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Gkxeral Remarks on Canada 5 Boil ; Climate 5 Altitude 6 Area of Canada l)efore Confederation 6 Area after Confederation , 6 Position of the Provinces and Territories 7 Princk Edward Island 8 Facilities for Farming " S Stock Raising and Dairying ; Cultivation of Fruits 9 Nova Scotia 10 Agricultural and Stock Industries 10 Development of Fruit Growing 11 New Brunswick 11 Progress of Agriculture; the Fruit Industry 12 Quebec 13 Principal Agricultural Crops 13 Stock, etc. ; Progress in Fruit Growing 14 Ontario 15 Principal Agricultural Crops 15 Extent of Stock Industry 16 Progress in Dairjdng i? Wonderful Facilities for Fruit Growing 17 CONTKNTS. — r^^w/. Manitoba irf Climate; vSoil ; Chief Aj^ricniltural Produr^s 19 Stock Rai.sinj; and Dairying ; Vegetables 20 TlIK NORTlI-WKvST TkRRITORIKS 20 Cliaracteristics of the Conntry 21 Stock Ranches 22 British Cot^umbta 22 CUniatic Conditions and Varied Prodncts 22 Great Fr\iit ProcUicing CapabiUties 23 Gknkrai. Rkmarks 24 Vahie of Agricuhural Exports 24 Aids to Agriculture in Canada 25 Cold Storage Facilities 26 Dominion Experimental Farms 26 Expenments conducted 26 Rei)orts ; Correspondence 27 The Future of Cauada 27 v IS '9 20 20 21 22 22 22 23 24 24 25 26 26 26 27 27 i CANADIAN I'KoDlCI'.s •I AGRICULTURE IN CANADA, BY WM. SArNDERS, LL.D., Director of Experimentai. Farms. Agriculture in Canada overshadows all other in- dustries in its magnitude and importance, and whatever affects the farmer favourably or adversely, re-acts in like manner on other branches of industry. About 46% of the entire population make their living directly from the pro- ducts of the soil. Hence all questions which mfluence the prosperity of agriculture are of great interest to the Canadian people. In the pursuit of agriculture the degree of success achieved depends largely on favourable conditions. Soil. A fertile soil is a point of the greatest impori:ance, and in this respect Canada is very much favoured, havmg vast areas of rich land, easily worked, bountifully sup- plied with plant food and well suited for the growth of cereals, fodder plants, and other important fanii crops. Climate. Climate also is an Important factor in connection with successful agriculture, and in this particular the Dominion is also fortunate. The climate is wonderfully varied in different parcS, thus permitting of the growth of a large variety of farm products and fruits. The great water system of lakes and rivers affects favourably the chn ate of the older provinces and permits of the success- Agricui,ture in Canada ful maturing of the finest products, and at the same time, affords facilities for their cheap transportation. The climates of the western part of Canada, although they vary nmch in character in different districts, are in the main favourable to the growing of wheat and other cereals of high quality and to the raising of stock, while on the Pacific coast there are exceptional advantages for pastu- rage and fruit growing. Altitude. Altitude also has an important bearing on agriculture, and in this respect the Dominion has advantages when compared with many other countries. While Europe is said to have a mean elevation of 671 feet above sea level, and North America 748 feet, that part of North America occupied by Canada is placed at 300 feet. To form some idea of the immense agricultural re- sources of this country, some reference must be made to the area and productions of the respective provinces and territories of which it is composed. Area of Canada before Confederation. Prior to 1867 Canada included a region of about 1400 miles in length and from 200 to 400 miles in breadth, extending west to the watershed beyond Lake Superior and eastward to Labrador. Alongside of it were the independent British Provinces of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island, and beyond it, to the north and west, were the vast regions given up to the use of the Hudson Bay Company. % Area after Confederation. By the confederation of the provinces and the acqui- sition of the Hudson Bay Company's territory, the area of Canada has been immensely enlarged, and the Domi- nion now contains about 3,500,000 square miles, exclusive Agriculture in Canada 7 of its water area. It consists of seven provinces, four provisional territories, and a vast area to the north, mostly unexplored. The settled portions of the country are now bound together by railways, arfd a visitor may take a