Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 4.djvu/854

772 CANADA nion, stretching as it does across the continent, and embracing an area nearly equal in size to Europe, the period varies with the locality, and is affected by the vicinity of the great lakes or other local influences. Cattle are turned out to graze in April, feeding in part upon the tender shoots of the spring forest growth, until the appear ance of the young pasture with the disappearance of the snow. Before the end of July harvest begins ; and with the rapidity of growth under the warm Canadian skies, the hay, grain, and root-crops follow in swift succession ; the cleared land is brought again under the plough, and the autumn sowing of wheat is carried on till another abrupt change brings the season to a close. In this way the Canadian climate is marked by the striking contrast of two seasons summer and winter, bringing with them alter nations of fruitful labour and of repose intermingled with profitable industry and pleasure. This characteristic pre vails with slight variations throughout the greater part of the Dominion. Manitoba presents in this respect no marked diversity from Quebec or Ontario. Spring opens nearly at the same time from Red River to the Athabasca. Early in April the alders and willows of the Saskatchewan country are in bloom ; the prairie anemone covers the southern exposures to the very verge of the retreating snow. May there brings with it more of the true summer heat than in the provinces on the St Lawrence. But the nights are cool, and throughout the period of greatest heats, the cool night breezes beget a welcome and refreshing change, accompanied with heavy dews. This protects the cereals from the effects of drought even in the driest seasons, and produces a rich growth of prairie grass, making the climate peculiarly favourable for the stock farmer. The Rev. Professor Bryce, of Winnipeg College, thus writes : " The juncture of the seasons is not very noticeable. Spring glides insensibly into summer, summer into fine autumn weather, which, during the equinox, breaks up in a series of heavy gales of wind accompanied by rain and snow. These are followed by that divine aftermath, the Indian summer, which attains its true glory only in the north-west. The haziness and dreamy fervour of this mysterious season have often been attributed to the prairie fires, which rage over half ;i continent in the fall, and evoke an enormous amount of heat and smoke." His own observations incline him to accept this explanation. Winter begins with crisp clear weather, which grows increasingly cold and cloudy. The wind wheels to the north-east, and with it comes the snow, and the long steady winter of the Canadian year. The character of the Manitoba winter is thus described by the same intelligent observer : " The winters of the north-west, upon the whole, are agreeable, and singularly steady. The moccasin is dry and comfortable throughout, and no thaw, strictly speaking, takes place till spring, no matter how mild the weather may be. The snow, though shallow, wears well, and differs greatly from eastern snow. Its flake is dry and hard, and its gritty consistence re sembles white slippery sand more than anything else. Generally speaking, the farther west the shallower the snow, and the rule obtains even into the heart of the Rocky Mountains. In south-western Ontario the winter is milder, no doubt, than at Red River ; but the soil of the north-west beats the soil of Ontario out of comparison ; and after all, who would care to exchange the crisp, sparkling, exhilarating winter of Manitoba for the rawness of Essex in south Ontario." But the frosts of spring and autumn, not those of winter, are what the Canadian farmer learns to regard with any dread ; and this is still more true in reference to the Canadian fruitgrower. But in this respect the north-west climate is exceptional in its character. Frosts are common there in the nights of September ; but the fact has been noted by many independent observers, that frost which would injure grain in many other countries, appears to be innocuous on the Red River and the Saskatchewan. Various reasons have been assigned such as the dryness of the atmosphere, the heat-retaining character of the soil, and the sudden change of temperature that enables vigorous plants to bear an atmosphere at 20 better than at 35 when the latent heat of the earth and the plants has been given off. But whatever be the true cause the fact appears to be well attested. The chief lesson which experience has taught the farmer is to sow his wheat early in the spring, so that the ear shall be past the milky stage before the frost comes. The climate and other conditions to the west of the Rocky Mountains are necessarily marked by much greater local variations owing to the broken character of the country, with its ravines and deep narrow valleys. Stock raising has hitherto largely occupied the attention of the farmers on the Pacific slope, where the farms are called " ranches/ after the fashion of the stock farmers of Cali fornia and New Mexico. The ground produces both cereals and vegetables where irrigation is resorted to, as in the plains and valleys of those states. But the rich natural grass which abounds furnishes nearly all that is needed for the profitable raising of stock ; and until a large female immigration restores in some adequate degree the natural proportion of the sexes, the rough life of the " ranch," with its "corral," or cattle pen, will be preferred to the more settled industry of the agriculturist. The capacity of the different provinces for profitable industry, and the character of their native productions, will be found set forth in detail in the separate articles on each province. It is vain to attempt any detailed account of the soil and other local specialties of half a continent. The Geological Survey, carried out under the able direction of the late Sir W. E. Logan and his successor Mr A. R. C. Selwyn, has largely contributed to an accurate knowledge of the agricultural capabilities, as well as the mineral resources of the country. Vast areas consist chiefly of loam, with a substratum of gravel, overlaid throughout extensive tracts of forest by a rich vegetable mould, the accumulation of ages. The prairie lands are not less available ; and they are now being surveyed and explored, alike for the requirements of the settler and for economic and scientific results. The Reports of the Geological Survey of Canada embody in this way a readily accessible guide to the resources of the country, and the suitability of its various districts and provinces for settlement. Entire districts of many square miles in extent prove to be composed of alluvial deposits from 30 to 40 feet deep, of soil in places so rich as to bear good crops of wheat for successive years without manure. Others of nearly equal value are found resting on red sandstone, trap, serpentine, limestone, and other strata most favourable for agriculture. There are also, as along some of the rivers, for miles in succession, soils too rich for wheat, others of a good sandy loam, suitable to and requiring the usual English rotations. In many parts, on the other hand, there exist considerable tracts of poor, thin, and stony soils. The Reports of the Geological Survey, in presenting an account of the geological distribution of the various strata, and their agricultural capabilities, will prove of great value to the immigrant, as well as to others interested in the lands of Canada. The soil and climate of Canada are such that the country produces a much greater variety of grains and fruits than is usually grown in Great Britain or Ireland. Besides wheat, barley, oats, rye, pease, turnips, potatoes, hemp,

flax, hops, and the other ordinary agricultural products of