HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Huron Expositor, 1923-12-28, Page 1It'
flFTY-8EVENTa Y3;AR i
WHOLE NUMBER 2924
BEAFORTE,
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 28, 1923.
usitot
:3.110 a Tear la Advance
McLean Brae., Pabliahere
Wish Our Many Readers . A Very Happy NewYear
titv Aguirtrogurrvaorfauttok
Stewart Bros. l
Here's
wishing
That
1924
Will
Be,
Bighr,.
Happier
And
More
Prosperous
Thaii
Any
Year
You
Have
Ever
Known
Stewart Bros.
FARMING CONDITIONS IN
IN SOUTHERN MANITOBA
A western subscriber to The Ex-
positor has sent us the following in-
teresting article on farthing condi
tions in Southern Manitoba:
The farmers of Southern Manitoba
have to adopt a different system of
culture. They have only Hobson's
choice -that or nothing. That is not
a theory, it is a condition. The
Western States went through the
wheat stage and every wheat farmer
in Minnesota in the eighties went
through 'this condition. He either
went into mixed farming $r went
bust. Mining the soil for wheat has
something of the fascination of placer
mining. It is a big gamble with the
odds in the, farmers' favor for a time
but the odds grow gradually worse.
Yet the fascination of the thing makes
us loath to quit even after the ground
is mined out. That is the condition
in Southern Manitoba -the ground is
mined out. Whatthey say in Min-
nesota is that the land got "wheat -
sick." No one can tell just why, but
the condition is that wheat farming
positively does not pay in Southern
Manitoba -and what is more, it isn't
going to pay. We have had our eggs
insane basket and the bottom has fal-
len out of the basket.. I don't mean
that we should quit raising wheat.
They raise about as much wheat in
litjinnesota as they ever did but they
raise it differently. We can raise
plenty of wheat in Southern Mani-
toba, but we can't do it by wheat
farming. We must raise it as one
crop in a rotation. There is no coun-
try on earth that will stand persist-
ently bare summerfallowing and
wheat growing. It is artificial, un-
natural and contrary to every canon
of good farming, and it has every-
where ended ultimately in failure..
A motor trip from Morden to Min-
neapolis is like a movie of the Red
River Valley, the greatest wheat
country ever exploited by the wheat -
mining farmer. Let me try to tell
what I saw on my recent trip. From
Morden to the boundary is a Men-
nonite countrya good deal of it
.given to mixed farming but with
wheat still the chief crop. It is pros-
perous in the main, depending on
what kind of schools they have. A-
I cross the boundary, past Walhalla for
150 miles, it is a wheat district -
wheat, summerfa]]ow and sow thistle
� being the chief features of the land-
scape. And the general report was
that the crop was bad -rust had de-
stroyed it. From there to Grand
Forks, upwards of fifty miles, it is a
country which is changing front wheat
farming to general farming -there
was some corn, potatoes, mangels,
buckwheat, coarse grains, hay and
pasture. In short the country was
spotted. There w e r e alternate
stretches of wheat farming with sow
thistle and summerfallow, and of di-
versified farming with clean ground
and better buildings. Crossing the
Red River into Minnedosa brought usi
into a mixed farming country. For'
a short distance, say fifty miles, there
was an occasional wheat farm, but
after that, all the way to Minne-
apolis, it was a succession of farms ,
given over to mixed farming. There
was a medley of grains --'wheat, flax,
rye, oats, barley, peas, buckwheat; of
cern (for grain and fodder), pota-
toes, mangels, onions; of fodder
crops, millet, Hungarian alfalfa, clov-
er, sweet clover, and of pasture land.
Nearly every farm had a silo, many,
two, some three, a few four. There
was stock everywhere, horses, cattle,
pigs, sheep and fowl of all kinds.
The general report here was that
crops were fine and prices good.
When wheat was asked about, they
said it was rusted and poor but they
always added that they didn't depend
on wheat. They made the most money
out of stock; beef, pork, milk and
cream, then came wool, eggs, mutton
and fowl, after that grain; wheat,
corn and flax -then potatoes, onions,
sugar beets, asparagus, honey, small
fruits.
