of fertile acres to be settled upon, which en- 

 sures for the agricultural industry, for at least 

 many years to come, the premier place among 

 national activities. 



The progress of Canadian agriculture since 

 Confederation makes an astounding record, 

 and in the steady and substantial strides taken 

 may be obtained a foresight of the status of 

 this industry in Canada in the years to come. 

 From 1870, three years after Confederation, 

 when the first Dominion census was taken, 

 until 1920, the value of Canada's field crops 

 has increased fourteen fold. Surely a notable 

 achievement, indicative of the extensive set- 

 tlement which has taken place and the growth 

 of the area rendered productive. 



Though one is prone to record Canadian 

 development from the period when the prov- 

 inces were confederated into an United Canada, 

 the land had a notable history before that time 

 in many activities of national importance and 

 agriculture, carried on on no mean scale, was 

 the leading source of revenue. In the year 

 1870 for instance its field crops were worth 

 $111,116,606. The progress since that time in 

 ten year periods is pithily summed up in the 

 following table : 



1870 

 $111,116,606 



1900 

 $237,766,934 



1880 

 $155,277,421 



1910 

 $507,185,500 



1890 

 $194,766,934 



1920 

 $1,445,244,000 



The basic reason for this increased value 

 of production is naturally the extensive settle- 

 ment which has taken place in this fifty year 

 period, though during the war period crop 

 revenue was considerably augmented by the 

 prices beyond normal which prevailed at that 

 time. The settlement of the Western prov- 

 inces and the consequent cultivation and pro- 

 duction has been the most instrumental factor 

 in the period in swelling Dominion crop values. 

 By the filing on thousands of government 

 homesteads, by the extensive purchasing of 

 raw lands, millions of additional acres have 

 been rendered productive and been responsible 

 for the yearly increment of national revenue. 

 The progress of Western crop production is 

 illustrated in the following table of yearly 

 field crop values for the four provinces Alberta, 

 Saskatchewan, Manitoba and British Colum- 

 bia : 



1880 



$4,761,339 

 1910 

 $105,926,400 



1890 

 $27,129,268 



1900 



$36,674,399 

 1920 

 $636,501,900 



For four years now Canada has exceeded 

 one billion dollars in the annual value of her 

 crops, with increases each year which in 1920 

 brought the total value to nearly one billion 



and a half. The increased acreage of 1921 will 

 add further to the year's crop value. Even the 

 most casual study of Canadian affairs gives in- 

 disputable evidence of unprecedented progress 

 for Canadian agriculture in the immediate 

 future which will in all probability create a 

 more remarkable record than that of the last 

 fifty years. But granted only the same meas- 

 ure of progress for the Dominion's first in- 

 dustry, in fifty years from now the value of 

 her field crops would be worth more than 

 twenty billion dollars at the low prices which 

 prevailed in the fall of 1920, or about four 

 billions more than the annual value of the field 

 crops of the United States at the present time. 



Soldiers' Farming Record 



On May 1st of this year the legislation 

 reserving for soldier entry all government 

 lands within fifteen miles of a railroad was 

 rescinded and soldier and civilian given equal- 

 ity in filing on Dominion reserves. To all in- 

 tents and purposes this act signalled the 

 writing of finis to Canada's work for her ex- 

 warriors in rehabilitating them by way of the 

 farm, and signified that all her soldiers who 

 had desired to avail themselves of the privil- 

 idges an appreciative country had accorded 

 them in assisting them onto the land, had done 

 so. And so the last annual report of the 

 Soldiers' Settlement Board may largely be con- 

 sidered in the way of a comprehensive survey 

 of the work Canada has done for her men of 

 the Expeditionary Force and nothing but min- 

 ute variations in figures and statistics in subse- 

 quent reports be expected. 



The Board was organized in 1917 to assist 

 elegible and qualified returned soldiers to 

 settle upon the land. Loans were authorized 

 for the purchase of livestock and equipment 

 and for erections and improvements. Later 

 the scope of the Act was extended to enable 

 the Board to purchase for returned men agri- 

 cultural lands in any province. The benefits 

 of the Act applied not only to men of the Can- 

 adian Expeditionary Force but also to ex- 

 members of any of the Imperial, Dominion or 

 allied forces who resided in Canada prior to the 

 war and to Imperial and Overseas Dominion 

 forces who saw service out of their own coun- 

 try. 



Over 40,000 Granted Certificates. 



Loans were granted to men, duly qualified 

 to take a farm and engage in agriculture, to 

 the extent of $7,500 at five per cent interest 

 repayable in six annual instalments in the case 

 of loans for stock and equipment and in 

 twenty-five annual instalments in the case of 

 land and buildings. Since the commencement 

 of operations 59,331 returned soldiers have 



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