Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - June 20, 1968, Winnipeg, Manitoba Winnipeg free press thursday june 20, i968 crop prospects Range from pair to excellent Alberta reference map Alberta. Showing crop districts in the Prairie provinces Manitoba South Saskatchewan Market prospects worrying Farmers Manitoba prospects generally excellent by Chris Vickers prospects for another Good Grain crop in Manitoba during 1968 Are generally excellent. Seeding is almost completed and sufficient rain has fallen since april 1 to promote even germination and Normal growth. In the Western part of the province seeding is completed. There you can find Early sown Fields of wheat that Are standing 10 inches High. This wheat is tooling Well but Fields in the Melita District weren t deeply rooted due to Lack of sub soil moisture. These Fields however Are exceptions. Most of the wheat stands in the Central and Northern Grain growing regions would average about six inches High or less and some late sown Fields Are just emerging. In the area lying East of a line from Portage la Prairie to Altona rain in Early june delayed seeding and some of the wheat crops Haven t emerged. The same condition exists in the Interlake. Wheat the acreage sown to wheat is probably Down slightly from last year s record of 3.5 million acres. The Rains that fell in Early june delayed the sowing of wheat particularly in the Eastern regions and the acreage will be replaced by flax and other Early maturing crops. The most serious defect in this year s wheat crop is wild Oats. The Early june Rains prevented spraying for wild Oats and Many Fields Are badly infested. In some instances infested Fields have been slowed under and sown to some other crop. A growing Factor in ultimate wheat yields is the use of commercial fertilizers. This year there has been a sub Stantial increase in their use. Dealers in. The products across the province All report in creased sales and Farmers like Roy Mclaren of Clearwater said both he and his neighbors had used More fertilizer than in any previous year. The Dif Ference Between Fields that had been fertilized and those that had not was easy to detect. On second crop wheat Fields the growth was Rich and Strong where fertilizer had been used. While wheat prospects Are Good at the moment a vast portion of the Western part of Manitoba needs rain. From Dauphin West to Roblin South to Melita and extending East to a line North and South from Boissevain to the Riding Moun Tain National Park a hot dry spell would cause rapid deterioration. In this vast Region crops Are developing on surface moisture and there is Little if any sub soil reserves. Other grains the oat and Barley crops like wheat Are thriving and appear to be More free of weeds. If these feed crops continue to get Good growing weather there will not be any shortage of feed grains in the province. Flax that has emerged looks healthy evenly germinated and fairly free of weeds. There is an increased acreage sown to flax this year an increase of 20 to 25 per cent Over last year s acres. Farmers apparently took the advice of the Provin Cial department of agriculture in january 1968. There is every indication that flax prices will remain Strong in 1968." the fall Rye crop will Only be an average one. In the Western areas it is thin with the stands better As you move East across the province. Special crops in the Southern areas Are Good. These include crops like peas sunflowers rapeseed sugar beets and tame Mustard. Cattle wintered Well and Al the moment is not suffering from Lack of pasture. There Are however danger spots. If heavy Rains Don t fall soon in the Wes Tern regions from Russell and Roblin South to the . Border pastures won t support the herds. There will also be a shortage of water for livestock dugouts Are Low sometimes dry and the Prairie sloughs Are also dry. The Hay crop of the province follows same pattern. In the West the tame and wild Hay crops Are poor and Farmers will probably have to. Import feed for next Winter. In the Swan River Valley South Central and Eastern regions of Manitoba the Kay crop is Normal and will be sufficient for local needs. The crop Outlook in Manitoba is now generally favourable. Farmers had a Good seeding season and the present dry weather will enable them to Complete spraying for weeds. Soil testing the use of fertilizers and improved methods of cultivation have increased yields under any conditions but if Manitoba Farmers Are to har Vest a Normal or better crop nature will have to Supply More rain through the growing season. Southern Alberta Alta. Garden spot off to Good Start by Tom Primrose special correspondent Southern Alberta that Section from Calgary East to the Saskatchewan Border and South to the . Boundary is the Garden spot of Alberta this year. The traditionally dry area has received sufficient rainfall to provide an excellent Start for Grain and grass crops. Although later than usual the area is among the advanced and is making rapid growth and will soon overtake the time lag. The area began the Spring season with the unhappy Prospect of no Reserve of moisture and for a time the Outlook was t promising. In the past month heavy and frequent Shower activity brought ample moisture to germinate Grain and get it away to a Good Start. However except for a few places there is no Reserve of moisture and crops Are getting along on a week to week basis. From Calgary North to red Deer and beyond and Well out toward the Saskatchewan Bor Der crop and moisture conditions have been very Dis appointing until recently. The area is still in poor condition due to Early drought and Many Points