GENERAL REMARKS. FROM THE MAY RETURNS. Zone, Kent: Bees have come through the winter well, and are strong for the time of year. Yarmouth, Elgin: A great many farmers now house their cattle and keep them far more comfortable than usual, which is both a paying and a humane practice. Yarmouth, Elgin: The maple sugar crop was only about half an average. There was no frost in March -not one rough day. Seneca, Haldimand: I have never seen the land work better than this spring. Seed was put in in extra good order. Mostly all have sown some peas, but many are keeping the remainder to put in later, or, as they remark, "sow them in the moon,' or rather in the full moon of May. Bosanquet, Lambton: Farmers are improving immensely in their methods of feeding stock. Straw is no longer the important factor it used to be in wintering live stock. Hay is now extensively fed to horned cattle, and the greater part of the coarse grains are chopped and fed to stock. Elderslie, Bruce: I may say that the production of pork has been greatly developed during the last year or two in this section. In fact, many of our farmers are going the whole hog" into the industry. It will be all right so long as the demand keeps up. The attractions of the Northwest are calling off many of our young men, and farm help may soon be scarce. Bentinck, Grey: Some are talking of growing the sugar beet this year. Proton, Grey: In the thirty-four years I have lived here I never saw as much hay and straw kept over in the spring as there is this year. Sarawak, Grey: More farmers will sow sugar beets, as the roots of last year turned out well. Sunnidale, Simcoe: The method of feeding has greatly changed of late, and the change is for the better. Instead of feeding roots whole, or ehopping them in chunks with a spade, endangering the lives of stock, they are all pulped and mixed with cut straw and meal; the straw all being cut and the grain crushed. Very little whole grain is fed now, as farmers have found out that it pays better to grind it. Vespra, Simcoe: There has been an exodus of our young men to the Northwest. Westminster, Middlesex: There is room for improvement in the value of dairy produce, although cheese is moving in that direction. Winter dairying cannot be a decided success if a ton of milk will not realize enough clear cash to purchase a ton of bran. Zorra E., Oxford: Farm help is not so scarce as was at one time expected. The rush to the gold fields takes away very few who were of any use on a farm, or for that matter or anything else. Maryborough, Wellington: Owing largely to the low prices of coarse grains during the past few years a great number of farmers are caring for their stock in a different manner from that pursued a few years ago. Many are feeding all the coarse grains grown on the farm, making beef, dairy products and pork. Markham, York: The English sparrows are more numerous and, of course, more annoying and destructive, while our native birds are becoming less plentiful. Amherst Island, Lennox and Addington: Farmers to-day are more given to what used to be called "book farming." They are going into silo building and feeding ensilage and meal to cows. Leeds and Lansdowne, Leeds: Grain and corn are more liberally fed than in former years, and the condition of agriculture is better than last year; indeed, the prospects for the farmer are better than for years. Osgoode, Carleton: Grain growing as a means of making money is done in these parts. Dairying and the raising of hogs are the principal things done by almost all our farmers. Sidney, Hastings: Farm help is plentiful, although such a class of help as a good farmer would like to employ is not easily obtained. Morrison, Muskoka: Patent fences are coming more into use, because they are rail-saving, and our rail timber is about all gone. FROM THE NOVMEBER RETURNS. Yarmouth, Elgin: Some Americans have started several evaporating factories here, and they are using up all the cull apples that before were marketed here. Yarmouth, Elgin: Many of our best farmers are going more into stock farming, and a number in the vicinity of St. Thomas are devoting their whole time to supplying