Agrfrnltttral Sc 3ai>tttrial |IrngrrHB in (Canada 



Published Monthly. Free on request. 



It will be appreciated by the Department if editors and 

 writcts using matter from this Bulletin will quote source. 



Norman S. Rankin, Editor. 



who annually go off suddering to Florida, 

 California or Bermuda, whose experience yet 

 lacks a taste of Canadian winters, will continue 

 to be among the critics, but once having tried it, 

 they find it good and they come back. 



They realize, as have others before them, that 

 Canadian winters may well be added to the long 

 list of this country's natural resources, and that 

 Canadian winters are undoubtedly assets and 

 in capital letters. 



General Agricultural Situation 



Compiled by J. Don gall, General Agricultural Agent, 

 C.P.R., Montreal. 



The comparative figures of the Dominion 

 Bureau of Statistics covering the live stock 

 situation in Canada make an interesting showing. 

 Following are the totals in the Dominion for the 

 years 1915, 1919 and 1920: 



Horses 



Milch Cows. . 

 Other Cattle . 



All Cattle 



Sheep 



Swine 



r 



There was a steady increase in the number 

 of all classes of live stock from 1915 to 1919, 

 when the peak was reached, but all classes 

 excepting sheep show a marked decline between 

 1919 and 1920. Sheep increased by 298,825 

 between 1919 and 1920. Prince Edward Island 

 is the only province to show an increase on all 

 classes of live stock. British Columbia shows an 

 increase in the number of horses of 353. Cattle 

 show a decrease in all provinces, except Prince 

 Edward Island. Sheep have increased in all 

 provinces except Manitoba. Swine show a 

 decrease in all provinces except Prince Edward 

 Island. Poultry have increased in Prince 

 Edward Island, Manitoba and British Columbia, 

 and decreased in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, 

 Quebec, Ontario, Saskatchewan and Alberta. 



Dairy Industry Popular 



A glance at the figures presented will at once 

 draw attention to the continued popularity of 

 the dairy industry. The figures show that there 

 is a decrease of only 18,199 over all Canada. 

 The decrease was in New Brunswick, Quebec, 

 I Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta. An 

 increase was shown in Prince Edward Island, 

 Ontario, and British Columbia. The provinces 



exhibiting decreases were all affected during the 

 winter of 1918-1919 by shortage of fodder crops 

 and high price of feed, and farmers were com- 

 pelled to reduce their herds. On the whole, the 

 Dominion has progressed, as the quality of the 

 animals is undoubtedly better and the production 

 of pounds of milk per head has increased. The 

 dairy industry in Canada has a great future, and 

 as silo crops are coming more and more into use 

 the industry will continue to grow. The intro- 

 duction of the Giant Russian sunflower into 

 Western Canada, where corn cannot be grown, 

 will without doubt add an impetus to this 

 branch of live stock, as in the past in Alberta and 

 Saskatchewan and in some years in Manitoba it 

 was difficult to get enough silage, but sunflowers 

 on present showing will solve the silage question 

 in the West. There is no doubt but that dairying 

 has a great future in Canada, and probably 

 gives the farmer the most assured return, or at 

 all events a continuous weekly or monthly cash 

 revenue. 



The beef cattle industry has shown consider- 

 able decline in numbers since 1918, due to short- 

 age of pasture in Western Canada. Taking the 

 world's consumption of beef into consideration, 

 however, the future for beef cattle should be 

 good, as on the whole there is a shortage of beef 

 products. 



Hog and Sheep Situation 



The hog and bacon situation as shown by the 

 figures given above is acute, as our hog popula- 

 tion has decreased very rapidly and our supply 

 is not nearly enough to give the packing industry 

 its requirements. However, the future for this 

 class of live stock is encouraging, as with the low 

 price of coarse grain the farmer can better afford 

 to feed grain for bacon than sell at a loss. 



The sheep industry is fairly prosperous, and 

 the population holds its own well. There is no 

 doubt but that farmers will go into this class of 

 stock, as the lamb market is good. 



The Value of Irrigation Bonds 



By J. S. Dennis, Chief Commissioner, Dept. Colonizalian 

 and Development C.P.R., Montreal, Que. 



Irrigation is a live issue in Western Canada 

 at the present time, the great successes of existing 

 schemes having occasioned a general clamoring 

 from adjacent areas which, for lack of the 

 necessary moisture, are deprived of the abundant 

 harvests the land is capable of producing with 

 this assurance of moisture. If irrigation schemes 

 could spring into being at will, tremendous 

 areas, where farmers are confident of its accruing 

 benefit, and are envious of their neighbors' 

 harvests, would be benefited, but unfortunately 

 the bringing to fruition of an irrigation project 

 is a protracted and expensive undertaking, neces- 

 sitating exhaustive engineering study and large 

 capital expenditures. 



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