HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1967-04-20, Page 13,
rogress Owes Muc
By. L. A„, Lassaline
of Gederick T.OWnSh1.13,
in the Family Herald
The KitOener.Waterloo area,
a name synonymous with good
feed, tidy prosperous farms, and
for many, a Way of We unique
in Ontario, owes Much of its
present greatness. to its early
,,, settlers, 'Varied national groups
LI have ,combined- to give, this area
world:wide renown for high pro.
duction per acre, and for export
Of quality products...14,
f'A veritable paradise," re-
ported the French explOrers who
discovered the regiian early in
the 1,7th. century. T, his beautiful
country of open meadows, hard.
wood forests, evergreen swamps,
and gentle rivers never ceased
to amaze -them. Glowing descrip.
----tions-ot.this land flowed-crease--
lessly from the pens of military
men,, Jesuits and explorers.
Writing about the settlement at
Detroit which he founded in 1701,
Cadillac had this to, say
• this country, so temperate, so
fertile,, and so beautiful that it
may justly be called the earthily
paradise of North America, de.
serves all the dare of the King
-4--• to keep it up and to attract in.
habitants to it."
By that time isolated forts and
, missions nestled itTsolitude along
the vast waterways of the region,
but apart from the permanent
colony at Detroit, the interior of
the peninstila itself remainedvir.
•-tually undisturbed for another100
years. '
And thus it remained until the
war of American Independence
shattered the age-old system,
lisplacing peoples and ideals. '
• Canada became a haven for United
• Empire Loyalists and• Indians
loyal to the English crown. Joined.
_KinnAgrants frojp_Etirope,,ths,
an ed,seldiers and Pennsylvania
Dutch, this army of settlers in.
vaded southwestern Ontario in a
wave -of"- migration which event-
ually opened up the whole of the
peninsula.
The Pennsylvania Dutch were,
In reality, people of German stock
who, taking advantage of William
Penn's guarantee of 'complete re.
ligious freedbin, had settled in
• America in 1682-83. Within a few
-years, land there became scarce
and expensive. Luredby thePros.
pect of good cheap land in Upper
Canada, and offered exemption
from military service because
of their religious beliefs, many'
set out for the fiewlsnds of south-
' western Ontario. There were men
like Joseph Sherk- and Samuel
Betzner, who loaded their Conest-
- oza wagons and ttekked across
ie mountains - from Pennsy.
a.nnia to the Niagara "-Rivera:- 7.7
hey broke trail through un.
mapped country of swamps, bush
and river to settle at Doon, near
Kitehener. They were closely
. followed by an ever-increasing
tide of fellow countrymen, 'and the
'silence of the virgin forest along
th e Grand River echoed to the
sountof ax blows as log cabins
and barns emerged in the lonely
clearings. ,
With' a reliaous belief closely
linked to the soil they loved, they
ON. THIE.FARM -.FRONT
4don hadtialeratil:firAs. Wit& . ulrIrn1rIteesds'eafeironrrof Agruis,elfiliierbifethe
in a generation, their log cabins ps6tri
„
gave way to suhstantial homes 're*
and barns.. Zigzagging cross.
ition, one of time; grand old men
country,from farm to farm, cord- of agricultural extension in On-
uroy rOads kept families in close tari.a, E. I. 'Mac' 1VIcLoughry,
contact with one another, flere,
these thrifty, industrious people tscierifIr.54Wi.th distinction fro:01111924
ia that era of farm'
tilled the soil anti practised
animal , husbandry to near per- uphes,val vvhich uprooteo tne
McLoughry, "to pinpoint anY Par. ' .
bably why we haw eight meat
fection, • fa• rmer' from• the. horse and one. packers serving this area."
