Middletown transcript., 1920-11-13
Isl Favored Land
Western . Canada Country Of
N Great Possibilities.
Soil, Climate, and Weather Conditions
All Factors in the Production Of
Unriva!ed Fruit, Vegetables
and Flowers as Well
as Grain,

as Grain.
AS recently as last month-to be cor
rect. it was the 18th of October. a time
Of year when one naturally looks for
the "frost upon the punkin," and Is
inclined to wander through the woods
in search of the ripened nuts, and ad-
mire the beautiful coIorings that the
autumn atmosphere has bestowed upon
the leaves; when one goes to his closet,
or maybe his pawnbroker, to find his
heavy clothing-it was that I found
myself the guest of a Western Canada
housewife in her beautiful home on
the outskirts of the pretty little town
of Moosomin, Saskatchewan. The din
ner! That's what Mrs. Wilde called
it. l should have termed it banquet.
There We're mallard duck, cooked to a
turn, baked pOtatOes-and such big.
mealy fellows they were, too-cauli-
fiower-and say. did you ever taste
one of those Western Canada cauli-
flOwer?-then dessert. What was the
dessert? / can see it now. Straw
berries, Strawberries that had been
picked that morning. Help yourself
to the cream-and it was cream that
is cream. But what I wanted to write
about was the Strawberries picked on
the 18th of October. AS l ate, and
turned my back while second help
ing was placed in front of me, / could
not but think how this goes to refute
the once accepted idea that the CHI
mate of Western Canada is such that
the ripening Of Strawberries at any
season is one Of the things that might
be looked upon as next to impossible
Fortunately it is rapidly giving place
to one which acknowledges that our
sister nation to the north possesses a
climate that makes it quite possible to
develop and ripen Strawberries even
in October.
But there is more 70 add. On Oc-
tObcr IA, just Il few days previous, Mr.
a. r. Smith. near the same town
plucked a splendid mess of green corn
from his garden. Near Rocauville
saskatchewan. wild raspberries were
picked during the same week. The
fact of ripening fruit at this date may
seem of little moment, hut when you
are told that corn did not suffer from
any vagarieS of weather, more atten.
ton may be paid TO it. The question
nf Wncfnl.r ('cnnIu'S nIir,,ofn
longer the hugaboo it once was, and
not so very long ago, either, when il
caused thinking people to think, and
unquestionably prevented many from
going to Canada who under other con
ditions would have gone.
In various parts of this country, at
different state and county fairs. the
government of the Dominion Of Can.
ada. during tine past few weeks. in
stalled exhibits of the grains and
grasses grown in Western Canada, and
at the same time showed fruits and
vegetables that were grown there
None Of these was placed in competi-
tion with the homegrown article. But
full understanding of what it would
mean to the local exhibitor if they
were. The Western Canadian-and
many of the exhibits were grown by
former Anericans-doesn not lay claim
to any special dispensation of intelli.
gence in the matter of the culture of
the articles placed on exhibition. but
willingly gives credit to the soil. the
climate, and such other indigenous
conditions as the country as whole
possesses. rs being factors that bring
about the largest yields of the best OF
wheat. oats, barley, flax and rye, as
we'll rs vegetables. AS is pointed out
by the gentlemen in charge of these
exhibits, and quite evident to all. the
possibilities of growing vegetables and
grain such as are shown can only eX!s:
where conditions such as have been
mentioned exist.
In speaking Of eating fresh straw
berries and. green corn in the middle
of October I should not fail to refer
to the beautiful bouquets that adorned
the table, the sidcboard. the window
sills, and almost every other available
vacant place in the room Flowers -
there We're asters, phloX. gladioi. peo-
MES. poppies. and l can't remember
the names of them all, but they were
there. Taken right from the garden,
having q fragrance that gave the room
tropical colOrs, and filled it with mar.
velously delightful perfumes. It was
very pretty sight. Then ! went out
into the garden and took photo of it.
It was simply wonderful. asked the
good lady how she managed it. She
said she had always been fond Of flow.
crs. In her old home. in one of the
central states. she carried on garden
horticulture. and had been acknOwl.
edged successful. "But my" she said,
II never got such bloom, and such a
variety as I do here" She admitted
it was lot of work, the watering, the
wedding. the hoeing, but such work
was a pleasure.
Well. such is some of the life In
Western Canada, and as l left the
farm home I concluded that much of
our surroundings are as we ourselves
thovu kdrorfica,napt