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CSQUIMALT, B. C

E. BAYNES REED,

BRITISH COLUMBIA

CLASSN S)/4h Bl6_ _

SERIES : No. .

VHE LIBRARY
The Unioersify oj British Columbia

A ^D ITS —

AGEIOIILTURAL CAPABILITIES.

DESCRIPTIVE PAMPHLET

-ISSUED BY THE —

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, BRITISH COLUMBIA.

VICTOR»A, B. C :
Printed by Ricuard WolfUnde.n, Primer to the Kinpr's Most Excellent Majesty.

1002.

BRITISH COLUMBIA

— AND ITS-

AGRICULTURAL CAPABlLmES.

DESCRIPTIVE PAMPHLET

ISSUED BY THE-

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, BRITISH COLUMBIA.

THEGOVERNMOrroF

viL pnoviHcc or British Columbia

VICTORIA, B. C. :
Printed by RicirARD Woi,kkndk.n, Printer to the Kinif'a Host Excellenr Mojesiy.
1901.

DKPAirr.MEN'r of Atnucui/iUHE,

VicToiiiA, November ISth, 1901.
JIoH. J. D. F rent we,

JIi)iit<ter of Agriculture, Victoria, H. C

Sih:

I liave the honour of presentiui,' herewith a painplilet descriptive of the Province, princi-
pally in relation to its agricultural capabilities and possibilities. This information is prepared
at the instance of the Agent-General, and is intended for distribution from his office.

It is, of course, impossible in a shoi't description, su(;h as this pamphlet contains, to enter
into many of the details whicli are so necessary to intending immigrants. For such infor-
mation I must refer to the more e.xtended Report of this Department.

I have the Iiunour to be,
Sir,
Your obedient servant,

J. R. ANDERSON,

Dejnity Minister of Agriculture.

BRi;j^ISIl COLUMBIA.

ITS AGRICULTURAL CAPABILITIES AND POSSIBILITIES,

British Columbia, although not, strictly speaking, an agricultural couiitr}', has nevortholcss
large areas of arable lainl of great fertilit}', and capable of i)roduciiig much more than is
retjuired of its present or prospective population. The mining and other industries in the
earlier history of the Province so completely occupied the attention of its inhabitants that
British Columbia came to be considered by them, and naturally by outsiders, as a country
quite unfit for agricultural pursuits ; and so much was this the case, that when the subject of
Confederation was first mooted, not only was British Columbia designated by one of the
leading statesmen of the East as " A Sea of Mountains," but it was actually looked upon as
utterly worthless, "the derelict of Canada," by many people who should and perhaps did
know better; and even after tlie wonderful resources of the Western Province had developed
to such an extent as to wring the acknowlegment of its richness from its detractors, the belief
still existed, and does exist among many, that although rich in minerals, timber, fish and coal,
there is not agricultural land suthcienth' extensive or good in the Province to produce enough
to feed its own inhabitants, to say nothing of the possibility of its production ever reaching
such a point as to contemplate exportation outside its confines.

Now, whilst it is cjuite true that British Columbia is not, strictly speaking, an agricultural
country, never did a greater fallacy exist tlian that the agricultural area of land is so circum-
scribed and poor as it has been depicted.

Another fallacy is that of climate. The very name of Canada is associated In' vcr}- many
people with the idea of "Our Lady of the Snows"; and since British Columbia is part and
parcel of the great Dominion, it has come to be regarded as identical in climate to the Provinces
in the East. Amongst our friends to the south of us also, divided only by an imaginary line,
the idea is (|uite general that, climatically, British Columbia is unfit for agricultural pursuits.

A great deal of misconception regarchiig the Province is undoul)tedly due to ill-informed
writers, who, after viewing the country through the window of a Pullman cai-, oi' from the
deck of a steamer, forthwith undertake to write a book, all about the countr}'.

On account of its topogri-pliy and extent, ranging as it does from the 4yth to tiie GOth
degrees of latitude, and intersected as it is by immense mountain ranges, with the warm Japan
current setting over to its shores, it may easil}^ be understood that tlie climate of British
Columl)ia is varied in its character, that its products, as a natural secjuence, are also very
varied, eml)iacing tliose of the semi-tropical as well as of the temperate zones. The apple, par
excellence, is the fruit of the country, which with the peai-, plum, ])rune, cherry, and all small
fruits, attains great perfection in most of the settled portions of the Province. Peaches, apiicots,
nectarines, grapes, and such fruits, are naturally not so wide in their distril)Ution, but are suc-
ce.ssfully cuiti\ated in many parts of tlie southern portions of the Province. Melons, tomatoes,
Cliiii peppers, egg plant, and all vegetables of this character, are also grown to perfecti(m in
many i>arts. In the matter of nuts — alnumd.s, walnuts, filberts, ha/elnuts, cobnuts, chestnuts,
iVrc. ^these produce well wherever grown. It is impossible at the pi-esent writing to give any
statistical informaticm, even of an approximate chaiacter, of the number and kinds of orchards
in th«; Province, nor the amount of fruit jtroduced. This may be said, however, that whereas
a few 3'ears ago most of the fruit consumed was ini])orted from the neighbouring States and
Califor-nia, now most of the fruits coming to the Province from these sources are early fruits,
whicli come Vjefore the home p?'oduction is ready for the market.

British Columbia. 1901

The exportation of fruit, likewise, to the Kcrth-West Provinces and the Yukon is assuming-
large prt)poi tions, and the ijuantity is inci easing year by year, as the young orchards which
have been set cut ccnie into bearing. Ihe area under fruit has been increased greatly during
the last five or six years, and people generally are achjpling methods more in accordance with
the well-understood successful principles of fruit culture, profiting by the lessons gained by
experience and avoiding the mistakes which are generally made by beginners. Although the
area under prunes is quite extensive, the orchards are quite young, and since a ready sale has
been found for the green fruit, none has, so far, been cured. The production of wheat in a
country where the area of cultivated land is comparatively limited, and where it can be put to
niucli more profitable use, is, as a matter of course, not prosecuted to any great extent ; still,
large (juantities are produced in what is known as the Upper Country or Dry Belt, and a con-
siderable quantity of the flour used in the Province is manufactured from wheat grown in the
Okanagan country. Irrigation is practised in the Upper Country, and available water is
fairlv abundant for the purpose except in certain localities ; in the other portions of the
Province irrigation is not necessary, the rainfall being sufficient.

It is needless to say that, under the conditions named, all the other grains, roots and
vegetables ordinarily grown in these latitudes attain the greatest perfection, and the production
is in many cases above the average.

The opportunities for dairying in the Province afford jiarticular inducements, for, besides
the excellent market now available, and those in prospect of which mention is made elsewhere,
the equaljle climate affords facilities unequalled for winter dairying (the most profitable of all
dairying) in any other Province injjhe Dominion. In that portion of the Province lying to
the westward of the Coast ■Jtawffl^''gr^en food is to be obtained practically all the year round.
In that portion known as the Dry Belt, however, the conditions for dairying are not as favour-
able, on account of the colder winters and the drier climate, necessitating irrigation in most
sections. In those parts where the precipitation is sufficient, and where water is available for
irrigation, the growth of leguminous plants, such as clover and vetches, is simply marvellous,
and no difficulty is experienced in providing green succulent food in abundance during the
summer months. For winter dairying, however, outside green food cannot be depended upon,
and roots and silage will have to be resorted to for the successful production of milk. It must
not be inferred, however, from these remarks that sufficient green food is to be obtained during
the winter months for the successful prosecution of winter dairying ; on the contrary ; for
whilst green food is available during most of the winter months, it is a well-known fact that
cows in milk cannot be allowed to i^oam about the fields on cold, wet days, and substitutes,
such as are spoken of, must also be provided. Nevertheless, dairying is a branch of agi-icultural
industry which in British Columbia is capable of great expansion, and, moreover, one of the
branches which presents more opportunities for profitable investment than most others. The
home markets offer all the necessarj' inducements in that direction. The deficiency of butter
is being gradually reduced by the establishment of creameries at various points, but the general
run of ranchers are slow to adopt co-operative measures, and many manufacture butter on
their own account ; and whilst it is but natural that there are some good butter-makers, there
are many who are not, and the price of butter, therefore, of this class, which is put on the
market, is ruled, except in a few cases, by that of the poorest quality.

The importation of dairy products from other countries and from the other Provinces
amounted in the one year ending 30th June, 1 900, as follows : —

Value. Duty Paid.

Butter (lt)s.) 2,821,913 $691,341 .... $20,522 96

Cheese (lbs.) 918,155 95,040 .... 2,311 23

Conden.sed Milk 301,610 .... 40,799 71

$1,087,991 $63,633 90

It will, therefore, be readily seen that with the markets ready to hand, and those
prospective markets which there is every reason to believe will be developed with the advance-
ment of the Province — an advancement which it is fully anticipated will be very great in the
near future — it is reasonable to expect that prosperity will reward the efforts of the agricul-
turist, the stock-raiser, and all those engaged in any branch of this all-important industry.
The price of butter seldom falls to 18 cents, and it often goes as high as 35 and 40 cents;
probably 25 cents may be quoted as an average price.

1 Ed. 7 Its Agricultural Cai'aiulities.

The production of poultry is another industry which will well repay intclli<?ent prosecution
at points within easy distance of the larye towns. The importations, as mentioned in the case
of dairy products, for tiie same period were as follows : —

Value. Duty I'uid.

Dressed poultry $ 64, "221 $ 3,-2:VJ 05

Eggs, dozens, l,r)7;>,017 241,;}67 ]0,;}32 00

$305,588 $13,571 05

To which should he added the importation of live fowls, included amongst other li\e stock.
The vicinity of the large towns is, of course, preferable for the successful prosecution of this
industry, as there is a market always ready to hand. On account of the distance fr(jm the
larger town.s and the jirevalence of coyotes, the Upper Country is not i-ecommenfled for poultry-
raising. Barnyard fowls fetch from 35 cents to 75 cents each, the formei- price being excep-
tional; an average price of 50 to 60 cents ma}^ -be quoted. Eggs are seldom lower than 25
cents per dozen, and often as high as 75 cents. Ducks, which can and should be sold at nine
weeks in order to be profitable, find a ready market amongst the Chinese, who are inordinately
fond of them, at protitaljle prices.

Horned cattle are profitably produced in large numbers for beef in the Upper Country,
where they are pastured over the extensive ranges covered with wild grasses. Although large
numbers of cattle are produced in the Province, the demand is considerably in excess of tlie
production, as the following will bear witness, being the importations for one year, viz.: —

Vahic. Duty.

Cattle on foot (head) 7,776 $229,077 $1,841 40

Beef (ll)s.) 2,715,563 190,208 162 66

$419,285 .... $2,004 06

The ranges still in the public domain are so eaten down as to be valueless for cattle-raising
unless supplemented by privately-owned ranges. These are not to be obtained in the older
settled portions of the country, but large tracts are still to be had in the northern part of the
Province, viz., the Nechaco and Bulkley valleys. The current price of beef cattle on foot at
the present time is 4j, cents per pound. Judicious systems of cold storage at convenient
points in the cattle-producing sections of the Province have been advocated, which, it is
believed, would greatly benefit not only the stock-raiser but the ranges. Such establishments
should be of sufficient capacity to accommodate all the cattle fit for beef, which should be killed
at a time when tliey are in their prime and sent to the markets as the}^ are required. Thus
!U)t onh' would the consumer have the beef in prime condition, but the stock-raiser would sell
when the cattle were heaviest, the ranges would have an opportunity to recuperate, and the
transportation charges greatly les.sened.

The production of swine offers particular inducements if intelligently prosecuted ; the
local market for this class of live stock, on account of the numbers of Chinese, who
practicall}' u.se no other flesh, if we except fowls and ducks, to say nothing of the demands of
the white population, is exceptionally good. Those farmers who are following the industry
systematically are all doing well, but there is room for a great many more. The following
statistics of importations for the period previously alluded to speak for themselves : —

Value. Duty.

