Canadian Shredded Wheat Company Fonds

In 1893 Attorney Henry Drushel Perky and William H. Ford invented a machine for the preparation of cereals for food. Perky soon realized that the actual cereal biscuits were more popular than the machines and he opened Shredded Wheat plants in Massachusetts and Niagara Falls, New York. In 1904, the Niagara Falls, Canada plant was opened. These factories also served as tourist attractions. In 1907, one hundred thousand people visited the plants on both sides of the border. In 1928, the company was sold to The National Biscuit Company and the product name changed to Nabisco Shredded Wheat. The name of the plant was changed to Nabisco Foods in 1956 to reflect the variety of foods that were being produced at that time. In 1985, Nabisco was purchased by J.R. Reynolds thus forming RJR Nabisco. In 1994, RJR sold its breakfast cereal business to Kraft Foods and the international licenses to General Mills. Shredded Wheat is now integrated into the Post Foods portfolio. with information from: Niagara Falls Canada a History by The Kiwanis Club of Stamford, Ontario Inc. and Business Source Complete

Statement of John O'Connor Damaged Wheat Crop

Statement (handwritten, 3 pages) in which John O’Connor states that his wheat crop of 1834 was damaged. A fence was also down which resulted in his wheat crop being destroyed by cattle and pigs. The defendants had to pay the plaintiff for damages. S. D. Woodruff was the arbitrator in this case, Aug. 1835.

Immuno-gluorescence study of five zygomycetous fungi with two chitin-binding probes

A polyclonal antiserum was prepared against a purified microsomal chitinase isolated from the fungus Choanephora cucurbitarum. Indirect immunofluorescence was used to localize chitinase at various developmental stages of five zygomycetous fungi and during abiotrophic mycoparasite interaction with a susceptible and resistant host. This was compared to localization of oligomers of N-acetylglucosamine with the lectin wheat germ agglutinin (WGA). Dotimmunoblot and Western blot techniques revealed that the anti-serum reacted strongly with the antigen from which it was derived. Cross reactivity of the antiserum was found with WGA and another chitin binding lectin, Phyto/acca americana agglutinin (PAA). Immuno-fluorescence results showed the direct involvement of chitinase in spore swelling, germination, sporangium development and response during mechanical injury. There appeared to be no involvement of chitinase during apical hyphal growth or new branch initiation in any of the fungi tested despite mild proteolysis and permeabilization of the cell surface prior to labelling. Binding with WGA revealed similar patterns of fluorescence to that of chitinase localization but differed by showing fluorescence and therefore chitin localization at the apex and new branch initiation when tested at different developmental stages. There was no difference between chitinase localization and binding with WGA in a susceptible host and resistant host challenged with the mycoparasite, Piptocephalis virginiana. Differences in binding ability of antichitinase and lectin WGA suggests that the latter is not a suitable indicator for indirect localization of the lytic enzyme, chitinase.

The wonders of Niagara : a visit to America's greatest cataract with a description of the points of interest in a region of scenic grandeur and beauty.

Cover title.

Upper Lakes Shipping Ltd. fonds 1955-1990, n.d. (non-inclusive)

In March 1931, Captain Bruce Angus was sent to Sarnia by Gordon C. Leitch, general manager of Toronto Elevators. He was sent to inspect the Sarnian to ensure it was still seaworthy. Leitch was a savvy business man, who had been active in the business community for a number of years. Leitch began his career with a partner in the lumber business. When that went under he moved into graineries and worked for the Winnipeg Wheat Pool for 12 years. After Winnipeg he moved to Toronto, which was closer to his home town of Ridgetown, Ontario. In Toronto Leitch became manager of the Toronto branch of the Canadian Wheat Pool. While managing the wheat pools in Toronto Leitch became aware of huge costs associated with shipping the grains from the praries into the Toronto area. He felt that there was no need for such costs and decided to do something to make them better and cheaper for the business. Originally the grain was loaded onto Lakers that would bring the grain from the praries to Lake Huron and Georgian Bay. It was stored there until needed by the Toronto graineries and then hauled across land by either truck or train. The land journey was the most expensive and the one which Leitch wanted to eliminate. This was a fine plan except for 2 obstacles that were quickly overcome. First of all the Welland canals were not large enough to accommodate the large carriers that were bringing in the grain. This was changing as the expansion and widening of the canals was already underway. The second issue was the lack of storage in Toronto for the grain. The grain elevators had been destroyed by fire in the late 1880s and never replaced. Leitch propsed his company built its own storage elevators along the water front to allow not only for easier access to the grain, and more timely production of products. The elevators would aslo create a reduction in shipping costs and an overall more competitoive price for the customers of the grainery. The company refused, so Leitch went elsewhere to friends and contacts within the grain industry. The elevators were built and Leitch quit his job with the Canadian Wheat Pool and became the general manager of the elevators. Although the elevators were built and ready for storage the next issue was filling them. None of the carriers wanted to do business with Leitch because the competition in Georgian Bay threatened to cancel their contracts if they did. Leitch saw no way around this, but to provide his own transportation. This is when he sent Captain Bruce Angus to scout out potential ships. The ship was purchased for $37,000 and after another $30,000 was spent to fix it up, it was ready for business. The need for transportation and the finding of a seaworthy ship, lead to the beginnings of the Northland Steamship Company. The Sarnian proved to not be enough for the business underway. Leitch decided another ship was necessary. He joined forces with James Norris the owner of the Norris Grain Company. He proposed they join forces to create a more economical means of transportating their products.

Notebook/Advertisements for Farming

A notebook with pages of advertisements and letters describing farming in Ontario and farm land available in Ontario. Also mentions arrangement for Settlers in Port Arthur. There is a section of blank pages (pp. 8-45). Pages 5-7 are lists of "Drill Scale Quarts" for Wheat, Oats and Pear.

The Van-Guard (poem)

A poem "written at the front in memory of comrades fallen in action while fighting with the First Battalion of the 5th Field Artillery". The final verse of the poem reads, "But the van-guard on before you, who you follow as is meet, They're the lads you left behind you With the poppies and the wheat!"

Letter to Henry Nelles from Gillespie and Moffat

Letter to Henry Nelles from Gillespie and Moffat (3 pages, handwritten) regarding wheat and an account of flour consigned to J. McPerson, Feb. 26, 1829.

Letter to Henry Nelles from Gillespie and Moffatt

Letter to Henry Nelles from Gillespie and Moffatt (2 pages) regarding the price of wheat, Oct. 19 (1 double-sided page, handwritten), 1829.

Letter to Henry Nelles from Gilles Moffatt

Letter to Henry Nelles from Gilles Moffatt regarding purchases of wheat and sugar, Sept. 23, 1830.

Warrant that a complaint was presented to Edmund Riselay, Justice of the Peace in Bertie by Henry Nelles, Justice of the Peace in Niagara against William Wintermute and Benjamin Wright of Bertie by Joseph Lindeberry of Clinton

Warrant (1 page, handwritten copy) that a complaint was presented to Edmund Riselay, Justice of the Peace in Bertie by Henry Nelles, Justice of the Peace in Niagara against William Wintermute and Benjamin Wright of Bertie by Joseph Lindeberry of Clinton regarding the suspicion of Wintermute and Wright stealing wheat from the Lindeberry barn. Benjamin Wright seemed the guiltier of the two and therefore it is requested that he be brought before a Justice of the Peace to be examined. This document is stained, but this does not affect the text, April 4, 1837.