THE WHEAT LANDS OF CANADA. 769 



to $167,340,960, against $145,270,643 in the highest year prior 

 to that date (1894), while the value of animals exported in 1898 

 was greater than that of any preceding year; of wheat the exports 

 of the year were the largest in value, save the exceptional years of 

 1880, 1881, and 1892. Of cotton the exports of the year were the 

 largest in quantity in the history of the country. . . . Thus, in the 

 great agricultural products — breadstuffs, provisions, and cotton — 

 the exports have been phenomenally large, while the total of prod- 

 ucts of agriculture exceed by $54,000,000 the exports of agricul- 

 tural produce in any preceding year of our history." So much for 

 exports; now for the imports of breadstuffs. The total value of 

 breadstuffs, both dutiable and free, entered for consumption in 

 1898 was $957,455, of which $628,775 were for imports of maca- 

 roni, vermicelli, etc., articles not in any case manufactured in the 

 country. I have not seen any explanation by Mr. Davis of the 

 failure of his predictions, but it is probable that he had them in 

 mind when he wrote in The Forum (March, 1899), " Had not the 

 herds of hay- and maize-eating animals shrunk greatly since 1892, 

 thus rendering vast areas of hay and maize lands available for 

 wheat production, we should probably have reduced the wheat area, 

 instead of adding ten million acres to it since 1895." This, how- 

 ever, is a purely arbitrary assumption, unsupported by anything 

 more substantial than Mr. Davis's personal opinion. In the same 

 article he says: "But herds being insufficient for present needs 

 must be added to in the measure of the existing deficit, as well as 

 in that of the animal products and services required by all future 

 additions to the population. This will necessitate and force a res- 

 toration to other staples of acres recently diverted to wheat." But, 

 in the face of the figures quoted above, the evidence is clear that 

 herds are not only ample for present needs, but afford a larger 

 margin than ever of exportable surplus. If herds were insufficient, 

 there would have been a curtailment of exports and an increase in 

 the consumption of breadstuffs, but neither have happened; neither 

 has there been any reduction in the standard of living. Is not the 

 inference irresistible that the country was carrying a larger number 

 of animals than conditions absolutely required, since farm animals 

 have declined from 169,000,000 in 1892 to 138,000,000 in 1898, 

 without in any way disturbing the conditions of food supply or re- 

 ducing the exports of provisions? In 1890, Mr. Davis assumed that 

 44,800,000 acres of hay would be required in 1895 and 49,200,000 

 acres in 1900, yet in 1898, 42,800,000 acres were found to be ample 

 for the needs of the country. 



Do not the foregoing figures" clearly indicate that it is not safe 

 to assume that the area employed in the cultivation of certain sta- 



VOL, LV. — 53 