tictila.r field of endeavor as te
,ha
. Closely linked withthe develop.' furrow plow and transplanted him -
on toda,y's large, rnechapized , one giving me the most satisfa.c. 'eh" e"nSecluir eiders, Burns, and Kit
"Schneider'
s,
between them buy
ment, of this area beginning in ' Wm. live ehjoyed them all. I've
1874 was the Ontario Agricultural farm., Of the many projects with
tbilegT AO\TlicarlYdrated-iirttie--whi4-11e-4"-M-§millteglalle at 'enjoyed working with the People.: inn=ce(t)efd_t:hteilts_ags andlivestock
rural--and--urbanr-It-ts-goOdlo -see:-----
University of Guelph. From its the most notable was, the Wiie-i.--
, all the different nationalities Abner B. Martin, a successful
, working together and ' ;gettingfarmer . and manager of . the Kit -
along 'so well." ' chener Stockyards. "Twenty per
• In 1890, John Metz Schneider, • cent of all Ontario hogs go through
,J, M.' as he became known, in. the marketing yards here; 80 per
vested a nest egg of $300 in the.
production of top qaality pork cent
eorf-Wthaetesreloosuralrykettli."e Kit.
sausage in the basement of his Here and there throughout the
Kitchener home. Today, only a area farm' factories of poultry,
few blocks away from his or. hogs, and beef turn out meat pro.
iginal plant, One of Canada's most ducts by the ton as does Bob
efficient meat packing operations Betchel's completely . modern
handles 380 hogs, 30 cattle, and push-button farm near Kitchener
some 3,000 chickens per hour, where SQMe 500 steers are
ivestock brought in from more fattened annuallY on his. ,300
hail _3,000 farms. Its product acres. Or, again, surprisingly
lis npwards of 350 diff- enough, the scene may soddenly ,
erent types of firm produce, shift from grain, corn, or pas:
some of which are exported to the ture to a five acre cabbage plot
near New Dundee or to a 12..
United States, Bermuda andio the
Bahamas and other islands in the -acre potato field along the high?
West Indies. way near Hespeler. • „
"J. M.'s -business genius and ` , Shaver Poultry Breeding •
he had plenty,_ would not ?hive Farms Ltd. has made the name ,
....J...
Carrying on in this early tract.'
gerse enterprises as boys' and •assured success fcr-the company
girls' livestock clubs,. WU test, by itself," says . Lorne Shantz,
advertising manager fOr the corn.
lug, farm 'maids, reforestation,
seed • cleaning demonstrations,' Pan -Y. "More -than that--wasre..-•
and the establishment of an quired: good, quality livestock.
Advance Registry Swine Testing And that was available right
Station at New Hamburg as early in this district, This area is rated
as 1932. as one .of the finest agricultural
"It's difficult even now," says districts in Canada.. ,That's pro,
inception ,the college steadily loci Cattle Breeding Association.
gained influence as the best •One of Canada's pioneers in art.
i
equipped agricultural school -and ificial insemnation. By 1954 it
became the firSt-tirlit' in the world
experimental farm in the British
to use frozen semen routinely,
Empire. As more and more area
farmers turneti to the college for and today is the Only breeding
assistance; a district representai association in Canada offering
tive was appointed to Waterloo swine service.•
In their efforts to improve.
County' in 1907, one of . the first
hi
six - counties in'the province to cattle ids, Waterloo County
receive this service., farmers, many of them proniin.
"We've been blessed with good ent cattlemen such as John
men in office,"' says W. C. Barrie, Steckle, J. E. Buck, Abner B.
Martin, Fred M. Snyder, Will.
an 82-yeareold retired farmer
at Galt, who still helps his son lam J. Henderson and Oliver
with the harvest. Mr. Barrie, Wright, organized clubs with this
purpose in mind. From the first
a director of the Ontario Plowing
Association from its founding in struggling efforts of these co.
1913 „untir' his' retirement in 1963, *Operative clubs in 1941 and 1942,
there emerged the modern organ.
recalls with -pleasure the three
agricultural representatives who ization . which now serves
thousands of farmers everywhere
witkthe highest quality bulls and
boars. In1965 this organization's
30- technicians inseminated
80,000 animals in its' town area
had served in that time: J.S.
Knapp, Elliot I. McLougliry, and
Sandy Forsythe.
"From the very beginning the
agricultural office tried hard to
interest us and at the same time
would help -us to help ourselves,"
he .says. “They, started clubs for
the improvement of livestock and
of seed, Short courses for boys
and girls, school fairs; and I
believe they even set up a county
board of agriculture which was
For soft bread crumbs use
fresh bread. Working with two.
or three slices at a timi re-
move the crusts. Cut soft cen-
ters into match -like stieks.WIth
fingers, tear strips inio course
crumbs. Two slices .torn and
lightly packed make one cup of
crumbs.
