The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1912-06-27
FARMING SEASONS TOO SHORT
Crops in the Dominion are About Half
Claimed by the Boosters and Must
be Harvested in Hurry in Order
to Make Any Profts
Winnipeg, Canada.
June 10th, 1912.
Mr.. Editor:

Mr.. Editor:
left home during the early part of
OF about the middle of April and have
spent about all of that time in this
Northwest country. Of course [ have
not been here long enough to really
know much about it.
But still one cannot avoid impress
sions and observations, be they right
or wrong The climate for purposes of
recuperating ones strength and health
is not at all beneficial, as | had an
ticipated. The seasons react, con-
trary to some opinion, and for the
most part, they cannot be said to be
especially agreeable. AS far as | am
personally concerned. | am quite sure
The only benefit | may expect, except
for catarrh, for which 1 believe it is
quite beneficial; is from the change,
which is no doubt doing me some good.
So much Of the surface soil in this
country is Of light, but not exactly
sandy nature, that is, it is gritless,
but blows readily and might almost be
termed blow soil. Perhaps | can ex-
plain by comparing it to flour, a few
drops of rain and you have a paste,
1 but contrary to comparison, an hour
of sunshine and an ordinary wind, of
which you get plenty at times, and
you have dust clouds everywhere. |
was in one Of these dust storms in Sas-
katoon recently, but was able to find
shelter, and during this storm it was
impossible to see objects about you,
sufocating, and so fine and fierce it
sifted through shacks and ordinary
houses, in spite of everything. By the
way. Saskatoon is romance in the
commercial world up here. Eight years
ago it numbered one hundred souls,
living in a few scattered shacks, and
now boasts Of twenty thousand. You
may kow there has been some lively
things going on in real estate. / stop
ped at the Empire Hotel while there,
and during my stay, it was sold to an
eastern man, entirely upon the agent s
representation for $150,000. The own
or had paid $4,000 a year ago, buy
ing from a man who had owned it a
year and had paid $4,000. Previous
to that it having sold for 100000. I
know the agent who recently sold it
and also met the original owner and
the man of whom he bought cow and
calf seven years ago. He made only a
part payment on the cow, and finally Of
fered this site (vacant, of course) for
the remaining payment and was refus-
ed The building that now stands on
it would be rated only a third rate
affair in our country, second rate any
where, although paid on special rates,
$3.50 per day while there. Hotels
monopolize the bar, and if rightly To-
Gated are simply gold mine
Best business property there now is
rated as high as $4,000 per front foot,
even heard OF $3,0001 The climate or
season rather, is very short here and
agricultural possibilities absurdly ex-
aggerated.
They advertise an average yield of II
or Is bu. of wheat, this really means
you see So to 9 bu., as they can work
only one half the land.
The land will OF stand continual
cropping, and besides, seasons are so
short they cannot seed more than half.
Seeing large field Of wheat in the
shock couple of weeks ago, I fac
Iiciously made the remark to land
agent, You see now what wide
awake country this is, farmers SOW one
year, harvest the ext and ship the next,
and no telling when they get their re-
turns" He smiled, but did not relish
it much. The country is the best ad-
vertised in the world, is over estimat-
ed, over specialized and expanded far
beyond its development There are
hundreds of millions of acres Of raw
land, and YOU can buy broke improved
farms just as cheap as raw land and
you can buy cf some farmer, who has
become discouraged and is ready to
sell out. However, there are good
many new corners all the time and
many cities are very active in public
improvements. Really, the place to
harvest your wheat is in newly boom
ing town, the country itself is a long.
slow, uncompromising proposition.
Statesmen receive considerable better
salaries here than at home, Cost of
living is very high.
The season is so short and unreliable
that pretty near every farmer with any
grain to speak Of ought to have a
threshing outfit Of his own in order to
lsaye his grain. It costs IS cents for