The L'Anse sentinel., 1917-02-03
THE BASIS OF
CANADA'S RICHES
A Theme Discussed by the Wall
Street Journal.

| ago the Wall Street Journal made the
| statement that 1.-THE basis of Canadas
riches is the fertility Of the soil, ana
no freak of warfare can injure tha'
while her grain will Increase Ii de-
mand as the population of the worlo
grows. AS an investment field Canada
Is worthy of consideration" THESE
words are well worthy of attention, es'
pecially coming from such source as
| this eminent financial journal. With
a land area exceeding that or the
United States and with tillable areas
| coming under cultivation, the wealth.
| Of Canada's future can scarcely be estl-
mated, while the wealth today is such
| as to bring her most prominently De-
fore the world.
| During the past year thousands OF
| farmers In Western Canada sold their
| crops for more than the total cost OF
! their land. Lands at from S15 to S3o
an acre produced crops worth $40 to
$75 an acre. Stock raising and dairy
Ing were equally profitable.
The year 1915 saw most wonderful
crops and magnificent yields over the
entire country, and many farmers
wiped out indebtednesses that hhd
hung over them long before they came
to the country, and the year 1916 put
them in q condition of absolute inde-
pendence. A report to hand veriiied
by q high official might seem marvel
ha
known. and where are not other cases
that would seem almost as phenom-
enal. This Is southern Alberta story:
A farmer wished to rent an adjoining
farm on which loan company held
mortgage. The applicant said he want
ed the first ten bushels Of wheat, after
which he would divide, giving the loan
company one-thlr,i. After threshing
he paid into the bank at Calgary SIG
| per acre for every acre cultivated, TO
the credit of the loan company. ms
their share or their third Of the crop.
| Sixteen dollars per acre rent. His
two-thlrds was $50 and in addition the
first ten bushels of wheat. Land on
this same security can be purchased
for from SIG to $50 per acre. Won
derful yields are reported from all
parts of this district. Recently 4,64O
acres of q ranch were sold to an ILL
nois farmer; 300 acres Of wheat In
| 1916 produced yield that averaged
421s bushels of wheat per acre. George
Richard, formerly of Provi 'nnce, r. l.,
on q southern Alberta farm got 2O52
bushels of wheat from q 50acre field,
! or over 40 bushels per acre, and from
50-acre field of oats got return of
&c bushels per acre and still had some
shcaves left over for feeding.
A report just issued by the Alberta
government gives the yield-of wheat In
the showing of 1N1G as % bushels per
acre 45 bushels OF oats and 80 bushels
of barley.
Travellers through Alberta's wheat
belt have had revealed to them scenes
Of agricultural productiveness unap-
preached in any other part of the
world.
Alberta farms, selected with even
moderate discretion, have raised men
to independence and aflluence with rec.
ords of wonderful development unsur.
passed amongst the phenomenal indus
trial success Of which Canada well may
! boast.
Many almost Incredible yields have
been reported by reliable authorities.
wheat exceeding 30 bushels per acre
and oats 145 bushels.
Numerous records show that the cost
Of farms has been more than repaid by
| this years crop. In one instance, land
purchased for $4,000 produced wheat
which was sold for little over $4,000.
During the year 1917 there will be
to take care Of the crop in Manitoba.
Saskatchewan and Alberta.
One of the problems which Western
Canada has to face every year Is the
securing Of an adequate supply Of
| labor to handle the harvesting and
threshng Of its big crops. This prob
lem, indeed. is always present In any
country that has big agricultural pro-
| duction; In the case of Western Can
ada It is enhanced by the comparative
sparsity of population and the long dis
tance from industrial districts, which
can be expected to offer surplus of
labor.
In Western Canada the present diff
culties are increased by the war. A very
large number Of Western Canada's
small population have enlisted for serv.
ice with the Canadian forces in Europe,
and at the present time there is gen.
orally speaking no surplus of labor for
the ordinary channels Of Industry, to
say nothing of the abnormal demands
of harvest time. The situation, how
ever, has to some extent been met by
the action of the Canadian militia de-
partment, who have released all such
men who are still In training in the
western military camps and who desire
to engage In harvest work for period
of generally one month.
The actual number of men engaged
In 1915 In harvest work was between