car at the eastern boundary at Halifax and travel comfortably without change of cars through to the shores of the Pacific, a distance of 3,662 miles. % Position of the Provinces and Territories. The three most easterly or Maritime Provinces, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick, form a group surrounded and more or less intersected by the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of vSt. Lawrence. Following these to the westward come the large and important provinces of Quebec and Ontario, the former extending north-westward to beyond Lake Nipissing. the latter stretching its boundaries westward along the margins of the Great Lakes— Ontario, Erie, Huron and Superior— until its western limit is found beyond the Lake of the Woods. There, Ontario joins the prairie province of Manitoba, west of which lie the four large provisional territories. Assiniboia, Saskatchewan, Alberta and Atha- basca. Still further west is British Columbia, enclosing a large area, where there is a combination of mountains and valleys extending to the Pacific Ocean, abounding in minerals, coal and timber. Most of the valleys are very fertile, with favourable conditions for the growing of agricultural crops or the raising of fruit, and many of these valleys are being rapidly converted into sniiHng fields and prolific orchards. North of British Columbia lies the Yukon district, noted for its wonderful deposits of gold extending to Alaska ; and eastward from this are the other great northern divisions of the country, known as Mackenzie, Keewatin, Franklin and Ungava, comprising in all about i,5oo,oo(j square miles, exclusive of the water area. Of these vast regions, very little is yet known. Beginning with the easterly limit of the Dominion, reference will first be made to the province of 8 Agriculture in Canada PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND This is the smallest of the provinces of Canada. It has an area of a little over 2,000 square miles, of which more than 600 square miles are still in forest and wood- land. The principal timber is spruce, and the white, black and red varieties are all represented here. The Island is separated from the adjacent provinces by the Straits of Northum1)erland. It is 150 miles long and varies from 9 to 30 miles in width, and has a population of about 110,000. During the smnmer daily communi- cation is maintained with the mainland by two lines of steamers, and during the winter, by a line of boats specially built for winter navigation. The climate is moist and cool in summer, wliile in winter the tempera- ture never drops to a very low point. The total precipi- tation in rain and snow is from 35 to 40 inches annually. Facilities for Fanning. Agriculture is the paramount industry in this Pro- vince, employing about 80% of the population. The soil is loamy and fertile, and most of it, of a dull red color, having been produced mainly by the disintegration of a soft red sandstone. The chief crops produced on the Island are : — Hay, oats, potatoes and turnips, with smaller proportions of wheat, barley and buckwheat. Formerly large shipments were made every year from the Island, of hay, oats and potatoes, and by the shipping of the.se crude products the land was being gradually impoverished and its crop-producing power reduced. Recently a better practice has prevailed. In 1892 a stimulus was given to the dairy industry by the establishment of two cheese factories under the management of an oflScer of the Dominion Department of Agriculture, and this co-operative industry has since grown so rapidly that dairy products are now among the largest items of export from the Island. These amounted, last year, to nearly half a million dollars. The larger part of this revenue is from cheese ; butter, however, is also made on a large scale. i Agriculture in Canada 9 especially during the winter months. Associated with the dairy industry, the raising and fattening of swine has become an important l)rancli of farming here ; poultry and eggs are also produced and exported in con- siderable quantities. Stock Raising and Dairying. • >. » Much attention has been given to the breeding of horses, for which the Island has an excellent reputation. Beef cattle are also raised in excess of the reciuirements of the home market and the surplus exported ; and sheep breeding has become a large aud important feature in farm work. Since the dairy and stock industries have grown so important, the hay, coarse "grains and roots, formeriy exported, have been, to a very large extent; consumed on the farms, and the increased quantity cf manure Llms obtained is rapidly bringing the land into better condition. The barnyard manure is supplemented by the use of " mussel mud," drawn from deposits found in comparatively still water along the sea shore. Tins mud consists chiefly of oyster and mussel shells, partly ground by the action of the water and mixed with decayed ttUeli-fish aud other animal remains. Cultivation of Fruits. Fruit grownng is not yet an important industry, but is gaining in favour and may be extended with prolit. Excellent apples are produced on the Island. Plums, also, and cherries yield well, while all sorts of small fruits produce abundantly. Some small shipments of apples have been made to Great Britain with good results, but other fruits have not yet been grown in sufficient quan- tities to supply more than the local demand. The sum total of heat during the summer season is not usually suflBicient to ripen the better classes of out-door grapes. lo Agriculturh; in Canada NOVA SCOTIA On the opposite side of the Northumberland Straits lies the Provnnce of Nova Scotia, with a territory of 2o,6So sru:.re miles, of which nearly one-\hircl is covered with forest and woodland. The timber consists mainly of spruce, with smaller proportions of balsam, pine, tama- rac, elm, maple, beech and birch. This province has a population of about 451,000 and consists of the peninsula proper and the adjoining island of Cape Breton, which is separated from the mainland by the vStraits of Canso. Chains of lofty hills intersect different parts of Nova Scotia, and in most instances, the lower levels between these ranges are very loam)' and fertile. There are also large areas of dyked lands, which are ver}' rich in plant food and produce heavy crops of hay annually for many years in succession, without being broken up. Then, if ploughed and sown with oats, using at the same time a sufficient (quantity of timothy and clover seed, another series of hay crops may be harvested. Although liable to considerable changes in temperature, the climate, con- sidering its northern latitude, is temperate. The annual rainfall is from 40 to 45 inches and averages more along the southern coast line than it does in the interior. * • Agricultural and Stock Industries. The principal agricultural crops are hay, oats, wheat, turnips and potatoes, with smaller proportions of barley, pease, buckwheat and rye. The trade in cattle, sheep and swine is large, but could be considerably increased with great advantage to the farmers, who would thus con- sume on their farms a larger proportion of the hay, oats and roots tliey grow, and enrich their land wich the manure produced. Increased attention has heen given during the past few years to the dairy industry and a number of cheese and butter factories have been estab- lished in different i)aiw:; of the Province. i » < SlKNLS IN MAUITl.MK I'liOVIMiCS Agriculture in Canada Development of Fruit Growing:. XI Fniit growing has developed during the past ten or fifteen years to a remarkable degree. The Annapolis and Cornwallis valleys are especially adapted by soil, climate and situation for the growth of fruits of high quality, and the choicest sorts of apples, pears, plums and cherries are produced there in abundance. Most of the small friiits also succeed well. The excellent flavour and good keeping qualities of the apples grown in Nova Scotia have won for them a high reputation in the British market. The Gravenstein apple, a high flavoured sort, is grown in great perfection in the valleys referred to. There are many other localities in this Province where fruit growing is carried on successfully and the exports of Nova Scotia fruits are large and are steadily increasing. During the past two years from 400,000 to 500,000 barrels of apples have been exported annually, most of which have been .sent to the larger cities in Great Britain. Many new orchards have been recently planted, but there are still very large areas of land in these favoured valleys well adapted for orchard purposes which might be used in this way with great advantage and profit to the owners. The nearness to the sea-board, the milder climate, and the facilities for shipping to the mother country, make it practicable to send apples from here at almost any time during the winter when this fruit comman is the highest prices. Cranberries are also grown