wages for a man well used to a
farm run from $20 to $25 per month and board for 6 or 7 months
beginning about April 1st to 15th. If a
man has $400 or $500 capital he can get land to homestead,
he will have to pay $10 for his entry for 160 acres as a homestead, on
this he will have to break and crop at least 15 acres the first
three years. However if he has the capital to
start he can purchase a yoke of oxen at from $60 to $80, a breaking
plow for $16 to $26, and a set of harness for oxen at $8 or $10 Either
a new or second hand wagon, if new this will cost $65
or $70, if not from $20 to
$30. Then a house will have
to be built; if logs are convenient this will
cost, besides the man's own labor, about $250 and it
will take say $100 to pay expenses and keep his
family for the six months, in all $350, leaving $150. This should
by all means be put into stock, two fair grade cows will cost $40
each, say $80, 2 yearling heifers about $15
each, a good brood sow say $15; cow if any money is left you will make
no mistake in purchasing 25 or 30 fowls. A man will
be bet¬ter equipped with this than one out of ten were when I came in
17 years ago, as I had to borrow $20 to pay for the entrance of
my land. I worked out the first year at an average price
of $30 per month and board. Now myself and family have two
thousand four hundred acres of good land (2,400) and a large stock of
horses and cattle in all worth about thirty five thousand dollars
($35,000) and less than $7,000 to pay on it all. To start with
keep out of debt, shun it as you would Satan him¬self, I have had a
taste of it and can speak from
experience—don't try it. If I had taken a canny Scotchman's
advice in full I would have had a much more pleasant time.
It was "Keep out of debt, take off your coat and do your own
work"—the latter two I followed pretty closely but the former gave me a
good deal of trouble. If you don't like farming and intend to
make a home in Manitoba you had better not come, or if you expect
to make a fortune in 2 or3 years and return to some milder clime don't
come, as it takes time, intelligence and industry to accomplish this in
any country or climate.
I will next take up the subject of farming for profit as the profit in
any business is the principal part of it. First on say a
¼ section, 160 acres, with 150 acres broken. After two
crops of wheat have been taken off 100 acres then there will still be
50 acres of new breaking, this put into wheat, and summer fallow 50
acres, which will give 100 acres for wheat crop the year after
summerfallowing; then follow this up with 50 acres summerfallow each
year, and there need be no fear of the profit in farming. I find that
too many farmers labor under the impression that they can go on
cropping with wheat indefinitely and the soil will not be ex¬hausted,
this is a serious mistake. On this amount of land a man should have at
least 3 good work horses and some kind of a 4th, one for driver, or if
needed, to put on a gang sulky plough. There should be at least 3 good
cows, hogs enough for home use, and at least 50 or 60 laying hens, also
at least ¼ of an acre of garden well fenced and small fruit such
as red and black
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currants, raspberries and 20 or 30 roots
of rhubarb, as all of these are grown success¬fully in Manitoba and if
they are pro-perly taken care of will save a good deal of cash that
will have to be paid out in the store. One very important point must
not be overlooked, be careful about the seed you sow, have it good and
sound, well cleaned, never sell the lest and sow the worst. Keep clear
of outside grain for seed coming from either Ontario or the United
States as noxious weeds have been imported with such seed, especially
from the United States. Another part of farming must not be forgotten,
don't let one load of manure be wasted as even on our best land it is
worth $1.00 per load. If you cannot get it out in the busy season there
are five months of slack time in the winter, spread it on the land you
intend for summerfallow or for barley and if you have none of such land
top dress your old meadow land and it will double the yield (for years
to come) on such land. On a 1/4 section farmed as I have stated I know
of at least two men who made a start and in 4 years purchased another ¼
section and one of them is now worth $8,000 or $9,000, the other at
least $15000, one of them started with horses the other with oxen.
I will take up farming a ½ section, as a man to crop to
advantage should have this much land. We now start with 320
acres unbroken land. This can be purchased at from $
8 to $10 per acre, one tenth cash the balance in from 5 to 10 years at
7 per cent. The first year ¼ section should be
broken, 120 of this should be put into wheat, the balance
in oats, the second year another 100 acrcs should be broken, the
120 acres of last year and this will make 220 acres for
wheat the second year and still leave 40 acres for oats and barley;
after this year 1/3 of this land should be summerfallowed,
thus in 3 years it will all be in good order for crop and
if properly labored will be clear of all weeds. On a farm of this
size at least 5 or 6 good horses should be kept as well as cattle,
enough to make all the straw into manure and if so at least 20 acres
can be manured each winter, spreading the manure direct
from the stables. If a machine can be had early
enough stook threshing will be the most profitable and if 7
or 8 miles from market only team out enough for pres¬sing
demands, put the rest in your granary till fall plowing is
finished and you can then haul to market at less ex¬pense than earlier
in the season. In all cases get a machine that will stack the
straw in the field and save at least all you can feed or bed your
horses with as you can draw it easily in winter when time is not so
valuable. I have not mentioned roots in this paper, but at least
a ½ acre of well prepared land should be put into potatoes each
year and if you have the time turnips, mangolds and carrots can be
grown successfully and to profit.
Jas. Dale
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