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I V vf /' V S.'-' ^v / ^ mum 1049108 e^Introduction -QyC^^ |HAT THE MANITOBA of to-day is not the Manitoba of fifteen or twenty years ago, is apparent to all who have observ- ed the development of the Province since the early days of settlement. Pioneering, for example, with its attend- ant hardships, has become a thing of the past. Yet many people in other parts — even in Eastern Canada- are hardly awarj of this important fact. They still look upon settlement in Manitoba as involving all the draw- backs and inconveniences that were experienced by those who first colonized the country. Such a view is altogether erroneous. The extension of the various lines of railway throughout the Province has establishe(f cpnyenient markets in nearj^ every district, thus removing what was fornierly the chief drawback to settle- ment. In addition to this, the church, the school-house, the post office and other similar conveniences, unknown in the days of pioneering, are to be found everywhere. That there are some hardships which the settler of to- day will encounter before his home-building is completed, need not be denied. But these are largely the hardships resulting more from the difficulties which attend a change of residence than fnom causes for which the country should be held responsible. The object, therefore, in preparing the following pages has been to show, as clearly as may be, what Manitoba is like at the present time. In doing this, the beaten path often followed by former writers upon this subject has to some extent been avoided. It has been considered unneces- sary to speak of the geographical position of the Province, its physical features, its area, its early history, or the many other things of that nature, with which most people are already familiar. Nor has it been thought necessary to dwell upon the fertility of the soil or the exceptional fitness of both soil and climate for the production of wheat, of beef, pork, mutton, butter and cheese. When it is considered that the present standing of the Province as an agricultural country has practically been reached in twenty years of eflfort, and that during the first half of those twenty years settlers were seriously handicapped through lack of convenient markets, Uk it would certainly appear that further reference to soil and: climate need not be made. Besides, these are matters which have also been fully discussed and with which those who| have taken any interest in Manitoba can hardly fail to bel familiar. But what the intending settler desires to hear about, it is believed, is something of the railway and market facilities, the lands available for settlement by purchase or homestead entry, the prevailing methods of farming and such other information as will assist him in forming a correct idea of the agricultural development of the Province, as well as aflford him some help in selecting a home. Such at least is the nature of the information set forth in these pages. It may be well to mention further, that the statements contained herein are reliable. There has been no attempt and no desire to exaggerate or mis-state in any particular. So far as possible, what has been said upon any subject consists of a plain statement of fact, while the figures that are given have been obtained from official sources. Wher^ ah o1!,?AT67roi" ■oCi'i'jerestion has been advanced it has.Ar its authority the practical expc?r,iri"C''v.'?'^iarmers who have spent many years in the Province and who have passed through every stage of its development. -«» 91— in ) ll«pr«acntatlv« Herds of Manitoba Cattle. Wbit A\aLoitob2i Hm^rs \k PoIdst tt FARMING, as carried on in the Province at the pres- ent time, is the result of the practical experience of early settlers. The pioneer farmers, while building their homes, have at the same time discovered and brought into practice the methods best suited to the suc- cessful pursuit of their calling. That is why it is so fre- quently claimed by those who know something of Mani- toba that our farmers have long since passed the experi- mental stage. It cannot be too often stated, or too strongly emphasized, that the settler who comes to the country now does so under more favorable auspices in this respect than those who came many years ago, for the reason that he is able to profit by the experience of farmers who know what to do and how to do it in order to obtain the best results, STOCK RAISING. Plenty of good water, a luxuriant growth of the most nutritious natural grasses to be found anywhere, and the certainty of always securing an abundant crop of coarse grains, hay, etc., for winter feeding, are some of the advan- tages which Manitoba possesses for stock-raising and its kindred pursuit, dairying. The principal department of this 1 ranch of farming at the present time is the raising of cattle. Large shipments are annually made from the various districts of the Pro- vnce, both for export and home consumption. According to official returns made to the Provincial Government, the number of beef cattle exported from Manitoba during the seasons of 1894-5-6 was over 46,000 head. The total esti- mated number of beef cattle sold by farmers during the same period — for export and local consumption — was 110,000 head. In stock-raising, hogs are next to cattle in importance to the Manitoba farmer as a source of revenue. The export trade is increasing from year to year, while the establishment of packing houses in the large centres of the Province — such as Winnipeg — has done much to create a steady local demand. Official returns place the number of hogs exported and consumed in Winnipeg during 1894-5-6 at nearly 80,000. This would, of course, be considerably less than the number actually sold by farmers, as the quantities consumed at local points are not included in these figures. Horses also receive considerable attention, and some very fine specimens are raised throughout the Province, both in light and heavy classes. Up to the present, however, there has been no export trade in horses, for the reason that the Ir cal demand has been greater than the supply, and they are therefore still imported, both from the East and West. Sheep raising is another important pursuit amongst far- mers. During the past few years especially, many farmers who did not formerly devote much attention to them are in- creasing the size of their flocks, and otherwise manifesting) an interest which pretty clearly indicates that they consider sheep to be profitable stock to have. A lesser, but very profitable, branch of farming is the raising of poultry. Chickens, ducks, geese and turkeys are successfully raised, and with very slight trouble. What is more, they always command good prices. Indeed, the sup- ply from local sources never equals the demand and large quantities are still annually brought into the Province from Eastern points. • It may not b^ amiss to draw attention to the quality of the stock to b€ found in the Province. In horses, cattle, sheep and pigs, it is doubtful whether better specimens of the various breeds "can be found iii any other part of Canada. The farmers of Manitoba, being progressive in whatever they undertake, have always looked well to quality. Visitors from other parts, who attend the Industrial Fair annually held in Winnipeg, where stock from all parts of the Pro- vince is brought into competition, frequently testify through the press to the high standard of what is shown. The following statement, which has been compiled from official returns, shows the numbers of the four kinds of stock owned in Manitoba last year (1896): — Cattle 210,507 Horses .... 