The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1917-04-06
THE BASIS OF
CANADA'S RICHES
A Theme Discussed by the Wall
Street Journal.

age the Wall Street Journal made the
statement that 1.-The basis of Canada's
riches is the fertility of the soil, and
no freak of warfare can injure that
while her grain will increase in de-
mand as the population Of the world
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
Z land area exceeding that OF the
I nited States and with tillable areas
coming under cultivation, the wealth
of Canada's future can scarcely be est
mated, while the wealth today is such
as TO bring her most prominently be-
fore the world.
During the past year thousands OF
farmers In Western Canada sold their
crops for more than the total cost oil
their land. Lands at from SO to S3O
an acre produced crops worth $40 to
SO 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 had
hung over them long before they came
to the country, and the year 1916 put
them in q condition of absolute indie
pendence. A report TO hand verihed
| by high official might seem marvel
Gus, were the particulars not well
known, and where are not other cases
that would seem almost as phenom-
email. This is southern Alberta story:
A farmer wished TO rent an adjoining
farm on which loan company held a
mortgage. The applicant said he want
ed the first ten bushels of wheat, after
which he would divide, giving the loan
company one-third. After threshing
he paid into the bank at Calgary SIG
per acre for every acre cultivated, to
| the credit of the loan company, as
their share or their third Of the crop.
Sixteen dollars per acre rent. His
two-thirds was $50 and in addition the
first ten bushels of wheat. Land on
this same security can be purchased
for from SIC 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 Illi-
nOis farmer; 800 acres OF wheat In
1916 produced yield that averaged
1912 bushels of wheat per acre. George
Richard, formerly of Providence, L. l.,
on n southern Alberta farm got 2,Oo2
| iQl
or over 40 bushels per acre, and from
a 5O-acre field of oats got return OF
rs bushels per acre and still had some
sheaves left over for feeding.
A report just issued by the Alberta
government gives the yield of wheat in
!, the showing of 1916 as 2S bushels per
acre: As bushels of oats and 80 bushels
of barley.
Travellers through y .rta'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 ever
moderate discretion, have raised men
TO independence and affluence with rec
ords of wonderful development unsur
passed amongst the phenomenal indus
trial success of which Canada we'll may
boast.
Many almost incredible yields hay,
been reported by reliable authorities
wheat exceeding 20 bushels per acre
and oats 145 bushels.
Numerous records show that the cos
of farms has been more than repaid b,
this years crop. In one instance, lane
purchased for $4,000 produced whea
which was sold for little over $4,000
During the year 1917 there will b
an immense amount OF labor requires
to take care of the crop in Manitoba
Saskatchewan and Alberta.
| One of the problems which Western
| Canada has to face every year is tn
securing of an adequate supply o
( labor 20 handle the harvesting an'
| threshing of its big crops. This prob
| lem, indeed, is always present in an
| country that has big agricultural pre-
l duction in the case of Western Can
| ada ii is enhanced by the comparativ
sparsity of population and the long dis
:. lance from industrial districts, whlc
can be expected to offer a surplus o
labor.
In Western Canada the present diff
= culties are increased by the war. \ yer
s large number of Western Canada
r small population have ENLISTED for serN
n ice with the Canadian forces in Europe
% and at the present time there is gel
{ orally speaking no surplus Of labor fo
> the ordinary channels of industry,
: say nothing of the abnormal demand
: of harvest time. The situation, how
y ever, has TO some extent been met b
e the action OF the Canadian militia d,
S. partment, who have released all sue
10 men who are still in training in IN
western military camps and who desir
10 engage in harvest work for q periO
of generally one month.
The actual number of men engage
In 1915 in harvest work was betwee
forty and fifty thousand. Wages wei
!, higher than usual, running from ST.