15. Pioneer Writing / John Salisbury
June 7, 1899.
Mr. John Salisbury is a native of eastern Ontario brought up on a farm
in the County of Hastings in the neighbourhood of Bellview where he had
a good deal of experience in farm work. During the 10 years immediately
prior to settling in Manitoba he learned the business of cheesemaking
and also worked at carpentering both on the Canadian and American sides
of the boundary. In the spring of 1883 Mr. Salisbury determined to seek
a home in the west. He left Ontario in March that year and came
directly to the Melita district where he has remained ever since. On
arriving here he took up a homestead where he now resides on the east
half of 32-4-26 and imme¬diately went into the raising of wheat.
Although looking back through the light of past experience he is now
convinced that it was a mistake in the early days, before the advent of
the railroad to raise wheat as the cost of marketing was too great. He
is of the opinion that it would have been much better to go into stock
raising in the early days. However, it never is too late to mend and
Mr. Salisbury like most other farmers is convinced that mixed farming
is the safest method to pursue in order to make a permanent success
although as yet he has confined himself ex¬clusively to wheat growing.
Mr. Salisbury has had several experiences of frost and a slight
experience of hail. Nearly all his land has been brought under
cultivation and this year he has put in 190 acres of wheat and about 60
acres of oats. Yield of course has varied in different years, the
highest was 40 bushels to the acre. Mr. Salisbury intends to improve
his property by building, and will this year put up a new granary. It
is by industry that success is achieved and Mr. Salisbury is on the
highroad to success. |