The wheat country is mortgaged to
the hilt the land is dirty, the outlook
bad and the farmers' credit poor.
The mixed farming country is mostly
free from mortgage and many of the
mixed farmers have money lent to
the grain farmers.
The Bible is the best book on agri-
culture ever ..written and that first
story of Cain, the grain grower, who
was branded as a failure, and Abel,
the cattleman, who was honored as
a success, is an allegory of gospel
truth. When I was a lad I was told
that this story was a fact, not a par-
able, and I could not understand why
Cain who offered the beat he had to
the Lord got turned down so cold,
while Abel vias commended. it is
plain enough w -it is an allegoric
parable of the grain grower and the
animal husbandman. Cattle husbandry
develops a better type of character
than grain growing and it makes a
man a success economically. South-
ern Manitoba is full of Cains and
community. It is therefore going to
be a gain all around when we turn
from straight grain growing to ani-
mal husbandry as we are going to
do in the end in •Southern Manitoba.
Let me remark just here that whe-
ther the culture is grain or cattle,
the park country from Morden to Min-
gesapolis lays over the open country.
f you go through 20 miles of park
district and then through 20 miles of
bald. beaded district, the park coun-
try is better in every case.
The change is going to come about
either by revblution or by evolution
as it did in Minnesota. The farmer
who cannot change hie thought and
his method of culture from grain to
animals is going down and out, and
someone else is going to take his
place who will face the east. The
farmer who has not developed
sclerosis of the soul and can make
the change will hold on and succeed.
Mostly, in Minnesota,;the wheat men
went bust and new men took their
places. Some grain growers held out
until the good Lord gave them a plot
in the cemetery and their sena had a
second chance. Some few were plas-
tic and pliable enough to change over
and these there are yet. In another
40 years, perhaps in 20 years there
won't be any such thing as a wheat
farmer in Southern Manitoba. A
Minnesotan said to me of the pioneers
They were strong able men these
wheat growers, but they are all gone
-some we buried, the net the sheriff
cleaned out. And that will be the
way here, between the pall -bearer
and the bailiff, the one -basket farmer
will disappear. The fact is it is tak-
ing too many chances for any man,
to put all his eggs into a good basket,
hut when it is a poor basket, it is
simply hell as Cain found out.
There is no objective difficulty in
changing from wheat growing to mix-
ed farming; the whole difficulty is
subjective, that is, in ourselves. We
make excuses, we say it costs too
much money. This is not true. One
cow plus the cattle spirit will start a
man in cattle farming. One shoat,
plus the pork spirit will start him in
the pig business. One ewe larnb
plus the bleat idea will set him up in
the wool line. Four'settings of eggs,
one each of turkey, goose, duck and
chicken, and four old hens, plus the
feather idea will set him in a poultry
yard. And there is no better stable
or pen on earth for cattle, pigs, sheep
or fowl than a sod one. It doesn't
last very long but long enough to put
a man on his feet.
Again the cost of seed to raise feed
for any or all of these is merely nom-
inal, corns peas, sweet clover, rye,
mangels. And no special machinery
is needed to begin with. The fact of
the matter is, anyone can get into
mixed farming if he tries; that is to
say, unless he is so far gone with
wheat farming that he can't stay on
the farm long enough to get a toe
hold.
We are inclined to make excuses
and say that the price of milk or
cream is small, and that of wool and
pork and eggs, but the fact is that
low or not low, the fellow that has
his eggs in several baskets always
gets a fair price for something. I
don't like to he everlastingly rubbing
the Mennonites in; but they are the
best illustration I know of the suc-
cess of mixed farming in Southern
Manitoba and that in a district where
there wasn't a tree when they settled
there. The Reinlanders have many
baskets. They sell wheat, flax, beans(
coarse grains and seed grain of many
kinds -they sell beef, pork, bacon,
mutton and fowl -they sell cream,
butter, cheese, wool, hides, feathers
-they sell potatoes, vegetables, small
and tree fruits, honey. One man sold
$300.00 worth of melons alone. It
goes without saying they are pros-
perous, the bailiff doesn't know the
road to Reinland. They don't work
hard, they use their heads, they are
educated, they co-operate.