in large quantities in this Province and find a ready market in the larger cities in Canada and the United States. NEW BRUNSWICK This province, which adjoins the western boundary of Nova Scotia, has an area of 28,200 square miles, about one-half of which is in forest and woodland. The species of timber trees growing here are practically identical with those found in Nova Scotia. The population is about 322,000. In the past, lumbering has been the prominent industry, but agriculture is rapidly gaining Ta AoRici'i/ruRE IN Canada in relative importance. Most of the surface of the country is unchilatinj;, but in the north-west sections there are many ranj^es of hills some of which rise to a heij^ht of from 1.200 to 2,ck)o feet and are clothed with timber to the summit. The climate is less temperate lan that of Nova Scotia and is more lial)le to low tem})eratures during the winter. The averaj,^' precipita- tion is about 44 inches. The opening of spring is usually later than in western Ontario and the summers as a rule are not so warm, extremes of heat being seldom 'ixperienced. Progress of Agriculture. Much of the cultivated land is rich and fertile, and when well tilled, generally gives gootl crops of grain. There are considerable stretches of dyked land in this province also, on which large crops of hay are grown. The agricultural returns show about one million acres under cultivation, about half of w-liich is in hay ; of the other half, much the larger part is in oats ; buckwheat occupies the next place in importance, while smaller areas are devoted to potatoes, w^heat and barley. The country is well adapted for mixed farming, the produc- tion of grain and stock ; the pastures are excelleiit and the root crops are large. Increased attention has been given of late to dairying and many cheese and butter factories are now in successful operation. The Fruit Industry. The climate of New Brunswick is less favourable for fruit growing, nevertheless this branch of industry is steadily increasing. There are some successful orchards in the valley of the St. John River and in other .sheltered spots in different parts of the province. The varieties of fruit grown are chiefly of the hardier sorts. The apples of New Brunswick have the reputation of keeping well and there is no doubt that apple-growing might be con- siderably extended with profit. Small fruits are grown in abundance and the cool weather in the early part of u l> 'ti >>;(KNi:s IN (>ri;iti:i' MMkkMiXMM- AORicuLTURK }ti Canada '3 thi' suTumcr delays the ripening of early fruits and Dertuit.s of the ^rowinj; of large quantities of excellent rtrawberries which ripen after the main supplies have been consumed, when this fruit finds a ready market in the larger cities of Eastern Canada and the New England States, at good jirices. QUEBEC The Province of Quebec includes an area of 347,350 scjuare miles, of which more than half is forest and woodland. The population is more than one and a half million, a large nroportion of which are engaged in agricultural pursu • ■». The surface of the country is very varied, lu some parts there are ridges of mountains and lofty hills, diversified with fertile valleys, rivers and lakes. The climate varies nmch in different parts of the province. The summer is warm and pleasant and vegetation developes rapidly ; the winters are cold, Imt the atmosphere is clear and bracing, and between December and March there is usually a good depth of snow, which gives excellent sleighing. Much of the country is well adapted for farming, the soil being loamy and fertile. Principal Agricultural Crops. Hay is one of the principal crops grown, and this has been largely exported, but with the rapid extension of the dairy industry, which has recently made wonder- ful strides in Quebec, much of the hay crops, as well as those of the coarse grains, are now more profitably fed at home. In this way the elements of fertility taken from the land by these crops are restored to the soil in the manure applied, and the crop-producing power of the land is fairly well maintained. The principal cereal crops are oats and wheat. Pease and buckwheat are also grown, with smaller proportions of barley, rye and maize. Potatoes, turnips, mangels and sugar beets are cultivated successfully in nearly all the settled parts of tliis province. 