Haven t received sufficient precipitation to be. Of any real Benefit however the Over All picture of the area has improved in the past week and prospects Are better than from red Deer North to Edmonton and East to the Saskatchewan Border. From red Deer South South Ern Alberta has t known a general Long lasting rain so far this season. The entire area except for a fringe along the Foothills would be much More assured with a proper soaker which would provide a basis of Reserve moisture for the heavy demands of the crop season ahead. As conditions Are at present a Good Grain crop will depend largely on temperature winds and the continuation of heavy Shower activity. A Good Deal of the Southern Region has suffered greatly from frequent and High winds and but for the Shower activity there would have been a Good Deal of soil Drifting. Lateness of growth is due to a combination of drought Early in the season and Low tempera Tures which still continue. Night temperatures have remained unusually Low and warming through the t reached the highs usual for this time in the year. Several Points have received abundant moisture during the past month. Bassano has had several prolonged showers which brought an Inch or More of rain. Brooks has also been fortunate but has t received quite As. Much moisture As Bassano. Vulcan began the season with an. Almost dismal Prospect due to no Reserve but showers have brought excellent surface Mois Ture and the area is extremely promising. Medicine hat was one of the earliest Points to Benefit from Shower activity and also had a slight Reserve from Rains of the past fall. The area is. In excellent shape now in regard to both Grain and grass. Pincher Creek Cardston Raymond All among the driest Points of Southern Alberta last year Are Well advanced and have an excellent appearance with some Reserve moisture. Claresholm is late but in Good shape. Irrigated areas Are fairly Well advanced with specially crops doing Well. Sugar beet thinning is Well under Way and the crop is promising. Winter Grain in the South came through the Winter fairly Well and there Are some Good stands of Winter wheat. From Calgary South and East those familiar with agriculture agree that the Prospect never appeared better. Grass pasture and Hay Are As Good As have Ever been known. Roadsides have a More abundant growth than for several years. There is a slight uneasiness that there is no Reserve Mois Ture Over most of the area and with the luxuriant growth More moisture will be required to mature the crops. At the moment the greatest require ment for All Southern Alberta is higher temperatures and continuing Sunshine. Northern Alberta by special correspondent although Saskatchewan s wheat crop is off to a Heady Start enthusiasm is dampened because the Farmers Are worry ing about How to dispose of it in the face of huge surpluses on hand. A tour of the farm country shows Farmers More pre occupied with marketing than with production prospects. They found some satisfaction in the . Senate s ratification june 13 of the new International wheat agreement. Their concern is reflected in seeding statistics this Spring which Are preliminary and in some instances estimates. Agriculture minister d. T. Mcfarlane of Saskatchewan said recently that acreage for All grains totalled about the same As last year. There was a decline in Spring wheat acreage of about two per cent to acres of growing wheat from across in 1967. Acreage in durum wheat is up by about 33 per cent this Spring Over last for a total of acres. Although this is a Small spread d As against the Spring wheat acreage total some Farmers count on reaching Market sooner with the Maca Roni than with the bread wheat. Other acreages with last year s totals in brackets Are Oats Barley flax rapeseed or. Mcfarlane is a recognized farm Optimist. The crops on his own farm Are away to a Fine Start. After encouraging Success with the new Spring wheat variety Manitou last fall the minister is planting it again this year. Manitou is grown throughout his District Peebles 90 Miles Southeast of Regina. Its popu Larity is due to its High yielding Powers and its successful de Fence against rust and drought. The new Barley variety con quest is being used More widely too As it is Well received As a Multi purpose Barley. A Bright spot in Saskatchewan agriculture is the Export of Saskatchewan beef cattle to the . Market. A year ago Farmers shipped head but in the comparable period this year Farmers shipped head. This Speaks for itself. Emphasis on fodder production May gain More response now As livestock offer better marketing returns than grains. At the present time Northern Saskatchewan is ahead of the Southern districts in moisture reserves the South country could stand a Good old fashioned two Day rain something that part of the country has t had for three Summers. There Are some Bare spots on Fields and this is due to the alkaline condition of the land noticed along the trans Canada Highway near Wolseley. Bare spots Are found too where the Grain does t emerge due to packing or crusting after heavy Rains. This condition prevailed in the Lipton District North of fort Quappelle in Neudorf Lem Berg and Balcarres and called for reseeding in some areas there. As in the Northern districts crops Are healthy except where wild Oats infestations Are heavy. Damage due to insects is negligible. Eighteen Miles North of Regina j. Schmidt said he was worried about Patchiness and some wheat stalks were dying despite heavy fertilization. Or. And mrs. Schmidt also found Low wheat marketing quotas hard to live with. Because of Low quotas a Young farm couple found it necessary