On foot $ 62,159 .... $ 1,022 53

Bacon, hams and lard (lbs.) 7,360,783 814,324 67,669 29

Fre.sh pork (ffjs.) 868,557.... 69,477 .... 119 14

$945,960 $68,810 96

All parts of the Province are well suited for this industry, if, as we have said before, it is
followed intelligently. Clover, one of the very best foods for pigs, grows most luxuriantly, as
well as all kinds of grass, which, if judiciously fed flown by pigs, giv(! larger returns in many
cases than if harvested and .sold. The price of pigs on foot is, at the present time, 6,',c. per i
pound; bacon, 15ic. ; hams, 15c.; lard, 12ic., and fresh pork 12ic. ^

British Columbia. 1901

Sheep, although in good demand, are not produced in large numbers. This is owing to
several causes, viz. : In the Upper Country the objection of cattle-breeders to sheep being
pastui-ed on the ranges, the pre^■alence of coyotes in the same section, the circumscribed area
of open land in the Lower Country, and pests in the shape of panthers, Indian dogs, etc. The
most fa^■ourable portions of the Province for the prosecution of this industry are the islands
of the Gulf, which are free from wild animals, and being fairl}' open, alVoi'd good runs for
sheep. Good profits are made by those engaged in sheep-raising, especially in supplying the
markets with spring lambs, which sell at -S+.SO, whilst sheep on foot at the present time are
worth from 5c. to Gc. per pound. The last statistics of importations for one year are as
follows : —

\'alut'. Duty.

On foot . . . : (head) 52,6S.-) .... ^110,254- .... $19,278 80

Mutton (lt)s.) 756,808 .... 31,661 .... 8,472 98

$147,915 $27,751 78

Wool being practically of no value, owing to the absence of manufactories, only those
breeds principally esteemed for mutton are jaroduced in any numbers.

Except for stock-feeding, the production of wheat is discouraged in those portions of the
Province where the areas of open land are limited, and where the climatic conditions are such
as to render harvesting somewhat precarious, especially as lands so situated are capable of
being put to much more profitable uses. In the Upper Country, however, where there are
large areas of open land, milling wheat of fine quality is pi'oduced profitably in large quanti-
ties, both with and without irrigation, depending upon the locality, and the product is
converted into flour at the several grist mills, which take all that is produced. For milling
purposes, the price of wheat is about $26 per ton of 2,000 pounds, whilst for feeding fowls
and such purposes it fetches $24. The last statistics of importations are as follows :— -

Value. Duty.

Flour and meal (barrels) 130,661 $565,780 $12,723 30

Wheat (bushels) 135,135 .... 102,101 2,972 28

$667,881 $15,695 58

The average yield of wheat is about 41 bushels per acre, and the weight about 63 pounds
per bushel. There are cases, however, when the yield is as high as 60 bushels and the weight
67 pounds.

Oats are grown all over the Province, and since the yield is large and the market always
good, it is probably the most profitable of any of the cereals grown, and the production is,
therefore, comparatively large. Large, however, as the production is, it does not nearly meet
the demaiifl. as will be seen by the following statistics of importations for one year, viz: —

Value. Duty.

(Jats (bushels) 596,339 .... $212,468 $2,238 70

Oatmeal (lt,s.) 4,776 .... 272 54 40

$212,740 $2,293 10

The price of oats for feed at the present time is $24 per ton, and for milling $25. The
average yield is put down at 63 bushels per acre, and the weight 43 pounds per bushel. One
hundred and fifty-four bushels have, however, been taken ofi" an acre on the delta land of the
Fraser, and the yield frequently runs up to 80 and 90 bushels per acre, and the weight up to
47 and 50 pounds.

Barley is produced pi-incipally for horse and cattle feed, little or none for malting, the
malt used for beer-making being all imported. A very high grade of bailey is produced,
grain that has been pronounced by experts to be equal to the best malting barley that is used
in P^ngland. The (|uantity imported in one year, according to the last statistics, is : —

Value. Duty.

Barley (Inishels) 22,340 .... $ 9,135 .... $ 177 68

:\Lalt ,, 77,945 .... 56,378 .... 11,284 55

$65,513 $11,462 23

1 Ed. 7 Its Agricultural Capabilities.

All parts of the Province are suitalile tor the production ot' this i^rain, but as most of it
is used for feeding animals engaged in hauling and packing isito tlu; mines, the production is
principally confined to those sections which are nearest to lines of connnunication with the
mines. For malting purposes, prt)l)ably that pi'oduced under irrigation is best, b(^ing brighter
in colour than that pnnhiced under natural conditions. The average production is about 52
bushels per acre, the weight oT pounds per bushel, l)ut the production frequently runs up to
60 and Go bushels per acre, and the weight to 65 pounds. The price of barley at the present
time for feed is $'J2, and for milling (pearling) $27 per ton.

Beans are used largely as an article of food by miners, prospectors, packers, teamsters,
lumbermen, and others ; this class forming, as it may be supposed, a large proportion of the
rural population of the Province, and in consequence the consumption of this article is large
and increasing. It is successfully produced in considerable quantities in certain parts of the
Drv r>elt, notably along the Fraser in the ^•icinity of Lytton, Lillooet, etc., and along the
Thompson in the vicinity of Spence's Bridge, and it is susceptible of being successfully
produced in other parts of that section. The importations for one year were as follows :
bushels, 8,495 ; value, 812,404; duty, |1,336.34. The price of beans at the present time is
about 3c. per pound.

Peas are used in considerable quantities, principally for the fattening of swine; they are
produced successfully in the Upper Country, the high lands of the Lower Fraser, and the
Islands, but are not a reliable crop on the delta lands. The importations for one year were
2,373 bushels, valued at 82,033 ; duty $237.30. The average yield is about 45 bushels per
acre, and the weight about 62 pounds per bushel. The price at the present time is from $28
to $30 per ton of" 2,000 pounds.

Rye is grown principally for hay in those portions of the Dry Belt where water for irriga-
tion is scarce or unobtainable. In such places it is sown in the fall and cut green. A limited
quantity is raised for the grain, but the consumption is limited.

Buckwheat is also produced, though only in limited quantities, there being but small
demand for the grain, the principal value being the honey contained in the flowers for bees.

Indian corn is produced successfully in some districts for ensilage, and in every part for
table use, but it is not anywhere cultivated for the grain. The successful cultivation of this
plant in many parts has not j^et been fully demonstiated, but the belief is that much more can
be done with it than has hitherto been attempted. Some sanq)les grown at Okanagan, now in
the Department of Agriculture at Victoria, measure about fourteen feet in height.

Broom coru is also successfully produced in Okanagan, as can be seen by specimens in the
Department. Pnnided the raw material could be utilised l)y broom factories, this is an
industry which might be successfully prosecuted.

Grasses and clover may be said to grow almost naturally and in the Lower Mainland and
Islands keep green the winter through. Timothy, although giving little or no aftermatli, is
mostly grown for hay. This is owing to the fact that it is practically the only hay known to the
ordinary dealer in the cities. It unquestionably makes good horse hay, and the yield runs up
as high as four tons to the acre on some of the delta lands. For dairying, however, and general
use on the farm, other glasses are justly coming into favour. All classes of clover and legum-
inous plants attain to wonderful perfection, the ordinaiy r(>d clover and alfalfa frequently
give three crops during the season.

Flax, of excellent quality, has been grown in the Province. The report obtained from a
linen firm near Belfast, (jf a number of samples sent to them by the Department of Agriculture
to be scutched, is of a most encouraging nature, and there is every i-eason to believer that the
prcKluct of British Colnmbia is ecjual in every respect to the best Irish or Belgian fUix.

Potatoes and all other root crops and vegetables are, of course, produced with the greatest
ease and yield verv largely ; and this remark is true of every part of the Province. Even in
those parts in the niining districts which, owing to natural causes, such as altitude; and situa-
tion, are generally considered to be beyond the limit of successful production, many of the
crops named do well and give large profits to those who undertake theii- production.

f]xperiments in sugar beets carried on by the Department have resulted in demons! rating
that the sugar-bearing properties of the roots grown in the Province are very great. Chicory
is another article of economic value which has been grown successfully, but to a limited extent
only.

Honey in the diier portions of the Province, owing to the absence of Howers in the late
summer, has not thus far been produced in any great cjuantity in those parts, but in the

10 British Columbia. 1901

moister parts, on delta lands, etc., where white clover keeps in flower, a good flow of honey of
excellent qualit}- is obtained, and bee-keeping in such localities is prosecuted with profit and a
considerable quantity of honey is produced. The production, however, does not nearly e([ual
the demand, as the following figures will testify, being the inii^orts for one year, viz.: 58,3.39
Itt-;., valued at $5,876 : duty paid, $1,605.72. The price of honey at the present time is from
18 to "JO cents per It).

Such fruits as apples, pears, plums, prunes and cherries are all grown in abuiidanco, l)ut
still not in sutticient quantities as yet to supply the demand of the markets which particularly
belong to the Province, viz., ^Manitoba, the Xorth-West Territories and the northern mines.
The 3'oung orchards which are coming into bearing, however, will in a few years considerably
alter the complexion of affairs as regards production ; nevertheless, as the demand is steadily
increasing in the markets named, and as the markets of China and Japan are opened u\) for
such products, there need be no fear of over-production, and so long as the fruit is of good
quality and it is packed as it should be for the market, so long will the production of fruits be
a profitable industry in the Province.

Owing to the topography and climatic conditions of a country like British Columbia, it is
but reasonable to expect that all the varieties of fruits named do not succeed equally well in
every part, and it is of the utmost importance that intending orchardists should bear this in
mind, and before planting out an orchard they should ascertain from the Department of Agri-
culture what particular kinds of fruit suit the locality in which they propose to establish them-
selves. All the best known and favourite English and American varieties of apples, and some
of the hardy Russian varieties, do well in one section or another of the Province ; and this as
true of the other fruits, and it is only by experience that the knowledge has been attained as
to the best varieties for the different parts. Peaches, apricots, nectarines, grapes, and such
fruits, although succeeding well where their cultivation has been attempted, have not so far
been produced in quantities sutticient for commercial purposes.

Agricultural labourers. Whites, Indians, Chinese and Japanese, are to be had at rates
ranging from 82 per da\^, and even higher for the best skilled labour, to $1 and board for the
lowest.

Climatically, British Columbia may shortly be described as temperate. On the Coast the
thermometer .seldom falls as low as zero, and then only for a few hours, and seldom rises to
above 75 or 80 degrees. The rainfall is heavy in winter, but the snowfall is often nil. The
climate of the interior is naturally more diversified — colder in winter, hotter in summer, less
rainfall and more snow.

Now, in connection with the climatic conditions of the country, it maj' be approi^riate to
digress for a little, in order to dispel, if possible, the prevailing idea that British Columbia has
a very wet climate. In point of fact, taking it as a whole, the climate i-esembles that of Eng-
land and Scotland very closely, and a comparison of the total precipitation of the Eastern
Provinces goes far to show that it is altogether in favour of British Columbia. The difference
is that the precipitation in the latter Province is almost altogether in the shape of rain, and it
occurs almost entirely during the winter months, whilst in the East more rain falls during the
summer months, and more snow during the winter months.

Note. — The amount of clutj' quoted in the foregoing pages does not represent in every case the amount
of duty on imports of products fi-om foreign countries <luring that particular period, but it represents the
duty paid during that year.

The opening chapter of a series of excellent articles on British Columbia, published by
the " Colonist " newspaper, is as follows : —

" British Columbia.