14 Agricuktirk in Canada Stock, etc. The pasturage is excellent, and cattle, '=heep, swine and poultry are kept in increasing num1)era. Horse l)reeding is also carried on to a considerable extent in some districts. Tol)acco is an important crop in some paits of Ouebec, and a l:irge proportion of the tobacco grown in Canada is produced in this province. Flax is also generally cultivated for its fibre as wjU as f(-r its seed Progress in Fruit Growing'. Fruits are grown freely in some of the more favoured localities and there are good orchards in the valley of the St. Lawrence. Nowhere else does the celebrated Fameuse apple reach so high a degree of perfection as on the Island of Montreal and the districts adjacent. Here, also, many varieties of pears and plums of fine flavour are grown. In the Eastern Townships (on the south side of the River St. Lawrence) which are noted for the excellence of their dairy products, fruit growing is carried on to a considerable extent, and quantities of apples are produced there. The apples of Quebec as a whole are highly colored and have a good flavour, but the winter in many parts of the province is too severe to admit of growing any but the hardier sorts. On the interior lands on the north side of the river, the climate is less favourable and the orchards are few and smaU. i PKoDl ("IS (I' ON T 1 i;|i) ■eRmonnHsni wmamm i— — pw Agricdwurk in Canai,a ONTARIO 15 This province has a territorv ^f '•■"■•e than 100,000 of "m7 ^^'"^ ^''^''^ "■"«, woodland. T„e woods t. ' „ " T "" '-»' ""^ vanefes of trees, among the "f ■ '"'•«'= ""'""" of commercially are the wllteaLlrei "P"'''-"" ""' "'"'-■1. b-rch, hickory, walnut andTut ! ^T"' "'"'■ "^''•"''k, '^."bout .,t, 5,000. Ontario h!l"'- "^'"^ population chmate. The extre„,es bo«? „ " """'"'^^■■fi'lly varied »H being tempered by th prl:?""" """ """ «""- ^ter. In the so„th-4tern part Th' r '"'"«'^^ ''°'''- "f "■ose portion, which lie ithh, I ■"""'' '^ ""'" .■ "> Great takes, the w„„ers are 2 i '"""™™ "' '"e are seldo,„ opp,,,,^,,,^. .^^"^ "' ---""-i the summers f- Lawrence vallevs the „ int ■'™ ^"^ Upper but very exhilarating L" ""= """'"ately cold P^vince the winirs VtVT^"" P°«'o„s'of the ammal precipitation varie^in d ff" ."'"' '^"'•'"- The 4o.„ches. A large propo tion oft^ , '""'^ '™» 3" 'o wlnle the soils i„ diifien" sect '""' ''' i"*''- ami character, some consistinril. u. T , ''"''' ""-'■ '" ^"dy loan, n.j.xed, others are' ,' "■"■ '"' '^^'^ a"ct a" are fertile and producthe 1™°! """'•'• '"" "»-'- the produce there are large sections f 'T""""' P««» o' ofwh.chis reserved by uL '"r "'^ '""<'■ "'«ch poses. There are, however con id m" '^ '"'''' P"^" -t Ie„,ent in the districts of MulTt "'-^"^ "?«■ for •alley of the Rainv River ''f ^""'""'niiug, i„ the 'and is very suitabie fo «,"„,"' rf" "'■•'■^ "bere the has about twelve unllion at^o f "T"^"- ^"tario "■"-baneieven million ..ernetr-;.'^::^--- ^-'»'=''^'^' A^ricultura, Crops. ine followintr are th^ ^ • • areas occupied in 1S99 ;ndThr^;:f ^'^^ ^^^P^' ^^^ the each, as g,ve„ i„ bulled y, ofJt T'^^^"'^"-^ ^^ Industries : ^^ °^ °^ ^e Ontario Bureau of e i r t6 ACRicuLTuRK IN Canada ■§ 'f: ,1 1 Fii'lil Crops. Hay and Clover... Oats Winter wheat =.- Spring wlieat ,.-. Barley Pea.se Rye Buckwheat Beans Potatoe.s Turnips Mangels Carrots Corn for husking in ear Corn, cut green for silo and fodder Totnl No, of Ac)c.<. Total yield. 2,505,422 2.363,778 1,049,691 398,726 490-374 743,139 137,824 132,082 4o,4''^5 168,148 153,440 53,401 11,891 333,590 171.935 Tons. 3 •49!^, 705 Bii.>^hels. 89,897,724 .4,439,827 7,041,317 14,830,891 15,140,790 2,284,846 2,203,299 65 1 ,009 19,933.366 57.878,390 20,898,387 3,674,035 21,673,234 Tons. 1,697,755 Yield per Acre. Tons. 1.40 Hush. 38. 13.8 17.7 30.2 20.4 16.6 16.7 16.1 119. 377- 391- 309- 95- Tons. 9.87 The yield per acre of winter wheat in 1S99 was ex- ceptionally low , the average for the past 17 years has been 20 l)nshels i lb. per acre. The total area under the crops enumerated above was 8,753,926 acres, while the acreage devoted to pasture was 2,710,268. In addition to this, the land occupied by red clover grown for seed was 64,937 acres ; by alsike, 21,463 acres. Rape occupied 33,762 acres; flax, 7,103 acres; tobacco, 2,206 acres ; and hops i, 146 acres. Extent of Stock Industry. The stock industry is a large one, as shown by the following figures : — The total number of cattle in farmers' hands in this Province on ist July, 1899, was 2,318,355, of which nearly one million (974,474) were milch cows. Of sheep there were 1,772,604; swine 1,971,070; poultry, including fowls, turkeys, geese and ducks, 9,344,024. A large trade is also done in horses, the total number of these animals held in the Province at the date above named was 615,524, among which there v/ere breeding mares to the number of 86,614. I Agriculture in Canada Progress in Dairying. 