120 



THE LANCASTER FARMER. 



[ August, 



THE BRITISH WHEAT FIELDS OF 

 THE NORTHWEST. 



The greatest wlieat-growing region in the 

 world is now being opened to settlement. 

 The largest and most productive portion lies 

 within the British province of Manitoba, in 

 North America. It is sufficiently prolific 

 when fairly cultivated to make England inde- 

 pendent of the United States for breadstufEs, 

 and to create a powerful rivalry with us 

 elsewhere. On both banks of the Red river of 

 the North, from its source to its entrance into 

 Lake Winnipeg, and on both sides of the 

 international boundary between Canada and 

 the Uuited States exists this territory. 

 Thence the fertile belt, of which it is the 

 western extremity, sweeps in a northwestern 

 direction some 300 miles along the course of 

 the two Saskatchewan rivers, and forward to 

 the Rocky mountains of the West, embracing 

 an area, says a writer in The Nineteenth Cen- 

 tury, of at least 200,000,000 acres; nearly the 

 whole of which is to-day an untouched prairie 

 of the richest description. Since the con- 

 struction of the Northern Pacific railway has 

 been resumed this region has been made 

 accessible by the trunk line and lateral roads 

 to immigrants. Within a few years the city 

 of Winnipeg, at the junction of the Red river 

 and the Assiniboine, has sprung up from an 

 Indian post of the Hudson's Bay Company to 

 be a well-built town of 8,000 inhabitants ; 

 steamers have been introduced into the two 

 rivers that unite at her wharves, and a con- 

 tinuous railway 460 miles long connects this 

 Canadian city with St. Paul, the capital of 

 Minnesota. In seven month ending March 31, 

 1878, there were sold by the United Scates 

 Government and the railways in Minnesota 

 and Northern Dakotah 2,550,000 acres for 

 actual and immediate settlement. In Mani- 

 toba, across the Canadian boundaiy, 3,000,- 

 000 acres of wheat land were allotted last 

 year to actual settlers in this province alone. 

 The settlers in the Red river region are of the 

 most substantial character — well-to-do farm- 

 ers from the older States, from Iowa, 

 Wisconsin, from Canada and especially from 

 the best parts of Ontario. The dominant 

 nationalities settling on the Minnesota farms 

 are Americans, Scandinavians and Canadians 

 in about equal proportions. 



They have been attracted to this remote 

 part of the Northwest by the peculiar advan- 

 tages of its soil for wheat-growing. Thirty 

 bushels to the acre is the average, while it 

 often yields forty and fifty bushels. Thirty 

 bushels to the acre of the first crop clears all 

 outlay up to that time, returns the capital in- 

 vested and leaves a first-rate fenced farm in a 

 high state of cultivation for succeeding 

 agricultural employment. "Where else," 

 says the writer to whom we have referred, "is 

 there a business that in twelve months repays 

 all advances of its purchase and establish- 

 ment, and leaves as a profit a money return 

 and plant worth four times the original 

 outlay? It is this enormous profit that is 

 bringing so many heavy capitalists into the 

 ranks of this novel immigration, and inducing 

 men who have already worked themselves 

 into a good position to abandon for a time 

 the amenities of a settled life and embark 

 once more in pioneer farming." A Mr. 

 Dalrymple, in 1877, had 8,000 acres under 

 cultivation. They yielded him twenty-five 

 bushels to the acre, or over 200,000 bushels. 

 His total outlay for seed, cultivation, harvest- 

 ing and threshing was under SIO per acre, 

 leaving him a margin of over S15, or S120,000 

 on his 8,000 acres. This was in Minnesota ; 

 but north of the Canadian line they get a much 

 larger yield than this, and in twenty-seven 

 miles along the Assiniboine river in 1877 over 

 400,000 bushels were harvested that averaged 

 considerably over thirty bushels to the acre. 

 In the Northwestern Provinces of Canada 

 wheat often produces forty and fifty bushels 

 to the acre, while in South Minnesota twenty 

 bushels is the average crop, in Wisconsin only 

 fourteen, in Pennsylvania and Ohio fifteen. 

