INDIAN CORN, WHEAT AND HAY. 



227 



and the United States are subject, occur, it is said, at Eed 

 Eiver. Of this fact I cannot speak from personal experi- 

 ence ; all I can say is that I heard no complaints of rust, 

 nor did I see a single instance of its presence ; yet it 

 would be very unwise to infer from so short an experi- 

 ence that rust is not an enemy to the wheat crops there ; 

 the character of rust leads to the supposition that it will 

 be found wherever wheat is grown, if the climate be 

 favourable to its production. The absence of rust is 

 probably more a question of summer climate than of 

 peculiarities in the soil which prevent its attacks. Al- 

 though I made numerous inquiries respecting destructive 

 insects, yet I could hear of none similar to the Hessian 

 fly or wheat fly, as having been observed there. The 

 grasshoppers, from 1817 to 1820, were the most destruc- 

 tive enemies known ; in 1857 and 1858 they destroyed 

 the wheat crop at Prairie Portage, and to a small extent 

 in the settlements. 



3. Hay. — Quantity unlimited, and quality excellent. 

 The prairies for hundreds of miles, through which Ked 

 Eiver, the Assinniboine, Eat, and Eoseau Eivers flow, offer 

 everywhere a bountiful supply of grass and hay. Hay 

 ground privileges have been established on the banks 

 of the larger rivers, and the right of making hay within 

 particular limits is recognised by the inhabitants. 



Barley and oats are not much cultivated ; hops grow 

 wild and in the greatest luxuriance. In 1858 they were 

 seen on the Little Souris Eiver, at the Qu'appelle Lakes 

 and on the Little Saskatchewan. Beet yields very abund- 

 antly. Tobacco is cultivated to a small extent, but from 

 trial of its qualities, I infer that it is susceptible of great 

 improvement in the manufacturing process to which it is 

 subjected. The season is, perhaps, too short for it to 

 acquire maturity, and produce a good article. 



