Long Summer Daylight 41

the English Church mission ; to the western end of the flat, the new post of the
Peace River Trading Company; and, on the opposite side of the river at North
Vermilion, Revillon’s post. Two striking farms, a few miles up river, the
Lawrence farm at Lawrence Point and the Jones farm at Stoney Point, have
for twenty years been producing all varieties of grains and vegetables. For
over a quarter of a century, wheat has been raised about the post, and the
possibilities of the district have long since been established. Recently several
new settlers have arrived, some of whom have brought considerable numbers of
cattle and horses.

For 150 miles along the river, from Carcajou to Vermilion chutes, and
extending 25 or 30 miles on either side, lies one of the most fertile plains of the
American continent. The surface is level or gently rolling, and the soil is a rich
deep loam on a sandy clay subsoil. Many hay meadows are found, and a small
percentage of the surface is light muskeg. A few sandy ridges occur, usually
covered with jack pine. Much of this area is prairie, but the predominating
feature is its park-like nature. Bluffs and small clumps of poplar and birch,
with patches of open prairie intervening, or extensive prairies with occasional
small poplars scattered singly here and there, are the prevailing features.

Spruce and heavier poplar and cottonwood are found along the waterways.
Willow, alder, and other bushes are found on low land, but are not as plentiful as
in the Edmonton district. Building logs, fencing material, and fuel can be found
within easy distance of any location, while the shelter for stock obtained from the
light woods is an advantage the bald prairie does not possess. Most of the jand
requires but little clearing, and the soil is remarkably easy to break. The
choicest park lands comprise over a million acres, while another two million
acres of excellent land will require but little clearing to fit it for cultivation.
There still remain several million acres of good land, fairly easy to clear or drain,
and which, when brought under cultivation, will give excellent returns.

The luxuriant growth of all vegetation, and the rapidity with which it
matures, seem remarkable considering the latitude of the district, Fort Vermilion
being in latitude 58° 25’ north. The altitude, however, is low, being about one
thousand feet above sea-level, which offsets, to a certain extent, the northern
latitude. The length of day during the summer season also hastens vegetation,
the summers, though short, having almost continual daylight. Summer frosts
and hail are very rare, and total crop failures from any cause are unknown.

The Dominion Government has established an experimental sub-station
under the immediate supervision, and on the farm, of Mr. Robt. Jones at Stoney
Point, and during the past fourteen years extensive tests have been made to deter-
mine the degree of success which could be obtained with various cereals, forage
plants, fruits, and vegetables under normal conditions. The results have been
most gratifying. On the Sheridan Lawrence farm, a stone flour-mill has been in
operation for over twenty-years, and a roller mill has been lately installed.
Flour made from wheat grown in this district has been supplied to the northern
trade continuously, and great quantities were disposed of to the Klondike miners
during the rush of ’98. A shipment of 9,000 bushels of wheat was made from the
Lawrence farm to Fort William in the spring of 1917. The long haul and high