CANADA.

Western Star, Issue 346, 24 April 1880, Page 6 (Supplement)

CANADA.

Toronto : December. Nearly _ fifty years’ experience in Canada, beginning with the ordinary habits of a gentleman—and these are never of much help to a working man—continuing with a full practical knowledge of agricultural, operations, both with my own hands and those of hired men,- has, I.believe, given mefthe right to think I know where prosperity- begins, and the causes of failure, so desirable: to be avoided by parties coming .to .Canada.:, One great fundamental principle, during iny life has been to;.save under apy circumstances, and this is the golden rule that leads to prosper! ty heije* more Than in any other country in the- world. No matter what a: man with little or no capital , may make, nnless he saves-heis no better off at: the end; than -he was At the beginning of theiyear; and no- matter, what he may make-this year, if he spends it all : without having, something substantial to show for . it, something that others value and : will buy, he is, perhaps, rather worse, off : than before, as he has to a certain extent, more, or : less; acquired extensive; (habits,. , and These are.very difficult to, correct —rin. fact, almost impossible, as the. experience of the world-daily shows, .unless gaunt Want, with its iron hand, compels us To do what is; so distasteful To all*, v And,: moreover, Strict economy and habits of saving really bring their own happiness with them, as there is always hope; for the future That this economy: will ultimately lead to good results, and some Time in the fdture.be no longer necessary. ■ . In the foregoing consists the chance of prosperity in Canada, and .any family determining'to; follow these -precepts is cerTafn to succeed ; without .them they would hot do so. The reason is quite evident; our labor costs I dol, a day. for every day a working man is employed on the farm ; after we have raised a bushel of wheat we have to send it 1000 miles to the sea coast, arid then up wardsof 2000Limiles by water, before it reaches, the. consumer. This wheaf is grown on land the average value of’ w-hieh .(including -buildings); in good, available situatioqsj is at least 35 dols. to :'4Q dols. per acre,added to/which our average crop . 'is far below the yield in • ■England. ; rln -additiori the holdings are small in Canada.. s Where,there;is one farmer who farms 200 acres of cleared land - there are atTeast twenty or thirty who farm 100 acres. Consequently the business is top small to afford JArge profits. Good am. quite willing to adnait, are the . results of good farming on good land, but it costs as much to keep, a family who live on a small farm and do a small business as it does if the farm be double or triple thesize, and accordingly double or triple the profit is a gross return. Large farms require large capital, and* Canada, being essentially a poor map’s country, has a hundred men bn farms with small capital to one who has a large amount of capital invested; and these small men with small capital who work, themselves, living hard and working hard, form the opposing element to: others who possess ■ more means. . ; ,

' An other reason is the high rate of interest paid for money in Canada—B to 10 ;per cent, being an ordinary everyday rate paid, according , to the perfect and absolute security offered* and where money is loaned at this rafce, it is always bn good freehold landed security. In all chattel securities dr notes on which adyance ia made, 2 or 3 per cent, a ’montb is constantly paidy and without grumbling, or the lender being considered as usurious. Consequently, pedple who co ne to Canada with capita!

that would purchase a farm of ;400 acres at' 40 dol. pbr acre, leaving sufficient to stock it and live for one year, would, certainly require at least 20,000 dol, and as they could loan this money at 8 per cent, interest without the shadow ot a chance of risk, they might hesitate to lock up so. large a sum from which, an .income of lOOO.dol. a year could directly be derived. Sixteen hundred dollars clear cash income yearly* in a -country where beef by the quarter rarely exceeds 6 c. per lb, ; and flour 5 dol./a barrel (196 lb), and other things in similar proportion, may well tempt a farmer with capital to live on his interest instead of investing it in agricultural operations. Afc the same time and on the other hand, every man must have employment, and so ought- 4 his daughters. ; .There are also a hundred; advantages to housekeeping; from living on land, that would cost a large sumif the articles. were supplied by parties,; who grow them to sell to those who. consume but. do not produce., , ' : 4 The large item of “ house-rent” is saved on a farm, while in the city .or town it amounts to from 120 to 200 dol, per annum. It is true a house could ; be bought or built in a village where -the necessary, land,- say half an acre, would be Wor th but a few dollars, still tUefe= would he.at, least from 120 to, 150 dol- to be charged as interest annually,-; which would be. salved on a. farm. * - “ Fuel” again. - This item u will amount, to 100 dol, in a city, and from 50 to 60 dol. in a village, bureau he had;, for the cutting on a farm. So with vegetables of all kinds, bread^: and stock , meat, such pork and.-.beef,3the expense o^which is not much fqlt on a.farm, but which in the. city will cost from 100 to 200 dol. a year. Milk in abundance is almost valuelesss on a farm, hut 2 quarts a day at 6 c. will cost about 43 dol. a year in a city pi* village. . A horse for family use costs.but little on a • farm, and the keep and : renewal from colts - to supply its place is not much felt, but in the city it costsPt least from 120 to l 3 0; dol. a year" to keep an 1 ordinary driving cob,Without including the cost of attendance, which will certainly amount to 200' dol. more.- j : • 1 u ' rr ‘And ’so 'with'many things-’ on a - farm. WW enjoy theray though without thinking how much they Would cost if we had to buy them;' 7 (The' ; one item *of * { .butter” Will cost in a city;family at least 75 dol. a? year • and a- better article and : far more abundant supply can: be derived from the farm; without! feeling thei cost;; dnd as .young co ws to supply the place of the?ibld; are raised on?the?farm,- as well as'the food they.:? consume, .these items ?aa articles of expense are little felt. . Hitherto also there has been one enormous gain to the landy thegreat increase in.thevalue bflland. Tn fairness to those iaterested, it must be stated that there-is no contingent ? probability of any such increasing value to: land bought in Ontario hereafter* as has * formerly been, sately calculatedion. -or Wild i land used to be purchased at from 2 to 4 dol. an acre, as the best land is long since occupied. The cost of clearing an in: different! farm is far greater than that of clearing .the best dry hardwood laud, and anyone buying- cleared farms can only calculate on making a purchase, increasing in value in accordance with ; the necessities of the vendor. Consequently the great item of increase in value cannot be certainly ; relied, on.

It is a curious fact that notwithstanding the high price of money in Canada,; ind' the rate of interest farms can be rented at a much cheaper rate than they can Be when charging the rent paid as an interest ou the investment. Excellent farms with good buildings can be rented,at from 3|r to 4 dol. aa acre for, the cleared portion, with the privilege of cutting firewood from the uncleared parts,, and utilising them as pasture. Whereas the land could not be purchased as a whole, cleared and uncleared, at less probably than from 40 to 60 dol. an acre, say average 50 ddl.,- and average rent 3.50 dol. The woodland generally consists of 20 percent, of the whole farm. Consequently a farm of 100 acres with 80 acres cleared* would cost if rented 280 dol; a-year, and if purchased at 50 dol. an acre, the interest oh the investment at 8 per cent, would be 40C» ddl; This incongruity arises from the fact of there being a- number of old people whose elder sons have left them, and who are; desirous of educating their younger sons for some other 'line' of life.;: Hence they decide to let - the farm in the meantime till some family change takes place. Many rentals with right to purchase at fixed sums are entered into in Canada, and these bargains are very satisfactory' to all concerned. Should the tenant be.unsuccessful; be can pay his rent and leave ; and if, on the other hand, he is successful and desires to make a home for ever of his holding, he can do so at a fixed : pf ice : determined when he entered on his leasehold.—A. B. C. in the Agricultural Gazette. ; r ' ; -' 1 ‘