95,140 Sheep 33,812 Pigs 72,562 DAIRYING. Naturally enough, in a country so well adapted to the production of beef, the dairying industry has kept pace with that of stock-raising. Nearly a million and a half pounds of butter were sold by Manitoba farmers last year at an averaf ° price of 11 2-3 cents per pound. This was sold chiefly to local dealers in exchange for goods. In addition to the above output the farmers also sold a little over three quarters of a million pounds of creamery butter at an average price of 16 2-5 cents per pound, and «- 41- Pi ^8 Manitoba Harvesting and Threshlns Scenes. « -» « {ih fSt about one million pounds of cheese, average price 7 cents. The total receipts for butter and cheese were $305,000. The increase in the number of creameries and cheese factories within the past few years is an important feature in connection with the dairy industry of the Province. In 1887 there were eight cheese factories and three small creameries. There are now 40 cheese factories and 28 Cieameries. These are established in various parts, but chiefly in the older-settled districts. They are generally owned by the farmers themselves, who organize for the pur- pose into stock companies under a special Act of the Mani- toba Legislature. Up to the present time, with one or two exceptions, they have only been operated about six months in each year — from May to October — but there are indica- tions that the season will soon be considerably lengthened, and that many of them will be operated the year rounds thus greatly increasing their value to the farmer. WHEAT GROWING. Undoubtedly the chief industry of the farmers of I\Iani- toba is the cultivation of wheat. While stock-raising, dairy- ing, etc., are annually increasing in imp(jrtance, it must not be forgotten that wheat is still king, and is likely to remain the leading product for many years to come. Why this is so may be briefly accounted for in the quality and yield of our wheat. The superior quality of Manitoba No. 1 Hard has more than once been established in competition with' the best that other countries could produce. And so far as yield is concerned, it is only necessary to point to the fact that the average annual yield over the whole Province for the seven years of 1890 to 189G, inclusive, was only a small fraction less than twenty bushels per acre. These things, together with economical methods of cultivation, go far to explain why it was that the wheat are? of the Province increased during the same period by 73 per cent, although, as is well known, it was a period of remarkably low prices. In other words, the farmers of Manitoba, even in the face of low prices, have gone on enlarging their wheat area from year to year, simply because the superior quality, the cer- tainty of a good yield, as well as the most modern, and( therefore economical, facilities for cropping, harvesting^ threshing and marketing, have enabled them to raise wheat at a profit, while less favored countries were almos forced to go out of the business. CULTIVATION OF OTHER CEREALS. In addition to wheat, most of the cereals found else- where in Canada are successfuly grown in Manitoba. Oats, barley and flax are of importance to the farmers of the Pro*- « -» s- -» 8 vince in the order named. Oats and barley are grown largely for milling and malting, as well as for feed, and for these purposes are equal to the best products of other countries. Flax is now grown chiefly for the seed, but there is every reason to believe that the fibre will shortly become of value for manufacturing purposes. Rye, peas and corn are also grown in most districts for feed. PRODUCTS FOR WINTER FEEDING. It is of course well known that the natural grasses of Manitoba, when properly cured, make excellent feed for stock. Hay from these grasses is the staple winter feed. Timothy and rye are also cultivated for this purpose. Oats, cut green and cured in the same manner as hay, are used by many stockmen with very satisfactory results, while others devote attention tc corn. The cutting box and the chopping mill are extensively used in preparing the feed for stock. ROOTS AND VEGETABLES. Manitoba has become noted for the excellence of these products of the farm. In size, quality and yield it is doubtful whether they can be equalled anywhere on the continent. At present, except in the vicinity of the towns and villages, they are grown only for home use. MIXED FARMING. While it has been necessary to speak of the various departments of farming under separate headings, it must not be supposed that the farmers of the Province confine them- selves to one particular branch of their calling. There are of course some specialists amongst them, but even these do not devote themselves wholly to the pursuit in which they are most interested. Diversity is the rule. Upon most of the farms that have been occupied for some years, stock-raising, dairying, and grain growing are combined, thus materially increasing the productiveness of the farm, and the revenue of the farmer. THE CROP OF 1897. According to the returns received by the Department of Agriculture, Winnipeg, from correspondents who are located in every part of the Province, the crop area of Manitoba for the present season is as follows : — «- 9 » Wheat 1,290,882 acres. Oats 468,141 acres. Barley 153,266 acres. Flax 20,653 acres. Other grain 5,377 acres. Potatoes 13,576 acres. Roots 6,130 acres. Total crop 1,958,025 acres. A comparison of the foregoing returns with those of previous years will show that the Province is making rapid progress along agricultural lines. For example, the total crop of 1897 shows an increase over the crop of 1896 of 343,804 acres. The area in wheat has increased 291,284 acres, or 30 per cent. The increase in other crops has ranged from 6 to 20 per cent. * jSI- 10 m -^-' T)}« ^toyel Co.,PrinterB, Wiuulpeg.