As I said at the beginning, mixed
farming is not a matter of choice with
us. We have to come to it or quit -
and there isn't one single thing in the
way of our doing it except our lack
of schooling.
The Anglo-Saxon part of the com-
munity is the most stiff-necked in
this respect. We are inclined to hold
up our heads and say we are not com-
ng down to being farm peasants
and a lot more of that kind of rot.
One concrete case before I stop.
] went into a farmer's house in Min-
nesota to buy cream this summer, as
a notice on the gate said "cream sold."
He and his wife were in the stable
milking 13 cows, all tl:a iean-to would
hold. While the wife got me the
cream 1 talked to the man. In reply
to my question, this is the substance
of whet he said. We are getting on
flee; we have 40 acres of land, but it
15 too much as we only farm thirty-
five acres. We keep 18 cattle and
milk 13. We grow corn, alfalfa, and
feed grain; we raise 50 pigs a year
nd 700 fowls. We sell milk, cream,
utter, cheese, pork, fowl, asparagus,
mall fruits, honey, and we ean't be -
in to supply the demand. When the
hildren grow rip, we will double up
ur farming operations. We are do -
ng tine; this is God's country, and
ny one who can't make money here
sd
nosne.
This man was living on forty acres
of red sandy soil that didn't look to
me to be much good, hut he belonged
to the co-operative society and they
bought and sold together. And I
saw thousands, literally thousands
like him. And he was a native An-
a
v
h
every man's hand is raised against s
them even as against the original g
Cain. They are branded as failures c
they are marked for economic slaugh-;n
ter. It is a most interesting psycholo- i
gieal study, the deteriorating effect la
of gram gr wti
ng as
againstamst the.
ap-
preciating
-
i
Prcctttn
g effect of animai husbandry,
Y,
but that is another story. I am set-
ting down the cold-blooded fact that
the community devoted to animal
husbandry is a better community
morally, industrially, economically
and socially, than the grain growing
trtet44,Alv
Wishing
Our
Many
Friends
and
Patrons
A
Happy
New
Year
Fred S. Sauvage
Jeweler and Optician.
Phone 194. Residence, 10.-
glo-Saxon from Iowa, living on 40
acres of poor soil. But he had his
eggs in several baskets. They all
tell you times are good in Minnesota.
We say they are bad, the fact is we
are poor boobs.
There are thousands of farmers do-
ing the same thing in Manitoba, as
my Minnesotan, but there are thou-
sands who awe notwhd who have to
come to it or go iowa and out. They
are poor old Cains.
There is one and one only way of
getting out of the single basket con-
dition and that is by starting in on
mixed farming. Now is the accepted
time, and the way is to buy a cow, or
shoat, or a lamb -if one waits till
spring he can start on four settings
of eggs and four hens.
PUBLIC SCHOOL EXAMS
The following are the results of the
Christmas examinations in the Sea -
forth Public School:
Room 1.
Doreen Farquhar, 514; Dorene Hud-
son, 502; Laura Mole, .500; Jack Arch-
ibald, 483; Florence Spain, 4'74; Gor-
don Muir, 474; F,arnestine White, 455;
Bessie Marriott, 440; Ena Holmes,
432; Tom Govenlock, 427; Kathleen
Calder, 426; Beatrice Merner, 419;
Lloyd Dinnen, 415; Ruby Storey, 408;
heslie Bateman, 408; Margaret
White, 399; Elizabeth McLean, 399;
Charles Stewart, :199; Jim Pinder,
397; George Charters, 397; George
Parke, 389; Bernice loynt, 385; Mar-
garet Beattie, 380; Sadie Hart, 360;
Harold Cummings, 360; Frank La-
mont, 358; Alvin Adams, 339; Joe
Hart, 327; *Josephine Edge, 315;
*Verne Rutledge, 259; Will Stevens,
208; Glen Smith, unable to write. -F.
T. Fowler, Principal.
Room II.
