poor mans crop and l will
tell you why. Very few farmers who
have come to North Dakota, and very
few farmers go to Canada who have
any great amount of ready cash, and
they are fortunate if they have their
stock and machinery. They immedi-
ately begin to break for fax in the
spring, and SOW fax on top of the
breaking as fast as the breaking
proceeds. This enables them to get
in from 10 to 100 acres the first yeal
they are on the land, in that way get
ting ready cash the first year to pur-
chase the things needed for the win
ter, and placing them in a position
to 60 on with the work of developing
the farm the next. year.
Senator Williams: Is the price of
flax ordinarily controlled by the Liv-
erpool market?
Mr.. Devine: No sir, and for the
reason that there is no Liverpool
market in this case.
Senator Williams: No, nor for any
thing else that we import.
Mr.. Devine: We have millions OF
acres to break up in our state, and
the argument that has been made
that we have to get wheat from Can
ada because we are not producing
enough to keep pace with the nor
NAL demand. If the present prices
will continue to hold, will make this
statement that North Dakota can and
VIII add 50,0O0,000 to it's present out