HISTORICAL SKETCH OF THE

ONTARIO DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Like most important public institutions it required time and experience, and the public-spirited effort of many able men, to evolve the conditions out of which came the Ontario Department of Agriculture and from which it has grown until a more than Provincial, or even national reputation, has been acquired for its scientific and carefully organized work in the interests of the farmers. Agriculture was, of course, the primary industry of Ontario, it was the occupation of the pioneers, it made comfortable fortunes for multitudes of their successors from the days in 1842 when there were 487,053 people and 6,212,726 acres of occupied land until 1910 when the rural population was 1,050,000 and the farm lands, property, implements and live-stock of the Province were valued at $1,283,410,384.

There was a measure of encouragement given to agriculture by the early Provincial Governments though before and after the Union with Quebec, or Lower Canada, in 1841 until 1852, there was no Minister of Agriculture definitely in charge of affairs. In the latter year, however, such an office was constituted (16 Vict., chap. 11) and placed under the administration of the President of the Executive Council. Those who held this combined position up to 1862 were as follows: Hon. Malcolm Cameron, 1851-3; Hon. John Rolph, 1853-4; Sir A. N. MacNab, 1854-6; Hon. P. M. Van Koughnet, 1856-8; Hon. J. E. Thibaudeau and Hon. Sidney Smith, 1858; Hon. John Ross, 1858-62. Under these conditions, of course, organized action was difficult; the work was divided between the divergent methods and interests and productions of the two Provinces; the time of the Minister was necessarily taken up with conflicting political conditions which were still in the making and a development which was crude in agricultural matters as in other respects. In 1862 the Department of Agriculture was constituted a separate one with Sir N. F. Belleau in charge for a couple of months; the Hon. F. Evanturel until May, 1863; M. Letellier de St. Just until March, 1864; Hon. T. D'Arcy McGee until Confederation (1867). After that date, under the new Provincial system, various re-adjustments took place and an effort was made to bring the agricultural interests into more direct touch with the administration of affairs.

Meanwhile, another and semi-official agency had since 1846 been active in furthering the interests of the farmer. In 1825

there had been an Agricultural Society formed for the present Counties of York, Peel, Ontario and Simcoe and others were organized in succeeding years. In 1830 the Upper Canada Government had passed an Act granting £100 to any Society which of itself raised £50 annually and did effective work in "importing valuable live-stock, grain, grass-seed, useful implements or whatever else might conduce to the improvement of Agriculture in this Province." This legislation was re-enacted in 1835 and, in 1837, the grant was arranged so that up to £200 it should be double the amount locally raised. Following the Union with Lower Canada in 1841 a monthly agricultural journal was established by W. G. Edmundson called the British-American Cultivator and in it was urged the formation of a Provincial Agricultural Association. In 1843 delegates met in Toronto to consider the matter and on Aug. 16th organization took place at Hamilton with stated objects as follows: Improvement of farm stock and produce, the improvement of tillage and agricultural methods, the encouragement of domestic manufactures of useful inventions, and support to every branch of rural and domestic economy.

It was incorporated in 1847 as the Agricultural Association of Upper Canada. The first President was E. W. Thomson and the Secretary, W. G. Edmundson. The chief function in earlier years was the holding of Exhibitions of agricultural products. The first was held in Toronto, with a banquet and address by the Hon. Adam Fergusson; the 2nd was at Hamilton in 1847 with Mr. Thomson re-elected President and the opening ceremonies by H.E., Lord Elgin; the 3rd was at Cobourg with Hon. A. Fergusson as President; the 4th was held at Kingston in 1849 with Henry Ruttan as President; the 5th was at Niagara Falls in 1850 with John Wettenhall, M.L.A., as President. To this work the Government in 1849 granted £350 and in 1850 £600. In the latter year it was decided to further assist by the creation of an official Board of Agriculture for Upper Canada (Act. 13-14 Vic. chap. 73) for the purpose of collecting and disseminating" statistical and other useful information concerning the agricultural and other resources of the Province." A plan was to be prepared by this body for the establishment of an Experimental Farm in connection with the University of Toronto and the Inspector-General of the Province was to be an ex-officio member. E. W. Thomson was the first Chairman of the Board. In 1852 the Department of Agriculture was created, with Ministers in charge as already noted, and with the object of supervising this Board which, in turn, had to co-operate with the Agricultural Association.