the city with milk, and are, generally, doing well at it. Walsingham S., Norfolk: An evaporator began operations in September at Port Rowan, which buys apples at 20 cents a bushel, and it has awakened people to the need of spraying and taking care of the orchard. Windham, Norfolk: It would be a great benefit if something could be done to clear the roadside of the weeds that grow there. The condition of affairs is a disgrace to the country at large and a curse to the farmer. Canboro, Haldimand: We have a great drawback here in raising sheep. Whole flocks will be killed or wounded by dogs in a night. I think there should be a stricter law in regard to dogs. Most of the dogs are a nuisance. I think dogs away from their masters should be game. Goderich, Huron: I have observed that draining makes a wonderful improvement in the yield of crops. I believe it would pay to thoroughly drain our farms every four rods apart. Goderich, Huron: The farming industry is in a much more prosperous condition at present than it has been for some time. It might be better were there less combines. Hay, Huron: I think the best method to kill weeds is to plow about three inches deep with a gang plow as soon as possible after the grain is off the field. Then harrow and let it lay until late in the fall when it should be plowed deep to turn in all the seed that has sprouted and grown. Wawanosh W., Huron : Statute labor should be abolished. A road supervisor should be appointed, or say two in each township, men who will receive their appointment only after passing a thorough examination in roadmaking before a commission appointed by the Government, and who will be granted a diploma. We want good roads, but we must first have good men who know how to make good roads. The ordinary councillor is usually no better than the pathmaster. I believe there should also be a Government inspector of weeds, whose duty it would be to prosecute offenders, and thus protect and encourage those who are forever fighting weeds. Greenock, Bruce: I have been growing kaffir corn this season for the first year. It does not grow so tall as most Indian or fodder corns, but it grows so stalky and leafy that the stalk of it is much heavier than those of other varieties. As a soiling or fodder crop I think it is as good, if not better, than most corns. Another thing in its favor is that it takes so little seed--the seed being small-and it is a good stooler. Cattle, and especially calves, are very fond of it. It also seems to be far less affected by the frost and drouth. Collingwood, Grey: Many have taken up clover growing, and they find it a profitable experiment, not only for the remuneration received for the seed, but from the enriching of the soil by turning under the second crop for wheat followed by roots. Norwich N., Oxford: Could not our educational system be so changed as to make farmers instead of teachers, doctors, etc.? Maryborough, Wellington: Farmers are rapidly adopting improved methods in agriculture. In fact, the improvement is quite noticeable to anyone who has been familiar with farming during the last ten Better buildings are being erected, more care and taste are being exhibited in the arrangement of fields and the fences erected, and the cultivation of the soil is being attended to in a much more common sense and scientific manner than was in vogue a few years ago. years. Mono, Dufferin : A severe frost occurred on the 2nd and 3rd of July, a thing that the oldest inhabitant cannot remember of before. In flat sections of the township most of the crops except fall wheat were frozen, and a good deal was plowed under. Potatoes suffered severely from the frost. Trafalgar, Halton: The majority of farmers do not seed down often enough, although many are now adopting the three or four year rotation. Gwillimbury N., York: There is a gradual and much needed change taking place in the system of farming in this township. The dairy, and the production of cattle, sheep and swine occupy the attention of farmers much more than formerly. The result is a decided swelling of the farmer's bank account, and an increase in the value of real estate. Markham, York: