HARVESTING IN CANADA

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 85, Issue 230, 30 September 1941, Page 4

HARVESTING IN CANADA

MR. N. M. IZARD RtLATES HIS EXPERIENCES ADDRESS TO ROTARY CIA B Experiences of a trip to Canada during a long vacation when a student al Cambridge University in 1928, were related by Mr. N. M. Izard, at yesterdays luncheon of the Wanganui Rotary Club. With a fellow student. Mr. Izard arrived in Quebec on a Sunday, but they did not encounter any difficulty in obtaining any information they required. They decided to go on to Toronto, where they could obtain jobs on farms. Running water and a bath are almost unknown in a Canadian farm house, although every farmer has his automobile, and not a few have electric light in the house and barn, he said. Mr. Izard said his first task was hoeing potatoes. The day’s work began at 5 am and did not finish until 7 p.m. In the six weeks he was on the farm the speaker said he acquired a very useful knowledge of farming and farming interests. With the desire to see something of the country. th<‘ companions decided to move on. but allowed themselves a break in order to see the famous Niagara Falls. This being accomplished, they joined up with a crowd of 40.000 going to tn western harvest. Special harvest trains, each accommodating 1000 persons. left at different times for Win nipeg, which Is the great distributing centre for the west. In addition tv the usual train officials, each of the harvest trains had three or four railwav police to keep order. From Winnipeg Mr. Izard and his companion travelled to Edmonton, the capital of Alberta, but on arrival there found that harvesting would not begin for some time. They eventually went to a small town called Red Deer, where they received an offer of work under much better conditions than previously. The new employer was an Englishman whose father ha'’, farmed in Lincolnshire, but had settled in Canada before the Great War. He had a well-kept farm of 4SO acres, half of it in grain.

In eight working days Mr. Izard and his friend stocked 100 acres of wheat, 60 of barley, and about a third of the oats.

Before they left Canada the two friends went over the Rocky Mountains into British Columbia and stayed at Vernon, which is situated near the centre of the Okanagan Valley As labour was scarce they immediately got employment picking apnleat three and a-half dollars a day Picking apnles, Mr. Izard said, was a dull job. The orchards were largely run by Englishmen, retired officers and others. After a few days of apple picking it was time to begin the return journey to England for th n beginning of tho new university term After his return to England Mr. Izard wrote a comprehensive article of his tour which was published in the Cambridge University Agriculture. Society magazine.

On the motion of Mr. A. R. Donaldson. Mr. Izard was given a vote of thanks for his talk.