530 



Reports on Foreign Crops. 



About 63 per cent, of the goats are of the Angora breed, 

 and 67 per cent, of the sheep are merinos. Wool is the prin- 

 cipal pastoral product, and the yield in 1896-97 is given as 

 38 million pounds, and mohair as 8 millions. About 26,500 

 cwts. of butter were produced in the same year. 



Crops and Live Stock in Manitoba, 1897. 

 The results of the harvest of 1 897 in Manitoba were not so 

 satisfactory as had been anticipated from the preliminary 

 estimates. The following figures give the final results for 

 each of the principal crops, as estimated by the Department 

 of Agriculture at Winnipeg, from the returns made on the 

 1st December last : — 







Yield. 



Crop. 



Area. 







Total. 



Average per Acre. 



Wheat - - - 

 Oats .... 

 Barley - 



Potatoes - - - 

 Roots - 



Acres. 

 1,290,882 

 468,141 

 153,266 

 13,576 

 6,130 



Bushels. 

 18,261,950 

 10,629,513 

 3,183,602 

 2,033,298 

 1,220,070 



Bushels. 

 14-14 

 22-7 

 20-77 



149 



199 



The yield of flax was 247,836 bushels; of rye, 48,344 

 bushels ; and of peas, 33,380 bushels. 



The wheat crop was affected generally throughout the 

 province by a blight known locally as " dead heads," and 

 fields that gave the greatest promise yielded the most disap- 

 pointing results. The range of yield varied from six to 

 twenty-two bushels per acre. The season for harvesting and 

 threshing was, however, exceedingly favourable, and although 

 the average yield was only 14.14 bushels per acre, the price 

 realized for the crop was so satisfactory that the province 

 is reported to have entered upon a new era of prosperity. 

 Oats and barley suffered from frost and dry weather, and 

 there was a shortage of coarse grains for feed. 



The number of live stock in Manitoba, according to the 

 latest revised statistics, include 100,274 horses, 221,775 

 cattle, 36,680 sheep, and 74,944 pigs. 



