north-westerly between Prophet and Nelson Rivers. These hills are
sharply defined and rise abruptly 1,000 feet above the plateau.

A feature of this area is that, with exception of along river-valleys,
the region is covered with moss from a few inches to 6 feet deep. When
the moss has been burned off grass 2 to 4 feet high grows. When drained
and the moss removed the greater proportion will be found cultivable.

Taking the total area explored at 18,000 square miles, about a quarter
lies south of the summit and is drained by North Pine River and to small
extent by a stream flowing easterly to Alberta. The main stream drain-
ing the northerly slope is the Fort Nelson River, following north-west to
the Liard ; Hay River, flowing north-east to Great Slave Lake, also drains
a portion of the area to the east.

North Pine River, leaving the broken country in foot-hills of the
Rockiés, turns southerly and flows across the Block to Peace River, about
40 miles below Fort St. John. The valley becomes more defined as it
flows through the plateau, the banks being half a mile apart and 500 feet
high where it enters the Block, and tributary streams similarly head in
swamps on the plateau surface, the valleys becoming narrow and deep
as they approach the North Pine. The river-bottom is roughly three-
quarters of a mile wide and contains some good land with alluvial loam
soil. Blueberry River, the largest tributary, joins a few miles north of
the Block.

The only areas surveyed north of the Block are several townships
near the junction of the Blueberry and North Pine, and some stretches
of excellent agricultural land are found here. Surveys cover about
36,000 acres. East of the North Pine is considerable extent of plateau
containing land suitable for agricultural purposes, and roughly 250,000
acres could be brought under cultivation with little labour. North of this
area the country rises north gradually to the summit and becomes less
attractive as farming land, there being numerous marshes and bogs
permanently unsuitable for agricultural purposes.

FORT NELSON PLATEAU.

Fort Nelson River is the drainage of a prairie area east of the Rockies
physiographically similar to the prairie land of the Great Canadian Plain,
of which it is a western extension, elevation varying from 2,500 to 3,000
feet at the south at the divide between the Peace and Liard drainages to
1,600 to 1,800 feet at the north. ‘The region has large areas of open grass
lands. A considerable portion is now badly drained. Some of the
stream-banks are a few feet above the general level and there are wide
stretches of muskegs and swamps. Early explorers’ descriptions of
Northern Albertan areas now growing grain were similar to those given
by surveyors who have made reconnaissance surveys of this area, and it
is considered that when settlement reaches it the land will be drained
and brought under cultivation. Experiments in these latitudes and
farther north leave no doubt that the growing season has sufficient length
and warmth to ripen wheat, oats, barley, and all ordinary root-crops and

Forty-seven.