to get off the farm work to make ends meet he said. In the Regina Vicinity Gordon Gardiner reported Good crop Progress. He and his neighbors found weeds heavier than usual. In addition to Northern districts moisture is abundant now in the Central areas from Leader to Lucky Lake in the West and from Elbow to Davidson and generally North of the que River. Elsewhere Rains Are needed immediately and these would give pasture lands a much needed boost. Rains through the rest of june and Early july will do much to determine the Success of Grain crops. They cannot thrive on surface and subsoil reserves alone. North Saskatchewan Outlook better than last year by Pat o Dwyer special correspondent the crop Outlook is much More promising than this time a year ago in the 10 districts of Northern Saskatchewan mainly because the moisture situation is Normal or better in the North excepting the Lloydminster District. There is no major threat from Grasshoppers cutworms or Wireworks but the growing season has been unusual so far including Hail in May and frosts last wednesday and thursday. In some districts the Frost coated car windshields but Little damage to gardens has been reported and no injury to grains. In Many districts Farmers Are puzzled by the failure of at least one wheat variety to germinate in a Normal uniform Way so that Black patches appear in the Fields. In addition streaks of yellow plants appear i the Fields of Grain wheat and Barley. Uneven germination is said to be due partly to the Cool Spring weather at seeding time. It is also speculated that seed from last year s crop May have been weak in germination potential due to the dry conditions under which it grew. Uneven germination is also attributed to High winds and to the heavy packing of the soil caused by pounding Rains. In the Keppel District 50 Miles West and South of Saskatoon six inches of rain fell one Inch May 26 and five inches on May 29 to problem Neal Carruthers a student teacher and Small scale Farmer in Perdue reported similar germination problems on his wheat and Barley Fields. He said Keppel got six inches of rain Perdue got 3.2. And nearby Kinley got four inches. Those Rains drowned out late sown crops in land Bottoms and several Farmers lost 40 or 50 acres of new crops to rain floods. Among the victims were Vern Sapsford Bill Mcturk and Leonard can cart whose sub Stantial acreage sown to durum wheat variety Stewart 66, was submerged. In the District Northeast of would like to have some of Keppel s surplus of rain. A two Inch rain fell on the Art Drew Dairy farm june 1 near Aberdeen and crops there and throughout the District were progressing Well. Rain needed the Vonda District needs rain soon according to Pioneer far Mer Felix Loiselle. There was Only one rain there All Spring totalling one Inch and his Light soil needed some rain As a defence against Drifting. Or. L Giselle s son Paul farms in the Leoville District near Prince Albert where Mois Ture is abundant totalling four inches from april 1 to june 15. And 3% inches More than in the comparable period last year. Farmers worried about the lateness of wheat crops which were a week behind Normal. One Farmer said the crop should be heading out in three weeks but it s going to have to hurry to do appearance worries about the appearance of their crops Are explained in part by the experts. L. Gus Bell director of the plants product division of the Federal seed Branch in Saska Toon said where land was seeded to flax the previous year there might be a Lack of some nutrients for the new seedlings this Spring. Or. Bell said the streaks of yellow plants could be Attri buted to a shortage of nitrogen in the soil. A number of soil samples received in his Branch last fall revealed a shortage of nitrogen. The use of fertilizer and a heavier ratio of nitrogen would help to Correct the yellowing situation in the Fields. It was t an alarming situation or. Bell said. He said heavy concentrations of moisture caused yellowing of plants. Seeds did t grow nor Mally in soggy ground during cold weather such As prevailed some Days this Spring. In general All crops Are thriving in the North and spraying in full swing where infestations Are heavy. This is a bad year for wild Oats Farmers report. Farmers Are As worried about the Market Outlook As they Are about the growing crop. Where Large crops Are in Prospect Farmers Are faced with the problem of finding additional storage space adding to opera Tion expenses. . Lottery termed failure Albany . A new York s controversial lottery is a year old and has paid the state but detractors Label it a colossal failure citing projections by some sponsors that it would bring in Revenue annually. The Revenue from the tick ets that first went on Sale last june is pumped into the Educa Ion department s coffers. Tax department officials who oversee the lottery always have disowned the Esti mate attributing it to faulty arithmetic of Overly zealous proponents. Governor Nelson Rockefeller originally estimated the yield would be about a year. For the 1968-69 budget year he is counting on late., dry Spring retarding crops by Jack Deakin special correspondent Cool weather following a late dry Spring is retarding All crops in North Central Alberta with the peace River country the Only exception. Abundant moisture throughout the peace provided near Excel. Lent germination and the North Ern area boasts having the Best crop prospects from red Deer in the South to the . Block in the North. Peace River is also the Only area reporting increased wheat seeding coarse grains and forage. This condition resulted from adequate Spring rain and More favourable