It s time
During his term of office, Mc.'
Loughry. specialized in soils and
land use, crop and livestock
Im-
,T" Junier Farmer
_Extension and rural -urban rela-
tions,, by initiatingprojects which
were the first forOntario if not
Canada. 'These included such div -
is there •
some'car-safe67 you
need -to buy?
•
Of Galt, Ontario, known the world
over -From a harnbie beginning
• In 1936 on rented prOperty, this
knterp_rie.#lzasSixpantledtnce_
World War 11 to its Present globe.
circling operations. With subsid.
iarte in 'Argentina, Chile,
arazu, Great Britain, Germany,
• ete., 13 countries in all, and yith
stock distributed to 52 countries,
the operation is still growing.
",Durieg the last war we pro-
duced more per unit area than
-any other place in Canada." says
S tanley....Weberr Sreadent-otthe..
Waterloo County Federation of .
kgricultue, Who farms a large,
acreage south. ,of Petersburg.
"Although we have some highly
specialized farms in beef, poultry
and others, most Of the land is
devoted to Mixed farming with
emphasis on good field crops and
good livestock. As aresult, there
are Several _excellent dairy herds
in the county that have gained
world.wide recognition,"
But although Waterloo County
, is favored by soil type and avail=
able markets, the most important
.ingredient by far were thepeople
themselves. By 1824 the trickle of
settlers became a stream'as var.
ions nationalities joined with the
earlier Pennsylvania Dutch in
opening up new'lands and in build.
in'g prosperous settlement towns.
,Amish settlers from Germany
headed out north and west from
Peon. Scots, 'IriSh and EngliSh.
settled North PtimfrieSand$Catt,
ered pOckets thrOtighOUt the
county. A teWRUSSiaa Mentaanitea
fleeing from oppreSSIOn arrived,
and a new wave of GeriThan in
migrants, mostly p11.eMl
ess
refugees from amilitarist'
Prussia, and. groups of Polish tex.
tile workers for the new factor,
les. spriliging tip in the large,„
lowns A,D4Whatever,their-natiOiV;
alities, Whatever -their
helped to push back the frontiers.
With a • penchant more for
industry than agricUlture, Many
of the later German arrivals,'
mostly Lutherans and Rennin
Catholics, soon drifted from
farms where they had worked to
live in settlements sprouting up
as replicas of the places they
had lett . the
•
duce from the .surrounding
dountryside could be processed
and °sold to consumers. Thus,
throughout the county in settle-
ments with suth names as New
Hamburg, Ba.mburg, Mannheim,
Strasburg," Heidelberg, and
Weigenburg,, German ecustoms
and language :took Over, forming
centres of German culture still
apparent today. •
The. county came..to represent
Canada in minidture. Here people
of- completely different nation.
alities and religions could live,
work, and "worship amiably side
by side, each retaining their own,
special characteristics as they
worked together to forge a new
concept, a new type of nation.
' In due time Shade's Mill and
Eby .Town became the cities of
Galt and Kitchener (the latter
was called Berlin uxtg1 the First
„ World Today, these oitieep
•along with Preston and Waterloo,
form. a MUShr9OrnIng urwi and
complex spreading •
over a woo MaSS of land in
the 'heartland. Of the cOlnitY4 in
• fact, since the opening of the
4401' which slices` through this.
area, the district has become ,
one of the fastest developing spotz
,bought "near Kitchener .
only a, few year* ago', has PraCor'
tically doubled in 'Mille? ,sP.YA,
Abner • -Martin, "Taxes • are ,
..in4 higher than ,elsewhere,, but no
u
Priced land to farm. N'annless
It's for some highly specialized
type, ;of .. fArmog *On:, small
acreage."
:"Land Willies within fiverniles
.-14.the.Kitchener-arealiakre reach.,
one would Want to buy 4 C...1), high
ed, values of $1,000 per acre and •
better , depending on locality," „
said Paid Eteel of W. «BReal-
tors in Kitchener, "SoMe sales
have been reported at inorelhan
double that amount." ,
"We couldn't affordnot to sell
In fact, at better than $2,000 per
acre, we'd have been foolish not
to," said Floyd E. Eby, a direct
descendant " of the original
settlers in the area. FlOyd; who
was, the, fourth generation living
on the Eby 'farm near Preston,
moved his excellent Holstein •
dairy herd after the sale toa 200.
acre farm which he purchased
near the picturesque village of
New Dundee. Here, masthr once
again of excellent land and build-
ings, and free from urban en-
croachment, he carries on the
tradition of good farming which
has made the region famous.