" The magnitude of British Columbia and the extent and diversity of its resources are
such that few people, if any, are able to take them in as a whole and form an adequate con-
ception of what are the possibilities of Provincial development and the greatness of the task
involved in properly opening the country to enterprise and colonisation. We shall endeavour,
in a series of articles, to present in succinct form the salient facts bearing upon this subject,
and shall be very glad if any readers who may follow what is said and may have any additional

1 Ed. 7 Its Aoricultural Capabilities. 11

information to offer, will kindly communicate it. Our desire is to collect in conveniiMit com
pass the facts which influence British Columbians to form tiie opinion that we not only ii.nc
here the richest Province in Canada, but one of the most favoured re,!j:ions on the globe.

"At the present time capital and enterprise are seeking out every corner of the woild,
where there are available openings. Esjiecially are British capital and enterprise going e\ei'y-
where. Climatic conditions, no matter how adverse, do not deter them. The lack of settled
government and the presence of unfiiendly native tribes are alike unable to keep them back.
All they seem to ask is that there is a reasonable chance of profit. Ivisk does not count.
When we see what is done in other parts of the world, we sometimes think that if Ih'itish
Columbia were more difficult of access, if deadly diseases haunted our coasts, if lu)stile natives
swarmed along our rivers, if a merciless climate rendered life here scarcely en(kn-able, British
enterprise would be more attracted in this direction. The spice of danger, the element of
romance, would attract the decendants of the adventureis of Elizabeth's day. But conditions
here are prosaic. The country is easily reached. It is one of the healthiest regions on earth.
There are no hostile natives. The climate is in many parts ideal, and nowhere too severe for
comfortable li\ing. The seeker after wealth does not have to array himself in the parapher-
nalia of war and carry with him an arsenal as well as a bank account. Tt is simply a s])leiidid
country to live in, with a settled Government under the British fiag, where life and proi)erty
are as safe as in the heart of the Empire itself. It does not lend itself to blood-curdling
magazine stories, and the illustrated press finds no sensations here. There are no 'natives'
with imaginary trade possibilities concealed about their otherwise naked persons. Hence it
does not attract the attention that less favoured j^ai-ts of the world do. To manv peoj)!*^ it
seems unreasonable that a part of the globe, so rich in natural wealth and so blest climaticallv
as British Columbia, should remain unoccupied. 8uch people do not take account of tiie
vastness of North America nor of the comparatively recent date within which the potentialities
of this Province became known. Under these circumstances, we suggest that all who aie
interested in the future of this Pi-ovince should engage, to the best of their abilitv, in a cam-
paign of education. It is with this object that the series of articles, of which this is the first,
will be pul)lished. There will necessarily be stated in them many things which are familiar to
many readers, but perhaps even the best-informed ainong the latter will not object on this
account, but, on the contrary, will follow what is said, and when they can will add what of
interest may occur to them. We hope to point out the way of making the Province better
known, trusting that others better e(|uipped for the work will give us their hearty co-operation
in a labour which, to be well done, will call ftjr much research, and which no single individual
can hope to do thoroughly.

"The area of British Columbia is approximately 400,000 scjuare miles. The latest oflicial
statement on the subject is as follows : —

"' The total area of British Columbia is about 382,000 scjuare mik-s, of which '285,000
square miles are estimated to be wooded.'

"A very large portion of the Maiidand and many of the Islands ha\e not been suiveyed,
so that an accurate statement of the area is im])ossible. For purposes of comparison, we mav
take it to be the figure first stated, namely, 400,000 s(juare miles. The area of the British
Isles is 121,483 .square miles, that of Geiinany is 208,738 .s(|uare miles, that of France 207,801
square mile.s, and that of Spain 197,000 square miles. From its south-eastern corner, near the
Kootenay Pass, to the north-western corner near Mount St. Elia.s, the distance is 1,250 miles,
or as far a,s from John O'Groat's House to Madrid, or from London to St. Petersburg, air lines
being taken in each case.

" British ColumV)ia lies l)etween the 49th and 60th parallels of north latitude, with the
exception of the southern portion of Vancouver Island, which extends to within 20 miles of
the 48th parallel. In this connection it may be mentioned that Victoria, the capital of the
Province, lies 20 minutes south of the latitude of Paris, and Bennett, the most noitherly
town in the Province, is in the latitude <)f St. Petersburg, lietween these latitudes in Europe
the greatest material and intellectual progress of mankinfl has taken place, and in point of
natural wealth, and all the other elements which go tf) make greatness and prosperity possible,
British Columbia is at least equallv well endowed with the corresponding jxtrtion of Euro{)e.
What it may lack in one respect it makes up in others. We do not wi.sh to j)ush the conq)ar-
i.son tfK) far, and must not be understood as claiming that this Province is ever likely to sustain
as great a population per S(|uare mile as is crowded into Central Europe. The point which we
wish to make is that British Columbia is all within habitable latitudes, and those in which

12 British Columbia. 1901

men are at their best. This is a consideration of the greatest importance when the geograph-
ical position of the Pro\ince as regai-ds Asia and the British Empire generall)^ is taken into
account, for it shows that here may be built up a British community of the highest type, and
that here the greatest triumphs of civilisation are possible."

Koughly speaking, the Province may be divided into three great parts, viz. : tlie Dry
Belt, or Upper Mainland, by which is meant that part to the eastward of the Coast Range;
the Lower Mainland, Ijeing that part between tlie Coast Range and the Sea; and the Islands,
viz., Vancouver, (.^ueen Charlotte, and the Gulf Islands.

UPPER MAINLAND.

The general appearance of this part of the Province would indicate that at some remote
period it was covered wdth water, in fact, a large lake, and with the subsidence of the waters,
by reason of the cutting through of the mountain ranges by such rivers as the Fraser and
Columbia, the country was left in what is known as benches, that is, level prairie land running
back in successive stages until the foot-hills are reached. This is strikingly illustrated in the
upper reaches of the Fraser and of the Columbia, where, starting from the river level, which
may here be likened to a deep ditch with sloping sides, the fii-st bench is reached after a climb
of perhaps 200 feet. This bench may run back for a mile, or thereabouts, when another bank
is encountered, running still further towards the foot-hills, and so on. These bench lands are
nearly all of the same nature, Ijeing either a sandy, clayey, or a mixture of both, alluvial
deposit, for the most part of extraordinar}^ fertility, when moisture is in sutlicient quantity.
The general altitude of the lower bench lands is from 1,000 to 1,200 feet. On these benches
most of the ordinary productions of the temperate zone can be successfully cultivated, but as
the altitude increases, so is the possible range of production circumscx'ibed, until when the
highest points are reached the production of live stock is alone possible.

The timber on the higher points consists of black pine [Pinus Murrayana), hemlock
{Tsuga Pattoniana), spruce (^Picea Engelmanni), mountain balsam (Abies subalpina), whilst
lower down the larch ( Larix occidentalis) makes its appearance, and then the Douglas fir
{Pseudotsugn Douglaxii), intermixed with such deciduous trees as aspen poplar (Populus
tremidoides), cottonwood (P. frichocarpa), and birch (Betula Papyrifern) ; and, lastly, what is
locally known as bull j^ine (Pinus ponderosa) and red cedar (Thuya giganfea), the former
occurring on dry, open plateaux, and the latter in damp, wooded sections near streams and
lakes; and these constitute the principal timber trees of this portion of the Mainland, those
first named gradually giving way to the last-named varieties as the lower levels are reached.
The principal grass, and one which is justly esteemed for its great value as a fodder plant, is
known locally as V)unch grass, rather an indefinite term, seeing that thei-e are a number of
bunch grasses throughout the country. This particular one, however, is known botanically as
Agropyrmn tenernm, and its range extends from the valleys to the tops of the mountains,
affording magnificent feed for- live stock, having great nutritive properties. It will, therefore,
be recognised that the capabilities of this section of the Province are exceptionally favourable
for the production of live stock ; hence, great numbers of beef cattle are raised on the large
areas of bunch-grass country, and find a ready market in the Coast cities and at the mining
centres. The principal drawlmck in prosecuting this industry profitably is the necessity of
feeding stock, even in ordinary winters, to keep them up in ilesh, and often, in very severe
weather, even to keep them alive. As previously mentioned, cold storage is perhaps the
.solution c)f the difficulty.

Whilst the production of sheep would, perhaps, under ordinary circumstances, be more
profitable, the existence of the coyote nuisance renders the prosecution of this industry too
hazardous, and it is therefore not entered into to any extent. Another factor militating

1 Ei>. 7 Its Agkicultui{al Capabilities. 13

against the industry is the objection of cattlemen to the presence of sheep on tlH> ranges.
Horses are produced to a considerable extent, but the local demand is soon satislied and the
number produced is, therefore, restricted. The production of swine is probably the most i)rofi-
table of all live stock, and is carried on successfully in some parts of the Okanagan. A great
deal of the country is a(hnirably suited for the production of poultiv, but on account of the
prevalence of predatory wild animals, the industry is not capable of l/eing profitably prosecuted.
Hops are successfully grown in the Okanagan country, under irrigation!, and produce heavy
crops of exceptional quality. Tobacco, of a very good (juaiity, is also successfully jjiodiiced at
Kelowna, where a cigar factoiy is established, the jiroduct being disposed of at protitable rates.
The (luality of this tobacco for cigars is pronouncecl by experts to be of a very high order, and
the industry is apparently capal)le of gi-eat expansion. No doubt there are other pc)rtions of
the ^lainland ecpially adapted to the production of tobacco.

The following is from a paniiililet desci-iptive of Kelowna and its suri-oundings : —

"Mission Valley.

"The tourist who elects to travel from N'ernon to Kelowna by road will scarcely notice
the fatigue of the journey of thii-ty-tive miles amid the varied beauty of the scenery along the
way. About eighteen miles from Vernon the Mission Valley begins. The town of Kelowna
is beautifully situated on the eastern shore of Okanagan Lake, about forty miles .south of
Vernon, and is the shipping point for the Mission Valley, one of the finest farming districts
in British Columbia. Looking from the lake, the tourist sees the little town with its sur-
rounding fertile and well-woofled lands, whilst away to the east and south rises the range of
pine-clad hills which separate the Okanagan from the Kettle River and Kootenay. No more
charming bits of scenery are to be found in the Province, and travellers say the exquisite and
ever-varying tints remind them of Loch Lomond or the Swiss lakes. The climate is dry and
bracing. There are few places in the Province possessing more attractions for the holiday
maker or health seeker, such as boating, bathing, tishing, good roads for driving or bicycling ;
and for the more adventurous, deer, caribou, mountain sheep and bear in the neighbouring
mountains."

Apples of finer <|uality than in the other portions of the Province aie produced in many
portions of the Dry Belt ; pears aie also successfully grown, as well as plums and cheri'ies ;
grapes do well in the hot, contracted valleys of the Upper Eraser, and in the Okanagan and
the Similkameen countrv. The last-mentioned section also ])roduces a very fine,(iuality of
peach, this fruit being produced very successfully on the Okanagan Lake as well. With
reference to the suitability of the country in the valley of the Siniilkameen and Okanagan for
the production of peaches, I may mention that peaches have been pi'oduced at Keremeos for
many years past, and justly bear a reputation for unexcelled ex(;ellence, and the only i-eason
they have not been put on the market is for lack of transportation facilities.

The following excerpts of letters from .Mr. J. M. llobinson, PciU-hlaiid, on the Okanagan
Lake, speak for themselves : —

"By same mail I am sending you a limb of a peach tree that is growing wild on Mr.
Barclay's ranch at Trout Creek. The tree, <jr cluster of trees rather, is about 7 feet high and
is heav'iiy laden with fruit. It is 3^ miles back from the lake and 1,000 feet al)ove the lake
level, or 2,1*00 feet above sea level. 'The tree is growing on a gravelly knoll or ridge, and must
be fully 50 feet above the level of the little lake close by. 1 am more convinced than ever
that we are quite likely to become a good deal moi-e than small potatoes in peach production.
If we have GO miles of a valley strip 3 oi- 4 miles wide that can produce such j)each(>s as
are now being shipped from Lambly's, Gartjdl's, itc, I do not see why P>ritish Columbia should
not aspii-e to do something in peach-raising. T thought you would \)v. interested in this wild
peach tree, and hence my shipping this branch.

