Economic Position of Wheat Growing. 



Irrigation notwithstanding, he finds no evidence that the semi- 

 arid area can be relied upon to produce any considerable amount of 

 wheat for export, but notes a very rapid increase in miscellaneous 

 farming in this area ; and he traces the progress of three irrigation 

 schemes in the semi-arid regions of Alberta, giving interesting 

 particulars of the largest scheme, that of the Canadian-Pacific 

 Railway, which contemplates dealing with 3,500,000 acres of land 

 and involves at present 1,000,000 acres. 



The Paper further offers in detail interesting particulars of the 

 course of land values, and a table is given of the advancing values 

 per acre in the sales of land belonging to the Canadian-Pacific 

 Railway from $3*15 in 1901 to $9'54 in 1908. 



After discussing the various railway extensions and their bearing 

 on the development of the North-West, Professor Mavor concludes 

 his Paper with a reference to the varying estimates of possible 

 wheat production quoted by him in his Report of 1904 from 

 different expert authorities, and offers an amendment by those 

 responsible for the lower one of 13,750,000 acres, which would, 

 in the light of recent progress, add another 3,500,000 acres to 

 that total, and a consequent enlargement of the resultant produce 

 of this lowest estimate to 317,000,000 bushels, which would provide 

 232,000,000 bushels for export. He repeats, however, his own 

 distinct disclaimer of any responsibility for the original estimate 

 or its amendment, and urges, as before, the very numerous 

 economic factors which have to be borne in mind in estimating the 

 productivity of any country in this respect. He concludes that 

 no one who examines the statistics of agricultural productivity in 

 the North- West since 1883 can fail to be astonished at the progress 

 made in twenty-six years. In 1883 the population was insignifi- 

 cant, and the one railway then constructed had not been completed 

 to the coast. Now three great railways are crossing these 

 provinces, and another forcing its way upward from the States. 

 This population numbers a million, and its agricultural prosperity 

 is advancing by leaps and bounds. The country, he adds, needs 

 no fantastic exaggerations to draw attention to its achievements 

 and its possibilities ; it only needs a cool estimate of these and 

 consolidation rather than excessive expansion. A vast amount 

 of energy and capital have been wasted in attempts to exploit 

 regions which are, and must long remain, distant from markets, 

 while fertile soils easy of access have remained under cultivation 

 of a highly primitive character. The immense natural resources 

 of the rich soil of Manitoba and of portions of Saskatchewan and 

 Alberta are not even yet being fully exploited. Very considerable 

 improvements in agricultural methods must yet take place if their 

 resources are to be fully utilised. 



