CANADIAN WHEAT CROP.

Otago Witness, Issue 2811, 26 August 1908, Page 24

CANADIAN WHEAT CROP.

OTTAWA, August 21. i j There is ideal harvesting weather in ! South Manitoba, and threshing is general. j The quality of the crop is excellent. I 1 Writing from Ottawa on June 30, our i Canadian correspondent stated: — At this 1 time the material welfare of the Dominion , centres in the growing crops. The spring l conditions were favourable, and the immediate outlook is niost encouraging. Canada ac an agricultural country rejoices in this. When we speak of the grain harvest nowadays, our thoughts turn to the great plains of the West ; but it must not be inferred that wheat is not produced elsewhere. The province of Ontario grows millions of bushels of all kinds of cereals, and so does Quebec. It is only in tho provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia that the growing of wheat does not represent a large industry, the conditions there being more favourable for other branches of pastoral activity It is, however, in the prairie provinces that grain is the staple product, owing to the fact that millions of acres of land lie ready for the plougher and sower. The prairie at all times -suggests sowing or grazing. In the West there has been a considerable increase in the acreage put under crop. In Manitoba, the crop report published i by the Government shows an acreage of ; 2,850,640 under a'heat, -a compared with ' 2,789,553 last year, m increase of 61,087, or a little over 2 per cent. The acreage under oats is 1,216,632, as compared with 1,213,596 "last year, an increase of "3036, or less than 1 per cent. The acreage under barley is 658,441, as compared with 649,570 last year, an increase of 8871, or a little over 1 pei cent. The acreage under other grains, including flax, rye, peas, fodder corn, brome, rye grass and timothy, is 209,362, as compared with 180,096 last year, an increase of 29,266, or about 16 per cent. The total acreage under all grains is 4,935,075, as compared with 4,832,815 last year, an increase of 102,260, or a little more than 2 per cent.

The report is most optimistic in its references to present crop conditions and the outlook for yield. It says, in part : " The spring opened earJy, with fine weather, which continued throughout, with sufficient moisture and the soil in a most favourable condition for seeding purposes. At present there ie enough moisture stored in the soil to carry the crop for some time, which bespeaks a full and perfect harvest this year ; in fact, it ie many years since we have had so bright a prospect as that of the present season to date, reports from all districts being most satisfactory." In the Province of Saskatchewan, which ha 6 had a much shorter history than Manitoba, official returns indicate the acreage sown to wheat this year at 2,374,058, as compared with an estimated acreage of 2,047,724 at this time last year, an increaee of 326,334, or 16 per cent. Indicated acres of oat 6, 1,170,452, as compared with an estimated acreage of 801,810 at this time last year, an increase of 368,642, or 46 per cent. Indicated acreage of barley. 101.033, as compared with an estimated acreage of 79,339 this time last year, an increase of 21,694, or 27 per cent. Indicated acreage of flax, 141,451, ac com- | pared with an estimated acreage of i 128,528 this time last year, an increase of 12,923, or 10 per cent. Indicated total area under four principal grains, 3,786,994. as compared with an estimated acreage of 3,057,401 this time last year, an increase of 729,593, or 24 per cent. Last year final returns showed the grain area harvested to be about 140,000 acres less than tho area sown in the springr, indieatiner a large proportion abandoned. A comparison of this year's estimates, with the areas actually covered by thrashing operations last fall. will, therefore, be more accurate, seeing that there is very little probability of any grain beine abandoned by the harvesters this year. Wheat shows a gain of 402.959 acres, or 20 per cent, as compared with the final acreage for 1907. Oats show a pain of 426,265 acres, or 57 . per cent. ; barley, a pain of 23,913 acres, or^Sl per cent. ; and flax a erain of 16,422 acres, or 13 per cent. On tfte same basis the total acreage under the four principal , £rains show a gain of 869,550 acres, or 30 per cent. Even an advance of 24 per . cent, as shown by a comparison with tho early estimates of la6t year may be interpreted as meaning a wide extension of « agricultural activity in this province.