"Referring again to the matter of that wild peach tree growing at the Uack end of .Mr.
Barclay's ranch. In company with Mr. Henderson, manager of the liank of Montreal at
Vernon, and Mr. Barclay, I visited the tree again on .Moiulay last, and we all had the pleasure
of eating the peaches, which are now ripe, and I found tlieni, if anything, larger and better

14 British Columbia. 1901

flavoured than the seefllini:: peaches on tlie Lambly ranch. I thought I would let you know,
so that you can keep the tact in niiiul, that peaches can be grown in this district even under
most unpromising circumstances, four miles back and 1,000 feet above the lake. I am desirous
that this district be noted for its peach culture."

Tomatoes, melons, corn, egg plant, and a variety of similar products, are also grown in
many portions of the hot dry valleys of the interior. Root crops are grown most successfully
on the irrigated lands, especially potatoes, of which the finest (juality is produced in this
.section and of a prodigious size. Wheat is grown in large quantities in those portions where
milling facilities exist. Oats and barley are grown largely, principally for home consumption,
at the mines, for teams used in transportation. Beans are also grown for the market, prin-
cipally in the valley of the Thompson. The principal grass grown is timothy, but Austrian
brome grass is now coming greatly into favour, and where it has been tried it is most success-
fully grown and fully bears out all that is claimed in its favour. Red clover gives large crops,
in some places as many as three in the season. Alfalfa is also grown, but not in large
(luantities ; the same may be said of Sainfoin. Both of these fodder plants have their
champions, and very justly, in view of the returns they give.

Dairying is not prosecuted on a co-operative basis, the only attempts at butter-making
being confined to individuals. It is, however, profitably conducted in those parts where a good
local demand with the mines, etc., exists.

The average temperature for the six months from April to September, inclusive, in those
sections which are described as susceptible of cultivation, ranges from 55° to 61°. Highest
temperature during the year 1900, 100.5° in July; lowest, 22° below zero in November; these
extremes being of but short duration. Average rainfall during the six months April to Sep-
tember, inclusive: Lowest, 5.66 inches; highest, 11.30 inches. Average annual rainfall:
Lowest, 8.48 inches ; highest, 10.25 inches. This precipitation is supplemented by an average

snowfall of from 28 to 87 inches annually.

The Boundary Country.

The following excerpts culled from an excellent letter to the "Colonist" by 3Ir. T. L.
Grahame, Nanaimo, give a good description of the Boundar}^ country : —

" However vivid and minute the description which may be given of the southern portion
of the Kootenay, Coast people, or those who have not actually viewed that glorious country
with their own eyes, can form but a faint conception of its wonderful fertility, its delectable
climate, its boundless stores of mineral wealth, its interminable forests of magnificent timber.
When dealing with the practical side of the matter, it may be as well to spaie the reader any-
thing more than a bare reference to its marvellous scenery, its streams and lakes leaping with
fish, that fight valiantly with the lucky angler; or of its birds, and animals of the chase.
These, of course, have their place in the calculations of the most practical persons, Avhen
seeking an arena for life work. Even the shrewd railway projector is not altogether unmindful
of the hard cash value of them to his railway ; what time the tourist and the sportsman come
in their legions seeking pastures new.

" To the observant traveller through that wondei-land of the West, nothing is more obvious
than the fact that very much remains to be done by the railway companies in the matter of
extending and adding to their lines in all directions. It is true that none has been more apt
to seize upon this fact than the great Canadian Pacific Railway, which, it is understood, has
projected lines upon all the more feasible routes, and has included in its policy the gradual
extension of its system so as to ramify the Southern Kootenays in the most effectual manner.
With the struggle of smaller concerns to obtain a foothold in this territory, the people of
British Columl)ia are familiar. It is one of the most romantic chapters in the railway history
of the Dominion. While many have been keenly disappointed at the failure of those competing
companies to achieve their object, the Canadian Pacific Railway has given the strongest pledges
that the lines of communication which are to solve the proV)lem of ' what to do with the
Kootenays,' will he built all in good time.

" Perhaps the most interesting of all the railway lines in the Upper Country is the Colum-
bian and Western, which extends from West Robson, on the Columbia River, to Midway,
and has been sur\ eyed much further west.

1 Ki>- '^ Its Agricultural Capabilities. 15

"Across the divide quite another kind of scenery awaits the traveller. Leaving the
mountains with a rush, the train brings one in sight" of the far-famed valley of the Kettle.
Well has it been named the garden and granary of the Kcjotenays. Experts will tell the
visitor that the soil is of a sort which is admirably suited to what may be termed garden-
farming; that is, mixed farming, in which fruit and vegetable -raising take a conspicuous place.

"The aspect of the country reminds one strongly of certain parts of Western Ontario, or
of the dales on the borders of Scotland. Everywhere are to be seen the trim cottages or more
pretentious dwellings of people who are exitlently well-to-do. One might search far to feast
his eyes upon a more pleasingly tranquil landscape than that of the Kettle Valley toward
evening, when the sun is mellowing into the west, and the blue smoke ascends from cottage
and farm-house straight into the sapphire sky ; the lowing of the kine from the river shallows,
the bleating of sheep softened by distance from the green hillsides, tlie call of the driver to his
team, all blending into a tune which sets one raurmuiing instinctively Gray's ' Elegy in a
Country Churcliyard.'

"The land which can otier such scenes to the traveller is not likely to remain long
untenanted. Nor is it ; most of the land, at all events the best of it, has been long in occu-
pation. As to the products of the soil in this favoured strip along British Columbia's southern
frontier, the availalile area is by no means worked yet to its full capacity; so far it can raise
enough to supply the numerous mining camps in the mountains north and west. It is a
(juestion, thougli, whether in the event of those mines being worked to theii- full extent, and
large towns and even cities springing up around the valley, if the fai-mei-s and fruit and vege-
table-growers of that locality could produce enough to supply the demand.

"This is a portion of the gi-eat peach belt, and the peaches of the Kettle are celebrated.
For it is fervently warm in that long vale in the dog days, tliough every day the cooling airs
from the surrounding mountains come to soothe panting humanit}^ and bird anfl beast. The
apples, plums, pears, melons, pumpkins and the small fruits all attain astonishing proportions,
while retaining the lusciousness of the best of their kind. The various fruits and vegetables
are presented to the consumer at an earlier date, probably, than anywhere else in the Province.
The wheat, oats and barley raised in the Kettle Valley are too well known to require more
than reference.

" Near Grand Forks there is one of the largest and most productive fruit ranches on the
Pacific Coast. The enterprising owner has so much faith in the future of the country that he
has latel}' more than doublefl the area under cultiA ation, and set the new portion out with all
the choicest fruit trees and bushes. This ranch is situated at the mouth of the great canyon
leading up to Greenwood, a little west of the town of Columbia, the lively rival of Grand
Forks for the title of metropolis of the Kettle Kiver Valley. As a district for raising live
stock, it would be hard to beat. The sheep and cattle, horses and swine, and the poultry to'
Ije seen there will challenge the admiration of the expert. Year by year the valley is becoming
more populous; the operation of such givat enterprises as the (Jranbv smelter, the prospect of
the early building of a line to connect the .Southern l^ritish Columl)ia mining centres with the
big mining camps in Northern AVashington; the thriving tim))er industry up the north fork of
the Kettle — all these serve to attract energetic men with their families to settle in that locality.
The class of people who are filling up that important section of the Province would do credit
to any British colony. They are mainly good Canadian stock with a large intermixture of
British immigrants. There are, of course, many Americans in the population, as would
naturally be expected, seeing that the bounflary line is only a mile or two south.

"Whilst the Kettle Valley is the main lowland along the boundary, a!l the minoi- valleys
possess the same fertile soil, the .same prodigalitv of returns for the labour expended, .and offer
the same advantages to the settler. On the line of the Cf)lumbia and Western, going up to
Greenwood, there is plenty of evidence that the country is not given up altogether to tlu; miner
and timljer men ; pros[)erous looking farms dot the valley everywhere, and 'the cattle on a
thousand hills' denote a flourishing state of the pastoral calling.

" Tt is neeriless here to dilate upon the exquisite panorama that unfolds itself in majestic
pictures as the train follows the course of the valley ; suffice it to say that artist and photog-
rapher have there a happy hunting ground which offers inexhaustible ri(;hes of foim and colour
— grotesque pinnacles, castellated crags, fantastic onuimentation as nature in her latest throe
left it forever ; blue distance, gaudy stripings and splashes of brilliant colour in short, a ])lace
once seen never to be forgotten. Since the railway was pushed through that wild but rich
and fertile valley there has been a wonderful increase in the population, and the prospects are

16 British Columdia. 1!)01

that within a few 3-ears that pait of the Pro\iiice will be noted for immense mineral develop-
ment.

" Leaving the nourishing Citj- of Greenwood, the railway goes on to Midway and beyond,
and there, if possible, the finest of the agricultural development is met with. This jnay
possibly be due to the fact that one is then appioaching the famed Okanagan r-egion. The
salubrity of the climate makes one feel the spirits rising and lassitude disappearing. It is the
easiest of predictions to make that the dwellers in this favored region, in the days to come,
will be remarkable for go-ahead enterprise and great energy ; they will have the finest climatic
conditions in the Province to hearten them."

Further Information relating to the Boundary Country.
(Pvoviiicf, J^th Xovember, 1901.)

The returns which are to be obtained from the agricultural industry, if properly pursued
in this Province, are indicated by the result of this season's operations on one ranch in the
neighbourhood of Grand Forks. W. H. Covert, a pioneer rancher of the Kettle River
Valley, pre-empted 320 acres of land in 1885, long before it was known that the district was
rich in mineral. He proceeded at once to cultivate his ground on thoroughly business-like
principles, and of the entire farm he devoted 140 acres to the cultivation of fruit. Whenever
necessary, he put in a system of irrigation, and by this means he has made every foot of his
land highly fertile. He has now 1,000 prune trees, 400 peach, 400 cherry, 400 pear and plum
trees, and se\eral thousand apple trees, bearing large crops annually. In addition to this, he
obttiins immense returns from his small fruit trees and vines. The rest of his farm is devoted
to raising the ordinary crops of roots and cer-eals, and providing fodder for his stock. The
gross revenue from the sale of his fruit, grains and roots this season will amount to about
817,000. With the continued prosperity of the district and the increase of the population,
the annual revenue from his land will become larger, and no gold mine in the district could
oflt'er any more certain return. Of the produce from his farm, Mi-. Covert does not ship a
dollar's worth, finding the local demand greater than he can supply. As a matter of fact.
Grand Forks and the other towns in this district import largely from the adjacent State of
Washington, although there is still much uncultivated land in that valle}' which could be
brought into as high a state of perfection as that owned by Mr. Covert.

This is simply an example of what can be done in numberless places in British Columbia.
All through the Province there are valleys containing land of the most fertile character, which
is awaiting the labour of the husbandman to yield its fruits for the consumption of the people.
In almost all cases where this land is found, the conditions exist for placing the productions
of the soil on the market promptly and inexpensively, and the market is one which is rapidly
becoming greater and more assured. It is a matter of regret, almost of reproach, that so
many of the inhabitants of the Province who are now earning a bare subsistence, in some
cases a precarious one, in the cities and towns, as employees in the various manufacturing
industries, should not have the enterprise to locate upon these unoccupied lands, where they
could very quickly actjuire for themselves homes and competencies and assist materially in
developing the native resources of the country.

FALLS, KANAKA CREEK, MAPLE RIDGE.

1 Ed. 7 Its A(;uiL'ULTrRAi, CArAr.ii.rriEs. 17

LOWER MAINLAND.

