The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1918-04-04
CHANGE IN THE
FARMERS LIFE
making a Living" Idea Has De.
veloped Into a money
Making Fact"


their families. They worked hard,
and titled their acres with this end In
view. Honest struggle, earnest eff
fort and true conception Of upright
manhood, together with the inCreas-
Ing knowledge that upon 'he fruits OF
their endeavOr rested the structure or
the world, whose people had to be fed
and maintained. Economy In method,
improved conditions of working, have
ADDED TO the farmers possibilities, ana
today instead of being plodder for
an existence, which his early training
had bred into him, he has become the
| bulwark of the nation, and, as such,
has become elevated TO position
where his word and his work are rec
| ogniZed ns the factors 1t was always
| intended they should he. He Is now
the man of busncSs-Of big business.
lie has forced an appreciation Of his
work, and the true value has been
placed upon il. The big men Of the
country today are the farmers, who,~
with business aCumen and forensic
forethought are able to tell yOu-from
their books-what it costs to produce
bushel of wheat or a pound of wool.
All of which is intended to prove
that farming Is business, as much
as banking or selling suit of clothes.
1t Is an Industrial business. with more
certain profits than accompany any
other line of trade. Ii Is a manufac-
turing enterprise, devoid of any of the
dangers that the frills of fashions
follles and desires force upon ordinary
| pursuits. Food Is something that all
must have and the farmer produces 1t.
\ The cheaper II can be produced the less
VIII be the cost TO the consumer. And
this Is one of the chief thoughts of the
farmer. Within the memory OF the
| ten-year-old boy there have been inn
provements In machinery. changes in
methods scientific discoveries of chem
| lcals as adapted TO agriculture, all OF
which have leSsencd cost of production
| and made possible the cultivation of
| increased acres. In some parts these
things have brought about more inten-
siied agriculture, growing heavier
crops on less acres. Improved machn-
cry and demand for greater production
have led another class in search OF
larger areas, where their ability may
cope with the growing Of greater
number of bushels. That is one of the
reasons why Western Canada lands
| have recently come into such demand.
| These at from twenty to thirty dol
lars an acre, and producing the pro-
/ digious crops that are claimed for
| them, have attracted thousands of
| American settlers, while other thou
| sands have gone out into the lands in
| the Western states But, as TO the Can
! ada lands, there is this to say Of them,
today they are cheap, and If they will
yield sufficient In one year TO pay the
cost of the entire purchase, why should
not there be demand. The country
| Is well settled, and settlement is in
Creasing. As evidence of the growth
of the three Western Provinces into
whose territories the Canadian Govern
ment invites settlers, recent reports
show the following increases from 1913
TO 1917 inclusive:
Value of Field Crops
1913 1917
Manitoba IS 6i,5j7,00O Sl37, ,47055O
Saskatchewan 129,376,000 3i9,4SS,20O
Alberta go. 4G,7l2,000 176,965SOO
Total go. .S2;0,6I5,000 S6G3,92i550
The total value of field crops for
| 1917 was SG63 02i 500, produced on less
than 59,000,00O acres of land.
Further evidence of prosperity and
progress is found in the Government
estimate of the value Of farm lands,
and increase in value since 1905:
1905 1916
! Manitoba .............,-i.5U o-.u3
Saskatchewan .........2O,4O 23.J7
Alberta ..lS2O 22.lS
II will be observed that the average
price Of lands has not kept pace with
their producing value. 1t is therefore
pointed out that the opportunities for
the purchase Of high-Class land Is still
within the reach of those with linn
tied means.
A good idea of advancement In n
country's progress may he obtained by
knowledge of what has been done In
the production of cattle, and when
these figures are studied in connection
with Western Canada, Il country whose
fame having been heralded as Il grain
growing country, giving the idea that
that was what 1t was mostly adapted
to, II will be realized that there is
there a vast storehOuse of wealth
awaiting those who choose to take ad-
vantage of IL. In the three provinces
I'm 1912 there were--horses, milch cows,
other cattle, sheep and swine, four MIL
lion head. while in 1917 the number
was seven million.
In 1901 the entire population was
410,5l2; in 1916 l,69S,220.
One marvels at the rapid progress
of the United States during the nine'
teenth century. But Americas oppor-
tunities for growth at the beginning
of that century were nothing compared
to the opportunities which are Can
ada's at the present time.
The fact that Canada has as its next
door neighbor n nation of over 100000
000--the richest nation in the world
is bound to have stimulating effect
on It's progress Already one sees
signs OF it on every hand.
Canada not only has the largest area
of unoccupied, but fertile, laud Of any
country, but this land is already made
available by n network of railways.