During succeeding years the system seems to have worked pretty well up to Confederation with, however, a minimum of actual Government control. The total amounts offered in prizes from voluntary and official sources rose from $1,600 in 1846 to

$6,106 in 1850, to $15,015 in 1860 and $12,731 in 1867. The Government grant for the Exhibition in 1850 was £1,000 and in 1854 £7,200 was given to the various County Societies; while in that year and 1855 progress was made in the buildings and improvements on the Experimental Farm near Toronto. In 1857 the Board of Agriculture and its subsidiary Societies brought into the Province $89,118 of improved seeds, $168,729 worth of higher-bred horses, $51,627 worth of cattle, etc. During this year, also, the Association became the Agricultural and Arts Association through the assimilation of the Board of Arts and Manufactures and a site was granted of 20 acres in Toronto for the holding of Agricultural Exhibitions-the corner stone of a $25,000 building being laid by Hon. P. M. Van Koughnet on July 15, 1858. In 1859 the Board of Agriculture set apart $2,000 to encourage flax culture in Canada. In 1860 the Government handed over $10,000, of the moneys granted to entertain the Prince of Wales, to the Agricultural Association for the purpose of improving the Exhibition in Hamilton during that year which His Royal Highness was to open. The Fair was really a splendid one with 7,500 entries and $15,000 in prizes.

Under the auspices of the Board in 1862 a Veterinary School was established in Toronto with Andrew Smith in charge-afterwards well known and prosperous as the Ontario Veterinary College. The Association in this year, and again in 1867, urged the popularizing of the Board of Agriculture by including a large elective and wider membership; in 1868 the Canadian Shorthorn Herd-Book was issued under the auspices of the Board following upon the earlier opening (in 1854) of a series of stock registers for thoroughbred animals; since 1858 the latter body had also controlled the Canadian Agriculturist under the editorship of Hon. Wm. McDougall but in 1864 it accepted a new publication of Hon. George Brown, The Canada Farmer, as its official organ and the former was discontinued. During these years and up to 1869 the Presidents of the Board were Colonel E. W. Thomson (185165) and Hon. Thomas Christie, 1866-8. The Presidents of the Association and the location of the Exhibitions were as follows:

Following Confederation in 1867 a new Provincial Statute changed the whole system of agricultural aid. The work of the Board of Agriculture was limited almost entirely to management of the peripatetic Agricultural Exhibitions and became known as

the Council of the Agricultural and Arts Association; a Bureau of Agriculture for Ontario was created and attached to the Department of Public Works of which the head was to be known as the Commissioner of Agriculture and Public Works. The President of the Board of Agriculture was, also, the President of the Agriculture and Arts Association. Practically the two bodies became one and up to 1881 did little except promote the Provincial Fairs. These Exhibitions were held at London in 1869, 1873, 1877, and 1881; at Toronto in 1870, 1874, 1878; at Kingston in 1871 and at Hamilton in 1872, 1876, and 1880. The Presidents of the Council and the Association were as follows: 1869, Edwin Mallory; 1870, Hon. D. Christie; 1871, Hon. James Skead; 1872, Stephen White; 1873, Andrew Wilson; 1874, Robert Gibbons; 1875, Archibald McNab, M.P.; 1876, Ira Morgan; 1877, L. E. Shipley; 1878, Thomas Stock; 1879, Samuel Wilmot; 1880, J. C. Rykert; 1881, J. B. Aylesworth.