Total, 450; Honours, 337; Pass,
270 -Elinor Burrows, 395; Borden
Merrier, 377; Sarah Sheffer, 350; An-
nie Hannah, 340; .lack Arnold, 336;
Audrey Somers, 335; Mabel Bateman,
335; Edith Walsh, 331; Beatrice Mit-
chell, 330; Tom Cluff, 328; Irene
Wankel, 322; Evelyn Grieve, 309;
Charlie Dickson, 201; Bessie Cluff,
288; Margaret Cardno, 285; Nelson
Cardno, 279; Alvin Sharpe, 272; Mar-
garet ('.rich, 270; Harry MacLeod,
260; Edith Bateman, 252; Ona Nichol!
244; Biurna Stephenson, 239; elar-
cncc Hoggarth, 238; Anna Edmonds,
230; Margaret Cudmore, 223; Jack
Cudmore, 220; Andrew Calder, 196 ;
Mary Archibald, 186; Russell Allen,
1811-M. W. Mackay.
Room III.
Margaret. Drover, 347; Muriel
Beattie, 332; Helen Ament, 309; Mary
Thomson,302;
Jack T
armtt
302;
Elizabeth Rolph, 290;F, •
p , Elva Oke, 289;
Herbert Peterson, 289• Mary Reid,
286; Jean Frost, 281; Margaret. Mc-
Kellar, 265; Ruth Workman, 258 ;
Pearl Reeves. 258; Madeline Hotham,
252; George Crich, 250; Margaret Mc-
Lennan, 250; Mary Haigh, 245; Gor-
don Rennie, 233; Margaret Roos, 232; 1 come mor bishop, the Right Reverend
•
Bernice Dorrance, 282- Charlie Reeves
225; Blanche Crowed{ 224; Dorothy
Wiltse, 224; Charlie Pinder, 210; John
Cardno, 208; Alvin Knight, 205; Har-
old Henderson, 187; Fred Huiser, 182;
Tom Hulley, 174; George Hays, 138.
Total, 390; Honours, 293; Pass, 234.-
G. G. Ross.
, F. Fallon, D.D., who come/ here
especially to participate in the jqb.
ilee ceremonials.
Great cenges have t kenlace in
Windsor and in the dietriet we note
know as the Border Cities, since that
good man, the late Dean Wagner,
built the church of St. Alphonsua. The
Room IV. little town of that time has become
the great city of to -day. And all
Total marks, 400• Honours, 800 ; through the years St. Alphoasw hag
Barbl'assour, 375;Eanor Evelyne Golding, Mary
hekerpriestsministestep with the ring to the apirress of i
Ian McLean, 338; Eileen Chapinan,
tual need/ of an ever-growing ntem-
330; Jack McKay, 325; Bessie Edgar bershiP, teaching the young, comfort_
311; Peggy Alexander, 310; Cecil Ad-
ams, 310; Pearl Little, 289; Helen
Rankin, 283; Chester Archibald, 279;
Kathleen Stewart, 271; Hazel Hulley,
271; Grace Free, 269; Helen Merner,
266; Helen Mater, 269; Iva Crowell,
258; Irene Cluff, 257; Edna Storey,
255; Ruth Chittenden, 254; Billie
Cudmore, 211; Jack Flett, 201; Jack
Wright, 150; Jack Stevens, 149; Lila
Wiltse, 146; Grace Hulley and Wilda
Rutledge, absent for exams. -M, M.
Hartry.
1
Room V.
Total, 350; Honors, 264; Pass, 210.
