158 



Canadian Agriculture. 



there can be little doubt that with ths development of the 

 means of transit, and with prices at a remunerative level in 

 consuming countries, immense quantities of wheat could be 

 raised for export in this part of the country. The circum- 

 stances of the past few years do not, however, appear to have 

 encouraged Canadian farmers to continue to enlarge their 

 wheat-fields. It is true that the yearly exports of grain from 

 the Dominion have been on a greater scale since 1891 than 

 at any previous period, but this has been due not to a 

 progressive extension of the area cultivated after that year, 

 but rather to a succession of abundant harvests beginning 

 with 1 891, when the yield per acre was exceptionally high 

 both in the Dominion and the United States, and ending 

 with 1895.* 



In the older provinces of the Dominion stock-raising and 

 dairying are already established industries, and in the opinion 

 of several authorities there is a great future awaiting both 

 these branches of farming in Manitoba and the North-West 

 Territories, where a practically unlimited amount of natural 

 pasture is a strong inducement to the keeping of live stock. 

 The natural advantages tliat favour the development of these 

 industries in Canada are, however, counterbalanced to some 



The average annual net exportation of wheat, in the form of grain and flour, 

 from Canada in the five years 1891-95 amounted to 7,389,000 bushels, as compared 

 with an average of 2,137,000 bushels in the preceding quinquennium. It will be seen 

 from these figures that the exports have practically doubled within the last decade ; 

 but, as has l3een pointed out above, this is largely the result of a series of good 

 harvests between 1891 and 1895. The acreage and production of wheat in the 

 provinces of Ontario and Manitoba in each year since 1887 has been as follows : — 





Ontario. 



/ ^Manitoba. 



Year. 





















Area. 



Produce. 



Area. 



Produce. 



1887 

 1888 

 1889 

 1890 

 1891 

 1892 

 1893 

 1894 

 1895 

 1896 



Acres. 

 1,383,000 

 1, 194,000 

 1,221,000 

 1,431,000 

 1,361,000 

 1,618,000 

 1,271,000 

 1,009,000 



967,000 

 1, 132,000 



Bushels. 

 20,074,000 

 20,284,000 

 18,700,000 

 21,315,000 

 32,584,000 

 28,783,000 

 21,731,000 

 19,880,000 

 17,628,000 

 18, 194,000 



Acres. 

 432,000 



623,000 

 897,000 

 917,000 

 876,000 

 1,004,000 

 1,010,000 

 1,140,000 

 1.000,000 



Bushels. 

 12,352,000 



7,202,000 

 16,092,000 

 23,192,000 

 14,454,000 

 15,616,000 

 17,173,000 

 31,775,000 

 14,372,000 