The Lower Maiiilniul, oxcopt the delta laiuls fonned by the .streams ilowinjf into the .sea,
is for the most pai t heavily wooded with the Douglas hr, red cedar, poplar and birch previously
mentioned, with the additions of aiiother spruce {Flcea siic/icusiK), balsam fir (Ahien yraiidin),
hemlock {'J'stiffn nn-rft'jhsinna), laryje-leaved maple (Acer tnacrophyUum), vine maple (J. cercina-
tum)y red alder {A/iiiih rKbra), and some others. The high lands are generally wooded with
Douglas tir and hemlock, growing to an enormous size and consequently very expensive to
clear. The soil on such tracts is usually a red, gravelly loam, with a gravel subsoil, and is
eminently fitted for the production of sucli fruits as apples and cherries, and of leguminous crop.s,
especially red clover. On the low lands (not delta lands) the other trees I mention appear.
Those parts overgrown with cedar and spruce (always of large growth) are naturally expensive
to clear, and draining is indispensable. The top soil is mainly composed of decaj'ed vegetable
matter, rich in nitrogen, and j-ielding enormous crops of roots and cereals. This land is
not reconnnended for apjiles and clierries, but pears and plums do well on it. Responding
readily to the liusbandmaTi's call for fodders, it is, above all, fitted for dairying. The etjuable
climate and the luxuriance of growth of fodder plants render this portion of the Pro\ince an
ideal dairying country, and, as a natural consequence, the industry has been prosecuted to some
extent, but not nearly to the extent that the facilities afford, nor in proportion to the demand.
This is the one industry, above all others, that this part of the Province is best suited for, and
without doubt the most profitable, if conducted as it should be. Cheese is not manufactured,
but the production of milk for the suppl}' of the cities in the neighbourhood is a lai'ge and
increasing branch of the dairying industry.

Accessory to dairying is the production of swine, which also is carried on with consider-
able success, but not on a sufficiently extensive scale to meet the demand for this class of live
stock. The one drawback is the liking the pigs hi^\e for the salmon which annually ascend
the streams and die in myriads at the headwaters in the autumn ; pigs, therefore, at such
times, must be kept away from the temptation. In the Eraser Valley proper the depredations
of predatory animals are not of a serious charactei-, and, therefore, the pioduction of pigs and
shee[) in not materially affected by that cause. Further north, however, along the Coast, the
conditions are not so favourable. The favourable conditions generally existing in this part of
the Province for the prosecution of this profitable industry at once bring home the realisation
that it is capable of great expansion.

The delta lands form a veiy large proportion of the cultivable portion of the Province, and
inasmuch as the\- are purely alluvial deposit of great depth, it can well be understt)od that
their fertility is practically inexhaustible. Lying low, as they do, the chief expense attached
to bringing them under cultivation is the necessity of dyking the land against floods which
occur about the end of May, when the warmth of the sun melts the snow on the lofty moun-
tains of the Interior. This description of land is naturally covered with a heavy growth of
grass and sedge, affording rich pasture during the summer and making excellent hay for the
winter. The Valley of the Fraser, from Hope to the mouth, a distance of about 100 mile«,
and of varying breadth, has an enormous (juantity of this description of land, the largest areas
being Chilliwack, Matsqui, Pitt River, Lulu and Sea Islands, and Delta.

Whilst this section cannot generally be classed as a sheep country, on account of the
den.se forests along the Coast line, those parts of the Fraser Valley where there is a sufficiency
of clearefl land, such as the Delta, Chilliwack, etc., the production of some choice sheep is mast
successfully carried on, sheep which have taken high prizes at agricultural shows and which
have excited the admiration of exj)Crts. The raising of j)oultry, except of gee.se and ducks, is
not prosecuted in this part very extensively. In the matter of c(;reals, oats easily take first
rank, the rich lanfis ensuring large returns and the local markets being always good for this
class of grain. Wheat produces heavily, but the conditions naturally prevent its production
on a large scale, the land being capable of being put to a much more profitable use. Idarley,
r}'e, peas and Indian com are grown in some rpiantity. Indian corn, peas and oats mixed, as
well as clover, are grown chiefly for ensilage, which is here carried on more extensively and in

IS British Columbia. 1901

a more systematic manner than elsewhere. Roots, as a matter of course, produce most abund-
antly, especially in the lines of dairy foods, such as mangolds, beets, carrots and turnips.
Grasses also and clovers, if given a modicum of chance, repay tlie agriculturist by immense
returns, fretjuently giving yields as high as four tons of cured hay to the acre. Hops of a
superior quality are produced at several points, and command a price equal to the product of
Kent in the London market. Large quantities of fruit are grown, principally apples and plums,
and sent to the markets of the North-West and Manitoba. Prunes are also being produced in
increasing c[uantities.

The average temperature for six months, April to September, inclusive, in the Fraser
Valley ranges from 56.1° to 61.2". Highest temperature during the year 1900 was 90° in
July ; lowest, 9' in Feln-uary. Average rainfall during the six months, April to September,
inclusive, at different points: Lowest, 16.64 inches: highest, 26.62 inches. Average annual
rainfall at different points: Lowest, 48.64 inches; highest, 77.92 inches.

Bella Coola.

The following notes regarding Bella Coola, a settlement on Bentinck Arm, about latitude
52° 20' N., are furnished by Mr. C. W. D. Clifford, M.P.P. He says that there, are over
80,000 acres of agricultural land in the valley. It is wooded for the most part; some portions
ai-e, however, comparatively clear. The soil and climate are exceedingly favourable for fruits
of all kinds, especially apples and cherries. The Gravenstein apple produced there, Mr.
Clifford declares to be the very best he has ever seen; and this remark applies equally to
potatoes. There are probably 250 settlers, mostly Norwegians, who have taken up land for
about 26 miles up the valley. The climate is exceedingly mild, 5° above zero being the coldest.
There are no summer frosts (say from the 1st of April to the 15th of October). The rainfall
is sufficient for the production of crops, but not excessive. The snowfall is sometimes as much
as two feet, and occurs usually in December and January. The valley is from one-half to two
and a half miles wide, well watered and covered with Douglas fir, poplar, spruce, birch and
alder. The greatest drawbacks at the present time are the facilities for transporting produce
to the markets, there being no regular means of conveyance, and, as a consequence, the pro-
duction is limited to the wants of the residents. A road now being constructed to the salt-
water landing will give access to the various mines and sea-coast markets.

(From the Colonist, loth November, 1901.)

The apples which Mr. Clifford, M.P.P., brought down from Bella Coola are better than
pages of matter describing the agricultural possibilities of that pai't of the Province. But as
they cannot be sent around for every one to see, we may add that those shown to the Colonist
were splendifl specimens of the Gravenstein, large, firm, well-coloured and highly flavoured.
There will be a market in this Pi'ovince and the Yukon for all the apples of this kind that
can possibly be grown in Bella Coola, even if the whole 80,000 acres that Mr. Clifford describes
as magnificent were planted to fruit. The Bella Coola Valley does not depend upon its
arable land only for prosperity. Behind the tillable area are wide extents of pasture,
although they may not be very near the farming district. In the mountains of the neighbour-
hood are promising indications of minerals. In short, this section of British Columbia would
probably, if good means of communication were provided, become the seat of a thriving
population which would number at least as many people as now live in the City of Victoria.

(Times, Ufth Xovember, 1901.)

The Government is constructing a bridge at Bella Coola to the north side, where there is
a wharf and where the Government has a townsite reserve of 160 acres. This townsite, it is
hoped, will be put on the market. The proceeds from such a sale would moie tluln pay for the
road which is being built. The bridge will cost about !f4,000. A road has been almost com-
pleted from salt water up through the district for a distance of about 22 miles. There are
two good schools in the district, one four or five miles from Bella Coola, and the other about
13 miles from Bella Coola, the attendance at which is about 22 pupils daily during the winter.
There are about 250 whites at Bella Coola, most of them being Norwegians.

1 Ed. 7 Its Agricultural CAPAiiiLiTiEs. 19

Excerpts from Report of Government Surveys in tlie
Bella Coola Valley.

The liiirliost water, as a rule, occurs tluM-e duriii';- .lunc ami .Inly ami tlie latter part of
September, while the lowest occurs during the winter moiitlis.

The valley in the main w411 run from one to three miles wide, and the soil consists of a
light, sandy loam a few inches in depth, covering a very rich loam, making the finest soil for
root crops. This was proved to us later on in the summer by the samples of potatoes and
other vegetables obtained from ]\[r. Clayton and the Indians. Tiie soil in the \all(>v, though
apparently a light, saiitly loam, is very productive.

All along the Coast Bella Coola is noted for its potatoes, and certaiidy those grown by
]\[r. Chu'ton and the Indians are very fine, as also are all root ci'ops. Fruit and berries grow-
in profusioi; at the mouth of the river, and if the growth of wild berries is a sign that the
valley will produce well, then the production is an assui'cd fact, for wild gooseberries, currants,
high-bush cranberries and huckleberries are very plentiful in their season.

Part of the soil in the valley is gravelly, especially whei-e the mountains close in towards
the river. Still, a good portion of this could be brought under cultivation for the production
of fruit. The larger portion of the best agricultural land is easily cleared, the timber on this
land being light and i-eadily removed.

Timber.

The valley in many places is covered with a dense growth of small, thickly-tangled under-
brush, such as salmonberry, gooseberry, elderberry, hardback, willow and crabap[)le. Of the
large timbers along the river we find : Cottonwood, alder, both i-ed and connuon cedar, and
spruce. The cottonwood antl cedar grow to an enormous size, the former often reaching 6 and
7 feet in diameter, the latter as much as 10 and 12 feet in diameter. The cedar is, as a rule,
much knotted and twisted. All along the valley we find (juantities of Douglas fir, but more
especialh" along the foot of the mountains and on the benches of some of the streams fiowing
into the river.

Fish axd Game.

Spring and cohoe salmon run in quantities up the river, but the sockeye are not very
plentiful. Trout also run in the spring. The principal run of fish is what is known as the
"humpback salmon. The waters literally teem with them during the summer months.
Deer are very scarce in the valley; in fact, are very seldom seen. Bear, both black, brown
and grizzly, are -very plentiful; also marten, and in the lakes at the head of the tributary
streams are great (juantities of beaver. Mountain goat are numerous on the mountains. In
the flats and sloughs, duck, geese and grouse are to be had in numbers.

Gardner Inlet,

On the north-west coast of the Maiidand, about 500 miles noith of Victoria. A descrip-
tion of the country by j\tr. H. H. Newill, from notes made during a survey for railway
purposes in 1*J01, under Mr. J. H. Gray, C.E. : —

' KrriMAT TO KrrsiLAS (across country).

" The abrupt and broken scenery of Gardner Inlet and Douglas Channel changes some-
what as the steamer enters Kitimat Arm. The parallel mountain langes on either side have
here a more regular and gentler slope, though still rugged, with snowy peaks and icy hollows
even in July.

"The Indian village of Kitimat a sul)-mining record station — lies on the eastern shore
of Kitimat Arm, some three miles southward of tlu; point where the Kitimat River empties
itself. From this point the arm, narrowing considerabl}', runs a few miles to its extremity in
a north-east direction.

"To the west of the river mouth, and at the back of a wide, shallow bay, lies a consider-
able area of good timbered flat land, probably river wash. Here the soil, for a depth of
several feet, is a rich silt dumped on a gravelly subsoil. The most accessible portion of this

20 British Columbia. 1901

land has been taken up by a rancher named Anderson. He has built himself a log house for
living in, a log store and outhouses, and has proved the capability of the soil for growing
vegetables and cereals : and several home-bred horses and a small herd of cattle seem to thrive
well in his meadows. He has a machine mower at work, much to the astonishment of the
local Indians. A little judicious dyking in this neighbourhood would add a large acreage of
cultivable land.

