VOL. XXII.
INDIANAPOLIS, IND., SATURDAY, OCT. 1,1887.
NO. 40
Written [or tbe Indiana Farmer.
Manitoba.
BY JOHN  M.  STAHL.
That portion of Manitoba lying east of
the line of Winnipeg is not considered of
much value agriculturally, and I did not
visit it. I entered the province at Emerson, on the east side of the Red River of
the Xorth. From here to Winnipeg,
through the eastern half of the valley, the
land is generally level, the soil good, but
houses are few and far between—much of
the land through here is held in large
bodies by speculators. This is the case
also for some distance west of Winnipeg,
along the main line of the Canadian Pacific railway, and in yet other parts of the
province. In 1881-84, Manitoba had a big
boom and farms and city lots took on an
inflated value. Many farmers mortgaged
the land they had, to procure money with
which to buy more land, and spent money
extravagantly. The collapse came and
their land passed into the hands of the
money lenders, who yet hold the most of
It. For this reason houses and cultivated
fields may be few in the best agricultural
spots in the province.
Along the main line of the C. P. R. R.,
west of Winnipeg, the land is level till
Austin is reached—90 miles from Winnipeg. The soil is fertile and-siinilar to that
of the Red River valley in Dakota. The
land is prairie, except a thin fringe of
trees along the streams. Its price is from
|5 to $30 per acre; about Portage La Prairie
the farms are not priced at a lower figure
than $25 per acre. This town has a population of 3,500 is on the Assiniboine river,
and is 56 miles from Winnipeg. From
PoplayPoint to Burnside—40 to 65 miles
west of Winnipeg—there is as fine a farming country as could be wished for. From
Austin, 90 miles from Winnipeg, to Melbourne, 15 miles further, is through the
sand hills—of little value for agricultural
purposes, but the little valleys among the
hills afford considerable grazing, and there
is a heavy growth of poplar along the
streams. From Melbourne to the western
boundary of the province the land, with
some small exceptions, is decidedly good
for agricultural purposes. It is more rolling than the land just west of Winnipeg.
Outside of the sand hills and a few small
undesirable pieces, the railroad land within a convenient distance of the railroad,
say five miles, and the government land
also, has passed into private hands. The
Canadian Pacific got an enormous land
grant—every odd numbered section except
11 and 29 within 24 miles of its road. Tbe
unsold railroad lands can be got for from
$2 50 to $10 per acre, according to their
value for agricultural purposes and their
location. In the territory along this road,
and throughout the province, in fact, the
principal farm products are wheat, oats
and-tarte*!/: ' Btock raising anil dairying
are receiving considerable attt        ..
There is a railway line running from
Portage La Prairie west of northwest
through the provino^. Out as far as
Westbnrne, 12 miles, the land is level,
open prairie. From Westburne to Arden,
about 35 miles, the land is more or less
timbered; there are open patches of prairie
and small groves of poplar. This is an
excellent grazing country and along the
•streams there is good grain   land.   From
Arden to Bridge Creek, 15 miles, is practically open prairie. From Bridge Creek
lo Minnedosa, 10 miles, the land is rolling, with considerable timber and numerous small lakes. From Minnedosa west
the land is rolling and the soil generally
good.   Little lakes are quite numerous.
From Winnipeg a road runs south
through the west side of the Red River
Valley. This side of the valley is like the
east side, but it is somewhat more thickly
settled. From Rosenfield there is a line
running almost due west through the
province and within   12 to 20 miles of   its
CORN AND POTATOES FOR SEED.
Selecting* and Growing*.
The selection of corn for seed should be
done as soon as the grain is hardened. A
part, or all of the stalk below the ear
should be taken with the ear, and all
hung up in a dry place under shelter,
where the sun cannot shine on it, and
where mice and rats cannot reach it, and
where it will bo free from moisture or
heat from animals or grain stored in bins
or cribs. The selection should be made
from tho earliest, largest ears, from stalks
Victor Manure Pulveriser and *spi-eis«ler. mi«l l.iine Spreader.
southern boundary. Tliis road runs
through fine rolling, prairie country.
This is a general statement, to which there
are numerous, but very small, exceptions.
The available government land along this
road is practically all taken. Much of the
railroad land (every odd numbered section except 11 and 29 within 12 miles of
the road, I believe) is yet open for purchase, at from three to twelve dollars per
acre.
Victor Manure Pulverizer and Spreader,
and Lime Spreader.
The above cut represents the new "Victor" manure pulverizer and spreader with
farm wagon attached. This machine is
built by the "Newark Machine Company,"
of Columbus, Ohio, and was run during
the State fair pulverizing and sowing
manure to the great surprise and delight
of the hundreds of farmers who saw it
work. It bids fair to be one of tbe leading machines of the day, and one no
enterprising farmer can well afford to do
without. As every farmer who has seen
it work can testify, it is undoubtedly the
best machine for spreading manure that
was ever offered to the public. For top
dressing of meadows and grain fields, it is
simply invaluable. Several dozen were
sold on the fair grounds during the last
week, and many hundreds will find their
way into the hands of the progressive
farmers of our State in the near future.
