Calgary, he told an interesting story of the re- 

 ceipt.^ this telegram. 



"My farm, as many of you know," he said, " is 

 situated quite a little distance from the railway station. 

 My wife and I, that very evening, had been discussing 

 our financial situation which was indeed anything but 

 satisfactory. Though I had already then, won several 

 prizes and had a surplus of potato diggers, drills, harrows, 

 reapers and other farm implements, I lacked the ready 

 cash to carry out experiments I was making; I sadly 

 wondered what I should do; we went to bed late, dis- 

 heartened. 



"About 11 o'clock a knock on the front door sent 

 me grumbling downstairs to see who it was; what was 

 my surprise and joy, on opening the telegram which the 

 boy delivered, to learn that we were richer by $1,000 

 and in possession of ample means to enable me to go on 

 with my work. It brought us near to tears and seemed 

 the very hand of Providence. 



"It taught me to have faith, and that hard work, 

 perseverance and unfaltering courage the essentials 

 of all true farmers are the surest road to success." 



The Dairy Farmer in Western Canada 



By F. J. Cowdery,\ Calgary, Alberta. 



It has been said that an agricultural country can 

 never reach its maximum state of development until its 

 farmers engage extensively in dairying. This principle is 

 now universally recognized, and the countries following the 

 best farming methods are those producing the highest 

 per capita output of milk, butter and cheese. 



Western Canada has proved many times over that she 

 can produce the best hard wheat in the world, and now 

 she is convincing her neighbors that she can send them 

 butter of just as fine a quality as her grain. Her farmers 

 are gradually being persuaded that the most economical 

 way to market their fodders and other crops is in the 

 form of livestock and dairy produce, and practical de- 

 monstration is proving this. During the last ten years 

 a phenomenon growth in the number of dairy cows and a 

 wonderful improvement in the quality of dairy products 

 has been witnessed in the Canadian West. At the present 

 rate of progress, the permanent agriculture of these 

 Western Provinces will, in a few years more, be devoted 

 largely to intelligent dairy farming, with its products 

 commanding the same respect as " No. 1 Canadian Hard 

 Wheat" does to-day. 



Before this can be accomplished, however, it is re- 

 cognized that Western Canada must produce butter 

 and cheese of a quality that will enable her to compete 

 in the world's markets with such countries as Denmark, 

 where the science of marketing dairy produce has been 

 reduced to a fine art. To do this successfully, the basic 

 product cream must not only be of a high quality, 

 but the finished article for export must be of a uniform 

 grade and adapted to the palates of the people in the 

 countries where it is sent. This is the problem that is 

 now occupying the attention of dairy experts in all three 

 provinces. What success has attended their efforts may 

 be judged from the fact that a ready market is found for 

 all surplus produce, not only in the provinces of Eastern 

 Canada but also in the United States and Europe. 



Export Commenced Only In 1915 



It was not until 1915 that even Manitoba, although 

 the oldest of the Prairie Provinces, commenced to produce 

 enough butter to do any exporting. In 1919, however, 

 that province sent out 153 carloads, and during the first 

 few months of 1920, 17 carloads of creamery butter were 

 shipped to Chicago, one to New York, one to Philadelphia 

 and two to Nova Scotia, besides a number of carloads 

 to Eastern Canada and the Pacific Coast. Saskatchewan 

 is following closely in the footsteps of her sister province, 

 and during the first nine months of 1920, shipped 81 car- 



loads of produce, 43 of which went to Eastern Canada 

 and seven to points in the United States. From a pro- 

 duction of just over two million pounds in 1910, Alberta 

 now has an annual output of more than twelve million 

 pounds of creamery butter, which is increasing steadily 

 every year. A large proportion of this naturally findi 

 its way to the export market. 



A Government supervision of creameries, thorough 

 pasteurization of all cream and a standard system of 

 grading and marketing have been the chief lines along 

 which advancement has been made. By far the greater 

 part of the creameries are now operated co-operatively. 

 The policy in force in Alberta is very similar to that of 

 Saskatchewan and Manitoba, and well demonstrates the 

 principles followed throughout. 



The Principle of Cream Grading 



The principle of grading cream for buttermaking wa 

 first applied in this province in 1910, under the direction 

 of the provincial dairy commissioner, C. P. Marker. It 

 proved so successful that by 1914 nearly 98 per cent, of 

 the butter output of all creameries was made from cream 

 bought from farmers on grade. This means that the 

 farmer delivering the highest grade of cream gets the 

 highest price. At the end of each month the farmer 

 receives a cheque for ninety per cent, of the estimated selling 

 value of the butter made from the cream. The Govern- 

 ment then takes charge of the butter, grades it according 

 to pasteurization, storage qualities and taste, and placet 

 it in storage until a favorable market is found. The 

 identity of each particular creamery's output is not lost, 

 however, as each case is marked with the name of the 

 creamery and the date on which the churning was made. 

 After the butter is disposed of, the farmer receives a 

 cheque for the balance due him, less the actual cost of 

 storage and marketing. The system enusures the pur- 

 chaser getting the quality of butter for which he pays, 

 while the producer obtains the highest possible price for 

 his produce. Last year, the average price received by 

 patrons of the co-operative creameries was 56Jc per pound. 



In addition to actively assisting the farmers in dis- 

 posing of their butter, the Government also helps any group 

 of farmers who together own a sufficient number of milch 

 cows, to form a co-operative creamery by advancing them 

 $1,500 towards the cost of erecting their building. This 

 sum of money is granted under long-time terms and 

 upon very reasonable conditions. 



Government Co-operation 



The absolute practicability and value of such a system 

 of co-operation between the Government and the farmer 

 has shown itself in an increase of production that is re- 

 markable even for Western Canada. In 1910, Alberta 

 produced 2,315,000 pounds of butter, Saskatchewan, 

 1,548,696 pounds, and Manitoba, 2,050,487 pounds a 

 total of just over six million pounds. In 1920, ten years 

 later, the production of these three provinces had in- 

 creased between eight and nine hundred per cent, to 

 52,375,000 pounds. The total value of dairy product* 

 was more than $74,000,000. 



In produce of this kind, however, it is quality that 

 counts. The considerable export business that is being 

 built up proves that the butter made here will keep in 

 storage and is palatable. But open competition is the 

 final proof of its popularity. Last year, against the whole 

 of Canada, Saskatchewan creameries carried off the 

 first five prizes for the highest average scores. At the 

 National Dairy Show at Chicago, Manitoba exhibits were 

 awarded the Silver Medal. The same province took 

 away five ribbons at the Toronto National Exposition, 

 the most important exhibition in the Dominion. Al- 

 berta entries, too, have always been to the front wherever 

 shown. 



In spite of such progress, however, the dairy industry 

 is only in its infancy in the Prairie Provinces, and there ii 

 much to be accomplished before these provinces can hope 

 to reach their height of production. What has been 



224 