Mary Reid 339; Betty Southgate, 333;
Elizabeth Stevenson, 329; Corinne
Hothan, 323; Edith Henderson, 823;
Dorothy Farquhar, 323; Elsie Drover
317; Max Hudson, 295; Morris Walsh,
295; Arthur Golding, 295; Evan Ren-
nie, 286; Velma Quail, 280; Florence
Knight, 277; Edna Bateman, 262;
Edith Ferguson, 257; Vera Mole, 249;
Jack Dorrance, 2.17; Robert Venus,
236; Lulu Hart, 23¢; Kenneth Beattie,
210; Jeannette Joynt, 193• Stanley
Dorrance, 188; Mattie Edgar, 185;
Ethel Hoggarth; 159; Blanche Wiltse,
59; Jean Fender, 53.-J. R. Hays. ton and his friendships know no re -
Room VL ligious barriers.
ing the sick and the aged, caring for
the poor and needy Inti in countless' '•
other ways carrying out the divine,
mission with which they were_ and"
are entrusted,
St. Alphonsua has played a large
nd im tent part in the life of
incisor for half a century. In thatti
do e h crumbled into dust and fora
gottenness. But St. Alphonsua MOUS-
forward---stronger, greater, nobler,.
more powerful to -day than ever be-
fore. Its work widens with the pass-
ing of the years. Its field of useful-
ness increases as the days speed by.
Its messages of hope and truth ane[
comfort multiply . and :become snore
and more far-reaching as its circle
of influence takes in an ever-growing
number of souls.
Protestants of the Border Cities
will be one with their Roman Catholic'
brethren in congratulating Dean.
Downey and the parish of St. • Alphow:
sus on this hiippy occasion.' For the
Dean the whole community has noth,. .
ing but the greatest'admirationp
respect. Able, forceful, sympathet
he is one of the outstanding . Priests -
of the diocese. His friends are leg -
ma
The following names are in order
of merit:
Senior -Winnie Savauge and Jim-
mie Scott, equal; Ian MacTavish,
Helen Rolph, Mary.McDonald, Lorne
Sparks, Harry Sheffer, Ross Rennie,
Frank Grieve, Craig Buck,' Jack
Hotham, Carl Knight, Kenneth Ad-
ams, Melba Mitchell, Olga McKay,
Gladys Holmes.
Junior r Patsy Southgate, Jean
Pearson and Grace McQuade equal,
Leo Joynt, Ross McNabb, Dorothy
Parks, Mary Flett, IIelen Peterson,
Lloyd Workman, Beth McKay and
Douglas Stewart, eghal, Lillian
Reeves, Garnet Free, Dorothy Drover,
Meryl Holley, Nellie Reeves, Hughie
Oak, Jimmie Cluff, Edgar Stevenson,
Arthur Hulley. - L. H. Dudley,
Teacher.
SEAFORTH WATER RATES
The following schedule of flat rates
has been issued by the Public Utility
Commission for the new water works
system recently installed in Seaforth:
Private Dwellings Per Annum
Not exceeding 2 taps $ 3.00
Each additional tap 1.00
For first water closet 4.00
Each additional closet 1.00
For first bath 3.00
Each additional bath 1.00
Stables, per horse or cow 2.00
Each additional horse or cow1.00
Laundry tubs (stationary),
first tub 3,00
Each additional tub, 1.00
Each additional tap 1.00
Stores, Offices, Etc. -
Dry Goods, Groceries,
Butchers, .ete $6.00 to $12.00
Forges, first fire 5.00
Each additional fire 3,00
Billiard Rooms, 1 table 6.00
Each additional table 1.00
Bowling Alleys 6.00
Offices; Drugs, Dental, Medical 6.00
Developing Pictures, extra5.00
Insurance, Law, etc: 5.00
Photograph galleries 20.01
Barber shops up to 3 chairs 6.00
Each additional chair 2.00
All the above in Class II includes
one tap at same rates; add addition-
al for each of the following:
Extra taps, each 2.00
Water closets, each 4.00
Urinals 2.00
Drinking fountains (flowing) 111.00
A service charge of $4,00 per an-
num will he charged to consumers
not paying Frontage 'Vater Rates.
Lawns, Gardens and Greenhousea-
(Seasottfrom April 15 to October 15.)
Lawns only 7.00
Lawns, with additional service 4.00
Gardens, same season limit but
half rate. Greenhouses, annual, twice
lawn season rates.
