CHAPTER IX. Census Returns.-Ontario Returns.-Manitoba.-Value of farm property in Ontario and the United States. -Agriculture in England and other Countries.--Great Britain's Imports of Foods.-Wheat exporting and importing Countries. -Decreased area. — Tables, Imports and Exports of Agricultural products.-Beet-root sugar in Canada.-Viticulture in Canada. -Tobacco raising in Canada.-Farm Stock.-Quarantine.— Experimental Farms. --Dairying. 476. Looked at with respect to the number of persons directly dependent upon the land for a living, agriculture is the chief industry in Canada. In it 45 per cent of the population find their means of subsistence and their opportunities for the accumulation of wealth. Agriculture is, therefore, in Canada a branch of industry of paramount importance. Whatever affects it, prejudicially or beneficially, affects directly all other employments. Its products constitute one-fourth of the freightage of our railways, and onethird of that of our canals. Our mercantile marine depends largely upon the products of agriculture for freights, more than one-half of which are products of the farm. According to the Census of 1891, the area of improved lands in Canada was 28,537,242 acres, of which 19,904,826 acres were under crop. There were 464,462 acres in gardens and orchards and 15,284,788 acres in pasture. The increase in lands under crop in 1891 compared with 1881 was 4,792,542 acres, or over 30 per cent. Relatively to the whole area of Canada the area under crop and in pasture was about 10 per cent. There are, therefore, great possibilities of expansion in the future even in the older provinces, while in Manitoba and the organized districts of Assiniboia, Alberta and Saskatchewan there are nearly 239,000,000 acres, which have been brought to the uses of the farmer and the ranchers to the extent of 7,832,200 acres. Included in this statement are the ranching grounds, which, in 1895, covered 904,187 acres, distributed among 185 jessees. 477. The Census returns of 1891 give the following information for the Dominion. A comparison with the Census of 1881 is also given. There was an increase in all these articles with the exception of rye and buckwheat. Of course the Census returns, being taken only once in ten years, are an uncertain index of the development of the agricluture of the country, since the years of comparison may be, the one a good year, and the other a poor year. 478. The Province of Ontario has yearly Agricultural returns, the Legislature of that province having wisely provided for such returns since 1882. According to these returns the crops of that province have resulted as under : 479. The Province of Manitoba has also made provision for the annual collection of crop statistics. The following figures, published by the Manitoba Government, give the area and yield of the principal crops of the province in 1892, 1893, 1894 and 1895, and the average per acre :— AREA UNDER CULTIVATION OF PRINCIPAL CROPS IN MANITOBA, 1892, 1893, 1894 AND 1895. Wheat. Oats.... Barley. Potatoes.. Bush. Bush. Bush. Bush. 14,453,835 15,615,923 15 6 17,172,883 Bush. Bush. Bush. 17 0 31,775,038 27.8 11,654,090 9,823,935 25 3 11,907,854 28 8 22,555,733 46 7 2,831,676 2,547,653 22 1 2,981,716 24 2 5,645,036 36.7 2,000,600 1,649,384 133 0 2,035,336 153 0 4,042,562 243 5 In 1895 the total yield of pease was 28,229 bushels; of flax, 1,281,354 bushels from 82,668 acres, showing an average yield of 15 5 bushels; of rye, 81,082 bushels, and of roots other than potatoes, 2,285,283 bushels. 480. The Government of the Province of Ontario supplies statistics relating to the value of farm property in the province. The following is a comparative statement of the results:- It appears that the real property (lands and buildings) connected with farming was worth $798,865,631 in 1884, and $791,317,683 in 1894. The reduction in value, consequent upon the opening up of Manitoba and the North-west and the decrease in the price of agricultural produce, has amounted, in the ten years, to $7,547,948. The percentage of decrease is 0.9 per cent. 481. Subject to similar influences are the North Atlantic States of the United States. |