The story of this organization in the years following 1881 is largely a record of the work of Henry Wade, who was then appointed Secretary. His aim was to create under the auspices of the Association an improved, efficient and uniform system of registration of all pure-bred animals in the Province. The judging of farms for prizes, the collection and publication of useful essays on agricultural subjects, the holding of popular examinations in agriculture, etc., were other lines which he developed ; besides the conduct of the Provincial Exhibitions which continued until 1889 when each centre-London, Ottawa, Toronto, etc., was left to manage its own yearly Exhibition. In 1882 a new Agricultural Act was passed, the membership of the Council decreased and the Commissioner of Agriculture left as the only ex-officio member. The annual grant from the Government was continued under certain restrictions and, in view of Toronto's establishment in 1879 of a separate Industrial Exhibition, it was decided that the Association need not hold a Provincial one every year unless specially desired.

In 1882 the Provincial Fair was held at Kingston with Charles Drury as President; in 1883 at Guelph with D. P. McKinnon as President and the first of many Fat Stock Shows was also held at Toronto; in 1884 at Ottawa with Joshua Legge as President; in 1885 at London with George Moore as President; in 1886 at Guelph with Harry Parker as President; in 1887 at Ottawa with J. C. Snell as President; in 1888 at Kingston with Ira Morgan as President; and in 1889 at London with J. C. Rykert as President. During these later years the total amount offered in Prizes had ranged from an average of $17,000 in 187282 to $20,290 in 1884 and down to $14,703 in 1889. In this latter year the Provincial grant was not renewed and the 44th Provincial Exhibition was the last-being replaced in succeeding years by the Western at London, the Eastern at Ottawa and the

Industrial at Toronto. On Jan. 1st, 1896, the Agricultural and Arts Association was dissolved by legislation of the preceding year the last Presidents of this useful organization being Albin Rawlings in 1890, Robert Vance in 1891, Nicholas Awrey, M.L.A., in 1892, James Rowand in 1893, William Dawson in 1894, A. Rawlings in 1895 and Jonathan Sissons who was elected for 1895-6.

Meanwhile, the Hon. John Carling had been appointed Commissioner of Agriculture and Public Works (July 16, 1867) of the new Province and there commenced a period of more organized Government action in connection with Agriculture; but it was not until 1888 and succeeding years that the really remarkable development of Government aid and effective guidance took place. Under Mr. Carling's administration financial aid was continued to the Agricultural and Arts Association, a grant given the Fruit Growers Association for the publication of an annual Report, and an Act passed for the prevention of fraud in the butter and cheese industry. The administration of local agricultural societies was taken over and an annual grant given to Districts for the holding of yearly Exhibitions or Shows. In 1871 the first grant was given to the Entomological Association. The Hon. Archibald McKellar took over the double Commissionership on Dec. 19th, 1871, and when he became Provincial Secretary on Apl. 4, 1874, carried the Department of Agriculture with him. Under his Administration the various grants to voluntary organizations were continued with, in 1874, the Dairymen's Association added.

This year was notable as that in which the Ontario Agricultural College was opened. The first step in the establishment of what has since become so important an institution was taken by Mr. (afterwards Sir John) Carling. He in 1869 had sent Rev. W. F. Clarke, Editor of the Ontario Farmer, to collect information with reference to agricultural colleges in the United States, and to recommend a plan for one in Ontario. The report was submitted in June, 1870, recommending a school for agriculture and a school for mechanic arts. Immediate action followed and after some changes of plan the present site of 550 acres at Guelph was purchased. On the 1st of May, 1874, the School opened with 24 pupils and Wm. Johnston, B.A., as President. In 1879 James Mills, LL.D., became the efficient and progressive head of the College and in 1904 was succeeded by George C. Creelman, LL.D., B.S.A. For a number of years after 1885 there was an Advisory Council to assist the President in the management of the College but after 1900 the President became directly responsible to the Minister.

Buildings have been added from time to time including the President's residence and administration offices, Men's residence accommodating 218 students, Massey Hall and Library, Biology