 Cultivated plants yield the greatest products 

 pear the northernmost limits at which they 



grow. In Prince Albert and other new 

 settlements on the Saskatchewan forty bushels 

 of spring wheat to the acre, averaging sixty- 

 three pounds to the bushel, have been raised. 

 In the Southern latitudes the warm spring 

 develops the juices of the plants too rapidly. 

 They run into stalk and leaf, to the detriment 

 of the seed. 



The extent of this enormous and rich 

 British territory is comparatively unknown in 

 the United States. It is estimated at 2,984,- 

 000 square miles, whilst the whole of the 

 United States south of the international 

 boundary contains 2,933,600 square miles. In 

 its centre is Lake Winnipeg, three hundred 

 miles long, fifty to sixty miles wide — the future 

 Black sea of Canada. At three of its four 

 corners it receives the water of a large river, 

 the main trunk of a hundred smaller ones ; 

 at the remaining northeast angle a fourth and 

 larger river, the Dardanelles of the system, 

 conveys the accumulated waters of nearly a 

 million square miles into Hudson's bay. This 

 Lake Winipeg receives the drainage of the 

 futm-e wheat field of the world. The Sas- 

 katchewan from its debouchure into the lake 

 eastward from the Rocky mountains by one 

 branch runs over a course of 1,054 miles and 

 by the other 1,092. One of the branches has 

 been navigated by steam over 1,000 miles and 

 the other nearly the same distance. The two 

 Saskatchewaus drain what is especially known 

 as the "fertile belt," containing not less than 

 90,000,000 acres of as fine wheat land as can 

 be found in any country. Through their 

 whole length they run through prairie land. 

 The united length of the three main rivers, 

 with their most important affluents, that pour 

 their accumulated waters into Lake Winnipeg 

 is not less than 10,000 miles. The outlet of 

 this magnificent water-system is the large 

 river Nelson, which discharges the surplus 

 waters of the lake into Hudson's Bay, and 

 which can be rendered navigable for steamers 

 to Port Nelson, a point eighty miles nearer to 

 Liverpool than New York is. All this mag- 

 nificent region of prairie, river and lake is 

 British territory. Within five years it is 

 calculated that 4,000,000 acres of this fertile 

 prairie land will be under wheat cultivation. 

 This means an addition to the wheat products 

 of the world of 100,090,000 bushels. The 

 exports of all America to the United King- 

 dom from the 11th of September, 1877 to May 

 11, 1878 — the eight shipping months — was 

 about 100,000,000 bushels. This amount, 

 large as it is, is not more than may be 

 expected within the next few years to be the 

 annual production of this new wheat field of 

 the Winnipeg watershed. The influence of 

 the opening up of this new district cannot but 

 have a most important effect on the supply of 

 the English market. '■^It will make the mother 

 country entirely independent of foreign supply. ^^ 

 It is evident that our superiority as a grain- 

 growing country is likely to be seriously 

 threatened by the rich prairie wheat lands in 

 Northwestern British America. 



BUTTER FACTORY ORGANIZED. 



Some farmers living in the vicinity of Qua- 

 kertown, Bucks county, are tired of sending 

 milk to Philadelphia. Absence of springs has 

 militated against butter making. Thus a 

 large quantity of milk has been sent from 

 that locality. In December last a movement 

 was inaugurated to organize a butter factory. 

 Stock was subscribed at S5 per cow, each 

 dairyman being entitled to subscribe to shares 

 equaling in number the cows kept by him. 

