needy and timid producers to dump their wheat on to the market at any price until such 

 time after the completion of the harvesting and threshing as the buyer's depleted supplies 

 had been replenished. There were, however, many excellent reasons which have been 

 mentioned why prices should rise again and maintain a fairly reasonable average. And 

 in times of such stress in the Motherland and among our Allies, it is indeed fortunate 

 that Mother Earth should have, during the past season, yielded up her treasures in 

 such extraordinary abundance that, with prices only good to average the farmer should 

 have been able to receive a very satisfactory reward for his toil. In the autumn of 

 1915, Europe's needs apparently had developed beyond the expectations of our Allies, 

 some of whom at first naturally took the most optimistic view, inspired by the fair 

 outturn of home grown crops and the reputed unlimited supplies soon to be available 

 from abundant foreign harvests. The demands of France early became particularly 

 urgent, and her first needs having been satisfied by imports from the United Kingdom, 

 the latter's stores, with very little wheat arriving from overseas, soon dwindled to a 

 record low point. Then arose the exorbitant freight rates nearly doubling the price 

 to the European consumer, with nearly one-half of the total price, especially in the 

 case of wheat from Argentina, going to the ship owner. This abnormal rise in freights, 

 although having a tendency to deprive the producer of a due proportion of his legitimate 

 profits, established a margin of difference of charges in favour of the North Atlantic 

 route as compared with the rates from the Southern Hemisphere. Fortunately, the 

 Canadian exporter was protected further because of the beneficial operation of the 

 "Grain Act" and its wise administration, by means of which grain of uniform good 

 quality is assured to the importer. Then there was an unlimited supply of Hard 

 Wheat of prime quality for which there has been an almost unlimited demand. We 

 have seen that Mr. Broomhall expected Canada's exports to exceed those of the United 

 States, and it will not be surprising if there should be a demand limited only by the 

 facilities for shipment, and the huge shipments of October, November and December 

 may be repeated on the opening of navigation, with India practically out of the field 

 as a competitive exporter. It is to be noted that the exports in our tables are estimated 

 to the end of the world's grain year, namely August 1st, so that shipment of Canada's 

 old crop may continue practically for two months longer without coming into com- 

 petition with the new crop. 



There seems a good basis for the opinion that the United States will not repeat 

 in the coming season the great crops reaped during the last two years. The history 

 of the past shows the improbability of it, and the ascertained facts concerning the 

 winter crop, which has already been sown, emphasizes the improbability of it. It 

 will be noted that, in so far as facts are definitely known, conditions in Europe, especially 

 at sowing time, were not propitious. In the enormous preparations that have been 

 going on for probably the fiercest struggle of the great conflict during the next few 

 months there has been, and there must continue to be, a lack of labour and motive 

 power as well for the sowing as for the subsequent tilling and harvest. It has become 

 practically impossible to resort to the customary intensive methods with the use of 

 fertilizers on regular rotations. We see in France the unfortunate results from forced 

 abandonment of the old methods in the rank growth of weeds that probably can be 

 but imperfectly controlled. Mr. Richardson, of Australia, has estimated from con- 

 sideration of these and various other causes a reduction in Europe's wheat production 

 for 1915 of at least 15%. It is doubtful if this is not an underestimate as applied to 

 the coming season, because the production of crops other than wheat, and especially 

 roots, will suffer even more than that cereal from the war conditions. We have seen an 

 instance of this in the very striking drop in the French production of potatoes and 

 sugar beets, probably because of the absence of labour and fertilizers needed in their 

 cultivation. 



The conclusion therefore appears obvious. There is a reasonable expectation 

 that remunerative prices will be well maintained, and there is every inducement to 

 the Canadian farmers to extend to the utmost in the coming spring the cultivation of 



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