Crop Production in Western Canada

Hardcover, 423 pages, 5x7.75 in - 13x19 cm, B&W illustrations.

Boards soiled, bumped at corners, and rubbed along spine edges. Spine soiled, bumped and rubbed at head and heel, marked in ink near head. Spine lean. Edges age-tanned, top edge lightly spotted. Front endpapers rough from being stuck together, large inscription by previous owner to ffep with smaller inscription on following page. Many pages soiled. Pp.187-188 torn, repaired with archival tape.

John Bracken was an agronomist who taught at the University of Saskatchewan and served as President of Manitoba Agricultural College. When the United Farmers of Manitoba (initially the Manitoba Grain Growers’ Association) won the province's 1922 election, they chose Bracken as Premier – a position he held until 1943. In this volume, Bracken offers instruction for growing crops in western Canada. The first section outlines principles of plant growth and proper crop selection. The larger second section provides in-depth information on 10 different crops (from rye to potatoes, with an especially large chapter on wheat). For each crop, Bracken gives an overview of its use, then discusses practical aspects of cultivation (choosing a seed variety, the time and manner of sowing, mitigating diseases, harvest, and grades). A catalogue of harmful insects and diseases concludes the volume. Altogether, an exemplary guide to best practices in prairie farming in the early 1900s. Peel(3) 4563.