at $1,946,648,000. Between the years 1915 and 

 1920, field crops increased in value from 

 $825,371,000 to $1,455,244,000; farm animals 

 from $79,958,000 to $140,083,000; wool from 

 $3,360,000 to $5,321,000; dairy products from 

 $146,005,000 to $256,000,000; fruits and vege- 

 tables from $35,000,000 to $40,000,000 and 

 poultry and eggs from $35,000,000 to $50,000,000. 



Many factors are contributing to the aggran- 

 dizement of Canadian agricultural wealth. Each 

 year sees a substantially increased acreage and 

 production due to continuous settlement, which 

 in its turn effects an elevation in Canadian farm 

 land values. 



High Standard of Agricultural Production 



Previous articles in this publication have dealt with 

 Canada's international victories in carrying off the pre- 

 mier awards for the production of quality wheat on the 

 American continent consistently for the past ten years, 

 as well as the greater number of the honors for oats and 

 barley. The contention in these collated facts is that 

 Canada produces cereals which are second to none the 

 world over, and in the face of the evidence there is no 

 gainsaying this. 



Whilst Canada comes into open competition with the 

 world in the quality of her agricultural produce of all 

 kinds, and can grow on her fertile farms crops of the highest 

 grade, she is unable as yet to enter into comparison in the 

 matter of total production. A vast portion of her rich 

 agricultural land, amounting to many millions of acres, 

 and forming potentially one of the world's great farming 

 areas, is undeveloped and awaits settlement and the plough 

 before producing to capacity in the manner that has made 

 the quality of Dominion crops famous. 



Canada can, however, come into active competition 

 with other countries largely agricultural, the United States 

 for example, with respect to the fertility of her land, its 

 growing qualities and those of the Canadian climate and 

 Farming season. Compared as to average production, she 

 makes a very fine showing. A comparison between Cana- 

 dian and United States production for the past three 

 years shows that Canada has maintained a high standard 

 in all the crops she cultivates, and has in the majority of 

 cases exceeded the average achieved by the older pro- 

 ducing country. 



The Centre of Wheat Production 



It is not so long ago since agriculturalists scoffed at 

 the idea that it would be possible to grow wheat profitably 

 in Canada. Canadian farmers answered this by taking 

 most of the premier honors for this crop at international 

 exhibitions. Not only that, but it is apparent that the 

 Dominion preserves a higher average production through- 

 out the country in both spring and winter varieties than 

 the United States, taken as a whole. In the year 1920, 

 when the production of spring and winter wheat in the 

 United States was 10.8 and 15.3 bushels per acre respec- 

 tively, Canada secured an average of 14 and 24 bushels. 

 In the previous year, 1919, with a United States production 

 of 8.8 and 14.9 bushels, Canada's average yields per acre 

 were 9.50 and 23.75. To go back another year, they com- 

 pared 16.2 and 15.2 as against 10.75 and 19.00, the United 

 States obtaining a greater average yield of spring wheat 

 in that season. 



A comparison of the respective yields of the past 

 three years in oats indicates that Canada, although she 

 secured most of the international honors for the quality 

 of her product, has fallen slightly behind the United 

 States in average production per acre. Whereas in 1920 

 her average production was 33.50 bushels per acre, that of 



the United States was 35 bushels. In the previous year, 

 when she produced 26.25 bushels, farmers across the line 

 managed to achieve 29.4 bushels. In the year 1918 the 

 yields stood at 34.7 and 28.75 with the United States in 

 the ascendancy. The same slight difference is recorded 

 in barley, the average yields being 25.6 and 24.75; 22.4 

 and 21.75; 26.3 and 24.50. 



But when we pass on to other agricultural production, 

 the comparisons read differently, and, with few exceptions, 

 Canadian farms are found to out-yield those of the United 

 States. In rye for instance, when the average yields per 

 acre over the United States during the years 1920, 1919 

 and 1918 were respectively 13.7, 12.5 and 14.2, Canada 

 obtained harvests which brought her averages up to 17.50. 

 13.50 and 15.25. 



Buckwheat, Flax, Hay, etc. 



Buckwheat is not raised extensively in Canada out- 

 side of the Maritime provinces. Nevertheless, judging 

 by the last three years' respective productions, Canada 

 can grow this crop more profitably than farmers across 

 the international boundary. In 1920 Canadian farms 

 secured an average production per acre of 23.75 bushels, 

 whilst United States farmers reached a yield of only 18.9 

 bushels. In 1919 Canada's average yield was 23.50 bushels 

 against that of 20.6 across the line. Again, in 1918 a com- 

 parison is found to be in Canada's favor with 20.75 bushels 

 against 16.5 bushels. 



In the production of flaxseed in 1920, the United 

 States grew an average of 6.2 bushels to the acre as against 

 Canada's 5.60, but in the year 1919 Canada had the slight 

 advantage of 5.00 against 4.9. There would appear to be 

 no doubt left as to the greater suitability of Canadian land 

 to potato production after a survey of the comparative 

 figures of production. Against the United States average 

 of 109.6 bushels to the acre last year, Canada produced 

 170.50. Her yield in 1919 was 153.50 against the 90 

 bushels reached across the line. When the United States 

 produced 95.9 bushels in 1918, Canada achieved 142 bushels. 



Slight divergencies only are observed in the hay 

 yields of the two countries, both in the tame and wild 

 varieties. Taking the average of all the hay produced, 

 the United States secured a slightly higher production in 

 1920 when the yield per acre was 1.34 ton against Canada's 

 1.30 ton. The advantage is substantially Canada's in 

 the two previous years, however, with averages of 1.55 and 

 1.40 against 1.36 and 1.15. 



The Soothing Weed 



Tobacco is not among the crops of first importance in 

 the Dominion, only about 50,000,000 pounds being raised 

 at the present time, but to judge by the yields obtained in 

 a comparison with the United States, which has such an 

 immense tobacco crop, there is ample justification for the 

 intense interest which is being evinced in extending the 

 industry. Against the United States tobacco yield of 

 1920 of 796.1 pounds to the acre, Canada secured 1,062 

 pounds per acre. The advantage to Canada in 1919 was 

 even greater with a production of 1,069 pounds per acre 

 against that of 761.3 across the line. The year 1918 was 

 a good one for the tobacco crop of the United States and 

 a poor one for Canada, but nevertheless the Dominion 

 maintained her superiority with a yield of 905 pounds per 

 acre against 873.7 pounds. 



This comparative survey should be broad enough and 

 cover a sufficiently extensive period to form an accurate 

 estimate of Canada's merits as an agriculturally producing 

 country. Canada has not only produced the finest crops 

 of cereals in the world as adduced in the open competitions 

 with the first farmers of the continent, but maintains, for 

 the greater part, a superiority in the average yield of the 

 crops she produces. Only wanting is the further growth 

 of settlement upon her fertile tracts, bringing other millions 

 of acres to the same fruitful standard, to give the Dom- 

 inion the lead of the world in aggregate production. 



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