Dominion Day Thoughts

“Once more Dominion day comes to have us honor again Canada’s anniversary of birth. A July child she is, born in Island places.

Canada? What does the name signify to Canadians?

We recall that the distinguished Canadian Beverly Baxter, now and for years domiciled in London, remembered after a visit to his native shores but her “kindness and courtesies” but also “the thousand glimpses of Canadian beauty… a full moon over Rockies so dazzling that the eyelids were forced down like a curtain… a mountain stream of light grey blue gurgling its story as it went sunlight dancing upon the water against a misty background of an Island in the Pacific… a solitary bark canoe on a northern lake paddled by an Indian stripped to the waist as if the white man had never come… New Brunswick’s countryside crowned with garlands of wispy cloud as we soared above them in a plane… the lights of ships reflected on the waters as midnight came to Halifax…

 To Island farm- folks such as we, Canada is, we would say a friendly sky arched over a vast and varied domain farmland and forest, lake and river, mountain and plain. Hamlet and city; bounded by seas warm and colder, and a long, unprotected but respected neighbourly line, which separates Dominion and States.

To us too, Canada means every blessing and love and loveliness of earth. It is within certain limitations — the right to live our lives as we choose with many a privilege and opportunity offered in this free land that is ours. It is a home, little or larger in valley, on hilltop or some where we choose to be, with a school, a church, good neighbours and all that about which makes life good.

It is within reason, the right to work at the calling or occupation of one’s choice which as Stevenson said “If any man love the labour of any trade, apart from the question of success or failure, the gods have called him and he is indeed blest.

Canada —our own land, we salute you Good Luck and God Bless you we say as you step over the threshold into another year. May you continue to grow strong and great.”

                                                                                     – Ellen’s Diary, June 30th, 1956

Source: Islandnewspapers.ca

In this excerpt from Ellen’s Diary, Ellen channeled Sir Beverly Baxter’s 1949 MacLean’s article, I Found a new Canada, and then reflected on what Canada meant to “Island farm folks.”

Red Fields Are Cultivated And Grain Land Is Sown

“Lovely, so lovely this day was. And at Alderlea, wholly pleasant, its paths. Busy, naturally. But as James said at supper, “when the machines work well, and the weather keeps, what more can we ask of the seedtime?” All our red fields have been cultivated, and now much of the grain-land is seeded. A few more days if fine should see the cropping here come to an end.

What has it given them, we wonder of these farmers of ours? Only the satisfaction of seeing their plans worked out on the stirred fields, good as these are? The seeds tucked tidily away in the best seedbeds they could make? Just the sowings and plantings — the be-all and end-all in a way, of our livelihood? Or did they also, as they tended faithfully to the affairs of their calling, hear the delightful bird-tunes threading in, bright and cherry in the mornings? And toward dusk the Evensong, in a manner quite as reverent as that participated in by folks in church pews. 

High and wide is this cathedral’s arched dome. And mellow the light which filters through the stained glass windows over the treetops to the west — Have they remembered as the seeds fell and were covered, tales of old land? Stories of wheat and tares of flour and the grinding of ovens and bread? For the words are old, old as the first seedtime — and very lovely too.

And been happy? And confident that no matter the world’s joys and tribulations, its triumphs and failures, its hopes and distrusts, that seedtimes and harvest will be”

                                                                                                 – Ellen’s diary, June 15th, 1962

Source: https://islandnewspapers.ca/islandora/object/guardian%3A19620615-008

The farmer’s need

“Canada needs the greatest possible cooperation between the livestock and poultry producers within all parts of Canada toward improving production methods, improving production methods, lowering production costs, improving selling methods and improving distribution methods.

We need the greatest cooperation between the producers of animal and poultry products with the grain growers and manufacturers of mill feeds toward financing and holding of feed stores for use in Canada.

There is a need for the study of means by which increased consumption of milk, cheese, lamb, beef etc. especially of Canadian origin might be affected within Canada.

There is a need for the development of a much broader statistical study which would show trends in production markets and costs, not only in Canada but in other countries as well, which would be a guide to economic increases in Canada’s production. The newly created Branch of Economics in the Federal Department of Agriculture should form a splendid nucleus for this work.

Whether increased production in Canada comes now or later, livestock farmers must be prepared for the same. There never was a better time to liquidate all cull livestock than at the present favourable prices.

This in itself raises the average standard and production capabilities of our livestock to a degree which not only lowers production costs but places us in a better position to face whatever market conditions we may have to meet.”

– Newsy notes, June 27th 1930

Source: Islandnewspapers.ca

May 21st, 1947

I have a notion that because of the fine weather we experienced during the winter, it has made some farm folks expect to step right from it into the cropping. 

Though through the years there have been odd springs that james and I can remember when seeding was commenced much earlier than this, even the sowing of wheat in April to be covered later by a depth of snow, going back to a leaf from the calender of 1927, I find that our first sowing of grain was on May 24. 

The entry has it: “Sowed 6 acres of oats today. Cold.”  

On the following day we “got the wheat in.”There are also other items interwoven with the more important work of the seed time such as “set the old black hen today”

   -Ellen’s diary, May 21st, 1947

Source: https://islandnewspapers.ca/islandora/object/guardian%3A19470521-002

May 24th, 1963

“And the morning blessed every graduate of class, from the exceedingly gifted top Co-Ed down to the last of the young first years with happiness agleam in their eyes. It set old Sol to beam his brightest on their account and brought to them a warm wind of the fields. In it was the essence of spring : scent of wave and woodland of hill and dale, of meadow and dell.

‘At Alderlea, here in the valley of the millstream, it seemed as though the birds put extra grace of heart into their matins, and returned thanks on behalf of this child of the farm, to whom the happiness of a day of moment. A milestone  reached on her road of life, had at length come. 

‘What an air of excitement there was in those halls of learning this morning! What smiles were reflected, what happiness in young and older: And so light the steps that answering a roll call went up to receive the year’s honours including that coveted piece of parchment, duly signed and sealed,and tied with a ribbon of white.”

Source: https://islandnewspapers.ca/islandora/object/guardian%3A19630524-009