" It was from a point some four miles south-west from Anderson's ranch (measuring round
the curve of the bay, and dtnvn the west shore of the arm) that our expedition started. Our
landing place was a rough, boulder and log-strewn, shingly beach, from which the mountain
side rose steepl}', covered thickly with spi uce, hemlock and cedar bush. The view from here
was picturesque. Eastward, across the inlet (here about a mile and a lialf wide), the little
village of Kitimat spread along the shore, showing whitely against a dark background of
towering mountains, capped bj" snowy heights ; southward, the sea entrance to the aim was
shut out by rugged and lofty bush-covered islands; and to the noi'th, the reedy bay curved
eastward to a prominent point, which just hid the foaming debouchment of the Kitimat
River.

" Skirting the bay aforesaid, we soon left the base of the mountains and passed into an
extensive Hat country, full of swamps and creeks, tangled bush and devil's clubs. The waters
of one creek where we drank tasted strongly of sulphur, and the gravelly beds of nearly all
were worth a prospector's attention. A number of shallow water-courses, running nearly
parallel to one another, seemed to be but branches of a creek of considerable size flowing from
the westerly mountains, and finally reaching Kitimat Arm in numerous streams, which
could be traced at low tide spreading across the exposed mud anfl sandy bottom of the shallow
bay we had skirted. Beaver dams were numerous, and in this neighbourhood we found our-
selves confronted by one which must have measui^ed the best part of a mile in length. Moss
grew everywhere, and in many varieties, including the so-called staghorn.

" Hemlock, spruce, balsam and cedar shaded huckleberry buslies and other berries, some
red like large haws, others black and glossy like beads. Alders and skunk cabl)age were in
their element in the swampier ground, with crab-apples here and thei'e, and devil's clubs with
their pretty clusters of red berries, their j)oisonous pi-ickles and clinging limbs everywhere.
Enormous quantities of blue huckleberries were ripening.

" Our way was soon barred by a long, lofty hill spur, which stretched nearly at right
angles from the mountains to the river. Rounding this at the base of an immense gravel
slide, we came to a bend of the Kitimat River, some three miles north from Anderson's. We
were now fairly in the Kitimat Valley. The river, either way, on account of its tortuous
course, was soon lost to view. Its current was rapid and its stream full, washing mud banks
five to fifteen feet in height, and two to three hundred feet apart. We soon found it difficult
at times to know wliether we were standing on a bank or an island. of this river, so numerous
were its sloughs here and throughout the valle}'. A low-lying bench of thick bush intervened
between the river and the opposite mountain ranges, which ran in a general direction parallel
to it. This feature also appertained on our side (the right bank) of the river. Beyond the
gravel slide the high ground rapidly fell back again, so that the river Ijench extended in width
three and four or more miles in places before it touched the foothills. Spruce and hemlock
were the principal timber trees. The soil was generally a dark, clayey loam. This country,
owing to its uniformity of growth and natural features, was the easiest place in the world to
get ' turned round ' in.

"We saw but little game. Grouse were scarce and shy. Bear signs, however, were
numerous, and we evidently interrupted many an ursian feast of salmon. Salmon, indeed,
were a positive nuisance, spawning and dying in the shallowest creeks until the very atmos-
phere stank of them. They were of the 'hunch-back' species. We caught a few trout in
the Kitimat, and saw a straggler here and there in a clear creek. Hornets and yellow-
jackets, h :>wever, provided us with some excitement, and, especially in the moist weather
(which was nearly always), sand-flies and mosquitoes lived their inglorious days pretty actively.
Sand-flies swarmed in millions, and were the worst pests we had to contend with. The mos-
quitoes were large and fairly numerous, but rather slow and lazy. Big, black 'bull' flies
were extraordinarily quick to bite, and generally caused inflammation.

'• With regard to weather, we were fairly lucky. Generally speaking, when the wind
blew from the coast, rain was incessant, but during intervals, when it blew from inland, the
weather was fine and sunny, and the hotter the day the colder the night. The pity of it was

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1 Ed. 7 Its Agricultural Capaiuj.ities. 21

that the fine weatlun- intervals did nut last \on'^ eiumgli. If the eoimtrv voxdd only liave had
time to (h-y up projierly, eanipiui^ out would have been a delight.

" Xearing the Widena Yallev, we touehed the foothills aj,'ain, and oecasional outerops of
rock — granites and diorites— showed the ehaiiging character of the country. The soil for the
most part was a fertile mould, carpeted with moss. Cranberry and alder swamps were a
feature; also patches of bog-land covered with moss three feet in thickness, springy to walk
on, and tenacious of its hold. Deep water-holes gaped \\herever this bog surface was broken.

"The Widena River, tlowing in an easterly direction, empties into the Kitimat about
t*'n miles up-stream — an island being formed at the junction of the two rivers. Like the
Kitimat, the ^Mdena is also a river of many islands, formed by a bewildering number of
sloughs. It is navigable for two or three miles bj' canoes, but log-jams are numerous. The
bush along the banks is thick and tangled, and diHIcult to penetrate, but the high bush behind
was fairly open, and much of it looked promising land for agriculture. Cottonwood and maple
trees now began to put in an aj^pearance, and red — also some yellow — cedar became more
plentiful. In some of the swamps we found a sort of fly-plant with petals tipped hy a sticky
substance. It was a tiny plant growing not more than a couple of inches al)ove ground, and
we noticed that flies instinctively avoided it. Little birds like wrens hopping about in the
bush were so tame as to come within arm's length. Grouse, also ja3's, owls, and a few hawks
and eagl(>s, made a scanty show of bird life. Squirrels darted up and down the trees, the
stems of many of whidi were bored, evidently by woodpeckers — but we rarely heard them.
AVe came across a good many holes where bears had been scratching out bees' nests.

" Landmarks here were the peaks of a lofty mountain range with snow-covered valleys,
and a few small glaciers to the west. Eastward, two prominent, round-topped mountains
stood out boldly on the other side of the Kitimat. One of these (the more northei-n one)
still bore traces of snow (in August), and both rose somewhat steejjly from the river bank.
They were summits of the mountain range wdiich bounded the Kitimat Valley, eastward. At
no point in this country, however, could we get anything like a complete view.

"Between the Widena River and Cecil Creek — some nine miles further north numerous
streams crossed our path, emptying themselves into one or other of these rivers. The flat
ground was mostly swampy, but the foothills intruded, closing in towards the river. The
Kitimat Valley, at one time six or seven miles in width, here narrowed considerably. The
whole country was rising perceptibly in elevation. Up in this higher country the blue huckle-
berries, so common hitherto, gave place mostly to the red species. Cranl)erries became in-
creasingly plentiful, both the 'bush' and the 'ground' varieties. Balsam was abundant, grow-
ing in dense groves with sparse undergrowth. Of birds we saw only a few crows, an eagle or
two, and here and there a fool-hen or blue grouse. Salmon, of course, were all over the place;
every creek was foul with their rotting carcasses. Bear signs continued all round. An old
she-bear and her cub were shot near the mouth of Cecil Creek. Bright-coloured lichens, here
and throughout our journey, had assumed many curious and beautiful forms.

" In the valleys of the Widena River and Cecil Creek together there must be many
tliousands of acres of valuable agricultural land, not too difficult to clear. Potatoes in especial,
but probal)ly also oats and barley, might be prolific crops.

" And now, still travelling northward, we traversed a country entirely cut up by abrupt
and rocky foothills and deep, narrow crec^ks, some containing water, but more dry. The soil
here was distinctly clayey. The bush was Jiot difficult t(} travel through. A featui-e of it
was an abundance of sj)lendid straight-limbed cedar. The gradually rising ground was lifting
to a plateau, the south-eastern corner of wliich rose aV)ruj)tly from near the head of naviga-
tion on the Kitimat River. The course of that river, which, from its source to this jxnnt,
had been fhjwing roughly east to west, here makes a great bend and takes a wider way nearly
north anrl south towards Kitimat Arm. As we approached the plateau water becauK^ scarce.
Just on the edge of it we came on a 'cached' wooden sleigh, and a little further on found a
blazed tree, and a notice that seven feet of snow had lain around it in January, 1900.

"From the edge of the pleateau we obtained a fair view down the valley. Hundreds of
feet below we could hear the roaring river, but could not actually see it, although we could
trace its course by the fresher foliage for many miles. Now an encroaching hill-spur would
abruptly turn its course; anon, a wide plain would open out before it and its interminable
sloughs. Wlierever the eye ranged it met a dark mass of forest spreading even to the snow-
covered mountain heights, and far away in the distance the river's silvery gleam became
distinguishaV)le, winding through the dark foliage, now in sight, now out of sight, until finally
lost to view behind the bluff' gravel slide where we had first beheld it.

22 British Columbia. 1901

" The country on the plateau was comparati%ely open. The soil was a brown, gravelly
loam, with much moss on its surface. It supported a scanty growth of underbrush, but large
timber. There were no great outcrops of rock, but quantities of what looked like glacier-worn
pebbles were to be .seen embedded in the roots of the trees whoever exposed. The elevation
here was over 600 feet, and the distance from our starting point about 25 miles.

" We did not long continue on the plateau, but took the downward slope northerly towards
the lakes. Here the bush was good land, with considerable undergrowth. The soil was a
dark, friable loam over clay. Much of this country would be fairly valuable, both in timber
or for cultivatit)n. There were no evidences of mineral.

" Round Lake (some four miles from the divide) lies in a cup-like hollow in the mountains
amidst thick bush. It is perhaps three-quarters of a mile across, and, as its name suggests,
nearly circular. The water was warm and pleasant to bathe in. The banks were mostly
bristling with half-sunken snags, but at the outflow of a little swampy creek in one corner
masses of reeds grew in shallow water. These reeds were fine, spear-like growths, pale green,
and they readily cut the hand if pressed or caught up.

•• Passing round to the south and east of this lake, we struck an essentially granite coun-
try, and worked our way along rocky side-hills, which in places were simply dense thickets of
pine or hemlock. On the flat, however, the timber was large and the growth fairly open.
Hemlock and spruce were prominent, but cedar more so. Many towering rock bluffs gave us
fine views over the extensive Lake Lakelse, which we were now skirting on its eastern side.
Its north east corner, where we presently struck it, was about 40 miles from our starting point.
" Viewing the lake from this point, Williams Creek entered it to our right (its northern
extremity), with sandy bars. Snow-capped mountains towered two or three miles away on its
opposite ^western) shore. At the back of these flowed the Skeena River. To our left (south-
ward) the lake stretched some eight miles in a long, sheeny waterway, and near its further end
the river of the same name flowed outward. This Lakelse or Ti-out River eventually finds its
way round the mountains towards the Skeena, into which it empties. Its valley was noticeable
as a dip in ihe heavy mountains to the south-west. A feature of this outlook was a markedly
precipitous valley, cleft deep in the mountains round southward. It was all a continuous mass
of forest at every height. Snow lay piled in hollows and on some few slopes. The shore of
the lake was very shallow, with patches of thin-grown reeds. Ducks and geese were very
plentiful; grouse were also to be had. Had the weather been fine this might have been a
charming spot; as it was, everything was rotting and sodden. Bear were all over this coun-
try, and occasionally we found traces of caribou or mountain goat. Skunks Avere a species of
animal whose presence we did not greatly appreciate.

"The country along this, the north, side of Lake Lakelse basin was exceedingly rough
and broken. The bottom lands were swampy in places, but generally contained good alluvial
soil (somewhat sandy), with a moderate growth of underbrush beneath large timber — hemlock,
spruce, Cottonwood, maple, birch and cedar. The cedars, especially, in this region and through-
out the upper part of the Kitimat Valley and its northern dividing plateau, were of excep-
tionally fine growth, and would be of great commercial value if in touch with a market. We
must have passed through tens of thousands of acres, in every acre of which might be counted
one to two dozen fine straight cedar stems, four to eight feet through at the butt, and with a
spring of 80 to 100 feet clean without a limb. The surface ground was mossy, with growth
of ferns and devil's clubs, also cranberry bush, and was very much encumbered with fallen
logs. The hill sides, as before in this basin, were difficult to travel, being rocky and precipi-
tou.s, and more or le.ss densely thicketed.