TOP yALu -SAVE 25c
• FROZEN «ORANGE JUICE
-a
GRANULATED
FINE
1TE -SUGAR
NIAGARA
KNOWS HOW AP=
s
Get cash now. ... for new tires, complete overhaul
. any good'reason. A-Niagara_counsellor_will talk over -
are amount and repayment schedule .
tailor it to fit your budget. We believe
c, money and helpful planning go together.
Loans from $50 to $2500
NIAGARA FINANCE COMPANY LINGTER,'.
29 Kingston 524-8357
• FACELLE ROYALE 6c
(ASSORTED
cOLOURS) -2
PKG.
OF
-ROLLS
BATHROOM TISS
-SAVE 45c- AYLMER
CANADIAN STYLE BEANS
•TINS
14-0Z. 9 9C
Member
of the
Group
of Companlet
o telephone us for
BOX STORAGE
What a joyto know that
401 •youir precious wool-
lens are stored away.. . .
safe from moths' and
dust . .•. all summer
long! And think of all
the closet -space you'll
have for your spring
and summer clothes!
Call us -today for is
many boxes as you need.
Fill,them, then ,call for a
pickup. All woollens will
'be delivered clean and
fresh when yOu call us
for them next fall. Stor-
age costs
4.50
PER BOX
BWEWATER CLEANERS
5i4-8231
38 WEST STREET
00051' 00000000,00000001)000
CLIP THIS VAILIASIT COUPON y
TOP VALU RECONSTITUTED_ •PEPSODENT SAVE 12c
FRUIT JUICES F
8 -DZ .
Lfa-; (J)R S 24T.NS 67 'TOOTHPASTE
CHEF BOY -AR -DEE ''.(With Meat or Mushrooms)
SPAGHETTI SAUCE' •2 .71-: 65°
SALADA •
-ORANGE PEKOE TEA BAGS 60 79°
PARD BEEF
• DOG .FOOD ,
LOTTLE M4JECTJC,
BABY PANTS
GIANT
SIZE Tueg'
3
McCAIN'FANCY FROZEN JULIENNE
FRENCH FRIES
BAG
PAIR
• (RE -6. OR 1._5.°Z. $ MONARCH PARCHMENT
WITH GRAVY). 9. TI370:11,00
MARGARINE PKGS. 59
1 -LB.
JAVEX
BLEACH 2 PLASTIC 40
CTNRS. ;. DONUTS
SHIRLEY GAY
LIQUID 111 SUGAR
PKGS.,
OF 12
DETERGENT. TWEIATHTOFWREEL!, WESTON 'BROWN 'N SERVE
4111. CPLINAN1i4AMON .
BLUE, BREEZE POWDERED
P"'3°'SI:IEIZT<G. 8r TWIN ROLLS OF 12,I
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-ORANGES
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Miss Canada Rose EA$2.49 ALMEY CRAB
EACH
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CLIP THIS VARMINT COUPON
00000!
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NEW CROP PRODUCE OF
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BAR -LI N KA, _GRAPES
0116 STALKS
1.79
4 0, cahacf.en
n
LB.
SIZE
30's•
FOR
35°
tot
coz.`
PRICES' EFFECTIVE APRIL 19 - 22 -INCLUSIVE. WE RESERVE THE RIGHT T6 LIMIT QUANTITIES.
FILLET END,
PORK LOIN ROAST*,
FRESH PICNIC
SHOULDER
ALL TABLERITE MEATS
ROAST lb.
.Pork TENDERLOIN , lb. 9
TABLE READY TRIMMED
LOIN PORK CHOPS . •
WHOLE OR HALF lit LEAN AND TASTY PORK
FRESH HAM lb• 3 BUTT CHOPS*
/ 69'
• • 4b.
lb, 590
ARE GOVERNMENT INSPECTED
A
• VA,°••••a•Ifler.