growing conditions generally. Elsewhere in North Central Alberta Farmers report reductions in wheat seeding from five to 10 per cent just the opposite to the Northern regions. A number of areas also report a reduction of 20 to 25 per cent in seeding of rapeseed and an increase of five to 10 per cent in seeding of flax Oats and Barley. Fort St. John and Grande Prairie in the North peace country represent the greenest Belt in All North Central Alberta. In some areas such As the spirit River Rycroft District too much rain has fallen and has presented flood conditions Al though not considered too Seri Ous. This is a Complete contrast from last year when these districts including suffered heavily from drought. The South peace also reports Good prospects from peace River town West to fair jew and North through Manning and up into the Battle River crop Belt. But except for the peace country crops generally have suffered heavily from drought. Due to a late and dry Spring germination was poor and some districts have resorted to re seeding. The Athabasca St. Paul and Bonnyville areas have Only fail crops and More rain and improved growing conditions Are needed immediately if these areas Are to reap even a fair crop. Moisture conditions Are Only fair throughout the Vermilion Lloydminster and Viking districts. Areas South of this Down to Trochu also require Good soaking Rains if presently retarded crops Are to mature to a fair and Good level. It is in the above mentioned areas that wheat seeding was greatly reduced Over last year due to the late and dry Spring. It is believed that unless crops throughout the. Central districts improve rapidly Over the next week or two Large acreages of coarse grains will be Cut As Green feed to help provide forage for livestock. Coronation and Castor districts continue to be the really dry Belt in Central Alberta. There is Little Hope Farmers in this area will reap better than fair yields but mostly they will be poor. Scattered showers have Hel Ped in the red Deer Section North through to Edmonton. But these showers have been so scattered Only spotty crops Are reported and More rain and warmer weather Are needed to bring these crops along for even a Good rating. Drought has taken its toll in a wide area West of Edmonton where growth has been stunted. Here again Only soaking Rains combined with warmer weather can bring crops along for average yields. Due to the drought haying in most Central districts will be delayed and harvests greatly reduced. And if moisture conditions Don t improve Hay crops will be far below last year s abundance. Pastures also have suffered and Farmers Are cutting into last year s Hay surplus. Reports also indicate that reseeding Likely will be done in several areas so that Farmers with livestock May at least Cut Green feed to supplement an almost certain shortage of food. This is especially so due to dry and burned pastures on which Stock Are finding food scarce and baled Hay is being distributed so that Stock May have enough to eat. Dinner for Cardinal nets Toronto up nearly ukrainian catholics paid a plate at a dinner monday for Joseph Cardinal Slipyj of the ukrainian Catholic Church. The proceeds go to St. Clement s University in Rome a University the Cardinal had helped found. The 76-year-old Cardinal thanked canadians for allowing ukrainians to live work and worship freely. There Are about ukrainians in Toronto and about canadians of ukrainian origin. Cardinal Slipyj is on his first visit to Canada. While Here he was Given a Book of greetings signed by members of 174 ukrainian. Organizations in the United states and Canada and a recording by a ukrainian Canadian choir he was imprisoned by the russians in 1945 and was re leased in 1963 after Pope John intervened. He cannot publicly discuss his imprisonment be cause of a condition in the so Viet Vatican agreement on his release. New Hampshire s sweep stakes lottery the first in the ., has t measured up to expectations either. Sponsors predicted it would bring up. To a year. Last year it took in the new Hampshire income also goes to education. Even though Gross sales for the 11 months ended april 30 to tailed Only the new York lottery produced More Revenue the estimated yields of other new tax Meas ures approved during the 1968 legislative session. Trips mount up Vancouver up the car coastal liner Princess Patricia is scheduled to sail the equivalent of we times around the world this Miles. It averages More than 300 passengers a trip on the run from Vancouver to Skagway Alaska and Back. Automobile steel Are at least 45 different kinds of steel in the manufacture of a medium priced automobile on the Amer ican Market today. These included raising the gasoline tax another cent a Gal Lon boosting the cigarette tax two cents a pack raising the parimutuel betting Pool one half of one per cent and increasing some business taxes. J in addition to raising Money i for education the lottery paid in prizes ranging from to to persons. Commissions paid to Banks for distribution of tickets exceeded Western Union grossed More than for telegrams which the habited by Law from using the to notify winners. Administration of the lottery Cost the state for the first 10 months far below the 15-per-cent ceiling set by the legislature. Manitoba Farmers have joined together through their 213 co operative elevator associations to provide services in handling and marketing Grain processing High Quality forage seed supplying fertilizers and herbicides marketing and processing livestock for service for savings Active in All phases of the Canadian Grain Trade head Manitoba offices lhroughou.1 Canada ;