"The summit, or pass, from this basin to the Skeena Valley, lying at an elevation of 700
feet, crossed the lower extremity of a long, narrow plateau, where it was abruptly terminated
by contact with the precipitous mountain ranges to the east. An enormous white rock bluff"
rising sheer some 2,000 feet above our heads, with yawning chasms and clefts in which a few
trees struggled for existence, was one of many fine sights that inet us. The abounding rock
was chiefly granite, with some diorites, limestone and quartz, and 'float' that we picked up in
some of the numerous creeks was mineralized. A large proportion of the ground here was
burnt and overgrown with fire bush. The little black flies that seem to breed in charred tree
stems were a positive curse. Considerable areas of timber, too, were dead or dying, for no
immediately apparent cause; their barren stems bore no marks of fire. From the immense
numbers of leech-like inch worms, or measuring worms, so called, that we found upon them,
we came to the conclusion that these worms must have been instrumental in eating off the
foliage, or in some way killing the trees.

1 Ed. 7 Its Agricultural C-vrAiuLrnEs. 23

"Ten iniK's from the iiortli-cast e-onier of llic lake, l)v the riivuitous routo wo took (l)ut
little more than half that distance in a direct line), we obtained our first view of the Skeena
River. We had worked round the edge of a ru<jjged mountain spur ; steep and rocky side-hills
rose above us; a swamp spread below, and bej'ond it the river benches, with the livid line of
green of the river banks, and beyond again an autumn-tinted range of hills — yellow, green
and brown — with the snowy heights of further mountain ranges behind. As we descended
the Skeena valley, poplars, alder ami birches made up no small percentage of the forest gntwth,
and the leaves of these, yellowing in their decay, made a bright and cheerful contrast with the
sombre verdure of hemlock and spruce.

"It was now the latter part of October, and with shortening days and frosty nights winter
made its approach felt. From time to time llights of little lark-like 'snow-birds' flitted on
their southward journey — heralds of the snow. The line days at this period were beautiful,
with a brisk, sharp atmosphere, warm sunshine, and lovely, clear blue skies. On the othei-
haml, the w^et days were corres])ondingly wet and miserable.

" The slope of the ^■alley took us down in well-defined benches to the river itself, w hich
we struck at Dave Stewart's ferr}', and still following up its left bank, and crossing in succes-
sion Copper River and Gold Creek, we arrived at our destination — Kitsilas Canyon. There,
at the telegraph station and steamer landing, we once more came into ti)uch with civilization,
having accomplished some G2 miles of pretty rough travelling.

"Copper River is a w^ide, swift-flowing stream, draining what seemed to be a considerable
valley. The bar formed at its entrance to the Skeena is a wide sand and shingle flat, very
pretty, with the variegated foliage along its banks stretching in well-defined lines edging the
partly moss-grown boulders and stones of the beach.

"Gold Creek is a clear, rocky stream rarel}^ more than three feet deep, but with a mean
and treacherous current. Its valley comes to a narrow neck at the Skeena, but runs back
extensively, widening out in the far distance. A newly-made waggon road crosses it. This,
when completed, will lead from Singlehuist's new wharf on the Skeena up to his mines in the
mountains, some six or seven miles. In the creeks and along the river banks about here we
picked up much quartz and conglomerate 'float,' also serpentines, nearly e^•ery specimen
mineralized with iron or traces of copper, and looking a likely enough proposition for gold, but
we were unable to do much prospecting.

" Most of the lietter riverside lands were Indian reservations, and Indian cabins and
graves were numerous on the river banks. jNlany areas here could be easily cleared and might
be valuable for cultivation. Potatoes, cabbage and other vegetables simply grew to riot in
Stewart's garden, a few miles down stream.

" Besides the ubitjuitous hemlock, spruce and cedar, the prevalent trees were small birches,
bull pine, alder, cottonwood, maple, willows and some hazel. Rabbits, bear and grouse were
numerous, and goats up in the mountains.

" Mounting the river benches behind us, timbered side-hills and rock bluffs climbed to
steep and rugged mountains, 1,500 to 2,000 feet high. These are now being prospected to
some extent, with very promising results. On the opposite side of the river a lofty peaked
mountain loomed up some 3,000 feet, vvith deep clefts and rocky ravines, and snow lying
perennially in its crevices. Here, where the mountains thus press together, is formed the
narrow canyon where the curbed waters of the river b(jil and eddy as they sweep imperiously
through the two or three channels they have cut, apparently, out of the solid rock. Here,
too, with just a distant glimpse of snow-covered ranges in the far interior, our jouiiiey ended.

24 British Columbia. 1901

VANCOUVER, QUEEN CHARLOTTE AND
OTHER ISLANDS.

The length of the former is about '2i<0 miles, of the Queen Charlotte group about 180
miles, and the manv smaller islands of various sizes. Viewed from the deck of a steamer, they
all present a rugged and unpromising appearance, but this is quickly changed on closer acquaint-
ance, and many a valley is soon discovered on investigation. The timber is very similar to that
of the Lower Mainland, with the addition of the oak (Quercus Garr-ymia), which occurs in
patches on the southern end of Vancouver Island and for about 150 miles north, and on the
Gulf Islands. The undergrowth is not as dense as it is on the Lower Mainland, rendering the
problem of clearing more easy of solution. The character of the soil on the ridges is a gravelly
loam, good for leguminous crops and for fruits, if kept well cultivated and mulched. The dry,
hot hillsides produce fine grapes, peaches and such fruits when tried, but they are not much
cultivated, and the production is, therefore, small. There are numerous swamps, many of them
of considerable extent, sometimes open or covered with buckbrush [Spircva Douglasii), and
sometimes with a larger growth, generally crab {Pirns 7-ivularis), none of which is difficult to
clear, and when drained the land is very fertile. The land covered with oak trees is a fine
black loam, and the trees not being close together, it is easily brought into cultivation, and
produces almost any crop or fruit of these latitudes. The bottoms are generally covered with
a thick growth of alder and willow, which is easily cleared. The delta lands of the different
streams form a considerable portion of the cultivable land, and are similar to those previously
described on the Mainland.

The general characteristics of the larger islands are high mountain ranges in the interior,
which form innumerable lakes in the depressions, from which flow numerous streams to the
.sea. The valle^-s of these streams, the delta lands formed by them and the large tracts o
thickly-wooded level country, are all available for agricultural purposes, the higher mountainous
country affording, in many places, good summer pasture for stock. Practically, only the Gulf
Islands and the east coast of Vancouver Island, from its southern end for about 150 miles,
may be said to be settled. The west coast, cut up by innumerable fiords with scenery of un-
surpassed beauty ; the northern part, with the exception of Quatsino and Cape Scott, where
there are colonies of Scandinavians, and all of Queen Charlotte Islands, are sparsely inhabited
by traders, miners, the aborigines and a few tillers of the soil.

The average temperature for six months, April to September, inclusive, is at the southern
extremity 55.2°, and 150 miles to the northward 55.27°. Average rainfall during the same
period, 7.13 inches and 9.12 inches respectively. Highest temperature during 1900, 79.6° at
the southern extremity in July, and 88° in July at the other point. Lowest temperature, 18°
and 14° in November, respectively. Average annual rainfall, 31.61 inches; avei'age annual
snowfall, 16.1 inches.

The smaller islands are well adapted for sheep, the short herbage on the open hillsides
affording suital)le pasture. The entire absence of predatory animals being (juite exceptional,
and the principal markets being all accessible by w^ater, the industry is carried on more exten-
sively and with more profit in these parts than elsewhere in the Province.

In the unsettled parts of the Lsland of Vancouver the panther, so-called, really the puma
(Felia coiwoloi-), the black bear (Ursus AmericanuH), and wolf {C<inin occidenUdis) abound, and
are naturally attracted by the presence of sheep, pigs, lirc, to the settled portions, rendering
the profitable production of these animals more precarious than on the smaller islands. Never-
theless, with a modicum of care and trouble, they can be, and are, profitably produced, and
give large returns to those farmers who carry on the industry with circumspection.

Cattle, in the equable climate of these islands, also give a generous return for the care
bestowed upon them, and dairying, now carried on in the line of butter-making both by
creameries and individuals, is capable of great expansion. The lucrativeness, however, of
winter dairying is Ini- no means fully realised, inasmuch as but little provision is made for
winter feeding, in the shape of ensilage, roots, etc. During the months of April, May, June

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1 Ed. 7 Its Agricultural Capabilities. 25

and July, the luxuiia.nt growth of wild vetch, clover and grasses afford unlimited food for
tlairy cattle, and during that period butter is at the lowest, only the very best creamery and
the product of one or two well-known private manufacturers fetching remunerative prices.
After July, with the exception of some favoured localities, the pastures get so dried up that
feeding to some extent with succulent food must be resorted to, and it is then that butter
begins to rise in price until the highest point is reached.

The swine industry is not prosecuted to the extent that its importance demands. The
same may be said of poultry, although the natural advantages for its pnxhiction are probably
greater than in any other portion of the Province. This is especially true as regards fowls and
turkevs in the high, dry, open country, which, on account of its aridity, is not of great value
for any other pursuit.

Hops are successfully produced in the district of Saanich, and probably would succeed
equally well elsewhere. Apples, pears, plums and cherries do well in most of the settled dis-
tricts, more particularly pears and plums. Root crops produce largely in all the lower portions
and alluvial bottoms. Wheat is not produced to any extent. Oats a!-e grown extensively, and
some peas, barley and rye. The principal grass grown here, as elsewhere, is timothy ; clover
and other leguminous plants grow naturally, so it goes without saying that the cultivation of
these fodders is marked with success.

From an excellent little brochure descriptiA e of the Cowichan District the following is
(juoted :

" Farming in Cowichan.

" The farming areas in Cowichan are as yet small in comparison with the unbroken forest
which extends practically all over Vancouver Island ; but the land, when cleared, is fertile,
and prices generally are good. B}'' the aid of improved methods of clearing, it is now possible
to clear land at reasonable figures. Mixed farming is the general practice, though dairying is
the principal business. A co-operative creamery at Duncan has now been in existence about
six years, and turned out last year 71,111 pounds of butter, sold at an average price of 27.^
cents per pound. The farmer received this, less a charge of about 3 cents for making and
selling.

" The Klondike trade and the new home markets, together with the general improvement
in trade, have increased prices all round for farm products, and with the constantly increasing
population of British Columbia and the North-West, they are not likely to go lower to any
extent.

" Dairying, fruit-growing and the care of sheep, swine and poultry — in short, intensive
farming — is the practice recommended here."

" Life in Cowichan.
" By Clive Piiillips-Wollev.

" To the student of human nature, Bi-itish Columbia presents a cuiious anomaly. A very
large proportion of those who migrate to this colony come for greater freedom and an outdoor
life at an expense less than such a life would entail at home ; and yet, when they arrive here,
most of them crowd into the towns. Country houses in the vicinity of Victoria are almost
unknown. The Cowichan or Duncan District contains most of the exceptions to this rule.
Ft is the district par excellence of leisurely country life in British Columbia.

"A great many people will tell you that farming does not pay on Vancouver Island, and
if you have to clear the land to be farmed, I think there is some truth in it; and yet we can
.show suljstantial fairners who started without capital. The truth is that farming at a profit
requires experience and hard work ; perhaps the two things ai(; not always found in com-
bination. A very large number of our farmers were never brought up to farm. Even if you
can buy bush land at ."?! an acre, it may cost you $100 to clear it ; and at present farm labour
costs from 810 to 815 per month and board, if it is Japanese, and 8^0 and board if it is white.
But you can buy cleared lantl for less than it cost to clear it, and oil" such land y(ju can make
a good living — perhaps even a small income — ^and, by adopting the simple habits of your

26 British Columbia. lf)01

neighboursj you can get more fun, sport and good living here for $1,000 per annum than you
can get for £1,000 per annum in the Old Country. This is essentially the right country for
men with pensions, with small incomes and country tastes. An Indian can live here on
nothing but the bounty of nature ; a white man on the islands of the Gulf can live here for
very little more.

