That the crop last year was an unusually bountiful one was largely due to favourable 

 climatic conditions. Nevertheless, the increased effort to make the land produce 

 was partly accountable for it. This increased effort was called forth mainly 

 by patriotic motives, but partly by a perfectly legitimate wish to profit by 

 the unusual demand caused by war conditions. Part of the result is past 

 history. Prices were undeniably good, but not as good as some expected. 

 Probably prices could never go high enough to meet all expectations. However, the 

 great trouble in this province lay in the fact that while yields were good and prices 

 were good, most of the farmers, having no storage facilities of their own, wished to 

 unload as early and as rapidly as possible. They could not always do this, and much 

 dissatisfaction resulted, not to speak of definite loss caused by the delay. If, during 

 the coming year, something could be done to mitigate this trouble, it would be a work 

 well worth undertaking. 



It is not intended to offer suggestions to railroads, because car shortage is to be 

 expected after harvest; indeed it appears most unreasonable to blame the roads for 

 failing to carry, the year round, cars sufficient to handle the grain rush at autumn. 

 The roads, however, should be urged to make all possible provision in mobilizing cars 

 for the jam that is sure to come, following a favourable summer. Nevertheless, it would 

 seem that the farmer should shoulder a certain amount of the responsibility. Ready- 

 made granaries are not hard to procure, and while these cost money, and it is cheaper 

 to haul direct to the elevator, it is better to provide them than to suffer loss from delay. 

 Then, too, the man who can hold his grain for a time is bound, in the average of 

 years, to command a higher price than the man who sells during the rush. The very 

 large grain grower may feel that it is impossible to provide adequate storage for 

 his own use, but with the average farmer — and he is in the vast majority — it is 

 both practicable and advisable. Any person interested in granary construction 

 should read Bulletin No. 8 issued by the Department of Lands, Victoria, British 

 Columbia. 



BACKYARD AND VACANT LOT GARDENING 



OTTAWA 



The vacant lot gardens in the City of Ottawa consisted of 128 plots, fifty by one 

 hundred feet, for which no less than 180 applications were received. There was great 

 enthusiasm shown by the majority of the gardeners during the summer. It was no 

 unusual sight to see one hundred persons busy at their gardens on a summer's evening. 

 The season was favourable for most crops and in consequence the results, as a whole, 

 were very satisfactory. 



A number of persons told what they had grown on their plots, the following being 

 some examples: 



Plot No. 31 — 10 bags of potatoes; 300 ears of corn; 1,200 cucumbers and 300 

 tomatoes. 



Plot No. 13 — 12 bags of potatoes; a liberal supply of corn, pumpkins and squash. 



Plot No. 20 — 9 bags of potatoes, a large crop of tomatoes, cucumbers and beets. 



Plot No. 110 — Potatoes, 6 bushels; carrots, 1 bushel; turnips \}/2 bushels; beets, 

 2 bushels; cabbage, 36 heads; green beans, 16 gallons; peas, shelled, 10 quarts; onions, 

 2 gallons; corn, 13 dozen cobs; tomatoes, 314 lb. ripe, 2 bushels green. 



Plot No. 121 — For a family of seven, a constant supply of green beans, July 15th 

 to Oct. 1st., potatoes, 6 bags and sufficient carrots, turnips, parsnips, onions and cabbage 

 for the summer, fall and winter supply. 



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