 The total amount of stock subscribed is 300 

 shares, or SI, 600. It is estimated that the 

 buildings and fixtures will cost S3,000. The 

 buildings are under roof, and the inside work 

 will soon be completed. Size of buildings, 40 

 x50 feet. The ice house, 20x35 feet is under 

 the same roof. One room on the first floor, 

 and three on the second, will serv^ as the 

 residence of the superintendent. The build- 

 ings, with the exception of the engine house, 

 are frame. Floors are all cemented. The 

 site selected is the best that could be found in 

 Quakertown, Close to the property is an old 



mill dam, which has had no water in it for a 

 number of years. This spot will be used as 

 an ice pond. A strong spring will feed the 

 dam. Only a few feet divides the mill dam 

 from the ice house. The receiving room, lOx 

 20 feet, is approached by a drive way. All 

 the milk received will be weighed and receipt- 

 ed for. The receiving room has a scale with 

 seven beams, and the milk of seven parties 

 can be weighed all at the same time. The 

 plan adopted for the raising of the cream is 

 known as the J. B. Marquis system. In 

 adopting this system the association believes 

 it to be the best of the many examined. Tlie 

 milk is conducted through pipes from the 

 receiving rooms into the pans placed in 

 position in the milk room. The size of this 

 room is 20x30 feet. In order to understand 

 the Marquis system it is necessary to explain 

 the construction of the pans. The pans are 

 made of tin, and encased in wood. Size of 

 pans— 10 feet long, three feet wide, and 

 eighteen inches deep. Each pan has a rounded 

 bottom, and is divided into two compart- 

 ments ; a four-inch pipe passing through each 

 division of the pan, at a depth that will 

 bring it immediately under the cream. The 

 pipe is also extended to all the other pans, 

 and is connected with a large ice-water tank, 

 capable of holding two hundred and thirty- 

 nine gallons. The tank is to be kept filled 

 with ice and water. A steam pump forces the 

 ice water through the pipe, and after passing 

 through all the line of piping connected with 

 the milk pans, it is forced back again into the 

 tank. Cream, by this system, is made to rise 

 in four hours. When the cream is risen the 

 milk is run off by means of cocks at the 

 bottom of the pans and the cream is left in the 

 pan. One man is expected to have charge of 

 2000 pounds of milk. The milk run off is 

 pumped into a tank, and the farmer the next 

 moring takes back his proportion of milk, to 

 be used in fattening pork. The same disposi- 

 tion is made of the buttermilk. The churning 

 room 10x20 feet, is located west of the milk 

 room, and is next the engine house. Two 

 churns have been purchased, of Burrel's 

 patent. The dasher of this churn remains 

 stationary and the churn makes the revolu- 

 tions. The capacity of these churns is 200 

 pounds of butter per day. The size of the 

 refrigerator is 10x20 feet. In this room the 

 butter is worked and stored. The room is 

 arched and a supply of ice is kept overhead. 

 The butter, after being churned, is placed on 

 a table and salted. After standing awhile 

 it is worked by means of a lever and then 

 moulded into one pound squares and stamped 

 with the monogram of the creamery. It will 

 be shipped in coolers, and is expected to reagh 

 New York and Philadelphia markets in as 

 good condition as when it left the refrigerator. 

 It will be the aim of the association to reach 

 the best custom. To secure trade, samples 

 will |be sent for inspection to leading hotels 

 and establishments. The managers expect to 

 secure the milk of six hundred cows, but 

 operations will be commenced on the milk of 

 a smaller number. The expected daily 

 receipts of milk for the present is set down at 

 2000 pounds. Ten pounds of milk are counted 

 on to make one pound of gilt-edged butter. 

 The motive power of the creamery is furnished 

 by a four-horse-power engine. The estab- 

 lishment will be in full operation by July 1st. 



JULY REPORT OF THE DEPARTMENT 

 OF AGRICULTURE— CORN, POTA- 

 TOES, AND TOBACCO. 



The .Inly report upon the condition of crops 

 has been issued by the Department of Agri- 

 culture and all the products are reviewed. It 

 says that for corn the middle states report a 

 fair condition, except some complaint of 

 drought in Pennsylvania. In this State the 

 only county adjoining this reported is Berks, 

 and there the crop is very promising. Of 

 tobacco it says : 



The acreage of this crop compared with 

 that of 1878 is placed, in Kentucky, at 89 per 

 cent. ; in Virginia, at 90 ; Missouri, 76 ; 

 Tennessee, 95 ; Ohio, 75 ; Maryland, 96 ; 