The outlook for farming is better than for many years. Crops have been good and prices satisfactory. Brock, Ontario: I think, on the whole, farming is improving. The close times are making us economize a little more. Farmers should raise a better class of live stock, and use nothing but pure-bred sires of all breeds, from the horse down to the hen. Mara, Ontario: The condition of farmers in this township is far better to-day than it was ten years ago. They have turned their attention from grain growing to stock raising and dairying, which is a move in the right direction. Mara, Ontario: There is more land seeded down to clover than formerly, which is, I think, an improve. ment, from the fact that it tends to keep the land in better order, and also prevents the spread of noxious weeds. Pickering, Ontario: I am satisfied that red clover is the best crop a farmer can grow, not only as a paying crop in money, but it will enrich his land to such an extent that he will hardly know what to do with his barnyard manure. My farm is as rich as a garden on account of following this practice of growing clover. Percy, Northumberland: At the present time there is every sign of a vast improvement and of pros perity in the farming industry. The land is better worked than ever before, and stock are also better cared for than in past years. Farmers are becoming awakened to the fact that in the past the land has only been half worked. Sophiasburg, Prince Edward: Millet is grown in some quarters and is ment in milk production. It is also good for feeding horses while plowing. been plowed up. very much liked for improveMost of the hop yards have Hawkesbury E., Prescott: Hops were cultivated some years ago by many farmers but now few of them continue to do so. It seems that there is no profit in it. Osgoode, Carleton: Some farmers grow millet to a considerable extent for feed. Flax is grown by a majority of farmers for home consumption, for the purpose of feeding calves. People are raising more calves this year than usual as there is a good demand for good cattle and bulls which are shipped to Buffalo, N.Y. I think it is a mistake to do so, for it would be better for the farmer to fatten them at home. Dairying and hog raising are the staple industries of this section. Eldon, Victoria: As indicating the prosperity of the farmers of this township I may say that during the past season several comfortable farm dwellings have been erected, most of them of solid brick; also several large barns with stone stabling underneath. TABLE I.-Showing for each month the highest, lowest, mean highest, mean lowest and mean temperature at the principal stations in Ontario in 1898; also the annual mean for each station. 47.0 91.2 92.2 93.0 87.5 100.0 97.1 91.7 91.0 90.0 87.0 64.0 64.9 63.0 62.0 67.0 58.0 586 57.0 60.0 62.0 11.5 8.7 4.8 7.0 11.0 8.0 4.4 10.0 6.5 5.0 42.6 42.1 42.9 41.9 46.2 43.6 41.0 40.6 40.2 40.1 30.5 30.6 27.7 25.7 31.0 28.5 26.5 27.6 25.2 23.8 36.6 36.4 35.3 33.8 38.6 36.1 33.7 34.1 32.7 31.9 44.0 44.8 46.0 45.0 48.0 44.8 40.6 40.0 40.7 40.0 -1.0 1.5 4.5 -6.2 -8.0 -5.2 -15.7 -17.0 -23.3 -22.0 31.7 29.9 31.1 31.0 34.4 32.9 28.9 29.1 26.4 23.4 19.7 20.4 18.1 16.8 22.2 19.8 12.6 11.7 9.2 6.1 25.7 25.2 24.6 23.9 28.3 26.2 20.8 20.4 17.8 14.7 45 32 47.20 47.08 45.53 49.26 47.15 44.83 44.15 43.87 41.53 TABLE II. Showing for each month the annual average of the highest, lowest, mean highest, mean lowest, and mean temperature ac the principal stations in Ontario derived from the seventeen years 1882 93; also the annual mean at each station for the same period. 69.9 68.2 71.1 57.5 43.0 42.5 29.6 30.4 59.7 59.7 57.9 56.8 13 6 4.1 6.7 4.8 1.2 43.7 42.9 40.3 40.7 38.5 36.9 29.1 27.2 32.5 30.2 25.6 25.7 24.8 21.9 35.5 36.5 36.7 35.6 39.2 36.7 32.7 33.1 32.0 29.0 50.4 49.6 51.1 49.2 54.5 47.8 44.9 45.0 42.5 42.0 -08 -2.5 -2.8 -4.5 0.9 -2.2 -14.0 -13.8-17.2 -24.0 33.4 32.3 33.7 32.6 36.9 33.7 29.3 29.6 25.1 24.6 20.8 21.1 20.2 17.9 23.9 20.8 13.5 13.6 8.9 5.3 27.0 26.7 27.6 36.1 30.4 27.7 21.9 22.3 17.5 14.8 42.57 44.65 45.74 44.27 46.99 44.54 41.60 41.36 41.14 37.50 62.3 64.5 68.2 67.9 66.9 66.9 68.5 64.8 67.8 47.1 43.4 57.7 53.5 72.3 |