FIFTY YEARS OF SERVICE
The Border Cities Star, of Windsor,
gives the following account of the
50th anniversary of St. Alphonsua
church in thatcity, the pastor of
which is the Very Reverend Dean
Downey, an old St.. Columban boy,
and a brother of Mrs. William
Devereux, Sr., of the Huron Road,
East.:
"The Very Reverend Doan Downey
end his assistants and parishioners
are to he sincerely congratulated on
the fact of St. Alphonsua Church hav-
ing attained its fiftieth anniversary.
Completely renovated and redecorat-
ed at a cost of more thnn $25,000,
the same chureh t.hnt opened its doors
half a century ago, is holding spe-
cial services this week in honor of
the golden jubilee. To -night., the peo-
ple of St. Alphonsus parish will wel-
OLD BOYS' REUNION NOTES
Secretary Sutherland has receiver&
word from George L. Chesney, who
says he will be pleased to act as re-
union agent for Calgary end district.
and will help in every wa' to make
this reunion a grand success, Joe
Sills says there will be a gathering
of the clans from Minneapolis, and
when he sees Billie Stewart he will
get the St, Paul bunch. Charlie
Layton says: "When it comes to
class, look out for the Hamilton
bunch, We are all coming and com-
ing early; also help with the windup."'
Former residents, who are spend-
ing Christmas in town, are most en-
thusiastic over the Reunion and have
made arrangements for their accom-
modation during the celebration,
CROMARTY
Notes. --The annual meeting of the
U. F. O. was held in the club house.
The following officers were elected for
the coming year. Owing to the re-
signation of Mr. McKellar, Mr. Thos.
Laing was the newly elected Presi-
dent; Mr. S. A. Miller was again
elected Secretary -Treasurer; Mr. Jas,.
Scott gave a very satisfactory ac-
count of the shipment of cattle and
hogs for the past year. The reports:
all told go to show the society is on.
a very favorable and satisfactory
footing. -Mr. Calder McKaig, who•
underwent an operation for appen-
dicitis in the Seaforth Hospital, is
at present getting along very favor-
ably. -Mrs. McDonald, of Brampton,
is visiting at the hame of her mother,,
Mrs. Samuel Speare, over the Christ-
mas holidays-Aemotor party of the -
young people of Cromarty spent a
very enjoyable evening at the home
of Mr. and Mrs. Batten, of Win-
chelsea, on Monday evening last --
Mrs. Tufford, who has been indispos-
ed of late, left last week for To-
ronto where she will receive treat-
ment, which we hope will be helpful'
and beneficial.
STAFFA
Christmas Visitors. -Mr. and Mrs -
Lawson and family, of Stratford, with.
their daughter, Mrs. Walter O'Brien,
Mr. and Mrs. Hannon, of the Huron.
Road, with the latter's parents, Mr.
and Mrs. William Sadler, Miss Bol-
ger, nurse, of Seaforth Hospital,
spent Christmas with Mr. and Mrs..
E. O'Brien. -W. E. O'Brien, of the.
Collegiate Institute staff, Owen
Sound; C. F. O'Brien, principal of
the public school, Ridgetown; Har-
old, of Bank of Commerce, Stratford,
all spent. Christmas under the par-
ental roof here. -Rev, J. R. Jones and'
family spent Christmas at Crediton
with Mr. Jones's parents. - Mrs.
Hotham spent Christmas with her
brother at Galt, -Mr. and Mrs. F.
Tustin and family. Mr. and Mrs. Chas.
Tuffn, Jr., and family, Mr, and Mrs.
Gr urge Tuffin and family, and Mr.
e",l Mr, Tnfltn all spent Christmas
st Firkton-hir. and Mrs. Harvey
11:'r.non and Mrs. McVey, of 2nd con-
e ,ion, spent Christmas with Mr.
and Mrs, W. Jeffrey. -Nomination
RTrnday next and no excitement yet,
although we hear a rumor that there
might he an election.
rhristma, Tr:, Entertainment. -
The Christmas trite and play, given
by the t t' t
Me hrn.iat
Sunc.ay School was
a decided s;.ccess. The hall was
crowded full till there was hardly
standing room, and the play was ex-
tra well put on. Every one aete&
their parts so well it would be fin-:
possible to make ally comment o#t
any one as the star.