" I know a family, consisting of two English ladies and a child, who built themselves a
house and cultivated a small garden upon one of the loveliest of our islands. They had their
piano and their boat, sea bathing, fishing and gardening ; and their first year's expenses for all
three, exclusive of their initial outlay, was £60, and for this they lived well.

"Let us go a step higher in the scale of expenditure. You can buy in the Duncan District
choice land, upon the sea or upon a lake, one-half cleared and one-half bush, for §50 an acre.
You can build a good house of the bungalow type, lined with choice wood, prettily finished,
and having, say, two sitting-rooms, four bed-rooms, bath-room, kitchen, etc., for .$2,000 (£400).
For £200 you can buy 20 acres of land, of which at least 10 will be cleared. You can put a
house upon it for another $2,000 (£400), and buy yourself two cows, a horse and buggy for
another $300 (£00); and for another £140 you should be able to put in a good orchard and
garden, make and stock a poultry' yard, buy a boat, and perhaps a few sheep.

"For £1,000 you have your home equipped in the Duncan District, and if you want to
increase your holding b}' the work of your own hands or the expenditure of small sums of
money as you make or sa^'e them, there is plenty of good land in the bush to be cleared.

" As to the life. In the Duncan District there is a very large element of English settlers,
including naval and militar}'^ men, pensioned Indian civil servants, and gentlemen's younger
sons. The amusements are very much those of English country life, only that they cost you
nothinr/.

" There are towns now in British Columbia where people try to live as they think that
people live in England — where a dinner without champagne is not what it should be, and
dresses good enough for Hurlingham are worn at little scratch cricket matches. They do not
do these things in the country districts. The dress here is simple; no one dreams of any
better drink than beer or whiskey and soda; the entertainments, small dances, picnics, bathing
parties, etc., replace champagne with high spirits, and cost next to nothing. If you are a
decent fellow, it does not matter twopence what your financial standing may be.

" As to sport. The fishing in the district is excellent. At Cowichan Lake, in the early
part of this year, I believe that the average was about 25 trout to the boat, running from 1
to 2 pounds. This was with a fly. In the summer, with a spoon, men get some very large
baskets of two-pounders. Capt. Finnis, R. N., caught 255 pounds of trout in three days with
fly and spoon. Capt. Salmon, 89 pounds of trout in one day. The Cowichan River some-
times affords excellent sport. In the eai'ly spring a big trout, running from 5 to 10 pounds
(known as the steelhead), gives good sport to the fly-fisher, and later on there are good runs of
sea trout; whilst in the bay, men who care for it can get superb salmon trolling.

" On one of the smaller lakes (two miles from Duncan, w^here many of the nicest homes
are), a resident killed with the dry fly 22 trout weighing 57 pounds, in two evenings' fishing.
This is work, however, for the skilled hand.

"Grouse of two kinds used to be plentiful, and in the mountains close to hand there are
still a fair number of blue grouse for the hard-working gunner. Seven brace to the gun is the
best I have heard of this year. The willow grouse has suffered heavily, disturbed, I believe,
in the nesting season by the imported pheasant, which has now become so plentiful as to
become a nuisance to the farmers.

"Deer are plentiful, and in the winter season ducks, teal and geese afford capital sport on
the coast and in the marshes round the lakes.

" Above all, to the man who can afford it, Duncan offers a charming home within easy
reach of really fine wild sport; trolling for the giant salmon of the Campbell River; wapiti
shooting beyond Cowichan Lake, and on the West Coast of the Island ; or sheep, bear, goat
and mule deer on the Mainland- all at points within a few days' easy travel, and all shooting
free.

"It would be easy, without exaggeration, to make this a much more alluring picture, but
the exquisite scenery nmst be left to do this, and I understand that this pamphlet aims at
telling the simple truth."

1 Ed. 7 Its Aoiiicui/ruRAL Capahilities.

More about British Columbia.

The following i.s a further ([uotatiou from the articles on British Columbia published by
the " Colonist," previously alluded to : —

" Graham Island, of the Queen Charlotte (Iroup, is the second island in size in ]iritish
Columbia. AVe have appro.vimated its area at 2,000 S(|uare miles. There is an extensive lake
in the centre connected with the sea at the northern end of the island. Moresby Island i.s
the second of the group in size. It lies south of Graham. Its greatest length is 85 miles, and
its greatest width 40, but in places it is not more than 5 miles across from shore to shore. Its
outline is so irregular that no close estimate can be made of its area, but it doubtless contains
over 1,000 square miles. Both these islands are mountainous, and the same holds good of the
smaller members of this group. At the northern end of both Graham and Moresby theie are
small areas suitable for agriculture or stock-raising, but for the most part the whole group
must l)e classed as non-aral)le. The climate is very fine. The rainfall is less than on the
corresponding latitude on the INIainland, and the greatest cold ever experienced since records
have been kept was 8 degrees above zero, Fahr. During the past eight years the thermometer
has never gone below 18 degrees. This mild climate is due to the efiect of the Japan current.
There is some snow every year, and the highest peaks in the inteiior are snow-capped through
the whole twelvemonth.

"Ihe known mineral resources are coal, copper, gold and silver, but onlj' limited prospecting
has been done for anything except coal. The latter is found both on Graham and IMoresby
islands. The ascertained areas are extensive and the quality of the coal is good. Gold has
been mined by the Hudson's Bay Company to some extent at Gold Harbour, on Moresby
Island. Prospects have been found in numerous other j^laces, but it is only very recently that
anything like systematic exploration has been undertaken. While it is too soon to forecast
results, it may be said that the outlook is favourable. If any persons desire an almost vii'gin
field for this sort of work, they can find it in the Queen Charlotte group, and the conditions
of life there are by no means arduous.

" Except on the highest levels and near the coasts, the islands of this group are well tim-
bered, principally with spruce and cedar. The wood is of good cjuality.

" Whatever doubt may exist on other points, there is none as to the values of these
islands from the standpoint of the fisherman. The most valuable fish found in the adjacent
waters is the halibut. They are not large in size, but are excellent in (|uality. The)' seem to
exist in inexhaustible (juantities. They can be taken at any season of the year at some points
around the coasts. Salmon are present in all the inlets in incalculable numbers. Codfish are
also taken, but not so much is known as to their numbers, as little or no attention has been
paid to this fishery. Three factories have been set up for the manufacture of dogfish oil.

" As is the case in most of the islands along the north-west coast, wild berries — namely,
huckleberries, cranberries, and luscious and large wild strawberries grow in profusion. There
are about 600 Inflians on Graham Island, and possibly a hundred white people f)n all the
group.

" Of the smaller islands of British Columbia, Texada attracts the greatest attention. It
is situated in the northern part of the Gulf of Georgia, between Vancouver Island and the
Mainland. It is ."jO miles long with an average breadth of 6 miles. It has been described
as 'a mass of mineral.' It is known to contain copj)er, gold and iron in paying (piantities,
also great deposits of lime and marble. Mining for the three minei-als named is being success-
fully prosecuted. Great attention has recently been directed to this island by the discovery
of exceptionally rich free-milling quartz in i|uaiitity which warrants the institution of stamp-
mills.

" The principal scene of mining operations at the present time is neai- th(! north-east end
of the island, in the vicinity of Stuart Bay, where the town of Van Anda is situated. There
is a smelter here. The business of Texada Island is steadily increasing, and it is now safely
established as a growing mining centre.

" The island is well timbered and contains a considerable area suitable for agriculture.
On the whole, for its area, it would be diflicult to find anywhere an island enjoying better
advantages than Texada.

"The scores of i.slands and islets, which lie along the liritish Columbia coast an; almost
all mineralised. It is impossible to mention each particularly. On some of them, notably <;n

28 British Columbia. 1901

Princess Royal Island, prospecting has been done, but for the most part they are virgin
ground. On Princess Royal a very promising copper deposit is now being opened. Almost
all the islands are well timbered, and on some of them there is land fit for farming, but except-
ing on the more .southerly, agriculture is not likely to be an important industry. Mining and
lumbering will prove the chief sources of wealth. On some of the islands of the Gulf of
Georgia farming is now prosecuted successfull}', and there is considerable vacant land. The
climate of these islands is very agreeable. They are protected by Vancouver Island from the
winds from the ocean. The snowfall is light, and there is, in point of fact, no winter as it is
understood in the interior of the Continent, or in corresponding latitudes on the Atlantic
coast.

" Speaking generally of the Island section of British Columbia, one may say that it
contains very many elements of great prosperity. Its genial climate, the ease with which all
parts of it can be reached, the existing means of communication, the variety of resources and
the large area yet to be explored, combine to make it a portion of Canada that ought to com-
mand very much greater attention than it has hitherto received. The indications are that any
deficiency in this regard will be supplied in the near future, as the fame of the developed prop-
erties becomes more widely extended."

t IS, i't,- r^'

j.^-^-

A FOREST SCENE.

1 Ed, 7 Its AoRicui/rrHAL Possiijilities. 29

LEGISLATION AFFECTING LAND.

Pkk-kmption.

Crown lands, where such a system is practicable, are laid off and sur\eyed into (]uadri-
lat^ral townships, containing thirty-six sections of one mile scpiare in each.

An\' person, being the head of a family, a wudow, or single man over the age of eighteen
years, and being a British subject, or any alien, upon his making a declaration of his intention
to become a British subject, may, for agricultural purposes, record any tract of unoccupied and
unreserved Crow^n lands (not being an Indian settlement) not e.xceeding three hundred and
twenty acres in extent in that portion of the Pi'ovince situated to the nortlnvard and eastward
of the Cascade or Coast Range of Mountains, and one hundred and sixty acres in extent in
the rest of the Province.

The pre-emptor must, within thirty days after the date of the certificate of record, enter
into occupation of the land so recorded.

Occupation means a continuous bona fide personal residence of the pre-emptor, or of his
family, on the land recorded by him.

Price to be paid by pre-emptors is one dollar per acre, in four annual instalments of
twenty-five cents each, the first instalment to be paid in two years from date of record.

Purchase.

Crown land may be purchased in no greater blocks than six liundre*! and forty acres for
each person.

Lands whicii are suitable for agricultural purposes, or which are capable of Ix'ing bi-ouglit
under culti^■ation profitably, or which are wild hay meadow lands, rank as and are considered
to be first class lands. Lands which are suitable for agricultural purposes only when artificially
irrigated, and which do not contain timber valuable for lumbering purposes, as defined below,
rank as and are considered to be second class lands. Mountainous and rocky tracts of land
which are wholly unfit for agricultural purposes, and which cannot, under any reasonable con-
dition.s, be brought under cultivation, and which do not contain timber suitable for lumbering
purposes, as defined below, or hay meadows, rank as and are considered to be third class or
pastoral lands. Timber lands (that is, lands which contain milling timber to the average
extent of eight thousand feet per acre west of the Cascades, and five thousand feet per acre
east of the Cascades, to each one hundred and sixty acres) are not open for sale.

The minimum price of first class lands is five dollars per acre, that of second class lands
two dollars and fifty cents per acre, and that of third class lands one dollar per acre : Provided,
however, that the Chief Commissioner may, for any reason, increase the price of any lands
above the said prices.

Lkases.

Leases (containing such covenants and conditions as may be thought advisa])le) of Crown
lauds may be granted by the Lieutenant-Governor in Council for the following purposes : —
(a.) For the purpose of cutting hay thereon, for a term not exceeding ten years :
(b.) For any purprtses whatsoever, except cutting hay as aforesaid, for a term not exceed-
ing twenty -one years.

VICTORIA, 15. C. :
Printed by Richard Wolkk.ndks, PrinttT to the Kinj,''8 Most Kxcelleiit Majcstj.

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