The Bourbon news. [volume] (Paris, Ky.) 1895-19??, 1913-10-31

Canadian Northwest was regarded as
a dreary, inhospitable, Siberian-like
region capable of no other trade than
that which its fur-bearing animals
made possible. Suddenly there came
knowledge that millions and mil
lions of acres were peculiarly adapt
ed, both in nature of the soil and in
the climatic characteristics of the re-
gion, to the cultivation of wheat.
There were pioneers who took ad-
vantage of this opportunity and where
they lead other farmers went until
at last Canada has harvested as many
bushels of wheat as the United States
for few years after the building of
railroads opened up the wheat lands
of the West and Northwest to the
farmers.
The fact that the North American
Continent in this year 1913 has har-
vested nearly one million bushels of
wheat is of vast consequence to world
commerce. These harvests will tend
to increase the reciprocal trade be-
tween Canada and the United States,
which is now very large, if we leave
raw cotton out of the consideration,
is the largest trade in the United
States has with any foreign nation.
James ]. Hall, in his recent address
at Boston, spoke in monitOry words
of what he believed to be the tenden-
cy at the present time toward manu-
facture and away from agriculture.
These figures, however, would seem to
show that the growers of wheat upon
the North American continent are full
'ly holding their own with the manu-
facturers. The two industries are
very closely allied and "a billion
bushels of harvested wheat this year
will inevitably stimulate greatly man
ufacturers in Canada and the United
States.
Canada, of course, by reason of its
climate, will never threaten the per-
eminence of the United States as an
Indian corn producing country, al
though her. two hundred million BUSH
els of wheat harvested this year may
point to the time when she will equal
or even surpass the United States as
a Wheat-prOducing nation. The mag
nificent harvests of Indian corn in
Louisiana and the South, and the ex-
cellent harvests of this grain in the
corn belts further North, have made
it possible for the Washington au-
thorities to report that the total har-
vest this year is not much below the
average of normal corn crops.
The stupendous harvest of corn last
year was phenomenal, and it is not
exactly fair to compare the harvest of
this year with the exceptional record
made last year. The corn belts did
produce this year approximately two
million bushels of corn. The scorch-
ing heat and other, climatic causes
reduced our corn harvests so that the
number of bushels was a little below
the average for the past five years,
but it is magnificent harvest and
the figures tell story of the great
extent of our corn-producing belts
so great that no conceivable climatic
conditions can impare greatly the
corn harvests of the United States.
Moreover, this year we have, as so
often happens, more than made good
with one harvest the depreciation of
another
: What we have lost in corn we have
relatively speaking, gained in wheat.
Canada raised this year nearly four
hundred thousand bushels of oats.
her great oats harvest of
our own production of oats. AS was
our own production of oast As was
the case with the Canadian wheat
harvest, so also the Canadian harvest
of oats showed rapid and steady
growth and contains hints of the
time when Canada may be harvesting
oats In as large an amount as the. !
United States. These wonderful har- |
vests, although garnered by the peo-
pie of two different nations, are new
erthless the bounteous contribution of !
he soil of the North American con-
,inent and together will increase the
wealth of these two nations by hun
1reds of millions of dollars.