This company also'manufactures the
leading clover huller on the market, the
"Victor," which has a standing offer of
$1,000 to any competitor. Its equal has
never been found. The celebrated "Imperial" straw stacker, a full line of feed
cutters etc., made up the exhibit of this
enterprising company. Mr. A. R. Apple-
man, the president, ably assisted by Mr.
E. L. Williams, his State agent, was on
hand to greet his many friends and had a
constant crowd of admirers around his
tent.
that grow low and stong. In all cases
where there are two good ears on one
stalk, the upper ear should be selected, as
it has been found that the top ear contains the true seed—that is, the top ear
has the power to multiply the number of
ears to the stalk. The examination of a
stalk of corn will show a dormant ear at
every joint from near the ground up to
the ear, and a groove at every such joint.
The dormant ears increase in size and the
grooves increase in depth from the ground
upward to the ear. This fact shows that
nature has endowed the stalk of corn
with the capacity of producing several
ears to the stalk, and if the proper rules
are observed in the selection of seed, and
the proper care given tb the cultivation,
each stalk may be made to bear several
ears. If large ears are desired, the selection of seed should be made from stalks
having the largest number of large ears.
But if the largest number of ears to the
stalk is desiied,the seed should be selected
from stalks bearing the largest number of
ears, without regard to the size of the ears
—this selection would make the most val
liable corn for cattle, to be fed on the
stalk, the ears not being large would be
best suited to the purpose, while the large
number of oars would make even more
feod than those stalks, the seed of which
has been selected with a view of making
the largest number of large ears.
A SI'EI'IAI. SI'.I.KITIIIN OF SEED
should be made from the seed to be
planted^ taking the very best. This
should be planted in the very best soil
that can be had, the ground being first
plowed extra deep and well, and made as
fine as possible. The extra seed should
then be planted on this extra good land,
prepared with extra care, planting one
grain in a place not less than three feet
apart, so as to give ample room between
stalks to make an extra growth, which it
will do if given extra care and cultivation,
the rows being the  usual width that corn
is planted, which gives a distance of three
feet ten inches between rows, or three and
one-half feet if planted by hand,and three
feet between stalks. Or, if the corn is a
large growing stalk, three and one-half or
four feet should be given between the
stalks. This extra grown seed is to be the
seed for the next year's crop, and without
doubt, will produce an extra crop both in
yield and quality.
The selection of
POTATOES FOB SEED
should be made when the crop is hal*'
vested, and before being taken up after
being dug. At this time the very largest,
smoothest, and most perfectly formed
ones can be and should be taken to be
used as seed for the next years' crop. Tliis
seed should be handled carefully, so as
not to bruise them. They should be put
into sacks, one bushel in the sack, and
stored in a dry, cool cellar, separate from,
or as far away from other potatoes as possible.
When planting comes, and that time ia
when the frost is out of the ground and
the soil is dry enough to work good, no
later than this, as,if planted at the earliest
possible time after the frost is out they
will make their growth before the hot.
weather sets iu. The culture should be
done with a view of hastening growth for
the same purpose. Select the very best
portion of the seed, and plant this on the
very best ground prepared in the very
best manner, planting large pieces, or
whole large potatoes is still better, rejecting, or cutting away a portion of the stem
end. Giving two feet between hills—rows
usual distance, and as soon as the sprouts
are two inches high, thin out to one stalk
in a hill. This will hasten the growth and
maturity, and will make all large, fine
potatoes for seed for the next seasons'
crop.
THE 11KSI SEED
with best care and culture, grown on the
best land may be expected to produce the
very best crop.
It is almost impossible to believe that
for ages farmers have bestowed no more
care on the portion that is to be seed for
the coming crop, than they give to that
portion that is to be fed to stock or sold
on the market, and yet this is true, the
practice being to take seed corn from hills
having several stalks and grown in the
common way; and potatoes from hills
with several stalks. No greater enemy to
a stalk of corn or potatoes can be found
than another stalk growing near to it. It
is, therefore, indispensible to the production of the best stalk of either that they
should be grown far enough apart to give
to each stalk all the room required to
make the best and largest growth.
The influence of the best seed to produce
the best crop may be estimated by the
superiority of "thoroughbred" animals
over common stoek, and the same principles apply to the production of vegetables
and fruit as in the production of the beat
and finest "Jerseys,""Sliorthorns,""Herefords," "Normans," "Clydesdales," and
all other improved breeds of stock. Should
each farmer produce the best seed by giving the greatest care and attention to ita
production, that is required in the very
nature of the case, and suggested by the
natural endowments of the plants themselves, as indicated iu the case of corn and
potatoes, greater yields and better quality
of crops would result.
Davenport, Iowa.     E. S. Teaoarden,