17 The dairy industry in Ontario is a very flourishing one, and has of late years become one of the most impor- tant and profitable branches of agriculture. The number of milch cows is increasing, and greater care is taken in improving dairy herds and in eliminating animals which are unprofitable. Wonderful Facilities for Fruit Growing. Fruit is grown to a very large extent in this Province and the possibilities for fruit growing in Ontario are practically unlimited. The area of land occupied by orchards and gardens is 388,073 acres, and there are ro,8o2 acres in vineyards. The apple trees of a bearing age number 6,324,842, in addition to which there are of young trees 3,445,135. The season of 1899 was an un- favourable one and the crop of apples was much below the average, being about twenty million bushels. In 1896, which was a good fruit year, the yield was fifty -six mil- lion b'- ,hels. Apples are grown successfully over a very large part of the Province. Beginning with the valley of the St. Lawrence, about Brockville, a good apple countrv' is found, which extends to Niagara, a distance of 288 miles. In nearly all the Western and Central counties bounded by Lakes Ontario, Erie and Huron, there are many m! fit) Experiments Oonduoted. At all these farms experiments are crmdncted to gain information as to the best methods of preparing the land for crop, and of maintaining its fertility, the most useful and profitable crops to grow, and how the various crops grown can be disposed of to the greatest advantage. To this end experiments are conducted in the feeding of Agricui.ti'rk in Canada 27 cattle, sheep and swine for flesh, the feeding of cows for the production of milk, and of poultry both for flesh and eggs. Experiments are also conducted to test the merits of new or untried varieties of cereals and other field crops, of grasses, forage plants, fruits, vegetables, plants and trees ; and samples, particularly of the most promis- ing cereals, are distributed freely among farmers for trial, so that those which promise to be most profitable may' be rapidly brought into general cultivation. Reports, Correspondence, &c. Annual Reports and occasional bulletins are published and widely distributed, giving the results of this work. Farmers are invited to visit these Experimental Farms, and a large correspondence is conducted with those interested in Agriculture, in all parts of the Dominion, who are encouraged to ask advice and information from the ofl&cers of the farms. The Future of Canada. While the progress of agriciilture in Canada has been great in the past, it will in all probability be much greater in the future. The quantity of land under culti- vation in this country although large in comparison with the number of the inhabitants, is very small when com- pared with the vast area of rich and fertile country- still unoccupied, and Canada will before long undoubtedly become one of the chief food-producing countries of the world. The examples of her magnificent cereal products displayed at the Paris Exposition in the colonial building, and the varied collection of fruits shown in the JNIain Building devoted to horticulture, afford convincing testimony as to the fertility of the soil and the favourable conditions of her climate. The Dominion of Canada throughout the larger part of its vast area is characterized by greater heat in summer and a lower temperature in winter than in corresponding European latitudes, but the 28 Agriculture in Canada severity of the winter judged by the thermometer alone, is apt to lead to an exaggerated impression of Canadian experiences. Owing to the dry and bracing atmosphere and clear sunny skies which generally prevail during the winter season, the sense of discomfort produced by low temperatures is much less than that which is felt in milder weather where cold winds and damp fogs occur. Much of the healthful, invigorating winter weather in Canada is tlioroughly enjoyable. f ■^ "0 105 100 St "to 85 k'/. / 'i jC^^^ i^-'v M •<»»**, ^ f-^'o. /^l ^^ftftf/t'w '^ ■"■\ /-d / ' Maijjrjaj ! i i^~ V ,.^_x-~'^''~^ K We/re '^ n-^\.<^>««7'^ sr 96 TORONTO LITHOGR BS ao ib ^nj\^^^ *i I 40 DOMIMOX OF ( ANADA Si'iili- tri' Nlalillf iiiiirn Ml lUO ttjO UM) LITHOGRAPHING CO. Ltd.