Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1915-12-16
WESTERN CANADks
WONDERFUL YIELD
Wheat Yields Reports Extraor.
dinariIy Heavy.

When n hears of individual wheat
yields of thirty-tive to forty bushels
per acre, there is considerable incre-
dulity, but when yields, in whole town.
ships extending into districts covering
three and four and five hundred square
miles in area, of upwards of fifty and
some as high as sixty-tive bushels per
acre are reported, one is led to put
his a to the ground to listen for fur
her rumblings. The writer having
heard of these wonderful yields made
a trip through the provinces of Mani
toba, Saskatchewan and Alberta, to
ascertain first hand their truthfulness.
1t was remarkable to discover that
Dame Rumor was no rumorer after all,
that modesty was her mantle, that
all that had been said of these yields
was true, and that yields of over sew
enty bushels per acre were told of.
These We're so high that the truthful
ness of the story was doubtful and
very little was said of them. But
such there were, and not in one in
stance, but in several, not in one To-
cality but scattered in places hun
dreds of miles apart. Leaving these
out altogether, there were large areas
in which the average was over fifty
bushels e acre, which in all COM
mon ought to satisfy most peo-
pie. One hundred and thirty thresh-
ers in Alberta have made their re-
turns to the local government as re-
quired by an act of the Legislature,
and the average of the wheat threshed
was fifty-three bushels to the acre. So
immense was the yield that official
veritication was required before giving
it out to the public. Sitting in the
smoking compartment of a day coach,
where on passing through a farming
community. there may be gathered the
gossipy yarns of the neighborhood,
n hears also a lot of news. Just
now, the sole topic is that of the
crops. A man with more or less OF
a hirsute appendage, smock, clothes
and hands giving the appearance Of
one working in the field, was asked
as to the crops. He had got on at
Warner, Alberta. Taking out his pipe.
lighting it and then crossing his knees,
sessing an air of supreme content
ment, and with an intelligent face, he
looked the MAJ who could give some
information. And he was just the
man. He was a thresher and on his
way to Milk River to secure some
more help. He was requisitioned for
information. Yes, a bood season,
I've made a lot Of money. AS for
yields, let's see,' and then he began
to string them Off. Peterson had 63
bushels Of wheat per acre or his five
hundred acre farm; from $50 acres
Roland got IS bushels per acre; Blu
gler had one hundred and ten acres
that went So bushels; Carr had 65
bushels per acre off an eight hundred
acre field And he gave others run
ming from So to &c bushels per acre.
All these people lived east of War
ner, Alberta. Looking out of the win
dow and seeing immense fields, still
covered with stocks he was asked
why they were not threshed, he re-
piled that there were not enough
rigs in the district, and that they
would not get through before Christ
mas.
An American writing of a trip he
made through Western Canada says:
Il went as far west as Saskatoon,
back to Regina, Moose Jaw, and down
on the 500 line, and l must say that
| never saw such crops, or ever heard
of anything to compare with it in
any country ON earth. The country
is over the hill, and certainly the farm
ers have a lot to be thankful for.
There are very few of them that
have done their work and lone it
properly but what have their debts
paid and have bank accounts left"
And he only travelled the skirt of
the country. The same story could
be written of any part of any Of
three Observation-Disclosures.